CHAPTER EIGHT

Sydney stole Derek's bag and started rummaging through it. She had to know what was going on and she was tired of being left in the dark. She had not been able to get to a phone to call Preston and see if Nigel had shown up, but she knew that Lloyd had a satellite phone that he used for all his secret little calls. Sydney couldn't handle it anymore; she had to know about Nigel.

            She'd enlisted the aid of Karen, as promised, to distract the CIA agent by pretending that she was distraught and frightened with all that was happening. It wasn't much of a stretch, Karen was scared, but she played it up so that both Cate and Derek were trying to calm her down.

            Sydney pulled the phone out and quickly dialed Preston 's number, hoping that he remembered to leave it on and carry it with him as she had instructed. She waited. Two rings, three, four, and then it flipped over to voicemail. Damn! She quickly left a brief message, telling him where they currently were and that she was checking if he had heard from Nigel. She hung up and quickly stuffed the phone back in the bag, noticing a photograph that had slipped out when she grabbed the phone. She bent and started to pick it up, but then recognized one of the faces.

            There were three men standing together in a jungle, the photo was obviously done by a surveillance team with a telescopic lens. The middleman was circled, and that was whom Sydney recognized. Quelch! The man who had tried to take over the Kai Nomata tribe the last time they'd run into Derek. Why the hell would he have a photo of him, wasn't the ex agent in prison?

            She knelt and started looking through the bag again, finding a small folder which held photo's of her and Nigel in Egypt and the university. What the hell was going on? Their faces were circled and the words targets written beneath them.

            She glanced again at the photo of Quelch. If he was free and Derek was involved, what did that mean? Was Quelch the one who was after them? He was ex- C.I.A and that would certainly explain Derek's involvement. Her gaze returned to the photos of her and Nigel and the words written across them. Target. Beneath Nigel's face was also a scribbled note-Deceased. Sydney 's heart constricted in her chest.

            “Did you need something, Sydney ,” Derek began, having returned and found the relic hunter going through his bag.

              Sydney rose slowly held up the photos for Karen and Cate to see. “An explanation for starters?”

            Derek scowled. “When are you going to learn not to dig around with my things, Sydney ?” he demanded, angrily. “You always find something you don't like.”

            “Explain them, Derek,” she hissed tossing the photos at him. “You have one minute.”

            Derek remained silent.

             “You sonofabitch!” Sydney growled and leveled Derek with one punch. “You knew it was Quelch the whole time! That's why he was always one step behind us, he was following the trail you were leading him on!”

            Derek remained on the ground, rather than chance getting decked again, and rubbed at his sore jaw. “It isn't like that, Syd…”

            Cate stepped in and tried to defuse the situation. “I'm sure Derek has a reason, Sydney .”

            Sydney ignored her. “How is it then, Derek? Explain it to me. Tell me how you could know all this time, how you could let this go on for so long…” Sydney 's fury gained in momentum but her voice lowered, becoming a force of nature in its ferocity. “How you could let Nigel go over that cliff?”

            “I never meant for Nigel to get hurt!” Derek insisted, appalled and tried to ignore the look of horror that Cate sent him. “I never expected him to sacrifice himself like that, Sydney! I never thought…”

            “You never thought what, Derek? That he would have the guts, that he wasn't a brave He-Man like you?”

            “Yes, all right!” Derek exclaimed slowly climbing to his feet. “I didn't think that he had it in him and damn it Sydney I wish to hell that I had been right because he was my friend too!”

            Sydney glared at him. “Don't you dare call him your friend! Don't you dare, after what you've done. You lied to us, you always lie!”
            “It was need to…”

            Sydney belted him again before he could finish and this time, she didn't stop, she launched herself at him and continued to hit him, kicking, scratching, and biting, whatever she could do against his defenses. She wanted to kill him.

            “Stop it!” Karen cried, not sure who to be more afraid for, Sydney or Derek. “Stop fighting!” She tried to step in but was afraid she'd get hit as well.

            Derek finally managed to put enough distance between them that he could pull his gun. “ Sydney , I don't want to hurt you!” he insisted, backing up, but his aim never wavering. He hated using a weapon on her, but she was honestly ready to kill him.

            “Drop it, Derek.”

            Derek glanced away from Sydney for only a second and saw that Cate had her weapon trained on him. She was shaking and there were tears in her eyes, but her voice was like ice; things were getting out of hand. He slowly bent and tossed the gun toward her. “Look, just let me explain?”

            “Syd,” Cate warned when the relic hunter looked ready to attack again. “This isn't solving anything,” she reasoned, picking up Derek's weapon and lowering her own. “We can't go on fighting each other when we have people trying to kill us. Let him talk.”

            “Figures you'd take his side!” Karen hissed, furious.

            Cate ignored her and continued to regard Sydney quietly.

            Sydney could see the despair in her eyes, and understood what this was costing her. Yes, she had fallen for Derek, but Sydney was her friend and Nigel had been…well, Sydney could see how hard it was for the Interpol agent to try and find a balance.

            She slowly rose and glared at Derek. “Talk.”

            Derek wet his lips and glanced at Cate gratefully, frowning when she refused to meet his gaze. “We knew that Quelch had disappeared and we suspected that he'd come after you and Nigel because you helped me to capture him. He had already tried to get to me and couldn't so he came after you. You were never supposed to be hurt, no one was ever supposed to be hurt!”

            “You used them as bait!” Karen declared. “You used Nigel as bait, you bastard!” She moved forward to attack Derek and was blocked by Cate. Surprisingly, the blond turned into the arms of the agent, distressed. “It's his fault! All his fault!”

            Cate held her and remained silent, her gaze demanding that Derek continue.

            “I had no choice!” Derek insisted, desperately. “It was the only way, and then it started to fall apart. There were leaks in the operation and I realized the only way I could protect you was by putting myself between you and Quelch. I never knew about Kafka. I never wanted Nigel hurt. You have to believe me.” Derek shook his head and turned back to Sydney , barely able to keep from flinching at the fury in her glare. “I blame myself, Sydney. I couldn't tell you the truth because I knew you'd be furious and refuse my help.”

            Sydney wiped the dirt from her face from their scuffle but remained silent.

            “I know it's my fault that he died and it's killing me.” Derek continued, quietly, his gaze flickering to Cate, who was still holding Karen, her body turned away from him. “I never cared about who lived or who died before, until I met you, Syd. You gave me a conscience; and I hated you for it. I don't care what you say, Nigel Bailey was probably the only person on this planet that I could ever let myself trust and I considered him my friend; probably the only real friend I ever had.”

            Sydney stared at him, breathing heavily from their struggle, and tried to ignore the small pang of sympathy she suddenly felt for him. He sounded so desperate, so miserable when he spoke of Nigel. She'd never seen Lloyd like this. Still, she couldn't give into her feelings, he'd lied as he always lied and Nigel was gone because of it. She couldn't allow herself to feel sorry for him.

            She walked over and retrieved his gun from Cate, released the clip, which she tossed into the bushes, and removed the one in the chamber. She offered it to him, empty. “From now on, we do things my way and I want it over,” she demanded, roughly. “I want you to pull whatever strings you have to pull and put an end to this. I'm through running and playing cat and mouse. It ends, now or so help me Quelch will be the least of your worries.”

            Derek slowly nodded and accepted the useless weapon; he had no doubt that she would make good on her threat. He'd seen the way she went after those men when Nigel died and he would rather face Quelch and a hundred Kafka's than her alone. Sydney Fox was the only person that he had ever doubted himself on.

            He was a trained assassin and yet he wasn't completely sure that he could take her out if he had too, not because of his personal feelings for her, he was trained not to let his emotions interfere, but Sydney Fox was a woman that stopped at nothing to get what she wanted and when it came to avenging those she cared about…well, Derek just wasn't sure who would win in a life and death battle between them. Their scuffle just now was proof that he would need a major advantage.

            “It ends now,” he agreed quietly, going against his orders, his training and everything else that his life had become. “But you'll have to trust me, Sydney. For this to work, to stop Quelch, you have to trust me and do as I tell you.”

            “I can't promise you my trust, Derek. You've done nothing to earn it.”

            Derek could accept that. “I know, but if you want this to end you'll have to go along with what I say…

            “No. You tell me everything, Derek. No more need to know, no more secrets. I'll know what you know and I will make the decision; you owe me that at least.”

            Derek stared at her, trying to think of a way she'd believe he was sincere. “Okay, Sydney . No more secrets.”

            “I mean it, Derek.”

            “I swear, Syd. I swear on Nigel's memory that I won't lie to you anymore. I swear on his honor, as my friend that this will be finished.”

            Sydney regarded him for a long time, and then finally nodded. “Now, tell me everything.”

--------------------------

            Nigel stepped inside Preston 's room and vaulted over the bed for the ringing cell phone on the nightstand, but it had already gone to voicemail. “Bugger!” He quickly checked the messages, his heart soaring at the sound of Sydney's voice, and then falling again because he had missed her. He held the phone to his chest for a long moment and closed his eyes, elated. She was okay.

                He rose and pounded on the bathroom door once, and then opened it; his brother was in the shower. “ Preston !”

            “I'll be out in a minute!”

            “Take your time, I'm leaving now,” Nigel called back over the noise of the water. “I've heard from Sydney , she's in Thailand . I'm taking your cell phone, okay?”

            Nigel didn't wait to hear his brother's reply, he hurried to his room and grabbed the knapsack he'd purchased, quickly stuffing it with a few extra clothes and the supplies that he had ready. He still wore the mandarin outfit, but at least had washed it yesterday. He'd be able to fit in, in Thailand anyway. He grabbed his green jacket, which was beginning to feel like his lucky jacket, and headed downstairs.

            “Podge!” Preston cried just as Nigel started across the hall to the front door. He had stopped on the stairs, dripping wet from the shower with only a towel wrapped around his waist to cover his nakedness.

            Nigel flung his hand in front of his eyes when in his haste, Preston 's towel slipped for a few seconds. “God man, put that thing away! I've no desire to be that close a brother!”

            “Nigel, you can't leave! What about me?”

            Nigel frowned. “Put some clothes on and you'll be fine, Preston .” He reached for the door handle.

            “You can't go, Nigel! Not alone, let me come with you at least.”

            “ Preston , it's too dangerous…”

            “Bullox, no more than that time with the vile, surely.” Preston secured the towel and hurried down the remaining steps to stand beside Nigel. “Come on, Nigel. Let me come with you, I could be useful…”

            “As what, target practice?”

            Preston scowled. “That's uncalled for.”

            Nigel shrugged. “It's the truth, Preston . You don't know anything about what we do…”

            “Neither did you when you started!” Preston exclaimed. “At least give me a chance. I'll go mad waiting around here for word of your demise.”

            “You'd rather see me get killed, is that what you're saying?”

            “It would save on the agony of not knowing, certainly.”

            Nigel stared at him, stunned and then saw Preston 's lips twitch suspiciously. Bugger, he was teasing him! Maybe this being brothers thing wasn't so bad after all. He realized that he would normally take such a statement as at attack, but after their talk, Nigel realized that Preston was just trying to be witty. “Fine, you've got two minutes…”

            Preston grinned and was running back upstairs before Nigel finished speaking. “I'll be right down!”

            Nigel moved to the head of the stairs and called up after him. “And I'm not waiting around for you, so if you get shot or fall off a cliff or something you've only yourself to blame if you don't keep up!”

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            Quelch and his men paused in the clearing next to the small reed-filled pond and he took a moment to glance down at the transceiver in his hand. One of his men had managed to slip the bug into Sydney Fox’s satchel several days before so finding them had not been difficult, but Lloyd had them moving around so much that they were out of range for the most part and he’d had to rely on his spies to tell him where they were going.

            He glanced towards the small opening and nodded towards his men. They were inside; the signal was coming from there. He scowled. He didn’t see Lloyd trying to make a stand in there, there would be no room to maneuver and no way out. It had to be a trick and yet that was where the signal was coming from.

             Lloyd was a shrewd agent and Fox was no dummy either. They were both worthy adversaries but he’d put enough time into this adventure as it was. He had other people to kill; there was power and money to be had yet. At least he’d gotten rid of one of his targets, that annoying Brit that was Sydney Fox’s assistant.

            “What are your orders, sir?”

            “Set up a perimeter. They may be in there but it could be a trap.” Quelch nodded to the mercenaries closest to him.

            They were all decked out in camouflage, black mud and face scarves that partially hid their features from view. Mercenaries for hire, they made Quelch sick. They killed for payment did what they were told by whoever paid the bill. There was no glory in it for them, no sense of achievement. It was what they were good at, so they made their living doing it; uncaring of who their mark was.

            “You three check out the cave.”

            They nodded, hefted their rifles and started in. Quelch waited but there was no sound from the caves. He waited a few more minutes, and still nothing. He sent in two more men, two more drones obeying his command. Fools, they didn’t even care that they might be going to their deaths.

            “The perimeter is clear, Sir.” One of the men informed stepping up to him. “No signs of our target.”

            Quelch balled his hand into a fist as he again stared at the transceiver in his hand. The signal was still strong, but where were the men? Surely even Lloyd and Fox couldn’t take out five armed and professional killers?

            Another long moment passed and Quelch was just about to speak into the radio when his men reappeared from the cave, holding what looked like a tribal mask.

            “The cave is clear, sir. All we could find was this.”

            Quelch glared at the mask and the pulled out the bug that had been planted there. He knew that it was a direct insult to him, a reminder of his defeat with the Kai Nomata. He threw the mask down, furious. “Find them,” he growled. “They can’t be far. Bring me Sydney Fox and bring her to me alive, the others do as you please.”

            Several of the soldiers disbursed into the brush leaving Quelch with just a handful around him. He picked up his satellite phone and prepared to call in the helicopter when it was suddenly shot out of his hands by a small arrow. He spun around and watched Sydney Fox, blow smugly on her miniature crossbow as she stepped from out of the brush.

            “Sorry, you’re out of the footprint area,” she stated. “Care to try your call again?”

            “Kill her!” Quelch screamed to his men, who had already raised their rifles.

            Derek suddenly came up out of the water directly behind Quelch, and put his gun to the ex-agent’s head. “I think you might want to rethink that.”

            Quelch grimaced, he had no doubt that Lloyd would shoot him. He nodded at the mercenaries to lower their weapons. “This isn’t over, Lloyd.”

            “Oh, it’s over,” Sydney assured as Cate stepped out of the cave and started to retrieve the soldiers weapons, using her own gun for encouragement. “You’re done, Quelch.”

            Quelch started to laugh. “I don’t think so.” He called out someone’s name and a mercenary stepped forward, holding a large hunting knife to Karen’s throat. “Or shall we bet her life on it?”

            Karen blinked miserably, afraid to move. “I hid like you said, but they found me,” she stated. “I’m sorry, Syd.”

            Sydney hesitated for only a moment before she nodded at Derek and he stepped away from Quelch who quickly took his weapon along with Cate’s. One of the mercenaries removed Sydney ’s crossbow and knife, giving her a long, sure appraisal behind his mask. She glared back at him. “Take a picture, it lasts longer,” she snapped.

             The mercenary stepped back behind Quelch.

            Quelch smiled. “And so it ends. I must say, you gave me a merry chase but the fun is over now. I’ve wasted enough time on you.”

            “You won’t get away with this,” Derek warned. “The C.I.A knows all about you. You’ll never get out of the country.”

            Quelch laughed. “Ah Derek, how do you think I got into the country-you aren’t the only one who has friends in high places?”

            Derek tried not to show how much that idea bothered him.

            The man holding Karen tossed her towards the others and Cate and Derek caught her.

            “On your knees.” Quelch demanded.

            “Eat shit and die,” Lloyd returned belligerently.

            All the men brought up their rifles at the remark and aimed at the foursome.

            The four remained standing and Quelch sighed. He stepped close to Sydney , but not too close as he was aware of her abilities. “It’s so sad really. I had wanted you to suffer a little bit more, Professor. I wanted to humiliate you as you did me. In fact, I was hoping to kill your little assistant in front of you, just to watch your pain.”

            Sydney shot daggers at him and tried to mask her sorrow that she’d never see Nigel again. She had been wrong, he wasn’t coming.

            Quelch smirked and stepped back. “Oh, but your Brit sidekick isn’t here, now is he?” Quelch tapped his finger to his lips taking delight in her discomfort. “Where is he, Professor?” he wanted to force her to say it, wanted to hear the misery in her voice when she admitted her friend was dead. “Where is dear old Nigel Bailey, hmmm?”

            “Right here.” A familiar voice offered, directly behind Quelch.

            Quelch spun around and was met with a rifle butt to the face; he went down in pain and shock.

            Nigel pulled his mask off and even through the black smudge there was no denying that familiar, excited grin.

            “Nigel!” Sydney exclaimed in surprise, and then horror as one of the men aimed at Nigel and fired, startled when his rifle only clicked quietly.

            “Not much good without these, mate,” another British accent proclaimed from beside him, showing the handful of firing pins in his hand, before he shoved his rifle into the mercenary’s stomach and then knocked out with a swift fist to the jaw.

            “ Preston !” Sydney cried surprised, and then all hell broke loose.

----------------------------------

            Sydney leveled her final attacker with a swinging kick and took a moment, bracing for more to come, but she realized that all her enemies were down and she relaxed. She spun around and saw Nigel picking himself off the ground, grinning at her, his clothes were torn, his face still had most of that awful black mud on it and his hair was askew; he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She broke into a run and they met half way in each other’s arms.

            “ Sydney !” Nigel closed his eyes and held her tight, almost lifting her of the ground in his excitement.

            Sydney released a sound that was half way between crying and laughter. “About damn time you got here!” she cried, clinging to him.

            “Sorry I’m late,” he offered. “The traffic was horrid!”

            Sydney started to laugh at his joke, and then tightened her arms around his neck when her laughter turned into a sob. “I was beginning to worry.” She had begun to think Derek was right and that Nigel had died in Nepal .

            “Likewise,” he whispered, very close to tears himself. He rubbed her back and pulled her even closer, unaware and uncaring of their audience. “God, I thought....”

            Sydney squeezed him harder. “Likewise.”

            Nigel pulled back to stare at her, his expression a mixture of amusement and seriousness as he brushed a smudge of dirt off her cheek. “We’ve really got to stop meeting like this. My heart can’t take much more.”

            She laughed and stepped back to allow Karen, who had been vibrating in place while trying to offer the two friends a moment of privacy, eagerly waited for them to let go. “Here comes your fan club.”

            Karen launched herself at Nigel and he released a quiet oomph from the impact. He wrapped his arms around her and swung her around before setting her back on her feet.

            “Oh, Nigel! We thought you were dead!” She peppered his face with quick, silly kisses, uncaring of the black smudge on his skin.

            Nigel giggled and flushed. “Oy! Let a fellow breathe!”

            Karen sobbed and hugged him tightly. “I’m just so glad you’re not dead!”

            Nigel returned her embrace, then stepped back and gently wiped away her tears. “Me too, Karen. Me too.”

            “Syd never gave up on you,” she insisted.

            Nigel’s gaze moved beyond Karen to settle on Sydney . “I know.”

            Karen couldn’t stop smiling as she continued to wipe at her tears and had to grab on to Sydney for support, lest she start flying around the trees in happiness.

            Cate stepped up to Nigel and tears sparkled in her eyes. She had given up on him when Sydney had not. She had allowed herself to feel something for another man after she had thought Nigel was dead. She felt ashamed and unworthy and could barely accept his gentle gaze upon her.

            “What’s wrong?” Nigel asked, worried.

            “I’m sorry,” she sobbed, his concern her undoing and all the strength she had been putting into her armor to remain strong these last few days fell apart. “I…I gave up. Oh Nigel, I’m so sorry.”

            Nigel shook his head and slowly pulled her into his arms. “No, hush, Cate. It’s…it’s okay. You didn’t know, sweetheart, you didn’t know.”

            Cate clung to him, and hid her tearful face against his shoulder. “ Sydney did. She knew.” She wrapped her arms around him. “I should have known too. I’m so sorry.”

            Nigel’s gaze again rose to meet Sydney ’s and she offered him a sympathetic look. He closed his eyes and hugged Cate tightly, before stepping back and cradling her face. “ Sydney ’s actually an alien from another universe. She always knows things and is always right, and that’s why there’ll be no living with her after this.”

            Cate allowed him a watery smile, which broadened when she glanced back at Sydney whose eyebrows rose in a mixture of amusement and indignation. She looked back at Nigel’s loving tender face and her smile faded.  She leaned in and kissed him passionately, and then said. “I’ll make it up to you.”

            Nigel could not deny her the kiss, but his gaze immediately went to Sydney afterwards, who nodded in understanding. He stepped back and wiped at Cate’s tears, seemed he was doing that to several women today. He gently kissed her forehead. “We have to talk, but later. After we get out of here, okay?”

            Cate frowned and recognized that look in his eyes. She nodded solemnly and stepped away as Derek approached. He too was looking rather unwell at the sight of Nigel’s resurrection.

            “Derek,” Nigel offered extending his hand. “No hard feelings.”

            Derek hesitated, shocked that he was so easily forgiven for taking Sydney away before she could find the Englishman, for giving up on him so easily. He slowly shook Nigel’s hand. “It’s…” He cleared his throat to force the huskiness from it. “Good to have you back, my friend.” Did he even have the right to call Nigel his friend now?

            Nigel nodded, and then after a moment tugged Derek forward in a quick embrace. “Thanks buddy. It’s good to be back.”

            Derek hugged Nigel hard, then just as quickly released him, startled to find his eyes stinging with moisture and relieved for having been forgiven so easily. “How…Why didn’t you tell us…” he began.

            Nigel smirked. “Sorry, it was need to know.”

            Derek actually laughed at the intended dig and discretely wiped at the corner of his eye. He glanced at Sydney, who was watching the exchange with approval. She was right, there was no one else in the world like Nigel Bailey and he was a much better man that Derek had given him credit for.

            Preston cleared his throat. “See here, Nigel may have been resurrected from the dead, but I helped get him here.”

            Sydney tossed her arms around the older Bailey, so happy to have Nigel back she’d hug anyone at this point and time. “Thanks for bringing him back to me, Preston ,” she whispered.

            Preston reveled in the embrace and part of him truly wanted to say something charming and witty to get her to like him more but he had remembered his promise to Nigel; he meant to keep it. “It was my pleasure, Syd.” He laughed. “Nigel did all the work.”

            ‘That isn’t true,” Nigel protested. “You helped a lot, Preston .”

            Sydney was startled by their mutual admiration, since they were normally at each other’s throats. She quickly introduced Preston to everyone and then said. “So, let’s make like a tree and leave, huh?”

            She noticed that some of their attackers were starting to stir, although Cate and Derek had them all trussed like prized pigs and had already called for back up, so they weren’t going anywhere. The remaining assassins had already been taken care of by Interpol, rather than chance another leak through the C.I.A.

            She tossed her arm around Nigel and Karen. “I need a shower, a bed and in between a bottle of wine to take the edge off.” She glanced over her shoulder as the trio. “And Derek’s buying.”

            Sydney pulled off her robe and eased into the wonderful steaming water of the bathhouse with a long delicious sigh. It felt like forever since she’d been able to relax. They’d all enjoyed a delicious meal, caught up on all that had happened, and then she couldn’t wait any longer so she had excused herself for the baths.

            Cate and Nigel had wandered off to have their talk, and Karen and Preston seemed to have hit it off surprisingly well. It had been strange to sit with the brothers and not have them arguing. There were some lighthearted digs but overall, Nigel and Preston behaved amicably.

            She checked that her hair was still piled high on her head and out of the water and then lay her head back against the wooden boards. God this felt like heaven. She glanced over as the thin door slid open and Nigel stepped in also in his robe. She smiled and waved him over.

            “Hey,” she greeted softly, unable to stop staring at him as he closed the door and walked over. She offered him some privacy by averting her eyes as he removed his robe and slipped into the water. She looked up again and smiled. “Heaven, right?”

            “Absolutely,” he agreed, although he wasn’t talking about the bath.

            Before he had revealed his feelings for her, Nigel never would have dreamed of sharing a bath with her, but now all his earlier insecurities seemed misplaced and he’d come too close to losing everything to not appreciate what he had and make the most of every moment.

            Sydney lowered her gaze, suddenly shy, a feeling Sydney Fox rarely ever had. When she realized that Nigel had been the mercenary that had removed her weapons and knocked Quelch to the ground, she had been overjoyed. The element of surprise was one thing, but the real save of the day was when every single rifle that the mercenaries had been holding refused to fire, giving them the break they had needed.

            “How was your talk with Cate?” she finally asked.

            “Insightful,” he replied after a time. “I…I think we’ve both come to an understanding and we should still be able to remain friends.”

            “Just friends?”

            Nigel nodded. “Yes, good friends.”

            Sydney smiled and moved closer to him, relieved. Nigel lifted his arm out of the water and wrapped it around her shoulders as she leaned her head against him. “Good. Good friends are hard to come by.”

            “Yes, yes they are,” he agreed, as he thought back to the day’s events.

            When he and Preston had come upon the small battalion shortly after they had landed, it had been a great stroke of luck. Parts of Thailand only had a small airstrip and the only plane they could catch was to an airfield far outside of the main cities; it just so happened, that Quelch and his men had also just landed on that strip.

             Many of the men were speaking Spanish, and ignored Nigel because he was dressed like a native and Preston because he was just another foreigner. Nigel’s Spanish was rusty, but he had recognized Sydney and Derek’s name and sensed that these were the men that were after his friends.

            He and Preston had managed to knock out two of the mercenaries while they were arranging their supplies at the hanger, steal their clothes, and then climbed aboard the truck that would take them into the jungle. Most of the men were easily exhausted and had probably been running on fumes, giving Preston and Nigel plenty of time to pull the firing pins on several of the rifles though not all.

            He was glad when Quelch dispatched most of the men into the brush, it leveled the odds a bit, but he had also been terrified that one of the men that remained behind would still have a working rifle, which was why he had waited so long to show his hand.

            When he’d had to remove Sydney ’s weapons, it took all of his willpower not to just pull her into his arms right there; he was so glad to see her. She took his hesitation as a come on and insulted him, which only helped him keep his charade a few minutes longer. He’d been scared to death something would go wrong, he wasn’t like Sydney and wasn’t a great master planner; there was always the chance he would screw up. But things went rather well, except for Karen getting caught, but even that fit into place.

            “So,” he began, breaking their contented silence. “This is communal bathing? It’s not so bad, really.”

            Sydney grinned that he would remember her remark from one of their earliest adventures. “I missed you,” she whispered.

            Nigel smiled and dropped a kiss on top of her head. “I missed you too.”

            “You and Preston seem to be getting on well.”

            “We’re working on it.”

            “I’m glad.”

            “Me too.”

            Sydney smiled and raised her gaze to him. “Hey, Nigel?”

            “Yeah, Syd?”

            “We seem to be pretty anti-stressed right now.”

            Nigel flushed and grinned, and remembered their conversation in the Buddha about waiting for things to calm down before moving forward with any change in their relationship. He caught her chin with his fingers and tilted her head back. “So we are.”

            “I…I know a great way to…” Sydney closed her eyes as he trailed his lips down the column of her throat. “Um…relax after…after a hard day of work.”

            Nigel raised his eyes to hers. “Is that right?” he purred just before he claimed her mouth with his.

            Sydney moaned in appreciation and wrapped her arms around his neck, gasping when they both turned and their naked flesh met. “Oh, Nigel.”

            “Syd! Sydney, God I love you.”

            They were both startled when the door slid opened and an Asian family of five walked in.

            “Oh, Christ!” Nigel muttered, dismayed as they smiled at him and Sydney, walked over to the bath and disrobed. Nigel immediately turned as Sydney ’s hand came up to shield his eyes. “Syd!”

            Sydney smiled at the family, who were chattering cheerfully as they climbed into the water. “It is a public bath, Nigel,” she reminded out of the corner of her mouth. “We’ll just get out and go back to our room.”

            “I can’t get out, Syd.”

            “Why not?” Sydney frowned as she removed her hands from his eyes.

            “I’m naked!” he hissed.

            “So am I,” she whispered back. “So are they. It’s their culture; they won’t be looking at you.” She started to rise and Nigel pulled her back down. “What now?”

            “I can’t!”

            “You can.”

            “Syd!” Nigel rolled his eyes, frustrated and tried to avoid looking at the family across from them. He glanced down at the water and then up at her again, begging her to understand. “I’ve got a…a small problem, Syd!”

            Sydney followed his lowering eyes and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing aloud. She pretended to pout, unable to resist teasing him. “Only small?”

            Nigel flushed to the tips of his ears. “Not…not that small, but… Sydney , please!”

            “Relax, Nigel.” She glanced around trying to think of a way out of this that would not embarrass him further.

            She rose out of the water enough to grab their robes and then indicated that he follow her to the edge of the tub, where there was a small divider to the next bath. She tossed their robes on the ledge and ducked under the water, Nigel followed. They came up on the other side of the divider and climbed out; masking the parts Nigel preferred not to be seen, as they shrugged into their robes and quickly left.

            “Thanks, Syd,” he offered gratefully as they slipped into their sandals outside the room and made their way back along the deck to their rooms. The women were sharing one room and the men were sharing another, just until they could get a flight out in the morning.

            They stopped by her room and she grabbed him by the lapels. “You can make it up to me.”

            Nigel paused and glanced around, nervous. “What…what if Karen or Cate come back?”

            Sydney pulled a towel from her pocket and hung it on the door. “They’ll know not to come in then.” She pulled him closer. “Besides, Karen and Preston will be talking for hours and Cate…” She paused, not wanting to hurt Nigel’s feelings.

            “Is probably with Derek,” he finished calmly. “She told me, Syd.”

            Sydney nodded, sadly. “I’m sorry, Nigel.”

            “Why? He’s probably a perfect match for her. She wants someone that can match her in strength and intelligence, Lloyd can do that.”

            “She’s stupid to give you up for him, though.”

            Nigel stared at her. “You did.”

            Sydney lowered her eyes, knowing he was right. She had briefly pursued an affair with Derek, unwilling to admit her feelings for Nigel. She kissed him. “I was stupid too. But not anymore.”

            Nigel wound his arms around her. “Promise?”

            She slid open her door and pulled him in. “Promise.”

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