True Deceptions (True Lies) (30 page)

“Anything you can bring, I’d appreciate. This is Cassie were talking about.”

“I understand. I’ll do everything in my power to help her.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me. I’m doing this so the great Simon Dunn owes me one.”

“Say the word, mate. Say the word.”

The sun dropped below the horizon, and Simon removed his disguise, hid the motorcycle and backpack, and armed himself for a mini-war. He slid through the shadows, doing work the SAS would do more efficiently. He preferred making deals and covering his ass.

Crawling around in the mud and digging a ditch under a hidden section of barbed wire fencing were not on his list of favorite activities, but he’d walk through a molten lava field to bring Cassie to safety. At least the rain helped muffle his movements. Huge gaps in the presence of North Korean military personnel also allowed Simon to move into the camp without being seen. They must be hiding from the weather. Once inside, he sat for an hour under the roof of a utility shed and waited for dark to completely surround the brightly lit base.

To succeed, two power sources had to be eliminated: the transformer moving electricity into the camp from an external source, and a large generator that provided back up in case a pissed off MI6 agent blew up the transformer to rescue the woman he loved. He’d take out the generator second.

The cold and miserable guards inspected the base with quick glances, never looking to see if anyone had infiltrated the perimeter. When they were satisfied they’d completed the task with a minimal level of competence, they turned back to shelter and their colleagues to discuss more interesting issues than protecting their own hides.

Dropping to the ground and inching his way along, Simon slithered to the generator, located beside a few dumpsters that smelled of rotting fish, and placed an explosive inside a panel that had nothing protecting it other than a rusty latch.

Moving back to the shed, he aligned the sight of his Smith and Wesson 500 on the center of the gray transformer sitting in the open, one hundred and fifty meters away. He didn’t have a great shot, but didn’t think he could place an explosive device without getting shot and killed in the process. He’d have two shots. Making the shot on the first try would be optimal.

The rain increased from a light shower to a downpour and blurred Simon’s vision. He needed to have hawk eye capability to shoot out the transformer, and some assistance from Mother Nature, who was currently raging mad with a downpour and occasional lightening strikes. His brother Henry, a former Special Boat Service sniper, would have been the perfect man for the job. Simon tried to harness his brother’s cool demeanor and accuracy.

He pulled the trigger and hit the upper corner of his target, creating a small fire. Shit. The sound of the gunshot caused the soldiers to stop what they were doing and act more professional. He aimed again and hit the bull’s-eye. The transformer exploded. The fire he’d created with the first bullet helped ignite the pole. The men would be working on fixing that for days. The lights went out for a minute and then powered back on, dimmer and with less coverage, thanks to the generator.

He pulled out the detonator on the explosive he’d placed and hit the switch. The blast lit up the back of the barracks and created havoc with the men in the yard as the lights died for good, and the darkness consumed them.

Showtime. He slid into the yard and headed to the main office building. A soldier stood sentry to the area, but everyone else had fled to their posts. Simon shot him in the head and took his assault weapon. He pushed through the halls and scanned room after room for Cassie, shooting whoever was in his sight. He found her a few doors down, tied to a chair, and completely emotionless. Now wasn’t the time for heartfelt reunions, so he bottled up his relief and focused on getting them the hell out of there.

“Cassie? Are you all right?”

“Simon?” She spoke as though coming out of a trance.

He pulled out a knife, cut the rope that bound her, and guided her outside. They didn’t speak. Her energy increased as she moved next to him. Thankfully she had on jeans and sneakers. They might have to hide in the woods for a few hours.

Simon kept his and Cassie’s pace steady. A fast walk. Although he wanted to pull her out of this hell as quickly as possible, moving any faster would draw attention from the soldiers, now on full alert for anything different from the norm. They headed to a transport vehicle he’d seen earlier. Someone had parked it next to the office, probably to prevent the highest ranking officials from having to walk in the rain.

He pushed her across the driver’s seat into the passenger side and climbed in after her. The keys sat ready in the ignition, waiting for a driver or a thief. North Koreans were efficient, and Simon appreciated it.

“Get down, all the way on the floor. Don’t lift your head for anything until we reach the forest.”

He turned the vehicle in a one eighty and proceeded toward the back, less heavily guarded, gate. Several soldiers had started yelling at him and then begun shooting. Adrenaline surged through his veins. He pushed the gas to the floor and rammed the gate. The impact made a high-pitched scrapping sound as the fence bent outward to freedom. He flew down the road at top speed and refused to turn the headlights on as a beacon for his pursuers to follow. Five kilometers out, he pulled into the cut off, a small concrete area that shouldn’t reveal their path. He parked the truck behind a group of trees and took a moment to look at Cassie. She’d sat up when the truck stopped.

“Are we safe?” she asked.

“Not yet.”

They left the truck and moved farther back into the thick trees, hidden by the night and the heavy rain.

“Now what?” she asked.

He pulled out the motorcycle. “Transportation home. I hope.”

“Are you serious?”

He was always serious when running for his life. “Get on.”

She slid on the bike behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her clothes had been soaked through, and she’d only get more drenched as they rode along. He would have put the large jacket over her to conceal them, but thought they’d have less drag and more agility without it.

They flew out of the trees and onto the roadway. A convoy of vehicles, illuminated by their headlights, closed in on their location.

Simon drove as fast as he could while ensuring the worn out wheels of the old bike held up on the slick roads. He glanced behind him and saw Cassie’s long, wet hair blowing behind her like a surrender flag. They should have tied it back at the clearing. Not what they needed tonight. Tonight, they needed to blend in and be part of their environment.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

C
assie convinced her body that the man she was holding tight on the back of a beat-up old motorcycle was not the love of her life, but a mere stranger who had no meaning to her. If she acknowledged that Simon had come for her, blown up part of a military base, and entered enemy territory with guns blazing to rescue her, she’d break down into a sobbing mess
of relief and complete and utter panic.

Was he crazy? He had to be to risk his life like that. But she was so glad he did.

The bike rumbled and bounced over bumps and holes in the street. She pulled herself more tightly into him so they could rebalance their weight. She could feel his hips shift at each turn. She leaned as he did to keep them balanced.

Without the headlights on, darkness blanketed the road in front of them. She tucked her face into his back. Her eyes stayed closed for most of the time, because rain pelted her face like a barrage of pebbles. Her cheeks stung and her lips hurt, chapped by the wind, swollen from the cold.

Just as her breathing decreased from the running-for-her-life range to the almost-out-of-hot-water range, she noticed light on the road before them. She turned to see how close their pursuers had come.

“Careful,” he yelled. “You’ll throw us both off balance.”

“There are lights in front of us and behind us.”

“We blew apart their electric transformer and stole a truck. They’ll search every household and field in a thousand kilometer radius.”

“They’re getting closer.”

“Hold on.” He drove the bike off the road and into a small group of trees. “We’ll hold out here until they pass.”

She swung her leg off the bike and fell against one of the larger trees. It provided a bit of protection from the rain and helped her stand.

Simon pushed the bike into a hiding spot and came up beside her. The headlights continued closer, and Cassie’s heart thumped hard in her chest again. The rain, the sopping clothes, the cold, her hunger, and her worry for Simon overwhelmed her. With a break in the get away, she took the opportunity to fall apart.

He held her close in his arms and brushed his hand over the wet hair. “It’s going to be all right, angel. This is the fun part.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “The
fun
part?”

“You and I traveling the world together on an adventure.”

Before she could tell him how idiotic that sounded, his lips came down on hers, and he crushed her body against him.

His hands molded her sides, feeling her shoulders and arms, her back and her stomach. Rain fell around them and created a barrier from all of the bad things that had come before. He stopped, resting his forehead on hers. She could feel his inhalation. He was breathing her in, and she was hoping to be fully absorbed by the hero before her.

They remained locked in each other’s arms as the trucks drove past.

“I prefer a boring life. Would you be able to handle that?” she whispered.

“I was thinking of starting a kitchen garden. Grow my own herbs and vegetables to cook with. I intend to be every bit as boring as you.”

T
hrongs of trucks passed their location in both directions, searching for them, but never coming close. As the silence returned, Simon’s tense body eased. He had Cassie in his arms. They’d be fine.

“Come with me.” He led her to a small group of bushes and crawled on his hands and knees, dragging his backpack.

“Where are we going?”

“No questions.” He loved her curi
osity. He loved her so much he couldn’t get enough of her in this lifetime or a thousand others.

The branches hung to the ground, but underneath it was like a pop tent. A very dry pop tent.

“I thought you might like to get out of the rain for a few minutes before we continue.”

“How far do we have to travel to get back to South Korea?”

“We’re about ten kilometers from the border if we head due south, but the security is high and the terrain not conducive to a motorcycle. I took a small boat here on the coast. If we can make our way back there, which will take about two hours or so, we’ll be back in time for a late dinner and a long and leisurely bath.” He couldn’t see her clearly through the darkness, but her silhouette made an appearance now and then as the clouds shifted in the sky and allowed the moonlight to dance among the branches. “We should stay for about an hour to let them move away from here. It’ll also give us a chance to dry our clothes a bit.”

He pulled out a Mylar blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She tried to cover him as well, but he refused. He had his own method of finding warmth, and it involved his fiancée, not metallic blankets.

“You rescued me, like a warrior from another time. Get under this blanket so I can take care of you.”

“Get a grip, Watson. I’m not doing for this you, so don’t get all high and mighty. It’s for Junior. She’s cold, and what kind of father would I be if I didn’t provide warmth to my only child.”

She sighed. “I wonder if this will be our only child.”

“We’ll stop having children when I say we’re done and not a minute sooner. Remember, I’m the head of this family.” He could see her with a whole gaggle of children.

She burst out laughing. “A thousand children, and I’m stuck working for you forever?”

“Exactly. You’ll love it.” And he’d love her challenging every decision he made.

The rain became a drizzle, almost a soft humming in the background. A slight mist rose from the cool drops hitting the warmer ground.

He pulled off his shirt and his Kevlar vest, and then he reached over to bring her closer.

“Slow down, Tarzan. If you think we’re having sex when we’re running for our lives…”

“I could be quick.”

“Tell me you didn’t drag me under this bush for sex.”

“As much as I crave your body constantly, I chose this spot to keep you dry for a few minutes. We need to wait a bit until the searching moves further afield. One more leg of the journey, and we’ll be safe.”

He reached into his backpack for a bottle of water and a few crackers.

“Drink and eat quickly. You’ll need energy to make it through the night.”

He refused to mention the baby on the way. The thought of her losing the baby would be unbearable.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

C
assie remained under the blanket with one of Simon’s arms wrapped around her shoulder waiting out the men who wanted to kill them. “I think it’s time to go.” 

He shifted in place, but continued to hold her. “We have enough time for a fling in the foliage.”

“Get up.”

“It’s now or never.” He grinned, and some of the terror lifted off her shoulders. In the middle of hell, he was charming.

“That’s a weak ultimatum. Never is a long time, and you wouldn’t be able to hold out.”

“I could last years longer than you, but I don’t see the point when we could enjoy each other as much as possible in this lifetime. In my next life, I may end up with a very angry woman who hates sex and owns three ferrets.” His words came out slow and relaxed, but he’d be at full alert within seconds of hearing her plans.

He lifted onto one elbow. “Put on the vest.”

“It’s yours.”

“Have you forgotten who the boss is? It’s not for you anyway, it’s for Junior.”

“You use that excuse for everything now.”

“Exactly.”

His eyes, lit up by the emerging moonlight, bore into her as though bending her will with a mere look. He won. He usually did. At this point, she didn’t have the energy to argue. When she gave him a slight nod, he handed the vest to her. Her torso was almost as long as Simon’s, but his chest was much thicker. She pulled the straps hard to tighten them. The stiff material hindered her ability to turn sideways, and weighed her down.