Guide Me Home (SEAL of Fortune) (8 page)

The slight change in Ryker’s angle along with his growl of passion pushes her over the edge into her orgasm. She tries to rise up out of his crushing embrace but he is too strong. Pushing with every ounce of strength she has, she strains against his grip as their hips piston madly, her efforts only increasing the power of her release. As she struggles, her low groaning growl rapidly increases in volume. “
Fuuuuuck!”
she screams, drawing the word out as her orgasm consumes her like a wildfire.

Then they are still, their chests heaving like bellows as they gasp for breath. Ronnie places her head on Ryker’s shoulder, too spent to even giggle. Just when she thought she couldn’t possibly come any harder, she does. She lies still for a moment, the strength flowing back into her as she catches her breath, then she giggles, low and deep.

Ryker smiles, finally hearing the sound that make all the gut wrenching orgasms in the world worth it… the sound of Ronnie’s post-orgasmic giggle. She had nearly killed him this time, the feeling of him sliding in her wetness even as he battled his orgasm was like an electric current pouring through his body, twisting him up until he was certain he would have a heart attack. But to hear that sound, that low and sexy giggle that she only has after an orgasm… that makes it all worth it.

“God almighty,” she mummers into his neck. “We would have woken up the entire hotel. I hope nobody heard us.”

He smiles. “I hope everyone heard us. With the way you look… every man in the place will be jealous of me being able to give you an orgasm like that. Though I think it was mostly your doing this time.”

“Not to mention every woman,” she replies with a soft snicker, then sighs. “And don’t sell yourself short. You helped.” She sighs again. “I should get up… but can I lie here for just a minute?”

Ryker doesn’t reply but tightens his embrace just a bit.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The “just a minute” actually turned into two hours as first Ronnie, then Ryker, drifted into sleep until the buzzing of Ryker’s phone pulls them back to the world of the waking. “Evans,” Ryker says drowsily, wincing as he remembers he is supposed to be Grayland.

“Evans, this is Spreck. The information you got on Ghazi Kalif appears to be good. He is a professor at the Lebanese University with known ties to Islamic terrorists. And get this… he’s a microbiologist specializing in virology.”

As Ronnie slides off his chest, yawning and stretching, Ryker absorbs what Spreck is saying. “He sounds like our guy. Where is the Lebanese University?”

“Right here in Beirut.”

“I assume that virology has something to do with viruses?”

“That’s correct,” Spreck confirms.

“He does sound like our guy. I supposed you want me to pay him a visit?”

“I think a visit is in order. I will try to get a class schedule for him, but we need to move on this quickly before he has someone tip him.”

“Understood. I’ll be ready.”

Ryker is just about to ask Spreck if there is anything else when he begins to speak again. “Evans, I know we have put you in a tough spot. But I want to thank you for the work you have done for us. It has been outstanding. If you get tired of the Navy, you contact me. There is a spot at Central Intelligence waiting for you.”

Ryker smiles. Maybe Spreck isn’t such a dick after all. “Thank you Mr. Spreck,” he says.

“Be ready to move on a moment’s notice.”

“Understood,” Ryker says as Spreck ends the call. Ryker smiles and drops the phone on the side table just as the water in the shower starts. His smile grows wider as he tumbles out of the bed and pads into the bathroom to see if Ronnie needs any help.

Later that afternoon Ryker and Ronnie stroll through Horsh Beirut, a huge park in the center of the city. Closed to most people, the guards allow them through as tourists and they stroll among the evergreens, walking hand-in-hand.

“It is so peaceful here,” she sighs, leaning in close. Even though they have been in the park for nearly two hours, slowly walking the paths and talking softly, they have seen only a handful of other people.

“Hard to believe the park is still closed to the residents after so many years.”

“I think these are the only trees I have seen since I got here. However did you find this place?” she asks.

“Google know all,” he replies. “I didn’t know if they would let us in. I was surprised when they let us walk right by.”

“Well, you did say it was that only those with special permits and tourists are allowed in. I think you can tell by looking at me that I’m not from around here,” she says, fluffing her auburn hair with her hand.

Not to mention her creamy pale skin
, he thinks. As they continue to stroll he admires her form once more. She is dressed in a brilliant white sundress that highlights her curves with near jaw-dropping perfection. Topped with a wide-brimmed sun hat they picked up at a local shop, she moves with an easy, confident grace that makes her more appealing still. He has already decided that if the CIA asks for her clothes back, he is buying this dress from them, if not her entire wardrobe.

Ronnie smiles, basking in the warm sun and Ryker’s gaze. He is barely paying attention to his surroundings as they walk. Every time she looks at him he is already looking at her, a small smile on his lips that makes her heart melt. She is nearly forty, never married, and has had several long term relationships.

But none of the men have ever looked at her the way he does. She can see the desire in his eyes, not of just the flesh, but also of the soul. When he first told her that he loved her she didn’t know what to think. She has had other say the same but they were just hollow words, spoken without meaning. But not Ryker.

Although he has only repeated his statement of love a few times since, his face speaks volumes of his feelings for her. She tears her gaze from him once more and her smile widens. He is seducing her yet again, and he isn’t even doing anything.

Ryker watches as she glances at him before looking down at the path again, but not before he catches a glimmer of a smile. The way she looks at him tugs at him. He has had a few women in the past, a few nearly as beautiful as Ronnie. One was his steady for more than three years until she couldn’t take the uncertainty of his career any longer and had left him. But even with her, she was just a companion.

He cared for her, but not like he cares for Ronnie.
Nothing
like he cares for Ronnie. She is becoming his everything, as essential to his life as food, water, and air. He smiles and looks away, but his gaze is drawn back to her. They are going to have to talk, and soon. He has to know if this relationship is going anywhere before he is in so deep he is left with no way out.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Grayland,” Ryker says after the phone plays a happy little ditty from his pocket and he answers.

“Evans. We’re a go on Kalif.” Hargraves’ voice comes through the phone.

“When?”

“Today. His last class ends at three. He normally leaves the university between four-thirty and five. That gives you less than an hour.”

Ryker does some mental calculation. It’s going to be tight. Real tight. “Understood. But I have to move, now, Colonel, if I am going to get there.”

“Make it happen, Evans.”

“Yes sir.”

Ryker thumbs the phone off. “Ronnie. We got to go. Now. Quickly,” he says, turning and walking rapidly away, pulling her along behind as she trots to catch up.

“What happened?”

“We’re taking Kalif today. In about fifty minutes.”

“Can we get there in time?”

“From here? Yes. To get the Mogle? It’s going to be close.”

Ronnie thinks for a moment. “Do you have your…” she asks making a gun with her fingers.

“It’s in the trunk of the car.”

“Let’s get me a cab. It can take me back to the hotel and I will bring the Mogle. You can go there from here.”

It’s a good plan, but with problems. “I don’t have the radios.”

“You’ve got a cell, though. And so do I.”

He fumes. Doing it her way would make it easier, but he’s not keen on letting her out of his sight. “Okay. We’ll do it your way,” he says, shoving down his unease. She should be fine, just another tourist. But the kidnapping attempt still plays large in his mind. “But for God’s sake,
be careful!”

“Yes dad,” she says with a smile. “Would you stop worrying about me and worry about what
you
are going to do?”

Arriving at the car, she waits as Ryker pulls out his phone, doing a quick search before dialing. “Do you speak English?” he begins. “Good! I have a pickup at Horsh Beirut. Now. No. Look, there is another 100,000 pounds in it you can have a car here in less than ten minutes. That’s right, 100,000. To the Golden Tulip. Thank you. Yes, thank you very much.” He kills the call. “He said a car will be in five minutes,” he says with a grin.

Ronnie snickers. “I guess so. Let’s see, 100,000 pounds is, what? Fifty bucks? About sixty, right?”

“Something like that. Doesn’t matter. The CIA is paying for it and I didn’t want you standing around alone.”

While they wait, Ryker peels off 250,000 pounds and give the money to Ronnie with a kiss. “Don’t spend it all in one place.” After pushing the money into her hand, he checks for prying eyes then moves his weapon from the trunk of the car to the passenger compartment, shielding the firearm from view with his body. He has just slammed the door shut when he hears the wail of a straining car engine.

“Ronnie!” he says softly, snapping his fingers to catch her attention and calling her to him so the Merc will be between them and the road. “Hurry.” It’s probably the cab, but no point in taking chances.

As she steps around the car, an ancient, battered green Mercedes with a taxi sign on the roof skids rounds the corner. “Stay here,” Ryker says, raising his hand and stepping around the front of his own car.

The cab screeches to a halt, rocking on worn out springs and shocks. “You called for a cab?” the driver yells through the open window.

Ryker smile and waves Ronnie forward. “That’s right. How much to the Golden Tulip?”

“25,000 pounds.”

As Ronnie climbs into the back of the cab, Ryker hands 150,000 pounds through the window. “See that she gets there safe. Call me when you get there,” he adds to Ronnie in the back.

The cabbie beams. This one fare is almost equal to what he has made all day. He loves American tourists! “Certainly, sir!”

He waits until the cab, leaving at a much more reasonable pace, turns the corner and disappears before settling into his own Mercedes. Time to go to work.

***

Ryker has been hanging around in the hall outside of Dr. Ghazi Kalif’s office for the last forty-five minutes, waiting for the steady flow of students in and out of his office to stop. He checks his watch. It’s nearly five and Ronnie should be here within minutes. With no other students in sight, Ryker steps forward and gently opens the door to Kalif’s office.

“Dr. Kalif? Dr. Ghazi Kalif?”

“Yes?”

He pushes the door open. “Sorry to bother you, doctor. I’m John Catlin, BBC News. May I speak with you a moment?” Ryker asks with a thick British accent.

Kalif looks at Ryker in confusion. “I’m sorry. Who?”

“John Catlin. I’m an assistant producer for BBC news. BBC is creating a segment on how Middle East Universities are now competing on the world stage for advancements in the hard sciences. I understand you are the one of Lebanon’s preeminent authorities on microbiology and virology. We would like to do a segment on you and the research you are conducting.”

Ryker smiles as Kalif begins to preen. “I would be very happy to assist you with this segment. Now?”

“No. Sorry sir. We will invite you to the BBC studio for that. Today my assistant and I would like to talk to you… excuse me a moment,” Ryker says as he phone buzzes in his pocket. “This is probably my assistant now. John Catlin,” he says into the phone.

Ronnie pulls her phone back and looks at the number when the rich British voice and strange name comes through her phone. “Ryker?”

“Yes.”

“Oh! For a moment there I thought I called the wrong number.”

“Dr. Kalif is willing to talk to us,” Ryker says nodding and smiling at Kalif. “We will wait for you in room 1606. I’m hoping Dr. Kalif will offer us a tour of his lab.”

“I’ll be right there.”

“See you in a bit.”

“That’s her,” Ryker says. “She’ll be here in a moment. We really need to wait on her because she is the one that has studied up on all this stuff.”

“I would be delighted to show you around and answer any questions you, or your assistant, might have,” Kalif says with a smile.

Ryker and Kalif prattle on for a few minutes about what Ryker thinks of Lebanon, when Ryker hears the door to the office open. He turns his back to the wall, hiding this weapon secreted there, in case it isn’t Ronnie entering. The moment he sees her red hair appear through the door he turns his attention back to Kalif. He is smiling until Ronnie steps into view, then his smile fades.

“You’re…”

Before he gets another word out, Ryker’s weapon is pointed directly at Kalif’s head. “Hands on top of the desk. One move and you are a dead man,” he snarls, his accent and pleasant demeanor gone. He hopes he doesn’t have to fire because without the suppressor attached the roar of the 9mm will bring everyone running.

“What is the meaning of this?” Kalif bellows in outrage.

“Lock the door,” Ryker says to Ronnie over his shoulder. “Where’s the virus, Kalif? And don’t waste my time by denying that you have it.”

“Fuck you and your American cunt!”

Ryker steps forward and backhands Kalif across the chin with his gun hand. The weight of the weapon and the steel in his hand makes it a devastating punch and Kalif goes over backwards, blood spraying from his mouth. Ryker reaches down and pulls him up and puts the gun to his temple. “The next time it is a bullet to the brain.”

“You won’t shoot me!”

“Ronnie. Find some cloth towels. As many as you can. I’m going to make a silencer to keep the noise down when I kill this fucker. Then we will search his lab. Make it quick.”

She scurries through the open door into the attached lab. Ryker holds Kalif, saying nothing, his weapon pressed to his temple. Two minutes later, she is back with a half-dozen neatly folded towels. “Will these do?”

“Perfect.” Ryker muscles Kalif around until his chest and head are pressed hard into his desk, then pulls the gun back from the man’s temple. “Put the towels on his head, then back up. This is going to make a hell of a mess.”

Ronnie does as directed and steps into the lab, closing her eyes and putting her fingers in her ears, terrified that Ryker is really going to do it. Holding her breath, Ronnie waits for the gunshot.

The moment Ryker presses his weapon into the side of his head, Kalif wilts. “Wait! Wait! I will tell you!”

“Talk fast!” Ryker growls, never taking the pressure off the Kalif’s temple.  

“It’s in the lab!”

“Show me!” Ryker says, hauling Kalif to his feet. Ryker takes him by the collar and presses his weapon to the back of his skull, just to remind Kalif how near death he is.

Ronnie nearly sags in relief when Kalif and Ryker enter the lab. She really thought Ryker was going to do it… and who knows, maybe he was. As Ryker walks past Ronnie falls into step behind him before belatedly hurrying over to lock the lab door as well.

“Here,” Kalif says, pulling a rack of test tubes out of a cabinet. In the back are five vials with a clear liquid inside.

“Ronnie!” Ryker hisses.

Ronnie picks up the vials. “Could be. No way to know without checking.”

“Take all five.” As Ronnie quickly pulls the vials, Ryker leans in on Kalf. “She’s going to check them now. If she comes back and tells me these are not the virus, you’re dead, do you understand? This is your only chance,” he snarls, then turns to face her. “Make it fast Ronnie. We’re on borrowed time here.”

“It’s still going to take thirty-five or forty minutes to prep the samples,” Ronnie says as she tucks the vials into her purse.

“Fuck,” Ryker snarls. “Fast as you can, okay? If it’s the virus, take it and go. You have…” He almost said “the embassy.”“Hargraves’ number?”

“Yes.”

“Call him. Have someone meet you. Then have him send someone over here.”

“Got it!”

The moment Ronnie is out of the room, Ryker jerks Kalif back and turns him toward his office. “If this is the virus, I won’t kill you. But my friends, the CIA, they are going to have a few questions for you.”