In Rides Trouble (Black Knights Inc. #2)(7)
“Ah,” Eve murmured, once more propping her chin on her raised knees, folding her arms around her legs like she was trying to make herself as small as possible. Like maybe she was trying to disappear completely.
Becky glanced at her sharply. “You don’t believe me?”
“It’s not that,” Eve soothed, looping a comforting arm around her shoulders.
“You don’t believe me,” Becky laughed incredulously, slapping her knee and dislodging Eve’s arm in the process.
It was just as well. Neither of them had showered in nearly a week, which meant neither of them was particularly daisy-fresh. What she wouldn’t give for a new bar of Dove soap and a smooth stick of deodorant. And while she was wishing for things she couldn’t have, she’d take a big, fat burger from Bull and Bear restaurant and a double side of onion rings.
If she never saw another fish for the rest of her life, it would be too soon.
“Well, you must agree it’s a bit far-fetched,” Eve replied. “If there really were surveillance drones taking our picture, don’t you think the little man in charge would know about it and deny you the ability to write your messages?”
“His name is Ghedi, and he can’t read,” Becky explained. “I convinced him I’m taking notes for the novel I’ll write once our families pay for our freedom. He’s very excited to be in an American book. I told him I’d call his character One-Eyed Willie.” She wiggled her eyebrows, grinning.
Eve stared at her blankly, and Becky could only laugh at her friend’s shocking lack of knowledge when it came to pop culture. “Look, Ghedi hasn’t a clue we’re being watched. The poor guy probably doesn’t even know such technology exists.”
“Ah yes, well…” Eve let the sentence dangle, and Becky decided it was time to give Eve the truth. The woman was going to find out anyway when the boys of Black Knights Inc. came racing to their rescue. And they would come racing to their rescue. Of that she was 100 percent certain.
“What if I told you the mechanics,” she made the quote signs with her fingers, “working in my chopper shop are more than they seem?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if I told you they’re covert government defense contractors who are on their way to save us right this very minute?”
Eve blinked rapidly, shaking her head. “Are you trying to tell me your brother and all those other no-neck, tattoo-covered, leather-clad bikers you employ and run around with are really spies?”
Becky lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes.”
Eve took a deep breath, rolling in her lips as she placed a hand on Becky’s shoulder. “Becky, I really think you should get out of the sun and—”
The sound of an outboard engine stopped her. Both of them scrambled to their feet and raced toward the railing.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Eve choked on a sob when they spotted a motorboat bobbing in the distance. “We’re rescued.”
Chapter Two
“I have good news and bad news,” Commander Patterson said as he marched to the middle of the briefing room.
“Let’s have the bad news first, then,” Frank grumbled as he searched the commander’s curiously brown-gray eyes, looking for…he didn’t know. A spark of honor, maybe? The shining light of integrity? Something to let him know Patterson was a man capable of keeping a secret, because Patterson, along with Captain Ernesto Garcia, knew the truth about Frank, Bill, and Angel.
And, damnit, that just chapped Frank’s ass.
Although he took some comfort in the fact that they were the only two aboard the USS Patton privy to the truth. The rest of the Patton’s crew suffered under the impression that Frank and his men were a trio of K&R—kidnap and ransom—specialists who’d been hired by Eve’s ultra-wealthy family to try to negotiate the safe return of the women.
“Last surveillance photos indicate your ladies and their, uh, escorts, have been joined by a third party and have changed course,” Patterson reported. “They’re heading straight for a British oil tanker, the BP Hamilton. The Hamilton apparently had catastrophic engine failure two days ago. Twenty-four hours ago, her radio became in-op. Reports show she’s still got power, her generators are working, but that’s about it. She’s basically a dead stick. And though various military vessels are scrambling to assist, it appears the ladies and pirates will get there first. In fact,” the commander glanced down at his watch, “given the time delay on the intelligence reports, they’re probably already there.”
Great. So now Becky wasn’t only being held by pirates, she’d been conscripted into piracy herself.
Frank didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Since he figured neither was really appropriate, he simply asked, “And the good news?”
“Their course change means we’ll intercept them within six hours.”
“Now that is good news.” Because the sooner he got Becky to safety, the sooner he could wring her obstinate little neck for putting him and the rest of the Knights in the position of breaking their covers, and the sooner he could paddle her stubborn little ass for putting them through this emotional hell. Because she wasn’t just Bill’s little sister, she was like a kid sister to all of them…well, not him necessarily. He only wished his feelings toward her were brotherly. It would make things so much easier.