Only thing thatll convince me is if you rope a shark, hog-tie him and bring him in to roast on a spit. Montana-style. Montana gunned the throttle and shot out into the water. He hit a small wave head-on, crashing through the crest to emerge on the other side. Yee-haw! he yelled and raced out to sea.
Sawyer sat in the wet sand, adjusting the cell phone in his pocket, glad hed thought to slip it into a waterproof bag before hed left the bungalow. He let the water lap over his feet and legs, enjoying the sun on his back, the fresh air and the taste of salt on his lips.
The first few days in Cancún had been a lot more than any of them had bargained for. Looking for relaxation, fun and maybe some female companionship, theyd come to Cancún ready for a much-deserved vacation.
Duff had been the first of the men to find a female companion. And boy, did he know how to pick one. Natalie, a former government secret agent, had come to find her sister, whod disappeared on a diving excursion.
When Duff offered to help, all four members of SEAL Boat Team 22 whod come to Cancún were engaged to find and liberate women whod been kidnapped and readied for auction in a human trafficking ring.
Rest and relaxation. Ha!
Since when did getting shot at count as recreation?
Quentin, Montana and Sawyer could have told Duff where he could go with his plan to help, but that was not what friends didnot what SEAL brothers did. They stuck together and helped each other through good times and bad. And if there were guns and bad guys involved, that was when they did their best work.
Sawyer leaned back in the surf and let the warm, clear ocean water ebb and flow over his skin. Now that theyd retrieved the women and sent most of them to their respective homes, the team could finish their vacation in peace.
Montana hopped across several more waves, shouting like a fool and laughing in the sun. A wave hit him broadside and knocked the big cowboy into the water.
Laughing, Sawyer stood, brushing sand off his shorts.
Montana dragged himself up the back of the craft, mounted the WaveRunner and powered into the shore, pulling up on the sand beside Sawyer. Grinning, he shook the water from his hair. Youre gonna love it.
Great.
Montana climbed off and stood to the side.
Finally Sawyer had his turn. He and Montana turned the vehicle in the sand to aim it outward.
Sawyer swung his leg over the body of the craft and settled onto the cushioned seat. As he twisted the throttle, a shout sounded behind him.
* * *
AS SOON AS Jenna realized who the man in the photographs was, shed grabbed her cell phone and called Carly.
Her friend didnt answer. Instead, she texted.
What do you need? Were in a convertible. I cant hear over the wind.
Get Quentin to give you the number for his friend.
Carly responded with a smiley face and a note.
His name is Sawyer.
Her heart racing, Jenna paced the floor. Every time she passed the case on the bed, her stomach clenched and she muttered, Holy crap.
Someone had been paid to deliver Sawyer dead or alive to some undisclosed location. Armed with that information, Jenna couldnt stand by and let the would-be assassin succeed in his mission. She had to warn Sawyer. The sooner the better. The assassin might have more than this rifle at his disposal. And he had a deadline to meet.
Her first thought was to call the police. But no crime had been committed at that point. And hell, what if they thought she was the owner of the weapons? Theyd throw her in a Mexican jail to rot. All the reports shed heard about the Mexican government being owned by the drug cartels didnt give her much faith in their ability to stop this kidnapping or assassination from occurring.
Jenna glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was already three in the afternoon. That meant six hours until the assassin had to deliver his prize.
Jennas phone pinged with Carlys text. It contained a phone number, the name of a nearby resort hotel and a message.
Sawyer was planning to go to the beach this afternoon and rent a WaveRunner. You might find him there. Have fun!
Have fun? Are you kidding me? With a near-hysterical laugh, Jenna dialed the number and waited, gripping her cell phone so hard, she was afraid shed break it. On the third ring, a male voice answered.
Leave a message and Ill get back to you as soon as possible. The voice was the same rich baritone shed heard on the zip-line platform.
Jenna closed the damning suitcase and shoved it high on a shelf in her closet, hoping that would calm her frazzled nerves. It didnt. She still had to warn Sawyer.
Unwilling to deliver the bad news to him via a recording, she hit the end button and glanced around the room. Still dressed in nothing but her underwear, she yanked the bright pink bikini Carly insisted was adventurous out of her carry-on bag, shed her bra and panties and slipped into the suit. She threw on a short, lacy beach wrap and grabbed her room key.
Shed considered texting Carly about what was in the case but was afraid Carly wouldnt believe her. Or worse, the text message would be intercepted. Nobody could know she had the case. Not until she figured out what to do with it.
First she had to find Sawyer and warn him about the notes contents.
Riding the elevator from the bridal suite to the ground floor was a study in patience. The car stopped several times on the way down to fill with people wearing dinner clothes or beach apparel, depending on where they were headed. They laughed and joked with each other while Jenna bit down on her lip and counted the seconds until they reached the bottom. She wanted to shout and rail at the people slowing her down. Didnt they realize a mans life could be hanging in the balance?
Somewhere in Cancún, possibly on the beach, an assassin could be following Sawyer or aiming at him through a scope similar to the one in the case. One pull of the trigger and Sawyer would be delivered dead.
The elevator hit the ground level and the doors opened, disgorging the numerous passengers.
Dancing in the rear, Jenna tried to get around some of them but was cut off every time. When she found a clear path, she darted through the lobby, making a beeline for the concierge, where she cut in front of an elderly couple and asked where she could find the hotel Carly had given in her text message.
The concierge pointed and told her it was two hotels south along the beach.
Jenna didnt wait for clearer directions but ran out the back door of the hotel, past the pool and the myriad lounge chairs flanking it and out onto the sand. She didnt slow as she raced past the umbrellas and people stretched out, capturing the afternoon sunshine. Eventually she ran along the waters edge, finding better purchase in the wet hard-packed sand. Passing the first resort hotel, she kept her gaze forward, searching the beach in front of her and the water to her left.
God, she hoped he was close to the water, where she could find him easily. If she had to look at each patron on the beach, it could take too much precious time.
As she neared the second resort hotel with its rainbow-colored beach umbrellas, Jenna saw a small tent set up close to the water with a number of WaveRunners parked in the sand.
Barely able to breathe by then, she staggered to a stop in front of the startled attendant.
Have you Jenna wheezed as she leaned against the tent pole and dragged in a deep breath rented a WaveRunner she breathed again and finished in a rush to a tall, dark-haired man with tattoos on his arms?