Her heart squeezed at the notion that Carson was as in tune to her as she was to him. She'd longed for that connection and refused to lose it. They weren't dead yet, and damn it, she did intend to fight for her man. Whatever it took.
"Like I said, you haven't left me any choice but to kill you. But I'm more creative than that.... Pull over."
She peeked to orient herself and recognized the spot well—the small battlefield where they'd parked, talked. Made love. Water shooshed along the shore with none of its usual soothing tune. Why had Kevin chosen this location?
"Yeah, I followed you two here, and once I could tell you were nice and settled into the back of the truck for a romantic evening under stars, I headed over to your boat. Easy enough to file away at a couple of lines. Too bad you lived. But this time, my plan is foolproof. Brilliant in fact. Worthy of a guy on the fast track."
A rustle sounded from the back, like a paper bag.
"Just a little of this on the seat and even more in your system will explain why you drove the truck off the bridge while coming out to your favorite spot for a little romance."
A little of what?
The splash on her clothes hit an instant before the pungent fumes.
The unmistakable smell of alcohol.
The smell of alcohol saturated the air.
Soaked his senses.
Carson wiped his mind clear of everything but Avery 's face and watched for the right time to move. He couldn't let himself think of Nikki slumped and faking unconscious next to him. He definitely couldn't think of the lush harbor side park beyond his windshield. The secluded locale was too full of distracting memories of being with Nikki and how much they had to lose at the hands of this unbalanced megalomaniac.
Megalomaniac. Another five-dollar word to share with Nikki's student, and by God, Carson intended to live long enough to do just that.
His 9mm shifting to kiss Nikki's temple again, Avery passed the bottle of tequila toward Carson, glass glinting in the hazy glow from the dash. "Take it. I even left the worm in the bottle for ya, Major."
Carson closed his fingers around the glass neck, all the while envisioning it was Avery's scrawny throat. Not at all tempted to do anything more than snap it in two and let the amber poison pour away. But he couldn't do that, not yet when he needed to play along for a while more. "Your plan doesn't sound foolproof to me. In fact I can already see a dozen holes."
Talk, you bastard. That would offer up more time to think.
Avery reached behind him again—Carson tensed—and came back with a big buckle belt, which he dropped on the seat. "Owens's. I'm so damn smart I saved this as a contingency in case I needed to set up someone else for the murder." The leather belt thudded to rest beside Nikki. "You never did have faith in my intelligence or ability to lead."
Good God, the kid was a second lieutenant, not the boss. "Then how about you explain your genius to a slower dude like me."
"It's quite simple actually. I'll knock you both out, drive the truck off the bridge and swim away while you drown. The bumps on your head will be attributed to the accident, another tragic DUI."
Well hell, the plan actually sounded as if it could work. His fist clenched tighter around the bottle as he fought off the possibility of losing this battle, ironically fought on a small, nearly forgotten historic field. The whispers of past wars rode the tide's ebb and flow. "Lieutenant—"
"Don't try ordering me around. Not now." Avery grasped a fistful of Nikki's hair and yanked.
She yelped.
Awake.
Damn, he'd thought she might be, but prayed she could simply sleep through this hell.
She blinked, not in the least groggy, apparently having listened to the whole exchange. "Carson, don't do it."
Avery tugged her hair tighter until the skin around her eyes pulled taut. "It's just a drink to save Nikki some pain and ease your own."
"He's going to kill us no matter what." Nikki's unwavering voice held a calm he wouldn't have expected from even a seasoned vet. "You don't have to do this for me."
He understood well what was going on here. There was no reasoning with this monster, only fighting to the death. Being captive had been bad enough with his crew, but seeing Nikki die and being unable to save her was beyond anything he could bear.
And even in the middle of the lowest point in his life, the heavy bottle in his hand didn't tempt him in the least. His mind was clear and focused on what mattered most. Nikki.
"I can make it painless for her. I really don't want to do this, but I can't sacrifice my whole future." Avery stared him in the eye without once shifting his weapon from Nikki, but Carson was ready to spring the second the man flinched. "Here's the deal. I'll knock you both out so she can drown while she's asleep. Simple. You just have to go along with my plan. But I can also beat the crap out of her and everyone will assume the injuries came from the wreck. What does it matter if you drink now? You're going to die. You might as well check out with one last taste on your tongue. You don't have to fight it anymore."