He stilled but didn’t let go.
“She’s a kid. And if you didn’t kill her, she’s alone on the side of this mountain ’cause you killed everyone else.”
“My mission’s to bring you home, Sugar. We’ll deal with the GSI crap later. So shut up and—”
“Then leave me. She’s a goddamn kid. Scared out of her mind. Find her or leave me. I didn’t ask you to come get me, and I sure don’t need this bullshit.” She knocked him in the chest, hurting her cold, numb knuckles. “Give me a gun and go away.”
He tightened his grip on her. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are. Look the hell around. You’ll die or be captured again. Raped. Sold. Killed. That’s your future—”
“Same with that kid. Except she’s eight.” Sugar tried to swallow. “Just a baby.”
Fires exploded around them. The temperature was falling quickly. Clouds of their breaths burned between them. He locked eyes with her, making her stomach catapult. Her mind pleaded that he was more than a machine. His stare broke away, skittering over the barren rockscape. Nothing could live out there in the elements, certainly not a kid. He had to see that.
His dark eyes, bright and furious, stole back to her. She would have held her breath if the anticipation hadn’t already put her lungs on strike. “The girl snuck me a knife. It was my only chance, and it worked. Now we’re hers. I owe her.”
Jared reached for his mic and barked. “Hands on the package. One more to pick up. Repeat, one more to grab. Give me eyes on the outskirts.” He paused, studying Sugar. “We’re looking for a small girl, boys. Easy with the takedown.”
Warmth bled down her neck and into her chest. The bastard may have had a sliver of a heart after all.
CHAPTER FIVE
Jared pinched the bridge of his nose. The side of a cliff with Sugar, who was pulling the unwilling-evacuee act, wasn’t the best place for a negotiation. She knew it. He knew it. But she was holding the aces when she dropped intel about abandoned kids on war-torn mountainsides. It was enough to make him revisit his extraction plan.
His team, clad in heat-seeking goggles, was on an efficient but gentle manhunt for a child. Great.
Around Sugar, plans never worked out, including his current one to stay huddled in a cave until the kid was found. He hoped she was alive when they found her, but he wasn’t holding his breath. Sugar was attached to the child. This had the potential to be a shit storm.
He checked in with the men, who had nothing to report. In another thirty minutes, he would have to call off this rooster run. Sugar wouldn’t take that well. He wiped a hand over his face, then eyed her in the dark. She obviously wasn’t happy to have a helping hand, and she shivered in silence.
After pulling off his top layer, he pushed it toward her. “Take this.” Her eyes flashed angrily. What the hell was her problem? “Take it, goddamn it. You’re freezing.”
At home, she wore skintight leather pants and T-shirts that might’ve been painted on. Her dark hair was always tousled. Her midnight-blue eyes danced, always laughing. But right then, her clothes were tactical and tattered. She looked pale and exhausted.
A pang of concern pushed against his chest. He’d always been protective of his team and of those loyal to him. And even as pissed off as she was at him—and God only knew why—Jared wanted to do more than the usual. He wanted to protect her from the elements, from the Taliban, and from whatever the fallout would be from the ongoing manhunt for a likely never-to-be-seen-again child.
Her e-mail, which he still had tucked in his back pocket, was on his mind. It bounced around with confused ideas of Sugar as an ATF agent and as an operative who’d been trapped and left behind by her GSI partner, then by Titan. Jared struggled with that identity and reality, as well as his awareness that he was interested in her in a way that differed from his concern for other women. Other women he fucked, but fucking Sugar would mess up everything. She was a cool chick one day and a pain in his ass the next.
She’d always been a pain in the ass—like she was right then. “Sugar, take my damn shirt. Exposure isn’t taking you out on my watch.”
She snagged it and pulled it over her knotted hair. She raised her eyebrows and threw him a tight nod. That was it. Hell, what did I expect? Her to say thanks? He chuckled. Not a chance.
“What’s so funny?” She tilted her head, and her voice sounded stronger than he’d expected.
Never expect anything with this one. “I’ve been to this mountain twice in a week. Of all the places I’ve had to double-hit, this wouldn’t be on my list.”
Her eyebrows came crashing down in a line that crinkled above her nose. “That was you before?”
“Sure was, baby cakes.”
“Screw you, Jared.”
He laughed again and wondered if their bickering was a game or a defense. “Mind telling me why you’re pissed at me for saving your stubborn ass?”
Even without daylight, her midnight eyes shone as though they were unaware of the elements. If she shivered again, it would take strong will more than training to keep from holding her. Then again, transferring heat body to body was operating procedure under certain circumstances.
She shivered.
If the air were a few degrees colder, he could make the argument that they had fallen under those certain circumstances. “Look, Sugar. Didn’t know you were here before. So forgive me. Okay? We better now?”
She didn’t look at him. “I didn’t want you here.”
“Because you had everything so under control here? Christ.”
“Jared, you’re a dick.” She tried to elbow her exit. Hard. Where did she think she was going? He gripped her bicep, holding her in place against him. She was stronger than she looked, which sent another ripple of awareness straight to his toes.
“Explain the attitude,” he growled against her ear. Her soft skin teased him.
“No.”
“Explain why the hell you’re in Afghanistan.”
She pulled her ear from his lips and sliced a glare at him. “Because I was bored.”
“Liar.” His voice rasped, and he tightened his grip on her.
“I needed to get away from a headache.”
Closer to the truth. He was a headache? “Fair enough.” They locked in an unexplained moment, and he could feel the thump of her heartbeat through all the layers of gear.
“Let me go.” She tried unsuccessfully to shrug away.
“You’ll run away, for whatever stupid ass reason.”
“I won’t.” She gave a thin smile. “I’ll stay. I need a ride home.”
He loosened his grip on her, but neither moved back. The pounding in his chest reverberated into his throat. The tips of his fingers pulsed. “Good.”
“Good,” she whispered.
A piece of dark hair dangled over her eye, and he brushed it back, dragging his finger into its tangled softness. Fuck, I didn’t need to do that. He dropped his hand and let his fingers slide down the slope of her neck, tracing a path to her bicep. Goddamn. Didn’t need to do that, either. But he couldn’t stop.
She sucked in a breath and held it for a two-count. “You shouldn’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re on the side of a mountain. Because you’re you, and I’m me.”
She apparently had the same concern he did—that it would ruin everything. “Not good enough reasons.”
Her eyes sparkled, then she looked into the darkness, biting her lips. “Because we’re in the middle of an op, waiting on news that could go either way.”
“It’ll be good news.” Maybe, maybe not. But she needed to have faith.
“I’m not so sure.”
He caressed her arm with his thumb. “That’s why you’re pissed?”
She blinked, and he could’ve sworn he spotted resolve. “Keep your hands to yourself. People are waiting, working, so if you’re done trying to get into my head, let’s help find Asal and bug on home.”
Bug on home?
She was cute when she threw down field lingo. And that made him want into her head as much as her pants, though maybe he hadn’t realized either desire burned as strongly as it did until that moment. Talk about killer timing. There she stood, pretending this tension wasn’t going to play out. Someday, someway, it would. “Such a tough girl.”
“Don’t placate me, J-dawg.”
He held in a laugh. “Wouldn’t dare.”
Roman beeped into his earpiece, signaling they had found the girl—alive. He gave Sugar a thumbs-up. Her tension melted away, and relief radiated from her bright eyes. She released an exhausted breath as her stance softened.
That was his in. “I’m getting you out of here.”
He pulled her close to his body as they scooted from their alcove. The ledge was tight. Harsh wind could push an unsteady Sugar toward the valley. Even if it hadn’t been so crucial to hold her close, his protective gut said he might have anyway.
They made quick work of the trip to the rendezvous spot, but came up short at the sight of his men. They surrounded a small girl, wrapping around her like an outer ring of guns and glory. Sugar took off running toward them and barreled through the strapped muscle heads.
Jared wasn’t far behind. Brock pulled out of their formation. “A kid? What’s the deal?”
“No idea.”
They both stared. “What are we supposed to do with her?”
Jared paused, with no plan in mind. “Where did you find her?”
“Housed up in the rocks. Looks like she had a tree-house thing going on, except it was filled with knives and sticks. She’s the only live thing out here, except for the goats.”
“She’s coming with us.” There. That was the start of a plan. It made sense. Maybe.
Brock cocked a brow. “To Abu Dhabi?”
“What are we supposed to do?” Jared glared. “Leave a damn kid exposed to the elements, to freeze to death?”
“There’s going to be a lot of red tape on this one. Laws on top of laws.”
“Roger that. We’ll hit up the Red Cross or a UN attaché. They’ll know how to handle this. She’s got to be an orphan. They’ll find her an adoptive family. Right?”
“Right.” Brock shrugged. “Until then, we’re the best armed babysitters money can buy.”
He wasn’t about to tell his rule-following second in command that this was an out-of-pocket trip or that GSI, technically, still had the contract. That their trip was the operative equivalent of pro bono.
A chopper appeared over the side of the cliff. No jumping to rappelling ropes with this cargo. The helo passed them, signaling they were behind schedule. Not good.
“Move boots.”
They had to cover fifty yards to the rendezvous spot, where it was level and the chopper could hover near the ground so they could hoist themselves up. Getting to that spot required the team to traverse a sheer part of the mountain. The plan worked fine when the pickup was for only Sugar. But the kid? That was too risky.
The men were on the move, guns out, pivoting, on the lookout for the unexpected. Sugar and the kid stepped in line, and he had the rear.
Over rocks, through brush, everyone did fine. They made good time, and he could hear the helo waiting. Once they were over the sheer part, they would be out of there.
Pht, pht, pht. Cash was in the helicopter, and sputtered bullets weren’t saying, “Hi, nice to see ya.” The team had spent too much time on the ground looking for the kid, and someone had come to pay them a visit. They couldn’t go back and get out the way they had arrived.
“Go!” Jared gave the directive to move forward.
They reached the steep surface. Flat. Like a sliding board of death. Damn near a seventy-five degree angle. Rocco moved across, clawing his way into foot holes and using a tool to dig out handgrips. He secured a rope and tossed it to Roman, who tied the line taut, creating the one safety net they could construct.
Winters went first, tying on a carabineer and testing the line. Success. He was safely on the other side. Roman secured the kid with a carabineer and belt, then urged her to cross. His arms chopped and gestured like a New York City traffic cop. “Follow him. Do that.” He repeated twice.
If the angle weren’t so steep, Roman would probably have crawled out there with the kid. But it wasn’t an area that two people could cross at the same time.
“Go, Asal,” Sugar urged.
Asal. The kid had a name, and it meant “honey.” Small world that Sugar and Honey found each other.
Rocco and Winters beckoned from the other side, waving and smiling as best they knew how. Winters had a kid at home, so his good-guy face was more practiced.
Gunfire thundered again in the background. Then a blast fell from above. Cash loved to pick off the enemy. If he was throwing grenades, there were more tangoes than he had time for. It was a clear signal to get a move on. Pronto.
Asal looked at Sugar, who gave a reassuring nod. Newly confident, the girl took a step out, then another. She got her bearings and scooted farther, halfway across. Then she was two-thirds there. Gravel gave out, and skidding rocks sheared off the cliff as a child’s scream echoed into the night, and her feet struggled for footing.
“Asal!” Sugar yelled to her, stepping to the ledge. Jared threw a hard arm around her waist, holding her back.
“Hang tight.” Quickly but cautiously, Jared crawled onto the incline. The girl had been saved by a few yards of tactical rope and belt, and he would get her to the other side. The seconds passed in slow-mo until he reached Asal. With an arm looped around her shaking torso, he used the rope as their lifeline.
They inched up the vertical slide. Wind gusted and howled. Fabric flapped hard. Dirt jumped into the air. Asal whispered, but Jared didn’t know the translation. He guessed it was along the lines of, “Let’s not die today.”
After a few more feet, they finally summited the safe side after a tenuous climb.
He put the girl down. There were no tears across her face, just a big grin. The panic from falling was long gone. I’ll be damned. She waved to Sugar.
“Good job, kid.”
Asal repeated, “Good job kid.” And it made Jared smile.
Cash buzzed in his ear. “Tangoes everywhere. I’m holding them back, but you guys need to move.”
“Roger that.” Jared looked at Sugar. “Ready?”
She nodded, clipped on her carabineer, wrapped her hand around the rope, and took a step. Gravel shifted. His stomach dropped, but he didn’t stop her. She stepped again. More gravel fell to the ravine below.
“Wait. Sugar, hold up.” He studied the surface and couldn’t see the slipping stones. They were loose, but how loose?
Determination painted her face. A thin smile said she was moving forward again. Another step scattered more gravel, which cascaded down the mountainside. Again, she stepped, loosening gravel. Her footing faltered, but she caught herself.
“Get back there,” he ordered, looking into the black abyss below.
She didn’t look over her shoulders but wrapped her hands in the rope, balancing precariously on the slope. The wind carried her voice. “No other way out.”
“There’s always another way. Get back there.”
“I’m tied to this rope. I’m fine.”
She was closer to him than she was to the other side. Another grenade blew in the distance. She stepped forward.
“Goddamn it, Sugar. Stop.” His heart chugged uncontrollably, like an out-of-control freight train. Bad feelings needled him, tingled in his palms, and put pressure on his chest.
Her foot inched forward. Rocks that were much larger than gravel slipped. The ground was giving out beneath her.
“Get the kid out of here!” Jared ordered. If Sugar was going down, the kid wasn’t going to bear witness. “All of you, go.”
Winters grabbed the girl, turning her around. Her cry for Sugar’s safety bounced into the night. His men fell out into the darkness, heading toward the chopper.
“Don’
t move,” he said to Sugar.
She looked at him, flashing a tight smile. He clipped on a carabineer and stepped onto the slope. Walking the absurd angle was like walking on a wall.
As still as a statue, Sugar stayed. The gravel and rocks around her didn’t. “Well, this sucks.”
“Stay put.”
“Not moving.”
“Your lips are, baby cakes.”
More rocks fell, and he launched himself in her direction. The rope went taut, and his hand met her rigid arm. Rocks slipped around them. Pulling her to him, he backed them toward safety. The groundcover gave way. His hip hit rock, jamming his shoulder into boulder. Sugar was locked against his chest, and they slid with the falling dirt until they snapped to a stop. The rope stretched to capacity and held their weight.
“You shouldn’t have done this,” she hissed.
Too damn bad. “You needed help.”
Together, they found footholds and pushed up. His fingers were frozen, and his muscles burned as he pulled their weight. Blasts of cold air were a constant. Reaching a safe surface, Sugar crawled over to a boulder, leaned against it, and dropped her head back. He did the same, catching his breath. The scent of smoke drifted in the air. Gunfire popped in the background.
As the moon appeared from behind clouds, Jared looked at Sugar. The milky moonlight bathed her beauty. Jared ran his hand through his close-cropped hair. That was too close. “You okay?”
“Never better.”
“Right. Remind me to help you out again. You’re so appreciative.”
“Just forget it.” She rubbed her eyes and then threaded her fingers into her hair, smoothing it. Then she moved them down to her lips, where she blew on them, rubbing them together.
“How cold are you?”
“Not very.”
Yeah, right. It was in the thirties, maybe colder. With the wind chill factored in, brisk temps were assumed dangerous. Freezing was more like it. She ignored him, shivering.
Cash interrupted Jared’s thoughts. “We’re too hot. Pulling out.” In the distance, the chopper rose. His earpiece buzzed in and out of range. Static again, then Cash’s voice carried into his ear. “You two good for a couple hours?”
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