Hot Extraction (4 page)

“Langley, Virginia? Isn’t that where the CIA is located?”

“That’s right,” he confirms.

“Do you think they will find something?”

“I do. They are very good at their job.”

“You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“No. They are the ones that sent me to the hotel. We were this close to getting your father back right then,” he says, holding up a finger and thumb just millimeters apart. “If he can be found, they will find him.”

“How long do you think it will take?”

“A couple of days, probably. The bad guys are on the run. Even if we get a hit, by the time we get there, they will be gone. Don’t worry. We’ll find your father and get him back to you safely.”

Ronnie stops before her door, turning to face Ryker. She debates inviting him in but settles for a quick kiss on the lips. “Thank you. Thank you for today and thank you for helping find my father,” she says, looking into his dark eyes.

Ryker can feel something stir within him. Dr. Veronica Baker is incredibly beautiful, so he feels the pull that any man feels around a lovely woman, but there is something more. “We’ll do all we can Ronnie. I promise.”

She smiles, still looking into his eyes. “I know you will.” She opens her door behind her then kisses him quickly on the lips once more and backs into her room and closes the door before she changes her mind about asking him in.

Ryker stands outside of her room for a moment before blowing out a puff of air and turning toward his own room. He needs a shower. A cold shower.

CHAPTER SIX

“ ‘lo.” Ronnie mutters into the phone.

“It’s oh five fifteen. Get up. It’s time to hit the gym.” Ryker’s cheerful voice comes out of the receiver.

Ronnie groans. “I’ve changed my mind.”

“Oh no!” Ryker says with disgusting cheer. “You said you were joining me this morning and made me promise last night at dinner to get you up. So haul your ass out of bed, Dr. Baker! I’ll be there in ten minutes and you had better be ready!”

“I’ll meet you there.”

“Uh-uh. Ten minutes. You had better be ready or I’ll drag your sorry ass out of the bed myself.”

Ronnie groans again. “Fine. Ten minutes.” She drops the headset back on the cradle before yawning and stretching. No reason to bathe if she is just going to get sweaty. She swings her feet over the edge of the bed and sits up. What was she thinking last night at dinner? After a moment contemplating what she has done, she gets up and slips into a pair of jean and the loosest shirt she has. She obviously hasn’t thought this through. She doesn’t even have any workout clothes!

Ryker stands before her door, eyeing his watch. Precisely ten minutes after hanging up the phone he raps sharply on the Ronnie’s door. He
had enjoyed himself immensely at dinner last night and had badly wanted to kiss her when dropping her off at her room. More than that grateful peck on the lips she had given him anyway.

He had refrained because he suspects that she is in a long term relationship from some of the comments she made. Nevertheless, he has been looking forward to this morning since dropping her off at her room last night.

Ronnie opens the door, looking half asleep. “Good morning, sunshine!” Ryker cries with exaggerated good cheer.

“When was the last time someone told you to go fuck yourself?” Ronnie mutters, stepping into the hall.

Ryker laughs. “Now what kind of attitude is that?”

“This is my ‘it’s too damn early in the morning’ attitude. Come on. The sooner started the sooner done.”

“That’s the spirit! But what are you wearing?”

“I didn’t have anything else.”

“Hmmm…I was going to start you on legs, but not in jeans,” he says, before plucking at her shirt, checking its fit. “Looks like we are doing upper body today.”

“Swell…” Ronnie mutters as they trudge down the hall.

“While I’m out chasing bad guys, why don’t you have one of the embassy staff take you out shopping. Get something decent to work out in. You won’t like working out in jeans. Even this morning. Trust me.”

“You’re right. Let’s call this off until tomorrow,” she yawns.

“Oh no! You’re not getting out of it that easy,” he chuckles as he pushes the door to the gym open.

As they step into the gym, Ryker can feel a stirring in his manhood at the thought of being alone in the gym with a hot and sweaty Ronnie, but he shoves the thought away before it causes him to embarrass himself.

“Okay…today we are going to work on your arms, chest, back, shoulders and tummy. We’re going to start out slow and easy. Don’t overdo. If the weight is too heavy, tell me and we will lighten it up. I will know if it is too light. We’re going to start you out light and I want you to do fifteen reps. Then we will wait one minute…then I want you to do fifteen more. Okay?”

“A rep is…?”

Ryker flexes his arms up and down like he is curling a weight, counting off each time he does. “You will do fifteen, then rest, then do fifteen more. Then we will switch and I will do my reps.”

“You’ll do fifteen too?”

“No. I will probably only do eight or nine. But I will be pushing a lot more weight. You don’t want to get bulky do you?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so. So you will do lighter weight but more reps for tone. May I?” Ryker asks, reaching for her buttons, but stopping before touching.

“Sure,” Ronnie replies, trying to keep her tone even and nonchalant.

He undoes another button, pauses, then one more, gapping her shirt open then pulling on it again to adjust the fit. “To give you room to move.”

She swallows hard, hoping he doesn’t notice her rising heat.

“I’ll go first. Watch how I do each exercise because you are going to do it the same way. Oh! One more thing. When you are working out with a partner, it is considered polite to spot.”

“Spot?”

You stand behind me and help me take the weight if I get into trouble.”

She giggles. “You’re kidding, right? I can’t lift what you do!”

He grins. “No. But you can help me lift it.”

“Okay…” she drawls, drawing the word out.

Ronnie watches Ryker intently as he begins his routine. The first couple of reps he talks her through the motion, but after that he falls silent. He is fully dressed in shorts and t-shirt, but she can see enough to admire how his muscles bulge and strain until he hits number eight, when it just looks painful. Ryker lets the weights down with a crash. “That’s one,” he pants. “Only ten more to go.”

After Ryker completes his second set Ronnie take her place on the machine. They set the weights but quickly decide that it’s too heavy, and reset them to something lighter. As she begins to work he places his hands on her stomach and back to adjust her posture. She holds the position, but considers slumping again just so he will put his hands on her again.

“Come on Ronnie! Dig for it! Push it! Push it!” he cheers as she growls her way through one last rep, her teeth bared in a snarl.

“I can’t,” Ronnie pants letting the weights bang down. “I can’t do another.”

“Twelve. Not bad. Rest a minute, then give me fifteen more.”

“I can’t, Ryker. There’s no way!”

“Don’t give up Ronnie. You can do it. Ten more. Just give me ten more,” he encourages, moving the pin and taking another five pounds off. “You can do ten.”

“I think you’re trying to kill me. And here I thought you were a nice guy,” she teases.

“I am a nice guy! I took five pounds of weight off for you. I wouldn’t do that for just anyone, you know.”

Ronnie snickers, then pants a moment more before grabbing the bar, taking several deep breaths, and puts her back into it.

Ninety minutes later, she's stripping her clothes off and preparing to shower. She's tired and her clothes are wet from her sweat, but she feels great. Getting a last rep in when she didn’t think she could do it gives her immense satisfaction and she feels wonderfully relaxed. It’s as if the weight of all her troubles has lightened somehow.

Ryker had pushed her hard, but not beyond what she felt she could do. The best part of the morning, however, was watching Ryker strain and sweat, and listening to his breathy grunts as he worked the weights while she rested between her sets. She would die before she would admit it to anyone, but his soft grunts as he strained seriously turned her on, making her think about him grunting while engaged in… another type of workout.

As she steps into the shower she reflects on how it’s too bad she is involved in a relationship. She seriously needs to get laid, even more so after working out with Ryker this morning, and Ryker would be the perfect candidate. If he is willing.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The next five days are much the same. Ronnie and Ryker meet for an early morning workout, have breakfast, and then Ryker leaves to spend the day working with the CIA to run down leads. After his return in the evening and debriefing they have dinner together, then spend the remainder of the evening watching movies from the embassy’s extensive collection, walking the embassy grounds or simply sitting in a lounge while talking and laughing. There is a silent and tacit agreement between them that
what
isn’t as important as the
who.

Ryker can’t deny the attraction he feels for Ronnie and wishes she weren’t attached. She doesn’t talk about her beau much, but she does talk about him enough that he feels uncomfortable actively pursuing her. So he contents himself enjoying her company and subtly making his interest known.

Ronnie, on the other hand, is conflicted. She is most definitely attracted to Ryker, and the more she gets to know him, the more attracted she is. She originally thought the attraction she felt was because of his heroics in their escape from the hotel. But that feeling of attraction not only hasn’t lessened—it has grown.

The problem is that she has been in an exclusive relationship with Kenneth for nearly three years now. And she’s happy with that. Or she thought she was. While Kenneth isn’t an ugly man, he isn’t the wet dream that Ryker is, nor does he project the quiet confidence that Ryker does. Kenneth has a Ph.D. in biology, while Ryker is still working toward his Bachelor's in engineering—yet in every other way Kenneth comes up short.

The other problem is Ryker is so young! During their conversations she has found out he won’t be thirty until September and she will be thirty-eight the following April. Eight years’ difference. Eight! She has picked up on Ryker’s subtle expressions of interest, and while she is terribly flattered that someone like Ryker finds her appealing, she isn’t ready to throw away what she has with Kenneth for one night of hot and sweaty sex.

But what if Ryker’s interest isn’t just a passing fancy? What if her desire is more than just an itch that needs to be scratched? Life with Kenneth is comfortable enough, but he doesn’t affect her the way Ryker does.

Ronnie stands in the shower after another early morning workout with Ryker, allowing the water to pour over her as she thinks. Maybe she should just invite Ryker back to her room, fuck the shit out of him, then see where they stand. Kenneth has made it clear on more than one occasion that he is not interested in being married again so she doesn’t feel like she owes him any particular loyalty, but she enjoys Kenneth’s company and he is good and kind to her.

She doesn’t want to throw that away for a fling. But then, on the other hand, what happens in Lebanon will likely stay in Lebanon. With a growl of frustration, Ronnie slaps off the water. Why does life have to be so damn complicated?

“Dr. Baker. Come with me please,” the Marine says when she answers her door later on. While the embassy offers plenty of comfortable common rooms to relax in, she feels most comfortable spending time in her room when Ryker isn’t around.

“Is there a problem?”

“No ma’am. I am to escort you report to the motor pool. There is a car waiting. They have found your father.”

She feels her heart leap at the news as she hurriedly gets her shoes on. She follows the Marine down where a driver is waiting with a car. She piles in and they roar away.

“You found Dad?” Ronnie asks Ryker excitedly as she bounds out of the SUV.

“I’m sorry, Ronnie. We thought we had them but they slipped past us.”

She can feel her face fall. “They told me that you had found him.”

“I’m sorry, Ronnie. I really am. We did. We just missed them. We probably passed them on the way in. We were that close. So close they didn’t have time to take anything. That’s why you’re here. We need you to look over the equipment they left. See if that tells us anything.”

She is so frustrated and disappointed that she wants to cry, but she sucks it up. “Okay. Show me what you’ve got.”

Ryker escorts Ronnie up the three flights of stairs to the small three-room apartment. The room is in disarray with a couple of folding portable tables, one of which is lying on its side. There is a sequencer lying broken in the floor nearby. “Looks like they left in a hurry,” she observes dryly.

“Yeah. The spooks are canvassing the area, seeing if they can pick up their trail.”

She gives the room a thorough once over. “There are two sequencers still here, but there are no computers and no virus, obviously. There is also no growth medium, no gloves… nothing that looks like they were actually working. I would say you got here before they could really set up shop and get to work. Anything done here would have to be theoretical without supplies.”

She turns slowly, looking the apartment over. “Looks to me like they just grabbed the computers and ran. I wonder if they have the virus with them?”

“Don’t know, but that’s what we suspect. They got a tip we were on our way and didn’t have time to break down. So they grabbed your dad, the computers, the virus vials, and hauled ass out of here. What pisses me off is that whoever tipped them is probably the same source that tipped
us
. The asshole is playing both sides. The spooks are looking for him right now. If they find him he’s not going to have a good day.”

“Did you or someone else tell me they think these guys are Syrians? Why are the still here? Why aren’t they in Syria already?”

“Can’t get there. Crossing into Syria isn’t easy at the best of times, but now the border is sealed because of the shooting at the hotel, not to mention the civil war in Syria. We have them trapped. We just have to hunt the bastards down.”

“If the fucking Lebanese would just help…”

“Ronnie…they are helping. They sealed the border to trap them here. Their people are looking just as hard as we are. Everything that can be done is being done, okay? We’ll get them.”

“It’s just so damn frustrating! We’ve missed them twice now!”

“I know, Ronnie. But hang tough. We’ve got them scared now. Scared people make mistakes. We’ll get them the next time.”

She almost believes him. “I wish I had your confidence.”

“We’ve captured their equipment. That is going to hurt them. If they try to replace it, we’re going to know. Then we’ll have them.”

“And if they
don’t
try to replace it? Then what?”

“Then we’ll find them without it.”

She smiles sadly. “Okay. I believe you. But what I’m worried about is that they may kill dad because they…”

“They won’t do that, Ronnie,” Ryker says, interrupting her.

“Why?”

“Several reasons. He’s too valuable as a hostage to do that, for one. If they really get into a bind, he becomes a bargaining chip. Second, someone will be willing to pay handsomely for him and the data. Iran maybe. Or the North Koreans. Third… I won’t let that happen.”

Ronnie looks at Ryker, and that quiet confidence makes her smile. “You know, I almost—”

Before she can finish her sentence, the building of twelve apartments is rocked by a shattering explosion, glass from the windows flying about, stinking like angry wasps.

Ryker grabs Ronnie and hauls her to the floor while drawing his weapon. “Stay down!” He scrambles to the window and takes a quick look out. The three embassy cars are heavily damaged and there are several bodies lying about, the men either dead or severely wounded.

He scrambles back to her. “We’ve got to move! Now!” he says, hauling her up. She looks slightly dazed and is bleeding from a couple of small cuts, but otherwise seems fine. He drags her into the common hall for this floor of the apartments, immediately turning for the stairs heading for the street. Ryker switches his earpiece to two-way. “Hargraves! You there?”

He knows Hargraves is monitoring this channel so he gives him a minute. The Colonel probably has his hands full. As he and Ronnie pound down the stairs the late afternoon is split apart with the sharp reports of gunfire. He freezes on the steps, stopping her behind him. He watches as the plain clothes Marine at the bottom of the step fires his weapon, then jerk twice as he is hit by return fire, falling where he stands. Ryker begins to push Ronnie back up the steps. “Quickly!” he hisses.

“Hargraves! We’re in deep shit here!” Ryker hisses again.

“Sit Rep!” Hargraves snaps in his ear, asking for Ryker’s situation report.

“Pinned down and taking fire. Several men down. I have Dr. Baker with me. We need immediate evac,” he reports coolly as he backs up the steps, weapon pointed down the stairwell as he covers their retreat.

“What the fuck happened? Most of my comms are down,” Hargraves asks. “Evac rolling.”

“Probable IED,” Ryker states, hustling Ronnie down the open hall. “Vehicles likely non-operational. Several dead or wounded.”

“Fucking suicide bomber,” Hargraves mutters in Ryker’s ear.

Ryker stops before last door on the opposite side of the hall from the apartment they had raided and delivers two vicious kicks to the door, shattering the jamb. The woman and child inside, already cowering from the explosion and gunfire, look at them in silent fear as he drags Ronnie through the apartment.

He looks out the window and sees the roof of another part of the building, then heaves a silent sigh in relief that he hadn’t gotten turned around and picked the right apartment for their escape. He grabs a chair from the kitchen table and throws it through the glass, then swipes the bottom edge with the gun to remove any shards. “Out onto the roof! Hurry!”

Ronnie climbs through the window, Ryker pushing her ass from behind and then following her out. He quickly moves to the edge and looks over. The roof is too high jump. He whirls and runs to the other side. Even worse. The third side has a drop of about fifteen feet to another roof. It’s going to hurt like hell, but they are hemmed in and have no choice. “We’re going to have jump! I’ll go first, then you jump and I will catch you! Land with your legs bent or you are going to break your legs! Got it?”

He doesn’t wait for her answer, holstering his weapon before jumping over the edge. He lands with a grunt and rolls out of it with a parachute landing fall, using his entire body to absorb the energy of the fall. He pops back to his feet, turning to look up at the roof where Ronnie stands, staring in wide-eyed terror.

Ryker holds his hands up to Ronnie. There is no way he can prevent her from hitting the ground, but he will do all he can to ease her impact. “Jump!”

She shakes her head, stepping back from the edge.

“Ronnie! You have to jump! I’ll catch you!
Jump
!”

She takes another step back from the edge.

“Ronnie! You have to jump or you will die! You can do it! Jump!”

“I can’t!” she wails.

“You can! Come on! Jump!” he shouts, jerking his hands upwards in beseeching encouragement.

She steps to the edge and pauses. “It’s too high!”

“Come on Ronnie! You can do it!”

Ryker sees the man behind Ronnie a split second before he grabs her around her neck, hauling her back. He quickly pulls his weapon but holds fire for fear of hitting her. “Fuck! Colonel, they’ve have Dr. Baker!”

“Goddammit!” Hargraves spits out. “We’re losing control of the situation!”

Ryker looks over the edge of the building. It’s a hell of a drop, maybe as much as thirty feet, but he has no choice so he reholsters his weapon and jumps. He hits the ground with bone-crushing force, rolling out of the fall, but even so he is stunned by the impact. He struggles to his feet, falls to one knee, and then regains his footing. Grimacing in pain, he begins to run, heading for the sound of gunfire.

He stops at the front corner of the building and peeks around. Two of the embassy security men are crouching behind an SUV. The gunmen have them thoroughly pinned down. He scans the area, looking for an opening, anything he can use to his advantage. A man in a third-story window, probably the apartment the lab was in, is sniping at the Marines. His line of fire is better than the pinned Marines so Ryker steps from around the corner, squeezes off three quick shots, then retreats back to cover. He probably didn’t hit the man, but the rifle quickly withdraws from the window all the same.