by Elle James
He walked toward the bushes where Jake lay hidden.
Jake braced himself for attack, slipped his knife from the scabbard on his ankle and waited for the man to get close enough to see him.
The ISIS gunman stopped short of the bush, lifted his shirt, unbuttoned his pants and relieved himself not two feet from where Jake lay.
Jake didn’t move a single muscle, praying the man would move on as soon as he was finished.
Instead, he adjusted his clothing, frowned and stepped another foot closer to the bush.
A man shouted from the truck.
The gunman leaned close to the bush.
Jake gripped his knife, willing his heartbeat to a slow, steady pace, and prepared to launch himself at the soldier.
Another yell from the man in the truck caused the one on the ground to spin and jog back to the vehicle. He climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door, and the truck jerked forward and sped after the others.
Jake lay for a moment, until the vehicles were completely out of sight. Then he crawled backward several yards before he dared to straighten and run back to find Alex.
When he reached the copse of trees and brush, he whispered, “Alex?” and held his breath.
“I’m here,” she said, and climbed out into the open. “I heard the sound of engines. I was afraid they’d found you.”
He shook his head. “They were close, but they didn’t see me. Now that they’re gone, we can continue to follow the road. Not on it, but parallel. Are you up for more hiking?”
She nodded. “I’m hungry, but still able to march.”
“Do you want me to sneak into the camp and steal some food?”
She shook her head, her eyes wide. “No way. The people working in that mine need it more than we do.”
“Agreed. Let’s find our way back to my men. I’m sure they have a packet of MREs you’re going to love.”
“Meals ready to eat?” Alex smiled. “We get those at the orphanage sometimes. They beat starving any day.”
Again Jake took the lead, with Alex following close behind. They traveled several miles just out of view of the road.
Eventually, they came to a point where the road ended in a T-junction.
“Which way?” Alex asked.
“West,” he said, and turned right. “We came in from the west. If the guys made it back to camp, they will be returning this way to find me soon. In the meantime, we need to get as far away from the mine as possible.”
“Agreed.” Alex shivered. “I have no desire to come face-to-face with the barrel of a rifle.”
They continued along the road, walking and resting intermittently until the sun dipped low in the sky, heading for the horizon.
Night two settled in around them. This time, they didn’t have the relative safety of a cave to hide in. They’d moved out of the hills onto the plains, broken up by stumpy trees and bushes. Occasionally, elephants trumpeted in the distance, and they would spot a herd of African buffalo or a couple of giraffes plucking leaves out of a tree. At one point, they spotted a pride of lions lazing in the sun.
Jake kept them moving, staying as far away from the lions as he could without getting too close to the road.
Whenever a vehicle lumbered down the road, he and Alex hunkered behind a bush until it passed.
With dusk settling in, Jake worried they wouldn’t be safe sleeping on the ground. After passing the lions, he was determined to find a better alternative. Alas, they didn’t have many choices, and Alex’s energy reserve was fading fast.
Finally they came upon a village along the road. From a perch on a small rise in the terrain, Jake and Alex studied the layout.
Just outside the walls of the village was a well. Women and children gathered around, filling buckets and jugs.
Alex licked her lips. “I could use a drink of water,” she whispered.
“Me, too. We have to stop for the night somewhere.”
She frowned. “Are we stopping here? Is it safe?”
“No. But we can wait until dark and sneak over to the well, drink and then leave.”
Alex nodded. “I like the idea. But is it safe?”
“I haven’t seen a single ISIS militant since we stopped here.”
“That doesn’t mean they aren’t hiding out behind the walls,” Alex pointed out.
“True. But if we play our cards right, we can get that drink in the dark and be gone before they have any idea we’re here.”
Alex nodded. “I really would like a drink. And a hamburger. But I’ll settle for water.”
“Then water it is.” Jake glanced at the sky. “We probably have an hour until dark. I don’t think anyone will climb up here and find us, so we might as well rest.”
“Good. We didn’t get much sleep last night.” Alex stretched, lay back on the ground, closed her eyes and laced her hands behind her neck.
Jake smiled down at the woman. She had to be hurting. No matter how much she worked out, the pace they’d kept through the hills had been grueling. Even his muscles were sore.
He looked down at the village once again. With no sign of ISIS militants and only women and children moving about, he decided he could afford to at least rest, if not sleep. He’d have to stay awake and keep vigilant. One truck full of ISIS soldiers could ruin everyone’s day.
Still, he couldn’t resist lying beside Alex. Dusty from a day and a half traveling cross-country on foot, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d seen in a long time, with curves in all the right places and a smile that made his knees weak every time she turned it in his direction.
“When we get back to my team, we can contact the American embassy in the capital city of Niamey,” Jake said. “I’m sure they can help you get to the States safely.”
She raised an eyebrow in challenge. “Who said I was going to the States?”
He turned on his side and propped himself up on his elbow. “I’d think that after what happened in that village, you’d want to go home.”
“I don’t want to go to the States. I have no one waiting for me there. Why would I want to go back?”
“You can’t seriously consider returning to the village?”
She shook her head. “Only to help Reverend Townsend and his wife.” Alex chewed on her bottom lip. “I hope they’re okay.”
“I’ll check with headquarters when we rendezvous with my team. Maybe they’ll authorize an extraction mission to free the reverend and his wife.”
“That would be wonderful,” Alex said.
“No guarantees, though,” Jake amended.
Alex opened her eyes and stared up into his. “Don’t you think they’ll authorize a mission to free fellow Americans?”
If it were up to him, he’d conduct the mission himself. But he wasn’t calling the shots. “I’ll see what we can do. That’s all I can promise.” There might be even more dangerous and important missions than saving two missionaries from being overtaken by ISIS rebels. But he didn’t say that to Alex. As far as she was concerned, the reverend and his wife were the number-one priority in her world. He couldn’t blame her. He’d do his best to convince his commander that they needed to conduct the extraction as soon as possible. Which made it even more imperative for them to find their way back to his team.
The sooner he reunited with his teammates, the better chance they had of finding the missionaries alive. The longer it took to launch a rescue mission, the less chance they had of living through their captivity.
First, though, they had to get water in order to continue their journey. And they had to do it without being detected.
Chapter Six
“Alex, wake up.” Jake’s voice seemed to come to her in a dream.
Alex must have fallen asleep. When she opened her eyes, she thought for a moment she hadn’t actually lifted her e
yelids, it was so dark. Then she turned her head and saw a star twinkling in the heavens and realized it was night. She sat up straight and pushed her hair out of her face. “How long have I been asleep?” she asked.
“A couple of hours. It appears as if the people of the village have all gone to sleep. If we want to get water, now is the time to do it.”
“I’m ready.” She rolled to her feet, every muscle in her body reminding her that she’d abused it. She took a moment to stretch and turn, working out the stiffness.
Jake stood beside her, staring down at the village below and the well out in the open. “I think it would be best if you stayed here. I can fill my helmet and bring it back to you to drink.”
She shook her head before he finished. “I’m going with you. You need someone watching your back. You’ll be out in the open.”
“I can manage. I don’t want you exposed to some sniper’s scope.”
Alex tilted her head to the side and stared at Jake in the light from the stars. Damn, he was handsome when he was worrying about her safety. “Have you seen any evidence that this village is occupied by snipers?”
“I’ve seen young men,” he said. “None of them were armed.”
“Have you seen any of the ISIS rebels?”
He shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Not yet isn’t good enough.” She lifted her chin, prepared to argue. “I’m going with you.”
His lips quirked. “Are you always so determined?”
She nodded once, firmly. “I am, when I’m right.”
“So be it.” He started down the hill toward the village, circled the huts and paused beneath a tree.
Alex trailed behind and then stepped up beside Jake. Together they studied the open area around the well. As soon as they left the shadow of the tree, they’d be in the open, visible to anyone watching.
After five minutes, Jake drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well, let’s do this.”
“We’re just a couple of travelers looking for a drink of water,” Alex whispered, her mouth dry, parched. At that moment, she’d brave the ISIS terrorists for a single cup of water. She hooked her arm through Jake’s.
“Just a couple of travelers, huh?” he chuckled. “One with a rifle and a bulletproof vest. Right.” He shook his head and lowered his weapon to hang beside his leg, hopefully hiding it from the casual observer.
They stepped into the open, strolled to the well, found a bucket on a rope and lowered it until it splashed in the water below.
Moments later, Jake had pulled up the bucket, filled with cool, clean water.
Alex practically fell into it, pouring it into her mouth, the refreshing liquid spilling over her chin and down the front of the borrowed T-shirt. Once she’d had her fill, she waited while Jake had his.
When he had slaked his thirst, he glanced around. “We should go.”
The sound of footsteps rushing toward them made Alex spin to face the oncoming threat.
A woman with a shawl draped over her hair rushed out of one of the huts and ran straight for where Alex and Jake stood. She motioned for them to follow. “Hurry,” she insisted.
“But where are we going?” Alex asked.
“Does it matter?” she asked in perfect English. “You must hide. Now.”
“We don’t want to bring danger to you or your people,” Alex insisted. “We can hide in the trees.”
“No, you don’t have time.” She took Jake’s hand. “Come.”
Jake shot a glance toward Alex. “Stay close.”
She nodded, and three of them ran toward the mud-and-stick huts.
An older man held open the door as the woman led them through the outer walls into a narrow alley between huts. She navigated the twists and turns so quickly Alex was afraid they’d lose her.
But the woman had a tight hold on Jake’s hand and refused to release him until they were somewhere she deemed safe. Through the maze of streets and alleys, they were led deeper into the village.
Alex was amazed at all the homes they passed as they moved farther away from the well and the road.
Behind her, the sound of vehicle engines roared into the village common area.
Alex picked up the pace, keeping close to Jake and the woman. Gunfire echoed off the hills, making her duck. More shots were fired, filling the night with a sense of terror.
Just when Alex thought they would never stop, their guide paused in front of a structure. “In here.” She flung open the door and waved them inside.
Alex entered, appalled at how small the interior room was. How would they be hidden if ISIS searched each home one by one?
The woman entered behind them and then squeezed around Jake. She bent, swept aside a rug and pulled up a mat that hid a wooden door in the floor of the hut. She opened it and waved frantically. “Get in. They will be here soon.”
Alex glanced down at a dirt cellar in the floor of the primitive hut.
“We need to get in. If the ISIS militants find us here, they will punish anyone who helped to hide us.” Jake dropped down into what was nothing more than a hole in the ground. He held up his arms. “Now you.”
Alex didn’t like the idea of being in a small hole in the ground that could be plagued with spiders or snakes. A shiver rippled down her spine, but what choice did she have?
Shouts sounded outside.
Alex sat on the edge of the hole in the floor.
Jake reached up, grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her into the darkness and into his arms.
The woman closed the wooden trapdoor. The sound of the mat and the rug being slid into place was reassuring at the same time as it was frightening. What if the woman had tricked them into giving up their freedom? What if she had led them into her cellar to imprison them?
Alex’s chest knotted. She stood in the cramped space, wrapped in the warmth of Jake’s arms, counting the passing minutes, praying whoever was shaking up the village wouldn’t continue their own brand of terror. She prayed for the woman who’d shared her home and hiding place to protect them from being captured and potentially tortured or killed by the militants.
Gunfire erupted outside the little hut.
Alex tensed, her fingers digging into the fabric of Jake’s uniform jacket.
His arms tightened around her. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered into her ear, his warm breath making her heart beat faster for an entirely different reason. She couldn’t get closer to him while he wore the bulletproof vest, but his arms around her were all him, all muscle, and made her feel protected, shielded from danger.
He’d already rescued her from one situation. Between the two of them and the generosity of the village woman, they’d get out of this one, as well.
Loud voices sounded outside the hut. The door slammed open, reverberating through the small building.
Alex kept perfectly still, her ears perked for sounds.
The woman who’d hidden them spoke softly to someone.
An angry male voice yelled, “Get out!”
The shuffle of footsteps was followed by heavier steps. Something crashed above, as if a box or chair had been overturned. Another crashing sound, and then a loud bang of a shot fired at close range.
Alex clung tighter to Jake, fully expecting the next round to pierce the wooden door over their heads. She tried to shield Jake’s body with her own. If the gunman fired into the cellar, he’d get her first. And maybe the bullet would be slowed enough not to enter Jake, as well.
Those thoughts raced through Alex’s head as the man above stomped through the small hut, destroying the woman’s meager belongings. Then he stepped out, yelling to someone else outside.
Afraid to let go of the breath she’d been holding, Alex waited, listening.
After several long minutes, the voices grew faint and the gunfire ceased. The ro
ar of vehicle engines sounded in the distance.
“Do you think they’re gone?” Alex asked, her voice so soft she doubted even Jake could hear it.
“I think so, but we should remain here a little longer to be sure.” He still held her in his arms, and she didn’t fight to be free.
Jake raised a hand and cupped her face in the darkness. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “Just a little scared.”
He laughed softly. “Me, too.”
A few minutes later, the sound of a grass mat sliding across wood was followed by the trapdoor being pulled up. The woman who’d hidden them stood on the dirt floor above, her face a blur in the dark. “They are gone. You can come out.”
“You first,” Jake said to Alex. He gripped her around her waist, but before he lifted her, he bent his head and brushed her lips with his. “You were brave.”
Too shocked by the kiss, Alex didn’t have time to respond before she was lifted to where she could sit on the side of the hole. She swung her legs around and pushed to her feet.
Jake handed her his rifle, and then dragged himself out of the hole to stand beside them in the dim glow from the stars shining through the open door of the hut. Even the little bit of light was better than the darkness of the tiny cellar.
Jake glanced around the single room. Every box, basket or container had been dumped over, the contents spilled onto the dirt. The pallet of rags in the corner that was probably the woman’s bed had been torn and tossed.
Alex bent to right one of the baskets, but the woman touched her arm. “I will clean later. For now, I will take you to my brother. He will hide you until morning. But then you must leave our village. The Islamic State will return. They are searching for an American soldier and a woman with long black hair. They are searching for you.”
Alex’s heart dipped into her belly. The militants weren’t going to give up until they found her and Jake. “We should leave now,” Alex said.
“No,” the woman said. “We have had troubles with the lions at night. They have discovered a taste for human flesh.”