INVITING FIRE (A Sydney Rye Novel, #6) (11 page)

"Too bad the rest of them will try to kill me."

"If it's a fight to the death you know what to do."

"Kill them?"

"Survive, Sydney."

"Always."

Merl smiled and shook his head before returning his attention to the screen. He brought up the picture of another yacht. This one was a classic. The boat was almost entirely white. But there were mahogany rails and brass fittings, wood paneling on the top two decks. Two thick lines, one black and the other yellow, angled across the smoke stack, giving it the appearance of leaning forward. "You'll be staying on Lenox's boat," Merl said.

"Nice boat," I said.

"Yes," Merl said. "He has several nice boats."

I nodded, remembering the one I'd been aboard in Miami. Staffed by scantily clad sailors, it attracted a wealthy and fantasy-driven clientele. "He uses them for cruises," Merl explained. "You'll go undercover as a customer."

I laughed but didn't say anything. Merl pushed on. "Lenox's yacht,
Satisfaction
, will anchor in the next cove over from
Goldilocks
and then you'll use this.” Merl clicked and a very cool looking Jet Ski popped onto the screen. Painted almost entirely matte black with smooth lines and the look of speed. "It's electric," Merl said. "Almost totally silent and very fast."

"Awesome," I said.

Merl brought up another image of Juan Carlos's boat,
Goldilocks
. This shot was from the water. The yacht looked freaking tall. The hull was black and slick, shining in the sun. The upper decks and railings were silver. The windows looked like black bands, as if the boat was wearing a bandit's mask. Merl looked over at me. "What?" I asked.

"I think it might be better just to show you the plan than try to explain it."

"Okay."

Merl stood, his dogs rising with him. "Come on," he said.

M
erl held up two suction cups with straps hanging from them. He smiled. I raised my eyebrows looking at them. "How does Blue get up?" I asked frowning, not liking where this was going.

"Blue is not going with you."

I shook my head.

"Listen Sydney, you're becoming too dependent on him. You need to know that you can do this yourself."

"Too dependent on him? He," I pointed at Blue who sat next to me looking up with his mismatched eyes, "is what keeps me alive."

"No, Sydney, you are what keeps you alive. You need to realize that. Blue won't always be there."

"Only if you send me on mail deliveries without him," I said.

Merl cocked his head and then shook it slowly. "He is going to die, Sydney."

My jaw dropped open. "Shut up!" I yelled.

Merl sighed. "You need to realize that Blue will not always be there to help you, that—"

I cut him off, shaking my hand and stepping back. "I don't want to talk about this, Merl."

He laughed and I glared at him. "I know how hard it is to lose a partner, Sydney but reality check here. Blue is a dog and he will die before you. Or at least, I hope."

"Well, if you send me on this mission without him I'm a lot more likely to die."

"You're not even supposed to see anyone. Your only job is to drop the package."

I crossed my arms and glared at him. "We were just supposed to check out that bunker Merl, and the only reason I'm alive is because of Blue." Blue nudged my elbow and leaned his weight against my side. I reached out and laid my hand on his neck. Blue sighed against me.

"It's the only way up," Merl said. He retracted the suction cups. "Fine, I'll get someone else to do it." He turned to walk away.

"Wait," I said.

He turned back.

"What do I have to do?"

Merl walked over to the glass door he'd brought me out to. He reached out with the suction cup in his left hand and raised his arm above his head, keeping it bent at the elbow. Placing the cup against the glass he turned the handle counter clockwise and I heard a pop of suction as it attached to the glass. The strap hanging from it swayed slightly. Merl brought his knee up to about six inches below waist height and placed his left foot into the strap. Then he turned to me. "I'm not going to put my weight on this because the glass is not strong enough to hold my weight but I think you get the idea."

"That when I step into that strap the whole fucking door is going to shatter in on me?"

Merl laughed. "You think you're so big, don't you," he joked as he took his foot out of the strap. "Give it a try?" When I didn't move he added, "Don't worry, if you fall, I'll catch you."

"Jesus Christ," I muttered under my breath as I walked over to the glass door. "This is some amateur shit, Merl. Practicing on a door."

Merl stepped out of the way so that I could take hold of the suction cup already attached. "First release it," he said.

"I know that," I snapped.

He held up his palms, "Sorry, I didn't know you were a suction cup climbing expert."

I laughed. "And you are?"

"I've done it before."

"Yeah right," I said, reaching up my right arm to grasp the suction cup.

I turned the handle, releasing the suction and felt its weight in my arm. The thing was substantial. Good news because it needed to hold my weight, bad news because I was going to have to haul it up the side of a mega yacht. The handle was smooth hard plastic. The suction was rubber and fitted into a metal container. The suction mechanism was hidden inside.

"Don't overextend your arm," Merl said. "Keep your elbow bent."

I brought the suction cup down to a comfortable level and placed it against the glass. I felt the weight in my shoulders and upper back. Pressing it against the smooth surface I twisted the handle, locking the suction into place.

"Now put your foot in it," Merl said.

I raised my right leg, slipping it into the looped handle that dangled from the suction cup. The cord was black nylon. "Okay, now step up and place the second cup."

I shifted my weight, easing it onto the strap, half expecting it to snap, the glass to crackle and pop. I tightened my grip, feeling the pressure in the palm of my hand. The strap swayed slightly as I lifted myself. I could feel the cord through the thin souls of my sneakers. "Get ready to place the second cup," Merl said. "Use your breath."

I inhaled, and on the exhale, straightened my right leg, lifting myself up so that the first suction cup was now beneath my head, at about shoulder height. Reaching out to place the second cup I felt myself slipping. "Even your hips," Merl said as I began to swing. I pulled in my abs, holding myself steady with them and placed the second cup above my head.

"Too far over," Merl advised. I brought it closer to my body and pushed it against the glass. "Breathe," Merl reminded me. I inhaled as I turned the handle, listening for the suction sound that meant I wouldn't fall. When I heard it, I exhaled. Raising my left leg, I slipped my sneaker into the loop, feeling the cord across my arch. Inhaling, I removed my foot from the right strap letting that leg dangle as I turned the handle on the cup and released it from the glass.

I felt the weight of it in my bicep as I lifted it above my head. "Stay aware of your entire body, Sydney. You can't start to tense, you can't lose your balance. Never let go of your core, hold yourself at your center and the let your awareness radiate from there. Start every movement from your core."

"Shut up," I said on the exhale as I used my left leg to push me higher. I placed the suction cup above my head, but not too far out, almost even with my right shoulder. My left leg slightly bent, the right still loose I tightened my core and exhaled, twisting the suction cup onto the glass. It stuck and I slipped my right foot back into the cord so that my whole body was once again supported.

"Good," Merl said.

I was at the top of the door.

"Now we just have to get you used to doing it at height, and," he cleared his throat, "on something moving, with wind, et cetera."

"Et cetera?" I said looking over my shoulder at him.

He shrugged. "It's a ship, it's gonna have a lot going on that isn't present here."

"On this door?" I said with a grin. "Now, how do I get down?" I asked, looking at the short drop to the ground.

"Jump," Merl said.

I laughed.

Merl shrugged again.

"That's not the plan, the real plan, I mean..." I let my words trail off. He shrugged again. "Dude, seriously, you want me to jump off a yacht!?” I wasn't paying attention to my body in that moment and my right foot swung out. I gripped the suction cups as my legs dangled. Merl jumped forward and caught me under the knees. "I got it," I said, annoyed at myself for losing control.

"Let go," he said.

I frowned, releasing the handles. Merl stepped back with me in his arms and then lowered my feet to the ground.

"Come on," he said, nodding his head toward the jungle. "I've got something set up that I think will help."

"Fine," I said, following him down the path. "But if there is a giant yacht out there I'm going to wonder about how you're using our resources."

Merl laughed.

M
erl led me out to a tree I knew well. It was where I'd first trained in rappelling. There were metal holds up one side and we'd practiced rappelling down the other. It was how most of our zip-line trees were set up. But this one wasn't linked to another tree. There was just a platform at the top, a place to take a small rest before "jumping."

Merl had outfitted the climbing side with straps attached to some of the holds like the ones on the suction cups. "This will get you used to what the distance should be, train your muscles to balance on the straps." I nodded, looking up into the tree. The branches had been cleared on the sides where we climbed and rappelled, but it still had massive branches reaching out. Neighboring trees appeared to be trying to grab the empty space our shearing had left in the jungle, their limbs stretching for a little more sun.

Merl helped me into my harness, then tightened the straps on his own harness, getting ready to belay me. He would make sure I had enough rope to climb but not so much that I could fall and hurt myself. "Ready?" he asked.

Blue knew what was happening and pranced around me. I could tell he wished that he could climb. I grabbed the first handle and stepped into the rope. Merl gave me plenty of lead and I began. The wind was slight and I wished that it would pick up as I climbed. Quickly, I was sweating and my grip became less sure, my shoulders and forearms ached. "Use your legs more," Merl called up to me.

I glanced down. Blue looked up at me, his tail wagging wildly, a grin on his face. He barked, a high-pitched reassuring bark, and tapped his front feet in frustration that I was so far away. Merl yelled up, "Keep your eyes up, Sydney."

I returned to the task at hand but I'd messed up my balance, I had to use every ounce of strength in my arms to right myself. I kept going, up to where the branches grew thicker and fuller. Closer to the sun, more determined to reach the sky. As I hauled myself higher, my breath shallow now, a cicada began to hum near me, it’s song seeming to match the vibration in my muscles. My fingers grew slick with sweat, loosening my grip. Fuck, I need gloves, I thought, as my left hand lost its grip. The harness caught me and I felt Merl down below, could picture him leaning into my slight weight, feeling what I was doing. Knowing that I'd lost it.

I was too high up for him to yell. It was just me and buzzing bugs, screeching birds, and the trees that wouldn't let any space go unfilled. I wiped my hands on my shirt, resting for a moment against the harness. And then I reached out and started to climb again, determined to make it to the top.

My thigh muscles shook as I stood on the platform looking out over the treetops, feeling a cooling breeze dry the moisture coating my body. Sweat stains marked where the harness held me tight. It was uncomfortable and I pulled at the straps, not to loosen them but just to breathe for a moment. The sun was low on the western horizon casting a soft glow over the world, making everything rough seem smooth. I looked down at my hands, they shook, too. Walking over to the rappelling side of the tree I switched my lines, and grabbing onto the metal handle, carefully brought my feet over and rested my weight back into the harness. My legs were against the tree, and I kicked out letting the rope go, flying through the air, and then back to the tree. I kicked off again, feeling the rush of flight.

When I got to the bottom Merl was smiling. "How did it go?" he asked.

"I want to do it again," I said.

"Rest your muscles, Sydney," Merl said, stepping forward to help release me from the ropes.

"Trust me, Merl. I know what I did wrong."

"Looked down," he said with a small smile.

"That's part of it," I admitted.

"Wait," he said. "Tomorrow. Spend tonight imagining yourself going up smoothly, even and calm. Just put it in your mind."

"I have watch duty tomorrow early," I said.

"Right," he said as my harness dropped to the ground. I stepped out of it and we both reached down to pick it up, almost smashing heads. We both laughed and then Merl held his hands up and stepped back. I grabbed the harness and we started walking back toward the main compound. The sun was low now. Its bright orange rays slanted through the gaps in the jungle.

T
he dreams stayed away for two days. I practiced climbing, in rain, in wind, at night, and in every other way that Merl came up with. Then on the morning of the third day the dream came back. It was his laughter that woke me. Sweat coated my body and I'd felt vengeance in my grasp, pleasure ripping through me. I started up in my bed, thrashing around wildly, looking everywhere, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Ready for a fight.

Blue growled and jumped up. But there was no one there. My hair stuck to my cheeks, and I pushed it away from my face, rubbing at my eyes. Blue sniffed around the edge of the door and sat, looking out into the night, his ears perked forward, letting me know it was safe to sleep. He was watching. Nothing out there was going to get in here. I flopped back onto my pillows much more afraid of my own mind than anything in the jungle.