This Side of Heaven

down at her, his eyes filled with such lust that Cyn shuddered. He covered her breasts with his fat hands, squeezing painfully with his thick, pudgy fingers. Cyn squirmed, emitting hoarse groans beneath her tight gag.

'It's time for you to leave,' Ryker said, coming over to where Bedford still clutched at Cyn's breasts. 'If you're horny, go buy yourself a woman. As a matter of fact, I've given you enough money to buy yourself a harem.'

Bedford released Cyn and stood up, facing Ryker. 'Want her all to yourself, huh?'

Ryker nodded toward the open doorway, then he and Bedford went outside, closing the door behind them. Alone and uncertain, Cyn prayed. She asked for the strength to endure whatever might happen and requested, with her whole heart, that she be allowed to help Nate survive his battle with Ryker.

Please, dear Lord, watch over Nate, and, if he has a guardian angel, please send him to us now.

Suddenly Ryker burst through the door, an Uzi strapped across his chest. Cyn watched, spellbound, as he neared her. Unable to do anything except groan at his touch, Cyn had to endure the humiliation as he ripped open her blouse, ex­posing her lace-covered breasts.

Terrified, she closed her eyes against his nearness, against the sight of his smile. But she could not escape the shrill, menacing sound of his laughter.

'You and I, my lovely, will wait for the Conquistador.' He pulled a knife from a shoulder sheath and ran the sharp tip of the blade across Cyn's breasts, from nipple to nipple. 'I regret, for your sake, that I cannot kill you quickly, but I will not deprive myself of the pleasure I will derive from watching Nathan Hodges's face. Your lover will suffer the agonies of hell as he watches what I'm going to do to you.' * * *

Crouched atop the roof, Nate secured the rope to a wide, sturdy beam. Overhead, the night sky closed in around him as he dropped the other end of the rope into the gaping hole in the back storage room ceiling. He checked the sheath on his belt and the hidden one in his boot, then hoisted the M16 to his shoulder. Grasping the rope, he slid downward with silent ease.

His feet landed soundlessly onto the stone floor. Moon­light poured through the roof opening, illuminating the cluttered room. With sleek, superior, trained movements, Nate made his way to the closed wooden door that con­ nected the two storage areas. Like a jungle cat on a hunt for nourishment, he sought out the sound of Ryker's voice.

Nate grabbed the tarnished metal handle, gave the door a tiny push and waited for any hint of sound. Silence. He nudged the door again, a bit harder. With a minute squeak, it opened wider. Leaning back against the wall, Nate peered around the corner. A bright gas lantern lit the adjacent storage room. Ian Ryker stood, cowering over Cyn where she sat, tied to a wooden chair.

Nate knew he couldn't allow himself to think about how she looked, about what Ryker might have done to her. He had to keep a cool head if he were to have any chance of saving her.

Nate slipped his Fairbairn-Sykes dagger from its sheath, and pushed the door open, listening to the ominous creak­ing. Ryker jerked his head around, his one blue eye glaring at the doorway where Nate stood. Swinging his Uzi around, Ryker clutched the sinister weapon. Nate lifted his hand back, released the commando dagger, then jumped behind the safety of the thick coquina wall just as Ryker opened fire. Bullets riddled the wall.

Suddenly, with swift and deadly accuracy, Nate's dagger delved into Ryker's gut. Clutching his stomach with the stub of his left hand, he continued to spray the back wall with repeated shots. Finally, he slumped over, releasing the Uzi, and spreading his fingers into the blood dripping from his wound.

'Did you see her?' Ryker screamed as he fell to his knees in front of Cyn and grabbed her by the back of her head, twisting her hair around his hand. 'You should come out and take a good look. She has blood on her face. Her pretty little mouth is all swollen and her soft knees are badly scraped.'

Nate listened, his heart racing with outrage and torment. Wait. Wait, his instincts told him as he listened to Ryker's labored breathing.

Cyn wished that she could call out to Nate, to tell him that she was all right and not to let Ryker's taunts get to him. She glanced at the open doorway leading into the back storage room. How had Nate gotten in? she wondered, then re­membered the roof. When she heard Ryker's harsh groans, she looked down at him just in time to see him jerk the long dagger from his stomach. Blood oozed out, turning his white shirt crimson. He held the knife up toward the heav­ens in a gesture Cyn knew he considered triumphant.

'I have your dagger, Conquistador.' Ryker's voice held a hint of pain disguised beneath his victorious shout. 'Come on out and see how I intend to use it on your beau­tiful lover.'

Nate, his M16 on his shoulder, came through the door­way, putting himself in full view of the man sitting on the floor. Ryker held the dagger up to Cyn's chest, slicing through the sheer material of her bra. Red-hot fury seared Nate, branding every nerve within his body. Wild with the need to destroy the inhuman creature who was threatening his woman, Nate willed himself to stay in control.

Nate dragged his gaze away from Cyn's battered face, away from the look of sheer panic in her brown eyes. He studied Ryker, taking in every inch of the wounded man, noticing how profusely he was bleeding. At the rate he was losing blood, it was only a matter of time before he passed out. But Ian Ryker had the stamina of a battle- hardened soldier, and Nate knew he would fight to the bitter end. Given his strength of purpose, Ryker could well remain conscious long enough to kill Cyn.

'I'm going to take you and your woman with me,' Ry­ker said, running the dagger's bloody blade up Cyn's throat, staining her satiny skin with the scarlet liquid. 'I've got a chopper coming for us in a few minutes. They know you're here. They won't let me down.'

'Who's helping you?' Nate asked, hoping to keep Ry­ker talking, postponing any desperate action on his part.

'I'm going to let you watch while I enjoy myself with her. When I think you've suffered enough, I'm going to kill you slowly, Conquistador, and let her watch you die.' Ryker sucked in a deep breath, gasping for air, grunting with pain. 'Oh, she won't be so beautiful when I've finished with her, but some of Marquez's boys will probably enjoy her for a while.'

Nate stood perfectly still, never taking his eyes off Ry­ker. 'You can't get away. Do you think a chopper can land on the beach without drawing attention?'

Ryker grinned. 'You're too smart to have allowed any of Higdon's men to accompany you. You knew her life de­pended on your coming alone.'

'Let her go, Ryker. This fight is between you and me.'

'You didn't let Lian go. You and your bastard SEALs killed her.'

'She got caught in the crossfire,' Nate said, remember­ing that horrible day so long ago. 'The bullet that struck her could just as easily have been fired by her own people.'

'You killed my woman.' Ryker rubbed the tip of the dagger up and down, from Cyn's throat to her heart and back again. 'I'm going to kill yours...but not quickly. Slowly, after many, many days. The last thing you'll see is your own dagger slicing away at her soft flesh.'

Nate glanced at Cyn to gauge her reaction. He had never wanted anything more than to reassure her, comfort her, promise her that Ian Ryker would never live to carry through any of his diabolical threats. 'I have no intention of dying. Not to give you any kind of satisfaction and cer­tainly not to save her life.' Nate nodded toward Cyn, and prayed that she understood what he was trying to do and why.

Ryker looked at Nate skeptically. 'It won't work, my old enemy. You can't convince me that she means nothing to you.'

'Oh, she means something to me.' Nate took a quick look at her, his eyes pleading with her to forgive him. 'She's the best lay I ever had, but that's all. When has a woman ever meant more to me than a night's pleasure?'

Ryker let the dagger slip down the front of Cyn's body, the blade skimming over her bare stomach. 'I don't be­lieve you, but even if it's true, your sense of honor will de­mand that you try to save her.' He scooted closer to Cyn's chair, the nub on the end of his handless arm stroking his bleeding wound. Taking the dagger away from her soft, ex­posed flesh, he sliced through the ropes that bound her feet to the chair. 'My friends will be coming soon.' He pulled her hands up and over the back of the chair, then jerked her up, draping his arm around her and pressing the dagger against her side.

'I'm taking her outside,' Ryker said. 'The chopper should be landing on the beach soon. You can stay here, safe for the time being, or you can come with us, with me and your beautiful woman.'

Ryker hunched over in pain. His movements slow and unsteady, he ushered Cyn outside and toward the road.