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  But she wasn’t going to have a chance to do that. Because of her own fears and weaknesses, she’d pushed Joe away. She’d given up the few moments of happiness she could have had with him. She’d given up a lingering kiss goodbye. She’d given up a phone call that could have been filled with whispered “I love you’s” instead of stilted apologies and chilly regrets.

  How ironic that she was the one who was going to die a violent and horrible death.

  Four minutes past six.

  “What could be taking them so long?” Diosdado mused. He smiled at Veronica. “I’m so sorry, dear. I know you must be anxious to get this over with. I’d do it myself, but when Prince Tedric comes in, we’re going to play a little game. Do you want to know the rules?”

  Veronica looked into the eyes of the man who was going to kill her. “Why do you do this?” she asked.

  “Because I can.” The eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re not afraid, are you?” he asked.

  She was terrified. But she was damned if she was going to let him know that. She replied, “I’m saddened. There’s a man that I love, and he’s never going to know just how much I really do love him.”

  Diosdado laughed. “Isn’t that tragic,” he said. “You’re just as pathetic as the rest of them. And to think, for a moment I was actually considering sparing you.”

  Five minutes past six.

  He’d never had any intention of sparing her. It was just another of his head games. Veronica didn’t allow any expression to cross her face.

  “You didn’t let me tell you about this game we’re going to play,” the terrorist continued. “It’s called ‘Who’s the Killer?’ When Prince Tedric comes in, I’ll put a gun on the table over here.” He patted the tabletop. “And then, with my gun on him, I’ll order him to pick up that gun and fire a bullet into your head.” He laughed. “Do you think he’ll do it?”

  “You aren’t afraid he’ll turn and use the gun on you?”

  “Prince Tedric?” Diosdado blew out a burst of disparaging air. “No. The man has no…backbone.” He shook his head. “No, it will be your brains on these nice windows, not mine.”

  The door was pushed tentatively open, and Prince Tedric came onto the bridge. He was still wearing his cowboy hat, pulled low over his face. But his jacket was unbuttoned. That was odd—surely a sign of his despondency. Veronica had never seen him look anything but fastidious.

  “Your Royalness,” Diosdado said. He swooped low in a mocking bow. “I believe you are familiar with Miss Veronica St. John, yes?”

  Tedric nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I know Ronnie.”

  Ronnie?

  Veronica looked up at Tedric in surprise—and met Joe’s warm brown gaze.

  Joe! Here?

  The rush of emotions was intense. Veronica had never been so glad to see anyone in her entire life. Or so frightened. Lord, please, don’t let Joe be killed, too….

  “Get down,” Joe mouthed silently.

  “We’re going to play a little game,” Diosdado was saying.

  “I’ve got a game for you,” Joe said in Tedric’s Ustanzian accent. “It’s called ‘Show-and-Tell.”’

  He pulled the biggest machine gun Veronica had ever seen in her life out from under his open jacket and aimed it at Diosdado.

  “I show you my gun,” Joe finished in his regular voice, “and you freeze. Then tell your army to surrender.”

  Diosdado didn’t freeze. He lifted his gun.

  Veronica dove for the floor as they opened fire. The noise was incredible, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. But just as quickly as it started, it stopped. And then Joe was next to her on the floor, pulling her into his arms.

  “Ronnie! God, tell me you’re all right!”

  She clung to his neck. “Oh, Joe!” She pulled back. “Are you all right?” He seemed to be in one piece, despite all of the bullets that had been flying just moments earlier.

  “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  Veronica shook her head.

  He kissed her, hard, on the mouth and she closed her eyes, pulling him closer, kissing him back with as much strength and passion. She welcomed his familiar taste, giddy with relief and a sense of homecoming she’d never experienced before. He’d come to save her. Somehow he’d known, and he’d come.

  “Well,” Joe said, his voice husky as he drew back. “I guess this is probably the one situation where you’d be indisputably glad to see me, huh?” He smiled, but there was a flash of remorse in his eyes as he took off Tedric’s jacket, revealing some kind of dark uniform and vest underneath.

  He was serious. He honestly thought the only reason she was so happy to see him was because he had come to save her life. “No, Joe—” she said, but he stopped her, standing and pulling her to her feet.

  “Come on, baby, we’ve got to get moving,” Joe said. “In about thirty seconds, this place is going to be crawling with tangos who heard that gunfire. We’ve got to get out of here.”

  “Joe—”

  “Tell me while we’re moving,” he said, not unkindly, as he pulled her toward the door. She hesitated only a second, glancing back over her shoulder at where Diosdado had stood only moments before.

  “Is he…?”

  Joe nodded. “Yeah.” Holding her hand, he led her gently down the corridor. She was shaking slightly, but otherwise seemed okay. Of course, it was entirely possible that the shock of what she’d just been through hadn’t set in. Still, they had to move while they could. “Can you run?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  They set off down the corridor at an easy trot.

  She was still holding his hand, and she squeezed it slightly. “I love you,” she said.

  Joe glanced at her. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, but she managed to smile as she met his gaze. “I didn’t think I’d get the chance to tell you that ever again,” she explained. “And I know we’re not out of danger, so I wanted to make sure you knew, in case—”

  Veronica was right—they weren’t out of danger. They were at the opposite end of the ship from the extraction point, and the tangos had surely been alerted to the fact that there were intruders on board. They had surely noticed that their hostages were missing and their leader was dead. SEAL Team Ten had stirred up one hell of a hornet’s nest—and Joe and Veronica were still in the middle of it.

  But Joe wasn’t about to tell Veronica that. They could pull this off. Damn it, they would pull this off. He was a SEAL and he was armed to the teeth. Several dozen terrorists didn’t stand a chance against him. Hell, with stakes this high, with the life of the woman he loved at risk, he could take on several hundred and win.

  Joe slowed, peering around a corner, making sure they weren’t about to run head-on into a pack of terrorists. Veronica loved him, and even though she didn’t love him enough to want to marry him, he didn’t care anymore. He honestly didn’t care. If he’d been five minutes later, if that evil bastard Diosdado hadn’t wanted to play games with his victims, if any number of things had been different, he would have lost Veronica permanently. The thought made him crazy. She could have been killed, and he would be alone, without her forever and ever.

  But she hadn’t been killed. They’d both been given a second chance, and Joe wasn’t going to waste it. And he wanted to make his feelings clear to her—now—before she walked away from him again.

  “When this is all over,” he said almost conversationally, “after you’re off this ship and safely back onshore, you’re going to have to get used to me coming around to visit you. You don’t have to marry me, Ronnie. It doesn’t have to be anything permanent. But I’ve got to tell you right now—I have no intention of letting this thing between us drop, do you follow?”

  Silently, she nodded.

  “Good,” Joe said. “You don’t have to go out with me in public. You don’t have to acknowledge our relationship at all—not to your friends, not to your family. I’ll keep sneaking in your back door, baby, if that’s the way you