Chapter Five

Tyson left her room and headed back to his own hotel. He’d always prided himself on being cool, calm, and collected. Five seconds around Ms. Jayde Porter, however, and he was a randy school boy. Not even the rain could douse the fire her kiss had ignited within him.

He took a shower, but when he came out of the steaming bathroom wearing nothing except his boxers, there was company in his room: the two men he’d seen in the restaurant and two more he recognized from surveillance photos his counterterrorism team had taken. They had him at a disadvantage, for three of them were holding guns on him.

“What do you want?” Tyson asked as he carefully moved to where his clothes were laid out.

“Why are you here?” The one without the gun asked.

“Vacation,” he said easily.

“Don’t lie. Go on, get dressed.”

“What do you want?” Tyson asked again.

“Answers. And we will get them. Get dressed.”

Torture. Slowly he put on his jeans and clean black tee shirt. He sat down on a chair to put on his boots. Damn, he’d really stepped into it this time. No SEAL Team Seventeen, The Megalodon Team for backup. No counterterrorism team for support. He was on his own. Or was he?

The image of a sweet, sexy woman named Jayde Porter came to his mind along with the words the san-goma he’d met once in a remote village in Botswana. The old man had given him a pair of rings—rings Tyson still had no idea where or how he’d acquired them for they were solid titanium. The old man had also said, “Keep them with you and the woman you are meant to be with will find you. The rings will save you and bind the two of you together for all eternity.” Tyson knew it was just an old myth; but still, the idea forming in his head had potential, especially combined with the vision of Jayde Porter.

Tyson had already been with Carrie so he hadn’t even shown them to her since he’d found her prior to receiving the rings. He’d kept them on a chain that he wore around his neck. The one time Carrie had asked about them, he’d shrugged it off telling her they were just silver bands. A SEAL thing. She’d bought it.

“Let’s go.” The gunmen gestured for him to precede them out of the room and down the hall. “No tricks.”

Tyson wouldn’t risk innocent people’s lives so he walked easily so not to give them a reason to get jumpy. They shoved him, none to gently, in the back of a rain-soaked Mercedes with darkened windows and drove.

After a while the car pulled into a police station. His captors roughly dragged him down a hall and some stairs to slam him into a wall before they shoved him into an interrogation room. At least that was what he believed it to be. Then all of them left him alone for two hours with nothing to do but sit uncomfortably chained and sweaty in the hot box. He knew there was a cut on his head from hitting the wall for he could feel the blood.

When the door finally opened, the only unarmed man from earlier entered. He had small black eyes, yel-lowed teeth, and a pock-marked face. “What are you doing here?”

Tyson barely blinked. “I told you already. I’m on vacation.”

“Why do you insist on lying to us? Do you know what jails are like here?”

“I’ve done nothing wrong.” Not yet anyway. And he did know what the jails were like here.

“We know who you are.”

“Good, then you know I am here on vacation.”

The man swore and walked out. Tyson swallowed slowly. It was obvious they wanted him to break from the thought of possibly going to a foreign prison. It was also apparent that the pock-faced man wanted to hit him.

After the man left, Tyson heard a motor start and knew that they turned up the heat even higher. He’d survived worse than this. He didn’t think they would resort to actual torture for a while at least; it seemed they wanted him to give in.

Another hour passed before that ugly man returned. “Do you really want to continue this? Just tell us what we want to know.”

“I am here on vacation,” the SEAL insisted.

The man slapped his hands down on the lone desk in the room. “No one with your history comes here alone.”

“I never said I was alone.” Tyson paused, hoping he wasn’t about to get Jayde in trouble; but for now, she seemed to be his only chance out of this. “I just said I was here on vacation.” He didn’t even acknowledge what they said about his history.

For the first time, the man looked panicked, as if maybe he had the wrong guy. But then he recovered. “Who are you here with?”

“My wife,” Tyson said.

“Our records don’t show you having a wife.”

“How is that my fault?” His gaze held the other man’s without fear.

“Who is she?”

“How do I know you won’t hurt her?” Tyson asked. Just so you know, I will kill you if you harm one hair on her head. He had to forcibly relax his body so he didn’t give himself away.

“We won’t. Tell us who she is.”

“I will go with you to see her. I won’t send you alone.” I’m not that stupid.

“Deal. Then when she says she isn’t your wife, you go to prison.” The man seemed positively gleeful.

Tyson nodded as they took him back outside where his hot body eagerly absorbed the cool rain that still fell. They put him back in the vehicle and headed to the hotel where Jayde was staying. Tyson hoped he was right to put his faith in her.

Tyson and three others left the car. On the fifth floor, they got out and Tyson led the way to door 5627 where one of the men knocked, as the others kept Tyson away from the opening. He hoped this wouldn’t be a mistake.

****

Jayde had just gotten out of the shower. The clock read five until one. She was exhausted, just wanting to climb into bed, but her mind wouldn’t slow down. As she wandered around the suite in the thick robe provided by the hotel, she heard a knock on her door. She froze with fear, then her body flushed hot as she realized it could be Tyson.

The knock came again. “Who is it?” she asked as she walked closer.

“Policía,” a grating voice said.

Police? Her black brows furrowed in thought. “Just a second.” She opened the door a crack, the chain still latched. “Is something wrong, sir?”

“Sí. Can you open the door, please?”

“Do you have some identification?” Jayde waited until he showed her a badge. “What is this about?”

“Please,” he said. “Open the door. It is about your husband.”

My husband? “Just a second.” She shut the door, took a deep breath, then removed the chain and swung the door open to admit three strangers and Tyson.

Tyson looked exhausted. He still looked wonderful, but he looked dog-tired. Then she noticed the blood that they had tried to wipe away. Her dark eyes narrowed. “What is going on here, officer?”

“It’s Capitán, Capitán Alvarez.”

“Fine,” she snapped. “What’s going on, Captain?”

“Hey, honey,” Tyson interjected wearily.

Jayde gave him a small, tense smile as she gripped her robe tighter about her body to try and conceal the trembling. “Captain?”

“This man,” he pointed to Tyson, “claims that you are married. We believe he is a spy. Do you have any-thing to say? And please, don’t worry, we can protect you. You do not need to fear for your life.”

Jayde couldn’t help it, she choked. “A spy?”

“Yes.”

“Can I ask why or how you came to that conclusion?” Her eyes narrowed as she witnessed the look of sick perversion on his face.

“His history.”

Jayde looked at Tyson, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her since he’d been shoved into the room. In his eyes she read the same thing she’d seen earlier, ‘I will protect you.’ So she did the only thing she knew she could do. Lie. “He is telling the truth. He is my husband.” She was proud that her words were delivered in a clear, strong voice.