Closing the door, he took a deep breath to view the raging storm. Even while standing under the small eave, rain and hail smashed into his clothing, turning him instantly wet. He banished the sense of cold as he'd been trained, this mission being nothing compared to one in the Ukraine years ago. He'd nearly frozen off his ears there while trying to find a hidden computer control room.

He'd found the room and disabled the computers.

Even now, he could feel the cold, though.

Ducking his head, he dodged into the melee, brushing pine needles out of his hair. He wove through trees, sticking close to the river. The scent of smoke tickled his senses, and he followed the smell.

He found a cabin sending beacons of light out wide windows. Rustic but well built, the porch held a myriad of fishing equipment. Inside, boisterous laughter echoed. Tuning in his senses, the ones way beyond normal, Jory discerned three heartbeats, a mixture of rum, beer, and Jack Daniels, as well as the scent of two dogs.

Man camp.

One of the heartbeats skipped every once in a while. The guy should get that checked.

They'd have a cell phone or two, so there were a couple of options. Jory could ask for help or just take the phone with force, but remaining unseen was a better choice. Plus, he really didn't want to beat up a few older guys just having a vacation. So he'd be back when they'd pa.s.sed out.

From the smell of booze, it'd be a couple of hours.

He spotted two coolers off the side of the worn porch and slowly eased open the first one. Eureka. Cold cuts, cheese, and crackers. He could at least get some food into Piper while they waited for a chance to steal the phone.

Yeah, he was self-aware enough to know that he wanted to spend more time with her, and he knew this was his only chance. So he took it.

Grabbing the food and a couple of sodas, he fought through the storm to reach their borrowed cabin.

Ten yards away, he knew she wasn't there. The cabin lay too quiet in the storm. No breathing, no heartbeat, no sense of life.

Holy f.u.c.king d.a.m.n it.

He ran inside and tossed the food on the table. The woman was supposed to be a genius, and she'd gone out in the storm? A rare heat wound down his throat, and his fingers clenched. What if something happened to her?

Drawing deep, he centered himself in a crazy universe and opened his senses-the ones he never used. The ones he was afraid made him less than human, and more something else.

G.o.d knows what the scientists had done to him.

Her scent caught on the breeze, and like a bloodhound, he turned and tracked.

The wind fought him, throwing rain, hail, and even rocks at his face. Like an animal, he stayed low, weaving through trees and shrubs. A branch slashed across his jaw, and he paused. The trail split into two directions. One looked like it widened into almost a road, while the other narrowed into tall gra.s.s toward the river.

The obvious choice was the road.

So he turned toward the river. Piper was anything but obvious.

Mud coated his legs and tried to capture his feet in the cheap boots, but he plunged ahead. The rain chilled and dug deep, and he needed to reach Piper before she froze. She had to be struggling by now.

Movement up ahead narrowed his focus.

d.a.m.n woman.

She jogged alongside the swollen river, her head down, water beating her small body.

Admiration filtered through him to compete with the fury.

As she stumbled, anger won.

"G.o.dd.a.m.n it, Piper," he yelled, rushing toward her. If she wasn't careful, the woman would drown.

She whirled around, her eyes wide. "How the h.e.l.l?"

Now that would take much too long to explain. So he reached her in several strides, his fury rising.

Her red nose and watery eyes showed her struggle, as did the shivers wracking her tight little body. Mud covered her to her knees, and the rain had plastered her clothing to her.

Her very fit, very nicely curved body.

She held out both hands to ward him off. "Get the h.e.l.l away from me." Her voice barely carried through the storm, and the wind seemed almost gleeful at whipping the sound into nothingness.

He stepped into her and looked down. "Where exactly did you think you were going?" His voice had no problem beating the wind.

She pressed her hands to her hips. "I was following the river down."

Yeah, good plan. A river always led somewhere. She eyed him and then sighed.

A gust of wind hit them, and Piper stumbled.

Jory grabbed her to keep her from going over the bank, and she reacted instantly, shoving him and screaming.

He let go, hands up. G.o.d. He'd only wanted to- The ground gave away, and suddenly he was falling. s.h.i.t. He tucked his arms close while drawing up his legs, prepared to impact hard.

He hit a rock, and pain lanced through his hip. The river caught him, swinging him around. Instant cold shot up his legs. He levered up onto his chest and kicked against the water, trying to get out of the current, his fingers digging into loose rocks lining the bank.

"Jory!" Piper dropped onto her stomach at the remaining edge of land, looking down at him with wide eyes. She reached for him, scattering small rocks and chunks of mud down the embankment.

He waved her off. "Get back."

"No." Her face contorting, she grunted while trying to reach for him.

Contrary woman. She'd thought about tossing his a.s.s in the river, and now she was risking herself to save him? d.a.m.n but she was a true sweetheart, and she deserved a h.e.l.l of a lot better than she was getting from anybody. He grabbed the nearest rock while the river fought to drag him into the rushing current. "Get the h.e.l.l back," he yelled.

Her eyes widened, and she yanked her arm up.

Too late.

The entire bank erupted, sliding toward the river with a roar of sound. Mud and weeds sprayed in every direction. Lightning crackled above with glee.

Piper yelped, her arms windmilling, her legs kicking as the mudslide carried her down toward the river.

He ducked his head as the entire rolling disaster roared by him.

With a thickening splash, the ma.s.s. .h.i.t the rushing water.

CHAPTER.

10.

JORY REACHED FOR her, but Piper flew over his head to crash in the center of the river. Her loud yelp echoed as the river tried to sweep her way.

d.a.m.n it. He released his hold on the bank and shoved himself into the current, his arms stretched out to prevent his head from hitting rocks. The smell of dirt and pine filled his nose. Up ahead, the river bounced Piper along, careening her into a bunch of branches.

Her face paled to an alarming pallor, and she scrambled to grab hold of safety. The water smashed her into a b.u.mbling log, and she bent backward, going under.

Jory growled and kicked against a rock, propelling himself closer to her.

She came up sputtering, her hair matted against her face, her arms flailing.

The roar of the angry river destroyed any forest quietness. Jory reached her and grasped her biceps, tugging her into his body to keep her from the rocks. She fit into him so easily-so d.a.m.n small. The river increased in pace, barreling over a rush of rapids. A rock smashed into his thigh, and he bit back a grimace.

Piper clung to him, her face buried in his neck. He wrapped an arm around her, keeping her close, while trying to prevent them from hitting any of the jagged edges. Panic unfolded inside him, and he banished all emotion. One sharp stone sc.r.a.ped across his hand, and red colored the foam around them. Pain flared a second later.

Piper tried to turn and fight the water, and he tightened his hold. "Go limp, baby. Just once. Trust me," he murmured, his mouth nearly touching her ear. He couldn't fight both the woman and the river.

She stiffened and then slowly relaxed against him.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. On some level, she trusted him.

Determination filtered along his spine and through his muscles. He wouldn't allow the river to win.

A rock cut into his shoulder, spreading agony. Pain quickly became irrelevant, and his attention focused razor-sharp to protecting Piper. He kept her head above water, kicking off the bottom, trying to find a way out of the rapids. The river attacked them, sweeping them along, and a branch nailed him in the cheek. Pivoting around, he grappled for purchase, his hand sliding along the wood. Slivers pierced his skin.

With a growl, he wrapped his hand around the wood. The other end of the thick branch remained entrenched in mud and attached to the bank. Wood cracked, and he propelled closer to muddy land, dragging Piper while the water fought him. She'd wrapped her arms around his torso, and her thighs clasped his.

When the woman decided to trust, she did it completely, now didn't she? A totally inappropriate thought of her wrapped around him in another way flashed through his brain.

He shook his wet hair and inched toward the sh.o.r.e. Keeping Piper upstream, water pooled against her back, shoving her even closer into him.

She manacled herself to him, her back stiffening.

"We're almost there," he whispered, hitching them toward the bank. With a grunt, he swung her around and tossed her to safety.

She landed on her hands and knees in the mud. Water sprayed, and she began to crawl toward the bank. Thank G.o.d.

Jory's shoulders relaxed even as the river fought him. Rain splattered down, reducing visibility to a gray haze. He hauled himself along the branch while the river battled him with debris and roaring water. The sh.o.r.e was so close. Suddenly, the branch broke with a shattering crash.

He tumbled back, hitting his head on something sharp. Flashes of light sparked behind his eyes, and pain ripped through his brain. Nausea slammed hard into his gut.

On his back, he lifted his head, trying to stay free of the water as it pummeled him. His boots dug into the rocky sh.o.r.e, while the river tried to break him free.

"Jory!" Piper yelled. She turned in the mud and shoved herself toward him, hands outstretched. Cold fingers dug into his muddy sock, and she grunted while trying to pull him away from the river, her knees sliding in the mud.

His head went under, and water splashed up his nose. Shaking his head, trying to focus, he lifted up, coughing. What in the world was going on? He opened his eyes.

Piper had scrambled up his body, one hand clutching his chest while the other held on to the remaining portion of the branch, anchoring her somewhat to sh.o.r.e. She pulled at him, her neck stretching with the effort. "Come on."

Now she was trying to save him? The river beat against his face, and his temper finally roared. Enough of this c.r.a.p. He sat up, yanked his legs free, and then stood.

The water rushed against his legs, trying to knock him over.

Lowering his chin, he clamped what was left of the branch with one hand, grasped Piper by the arm with his free hand, and dragged them both out of the water through reeds to the bank. They both staggered as if on a three-week bender. The river bellowed, sounding angry to lose them. Sucking in air, he continued on and up the bank until reaching a shelter of swaying pine trees.

He glanced down and faced Piper. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head and wiped water off her face. Her clothes were plastered to her body, and she shivered. Even her lips had turned blue.

He took a quick inventory of his injuries. Headache, cuts and bruises, and maybe a sprained knee. Nothing he had to feel right now.

So he glanced around and calculated the distance to the cabin. Not bad. The river had turned suddenly, so much of their downstream jaunt had been perpendicular to the cabin. "Stay on my six." Turning, he began jogging through the brush, ignoring all pain.

For once, she didn't argue. And she kept up well enough that his body began to relax. While his head ached and his hip pounded, Piper seemed to be moving smoothly, thus showing no injuries.

Good. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to the s.p.u.n.ky computer guru on his watch.

Kidnapping somebody did carry responsibility, after all. The thought made him grin.

Thunder continued to bellow, and lightning lit the sky once in a while, reminding him they weren't out of danger yet. The smell of wild nature, pine, and mud filled his senses. A tree shrieked in the distance, no doubt being uprooted. What a storm.

Finally, they reached their temporary oasis.

Jory headed inside first for a cursory glance to make sure nothing had been disturbed. Piper straggled in behind him, weariness in every movement.

He quickly stoked the fire and then turned to survey her. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked quietly.

Sparks returned to her eyes, brighter than the ones he'd just created. "All right?" Both hands went to her wet hips. "Besides being kidnapped and plunged into an icy river? Yeah. I'm freakin' great."

He knew better than to apologize. "Thanks for trying to save me."

Pretty color rose into her face, and he watched, fascinated. She swallowed. "I couldn't just let you drown."

"You're a sweetheart, Piper." d.a.m.n but those were true words. His chest warmed, and he studied every inch of her, wanting to take the moment with him, the taste of her kiss still lingering on his lips. A part of her would always be with him, that much he knew. Her shivering was beginning to concern him, however. "Time to take off your clothes, darlin'."