Chapter 15
Mila snuggled deeper into Damien’s warm, strong arms. For the first time since she’d seen Vance on the island, she felt happy. She could pretend they were on a date as they got to know each other.
Trixie lay within arm’s reach and dozed.
Damien had saved the dog for her, though she wasn’t sure what they would do with her now. A problem they could discuss before they left for the rendezvous, but right now she wanted to bask in the good feelings.
Damien’s suggestion to move to Perth was tempting. She wanted to learn everything about him, though she wasn’t certain she would be suited to life as a military wife. It was hard when her mother missed special occasions and now with her brother in the army, they rarely had a Christmas together.
The humidity increased, and she shifted away from him and reached for the canteen. In the distance the bank of rain clouds was getting closer. “Rain will hit soon.”
“Yeah. It will make it more difficult for extraction. Tropical storms are full of lightning.”
She shuddered. “I don’t want to be responsible for a helicopter being struck down.”
“The rain should ease by twenty-two hundred.”
He got out an MRE. “You hungry?”
She nodded. The rice porridge seemed an age ago.
“After we’ve eaten, you can sleep,” Damien said.
“Only if you do.”
He smiled. “You first.”
She didn’t know how he did it. She’d been in a lovely hazy cocoon since they’d had sex and wouldn’t have been able to react fast if Agus had found them and stormed the camp.
Damien took a few mouthfuls of the MRE and then handed it to her. He hadn’t got another one out.
“Are we sharing?”
He nodded.
Right. In case something unexpected happened and they were here for longer. Always planning for contingencies.
Trixie’s ears perked up, and she shifted closer. Dobby passed her some jerky and then poured water into a cup so she could drink.
Mila smiled. “Thank you for rescuing her.”
He snorted. “I didn’t have much choice with the two of you begging me.”
He was such a softie.
“Can’t we extract her too?”
“I asked Radar to bring a sling.” Damien shrugged. “But it depends on how well she’s been trained. She might freak out when the helicopter comes and lash out.”
Mila took a bite of the meal. She hadn’t thought past saving Trixie from drowning, but he was right. A helicopter might be terrifying for the dog.
She stroked Trixie’s fur.
“You need to be prepared that we might have to leave her behind.”
Where she’d starve to death.
Dread pitted in her stomach and she handed Damien the remainder of the MRE packet. Perhaps she’d done the wrong thing. Trixie would have turned around and swum back to shore eventually.
“I’m sorry, Mila.”
She nodded. “I understand. You didn’t expect to be extracting me, let alone a dog.” She smiled to show she didn’t blame him and the smile turned into a yawn.
He chuckled. “Bedtime.”
“Yes, sir.” She was too tired to argue with him. Perhaps when she woke, she could work with Trixie and get her used to the idea of a harness. She lay down on the bed of leaves and made herself as comfortable as possible.
And fell asleep.
The heavy drips of rain woke Mila. She blinked, trying to figure out where she was as she spotted the rain pelting down just beyond the forest in the fading light. Not her bedroom, and not anywhere she recognised.
“Sleep well?”
She rolled over at Damien’s voice as everything came into focus. Her heart rate slowed seeing him sitting across from her in his black fatigues, a small smile on his face.
She nodded and sat up as the rain trickled through the foliage above and hit the shelter.
“What time is it?” It was darker now but more than the clouds could explain.
“Almost eighteen hundred.”
She stared at him. “You let me sleep all afternoon?”
“Yeah. You needed it.”
“So do you.” She was tired of him refusing to rest. “That’s it. You’re sleeping and I’m standing guard. If anyone calls, I’ll wake you. If someone comes into the bay, I’ll wake you. But right now, you are going to sleep.”
He hauled her into his arms. “You’re gorgeous when you’re bossy.”
She squirmed, not sure he was taking her seriously until he said, “If you’re worried about anything, you wake me.”
She nodded.
“I’ve been working with Trixie. She knows a lot of hand signals.” He demonstrated and Trixie obeyed his commands. “You try.”
“How do you know them?”
“I’ve worked with military dogs in the past.”
She followed his lead and Trixie sat, stood and turned around at her command. Mila frowned. “If she’s so well trained, why didn’t she attack us?”
“They might have given her a follow command rather than an attack command.”
“She doesn’t have a tracker on her, does she?”
Dobby scowled. “Not that I can find. If she did, Agus would have come to get us by now.” He handed her his helmet with a pair of goggles on them. “Stay vigilant though. These are night vision goggles if you need them.”
“Thanks.” She shifted so he could stretch out.
“Wake me in an hour.”
“Three,” she countered. She wanted him to sleep as long as possible.
“Two or we’ll miss the rendezvous.”
She nodded. Not something she wanted to do.
He closed his eyes and in only moments he was fast asleep.
Mila glanced out at the pouring rain. She was sweaty and a little dirty from their escape, and the water looked inviting.
No one was around to see her. She stripped off her dress and underpants and put them on top of Damien’s pack.
Then she carefully made her way to the edge of the forest and into the downpour.
The warm drops drenched her immediately, and she grinned, turning her face to the sky to embrace it for a moment before she started rubbing the sweat from her body, starting with her face and moving down her arms, her torso and to her legs.
This time she took her time, luxuriating in a shower she didn’t have to rush, one where she didn’t have to worry about someone bursting in on her.
When she was satisfied, she returned to the shelter where she met Damien’s gaze. Heat filled her cheeks. “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
“And miss that sexy show? No way.”
She screwed her nose up at him and used the damp hand towel still in her bag to dry herself before dressing again and putting Damien’s shirt over the top to protect her from insect bites.
She leaned down and kissed him. “Sleep.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
His breathing slowed. She hung the hand towel and her other clothes from one of the string lines Damien had set up, though she didn’t expect them to dry in this humidity. Then she settled in to wait.
Two hours later, the rain had stopped as had the chorus of frogs, and the only sound was the occasional drip of water through the canopy. The satellite phone rang.
Before Mila could reach forward to wake Damien, he lunged up and grabbed the phone, his eyes only slightly sleepy. “Copy.”
Wow. What a reaction. Here was the well-trained soldier.
He nodded and then repeated some coordinates. “Copy.”
Damien hung up and grinned at her. “We’re going home.”
His smile was infectious, and she grinned as she untied the other side of the shelter.
In only a minute the camp was packed. Damien scanned the area to make sure they hadn’t left anything behind and then swept her up in his arms. “I’ll carry you.”
She didn’t waste her breath arguing, just wound her arms around his neck and snuggled in.
“Heel, Trixie.” The dog fell into step as Damien nuzzled Mila’s hair.
This was the end of their private interlude. Part of her longed to stay here and not return to the real world.
Would she and Damien have a chance out there?
At the shore it took little time to uncover the boat and launch it, Trixie jumping in with ease.
“I need you as spotter at the front,” he said.
She shifted into position with her oar and directed him through the still water, past the point and out into the open ocean. As they cleared the islet, she looked back towards the main island.
Everything was dark. It would be a while before power was restored. As she watched, a light blinked on. She frowned. “What’s that?”
It looked like they were the lights of a boat, but it was pretty late for anyone to be leaving.
Damien glanced over. “Boat.” He increased his speed and she kept her eyes on the water for obstacles.
“Do we need to be worried?”
“Shouldn’t concern us.”
Something in his voice was off. She glanced back but couldn’t see his expression well in the darkness. She checked their route and then glanced back at the main island.
More lights. The boat had lights on three decks.
Agus’s luxury cruiser.
She shook her head. That couldn’t be a coincidence. She had heard stories of him going away at night and coming back a few days later with the spoils of his outing.
But why tonight?
Unless he wanted to get away from the island and the pressure to help with clean up. Or he had a radar on board and was waiting for them to make a move.
That sounded like him.
They cleared the thickest part of the floating debris and Damien accelerated again.
Mila glanced behind to find the cruiser heading straight out to sea towards them. “Damien?”
He gestured her closer so she could hear him. “I see them. They might just be taking the easiest route out of the bay before they change direction.”
She hoped that was the case. “Or they may have radar and are checking out who we are?”
He nodded.
“How far to extraction?”
“Another couple of kilometres. The ship’s been diverted and we have different coordinates to reach. If Agus is still following us, we’ll have to do it fast.”
She hugged her torso and glanced at Trixie. “What does that mean?”
“Depends on the helo they send. They send the Chinook and we’ll drive straight in and take off. If they send something smaller, we might just get winched up.”
“What about the boat?”
“Collateral damage.” He shrugged. “They’ll send down either a sling or a ladder. The ladder you climb as fast as you can. The sling goes over your torso and under your arms. They’ll haul you up.”