Page 84 of Her Wicked Hero

“Quit flirting and give her to me,” Zed rumbled.

“You’re alive!” Marcia wriggled out of Kane’s arms to throw herself at Zed. “You rescued me.”

Dex walked up. “I’d give you a hug, but I don’t want my arm chewed off.”

“What’s going on?” Marcia looked around in confusion.

“We’re not quite done. Dex and Hunter are going to pretend to deliver you to Jefferies. I’m going to take the rear,” Zed said as he cradled her in his arms.

“I’d go too,” Kane said. “But we’re worried about Jefferies recognizing SEALs from Virginia.”

Marcia gave Zed a pointed look.

“There’s no way I’m not going to be there with you,” Zed said. “I’ll take up the rear.”

Marcia nodded reluctantly. She didn’t want to do it. She just wanted it to be over.

“How long?” she asked.

“In just five more minutes, Querida, you’ll be able to call Brockman and it’ll be over. But if you need to stop, we’ll find another way,” he promised.

“No. Let’s just get it done.”

She saw Kane, Hunter and Dex all share a smile.

Zed gently transferred her to Hunter.

They walked the quarter mile in the dark to the boat.

“Jefferies is expecting us,” Hunter said to the man at the top of the gangplank who was holding an automatic rifle. The bald man looked at Marcia and nodded.

Two more guards were on deck, and there was Jefferies, gloating.

“Excellent,” he said as he saw Marcia. “Drop her,” he pointed to a spot in front of him. Hunter gently lowered her to the wood floor.

“Why do you need me?” Marcia asked. She made her voice quiver.

“Harold was closing in on me. He’ll back off to keep you alive.”

“He won’t give into blackmail, he’s too patriotic,” she jeered.

Jefferies laughed. “Ever since his wife died, you and his other daughters are his Achilles heel. He’ll give me whatever information I want to save you.”

She looked at this man who had once been a friend of Mr. B’s, and shivered. “You’re wrong. If you had one of his daughters, maybe.”

Jefferies got down on his haunches and stroked a finger down the bridge of her nose. “Marcia, you underestimate how important you are to Harold.”

Jefferies’ gaze jerked up, as Marcia heard movement behind her, sickening thuds.

“What?” Jefferies screamed. He yanked Marcia by the hair.

Not a chance in hell, not that again. She kicked, trying to get his junk, his knee, anything. She wasn’t going to be a hostage. She thrashed wildly, she didn’t want Jefferies to press a gun against her. She didn’t!

“Whoa there. Calm down.” Zed softly trapped her arms by her sides so she stopped thrashing. It took long moments for Marcia to realize her hair wasn’t being pulled anymore, that she didn’t have a gun shoved against her. She looked around and saw the three guards, unconscious, and Jefferies on the deck with Dex’s foot on his neck. Hunter was on his cell phone.

“How did you find me?”

“Kane and Hunter were following you,” Zed said.