“Because, as much as I love you, you’re not bulletproof. You weren’t going to wave and make the bullets bounce off you. Because even as much as I believed you could survive anything, there was still a chance one of those guards could kill you, and it wasn’t a chance I was willing to take. I wanted to tell you that Agent Collins was undercover, but they made it a stipulation and even Hammer didn’t know about that part of the deal. They believed if Hammer was suspicious, it would make it more believable. The same went for Gavin. When he made no effort to conceal his distrust of Agent Collin’s, I continued the charade to keep both of them safe. I thought when Allerton had proof I was telling him the truth, he would let us go or show his true colors. I never imagined he would go off the deep end before I took the polygraph test.”
Unable to bear the weight of her head any longer, she laid her head down on Gavin’s shoulder.
Ginny heard a series of groans coming from the back of the plane.
“He had no intention of letting you take the polygraph,” Agent Collins explained as she watched him approach their seats.
Gavin braced his arm over her legs as the agent sat down in the seat next to Gavin and her.
“When I set the polygraph up the day before and asked for the questions, he put me off by saying his lawyer was still working on them and he would give me them today. When I went into his office, his men were waiting to jump me. I took the payoff from him as part of the setup with the FBI, but someone must have tipped him off that I was doubling crossing him.
"He told me he has lots of people in the FBI and the CIA,” Ginny said.
“I’m not surprised.” The agent shook his head, his expression one of remorse. “The polygraph machine I set up the day before was rigged to make your answers appear truthful, and we’d hidden a listening device within it. It could have been the tip-off, or Allerton could have discovered it, and why he decided to take me and my men out of the picture. Gavin made the better call when he tried to get you out of there. He acted the moment he knew something didn’t feel right.”
She wanted to look to see who was behind them but wasn’t willing to set the pain off again to satisfy her curiosity. “Are your men okay?”
The grave look on Agent Collins’ face spoke of the danger the men had been in. “Thanks to Flores, whose bungalow faces this side of the resort, we had devised a signal. Every half an hour, I was to stand in front of the window at the resort for him to see me through binoculars, so when I missed the signal time, he, Garcia, and Clark were prepared. They weren’t as easy to take down as I was. Flores told me they were hightailing it to the resort when they came across Gavin and The Last Riders.”
“Reaper and I were arguing over all of us going to the FBI’s bungalow while he went on ahead by himself.” Viper took over explaining what had transpired while she was in Allerton’s office. “I went with him while the others went to find the agents, but it was Reaper and I who came across them in their Moke.”
“Is that why all of you look beaten up? They mistook you for more guards?” Ginny thought that explained why the Last Riders’ odd uniforms were torn and why they looked as if they had gone through a war zone. If the agents mistook them for Allerton security, they were lucky to be alive.
“No. That was all Reaper.”
Seeing the heated glares sent pointedly toward Gavin, she snuggled back into him protectively. Just with that slight movement, Ginny had to rapidly blink back the dark spots that heralded she was about to pass out again from the pain. Shoving the ice pack onto her forehead, she was able to gather her equilibrium.
“Stay still.”
“I’m going to throw up.”
“Rider, see if there are any drinks aboard,” Gavin uttered, pulling her back down across his lap. He took the ice pack from her and pressed it more firmly against her forehead.
“I will. I know where they are.”
Ginny couldn’t place the voice and, at that point, she didn’t care, her concentration on keeping her stomach from heaving.
“See if there are any crackers.” Shaking out a barf bag that Agent Collins him, Gavin placed it under her chin.
“I hate being sick to my stomach,” Ginny complained.
“So you’ve told me.”
Taking the bag from him, she debated whacking him with it, she was so miserable.
With his hand free, Gavin began gently rubbing her belly. “I find it amusing that you took Allerton beating the hell out of you without making a sound, yet you’re complaining about a sick stomach as if it’s the end of the world.”
“No woman wants to barf in front of others.”
“Believe me; if you do, most of them won’t be watching. They’ll be joining in. They’re a bunch of pansies where puking is concerned.”
The thought of making The Last Riders reach for barf bags had her almost laughing. “You’re not helping,” Ginny berated him through swollen lips that couldn’t really smile.
“Perhaps these will.”
A Sprite and a package of crackers appeared in front of her. Ginny didn’t take the offering after seeing who was holding the items.
“Mr. Beck.” She’d seen him holding the door open for them when they left the resort, and while she wasn’t afraid of him, she wasn’t thrilled to see one of Allerton’s close friends either.
Gavin reached out to take the soda and crackers.
Squatting down next to the seat, Desmond made a wry face at her. “I can understand your hesitation. I’m not proud of myself that I was a business associate of a man capable of doing this to you. I do want to make one thing clear, however. I was not involved in the death of your friends or the villagers who lived on Clindale.”
“Desmond’s the one who gave us the information so we could get onto Clindale. He knew whose palms we had to grease for them to look the other way,” Viper offered the information from his seat. “He also helped get us into the resort.”
“I wondered how you all managed to get there.” Ginny took the opened can of Sprite away from Gavin to take a sip. “How much money are you talking about?”
“That’s not important.” Opening the crackers, Gavin tried to give her one.
Ginny stared Desmond down to get the answer she asked for.
“Nothing compared to how much it took to pay off Gabriel’s assistant; he’d agreed to fake Gabriel’s authorization for the plane to take off … with him on it.”
“Allerton is here?” Ginny tensed on Gavin’s lap.
“He’s handcuffed at the back of the plane,” Desmond confirmed, then tried to ease her trepidation. “Jackal and another man—I believe his name is Jonas—are watching him quite diligently. Although, I doubt he has the ability to move in the shape he’s in.”
Ginny couldn’t help the spurt of pity she felt knowing how much pain she was in.
Desmond’s keen gaze didn’t miss the flashing emotion in her expression. “You feel sorry for Gabriel after what he did to you?”
“That cane hurts,” she said simply.
“I feel certain Gabriel was aware of that fact. If not, he definitely knows now.” Desmond rose to his feet, intending to go back to his seat.