Chapter 1

By the time the plane landed, I had slipped back behind my mask. It had been twelve hours since I'd gotten the phone call and in that time I'd moved from panic to anger to action to where I was now. Hidden safely from view and ready for anything I might find.

Customs was a breeze but my mind was somewhere else anyway. Coming out into the concourse of the airport in Jamaica's Ocho Rios, the blast of subtropical air felt surprisingly soft. I wasn't surprised at all that the only identifiable non-Jamaican and non-tourist was there for me.

Shock of red hair and watery-blue eyes, he moved into my line of sight like he was about to arrest me. I stopped short and waited for him to approach. After introductions, he grabbed my suitcase and almost dragged me outside to a pair of waiting cars. Several men with guns standing guard and this wasn't the only surprise I'd find that day.

As we took off, he tried to make pleasant conversation, like I was here on vacation. In annoyance, I put my hand up and eyed him. "Who's got her?" I demanded.

His eyes showed surprise and he shook his head. Quiet American voice with a soft lilt I knew had to come from Irish blood. "We're not sure yet," he said. "We've just gotten started."

I nodded and pulled out my phone. Dialed the office in Washington and got Maria on the line. "It's me. What do you know?"

Three minutes later, I hung up and handed him a piece of paper. "This is who has her and this is someone local who should be able to help you get in touch."

"How in God's name would you be able to get this kind of information?" his face belayed his suspicions.

"It's from a reliable source. That's really all I know." I looked out the window and watched green fly by as we rose into the mountains. "As I understand it, your company has been hired to negotiate her release. Is that correct?"

"That's certainly what we'll try to do first," he replied. His name was Dino O'Leary. I'd already gotten a synopsis on his firm but I was waiting until I got here to get the names of the negotiators so I could get them run for me as well.

"And what else are you prepared to do to get her out alive?" I looked straight into his eyes.

"Whatever it takes. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, Miss Foster. And why don't we back up to the place where you're about to tell me how you can get this information," he said as he waved the piece of paper at me.

"It worries me more that you didn't have it yet." I kept looking at him, waiting.

"Who are you?" he finally asked.

"I'm the hostage's best friend. I'm ready to do whatever I must to get her back alive. I'm glad we're on the same page on that score. Other than that, I have some connections that might help us both accomplish what we want." I turned back to the window and it was the last words we spoke during the rest of the trip.

We pulled up outside the house's gate and it was hard to even get out. Because the last time I'd been here, Barb had been running out to greet me before the engine had stopped running. Now there was no one in sight except more men with guns.

I didn't see Sam at first when we entered the house. Dino peeled off from me and I heard him talking to someone else in another room. Wandering into the kitchen, I finally found Sam. We instantly fell into each other's arms and I held on to him while he cried. Such a good man and a wonderful husband to the best friend I'd ever had. I knew this was killing him.

"I'm so glad you're here, Lisa. But I'm sorry I had to do this to you. I just didn't know who else to call," he told me, once his tears were over. I knew Sam well enough to know what it had cost him to cry like that in front of anyone but Barb; I also knew it was likely the last time we'd see him react that way until this was over.

"Does her dad know yet?" Had to find out if there was any chance he'd be an issue.

"Are you kidding me? Jesus Christ, Lisa. He's our last resort." Sam walked away from me as I started laughing.

"Yeah, well, I figured he didn't know. I mean, there's no firebombing going on yet and all." We both chuckled.

I looked up and wiped the smile from my face as Dino came back in with another man. Instantly, I knew this must have been the other negotiator Sam had told me about. He was the one really in charge. Instinctively, I stood that much straighter. Tried hard not to look too intently at him. Damn. He was easy on the eyes; tall, dark and very nice shoulders. Except that just then he didn't look like he was ever going to be easy to get along with.

"We need to talk," he told me, making no attempt to introduce himself. All business. Tough guy. Totally in control. "Tell me about this."

I waved my hand at the piece of paper. "It's who has Barb. And there's a local person who should be able to help you establish contact. Since you haven't been able to yet, according to your cohort."

His eyebrows went up and his face seemed to get harder, but his voice maintained its even keel. An accent I hadn't figured out yet. Not American. British? "You'll need to tell us how you got the information. We can't possibly act on something without verification."

Looking at Sam, passing him an unspoken message to keep quiet. Looking back at the two negotiators. "The only thing I can tell you is that the source is very reliable. Would it actually kill the two of you to just check out the fucking local contact and stop wasting time like this?"

Dino started laughing but I seemed to have pissed off the other one. Not exactly the move I'd wanted to make.

"I'm sorry. That didn't quite come out the way it should have," I tried to smile at him but his glare unnerved me.  "Look. Could we start over? And by the way, my name is Lisa Foster. I'm Barb's best friend."

"Terrence Thorne." We shook hands and he even managed a small, very small, smile somewhere in my direction. Australian, I finally pegged him. But he hadn't lived there in a while, I could tell.

"Terry, Lisa's like a sister to us. And I trust her totally. If she says the information's reliable, believe me when I tell you this, you can definitely bank on it," Sam said quietly into the silent room.

I glanced back at Sam and frowned at him. Until I checked these guys out, I wasn't taking off the mask just yet and I didn't need Sam doing any damage.

"What's troubling to us, Sam, is that there are only so many ways to get reliable information like this as quickly as Lisa here has been able to do it. If it's the way I'm afraid she got it, then we need to have a frank talk as to whether or not she's going to do other things to, um, help." His voice held some warning for me and I found that disconcerting.

"Fine. Don't use the information." I reached out to swipe the paper from him but he pulled it out of my reach. "Make up your mind, Mr. Thorne. It's not that hard. Check out the local contact, check out the info and see if it helps. I would have thought you might have been happy for the jump start."

"We've already started checking it out." We stood looking at each other, assessing the other's intents. When he turned to leave, I figured I'd at least passed some small test. "We'll let you know."

Then he stopped just before he left the room and without turning around, said, "No more phone calls to your source until we know more. Got it?"

"No problem," I replied evenly. I excused myself from Sam, telling him I was going to go unpack and get cleaned up. 

But as soon as I was in my room, I was on the phone to Maria in Washington again. Gave her the negotiators' names and told her to call me when she was able to get them run through someone. I didn't really care who. Someone in the office would know who to call if she didn't.

Then I flopped back on the bed and stared for a while at the fan that whirred slowly above me. Tried really, really hard not to close my eyes because every time I had since Sam had called me, about all I saw were images of what I prayed Barb wasn't going through.

She had been my college roommate and we'd stayed incredibly close ever since. We were each the sister the other didn't have. Now that my parents were both dead, she was my only family.

Barb and Sam had only been in Jamaica about a year. He was a partner in a resort development company. They were trying to build another of those all-inclusive resorts and progress had been slow because some of the land they needed had proven difficult to acquire. But the building phase had begun about three months ago and I had come down to watch then only because they were both so excited that it was actually beginning.

As best as I'd understood from Sam, Barb had been nabbed when she and others stopped at a roadblock on the road leading to their home in the hills. I couldn't quite get straight from him if she was the intended target or just a victim of circumstances. If it was just one of those "bad place, bad timing" things, surely they'd immediately realized her value based on nothing but her blonde hair and nice car.

But, on the other hand, if she was the intended target then there was one thing that could make this worse. If they took her because of Sam and his company, that would be one thing and I had no doubt the negotiators could probably get her back. But if they ever found out who her father was, this would become a nightmare, I thought.

Not for the first time, I could have kicked myself for not being more forceful about her being here. But she refused to live her life based on her dad's notoriety. And, so, she thought she was safe. Why were we Americans always so naïve?

I crawled back up to my feet and unpacked. Best cover, I'd learned long ago, was to do the things you said you were going to and hoped people didn't notice the other things you also did. After, I went to find Sam and pull some more information from him.

He was in the small workshop he kept in a little outbuilding behind the main house. I heard the motor of the exhaust fan running and thought I'd find him keeping his mind busy by sawing or doing something with wood. Instead he was sitting on his stool in front of the table saw, which was on. But the piece of wood that probably should have been in there was sitting in his hands and he was staring at it like it could talk.

"Waiting for inspiration?" I said loudly, trying to be heard over the noise. When I saw his empty eyes turn to me, I wondered when the last time was he'd slept.

Turned off the equipment and stood in front of him. "What?" he asked, like he'd just waked to reality.

"You need to get some sleep, buddy," I told him in my best mother voice, the one I knew he usually laughed at. "Come on, let's put you to bed."

Like a zombie. He just got up and walked with me. I pushed him inside their bedroom and looked around. Barb would have died at the disorder.

"I can't sleep, Lisa. I keep having nightmares." He looked so pitiful.

In the bathroom, I found Barb's sleeping pills and brought him one with a glass of water. When he swallowed it, I pointed to the bed and made him climb under the covers. Tucked him in and sat next to him while he settled down. "You need rest. I'm here now and I'll stand watch over these two bozos, Sam. Now close your eyes, turn off your mind and sleep."

I shut the door softly as I left and turned to find Terry in the hall. "Bozos?" he asked quietly, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Is this how you do your job? Listen in on private conversations?" I edged around him and went down the hall, into the kitchen. When I turned and saw him standing just inside the room, I sighed. "It was a joke, okay? We know you're not bozos. Don't be so damn sensitive."

"Point taken." He pulled up a chair and sat at the table, watching me intently. "Now that it's just the two of us, mind telling me who you really are? We can't seem to find out much about you."

"You're wasting time checking me out? Unbelievable. No wonder you can't seem to find the time to find Barb," I replied, really pissed to know they were looking into me. Even more pissed that it hadn't occurred to me they might do that. Been sitting behind a desk much too long, I thought to myself. Wondered if I'd lost too many other instincts that had saved my ass in the field.

"It's always a good idea to know as much as you can about all the players."

Yeah, I thought, definitely. Exactly what I was up to.

"In answer to your question, I'm nobody. Nobody you should be worried about, nobody you should care about. I'm just what I said I was, a friend." Said in my sweet girl voice.

"A friend who can tap into U.S. intelligence." He gave me this small smile, like he was sharing my secret with me. "A friend who works in Washington D.C. and has great connections. Good friend to have in times like this, I would say."

I caught exactly where he was going. "You think I'm a spy? Some kind of secret agent? Is that what you think I look like? I'm not sure if I should be flattered or not."

Just then, my phone buzzed and when I answered it, Maria had news. The two negotiators had checked out. I didn't take notes since one of them was in the same room but I didn't need to because she was emailing me their background work ups. She knew me so well. She'd also already sent me background on the group that had Barb.

"Do you need someone down there with you, Lisa?" she asked me. "Or would it help to make an initial inquiry at the embassy there?"

"No to both, Maria. Not yet anyway." I looked up and Terry's eyes were still on me. "Listen. I'll check the email and then get back with you if I need anything else. In the meantime, tell the boys thanks."

Clicking off the phone, I took a seat across from him and tried to figure out what would be best to tell him. Wondered how he'd take it to know I'd checked them out just like they were trying to do to me; would it bother him? Would it also bother him to know that my sources were obviously much more efficient than his? Why not, I thought, it'd be interesting to catch his reaction. "Well, you guys definitely check out. I figured you'd have military backgrounds so you were easy to verify."

His mouth opened to say something but then he closed it and raised his eyebrows.

"Look, here's the thing. I work at the State Department. But, it's probably not like you think. I'm just a flunky. But it does give me lots of government contacts. Which does have advantages that I want to make sure you know are available to help you. And, yeah, I used whatever was available to me to help Barb."

"Why the secrecy? Why not just tell us if it's so innocuous?"

"Because... well, because I really shouldn't be doing it."

"Really."

"Yeah, really. Can you imagine how that would look if anyone in the media finds out? But I want you to know that I'll do anything you need done in a second. And all you have to do is ask. Will you do that?"

He nodded slowly, saying, "We shouldn't need that kind of help here. But if I think you've got a way to help with something, I'll definitely let you know."

"Okay. So now that my cards are on the table, how about returning the favor." I turned my most earnest, honest-by-gosh eyes his way and hoped they'd do the trick. Because of course, my cards were most definitely not all on the table. Part of what I'd told him was the truth and that's important when you're trying to hide the bigger truth. Don't stray too far or you risk messing up the big stuff later. "Tell me what we're up against."

"We have the first ransom demand. It came in just a little while ago. I was trying to find Sam to tell him but since you finally got him to go to bed, I thought it could wait." He gave me a small smile and looked away for a second. "You have a good way with him. He's a hell of a lot calmer with you around."

"Yeah, well. He trusts me." I tapped my hand on the table, saying, "So, about the ransom demand?"

He explained the dance. The first demand was never the last. It was just the opening bid and how they responded could determine the outcome. I listened intently as he told me what could be expected in the process.

"But you do think this is a good sign?" I asked him.

"Sure..." He stopped and looked intently into my eyes. "I don't want to mislead you, Miss Foster. These things are rarely as easy as they seem initially. Maybe this one will be. But you and Sam need to be ready to go through some rough times."

"Promise me you'll get her back." It was nearly a whisper when it came out of my mouth.

"I promise." Reaching out to pat my hand, he said it with such confidence that I almost believed him. It was about the only time in my life I remember being happy someone purposely lied to me. We both knew there was no way he could make that kind of promise.

"Okay. Well, I need a drink." I went in the study and found Sam's stash of Scotch. For some reason, I always found it just the thing when I needed to steady my nerves. Just two fingers, neat. Enough to put a blanket on tension but never enough to lose touch with my instincts.

Wandering back out into the kitchen, I sipped the amber liquid as I began looking in the refrigerator. It was nearly dinner time and I'd already surmised that the household help had been dismissed for the duration of this ordeal. Just assumed that a bunch of men left on their own for two days would feel more relaxed around me if I slipped into a typical female role of caretaker of the home fires. As soon as he saw what I was up to, he left and I was alone.

Ten minutes later, I blinked and looked at my hands. They were still holding the pot I planned to fill with water. Shaking my head, I realized no water was getting in there if I didn't get the pan under the faucet.

At the rate I went, spacing in and out at odd moments, fixing dinner took me an hour. It should have taken about half that. When it was almost done, I went and hunted up Terry and Dino, asking them to join me. I watched their faces and knew it had been the right move. When I went in to check on Sam, he was passed out. Left him alone. He needed rest more than food. With any luck, he'd sleep through the night.

I took a calculated risk with the two negotiators over dinner. Kept the mask on and hoped they'd never notice. Men can be so easy that way. Let a woman slip into a role they expect and they seldom look hard enough to see if she's faking it.

We made polite conversation and ever so gently, I pried some information out of them that I needed. Nothing monumental. Just enough to help me stay in the loop. I'd relay it to Maria in the morning. Besides, I needed to establish a rhythm where they'd feel it only natural to confide in me.

After dinner, I shooed them out of the kitchen when they offered to clean up. I had already guessed that times of absolute privacy were going to be limited while this went on so I was determined to take every one I could get.

Checked on Sam one last time before I went into the guest room I was staying in. It took about thirty minutes to get ready for bed. Half that time, I was zoned out again. Two hours after I'd laid my head on the pillow, I sat up in frustration. I wasn't going to sleep. At least not without nightmares. I wiped the tears from my eyes, grabbed my robe and went into the study.

The house was so quiet and so subdued. Even the lighting was subdued. I kept wandering around, from the front room to the study to the kitchen to the family room. Touching objects and feeling scared about what was happening. Scared because I couldn't do anything to help. Not really. The only help I'd be was information. I longed to do something more concrete. Finally, I wandered one last time into the family room. Standing at the French doors that led to the back yard, I looked off into the blackness.

In my mind's eye, I could see her. I could picture exactly how scared my Barb was just then, like we held some mental connection between us. This was the most horrible feeling, knowing she needed me and not being able to get to her to help. My hand was on the handle, unlocking the door to the patio, wanting to walk out into the inky black and feel that nothing was between us that night, as if we'd somehow be closer that way.

"We prefer you to stay inside at night. It's safer."

If possible, I must have jumped about five feet off the ground at the low voice behind me. "JesusfuckingChrist. You almost gave me a heart attack," I snapped out as I whipped around at the direction of his voice. My eyes searched the darkness in the room but I didn't see him until he rose from where he'd apparently been sitting in the corner and came toward me.

"Sorry, Lisa. Didn't mean to scare you but I can't let you go wandering around outside either." He walked up closer, putting out an arm to steady me as I stood there shaking.

"Why were you hiding in here anyway? You should have said something when I came in. Christ. Are you always like this, Terry?

"I didn't want to intrude on your thoughts, love. You looked a million miles away." Looking in my eyes, as if he was concerned. Making me feel a connection. I knew he'd been through enough of these to know exactly what Sam and I were both feeling.

"Nowhere near that far away." I said as I turned back to the night sky. "Tell me what's happening to her right now, Terry."

"If you want to know if she's alive, my guess is she is."

"Is she cold?" I turned and searched his eyes for the truth. "Because I'm so worried that she's cold. I don't know why, but I keep obsessing on it."

"Everything you're feeling is normal. Everyone worries about something, usually something small. It's okay to worry. You just can't let it overwhelm you."

"Tell me the truth," I said, moving right up to him and looking right in his face. "Is she cold?"

"I don't know, Lisa." 

He didn't move away from me. And I wanted something else from him to help me in that long night. "Would you hold me? Please? I just can't... I just need to feel... Please?"

At first, his arms around me were stiff and while I welcomed the physical contact, it felt so forced that it was almost worse than being alone. But when I put my arms around his waist and moved in closer to him, his hold on me grew stronger. I closed my eyes and escaped from this nightmare for a few minutes.

Damn. He felt good. Smelled nice. He really was such a man. But it had been such a bad day that I'm not sure I should have noticed anything like that. It felt obscene to have this wave of desire come over me when somewhere out there in the cold black was my best friend. Hopefully alive. For now.

I moved back away from him, looking up in his eyes and smiling in gratitude. "Thank you. That helped a lot." He just nodded at me, but I noticed he seemed a little nervous. "Guess I should try and get some sleep now. See you in the morning."

I stayed up most of the night. Part of the time, I spent downloading the reports Maria emailed me and reading them over carefully. And part of the time, I spent pacing the floor or tossing in the bed. I know I slept at least a little late in the night because I had another nightmare and when I came up trembling from the fear it gave me, I decided to get up and greet the day.

Chapter 2

The next day brought the reality into clearer focus. There was no doubt the struggle over this event in my life was going to be one of the toughest I'd faced. And it was never going to be the fast, easy brush with fate that I'd been so hoping it would be.

To get through it in the condition I'd need to be in for my Barb was definitely going to challenge me in a way I hadn't been in a long time. And I'd need to somehow do two things that seemed totally contradictory: remember the steel I'd had when I'd been in the field and forget all the bad things I'd seen in those years. The things that had finally made me become a desk jockey. But in leaving the field work, I actually became more enmeshed in a world of secrets and intrigue. It's why I had to hide what I did from outsiders with absolute and unremitting diligence.

That day, I sought solace in the mundane. After breakfast, I took an inventory of the food situation. Since this was to be my chosen contribution to the effort, keeping the troops fed, I figured I should find out what I had to work with. Not much.

I made myself a list before I had a good, long laugh at myself. Now where exactly did I think I was again? Taking a deep breath, I re-thought the situation. I hadn't shopped locally in Jamaica for food in a long time. Maybe I should just play it by ear. Twenty minutes later, I was ready but when I tried to leave the gate, I was stopped by some big guy wearing a gun who didn't want me leaving the compound.

Turning back to the house, I had to make another mental adjustment. Well, of course they'd be worried about the security of those of us in the house after what had happened to Barb. Why was it proving to be so hard for me to think clearly that day?

I searched out Dino and Terry. They were huddled together in the study and I stood in the door for a second, watching them, before they realized I was there.

"Sorry for interrupting. Um, I needed to go into town to pick up groceries. How can I arrange to do that?" I asked them.

"Just give us a second here, Lisa, and I'll get one of the guys to drive you in," Dino said quickly.

But Terry's deep voice decided the matter, saying, "I'll take you in when we've finished here. Can you give us about fifteen minutes?"

I nodded and noticed the surprised look Dino cast to his partner. Interesting, I thought.

While waiting, I went to look for Sam. He'd woken still groggy from the pill I'd given him and I was a little worried about his general well being. At some point, I was going to have to figure out a way to get his mind occupied. I wondered if he had some work he could do from the office.

He was in the family room, sitting on the couch and staring at the floor between his knees.

"Earth to Sam. Anyone home?"

"Yeah. What?" He didn't even look at me.

Kneeling to his side, I leaned over and looked in his face. "Hey, buddy. Want to come to town with me? I'm going in for supplies."

"No. I'll just hang here." His voice sounded normal but this was all wrong for Sam. I figured it was the loss of control. Someone like him, take charge and charge on, he wasn't going to do at all well in an atmosphere where he had no other value than as the person who got told what everyone else was doing on his behalf.

Terry and I were nearly to town when I mentioned my concern about Sam. He didn't say anything, which irritated me.

"So, Terry. Can I drag it out of you, big guy? Any way you guys could let Sam feel a bit more useful?"

He turned toward me and I saw the frown before I even heard it in his voice. "What exactly is it you think our job is here, Lisa? We're not social directors. Unless Sam is trained in this, he'd just get in the way."

I bit my lip and returned his look. When he turned back to the road, I watched him for a few minutes. Trying to take some measure of him.

"All right. I'll figure something out," I said.

"Do you always do that?" I looked at him and he was frowning at me again. "Take care of other people's problems? Sam's a grown man. Let him take care of himself."

"Man, what kind of friend do you make? That's just cold. Geez. He's my friend and I want to help him get through this."

"I'm a good friend, Love. Good enough to let my friends stand on their own feet when it's the best thing for them," he said, staring ahead at the road. "Sam doesn't need to be mothered. It's just gonna make it worse for him the longer this goes on."

"How long do you think this is going to go on?" I cleared my throat after the words were out of my mouth because my voice sounded a little too upset.

"If we're lucky, a few more days. But don't count on being lucky."

Short laugh because his comment made me flash on something an old friend used to say. I looked up and his eyes were back on me, making me blush. "Sorry. Someone I used to know always said, 'Don't count on being lucky when you can count on being good.' For some reason, it just seemed odd to be reminded of that."

"That's a favorite saying of someone I know, as well," he said, making my spine tingle because I suddenly thought it might have been more than a coincidence. "Think we might have a mutual friend?"

"Oh, he wasn't a friend. Believe me." Definitely wouldn't do to claim friendship with the person I knew who liked that saying, just in case it was the same person he knew. I needed to change the subject. "Maybe we should start out by finding a grocery store and then it might be nice to find a fruit market? Surely there's got to be one around here."

When we stopped, it was in front of a grocery store that, while larger than what I'd expected in this small town about an hour from Ocho Rios, was still pretty dinky compared to the States. It took about thirty minutes of roaming the aisles in confusion before I was able to put together something resembling menu items for a few days. Next stop was the open-air market where we could get some great locally-grown fruits and vegetables.

There had always been something about these places. They were so full of color and life. A cadence that you could feel even more than you could hear. Going to the market on any Caribbean island never failed to make me smile at some pleasant memories.

Before we got farther than down a row of the stalls, Terry suggested we take the opportunity to grab lunch in town since we were so close to one of the cleaner local restaurants. And it was lunch time anyway, I reasoned.

It was over lunch that we finally relaxed enough around each other to talk without hidden agendas. At least, I didn't have one.

"Tell me about Barb," he asked me. "What kind of person is she?"

"Gosh, that's tough. I guess what you really want to know is how she's dealing with all this?" He nodded and I hesitated, thinking about it for the millionth time since I'd first heard of the kidnapping. "Well, she's a very strong person mentally and, um, physically, she's very fit, lots of stamina. I would say she's probably cooperating and trying her best not to provoke them. But I have no doubt she's not scared out of her mind. Things like this don't happen in her world."

"They happen in few people's worlds." He looked in my eyes and I dropped mine before he was able to read anything there.

"More than anything, she'll never give up hope. She knows Sam and I will never give up on getting her back. She'll cling to that even if it gets really bad for her."

"Will she try to escape?"

"No. She won't. She'll wait to be rescued." I felt sure about that. Me, on the other hand, I would have never relied on anyone but myself in that situation. We were so different that way.

When I looked up, his blue-green eyes were studying me and it made me uncomfortable. "Anything else you think we should know about her?"

Oh, man. So much and yet what could I really tell him? What about her would be important to this negotiation and what would just add stress to an already impossible situation?

"Please, Lisa. It's really important we understand. We talked to Sam but... I don't think he really understood what we needed to know. And I think you do, Love," he said, in this calm, deep voice that made me want to trust him.

"What did Sam tell you?"

"Not much. He's too mad at himself for not being there to protect her when it happened," he told me.

I laughed. "Just like a man." He smiled at me. Man, what that did to my insides. Pulled my eyes away because I shouldn't have been having those thoughts. Then, I sighed because I knew I had to tell him one thing that might be important, depending on why she was taken. "Did he tell you who her father is?"

"Her father? You think her father has something to do with this?" He was definitely confused and then I knew he'd never really looked much into her background. Sure must have assumed it wasn't important.

"No, I don't. But he's not popular in Jamaica and some of the other Caribbean islands." I shook my head and started over. "Her dad's General Dale Grady. Since you're not from the States, you might not know him well. He was one of the military commanders in the Gulf War and when he retired, he became the Drug Czar for the White House."

"Yeah, I know who he is. Dammit. That could change things here," his eyes got dark and I knew he was beginning to get really pissed that this was the first he was hearing of it.

"Don't blame Sam for not telling you. Barb was raised by her mother; her parents divorced so long ago and she's never been close to her father. So people rarely connect them. The only reason I mention it now is that I've always thought... Well, I was concerned when they started living here that if someone here found out, it could get uncomfortable for her."

The General had taken his inimitable military style into his new role as Drug Czar. And attacked the drug trade in islands in the Caribbean, like Jamaica, where he believed drugs bound for the States were being grown or made. It was a calculated, brazen effort to stop the drugs in the States' backyard through a combination of fear tactics, economic sanctions and brute force. It added to the efforts that had already been made to impact Central and South America. Before it went blazing into infamy, he'd talked the President into using the military to almost blockade several of the islands. Jamaica was the worst. It got ugly.

In fact, I was a witness to some of the ugliness of the Jamaica incident, but that's another story.

And when it blew up in his face, which I'd been blunt enough to forecast to him when he first came up with the lame idea, he retired from the drug battle in semi-shame.

"But here's something else that's important for you to know, Terry. Sam hasn't told any of Lisa's family about the kidnapping to make sure the General doesn't find out. If he ever did, he'd burn the island down," I said, reaching across the table to grab his hand so he'd pay attention to me. "So you can't act on this. I only told you so that you'd know that there might be another agenda here. But I really think that if they knew who she was, they wouldn't be dicking around negotiating with your company. They'd be wanting to negotiate with the U.S. government."

He nodded slowly and I could tell his mind was miles down the road toward figuring out what he'd need to do with this new information. He seemed to reach a decision or conclusion and his other hand patted my hand that still clung to his. When I tried to slip my hand away, he held it in place and looked in my eyes. "Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me that, Lisa."

Which actually made me uneasy. Because I was pretty sure he was trusting that I'd told him everything. But I scanned my mind quickly and concluded he knew everything he needed to in order to do his job and get my Barb back to us.

When we got back to the compound, Dino had news. A Polaroid photo had arrived. I took one look at Barb's face and started shaking hard. Handed it back and went to find Sam. We stood on the patio and held each other as we both cried.

Dinner was a quiet, somber affair for the four of us. I didn't want to open my mouth, even to try to help break the uncomfortable silence, for fear my voice would betray how scared the picture made me. I wasn't used to that feeling and wasn't handling it well.

"This is actually a good sign," Terry finally spoke into the heavy air. "It means they're ready to start seriously negotiating. They sent along the radio frequency we'll use to talk. So we'll start this evening and that's good."

Sam and I both looked at him and then at each other. It got to me, for some reason. I got up and left the table, walking outside just to feel the gathering dusk and be alone.

She had looked really bad to me in the photo. Dirty, scared and totally cowed. We had to get her back soon. Before they did something so bad to her that it would scar her for life. I kept trying to chase out of my mind the knowledge that was in there about what usually happened to kidnap victims. About the things that had probably put the fear in her eyes and drained her of spirit.

There had to be something I could do. Never in my life had I felt so frustrated at not being in the game. Cell phone out and Maria was soon in my ear. "Tell me some good news."

She could hear it in my voice and knew I was struggling pretty hard. "First off, everyone's doing fine here. Herman's actually doing pretty well, which I know you probably don't believe. He did his first briefing this morning and it was pretty smooth. He wants you to let us send someone down to help, Lisa. Just say the word and tell us who."

At least she'd given me the opportunity to make a decision. There was some control in that. Herman was not, absolutely not, the person I would have left in charge if I'd had any other choice. He was a weasel, although he was our weasel. Dave, my second in command, was coming back in another day from an assignment that was a hell of a lot more important to us than what I was doing. So how much harm could Herman do in a few days? "You keep trying to get me to let you send someone down here. Who's worried about me? Never mind, I probably know. Let's give the negotiators more time. They're starting talks tonight, by radio."

"If you can get the frequency, we can get it monitored." I liked the way Maria's mind worked. It was certainly firing on more pistons than mine was at that moment.

"I don't know the frequency. If I want it monitored, I'll get it to you but for right now, these guys have such a good reputation, I think we should let them work on this without any interference. I do trust them, Maria."

I hung up and stood with my head down, trying to will Barb's face from my mind.

"I thought we had an agreement, Lisa." His voice behind me and I knew I'd been caught. Uncharacteristically stupid of me to have not looked around before making that call. "Something you need to tell me?"

Not even turning around to look at him. "No. Nothing."

"That was your source?"

"In a way." Now I turned and met Terry's eyes, which were pretty dark with anger. "Just a friend at the office who knows what's going on. She's willing to help get information and..."

"That's not really what that call was about, was it?" He stepped close and his voice dropped low. "You've got the ability to have someone in Washington monitor what we do and come in if we fail? That's what I feel like I heard. Not just the words but the voice you used. You're more than a flunky at the State Department."

I looked right in his eyes and calmly lied. Years of experience kicked in and saved my ass. "Even flunkies at State have connections who have connections. I swear I've told you the truth. I'm sorry I called in. I know I said I wouldn't. But she won't do anything so there was no harm. I just needed to keep in touch. That's all."

"Don't fucking lie to me." His face was set hard but his voice was still even and controlled.

"I'm not lying to you, Terry," I said, reaching out to touch his arm, stroking it lightly. It was just the right thing to do. I'd never known a man not to believe me when I looked in their eyes and touched them like that. I think they thought it was such a natural reaction that I couldn't have been lying.

"Problem, folks?" Dino was a welcome diversion. 

I backed away from Terry and turned to meet Dino's eyes. "No problem. But Terry's not happy with me because I called someone at my office when I promised I wouldn't. I'm really sorry. It won't happen again without your permission."

Terry and Dino traded glances. I knew they no longer trusted me like they had but it was also pretty obvious I hadn't done mortal damage.

We weren't even entering the home stretch and I was acting like a total spazz. Someday, when this was all over, Dave and I would have a good laugh, I promised myself. We'd be holding our sides, busting out in hilarity over just how obvious it was I was now truly a bureaucrat. And no damn use to my Barb.

When I walked back in the house, I heard Terry's deep voice and Dino's more excited tones. Plotting. Planning. Acting. I was jealous. At least they could do something. Closing my bedroom door behind me, I had to admit I knew my Barb's fate was so much better off in their hands than mine.

Chapter 3

For several days after that, it was easier for me to be more careful. But they were hard days, nonetheless. Because Sam and I could hear the radio negotiations going on each evening. And they began to beat us over the head with reality. We began to live for the evening sessions, listening almost furtively as Terry talked on one end and the kidnapper's person spoke on the other.

During the days, I became more and more aware that Dino was doing the things they needed to do in order to be ready to move swiftly if the negotiations fell apart. He was working with local sources to get information and he was stockpiling the tools they'd need if they ended up having to go in to take her out by force.

I walked outside into Sam's workshop one afternoon and found Dino standing with several other men inside. It took too long before it crashed into me they were cleaning guns. When he turned and saw me in the doorway, the look on his face was one of excitement. And it wasn't that I didn't understand that curious emotion in times like this. I did. More than they'd ever know. But it still pissed me off so much because I took it personally.

Turned on my heels and stomped back to the house. He caught up with me when I reached the patio and turned me around to face him. "Lisa, let me explain."

"You shouldn't be doing that in there. That's Sam's only sanctuary. He sure as hell shouldn't have to share space with guns and be reminded of the guns that even now are turned on his wife."

"We talked to Sam about it and he was okay with it. It's the only suitable place."

"Bullshit. Sam's just being a fucking man and not telling you how much it upsets him. I'm really surprised at your insensitivity."

"I don't have time to be sensitive, Lisa. This is part of what is involved when we're willing to do what it takes to get your friend back. You need to accept that."

I looked off into the far mountain's haze and didn't reply right away. Eventually, I turned to him and said, "Just make sure Sam doesn't see the same thing I saw in your face just now. He'll never understand."

He nodded at me slowly and then let me go inside.

All in all, it was a day when I realized I no longer could pretend any scrap of the detachment I was noted for when I used to be in the field on assignment. I had really counted on using that ability to detach to save me during this time.

That evening, I got caught off-guard again. Bringing a cup of hot tea into Terry as he spoke to the negotiators, I paused in the doorway and watched him when he didn't know I was there. Funny to me that being anywhere near him had become a test for my ability to not notice what he did to me. The way my heart sped up involuntarily.

He was calmly leaning back, hand over his eyes and listening intently. When he'd speak into the microphone, his voice was controlled, soothing and even. No real emotion, just an undertone of calm. Not wanting to disturb him, I quietly walked in and placed the cup in front of him. When I glanced up, his eyes were fast on mine.

I jumped when we heard several blasts of a gun report through the radio speakers. He reached for me, pulling me to a stop as we both listened. Sounds of voices and just general background noise. Then the kidnapper's person was back on, giggling as he asked if Terry was afraid yet. I pulled my wrist firmly out of his grasp and lurched out of the room. But before I left, I heard Terry calmly tell the voice that he'd need another proof of life before the negotiations went on.

An hour later, I was still shaking as I sat huddled in the middle of my bed. I couldn't seem to understand how there wasn't anything I could do in this situation to help get Barb back. And there was no one to call, no one to reach out for, not one person who could get there fast enough to come help me. When the tapping came at my door, I took a deep breath and tried to will the jitters away. I didn't want Sam to see me like this. But when I opened the door, it was Terry there, not Sam.

"You okay, Love?" he asked me quietly. I shook my head and felt a tear start to come. "I'm sorry you heard that. It was just a scare tactic. They haven't shot her."

"Then why do you need proof she's still alive?" I looked at him like he was crazy.

"Because it's what they expect. They need to feel we're nervous and that we respect them."

"Well, they succeeded. I'm way past nervous and I respect the hell out of them." My voice sounded small and not at all like me.

I went to turn away because his presence for some reason seemed to be giving me the freedom to get weepy. But I stopped when I felt him step close to me and pull me into an embrace.

"Will a hug help tonight, Lisa?" His voice was soft and warm. His body was strong and comforting.

He held me and I did feel better. But I also felt different. It was such a blind solace to be standing there with a man like that holding me. But it was more than that. There seemed to be this electrical charge zapping between us, enfolding us in an energy field that made me recognize how much promise this type of caressing hold could bring to us.

And when I looked up at him and he bent toward me, it felt so nice to feel his lips on mine. It took just that small bit of encouragement to make me seek more from him. In another second, I was pressing hard against him and our mouths opened for a much deeper, more intimate kiss. Damn. This embrace held the promise of the perfect way to escape the badness and forget the fears.

And I almost whimpered when he pushed himself away from me. "Forgive me for taking advantage of you like that," he whispered to me, his voice deep and husky.

 I couldn't even look at him. But I so wanted him not to go. "Stay with me tonight. Please, Terry."

"Not a good idea, Love," he said, running his hands up and down my upper arms. And just when I gave up hope, he stepped right up to me, bent to my ear and whispered, "Tell me who you really are, Lisa. Because I want to trust you."

In a moment of weakness and need, I felt the mask slipping and I knew he would be able to read my eyes. That he had that ability. So I tried not to look at him, but one of his hands lifted up under my jaw, forcing my eyes to meet his. "I've told you the truth, Terry."

He shook his head and gave me a tired smile. "Not even a good try, Love. You can do better than that. I've been watching you do it for days now. But you're not fooling me tonight."

"There's nothing to tell. I'm who I said I was. And, really, who or what I am doesn't matter at all when it comes to why you're here, does it? It has no bearing on why Barb was taken, who took her or how you'll get her back."

For the briefest moment, we looked at each other. My eyes probably had 'needy' written all over them.

He bent closer to me and his lips covered mine softly. I felt his tongue reach out to touch me and I opened my mouth to him. Just as I thought this might lead somewhere I wanted it to go, he drew back and smiled at me. "You need to tell me the truth, Lisa. You know you want to."

"Fuck. Are you trying to use sex to get me to tell you..." I pushed him away, surprised that I'd been that damn easy. "Get out."

But he just kept smiling and shook his head. Then he turned and I thought he was leaving, but instead he closed the door and came back to where I was standing. "Now, come on, Lisa, let's have us a chat."

He motioned to me to sit on the bed and when I didn't move, he pushed me down to sit on the end while he drew up a nearby chair to sit right in front of me. We sat there like that, me looking away from him and him just sitting with his knees pressed firmly around mine to keep me in place, not moving as he waited me out.

Slowly, I felt my nerves of steel come back and knew I could play this game at least as well as he could. He wasn't going to be happy.

Looking directly in his eyes, I said, "What exactly is it you think I'm hiding from you, Terry? Have you ever considered the possibility that you're just paranoid?"

One of his hands drifted to my knee and involuntarily, it sent a shiver through me. Even though I knew he did it on purpose. And my gut reaction to his touch was wrong. I knew better. Okay. Time for me to go on the offensive, I thought. Because I needed to establish some boundaries and he was the one who chose to make me do it this particular way. Whether he knew it or not.

I smiled at him and shifted in closer to him and put my hands on his thighs, leaning over and planting a soft kiss on his lips. Smiled in his face and said, "Is that what you wanted? Or was there something else, Terry?"

"Tell me who you are." His voice seemed tinged with something new and I wondered if I now had the upper hand.

"I have. I'm the best friend." Using my softest voice. One hand caressed his jaw and felt the roughness of his stubble that always seemed to shadow his face. "Come on. I know you wanted something else from me."

"Tell me who you are." And his voice was definitely different. My hand still on his thigh felt a tremor run through his leg.

My mouth moved slowly along his jaw line and up to his ear. I sucked in his lobe and heard his breathing shift. I moved my hand slowly and deliberately up his thigh until it reached his crotch. There was now a bulge where one hadn't been a few moments before, so I stroked it gently. Whispering in his ear, I said, "Are you sure you didn't want something more like this?"

His hand pressed over mine and he used my hand to stroke him to a new hardness. We watched each other carefully and when he leaned toward me with just that right look in his eyes, I pulled my hand away, put it firmly on his chest to stop his forward movement and sat up away from him.

"Now that we're both clear on what you really want, you can leave." My voice was firm and I carefully kept any emotion from it. Because I had suddenly realized that this was someone I didn't really want to treat that way. I could accomplish a distancing between us without using him and then wounding his pride.

But the black look that crept into his eyes told me I might have chosen the exact wrong tactic. 

"I'm only giving you one warning, Lisa. You do not want to play this type of game with me," he said, dark voice to match the dark eyes. And I believed him.

"Just wanted to be sure I had your attention. I'm not your enemy, Terry. I'm only here to help my friend. But you need to learn that you cannot push me around." Softer voice. Instinct and training pushing forward to help me. "Look. We need to both stop playing this way with each other. I would have loved to have you in my bed tonight. But not anymore. Not now that I see your game. And now that you see I might actually play that game better than you, I'm sure you've lost interest as well."

I watched as the darkness seemed to leave his face but he never moved away from me. Finally, his tongue flicked out slowly to lick his lower lip and I bit mine. Because, damn, that just turned me on.

But it also broke through the steel in me. "I'm sorry. I really was just looking for a little comfort after a scary day. Any chance we could forget what just happened? I want us to be on the same team."

"I was never playing a game, Lisa. My focus isn't on you. It's on Barb. But until I'm clear on whether or not I need to worry about you, you're making this harder than it needs to be," he told me, his voice much softer but still so professional.

The distance was back between us and that was a good thing. Wasn't it?

"You'll never need to worry about me, Terry. I'll never do anything that would cause a problem." I stopped and thought about the fact that this man had at one time worked in a military environment, with classified information and covert activity. Surely we shared some language that would help us communicate here without compromising me.

He was scooting the chair back and on his way out of the room. Just as he got to the door, I took a deep breath and stood up, saying, "There are always people who have to reconcile the fact that allegiance to their duty has to be kept inviolate. Above all else. Even at personal risk. And what happens to those people when something happens in their private life that has nothing to do with that duty but still is impacted by the restrictions inherent in that duty's confidential nature?"

Words that were purposely oblique. A message that someone with his background would get even when others would just scratch their heads and think they'd just heard the worst form of government-speak.

It took a few minutes. I could tell when he got it. He slowly turned and looked in my eyes for a long time. Finally, he nodded, saying, "Okay. Just so we're clear, you're not going to act here?"

"No. I have absolutely no experience in this type of situation." I walked to him so he'd see I was telling him the truth. "But if you need special help, you need to tell me what you need and I'll get it."

"You have that kind of pull?"

I smiled sadly at him. That was the only answer he needed. It was the closest I came to telling him the real, unvarnished truth about my background or what I was doing in Washington.

Chapter 4

Two days later and it suddenly got a lot worse. Someone took a shot at Sam when he went in to his office. The man driving Sam got the car in to Sam's office building and they holed up waiting for reinforcements. I found out about it when Terry came running to where I was walking on the grounds. Gun out and the look on his face. I knew something bad was happening.

He pulled me behind him back into the house, handed me a gun and told me about the attack.

"I want you to start carrying a gun. I assume you know how to use it?" His eyes had this strange calmness about them. Guess it went with his training. I nodded, uncharacteristically numb at what was going on.

Looked at the cold gun he'd pressed into my hands. First time in years I'd held one. Weird how my fingers curled instinctively into the perfect grip. I'd always thought I'd react differently in this situation. Went to leave the room, not sure where I was going, but he pulled me back, looking at me intently. "I'm okay, Terry."

By the time Dino and his crew got Sam back to the house, everyone's nerves were on edge in a way that set the tension level higher than was healthy for any of us.

That night, the negotiations were instantly more serious. I could tell Terry was pushing them as much as he felt he could, wanting to get this thing settled. Sam and I sat in the kitchen and listened to the negotiations. We'd been at this a relatively short amount of time and if we were already fraying, how were we going to make it if it dragged on too much longer?

I'd zoned out and stopped listening to the talking going on in the study. Dino came in and took a seat with us while we waited. I never even noticed. When Terry came in to tell us they had settled on the amount and he'd be going the next day to deliver the ransom, I got up and left the room without a word.

From the darkness of the family room, I listened as the house began settling in for the night. I watched Dino cross into the room and take a seat across from where I was slouched on the couch.

"I need to talk with you and Terry when Sam turns in tonight," I told him quietly.

He nodded and went to find Terry. When they returned, I started in with no preamble. "Don't you think it might help to have some aerial photos of the camp they've got her at? For when you go in to get her? Because I'm wondering when you're going in."

"Right now, Lisa, we're gonna deliver the ransom and see what happens," Dino said.

"No. You're not and don't fucking lie to me." I said it low so that Sam wouldn't hear but my voice was so firm it surprised him. I watched them trade looks. "If you're going in, at least let me get you some aerials tomorrow."

I had realized something important in that evening during the time I listened to the negotiations. They didn't expect to get her back that way. I don't know how I knew, but I did. And I suspected their views had changed with the attack on Sam. And this was the really dangerous time for my Barb. That much I knew and didn't doubt it.

"How early can they get them to us?" Terry asked me quietly. I took in Dino's look of disbelief at his partner. Which told me Terry hadn't told him about me.

"Let me find out." They sat with me while I called in. Dave was back and I was able to reach him still at his desk. He'd been waiting for me to call. He already knew about the attempt on Sam. That was my Dave. It's why we got along so well. Backing me up quietly and without me even knowing it. Ten minutes later, he called me back. The photos would be emailed by 10 a.m.

I was going to be in a lot of trouble about this if anyone found out. But did I care? What do you think? In my bed that night, I actually got a fit of giggles when I thought about exactly how many regulations I had broken in the time since Sam had called me. Even being in Jamaica without advance permission was going to be tough to find an explanation for.

Morning broke across the mountains in a blaze of fire. I was there to watch it, sitting on the table on the back patio and sipping coffee. Too anxious about what the day might bring to really sleep much. By the time I realized I needed more coffee, no telling how long I'd been zoned out again. When I went to go inside, I found Terry standing at the door, watching me. We smiled at each other.

In the days since he'd finally understood that there was a larger reason why I'd been less than totally forthcoming about myself, we'd maintained a distance but yet we seemed to have bonded because he had decided to trust me. Every time I saw him, it seemed to send a jolt through me and that reaction would have surprised me except that I recognized we were attracted to each other. But we were meeting at a bad time in our lives because neither of us could afford the distraction at that particular point.

"How much longer?" I asked him as he opened the door to me.

"I'll leave in about an hour." Instead of moving out of the way, he stepped outside and directly into my path. "Why are you up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep," I mumbled, unsure about what was happening as I felt his warm hand touch my arm.

"I need to talk with you in private. Let's go to Sam's workshop." He said it quietly and motioned me ahead of him. When we were inside, he closed the door behind him and we stood awkwardly across the room from each other. He handed over a piece of paper, saying, "When the aerials come in, I want you to forward them to this email address. Dino will be able to access them there. I won't be back and it's important he have them quickly."

"Oh. Okay." I was really confused. "This is what you needed privacy for?"

"We're going in right after we make the ransom money drop. They won't be expecting it." He looked at me, so serious. And it made me shake.

"This is it then?" That small voice that never seemed like me. "Do you remember that you promised me you'd bring her back alive? You'd better keep that promise, Terry."

"I promise you I will, Lisa."

We looked at each other for a moment before I walked to him and reached up to kiss him. He pulled me in tight and suddenly we were meeting with a heady force, tongues exploring each other.

There was a part of me that was outside this encounter. It was the part of me that recognized exactly what he was feeling that morning. The gathering of nerves when every strong emotion was heightened that much more, making your blood pulse with the excitement that you rarely felt at other times. And that part of me also knew that anything that happened between us just then was merely an instinctual satisfaction of those urges that get so revved up in the gathering time.

And that was okay with me. Because I had my own needs that could also be served. I needed to get some of the strength of his emotion to make it through the coming hours. So when his hands began wandering over my body, I moaned my approval of what was happening between us.

But when I felt his chest stiffen and his arms try to move me away, I refused to be put off. He only struggled half-heartedly. His lips left mine and his mouth was at my ear, saying, "Are you sure?"

Reaching up, I took his face with both hands, making him really see me and see that there was no pretense in that moment. And when I saw a flicker in his eyes that told me he got it, I walked over and locked the door. When I got back to him, I pulled his face down for a hard, deep kiss. And my fingers dropped to his waist, where I began tugging his shirt up from his pants.

He stilled my fingers and pulled his cotton polo shirt over his head. After he tossed it aside, I was able to slow down enough to run my hands over his bare chest, enjoying the feel of him. I felt his hands take my face and his mouth was over mine, his energy zipping into me. And before long, I was sucking at the skin of his neck, almost losing my breath as I felt his hands reaching under my shirt, sliding the warmth of his hands up my spine.

"Oh, yes," he breathed in my ear as he reached higher and realized I wasn't wearing anything under the t-shirt I'd tossed on early that morning. "I approve."

I almost laughed. Because he'd probably also approve of what he wouldn't find once he reached under the sweat pants I'd also tossed on upon rising from a sleepless bed. But I didn't laugh because his hands had quickly slid to my front and even now my breasts were enjoying his attention to detail.

If I'd been taken in by the skill of his mouth, in his hands I found mastery. But, in reality, I don't think it was just his body or even the way he murmured seductively in my ear every so often. Honestly. I think it was just as much the way he seemed able to read my mind. Like he was so easily in tune with what would bring me pleasure that he was there doing it just a moment after I wanted it. Here seemed to be the lover I'd searched for my whole adult life. A man who appeared to know exactly how to treat my body and my mind. That much I could tell and we'd only just begun.

His mouth was able to discover every sensitive spot on my neck and then he was delving down to my shoulder. I wanted him to linger there for a while and he somehow knew. But I still felt a gasp escape my lips at the way he was able to make me feel there.

One hand. I felt it sliding along my abdomen, dipping lower and I moved my hips so that when that hand dipped below my waistband, it would be gliding down at the right angle. I could feel the wetness below and, by the time his hand slid slowly beneath my sweats, it seemed to be dripping down my legs. When he touched me, just a small exploring gesture, my eyes closed and I pulled in a deep breath through open lips.

A tiny groan escaped from him and suddenly he pushed me up against the rough wall of the workshop, saying, "You feel so good, Lisa. And I need you."

"Oh, please." It was barely out of my mouth before he pressed up against me hard and I could feel he was so ready for me. My hand stroked him through his pants and I wanted him so much. Meanwhile, he was massaging my sex, making me wetter, which I never would have thought possible. And somehow, just that quickly, he brought me sweeping into an orgasm even as he pressed in two fingers into my slick opening.

A second after I felt myself remember where I was, my hands had him unzipped and I was dipping into his pants to really feel him. Hard and ready and incredibly impressive. "I need you in me," I moaned out to him.

We both heard it at the same time and that's hard to believe because we were panting so hard and we were so far gone. But someone was twisting the doorknob, trying unsuccessfully to get inside. And then a voice was calling into a walkie-talkie, asking a distant voice to bring the key to the shed. Our eyes locked.

Shit. There was absolutely no way we were going to be able to finish this. Not with Dino about to walk through that door. He groaned and I almost cried. But we unclenched and I watched him quickly pull his pants up and his shirt back on. I reached down and got my own pants where they belonged then walked to the other end of the workshop and took a seat in front of Sam's table saw. When I turned back toward him, he was standing in front of the door, his hand on the knob, his eyes closed. I figured he was willing his breath to slow down. For some reason, it made me smile. He glanced at me and returned the smile. Like a promise, meant just for me.

He swung the door open and I saw the shock of red hair entering while Dino's mouth was busy yammering at Terry. By the time he noticed me, I had adopted a careful expression of concern and worry.

"You told her?" Dino asked Terry, but looked at me. I nodded and then dropped my eyes. The tears I was hiding were real. 

"She'll tell Sam in a few hours. I want them to be packed and ready to meet us at the airport when we bring Lisa in." Terry's voice was that calm, professional tone and I knew he was back zoned into his duty already. Impressive. And reassuring.

Dino looked hard at me. Then at Terry. When he looked back at me, I met his gaze evenly.  But wondered if he sensed something else had happened in that room in the moments before he burst through the door. "Okay. Come find me after you email the aerials. We'll be loading this stuff up on the chopper and then I'll be back."

And then they were both gone. Coming in behind them were some of the men with guns who'd been guarding the grounds. They started laying out their equipment and munitions, going through the standard checks. I walked out into a day that was going to be lived moment to moment.

By the time I told Sam what was happening, I think he already knew. He just hadn't wanted to know. But it couldn't have gone unnoticed by him that so much activity had taken place that morning and that so many of our normal guards were gone.

I was already packed. So while he roamed and tried to figure out what he wanted to pack for himself, I was busy getting my Barb's stuff ready. I packed clothes I knew she'd need and I packed items I knew she'd not want to leave behind, mostly sentimental things. That's my Barb. Her toiletries and makeup were easy. I used plastic bags to put in wet washcloths lathered with soap because I figured she'd want to wash up before she'd begin to feel human.

Done with the most hopeful exercise of the day and I tuned into Sam. Forced his mind into the task at hand and before long he was ready. Made him walk through the house with me one last time, looking for things they'd not want to lose. Just in case they never got to come back and get their material possessions.

We only had to wait another half hour before two of the remaining guards came for us. As we were leaving the house, I pulled the gun Terry had given me from my waistband. Looked at it sitting in the palm of my hand and knew I'd probably never have what it took to use one again. Laid it carefully inside the study, where they'd find it when they came to pack up their gear.

Off to the airstrip to find a small prop plane waiting. Asked the pilot the range and he answered by saying we'd be flying into Grand Cayman. Smart, I thought. Off this island and into a British island. From there, I was guessing we'd take a commercial flight back to the States.

Once our bags were stored, we faced the bad time. When we had nothing to do to occupy the space in each of our minds that was just waiting to worry.

And then we heard it. The whumping noise of a helicopter that you could feel in your chest as it got closer. It circled us once then dipped in to land just out of reach. We stood rooted to the spot, both afraid to move because we didn't know what news awaited us.

As the blades slowed, I picked out the forms of Dino and Terry coming down from the chopper. Between them, they were supporting my Barb and my heart sped up wildly when I saw her legs move under her. And then we were both running to her. Sam was to her and they clung together, he sobbing and she wide-eyed, in shock. When she turned those doe eyes on me, I realized I was shuddering with relief. She reached out a shaky arm to me and then the three of us had to be hugging so tightly there was no space among our forms.

"Let's go. On the plane. Now," Dino's brusque voice barked out to us. Then he had to almost shove us forward because we seemed to be having a hard time hearing the urgency in his voice.

We were ushered unceremoniously to the plane's small step. Sam lifted Barb inside before he climbed in behind her and I went to follow as Dino pushed lightly on the small of my back. But my hands stopped my progress at the door. I stepped back down and turned around twice, searching.

"Where's Terry?" I said into Dino's ear over the rumble of the plane's props. He shrugged at me and started pushing me inside. "No. I want to... I need to say goodbye."

Dino's head shook side to side and he leaned into my ear. "Get your ass on the plane so we can get Barb off this island."

He picked me up by the waist and forced me in before the door was pulled to. I stumbled forward, finding a seat and peering intently out the window. And finally I picked out Terry's form, clad now in a body-hugging black t-shirt and loose camouflage pants. Standing alone near the chopper. He wasn't even looking at the plane as we taxied for the take-off. I kept staring at him, willing him to turn and look.

He never did.