Chapter 11
The sun was rising, sending a glimmer of pink light along the horizon. Ren could see better now. The island was fully visible, just ahead of them—a white stretch of beach, and dense trees that filled the hillside.
The island of Molokai.
He knew the island had been formed by two shield volcanoes, and was the less touristy of all the Hawaiian islands.
Halle was silent, and when he glanced at her, he saw her face set in hard lines. He knew she was cold and tired, but she hadn’t complained once.
Ren was wired with adrenaline. He wanted Halle out of the water and safe. Whoever attacked the Atalanta would be searching for them. The zodiac had kept up the search for several hours, and they’d had a few close calls.
They weren’t out of the woods—or rather, the water—yet.
“We’re nearly there,” he said.
Halle gave him a weary nod.
As they got closer to land, the waves grew rougher. Ren used all his strength to aim them at the beach, and a second later, they caught a wave and washed into shore. The drone hit the sand.
Halle came up on her knees, then wearily pushed to her feet. “We made it.”
“You did great.”
“All I did was hang on.” She set her shoulders back, determination on her face. “What now?”
So damn brave. He hugged her. “You did good, baby.”
“I didn’t want to slow us down.” She clutched his arms. “I wanted to keep you safe.”
Ren stilled. He’d been a SEAL, then in Ghost Ops. No one worried about him, or about him being safe. It was his job to worry about other people.
But as he stared into her blue eyes, he realized that she did.
“Oh, Ren.” She cupped his cheeks. “Of course I want you safe.” It was like she’d read his mind. “I want to take care of you.”
Emotions tangled in his chest, and he cleared his throat. She might want him safe, but right now, it was his priority to protect her and the fuel cell.
“First thing we need to do is get the fuel cell out of the UUV.”
She released a breath and glanced at the ocean. “They’ll keep looking for us.”
“Yes.”
And he knew they were willing to kill for the fuel cell. He thought of poor Jack and squelched his anger.
I’ll make them pay, buddy.
Halle dropped down beside the drone, and pressed the code into the fuel cell compartment. The door popped open, and she pulled the cell out. She passed it to him.
It was small but heavy.
He carefully put it in his backpack. “We need to hide the drone.”
Together, they dragged the drone up the beach and into the vegetation. He laid some palm fronds over it. It wasn’t ideal, but at a passing glance, it wouldn’t attract any attention.
Using an extra palm frond, he cleaned up the tracks they’d left in the sand.
“What’s the plan now?” she asked, scanning the trees.
“Hike to get help. Alert the authorities.” He unzipped his wetsuit and tugged it down. “We’ll stash these here as well.”
She nodded. Soon, they both stood in their damp clothes with their shoes back on. Ren tucked the wetsuits under the UUV.
Halle tugged at the long sleeves on her T-shirt and looked at the forest. “Any idea how far we need to go?”
“Not exactly. My best guess is that we’re at the eastern end of Molokai. It’s mostly forests covering an extinct shield volcano. There are some roads and farms. We might come across someone who can help us.”
“Are you sure the volcano is extinct?” She pulled a face. “After the night we’ve had, I’m expecting the worst. An erupting volcano would be right up there.”
He tugged on her wet ponytail. “It’s definitely extinct. It’s probably going to be a long hike.”
“Well, if you want to throw in a bike ride, we’ll have a triathlon.” She frowned. “That fuel cell is heavy.”
“I’ve carried heavier packs during training and on missions.” He took her hand. “Come on, Ariel.”
They left the beach and headed into the forest.
The trees and vegetation were thick. Moss covered the tree trunks, and palm trees speared into the air. Lower down, ferns and other bushes covered the ground.
“Hiking in wet clothes is fun,” Halle said.
“I know it sucks, but we’ll dry out.”
They trekked on, and as the sun got higher, he could see more of the forest around them. Birds squawked overhead.
He also saw that Halle was on the verge of exhaustion. She was soldiering on, but she needed some rest. They needed to find somewhere to take a break. Somewhere safe.
No one was getting their hands on Halle Bradshaw. He’d make sure of that.
Halle trudged through the forest,focused on simply putting one foot in front of the other. At any other time, she’d think it was beautiful. She usually enjoyed hiking. But hiking after a wild, nighttime swim assisted by a classified drone, while escaping bad guys, not so much.
She swallowed. She was beyond tired, but she had to keep going.
Her worried mind kept thinking of Sammy and the others. She prayed they were okay. Fitz would be having a panic attack, and she worried Sammy or Ryan might try to fight back. Professor Davis would do his best to take care of them.
She glanced at Ren. He moved silently, each step sure and certain. He was also constantly scanning their surroundings.
Being with him eased some of the anxiety inside her that had manifested like a hard ball in her chest. He pushed himself so hard. With his work on the Atalanta, and now, taking care of her.
Who looked out for Ren?
She wanted to take care of him. Make him smile, laugh, relax.
She was so preoccupied with her thoughts, that the toe of her shoe caught on a thick vine, and she nearly tripped.
Throwing her arms out, she caught herself before she hit the ground. She huffed out a breath. Focus, Halle.
Ren glanced back at her. “You okay?”
She lifted a hand and pasted on a smile. “Fine.”
They walked on, and before long, the temperature had risen dramatically. The sun beat down on them causing sweat to run down the back of her neck.
“I usually like hiking,” she said.
He smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll find somewhere to rest soon. I know you’re tired.”
“You must be tired too.”
“I’m used to it.”
“You’re not in the military anymore, Ren. You’re allowed to rest, and relax, and have fun. You don’t need to push on all the time. You’re allowed to live.”
A frown crossed his face.
Halle bit her lip. “You told me that it wasn’t just one thing that made you leave Ghost Ops. But I think there was something.”
And just like that, she saw his face shut down.
She swallowed. “I know you think I’m too young and too innocent to handle whatever haunts you, Ren, but I’m not.” She closed the distance between them. “I lived through my worst nightmare when I lost my mom. I can handle hearing yours, because I care about you.”
He stared at her, his dark eyes churning with emotion. He shook his head and set off walking again.
Dammit, he was so stubborn. “Argh, Ren. Don’t you just walk away from me.” She stomped after him.
“We need to keep moving.”
She grabbed his arm. “I have one more thing to say.”
He stopped, his mouth a flat line.
“I’m not just attracted to your handsome face, and hot body. I don’t just want sex. Or snuggles as we watch black-and-white TV shows. Or cotton candy. I mean, I love all those things, and I do want them.” She took his hand in hers. “I want everything. I want the tough stuff as well. I want it all.” She squeezed his fingers, then stepped back.
She’d let him chew on that.
Head held high, she headed up the track.
She sensed him following her, although he barely made a sound.
They hiked on a bit farther, scrambling over some downed trees and old stumps, when a familiar sound in the distance caught her ear. She straightened and cocked her head. “Is that—?”
He stepped up beside her and nodded. “A waterfall.”
They made their way up a gentle slope, and the trees thinned out. Then, the waterfall came into view.
It was a long, narrow fall of water coming from up a steep cliffside. It fell into a large, shallow pool ringed by rocks and lush vegetation.
“It’s beautiful.” Halle moved to the pool and scooped up some water. She splashed it on her face and smiled.
Suddenly, another noise cut through the air.
Ren cursed. “Helicopter. We need to hide. Now.”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the water, and back into the dense vegetation. He found a thick clump of ferns. They ducked down, and Ren wrapped an arm around her. A helicopter thundered overhead.
Oh, God.She caught a glimpse of the navy-colored aircraft as it moved past. A second later, it circled again.
“Are they looking for us?” she said.
“Maybe. It could also be a helicopter tour.” His arm tightened. “But even if that helo isn’t carrying the people who took over the Atalanta, they will be looking for us.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “It sounded like they were Chinese, right?”
He nodded. “Maybe Chinese intelligence, or mercenaries.”
“We can’t let them get that fuel cell, Ren.”
Finally, the sound of the helicopter died away. Halle’s muscles relaxed.
Ren rose and pulled her up. “We need to keep moving.”
They left the waterfall behind and trudged on, sticking close to the trees. Ren was much more tense and alert. About an hour had passed, when suddenly, he stopped.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“Look.”
She followed his gaze. It took her a second, but then she made out the wooden cabin tucked in under the trees. Her heart leaped. Maybe there was someone who could help them? Maybe they had a telephone?
“Stay behind me,” he ordered.
As they crept closer, her heart sank. The windows were broken. Vines and trees were growing into the empty cabin. It looked abandoned and overgrown.
“Think there’s a working telephone?” she asked.
Ren smiled at her. “Don’t get your hopes up. There are several abandoned places on Molokai. I read an article once about people trying to rezone land and sell it to developers, but the local government wouldn’t allow it. There’s even a resort that’s fallen into ruin on the other end of the island.”
She glanced around, and thought again of the pretty waterfall. “It would be a shame for this natural beauty to be replaced by condo towers and resorts.”
He used his shoulder to push open the door.
Inside, the vines had taken over. The shack was empty except for some overturned furniture. Ren righted a wooden stool and gestured for her to sit down.
“Let’s take a short rest here.”
He opened his backpack and handed her a granola bar. She chewed on it as she studied the cabin. She wondered who had lived here, and why they’d left.
Ren handed her a water bottle and she took a swig. He had a drink as well before he tucked the bottle away, and swung the bag back onto his back. “Time to keep going.”
Halle heaved herself up. Her feet were aching, and she was tired, but she refused to complain.
They set off hiking again. Thankfully, there was no sign of the helicopter.
As they made their way through a dense patch of trees, some birds took flight from the branches. She marveled at the pretty colors among their fluttering wings and smiled. “My mom would’ve loved it here.”
“You miss her.”
Halle nodded. “All the time.”
“I’m sorry you lost her.”
“Me too, but loss is a part of life.” She wrinkled her nose. “That’s what I tell myself on the tougher days. Loving her and the love she gave me was worth the loss.”
Ren’s brow creased.
“I’m sorry you lost your friends,” she said. “In the military.”
“Yeah.” He glanced away. “The hardest thing was knowing that some of them had wives, kids. Didn’t seem fair that I made it home.”
She whirled. “Don’t tell me you think that because you didn’t have kids, or weren’t married, that it would have been better if you’d died over there?”
“Well—”
Anger shot through her. “You have people who care about you, Lorenzo Santoro. People who love you.”
He looked frozen. She slammed her hands against his chest.
“You’ve got yourself so locked up in there that you don’t even realize. Look at me. Standing here in front of you.” She shook her head. “I…care about you.”
Now, he looked shocked. She would’ve laughed, if the expression on his face didn’t hurt so much.
“Don’t you dare say that I’m too young to know how I feel, or I’ll hit you over the head with that damn fuel cell. I’ll—”
He grabbed her, and hauled her close. “Halle.”
The word was a harsh whisper.
“Yes, Ren. I care about you. I don’t need you to be perfect, or have no baggage. We all have baggage. Just let me in.”
With a groan, he kissed her.
His mouth was hard against hers, his tongue tracing her lip before plunging deep. She shivered, kissing him back with everything she felt.
He lowered them to their knees, and pressed his forehead to hers. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Stop saying that.” She rubbed her thumb over his lips. “You absolutely deserve me. Everybody deserves someone.”
He swallowed. “Everyone I’ve ever cared about left me.”
Her heart squeezed. “Your father?”
“No, I never knew him. Losing my mom and abuela, so close together, was the worst.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “They both died of cancer?”
He nodded. “Within a year of each other.”
“They must have been so proud of the man you’d become.”
“And my friends died. Over there in that hellhole.” He paused. “And others.”
“Tell me,” she whispered.
“There was a little girl.” He sucked in a breath. “Her name was Nasrin. She was nine. I was undercover, trying to ferret out the location of a group of Taliban who’d ambushed some of our soldiers.” Ren paused. “A local man, Amir, helped me. Nasrin was his daughter. I…” He shook his head. “I fucked up, and the Taliban found out that Amir helped me. They took Nasrin. They hurt her, and killed her.”
Halle sucked in a breath. She knew just how much the loss of a little girl’s life would have destroyed him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“I can still hear her screams. Her mother’s wails. And Amir…” Ren sniffed. “They let him live, knowing she was gone. And I got safely back to base.”
She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. “It was a hard place. A terrible place.”
“Fuck, caring for others hurts, Halle. Being responsible for them can hurt so much.”
“But it can also bring joy and happiness. And it can heal.” She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “Let me show you.”
He blew out a breath. “I don’t know if I can, but I want to try.”
She cupped his face, overwhelmed by emotion.
“Not just for me,” he murmured. “For Nasrin. To honor her.” He ran his thumbs along Halle’s cheekbones. “But first, we need to get safe, and get this fuel cell where it needs to be.”
She smoothed her hands down his chest, her fingers clenching on his shirt. “All right.”
“Let’s get moving.”