Lily's Outlaw (Once a Marine, Always a Marine Book 2) Read online

  The memory of her in nothing but her undies and bra running through the locker room, singing “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett at the top of her lungs, made her laugh and hiccup through the tears.

  “True. That was worse than this.” That time she had burst into hysterical laughter once she was safe. Well, until her mother had heard about it. Then she’d been grounded and on house arrest for an entire month.

  “That’s my girl.”

  With Jesse, Lily was free to be herself. And because of Jesse, she was free. And as soon as she could, she was going to have to get away from him. Because she needed to finish what she started. She was on a mission to do the right thing and prove something to herself in the process. And Jesse was more than a complication.

  He was a game changer.

  Chapter 2

  “I’m not going in there,” Lily said, staring at the trapdoor surrounded by miles of endless, empty desert.

  They’d been walking for at least thirty minutes after abandoning the truck on the Mexico side of the border. How Jesse even found this place boggled her mind. But worse, he wanted her to follow him down into that dark hole that was probably infested with God-knows what.

  “We have three hours to kill until we’re extracted and we’re not doing that in the sun. It’s over one hundred degrees out and neither one of us needs sunstroke.”

  “But what if there are snakes down there? Or worse?” Spiders. She shivered.

  Jesse grinned and planted his hands on his hips. “Don’t tell me you are still afraid of the dark.”

  Lily huffed. “I’m afraid of getting snakebite and depending on you to suck the poison out.”

  The grin widened and he gave her a quick once-over. “Well now, that all depends on where I’d have to suck.”

  Normally, a sassy comeback would have immediately sprung to mind, but her already overheated brain and body couldn’t cope with his brief, but scorching look. She was taken aback for a moment because he’d never so much as glanced at her in that way. Ever.

  “It’s twenty degrees cooler down there and I promise a mostly varmint-free environment.”

  “If I get bitten or stung by anything, or if the walls cave in and we die, I will haunt you forever in the afterlife. And I plan on being mean-spirited.”

  Jesse shook his head and let out a chuckle as he descended into a dark that was so complete that it was like being blind. But he was right, it wouldn’t help if they got sunstroke or so dehydrated that they couldn’t defend themselves if someone came looking.

  “I think I hate you,” she yelled down into the dark.

  “Stop being a girl.”

  “I am a girl.”

  “You used to be totally fearless, but clearly you’ve been wussified.”

  She used to be a lot of things, most of which wouldn’t have blinked at following Jesse on an adventure. But she’d grown up, and her invincibility meter had shifted dramatically toward merely mortal.

  She closed her eyes, said a quick prayer and then climbed down the ladder.

  “Jesse?” She couldn’t see anything.

  “Hang on,” he said and then a spark of light appeared and grew brighter.

  He’d found a lantern of some kind and the soft glow of the light showed that they were in a tunnel. The walls were reinforced with lumber that looked almost new. And it was cooler. Not as cool as Jesse said, but still better than outside.

  “Let me shut that door.”

  Lily stood to the side as Jesse went back up the ladder and shut the trapdoor. Once he was back down he picked up the lantern and the backpack he’d retrieved from the truck before they dumped it and took off down the tunnel.

  “Where does this lead?”

  “Nowhere really. It’s a smuggler’s tunnel that was dug as a temporary hideout and storage for drugs or people. There’s another trapdoor on the other end, which is our rendezvous point. In the meantime though, I have a surprise for you.”

  “As long as it doesn’t have fangs or too many legs, I’m game.”

  “You’ll like this, I promise.”

  They walked a little farther and the narrow tunnel opened up into a large cavern. This didn’t look man-made though. This was Mother Nature’s doing. Stalagmites and stalactites jutted from the floor and ceiling of the large limestone room and the temperature really did drop to an amazingly cooler climate.

  “How did you know about this?”

  “Southern Arizona is known for its labyrinth of natural caverns. It’s a nightmare for Border Patrol to keep track of. Especially with the smugglers digging their own tunnels everywhere out in the desert.” He paused and pointed. “Look over there.”

  Lily glanced over and saw a cot and makeshift table, but what caught her attention was the pool. The glow of the lantern bounced off the surface and made shadows dance on the walls. The water was probably freezing cold, but the thought of washing off some of the dust and grime was more than enough reason to squeal.

  “Is that water safe?” She was about to jump up and down with joy.

  He nodded. “I thought you might like to wash up a bit before we have something to eat.”

  “You have food too?”

  He shot her a disgusted look. “A Marine is always prepared.”

  It was hard to believe her good fortune. First the rescue, a bath, and he was going to feed her. She threw herself into his arms again and hugged him as hard as she could. It didn’t matter that they both stunk or were covered in filth.

  “Marry me and have my babies,” she said.

  “I think maybe your mama explained things wrong to you.”

  Lily laughed. “I don’t care. You are the most wonderful person in this cave.”

  He gave her a shove and she let go, dropped her leather bag onto the cot and kicked her sandals off. She had her sundress off and thrown to the side as she hit the water, still in her underwear. And it was cold. So cold it raised all the hair on her body and her skin was covered in goose bumps.

  “I never thought freezing water would feel so good.”

  “A hot shower with soap is in our near future, but I figured you might like a little refresher after what you’ve been through.”

  “It’s heavenly.”

  “Did they hurt you, Lil?”

  She turned in the water to face him. It was deep enough to hide her assets, not that she was well endowed. The look on his face was hard and his normally twinkling blue eyes were as still as the water she was in. She covered her small breasts anyway and shook her head. She knew what he was asking.

  “Nothing I couldn’t handle,” she finally said.

  “I tried not to think about it while we were getting the hell out of there, but if they hurt you, I’ll go back and kill them all.”

  “They didn’t rape me, Jess. I’m okay, really.”

  ***

  “Dinner will be ready in three minutes. I left one of my T-shirts on that rock for you.”

  Jesse turned away to start their meal. He could feel his body loosen up at her words. And he meant what he said. He’d send her off with Shadow and go back, international incident be damned. A man who raped a woman deserved to die.

  If anything like that happened to one of his sisters, he’d be rotting away in jail right now for killing the bastard.

  He pulled out a couple of MREs, some portable cooking gear and went to work, making sure to keep his back turned to give Lily some privacy. He’d seen a bit too much already and found his body reacting to her in a way that was new. And heated.

  “I almost feel human again,” she said, coming into view.

  Jesse had to grin. His black T-shirt hung down to her knees and swallowed her form. Her sundress was wrapped around her head, turban style, and she had her sandals back on. Plopping down on the cot with a sigh, she smiled back at him.

  “I must look like something that crawled in here to die.”

  “You look great for having gone through an ordeal.”

  “Didn’t your mama use to say
that?”

  He nodded. “Every little thing was an ordeal for my sisters. For me, it was just plain trouble.”

  “How is your family?”

  “Big and far, far away.”

  “Why didn’t you come home for the ten-year reunion?”

  Jesse suppressed a shudder. Home. Where his mother harped on his single status and his sisters invited an endless stream of eligible women over for sweet tea and cake. It was a loving, smothering…nightmare. He liked all his brothers-in-law and adored all fifteen of his nieces and nephews, but the match-making was enough to keep him away. Except for holidays. His mother would be heartbroken if he missed the important ones. So he never did.

  “I was afraid of ending up engaged to buck-tooth Beatrice Jones.”

  Lily erupted into peals of laughter.

  “Oh sure, you can laugh, but my mama likes that family and thinks Beatrice is my perfect match.”

  “She’s had her teeth fixed,” Lily said solemnly, trying hard to contain herself.

  Jesse sat transfixed on Lily’s animated face, watched how her eyes crinkled at the corner. Even her nose all scrunched up was adorable. He cleared his throat and focused on the food. “This is almost edible.”

  They both heard her stomach growl. “It smells delicious.”

  Jesse shook his head, filled up a bowl, and passed it over with a spoon. He handed her his canteen of water as well. He could see that she was starving but good manners had her eating slow and taking dainty sips of the water. They ate in silence, the only sounds the scraping spoons and drips of water into the pool behind them.

  “What are you involved in, Lily?”

  She went still for a millisecond before shrugging and continuing to eat. But that's what he’d been looking for.

  “That was good,” she said, polishing off her meal with water.

  “Tell me what’s going on.”

  He had a feeling she knew more about why she’d been taken, even if she didn’t know the players. She avoided his gaze by opening her satchel and inspecting the very expensive camera. She opened a canister and upended it, credit cards and IDs falling into her palm. “Thank God they didn’t take all this. Getting everything replaced is a nightmare.”

  Lily returned everything to its position before stretching out on the cot and staring up at the dark cave ceiling. He waited patiently for her to answer. Finally, she sighed. “I don’t know who those men were or why they’re chasing me. I really don’t.”

  “I know that, Lil, but you know something that you aren’t telling me.”

  “You don’t know anything, Jesse,” she said softly. “You haven’t seen me or kept in touch in over ten years. A lot has changed.”

  “You’re right. A lot has changed, for both of us. But I can help you.”

  “Are we safe enough right now?” Yawning, she rubbed her eyes and stretched a little.

  “Yes.”

  “Then do you mind if I rest a bit? I’m completely fried.” With her eyes already closed, her words slurred a bit and she was out faster than a tranquilized kitten.

  Jesse knew when to back off. Lily was involved in something dangerous enough to have a price put on her pretty head. Someone wanted her dead. The question was who? And why?

  It was something he planned to find out. Soon.

  ***

  Ramon Garcia didn’t like working with Americans. Old rich white men were the worst, in his opinion. And he certainly wasn’t going to stand being talked to like an idiot.

  “We do not know who it was,” he said mildly. “But I will find out.”

  He listened intently for a few more moments and then snapped the cell phone shut. As a high ranking member of the Huerta drug cartel, he was known as a problem solver. Right now that little puta was a problem that should have already been taken care of.

  Ramon nodded to the man standing by the door to his office. “Send for Pedro. I want a word with him.”

  He’d put Pedro in charge of taking the girl, getting the information and killing her. Now she was running loose with at least one man who knew how to handle himself. The rich gringo was proving efficient, at least, and would have new coordinates on the woman soon.

  Ten minutes later, Pedro shuffled slowly into his office, head down. He knew he fucked up and Ramon was not known as a man who forgave mistakes.

  “Tell me everything.”

  “Por favor, Ramon. How can I make this up to you?”

  Pedro Vasquez wasn’t a smart man, but he knew how to take orders. His deep brown eyes were alive with fear as he twisted a white cowboy hat around and around in his hands. He relayed exactly what happened in the warehouse, leaving out nothing.

  Two unknown men. One shooter and one on the ground. That was interesting.

  “I am disappointed, Pedro.”

  “Please, give me the chance to make it up to you.”

  “Of course.” Ramon smiled and nodded. “I am not an unreasonable man.”

  “Gracias, gracias, El Jefe.” He bowed several times, keeping his eyes downcast.

  “In English, Pedro.”

  “Thank you, sir.” He shook his head. “Sometimes I forget the words.”

  Ramon came around the desk and shook hands with the man, noticing his shoulders had relaxed and the fear was beginning to leave his face. “All my men need to be fluent. Try not to forget.”

  Turning him toward the door, he walked Pedro out into the outer room.

  While his back was turned, Ramon pulled the chrome plated pistol from the holster under his jacket. When it was pointed at the back of the man’s head, he called out, “One more thing, Pedro.”

  Pedro turned and Ramon saw understanding dawn just as he shot him in the face.

  Chapter 3

  “Time to go.”

  Lily woke up groggy. It felt like she’d been asleep for only a couple of minutes. Her eyes hurt, her brain was fuzzy, and her borrowed shirt had ridden up so that her panties were showing.

  Nice.

  Jesse had everything packed up in the magical-Marine-backpack-of-wonders and he stood over her holding her shoes and the canteen. She sat up and pulled her shirt back down to cover herself decently.

  “Take a quick drink because we have to move.”

  He never even acted like he noticed her half-naked state. It was confusing. Especially after the quick hot stare he’d given her before. Shrugging off useless speculation, she shoved her feet into the sandals, took a long drink and stood up. Instantly dizzy, she swayed and would have fallen if Jesse hadn’t reached out and grabbed her arms.

  “Oops.”

  “Take it easy. You got a couple hours sleep, but you could use a solid night of it.”

  “I’m okay now, the room just went spinny for a moment.”

  “Then follow me and watch your step. The other side of this tunnel is older and there’s loose shale.”

  Jesse went up to check out the area before calling her up and out into the night. The air was so much fresher out of the cave and it had cooled off significantly as night had fallen. Thousands of stars were out and it was profoundly quiet.

  Making sure to step where Jesse stepped, she avoided cactus in her toes. The moon cast shadows on the big saguaro cacti, making odd shapes on the desert floor. They were at an open clearing before she realized he’d stopped. She bumped into his backpack.

  “Sorry.”

  He looked back at her and grinned. “No worries.” He pointed at a large flat rock. “Sit there and relax, our ride is on the way.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I can hear it.”

  Even straining, she couldn’t hear anything. Just some crickets and what sounded like coyotes off in the distance. She shook her head. “I don’t hear a thing.”

  “You will.”

  It started off as an echo on the canyon walls, but then she heard it. A thump, thump sound that was unmistakable as helicopter blades. Jesse dug into his backpack and pulled out five flares. Lighting them one by one, he outli
ned the clearing, making a safe landing zone for whoever was coming for them.

  “I’ve never been in a helicopter before,” Lily said.

  “You’re about to fly with one of the best.”

  “Is this the friend that was going to take the contract to kill me?”

  “He’s a great guy, you’ll like him.” Jesse laughed.

  Lily rolled her eyes. She didn’t think so. What kind of a man killed people for money? Even if he ended up being on Jesse’s side, it still made for a shady character. And she was very familiar with shady characters.

  She crossed her arms and waited.

  The helicopter was sleek and black and churned up so much dust that she couldn’t see anything when it started to land. Jesse guided her to the chopper, picked her up and set her inside, buckled her in and slid headphones over her head. She had her eyes closed the entire time.

  When she could tell the doors were closed and they were lifting off, she finally looked around. Jesse was up front with the pilot, but he had his body half turned to look at her. Pointing to the headset, he pulled up his cord and showed her the on/off switch so she could hear and talk.

  “Can you hear me?” Jesse asked.

  She nodded and gave him a thumbs-up.

  “This is Damon Dupree. He’s our ride to the next stop.”

  “Glorious.”

  A low chuckle floated through her headphones. It was dark in the cockpit, the only lights coming from the instrument panel, so she couldn’t get a sense of who Damon was or what he looked like. His laugh was deep and oddly sexy. If a chuckle could have an accent, his did.

  But Jesse’s face she could still see. And his evil grin.

  “My, my. What would your mama say about such a shocking lack of manners?” Jesse asked.

  Lily crossed her arms and frowned. “She’d say I shouldn’t be taking rides from dangerous strangers in the first place. I don’t think she’d fault my manners in this instance.”