Free Kiss and Tell by Cherry Adair

They were close. Extremely close.
    Instinctively she dropped to the ground. Flat on her stomach, she snaked slowly backward into the thick brush, then ruffled the greenery so she couldn't be seen. She hoped.
    Moments later five men dressed in black from head to toe strode past her hiding place. Their clothing was a loose version of a wetsuit, their heads covered with a drape of the same rubbery matte black fabric, making them all appear identical – right down to the long, lethal, matte black knives strapped to their calves, the automatic weapons slung over their shoulders, and the small, snub-nosed pistols in their gloved hands. One man spoke briefly and quietly in a foreign language. Another answered. Then they were eerily quiet.
    Was one of them Jake Dolan? Was that why he was in such a hurry to get rid of her?
    Either way this did not look good. Not good at all.
    Marnie's mouth went dry and her heart started to beat faster as they passed within feet of her hiding place.
    The wet leaves and earth soaked the front of her jacket and jeans, but she dared not move. Her eyes burned from trying not to blink. Who were these guys? Survivalists? No. They reminded her of ninjas or something out of a James Bond movie.
    They looked like professionals. But professional what?
    They moved so stealthily, so quietly, that if she hadn't known exactly where to look, she wouldn't have seen them at all.
    Heart pounding in her ears, Marnie waited for the men to disappear from view. But no sooner had the trees swallowed them than another small group followed. Too frightened to breathe, she stayed frozen in place.
    Whoever these men were, she was dead certain they had something to do with antisocial Jake Dolan.
    *
    It started to snow. So far just a light dusting, but by the look of the clouds they were in for one mother of a storm. Jake reluctantly headed back. There was a strange hush in the air. No animal sounds, no birds. Even the leaves seemed unnaturally still. He paused to listen. Nothing but the distant whisper of the river. Beside him Duchess stopped as well, ears swiveling.
    Jake rested his hand on her large head, his gut sending up a warning flare. "What is it, girl?" he asked softly. "What do you hear?"
    Duchess laid her ears back and growled deep in her throat. "Yeah," Jake agreed grimly, trusting his instincts. "I feel it, too. Go to Marnie, girl. Make sure she's okay." The dog cocked her head, looking at him.
    "Yeah, yeah. I'll be right behind you. Go!"
    *
    Her boobs were frozen. Marnie grimaced. Her entire front felt numb. It had been, she estimated, a good hour since she'd seen the last man. She flexed her fingers and contemplated the wisdom of standing up. A light dusting of snow coated her clothing and had melted into the knit cap, soaking her hair.
    She decided to get up. If she didn't, she'd freeze to death.
    She'd just shifted her feet under her when a large, icy hand clamped over her mouth.
    Her heart ping-ponged in her chest. Damn. Too soon.
    She definitely didn't plan on screaming and alerting the guy's friends, but she didn't have four big brothers for nothing. Using both hands, she pressed her captor's hand in place over her mouth and bit down on his palm. He muttered a vicious curse. At the same time she twisted around, gave his forearm a hard chop with her elbow, and rose to an upright crouch.
    His arm dropped away. They came eye to eye.
    He scowled.
    Jake.
    She grinned. She couldn't help it. "There are a bunch of bad guys around," she whispered. "Why'd you have to grab me? "
    "None of them look like screamers," Jake said dryly, his voice as soft as hers. "Watch out," he warned as Duchess nudged her from behind. He braced Marnie's shoulder, letting go the moment she regained her balance.
    They sat on their haunches facing each other. Duchess looked from one to the other, then turned her back to watch the path, ears swiveling, eyes sharp.
    Jake scanned Marnie up and down. "You okay?"
    "Cold, wet, hungry. Fine," she