by Rebecca Deel
Eli forced Ape man’s chin higher so his gaze skimmed the top of the trees. “Sugar, hit the dirt.”
Without hesitation, Brenna obeyed his order.
“Drop the gun or the last sound you hear will be a sniper’s bullet.”
“You lie.”
“Yeah? Look to your right, idiot.”
From the forest, a red dot, rock steady, was aimed at his heart. Ape man froze, eyes wide. Brenna almost felt sorry for the cretin. Almost. He’d terrorized Dana, hurt her and countless other women. A little fear was justified.
Ape man swallowed hard. A trickle of blood rolled down the side of his throat.
Brenna’s breath stalled in her lungs. Would he sacrifice his life for a shot at revenge against her? She didn’t see how he could aim her direction since Eli had forced his head up. He might get off a lucky shot before Jon killed him.
His hand opened and the gun fell to the ground.
“Kick the gun away.” Eli applied more pressure to the man’s throat. The gun skidded to the right and disappeared in the depths of a bush. “Listen carefully. This is your only warning. You come after my woman or her sister again, I will kill you.”
“Not if I kill you first.”
Eli tightened his arm, slowly choking off the man’s air supply. “Try it and your entire family will pay. We know they live in Juarez. My sniper friend doesn’t miss. Am I clear?” His voice conveyed the promise of swift retribution. After the man nodded, Eli knocked him out, dropped him to the ground, and secured him.
He stepped over the fallen thug and yanked a shaking Brenna to her feet and into his arms. Too close. One flinch by the tango and he might have lost her. “No more close calls, sugar. I don’t think my heart can take any more tonight.”
Brenna buried her face in his throat.
“Should have let me take him out,” Jon said as he retrieved the discarded weapon. “He’s going to be a problem.”
“A few well-chosen words to the right people and we won’t have to worry about him any longer. The Scarlet Group won’t appreciate an employee who’s friendly with the enemy.” Eli kissed Brenna’s temple as his ear piece clicked.
“This is one. Go to B. Detonation in five.”
Eli’s heart sank at Maddox’s decision. Not unexpected given the weather conditions, but Dana’s fear of water complicated their common-sense choice. Flying a helicopter in this storm risked disaster for the whole team. Didn’t mean he liked putting a good woman through one of her worst nightmares. “Jon?”
“I’ll handle it. Let’s go.” He scooped Dana into his arms and set off in the new direction.
“What’s wrong?” Brenna asked.
“Change of plans.” Eli urged her to keep pace with his partner. They needed to get as far as possible from the helo landing pad.
“Is there a problem?”
Not for a SEAL. “Adjusting for the weather.” Eli’s ear piece clicked again minutes before they reached their second rendezvous point. “Ten seconds.” Ahead of him, Jon laid Dana on the ground and covered her. Eli did the same with Brenna, her head tucked against his shoulder. The stormy sky lit and the ground rumbled. Flames shot into the air as timed explosions rocked the surrounding area.
Eli hauled Brenna up from the ground and urged her into a brisk trot. The explosions would bring the enemy to the area and he wanted as much distance between the landing pad and the women as possible.
“What was that?”
“Helicopter and the landing pad, plus a few buildings. Can’t let Scarlett Group keep operating here. One of our tech guys uploaded all their computer info to a server at Fortress. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find out who has Kaylee Young.”
Brenna remained silent a minute. “Please tell me you have your own air transportation stashed close.”
He squeezed her hand. “Sorry, sugar. Even if we did, the storm would ground us. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of Dana.” Even if they had to knock her out, an option they were prepared to use. He didn’t want Davenport to administer the drug they had ready. No one knew what Grace’s goons had poisoned her with while she’d been held hostage. If they guessed wrong, the new medicine their medic administered could kill Dana.
Jon set Dana beside him and touched his finger to his lips. After she acknowledged his command to remain silent, he signaled Eli to keep an eye on her and slipped into the shadows of the tree line and moved closer to the dock. Scattered gunfire broke out near his destination. So much for a stealthy approach to the second rendezvous point. Looked like the Zoo Crew would have to fight its way off this rock.
Suited him fine. He was in the mood to inflict pain on the thugs who’d hurt Dana. He edged closer, his gaze scanning the scene playing out in front of him. Part of the Zoo Crew exchanged gunfire with the human traffickers. His lip curled. Two tangos fell in quick succession. His teammates were better shots.
He keyed his mike. “One, this is Jon. We’re south of B in the tree line with the packages.”
“Roger that. Hold position. Team 1 is encountering resistance. Team 2 will approach from the east.”
“Copy.” Jon made his way back to Eli and the women.
“What’s happening?” Dana asked, arms wrapped around her waist. Her body shivered.
He drew her against his chest, rubbing her arms. Another time and place he’d give Dana his shirt, but he needed the dark covering to blend into the shadows. A visible sniper soon became a dead sniper. Jon fought to maintain his focus. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her beautiful trembling mouth until all she thought about was him. That kind of distraction could kill all of them. He needed to get his head back in the game. He had a job to do. All their lives depended on him getting it done. “Teammates are closing on our position.”
Dana burrowed closer, her arms wrapping around his waist. “Why?”
“Better protection. Our priority is getting you and Brenna off this rock. Everything else is secondary.”
“What about Grace and Ross?”
His heart clenched at the tremor of fear in her voice. He longed to set her aside and hunt down the dirty duo. “If they get in our way, we’ll take care of them. Your safety is first.”
“And if they come after me again?”
“They’ll die.” Jon eased back enough to see her face. “Make no mistake, baby. We will take down Scarlett Group. Grace and Harrison will pay for what they did to you and the other women.”
Dana leaned against his body as if her strength was giving out. His arms tightened around her. Just another minute and he’d find a place for her to sit until time to move to the rendezvous point.
Six men dressed in black fatigues slipped from the shadows into the small clearing. Team 2 with Davenport, their medic. Eli motioned Doc to Dana.
Jon eased Dana away from him and turned her to the approaching medic. “This is one of our medics, Jake Davenport. Everybody calls him ‘Doc.’”
Doc slid his bag to the ground, unzipped it and removed a thin Mylar blanket which he spread on the ground.
“Rest for a minute.” Jon eased the shivering woman in his arms to the blanket and knelt beside her.
The medic shook out a second blanket and draped it around Dana’s shoulders. “Any injuries, Dana? Even a small cut or open insect bite needs to be treated. An open wound in this tropical climate is a breeding ground for infection.”
“A cut on my left calf and scratches on my face and arms.”
“She’s very weak,” Jon said. His hand clenched. “Drugged for almost two weeks.”
“Do you know what they gave you?” Davenport asked.
Dana shook her head.
“When was the last time you ate?”
She sent a nervous glance at Jon. “I’m not sure. Maybe the day before they brought us here. They weren’t too concerned about feeding me.”
A fresh surge of rage rose in Jon’s gut. No wonder she was so weak. Coupled with two weeks of drugs, Dana had been lucky not to collapse before now.
“What about fluids?�
�� Davenport continued.
Dana sat up straighter. “Nothing. Brenna and I were afraid to drink water from the tap. We didn’t know where Grace had taken us. May I have some water?”
“You bet.” The medic dug in his pack and withdrew a bottle of water and a packet of an electrolyte mix he habitually carried on ops. After mixing the two, he handed Dana the bottle. “Just sips, okay? You’re dehydrated. If you drink too fast, the water will come right back up.”
Dana seized the drink and twisted off the cap. She drank three or four good swallows before recapping the bottle, her hands shaking.
Davenport laid out gauze, bandages, antibiotic cream and antiseptic pads on the blanket. “We need to treat your cuts, Dana. If you’re not comfortable with me touching you, Jon can do it.” He grinned. “Of course, he won’t be as good at it as I am. SEALs are clumsy, you know.”
Jon snorted. “As opposed to the effortless grace of a jarhead?” His gaze shifted to Dana. “Your choice, baby.”
She shifted closer to Jon, shaking her head. “No, I can’t. I’d prefer you do it.” She glanced at Davenport. “I’m sorry.”
“No problem. I’ll leave the supplies and check your sister.” He grabbed his packs and crossed the clearing.
“Do you think I hurt his feelings?”
Jon opened an antiseptic pad package. “Nope. He’s worked before with female trauma victims. This will sting.” He cleaned and treated each visible injury. “Let me check your leg, babe.”
Hands shaking, Dana pulled up her pant leg.
Jon ripped open another antiseptic pad. “How did this happen?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I woke up from one of those drugged sleeps and my leg was hurting.”
He paused, his stomach churning. Jon’s gaze captured hers. “The Scarlett Group’s drug of choice is Rohypnol.”
“The date rape drug?”
“That’s what they used on Eli and Brenna.” The terrorists who captured him months earlier had used Rohypnol plus a number of other drugs on him, some addicting, some not. He shoved the memories back into the mental box he kept them in to deal with later. What he’d been through didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was Dana’s wellbeing.
Dana lapsed into silence as Jon continued his ministrations. Once he cleaned the cut and squeezed antibiotic cream into the wound, he covered it with a bandage. Didn’t look like she needed stitches, but a doctor could check it when they returned home. He eased down her pant leg.
He looked up at Dana. Tears streamed down her face. No sounds escaped. The silence wrung his heart. He almost preferred sobs to this stoic display and that said something since a woman’s tears normally sent him scrambling to the closest exit. Jon sat with his back propped against a tree, pulled her close, and wrapped his arms around her.
“What if they . . .”
His arms tightened. “We’ll deal with it together.”
“We?”
“You aren’t alone anymore, baby. Never again. I’ll walk through every step of this with you. As long as you’ll allow me, we’re a team.”
Dana pressed her head against his shoulder, her face against his neck. “I’m guessing you know about my history with Ross. That’s in the past, before you knew me. If Grace’s thugs assaulted me, would it . . .?” She lapsed into silence.
“Affect how I feel about you?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Whatever they did shames them, Dana. You aren’t to blame for anything they might have done to you. People in this line of work are masters at their trade. Nothing will affect how much you mean to me or the role I hope you’ll play in my life from now on.”
She sat up to look into his eyes. “What role?” Hope shined from her gaze.
“A permanent one. When you’re safe and on U.S. soil, we’ll talk. I meant what I said. We’ll get through this together. I’ll stay beside you all the way.”
“She looks good.” Doc zipped his pack and handed Brenna the same type of electrolyte mixture as he had her sister..
The knot in Eli’s stomach unfurled. “Thanks.”
“A doctor should still check her.” Doc’s gaze bored into Eli’s.
He nodded at the unspoken concern. No telling what the Scarlett Group thugs had done to Brenna while she was unconscious. Just the possibility one of them raped her or Dana made Eli itch to disobey Maddox’s orders. “Vanderbilt is our first stop once we’re home.”
Davenport squeezed Eli’s shoulder and rejoined his team.
“I don’t need a doctor, Eli. You heard the man. I’m fine.”
He sank down beside Brenna and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and mouth. His fingers stroked her velvet skin. “Drink your water, sugar.”
“You’re ignoring what I said.”
Eli snagged the bottle, uncapped it and pressed the drink back into her hand. “The drink will help keep you on your feet. And, yes, I am ignoring you. You were unconscious for a few hours. We have to be sure one of the thugs didn’t hurt you while you were unaware.”
Brenna’s gaze darted toward her sister. “They kept her knocked out for almost two weeks, Eli.” Her eyes glittered with unshed tears. “What if they raped her? I don’t know if she can get through that trauma again.”
Eli wrapped his hand around hers. “Dana’s strong or she wouldn’t have fought her way back from what Ross did to her. You helped her grow into the woman she is now. She has you and me. More important, she has Jon. He’ll have her back. He won’t let her give up the fight.” He pressed the bottle to her lips. “Drink, baby. We move out soon.”
She guzzled half the bottle. “What’s the plan?”
“Which one?”
“You have more than one?”
“Always. We planned to use Grace’s helicopter to transport you and Dana to our plane if we could beat the storm. The front moved in faster than anticipated. Plan B is to use our IBSs to return to the mainland.”
“IBSs?”
“Inflatable boats.”
Brenna cringed. “A rubber raft? Dana can’t do it, Eli. There has to be another way.”
Eli shook his head. “She has no choice, sugar.”
“What about the yacht?”
“Too slow. We want off the water as soon as possible and these boats move fast. Taking out the helicopter prevents Grace and company from coming after us in the air if they’re stupid enough to take off.”
Another click in Eli’s ear. “Team 2, move out.”
He placed a quick, hard kiss on Brenna’s soft lips. “Time to get off this rock, sugar.”
Team 2’s members readied their weapons and fanned out. Eli helped Brenna to her feet and they followed the team into the jungle. Jon, carrying Dana, brought up the rear with Davenport.
The sound of sporadic gunfire from Team 1 peppered the night. He quartered the area, motioning Brenna behind him to add one more layer of protection.
The first drops of rain pelted leaves dancing in the wind. He pushed the pace a little faster, wanting to get the women to the boats before the ground turned into a slippery mud bath.
An AR-7 spit to his left. Eli spun and shoved Brenna behind a house-sized boulder. With his P226, he tracked movement in the dense shrubbery. One of Grace’s goons emerged from the foliage. Eli pulled the trigger. One shot, center mass. The tango fell and didn’t move.
Eli keyed his mike. “Team 2, one tango slipped in to your left. He’s down.”
“Copy.”
He glanced at Brenna. Her eyes were wide, lower lip caught between her teeth. “You okay, sugar?” Not the best impression to make on a woman who meant everything to him. If she rejected him for the violence, he guessed he’d have to live with it.
“Get us out of here, Eli.”
Not an outright rejection. Maybe he had a chance. “Let’s move.”
They arrived at the rendezvous point minutes later. “One, Team 2 and packages at B.”
“Copy. Phase 2 complete. Davenport and Ritter, remain wit
h packages. Head to transport. The rest of Team 2 to my coordinates. Water approach for Phase 3.”
Eli glanced at Jon, who shook his head. He keyed his mike. “One, Jon will have to remain with packages.”
“Roger that. St. Claire, you’re up. Move out.”
The rest of his team crossed the sand toward the IBSs. They loaded gear and made ready to launch into the water.
“What’s happening?” Brenna asked.
He cupped her beautiful face between his palms. “I have to go. Stay with Jon and Dana, sugar.”
“Where are you going?”
“To plant bombs.”
Bombs? Brenna grabbed Eli’s wrists. “Why does it have to be you?”
“Team 2 is going to aid Team 1 in pinning down reinforcements and keeping them off my back. It’s underwater work and that’s my area. Jon could do it, but he’s been carrying Dana plus his field pack for a couple hours. And if anything happens to him, we don’t stand a chance of saving Dana. She doesn’t trust any man but him. We’re prepared to knock her out with a shot, but it could kill her if the drug interacts with whatever Grace used.”
Great. How could she choose between Dana and Eli? In truth, she didn’t have a choice. The man had been a SEAL and this was his world. The best thing she could do was let him do his job without falling into hysterics. If she and Eli had a shot at a relationship once they returned home, she had to accept the risks he took. If she couldn’t deal, Brenna would have to walk away. She sighed. That wasn’t happening.
She released his wrists and scowled. “You better not have a scratch on you when you come back.”
He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.” After a quick kiss, he boarded one of the boats.
“Time to go, baby.”
Dana fought the nausea boiling in her stomach as she stared at the remaining rubber boat. Her throat constricted. She couldn’t get on one of those things. Big, little, storm, no storm. She couldn’t do it. The panic attack surged to full throttle. Breath seized in her lungs.
She backed away from the water’s edge, shaking her head. “I can’t. I can’t do this.” Dana’s escape halted with her back pressed against Jon’s hard chest.