To the Brink by Cindy Gerard Read Free Book Online Page A

haven't had one of these since I left home."
     
    He held the roll out to her. She popped a Life Saver into her mouth with an appreciative, "Umm. Wherever did you find them?"
     
    He didn't answer her for the longest time. He just watched her before finally saying, "If the look on your face is any indication of how you respond to pleasurable stimulation, I'm thinking I'll have to keep that my little secret. That way when you want something sweet, you'll have to come to me to get it."
     
    He truly should have been assigned to a tank division. "Has anyone ever suggested that subtlety's not your strong suit?"
     
    He pocketed the candy, all the while holding her gaze with an intensity that made her heart skip. Again. "I generally find subtlety a waste of time."
     
    When she could speak beyond the lump that had suddenly lodged in her throat, she reached deep for composure. "Speaking of time ... you don't believe in wasting any, do you?"
     
    "No, ma'am, I don't. Life's too short."
     
    Yes, she thought. This man would know about how short life could be. A warrior's wariness lay beneath all the heat in his eyes. He was a soldier. Not just any soldier. He was Special Forces. Elite of the elite. He knew about life and death. He experienced both every day.
     
    Oh yeah. The self-confident lieutenant was as close to danger as she had ever come. There was a certain excitement in knowing that. Knowing that someone like him would be this interested in the youngest daughter of Delmar and Mary Prescott from Cincinnati, Ohio, whose most exciting moment to date had been boarding the plane to Peru.
     
    Somewhere in the haze of all this excitement and riveting sensual awareness was the truth. She had reason to beware of this engaging alpha warrior whose intentions were as clear as the blue of his eyes. He could burn her. He could burn her quite badly if she wasn't careful.
     
    But as the night wore on and her defenses wore thin, the fear of stepping into the flames with Ethan Garrett gave way to the bigger fear of what she'd be missing if she stood outside the circle of his fire.
     
    Somewhere between the entree and desert, and despite Ambassador Hayden's warning look and what she suspected would be a monumental error in judgment, Darcy decided to take a huge leap of faith and a giant step closer to the brink of what just might be her ruination.
     
    "Just how much time do you plan on spending in Lima, Lieutenant Garrett?"
     
    She could see it in his eyes. His beautiful, expressive blue eyes. He knew he had her, he had to know, yet the only indication he gave was a subtle shifting of his body closer to hers. "How much time do I need?"
     
     
    Chapter 5
     
    JOLO   ISLAND,   PHILIPPINES
    PRESENT
     
    "Roger that." Ethan spoke quietly into his SAT phone as daylight of the second day broke down through the jungle like a strobe blaring through the overhead canopy of green on green. "Later, Bro."
     
    He disconnected, then let his head drop back against the white bark of a gnarled dapdap tree with a muttered, "Fuck."
     
    Dallas sat to Ethan's left at the base of the tree that dripped with brilliant red flowers. On his other side, Manny ripped open a power bar and said nothing. He knew from experience that when Ethan had something to say, he would say it.
     
    After several long moments, though, Dallas grew impatient. He broke a silence so tense it hummed like a trip wire strung between them. "So I take it Nolan didn't have all good news."
     
    Ethan inhaled deeply, let air out on a heavy breath. "No. Not all good news."
     
    They'd been on the move all night. It had been slow, treacherous tracking. An hour ago, they'd had a breakthrough. Manny had found a trail. It was several hours old, but it was the lead they'd needed. Provided it led them to the terrorists who had taken Darcy. Until they closed in and got a visual, that was still up for grabs.
     
    But Ethan knew. On a level that he couldn't begin to explain, he knew this was it. They