Page 25 of The Hijack

“I can call Jasmine again,” Clark suggested.

“Jasmine?” Linc asked.

“My handler,” Clark explained. It seemed like she too felt increasingly comfortable around the junior agent. In ordinary circumstances, I might have been concerned. But all my instincts were telling me that the kid was okay.

“Jasmine Perez?” Linc pressed.

“Yes,” Clark said, looking surprised.

“She’s Dark Sparrow,” Linc told us.

“No.” Clark shook her head. “She would have told me.”

“As I recall, you were hell bent on killing anyone involved with Dark Sparrow,” I reminded her.

“That was when I thought they killed my fiancé,” Clark defended herself.

“You also thought I killed your fiancé,” I said, just to tease her.

“Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t,” she snapped. “Because I don’t date people I’m trying to kill.”

I sighed. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that fire in your eyes.”

She blushed and turned away. It was true. Early on in our relationship, we’d been at each other’s throats. It was hard to believe that a few short weeks ago, we had been sworn enemies. I never would have imagined that she would become the only true ally I had against a world full of traitors.

“I don’t know what Jasmine did or didn’t tell you,” Linc continued, interjecting in a lull in the conversation, “but she’s Dark Sparrow same as me. Same as Lukas.”

Clark sighed, turning her back on the approaching island. “Do you think we can trust her?”

“Of course,” Linc said as if it wasn’t an issue.

Clark glanced at me, and I shrugged. While it was difficult to tease out Dark Sparrow’s real objective, they were the one organization that didn’t seem to be trying to kill us at the moment. That ought to count for something.

“I guess if you trust Lukas and Linc here, we can trust Jasmine.”

Clark nodded thoughtfully. I could see right through her and knew that whatever trust she was willing to spare was only temporary. She wasn’t going to let down her guard for anyone but me. I approved. It was nice to know that she would remain on her toes. That meant less work on my part if the shit hit the fan.

“Let’s unhook the boats,” I suggested.

“Do you want me to ride in on the other one?” Linc asked.

Both Clark and I turned to him with a pregnant gaze that said he was crazy to even ask the question. He understood and climbed back across the breach before reaching up to release the tether.

Taking control, Linc steered my boat away to a safe distance before falling into line with our craft. I followed Clark to the control room where she switched off the auto control. We coasted into the first dock we came to, one that was remote, without all the technological checks and balances of commercial ports.

A simple wooden deck ran out into the water, and there were already a few fishing rigs tied up. I hopped out, stretching my back momentarily before squatting to secure our ship. We needed to get as far away as we could as fast as possible. The boat Clark had commandeered was full of guns and possibly on some terrorist watchlist. I didn’t want our first night on dry land to be spent in a prison cell.

I thought we had come in unannounced, but there was a woman waiting for us on the pier. Clark recognized her immediately, hopping off the boat and into the stranger’s arms. The two women shared a brief hug before Clark pulled away.

I grinned. As long as I had known her, Clark had never been the hugging type. I wondered if I could claim responsibility for that particular mood change. Had I warmed her heart to the point where she was finally able to let others in?

But the reaction of the second woman left that consideration out of the question. She didn’t seem surprised to receive the hug. In fact, they looked like two sorority sisters reunited after a long absence.

Just as I was beginning to relax, Clark pulled away and punched the other woman in the arm.

“Ow!” the stranger cried.

“That’s for not telling me that you were Dark Sparrow,” Clark chastised.