Mercenary Trilogy - Willing Part 8

Reservations made, he put a call through to the hotel concierge, who agreed to take care of the delicate matter of having a box of condoms available in the nightstand drawer beside the bed.

Once his preparations for the night ahead were completed, he went into the kitchen and made a pitcher of brewed iced tea. He put it and a gla.s.s on a tray for Josie and took it to her.

She was lying on her stomach on her bed, her ankles crossed and up in the air.

He put the tray on the small table beside the bed. "Drink something."She looked up, her expression endearingly vague from reading her dad's most private thoughts. "Youmade me tea?"

She didn't have to sound so shocked.Daniel might not be the cook Wolf was, but that didn't mean he couldn't take care of his woman. "Ithought the caffeine might help. You didn't get all that much sleep even with your nap."

Her grin made his chest tighten. "Our exercise in the park did more for me than caffeine ever could.""I'm glad to hear that. I wouldn't want you falling asleep on me tonight.""That's not going to be a problem."He was still smiling when he dialed Hotwire's private line, but he got off the phone more determined than ever to cement his claim on Josie that night.

Hotwire had insisted on flying out to help with the investigation. Knowing it would be best for Josie if he

let his friend help, Daniel hadn't even tried to talk Hotwire out of coming, but he hadn't forgotten the factthat Josie had kept in touch with the other merc while keeping a wide berth around Daniel.The doorbell rang as he dialed Wolf and Lise's number. He disconnected and, figuring Josie was still engrossed in the journals, got up to answer it.

When he opened the door, there was a state policeman standing on the small porch, his expressionserious. "I'm Officer Ryan Johnson. Is Miss Josette McCall available please?"Daniel's gaze flicked to the patrol car parked on the curb, then back to the officer."What's this about?""I'll have to speak to Miss McCall, if you don't mind, sir."Daniel nodded. "I'll get her. Wait here."He closed the door, locked it and went to Josie's room."You've got a visitor, honey."She scrubbed at her cheeks and rolled over and came to her feet all in one graceful movement. "I do?"She must have been "not crying" again. He only hoped the tears were good ones, not grief."It's a state patrolman."Her pretty brow wrinkled. "I was expecting the Forest Service, but I hoped they'd take longer to find me than this. I suppose with Dad MIA, they want some answers."

"Don't give them any. There's no way they could know you were up there when the bombs went off,and you have no more idea where your dad is than they do."She nodded and squared her shoulders. "You're right."Josie followed Nitro to the door, glad she wasn't alone. She'd been trained to be a heck of a soldier, but she didn't lie worth beans.

He had to unlock the door before he opened it, and she looked at him askance. "You locked the officerout?""Of course. He's not exactly a long lost relative.""You're as paranoid as my dad." She said it jokingly, but Nitro tensed.He didn't say anything else, though, but pulled the door open, his body language anything but welcoming.

The state policeman waiting on her porch stood at attention, his face set in unreadable lines. "MissMcCall?""Yes. How can I help you, Officer?""Are you Josette McCall, daughter of Tyler McCall?"

"Yes."He moved into the cla.s.sic at-ease position, his feet eight inches apart, his hands clasped behind his back. "Miss McCall, we need some information if you have it."

Her stomach clenched in antic.i.p.ation of fielding a bunch of questions. "Yes?""Can you verify the whereabouts of your father last night?""Why?""There's no easy way to say this, Miss McCall, but there's been an accident.""Dad?" Josie could barely get the one word out."Apparently, he didn't make it, Miss McCall. I'm sorry."Josie sagged, and Nitro grabbed her, pulling her against him. Her father had survived an explosion to die in a car accident, an accident he wouldn't have been in if he'd stayed with her instead of disappearing.And she'd let him walk away, not even suspecting his intention to bolt.Bile rose in her throat, and she gagged it back down, her muscles painfully tight with tension."What happened?" Daniel asked.

Chapter 6.

"T here was an explosion at Mr. McCall's training camp. The subsequent fire destroyed the entire compound."

Nitro's hold on her tightened, and he spoke again. "No one else was hurt in the fire?""The school was on hiatus between sessions. McCall was supposedly staying there alone, but that wa.s.something we hoped Miss McCall could verify for us."

Josie finally found her voice. "But you said an accident.""Yes. We believe the explosion was accidental. Mr. McCall was known to have explosive materials on hand at all times. It was part of his teaching curriculum. The subsequent fire burned uncontrolled until an anonymous female trucker called it in on her CB radio."

They'd a.s.sumed she was a trucker. That made sense. She hadn't identified herself and had called it in on

the citizens band radio, which anywhere but Tillamook County, Oregon, would be operated almostexclusively by truckers."And you believe Dad died in the fire?""If you can verify he was at the compound last night, unfortunately I'd have to say yes, Miss McCall. No one could have survived in the fire that followed the explosion. Was your father staying at the compoundlast night?""Yes," she replied automatically.He nodded, his expression not changing. "I'm sorry."Nitro put his hand out to the patrolman. "Thank you for coming by. I'll take it from here."The patrolman shook the offered hand. "You'll be staying with her, Mr...?""Yes." Typically, Nitro didn't tell the officer his name. He and her dad really did have a lot in common."A shock like this can have unexpected side effects.""She won't be alone."

"I have a roommate," Josie offered.Taking in Daniel's proprietary hold on her, the officer nodded. "Can you be reached here if we have anyfurther news or questions for you?"

"Yes." She gave the officer her number, which he wrote down on a small pad he kept in his breastpocket."Again, I'm sorry about your father, ma'am."

She bit back the urge to tell him the truth. "Thank you."Nitro waited until the patrol car had pulled away from the curb before turning to her. "If your dad'senemies think he's dead, they won't be looking for him."

"You're right, but they're going to figure it out soon enough when they don't run across any bone

fragments in the ashes. And it feels funny letting them think he's dead when he's really MIA.""It would feel a lot less comfortable if it became a reality. The longer we can keep Tyler's circ.u.mstancesfrom whoever is trying to kill him, the better. We don't know how muddled his thinking or strong hissurvival instincts are at the moment."

"I don't know. I think Dad could be out of his mind and in a fever and still act on the need to survive. It's been the driving force of his life for years."

"You read the early diaries.""Yes." Her eyes burned with the same overwhelming sadness she'd felt in reading her dad's sporadicjournal entries. "He witnessed so much brutality."

"And he was determined neither you nor your mother would be at risk like the women and children he'd

seen hurt in Vietnam."

"Mom refused the combat training. They fought about it. He didn't want her to get pregnant. They fought about that, too."

"He wanted you, Josette.""I know. He just didn't want to bring a child into a world capable of the brutal cruelty he had witnessed."

"He changed his mind about being a father."

"But he did everything in his power to raise me not to be vulnerable. He protected me the only way hethought he could.""By training you to be a soldier.""Yes. Mom wouldn't let him really train me while she was alive.""He hated that.""It made him feel helpless, like he'd felt in Vietnam.""Yes.""They had a strong marriage.""Your dad may be paranoid, but he's not stupid.""No. And he loved my mom.""He loves you, too.""I always knew that, but my life makes a lot more sense now." Her dad hadn't trained her to be a soldier because he'd somehow seen her as less feminine than other girls, or because he'd secretly wanted a soninstead. He'd done it because he loved her more than his own comfort.

"You wanted me to read the journals. Thank you.""So did your dad. He told you to read them, remember. You were his priority, even more than findingout who tried to kill him."

She'd always known her dad loved her, but after reading the diaries, she realized she'd pretty much beenthe center of his world since the day her mom had died. She'd shared that spot with her mom beforethen.

"You were right about there not being a clue to who destroyed the compound." She bit her lip in thought,but the same reality she'd faced in her bedroom stared her in the face now. "Unless I'm missingsomething, I can't see any reason in those journals for someone to try to kill him."

"And burn down the school.""Maybe that was incidental.""I don't think so. Your dad could have been neutralized with a sniper bullet a lot easier and with less chance of discovery than setting the explosives and fire. Whoever did it wanted the compound destroyedas well.""Then I guess the next place to start looking is the computerized files.""After...""After what?""After you let me take you to heaven and then lay you gently back down on earth."

The words made her shiver from the tip of her head to her toes. They were incredibly beautiful as well as sensual. "You sure don't sound like a soldier right now."

"I was a Sioux before I was a soldier."

"You're Sioux?"

"Yes."

She reached out and touched his jaw with her fingertip. "You look like a warrior chief to me."

"I am not a chief."

"That's good because I'm not exactly an Indian princess."

"You are going to be my woman. That's all that matters."

"Will I?"

"What?""Be your woman?" She'd never considered the possibility he might feel possessive about her while hewas trying to rid himself of his obsession for her.

"Do you want to go from me to another man?" he demanded sounding really irritated by the possibility.

What a ridiculous idea. "No, but I didn't know if you saw making love as a one-off deal."

"An obsession is not satisfied in one encounter."

"How many will satisfy you?" And once he was satisfied, would it be over? Would he walk away from

her and go back to his solitary soldier ways?"I do not know. Do you need a number?""No." She'd rather not know D-day. It would only give her something concrete to dread, and she didn't want anything marring the time she had with him. No matter how short or long it might be. "I don't need anumber.""How soon can you be ready to go?""Where are we going?"He named a historic hotel downtown known for its romantic ambiance."Why are we going there?""I do not want there to be any distractions when we come together for the first time.""You want to go to a hotel to make love for the first time?""Yes.""But Claire-""You don't need the distraction of wondering if your roommate can hear the noises you make when I touch you."

She forgot what she was going to tell him about Claire for a second. "You think I'm going to makenoise?""Oh, yeah."She shivered deep inside again. "Enough noise that I'm going to be worried about Claire hearing in the other room?""Yes.""Good noise or bad noise?" The first time was supposed to hurt.He reached out and brushed his fingers across her lips, making them tingle. "Good."That sounded promising. She licked her lips, tasting his subtle presence on them."So, how soon can you be ready to go?" he asked again.Then she remembered what she was going to tell him about Claire. "We don't have to go anywhere.""Are you having second thoughts?""No. The thing is, Claire works nights at a nursing home twice a week. This is one of them. She probably won't even come home between cla.s.ses and going to work."He shrugged as if that information made no difference. "A woman's first time should be special."She felt her expression going all gooey, and she couldn't do a thing to hide it. "That's really sweet, Nitro.

"Daniel. I am not just another mercenary to you. After tonight, I will be your man." He sounded really

serious about this, and she finally caught on to the fact that what she called him was of major importanceto him."I can be ready to go in twenty minutes...Daniel."He smiled his approval at her, and she got all warm and happy inside. "After we make love, I will tell you my true name.""Your true name?""The one I was given by the Sioux.""Then will you expect me to call you that?" she asked, thinking maybe this whole name thing could be taken a little too far."My name to you is Daniel.""But you want me to know your true name." She was trying to understand and not getting very far."After we have shared our bodies, yes.""Do all the women you've made love to know your true name?"

"Only two other living people know it, and neither of them are women."

Well, that was something. Maybe being an obsession was more important than a casual bed partner.

Later, Josie's heart fluttered in her chest as Daniel unlocked the door to their hotel room. Facing armed

guerillas was not as intimidating as the unknown beyond that door.She'd known soldiering her whole life, but the man/woman thing, seems it was all a complete mystery toher. Other women had started heavy petting when she'd been busy learning how to build and dismantlecar bombs. The only o.r.g.a.s.ms she'd known had been of the self-made variety, and while they madepretty good battle tension relievers, they weren't anything to get excited about.

Not like the way she felt when Daniel kissed her.

Which was why she was here, ready to make love for the first time to a man who until that very morning,she'd been convinced didn't even like her.He'd acted as though he liked her in the park. He'd played with her, and she had a feeling their tussling had been as new an experience for him as it had been for her, but the desire they felt was not.He knew so much more about this than she did."My dad wouldn't have taken you on as a partner if you weren't a pretty good teacher, would he?"Daniel turned his head to look at her, his hand on the doork.n.o.b. "What?""Your method of teaching isn't tossing someone into a river and seeing if they learn to swim before they drown, is it?" Her voice was high-pitched, and her breathing had turned ragged at the edges.He winked, shocking her to her toenails. "Don't worry, Josette. I won't let you drown."She swallowed and tried to believe him. He pushed the heavy, ornate wooden door open and indicated she should go in first, but her legs refused to cooperate.His dark eyes narrowed. "Are you okay?""Yes, but I can't seem to get my feet to move.""You're nervous."What had been his first clue? The way she equated making love for the first time with death by drowning, or the deer-caught-in-the-headlights look she knew was in her eyes? "I shouldn't be. I'm not a child.""But you are innocent.""Only physically." She'd heard and seen things women married for forty years would never experience.He shook his head, his mouth twitching at the corners. "Your heart and your mind are very innocent still, no matter what you think you know.""Oh, really?""Yes."

That sparked another set of worries that kept her feet firmly glued to the floor outside their room. "Won't

you be bored making love to me, seeing as how I don't know anything?""Josette, I could spend the entire night just looking at you and not get bored." His tone wasn't rea.s.suringso much as bewildered.

Which was actually pretty comforting. Later, she would probably feel flattered and special, but right now, she just felt relief. At least something about this was new for him, too. "I take it you've never been that way with a woman?"

"No." And if the frown on his face meant anything, he didn't like it."It's a first for both of us." She couldn't help the satisfaction that laced her voice.He let out an impatient breath. "It's not going to be anything if we don't get out of the hall."She sighed and looked into the room. It was a suite. She could see the bedroom through the sumptuously decorated sitting room. It was like a room out of time, the colors and decor something from a bygone era.

"It's a pretty room," she said without moving."Not as pretty as the woman I'm bringing into it." Before she knew it, the decision was being taken fromher as he swept her up in his arms and carried her inside.

"This isn't our wedding night," she said breathlessly."I know that.""But you just carried me over the threshold.""It was the expedient thing to do."Perhaps, but she liked the sensations zinging through her body as a result of being held securely in his strong arms. She looped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the warmth of his chest. He

smelled so different than she did, but it was a good different. Masculine.Maybe she wasn't as lacking in the feminine department as she thought she was. At least she nowrealized she smelled like a woman, not a man. She should have caught on to that sooner, as much time a.s.she spent around male soldiers, but she couldn't ever remember actually smelling one before.

He carried her through the sitting room to the bedroom beyond, and her breath caught in her throat.