The Unseen (4 page)

She’d looked so empty and unlike her usually lively self when he’d left her at the airport. If only he could somehow make it all right after the expedition ended. But he knew the likelihood of that happening was practically nil.
Would you talk to you if you were her?

Kent’s father had called after hearing a newscast about murdered tourists in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. When Kent explained he was about to abort the mission, his dad had proposed an outrageous plan. But it was better than anything Kent could conjure up.

A group of men who had served under his father in the First Cavalry Division in Vietnam would fly over and provide back up. His dad had offered to accompany the team, but Kent had urged him to stay behind, since his war injuries had left him with a prosthetic leg.

Despite the fact that the men were gray and balding, they were all in top physical condition. Some ran marathons or competed in Ironman triathlons to stay in top shape, while others were weight room maniacs. Sergeant Rich Cooke was built like an offensive lineman and could bench-press two hundred and fifty pounds. Kent imagined the man who’d scarred his cheek had paid a heavy price.

Phan Tich Chu, one of his fellow scientists on the trip, had connections with the local military, the Vietnamese People’s Army or VPA. The Vietnamese government, concerned about how the murders and the State Department warnings might affect tourism, had encouraged the effort. The retired American soldiers and a dozen VPA ground troops planned to take out the smugglers who had murdered three male tourists, wounded another man, and kidnapped Bunny.

After that happened, Kent could get back to studying Mountain River Cave, to prove without a doubt it was the largest in the world. He also wanted to take the time to find and study the mysterious cave wall drawings he’d recently heard about.

When Bunny had been kidnapped, she’d overheard the smugglers mention hieroglyphics depicting people with special powers. He hated to think the murderers might get control of something that would give them an advantage. But still—finding something in a cave that would turn people into Spiderman or Superman seemed highly unlikely.

And since Bunny had shown herself to be hysterical and irrational ninety-nine percent of the time, Kent wasn’t sure whether he could trust what she’d said anyway.

On the hunch that there could be something to her story, he’d consulted with expert archaeologist, Roberta Lawson, on the phone. Despite the scanty information they had on the drawings so far, she’d agreed to fly out to take a look. He felt confident Roberta could determine the age of the drawings and relieve any anxiety that the smugglers might find something in the cave that would give them superhuman powers.

Kent tossed back another shot of whiskey, not caring that he’d be hung over as hell the next morning. A rap on a nearby door interrupted his thoughts. “Oh, I’m sorry, I was looking for Kent,” said a familiar female voice. Startled, he knocked the almost empty bottle to the floor with an unsteady hand. He snatched it up and poured the few drops that hadn’t spilled between his lips.

A mixture of euphoria and dread washed over him. Feet padded down the carpeted hallway toward his door. He sat up straighter in his chair.
What am I going to say?
Kent’s mouth felt dry and his heart hammered in his chest when the knock came.

He wanted to see Rebecca more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life, but at the same time he wanted her flying over the South China Sea toward safety. He clamped his lips together, staggered toward the door and pulled it open.

Rebecca stood there in front of him, her green eyes wide, looking as curvy and sexy as ever.

“You really look like hell.” She raised her nose and wrinkled it. Her gaze shifted toward the empty bottle on the table behind him. “Did you drink that all yourself?”

His shoulders sagged and his gaze dropped to the floor. He hated her to see him looking like such a wreck. He hoped now she’d realize that letting her go had been horrible for him. He ached to burst out with how thrilled he was to see her, how seeing her brilliant green eyes and hearing her crisp, articulate voice brought his whole world back to life. Instead, he forced his gaze toward the floor, telling himself his priority had to be her safety, not getting her back. “Rebecca, what are you doing here?”

“I had to talk to you because I know you lied to me—about everything, including us. Maybe that’s why you’re drowning yourself in the bottle?” She crossed her arms over her chest, her jaw looking tight and determined and a little out of focus.

The distress in her voice made his gut lurch. He looked up to see tears streaming down Rebecca’s face. Acting manly and tough was no longer an option. “You’re right, it was. All a lie, I mean. And you’re right about the drinking. I was so miserable once you left, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I’m sorry.” His speech slurred and his body felt numb and heavy, like it belonged to someone else.

The room shifted on its axis and Rebecca’s emerald green eyes widened as he lost his center of gravity and fell forward. He reached for the wall, trying to steady himself. The last thing he remembered was hearing Rebecca’s distressed, “Oh, no.”

Kent awakened to a knock and Rebecca’s voice.

“Kent, it’s me.”

He clawed himself loose from the sheets. One nightmare after another had intruded on his drunken sleep. Nightmares where Rebecca shouted at him, walked away, said she’d never forgive him or disappeared by the time he awakened.

He leaped from the bed, stumbled to open the door and stared at Rebecca, rubbing his sleep crusted eyes.
My beautiful Bec.
“Sorry I was so incoherent earlier. Thanks for not leaving me on the floor.”

She angled her head and plucked at her chin, studying him more like a science project than a future husband. “You were a mess at the time—I couldn’t just leave you lying sprawled out on the floor. I mean I’ll have to say I was tempted after—”

“Wait, Bec, before you say anything else, there are some things I really need to say. First, I want to apologize for what happened.”

“You already did. Well, sort of.” Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m the one who came back. It wasn’t like you chased me down.”

“I know. But it wasn’t because I didn’t want to. It’s just that everything got so complicated. I hope somehow I can say this so it makes sense.”

Tears rushed to her eyes and she brusquely wiped them away with a sleeve.

Kent knew he was blowing it. He had to apologize for the lies and his insensitive behavior before the woman he loved turned her back on him for good.

Ever since she’d stepped into his world, his life had sharper edges around it. The urge to pull her into his arms made his hands tremble—every voluptuous inch of her body pulled him in like a magnetic field. But he couldn’t touch her—not now—not after the awful things he’d said.

He hoped she hadn’t closed herself off from him completely so she’d see the emotions warring inside of him—fear, guilt, love, and regret—because she’d always been able to read him. But he knew he couldn’t count on her reading him anymore and that he’d have to let her really see inside his heart. “I’m sorry, Bec. I never meant to hurt you like this. I lied to you. I pretended that our relationship didn’t matter to protect you.”

“Why couldn’t you have said all this before. Now—”

“Because I knew if I did, you’d stay. And you have to get out of here before it’s too late. I’m heading out in the morning with a group of Vietnam Veterans and local militia who know the area well—I’m telling you, the study area is going to turn into a war zone.”

She gazed at him with her enormous green eyes, her long lashes wet with tears. Instead of anger, he saw immeasurable suffering.
I caused that . . .
His chest felt so tight, he found it hard to draw in a breath.

“I know how serious this is, Kent. That’s why I want to be with you.”

“But why would you want to be there with me after—” He glanced away, unable to finish and sighed. He recalled how he’d made love to her that last time—fucked her, really—leaving her wanting and hiding his feelings behind a self-preserving mask.

As much as he wanted to pull her into his arms and bury his face in her soft, cascading hair, he didn’t feel worthy. “Why don’t you come in and sit down?”

Rebecca strode across the dull gray carpet and stood in the middle of the room, wringing her hands before reaching up to tug on a strand of dark hair that framed her face.

Her presence brought the dreary room to life. “Please, will you just relax and sit?”

She plopped down in a rickety rattan chair.

Kent took a tentative step toward her, worried she’d run off if he got too close too soon. “I’m sorry I treated you like shit. It was the worst twenty-four hours of my life.”

Rebecca covered her face with her hands and gripped locks of her long dark hair so tightly, her fingers paled. Her voice and body trembled when she spoke. “I don’t know if I can ever forgive you, Kent. No one’s ever made me feel as worthless as you made me feel last night. And having someone I thought loved me—when I loved you so much, look at me so coldly, like all we shared never happened—I can’t endure anything like that again.”

Kent stepped closer, his jaw clenched. Hearing her speak of their love in past tense physically hurt. He felt like a huge fist had grabbed his internal organs and twisted them into knots. “I can’t watch you suffer like this without trying to make it better. Please just take my hand.” He reached for her.

She released her grip on her hair and took his hand. He clasped it and pulled it toward his face. He closed his eyes, relishing the sensation of his beloved’s soft skin against his hand. “You won’t ever have to endure something like that again because I love you. And I want you in my life for as long as you’ll put up with my company.”

“You do?” Rebecca looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears. “But I thought—”

He covered her mouth with a finger. Her lips felt so plump and moist, he longed to trace their contours. “Yes, I love you and I want to be with you. More than anything.” He reached for her face, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. “Now please don’t cry. Let’s make plans to see each other when I get back to the States and then I’ll drive you to the airport.”

She shoved his hands away and angry lines creased her face. “No, Kent. Didn’t you hear what I said? I said I want to be with you. And you just said you want me in your life.”

Doesn’t she realize the terrible risk she’s taking?
“Please, baby, I do want you in my life more than anything, but I can’t have you in the middle of this.”

“Right. If you envision leaving me in some safe sanctuary for weeks or months while you go out and risk your life—it’s not going to happen. I won’t sit around waiting to hear someone tell me you’re dead.” Shards of silver glittered in her green eyes as they pleaded with him to see things from her perspective.

Kent rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb and drew her hand to his lips. Her fresh scent and the sensation of her soft skin tickled his nerve endings. “I love the idea of you traveling with me under normal circumstances, but not when we’ve got a military operation underway. This mission is likely to have a body count.”

She tugged on his hand, pulling him closer. “I don’t want you near all this violence either, but I can’t force you to walk away any more than you can force me to leave. I’m staying with you whether you want me here or not.”

He knelt in front of her chair and grasped her other hand. “Okay, fine. You stay.” He hoped he wasn’t in for more surprises. “But please tell me Amanda and Bunny aren’t here, too.”

She bit her lower lip and swung her gaze away. “I wish I could.”

Kent pushed himself to his feet and scratched his chin. “Oh, no. They are here, aren’t they?”

Rebecca nodded as a guilty blush stained her cheeks. “Once Amanda suspected Tom wasn’t really visiting his sick mother, she decided to stay. She cares about him a lot, plus the two of us tend to stick together in tough times. As for Bunny, she had no choice. Whether we’d chosen to or not, we’d all be here anyway because they cancelled the flight.”

Kent paced the room drumming a finger on the side of his cheek. “I can’t believe Bunny’s still here. I have no idea what I’m going to do with her.”

“I’m sure we can persuade her to stay here, but as for Amanda and I—we are in this with you guys for the long haul.” She stood and gripped his shoulders, then planted a kiss on his forehead.

He closed his eyes, relishing the sensation of her warm, sumptuous lips on his skin. He wanted more than anything to pull her into his arms, breathe in her scent, and make love to her. But the last time he’d been with her, he hadn’t made love to her, he’d detached himself and left her unsatisfied and feeling like a piece of meat.

Shame kept him from acting on instinct. Their passion for each other had often led to torn fabric and popped buttons—whatever it took to get naked skin meeting the fastest. When he made love to her this time, he wanted to be the best damn lover in the world to make up for what he had done. “Rebecca, I’m a lucky man to have you in my life. But this is insane. I really don’t think the Vietnamese army or our guys are going to accept you two taking this kind of risk.”

She skimmed her hand up his arm. “I understand. And I don’t think they’re likely to want you in the middle of it either. Why don’t you send the armed men in for the attack and then the four of us can fly over with Raymond once things settle down.”

Rebecca continued stroking his arm with her fingertips. Her gentle, yet magnetic touch made it hard to concentrate. “I’ll have to think about it. But Phan and David are still out there. And I’ve flown out an archaeologist to explore with us as well, just in case what Bunny said about the hieroglyphics has credence.”

Rebecca circled a finger around his biceps. “So, have Phan and David retreat to Camp One underground. At least they’d be well out of the line of fire three hundred feet under the ground.”