Chapter 1
It was still pitch dark when Ellie woke up. The long-haul flight from Europe had left her tired and cranky. She groaned—jet lag could be a bitch.
Reaching over, she checked the time on her phone.
Five a.m.
Was it too early for a yoga session?
Her whole body ached. She desperately needed to stretch out the kinks. Her yoga mat stood in the corner by the door, beckoning to her.
Suzi, her roommate, was still fast asleep, her breathing deep and rhythmic. Careful not to wake her, Ellie slid out of bed, pulled on some leggings and a T-shirt, then grabbed her yoga mat. After scraping her hair back into a ponytail, she snuck out of the room.
The corridors on the oil rig were dark and eerie, bathed in that familiar ghostly green light that cast long shadows on the steel walls. The first time she”d been on an offshore platform, she”d been unnerved by the ethereal glow, but after five years of working in the field, she was used to it.
She made her way up the narrow steel stairway to the top deck, expecting to see some signs of life, but the place was deserted. Then again, it was stupid o”clock. The first shift only begun at eight.
The tropical air caressed her skin, warm and serene—so different from the frigid conditions in the North Sea where she”d worked before. She closed her eyes and let the balmy breeze wash over her, savoring the moment.
With her mat tucked under her arm, she ventured along the gangway, navigating around the now-silent steel structure, with its cranes, multi-level platforms, and columns of drilling equipment, in search of a tranquil corner in which to exercise.
At the railing, she paused and gazed out at the dark expanse of ocean. It never failed to move her, the idea that she was a tiny dot in the middle of an enormous ocean. Maybe it was because nobody could get to her out here. She was safe. Protected by thousands of miles of water.
At least she”d thought she was. That was until Suzi had mentioned the threat from eco-terrorists. This was a very sensitive area of the Gulf, ecologically fragile—she”d read the impact assessments before she”d come out here. If she”d known about the threats, she might have thought twice before accepting the job.
After what had happened last time…
No, she wasn”t going to go there. Ellie took a steadying breath. This was different. Eco-terrorists chained themselves to structures, got in the way, temporarily disrupted operations. They didn”t threaten anyone’s personal safety.
Even so, the threat did explain the presence of the armed patrols she”d seen yesterday when she”d arrived on the chopper from Corpus Christi. Two beefy security operatives standing watch on the deck. They put her mind at ease.
Tiredness made her neck stiff, and she stretched, then wandered over to the helipad, the flattest, clearest space she could find. It was deserted, the chopper yet to return.
Perfect.
She rolled out her mat and was just standing upright when a sudden gust of wind made her spin around. In an instant, she was blindsided and taken down hard. Her breath whooshed out of her as she was flattened on the deck.
Panic surged through her.
No! Not again.
She thrashed and squirmed, trying to throw off her attacker, who had her pinned to the ground. A thousand terrifying thoughts stampeded through her head, scrambling her brain. Blood pumped in her ears, adding to her confusion.
”Get off me!” Her high-pitched cry shattered the quiet.
She was back in Boston,standing in Raphael”s apartment, his arm tight around her waist. The sharp edge of the blade he held pressed against her throat. Cold, uncompromising. One small slash, and she”d bleed out.
”Don”t move,” he hissed in her ear.
She couldn”t; she was too terrified.
”Put down the knife,” the police officer ordered, pointing his firearm at them. At Raphael, who used her as his shield. She was the one who”d get shot. The bullet would probably go right through her and hit Raphael too, but she didn”t want to put it to the test.
Hot tears stung her eyes. ”Rafe, please.”
”Shut up,” he growled, the blade digging deeper into her skin. A warm trickle dripped down her neck. She was bleeding.
Oh, God. I”m going to die.
That was all she could think about. She”d never see her family again and would die in Raphael”s living room, either by his hand or a police bullet. Either way, death loomed, just seconds away.
A hand,large and suffocating, clamped over her mouth. In the dim light, her attacker was just a shape, an indistinct mass overwhelming her. She kicked out, connecting with a soft body part, and heard a satisfying grunt of pain.
No way. This was not happening.
She would not be a victim—again.
The subsequent years of self-defense training kicked in, and she fought with every fiber of her being, but he was strong and countered her desperate thrusts. Finally, her knee connected with his groin, and he swore under his breath, yet his grip remained unyielding.
What did it take to unseat this monster?
Suddenly, he shifted, his weight settling on her pelvis. Massive hands forced her arms above her head, her T-shirt rode up, exposing her midriff. Trapped, she opened her mouth to scream.
”Don”t,” came a gruff command, chilling in its calmness. ”I just want to talk.”
Pinned down, the hard floor of the helipad pressing into her back, she glared angrily up at the man who”d shattered her early morning peace, along with her nerves.
Who the hell was he?
And what did he want with her?
”Who are you?”Phoenix growled, securing the intruder with his full weight. She was light; it wasn”t hard to subdue her, but she”d caught him by surprise. He hadn”t expected such a frenzied attack.
Damn if his groin didn”t throb where the hellcat had kicked him, and now she”d left claw marks down his forearm. The woman had fought like her life depended on it. Trained, but not by any military—he knew that much. Not a serious threat, then. Maybe an eco-warrior? One of those passionate planet defenders who didn”t realize the danger they put themselves in.
”What”s your name?” he repeated. He”d been warned there had been threats.
She squirmed beneath him, but he held her steady, pressing her wrists into the hard floor. He regretted the use of force, but she wasn”t going anywhere until she”d answered some questions.
”Ellie,” she gasped, and he noticed—more than noticed—the way her T-shirt twisted under her breasts, exposing her smooth, flat stomach.
He forced his gaze to her face. It was then he noticed the small, straight scar on her neck, silver in the ethereal light on the deck. ”Who do you work for?”
”Xonex, the energy company.”
He frowned. Xonex, the same company that had hired him for his expertise in handling situations exactly like this. It didn”t add up. Why was she dressed in black, prowling around the deck in the early hours?
She was staring up at him, terrified. Her eyes, a soft brown flecked with gold, were wide and frantic. She was beautiful. Fierce, yet vulnerable. He eased off a little on her wrists, but not enough that she could wriggle free. He had to be sure.
”You work here? On the Explorer?”
”That”s what I”ve been telling you.” Angry eyes glared at him, and she tossed some messy chocolate-brown strands of hair out of her face.
”Then why are you dressed like a cat burglar?”
She spluttered. ”Cat burglar? This is my yoga outfit.”
”Yoga? You”re kidding.” Now he”d heard it all.
”I”m an engineer. I told you, I work here.”
Confused, he stared at her, trying to get her measure. Lean and curved in all the right places, with cascades of deep brown hair framing a pale, pretty face, she didn”t look anything like an engineer—then again, she didn”t look like any intruder he”d ever encountered either. A yoga guru, yes. Ironically, that was the easiest to believe.
”Where is your ID?” he asked, his face so close he could breathe in her scent. Vanilla—warm, inviting, disarming.
She grimaced. ”I–I left it in my room.”
He sighed.
Really?
”You have no ID, but you expect me to believe you work here?”
”I do.” She gave a sexy pout.
He narrowed his eyes. ”How come I haven”t seen you before?”
”I flew in yesterday. Actually, I saw you and your friend up on deck last night, but you didn”t see me.”
He frowned. He hadn”t noticed her. Could be a convenient excuse. ”What are you doing prowling around the deck at five in the morning?”
She wriggled again, her hips digging into his thighs. For a small woman, she was remarkably strong. He pressed down, then wished he hadn”t. A surge of heat spread to his groin, which was still pulsing from connecting with her knee.
”Isn”t it obvious? I”m doing yoga.” Irritation replaced the fear. That was something, at least. He hadn”t liked seeing how panicked she”d been back there. He knew fear, and hers had been very real. Desperate, terrifying, irrational fear. Experience had taught him he wasn”t the reason. Something else had caused that fear, something bad, and a while back. But she hadn”t let it go.
”Yoga, right…” His voice petered off.
The way she was looking at him… all bristly and defiant, her tiger”s eyes flashing in the predawn light. He wanted to believe her, but he had to check it out fully before he let her go.
She could just be a really good liar. The whole yoga thing might be nothing but a smokescreen. For all he knew, an activist group had sent a bombshell like her to stir up trouble over the oil drilling.
This wasn”t new territory for him. After a solid twenty years in the service, with a good chunk as a Navy SEAL, he was no stranger to diehards on a mission. People got pretty intense when they truly believed in a cause.
”Look, I just got here yesterday.” She snapped, clearly ticked off. ”If you get off me, I”ll take you to my cabin and show you my ID. Then we can clear this whole mess up.”
Now that was the first sensible thing he”d heard her say.
”Sounds like a plan.” Letting go, he released her hands. He”d check her out, and if she was telling the truth… well, then he”d owe her an apology. Somehow, he didn”t mind that too much.
She huffed. ”Can I get up now?”
”All right, but just so we”re clear, you”re sticking with me until I know you”re legit.”
She gave a quick nod and another small exhale.
He backed off, then offered a hand up.
She ignoring it, got to her feet, then brushed herself off, but not before throwing him a look that could melt steel.
”After you,” he gestured, resisting a grin. She really was a hellcat.
She walked ahead of him along the narrow gangway, swishing her hips as she went. Groaning silently, he followed. Was she toying with him? Trying to provoke him? He followed that sexy ass down the corridor, trying to stay focused, but damn if she wasn”t making it difficult.
They reached the door that descended into the crew”s quarters, and she glanced back—big eyes, asking permission, but not without a mocking glare.
He nodded and down they went, the greenish glow of emergency lights bathing everything in an eerie tint, the rig creaking around them. He had to admit, she seemed to know where she was going.
”My roommate is still sleeping.” She hesitated outside one of the cabin doors.
”I”ll wait here.”
So, the little vixen had been telling the truth, but he had to play by the book. Everyone onboard had to wear their ID card. No exceptions.
She slipped into her room, leaving the door cracked just enough so he could see inside. Last time he”d let his guard down, back in Helmand, it had almost cost him. He wasn”t about to make the same mistake twice. Women could be full of surprises.
Then she was back, dangling her ID right in his face. ”Satisfied?”
Phoenix checked it out, squinting in the dim, green light.
Eleanor Rider, Chemical Engineer, Xonex Energy Services.
Okay, so she was on the level.
He handed it back to her, meeting her triumphant gaze. ”Thank you, Eleanor Rider. Sorry about the inconvenience. I had to make sure. You understand. We take security very seriously on the Explorer.”
He saw a flicker of fear return, but she covered it well. ”I suppose you were just doing your job.”
He gave a mock salute. ”Yes, ma”am.”
She sniffed, not quite ready to forgive him. ”You should think twice next time you jump a stranger.” Her gaze roamed over his physique, and he thought he detected a reluctant flash of appreciation. ”A man your size, you could hurt somebody.”
”In my line of work, a delay could mean loss of life.” His eyes bore into hers. ”Just remember to wear your ID in future. It will save further… misunderstandings.”
She tossed her ponytail over her shoulder as she spun around to go back inside the cabin. ”Don”t worry, I will.”