Dangerous Surrender (12 page)

He smiled. “I was wrong, and I’m sorry. It seems to happen a lot lately.”

The steady beating of his heart calmed my nerves. “You were wrong about the dinner, wrong about the consulate and wrong about me being safe alone. But you weren’t wrong about coming with me on this trip.”

He raised an eyebrow. “No? Even after everything that’s happened you don’t want to be back in New York?”

I thought of my safe little apartment and my sewing room at the theatre. Central Park, my favorite cafes and restaurants – everything I called home.

“I’d rather be with you right now. I’d always rather be with you,” I said softly.

His lips found mine an instant later. Our mouths burned as they met, if for only a moment.

“Let’s get you out of here.”

“Yeah. You don’t think I can get a refund on the room, do you?”

His chin tickled my forehead. “Not likely.”

Leaning out of his grasp, the red splotches splashed across his shirt caught my eye. “Did you get hit?”

Jack’s jaw tensed. “Best not to ask too many questions, love. I’ve found six men on the train so far but there could be more. Do you know the man who caught you?”

“Not his name,” I admitted.

He slid open the door and we glanced down the long hallways, stretching in both directions.

“When does the train arrive in Bangkok?” I asked.

“Around eight A.M.”

Glancing at my phone, I frowned. It was just after midnight as it was. Eight whole hours!

“And what if more men are waiting at the platform?”

Jack’s blue eyes sparkled when he glanced at me. “That’s likely, but we might be able to do something about it.”

He didn’t say another word on the matter as he pulled me out the door. Sneaking down the hall, goose bumps rose along my back and arms. All the compartments were already closed and locked, the dim lights flicking over our heads.
Why did I choose the overnight train?

“Do you have a cabin too?” I whispered.

He answered with a quick shake of his head. “No, just a second class sleeper. I wanted to keep an eye on you, but it looks like I didn’t do too great a job.”

When we got to the end of the car, Jack opened the door and peeked out. Then he motioned for me to follow him. We slipped through five or six cars until we came to one at the back of the train – one that was locked.

Instead of turning back, Jack pulled out a pick.

“What are you doing?” I hissed.

“This is the freight car, and I’ve got a hunch about what’s inside. Humor me, love.”

Wringing my hands, I glanced at the door to the last car and frowned as his words sunk in. “Wait. You think people are in there?”

“It makes sense. I’m sure they move their cargo down the river too, but think about how easy it is to put a freight box on a train. Less than twelve hours later they’ve made the drop and no one can do a damn thing about it.”

My heart slammed in my chest. “But what does that mean?”

He smiled sadly. “It means we’ll be saving some lives and stopping some bad men, Mattie. And I couldn’t have done it without you.”

The lock popped open before I responded. Huge wooden boxes loomed over us as we stepped inside the dark car. My stomach turned when I thought of what it would be like to be trapped in one, and my eyes fought to adjust to the shadows.

Jack pulled out his gun and swept around the room, checking every nook and cranny for a guard of some kind. No one was in the cabin but us.

“When did you think they used the trains?” I asked when he was done, hugging myself.

“I’ve figured for a while, but I never had the chance to check. I didn’t want them to get suspicious of me.”

I stared at him, my heart pounding in my chest as everything clicked into place. “And the river? Is that why we used it to travel? Did we go out of our way so you could see how they’re shipping people?”

He glanced at me as he slipped his gun back into the holster. “It wasn’t out of our way, but after that night I knew I couldn’t sit ideally by any longer. Getting you to safety and checking out a good lead weren’t mutually exclusive options – two birds with one stone as they say.”

I put my trembling hands on my hips. “But why didn’t you
tell me
that’s what we were doing?”

Jack sighed and tapped on one of the boxes. “Honestly, the less you know the better. I didn’t think you needed to know unless it was relevant to your well-being.”

“I’m here now! Do I
need
to know about this?”

He raised an eyebrow and yanked at a board on the side of a crate. “I couldn’t very well leave you tied up, could I?”

Narrowing my eyes, I frowned. “I untied myself, thank you very much. I’m not totally useless and—Oh for God’s sake. Use the crowbar!”

Jack glanced around the room. “What crowbar?”

I nudged it with my foot, and he scooped it up. “That crowbar.”

The typical heart-melting smile broke across his lips. “See? I need you, love. You see things I miss.”

“Well, you’re pretty amazing yourself. Let me help. We get crates of fabric this big all the time.”

We broke into half the crates in the room before we found what we looked for. Most were filled with cloth or food. The last crate we cracked yelped and sobbed as we pulled back the wooden boards. Inside, children and teen girls sat, their eyes wide with terror.

I’m not sure what Jack said to them, but the looks on their faces calmed.

I wiped my cheeks and grabbed his arm, my heart breaking. “What are we supposed to do with them? We can’t leave them here!”

A calloused finger caressed my cheek. “I know. I’m going to make the call and put this to an end, Mattie. Sit with them for a moment?”

I nodded and forced myself to smile at the girls – crying wouldn’t do any good. Gently, I reached inside and took some tiny hands in mine. Since I couldn’t comfort them with words I hoped the touch was enough.

A few crates away, Jack pulled out his phone and made a call. I hardly understood the lingo he used. Alpha this and Charlie that. But when he came back to me, he smiled broadly.

“We did it, love. We’re bringing these bastards down once and for all.”

Wrapping my arms around his slender waist, I pressed my cheek against his hard chest. “Good. Now what do we do with these girls?”

“We keep them safe until we get to Bangkok.”

I frowned at him. “How do we do that with a train full of those evil men on board?”

Jack’s eyes hardened, and he set his jaw. “I do my job, Mattie.”

His word sent shivers up my spine, and I nodded. No way I’d argue with that.

11

A quick check told us none of the other crates held more children. Good. Fifteen were already enough to deal with. Jack checked the last car on the train while I stayed with the girls. When he returned, after a shout and a bang, his eyes burned.

"It's clear," he growled.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.

Together we corralled the girls to the last car. It was another luggage car, but this one was filled with suitcases instead of crates.

"Will it be safe back here?" I asked as the children huddled on the floor.

Jack sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Safest place I can think, love. Now I'm going to guard the front entrance – you guard the back. Can you do that?"

"Guard with what? You have a gun!"

With a smile Jack handed me the crowbar. "One swift hit to the head or another sensitive appendage should do the trick," he said with a wink.

It didn't take much to figure out which sensitive appendage he meant. I took a deep breath and gripped the bar to my chest, walking to the back door. Settling on a suitcase, I waited. Only a few more hours and we'd be in Bangkok. We'd be safe. This whole mess would be over – at least I hoped so.

I kept one eye on the door and the other on the children. They cuddled into a pile and the younger ones slept. I couldn't blame them as I wiped sleep from my own eyes. The night before I tossed and turned. A good sleep eluded me for days and the weariness was finally catching up to me.

Suddenly, a bang sounded from the other side of the car.

"Jack!" I cried and squinted into the darkness.

Dammit. I couldn't see anything in the shadows.

A thwack – like a landing punch rang through the air.

Was he in trouble? Shit!

I gripped the crowbar tighter and glanced at my own door. If I left now the girls would be vulnerable. Those monsters might toss them off the train if they got the chance. Since they shot at us they definitely weren't above murder.

Deep breath. He's a professional. He can handle this.

A crash and rattle. Suitcases toppled down in the shadows and the girl’s screamed in fright.

Then the door handle turned. I bit my lip and ducked to the side. I needed to take that bastard by surprise.

I held my breath and waited. Slowly, a man holding a gun crept out of the doorway. My heart slammed my chest – but I couldn't hold off. If I waited more lives were in danger.

Swing, Mattie swing
. I heard my dad crying in my ear. Good thing I joined the softball team in high school!

With all my might I brought the crowbar down on the man's arm. It connected with a sick crunch, and an anguished cry split the air.

My stomach heaved, and I swung a second time, aiming lower. The man doubled over as I smashed the bar into his stomach.

One last hit.

Raising my arms above my head I slammed the bar on the man's upper back. He toppled to the floor in a still heap, and I poked him with the tip of my toe. Good. Knocked out cold. The crowbar slipped from my fingers and clattered onto the floor next to him.

Trembling and sick to my stomach, I sat down.

Please let us be over.

"Mattie? You all right?” Jack called as his footsteps neared.

A moment later a flashlight shone over the scene, and I looked into his eyes. Blood dripped down his cheek from a cut on the side of his head, but at least he wasn't shot.

"I think so. I'm just going to sit for a minute." Even my voice trembled.

Jack squatted next to me and took my hands in his. "Looks like you got him, love."

"Softball and self-defense classes. He's not dead is he?"

He felt the man's neck and shook his head. "Knocked out cold but alive. You did good – no, you did great."

How was I supposed to respond to a complement like that? Thankfully, I didn’t have to. He dragged the man's body out of our car and set it on the back of the train. In most instances I would've asked about medical help, but looking at those girls made my care for their kidnapper's safety diminish completely.

Jack settled on the floor next to me, and I leaned on his strong shoulder. His bicep pillowed my head and my eyes drifted shut – the weariness claiming me at last.

I woke to a commotion. The symphony of voices in both Thai and English talking just close enough to be a distraction. Looking around the bright sunlight shone on my face, the side of the train pulled open to reveal the platform. 

Jack stood next to a black woman and a blond man both wearing suits. They looked important. Maybe part of the same secret service he belonged to? When he caught my eye, he smiled.

Further down the platform, the group of girls danced and twirled, surrounded by concerned Thai women. A few held little cakes in their hands or bottles of water. At least they'd get the care they needed.

A group of police pulled away men in handcuffs, and the sense of satisfaction filled my heart. Good. That better be all of them.

Then Jack motioned for me to join him.

Climbing down from the train, I stretched and wiped my hands over my shirt. I knew I looked a mess after the night before, but there wasn’t much to be done about it.

"Hello, I'm Matilda Tucker," I said and held out my hand to the woman. How else was I supposed to introduce myself to potential spy?

"Good to meet you Miss Tucker. We heard you did good work here," she said, her Australian accent just as pronounced as Jack's.

The blond man nodded.

My cheeks flushed. If she was an Aussie just like Jack did that mean they didn’t work for the CIA? Jack was a spy for Australia?

“Thank you,” I mumbled

The woman went on. “I’m sure you realize everything that happened here is confidential. But for your trouble this last week our government is willing to finance the rest of your trip. Is that acceptable?”

Glancing between her and Jack, the words died in my throat. “Y—yes. That works,” I finally managed.

“Very well. Jack will take you to your hotel and brief you. He’ll also provide protection for the rest of the trip.” The woman’s full lips quirked. Did she know about our relationship?

Jack grinned. “Sounds good to me. Mattie?”

“Perfect. Where’s our hotel?”

His strong arm slipped around my shoulder, pulling me close as we walked away from the platform. “It’s a surprise.”

Thirty minutes later, we pulled up to the Four Seasons. The white building towered above us, surrounded by lush palm trees and jungle-like gardens. My happy life with Steven was supposed to begin there, but a completely different set of circumstances came my way instead – ones I preferred.

“You look like you could use a nice hot shower and some room service,” Jack whispered in my ear.

Rubbing the rough edge of his unshaven cheek, I smiled. “You could use a shave.”

“You don’t like the rugged look? Didn’t want me to grow a beard?”

I kissed his scratchy cheek and shook my head. “Please don’t.”

After checking in, he ushered me to our suite and opened the door.

Stepping inside, my breath caught in my throat. A glorious bouquet of tropical flowers in every color imaginable sat on the table next to a platter of fresh fruit piled with pineapple, lychee and things I didn’t even recognize. New luggage was on the floor and over it hung a rack of brand new clothes.

“What is all this?” I asked and turned to him.

“A thank you from the Australian government and a bit of a bribe to keep our secret. If you don’t want it--”