Carol Ericson - Bulletproof Seal

“The CIA didn’t kill David. They thought you had a hand in his death.”

“I know, but they were wrong. The North Koreans killed David and captured me. I had already been their...guest for several days before you spotted me marching along.”

“They killed David and were sending you to a labor camp.” Quinn bumped his manacled hands against his forehead. “If I had been faster, had taken out the soldier holding you first, you might’ve had a chance.”

“I had no chance, not there. I figured I was a dead woman when I went for the soldier’s gun anyway. The area was crawling with North Koreans. You saw that after you took your shot.” She dragged her fingernail down the bottle’s damp label, ripping a line through it. “I-I thought the person out there was trying to save me and I didn’t even know it was you—not until later. And then I found out it was you and you were trying to assassinate me.”

He clanged the bracelets against the radiator. “Not when I killed that soldier. I’d changed my mind already. I was trying to help you, Rikki, but I failed, and I’ve been punishing myself ever since.”

Her gaze swept over his unkempt apartment, his tousled hair, the stubble on his face. “Maybe the navy punished you for failing in your duty, for failing to take out the rogue CIA operative.”

“They didn’t. They figured you were dead and one way or the other, I was the cause of your death.” Closing his eyes, he lowered his backside to the floor and drew his knees to his chest. “I’d figured the same thing.”

“That’s why neither the CIA nor the navy can know I’m still alive.” She pinged her fingernail against the bottle. “Not until I can sort all of this out.”

“How did you escape from the labor camp?”

“The kindness of strangers.”

“The kindness of strangers and a will to survive. I know you, too, Rikki.”

“I had a lot to live for.”

“Because you got information on Vlad?”

“Yeah, Vlad.” Her eyelashes fluttered. “And now I’m going to bring him down and clear my name.”

“I’ll help you.”

She chugged some beer, eyeing him over the bottle. “How do I know I can trust you? How do I know you’re not going to run back to your commanding officers and tell them I’m still alive?”

Quinn lifted his hands. “Do you really think I couldn’t get out of these if I wanted?”

She sputtered and slammed her bottle on the counter. “Try it.”

“I don’t want to.” He hunched his shoulders. “That’s the point. I want you to feel secure. I’m no threat to you, Rikki. I wanna help you.”

Someone banged on the front door, and Rikki jumped from the stool, grabbing her weapon. “Who’d you call?”

“Nobody.”

“Quinn? Quinn, buddy? You alive in there?”

Rikki took three steps toward the radiator, raising her brows and her gun in his direction.

Quinn whispered, “It’s just a friend, an acquaintance from the bar.”

Leaning over him, Rikki pushed open the window. As she clambered onto the sill above him, she said over her shoulder, “Get rid of him.”

“You’re crazy.” Quinn tried to grab her ankle with his manacled hand, but she slipped out the window and onto the ledge outside the building.

“Quinn? I know you’re in there, buddy. You left your hat at the bar.”

A knock followed his words, and a woman’s voice came through the door. “C’mon, sugar. Open up, and we can continue the party.”

His hat. Damn it. He didn’t care about the hat.

Alice’s singsong voice continued. “Little pig, little pig, let me in, or I’ll huff and puff and blow.”

The doorknob rattled, and Quinn’s stomach sank when the door started to ease open. He’d forgotten to lock it. He rose from the floor and stuck his head out the window. “Rikki. Give me those keys.”

In response, she slid the window half-closed and left him to his fate.

Chapter Three

Rikki heard the door bang open all the way, and the woman with the Southern accent let out a whoop.

“Whatcha doin’ there, sugar?”

The man, who seemed a bit more sober, said, “This isn’t a burglary or anything, is it?”

Quinn rattled the handcuffs. “Just a little...fun that got out of hand.”

The man swore and chuckled. “Is the little lady still here?”

Rikki held her breath as she pressed the palms of her hands against the rough siding of Quinn’s apartment building.

“Long gone. Can I get some help here, Elvin?”

“I don’t know about that, sugar. I like what I’m seein’.”

Rikki didn’t blame Ms. Southern Belle. She’d liked what she’d seen of Quinn, too. His slide into despair over her supposed death couldn’t have been that dire, given the condition of his hard body. Hard all over. Hard for her.

Elvin grunted. “Alice, if you think I’m going to hang around while you torture Quinn here, you’ve been drinkin’ too many Hurricanes.”

“Who said anything about torture, and who said anything about you hanging around?” Alice must’ve walked toward Quinn, as her words carried right out the gap in the window.

Rikki shuffled a few steps on the ledge to the left.

“I finally got Quinn right where I want him, as soon as he loses that underwear.”

Quinn cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, I think I’ve had enough fun and games for the night. Thanks anyway, Alice.”

Elvin interrupted Alice’s foreplay. “Do you have the keys, man?”

Rikki traced the outline of the cuff keys in her front pocket. At least Elvin seemed to be in a hurry to get out of there. A nearly naked man in handcuffs would probably give this good ol’ boy nightmares.

The handcuffs jangled against the radiator. “She took the keys. Must’ve thought it was pretty funny.”

“You want me to call a locksmith or something? Go home and get my saw?”

“God, no.”

Quinn practically shouted, and Rikki couldn’t help the smile that curved her lips. Served him right for leaving her for dead in the DMZ.

“Grab a paper clip from the drawer by the dishwasher. There should be a bunch of loose ones in there. That’ll do it.”

Rikki heard heavy footsteps and then heavy breathing near the open window.

Alice asked in a low, hoarse voice, “You sure you don’t wanna give me a whirl, sugar? I know I could do you better than the girl who left you here.”

“No offense, Alice, but I’m not sure you could. She wore me out.”

Rikki clapped a hand over the laugh bubbling on her lips and teetered forward.

Finally, Elvin came to the rescue. “Will this work?”

“That’ll do it. Right there.”

A scrape and a click later and Quinn said, “That’s better. Thanks, man, and thanks for picking up my hat. I could’ve lived without it.”

“We’ll get out of here. Maybe that little firebrand will return.”

Quinn raised his voice. “I hope so.”

“Can we at least take the pizza?”

Quinn answered, “Go for it, Alice. I’ll see you guys around.”

“Maybe another time, sugar, when you’re not so...tired.”

Quinn mumbled something incoherent, and Rikki closed her eyes and took a deep breath, thankful she didn’t have to listen to some other woman having her way with a naked and chained-up Quinn.

The front door shut, and Rikki’s eyelids flew open. Now Quinn was free, probably armed and most likely pissed off.

The window beside her slid open the rest of the way, and Quinn stuck his head out. “Are you okay out here? God, I had visions of you tumbling off my building.”

Rikki tossed her head. “It’s a wide ledge and it’s so humid out here, I’m practically stuck to the side of the apartment.”

“Come here.” He stretched out his arms. “And for God’s sake, be careful.”