Edge of Reason (EDGE Security Series Book 2)

by Loye, Trish

  She trusted his judgment and settled back, still holding the handle of her knife. Sweat rolled into her eye, stinging it and making her blink. A termite of some kind crawled on Rhys’s back. She tapped it off silently, wishing she could do that to whatever was traveling up her leg.

  Gunshots cracked the relative calm of the moment. A man shouted at the two smoking to move it or he’d kill them. The marijuana butt dropped in front of the log and the men ran off, shouting threats to Americans. The third man cursed, fired shots, and went running off.

  She let out a long breath that she hadn’t known she’d been holding. She squeezed Rhys’s shoulder again, but otherwise didn’t move. They weren’t out of danger yet.

  They waited. The patter of rain on the log started. The rain would help hide them from the searching men, but it would also hinder their hearing when they finally started to move.

  Three times men ran past their hiding spot, but none stopped. The rain continued to fall gently, making their hideout damp as well as hot. Her arm ached and she had the urge to sneeze.

  It had been about thirty minutes since they’d last heard shouting.

  “Time to move,” Rhys said quietly, rolling out of position.

  Cat followed, wanting to groan, but instead focusing on being thankful the soldiers had missed them. “They’ll come back with another sweep.”

  “I know,” Rhys said. “We’ve got to hit the river while we can. But first…” He dumped his helmet, pulled out his med kit, and tore the wrapper off a bandage. “Let me see that arm.”

  She held up her arm and he used his knife to slice the sleeve open so he could see the wound. She’d managed to shove a quick bandage against it earlier and tie it off, but her sleeve and the bandage were soaked with blood.

  “We need to do this properly, or you’ll lose too much blood to make the swim.” Rhys threw the old bandage in the log and then pressed a clean one to the wound. “Hold this,” he said. He unwrapped a long bandage and started to wrap that around her arm again and again.

  The rain came down harder. Cat pulled off her helmet, closed her eyes, and let the rain sluice down her face, the coolness a welcome relief.

  Rhys tugged the bandage tight. “You’re set.”

  She opened her eyes and stared into his. He hadn’t moved back. His hair lay plastered to his head and raindrops hugged his eyelashes. She sucked in a breath at the heat and determination in his eyes.

  “We’re going to make it,” he said. His hand went to the back of her head and pulled her in for a short, hard kiss.

  “Damn right,” she whispered, but he’d already turned away, putting his gear on and changing his mag. She did the same.

  “We do a straight run at the river,” he said. “No stopping, no thinking, just jump in and swim. It’s dark enough that if no one’s around we should be fine.” He looked at her. “You can do this.”

  She nodded and knew she could. She’d trained exactly for situations like this. She ran toward the river with Rhys keeping pace.

  As they ran closer to the river, they could make out shouts coming from somewhere near them. The rain screwed up her hearing and she couldn’t locate the source. Were there soldiers standing on the riverbank?

  She glanced back at Rhys, but he motioned straight ahead. She could make out the river through the trees. It seemed darker and more turbulent than before. A single soldier stood by the bank. Without hesitation, she shot him in the head. He fell into the water and was swallowed by the churning river.

  She slung her rifle across her body as she ran, not wanting it to be swept away from her. She leapt bushes and rocks, her heart thundering not from exertion, but from fear of the dark current that could so easily choke the life from her.

  “You can do this,” Rhys said again, as he pulled up beside her.

  “I know,” Cat said.

  Their feet pounded the earth together. The river loomed before them. Memories of that failed mission tried to surface, clawing at her insides, but she refused to acknowledge them and ran harder.

  “Stay with me,” Rhys said as he ran down the bank and plunged into the water.

  Gunfire and shouts ripped the air behind her. The bullets impacted the water, making small fountains where they hit. She didn’t look back. The water pushed her legs as she ran in, making her slip on the rocks beneath the surface. She dove after Rhys.

  She swam under the surface, but not too deep. She let the current carry her down, trying to spot Rhys in the murky water. She couldn’t see him. She lifted her head and gasped in air. Shouts muffled by the rain made her duck under again, just as bullets zipped around her. She let the current carry her downstream before surfacing again.

  Where was Rhys? He’d said he’d stay by her.

  She dove again, fighting the current and the burning of her lungs, her arms sweeping through the darkness, searching, before popping up to the surface and dragging in another breath. She no longer heard shouts or gunfire.

  “Rhys,” she screamed. “Rhys!”

  She dove again. Where was he? Where was he?

  This couldn’t be happening. She had to find him. She dove deeper, swimming against the current as much as she could, but it dragged at her, sucking her down further. It was almost completely dark this deep.

  Her leg hit a jagged rock and the pain focused her.

  Something had happened to Rhys. The only way he wouldn’t come to the surface was if he was trapped by something or he was unconscious. She doubted anything could trap a Navy SEAL in water, so he must be unconscious.

  She stopped fighting the current and began to swim with it. She rose once for another breath of air and dove again. Her limbs were heavy in the water, tired from supporting her and the extra weight of her kit and weapons. Her wounded arm ached from use, and from the driving water that tore at the bandage and her flesh.

  The rushing water and her heartbeat filled her ears, creating a cacophony that drowned out reason. She swept her arms again and again in front of her. Where was he? Had she guessed wrong? SEALs were trained to swim without air longer than normal people. But even so, he didn’t have much time left. Her lungs squeezed tight with her need to breathe, making her want to claw her own throat, but she stayed under, going deeper.

  She wouldn’t lose him this way. She wouldn’t. She kept swimming, the need for air dissipating as a sense of calm washed over her. She knew logically that this was a danger sign. She was close to blacking out. Lethargy overtook her and her body demanded that she just float. Close her eyes. Open her mouth for air and let go. Forget Rhys.

  She closed her eyes.

  Rhys.

  Something drifted into her leg. She jerked in the water and grabbed.

  An arm.

  It was like she’d been tasered; she jolted to life. Holding tight to the arm, she swam for the surface, dragging the body with her.

  Please God, let it be Rhys and not that soldier she’d shot.

  She broke the surface, gasping and coughing, hauling the person up with her.

  “Rhys!” she screamed. His head hung limp, his helmet gone. She strained to keep them both afloat. Blood poured down his face, too fast for even the rain to wash away. The wound was high on his forehead. A bullet must have grazed him and knocked him out.

  She couldn’t see anyone on either side of the bank, so she stayed on the surface and made her way to the other side, no longer fighting the current, just trying to make it across as fast as possible. She swam on her back, Rhys’s head on her chest, her arm supporting him.

  “Rhys,” she said. “Wake up. I need you.”

  She continued to talk to him as she worked her way to shore. She had no idea if Rhys was breathing or not. Panic ate her reason as she swam, using the last of her energy.

  Her arm hit a rock and she turned to look. She could stand. Slipping and wobbling, she dragged Rhys onto the muddy bank. Kneeling beside him, she felt for breath as she radioed Jake.

  “College, this is Valkyrie, over.”

&n
bsp; She tilted Rhys’s head back and opened his mouth, blowing her breath into him. “Come on, Rhys. Breathe, dammit.”

  “College,” she said into her mic. “Do you read me? Over.”

  She blew again. “Rhys, you bastard, wake up.”

  “Valkyrie, this is College. Sitrep.”

  She blew once more into Rhys’s mouth. “We’re on your side of the river. Downstream…” She looked around. “Downstream maybe eight kilometers from the bridge. Lucky’s down.”

  “Stay put, Valkyrie, we’re almost at your position.”

  She didn’t reply but blew another breath while she put her fingers on Rhys’s carotid artery, feeling for a pulse.

  Faint, erratic. Hope bloomed. She breathed for Rhys again.

  And again.

  And again.

  He began to choke. She rolled him to his side and he vomited river water onto the bank.

  “Damn,” he whispered when he was done. “What happened?”

  “You were shot in the head,” she said, sitting back on her heels, the words catching in her throat. She’d almost lost him. She stared at the river, blinking fast.

  “Chère?” His voice cracked. “You saved me? Hey. Are you okay?” His hand reached for her arm. She moved away and didn’t answer, feeling like one touch would shatter her.

  They were alone in the mud and rain. They’d rescued the girls, blown up a bridge, taken out dozens of the Boko Haram, and survived the river. And all she wanted to do was cry. She swallowed her emotions and scanned the far bank for tangos. They weren’t out of the woods yet. Now was not the time to lose it.

  “Can you walk?” she asked, her throat still thick.

  “Yeah,” Rhys said. He stood and swayed slightly.

  She grabbed him and put his arm over her shoulder. “Did I mention you were shot in the head?”

  His smile was crooked. “We did it, chère. We saved those girls.”

  She managed a smile. “We did. And now it’s time to face the firing squad for it.”

  CHAPTER 23

  “I was already checked out both in Niger and in Germany,” Cat said, as the doctor waved a pen light in her eyes.

  “Knight wants me to examine you,” the gray-haired doctor said gruffly. “So that’s what I’m doing.”

  Cat’s left arm ached and the stitches pulled and itched. She sat on an exam table in jeans and a tank top. She had purple bruises the size of saucers on her sternum and near her shoulder where the bullets had struck her. Thankfully, the bullets hadn’t cracked her ribs, just left her with a soreness that demanded she go have a hot bath as soon as possible.

  “I’m going to recommend you stay overnight for observation,” he said.

  “Sorry, Doc, but that’s not going to happen. My bed is way more comfortable than the cots here. Don’t worry, I know how to take care of myself.”

  The doctor huffed. “Of course. But I still have to recommend it.”

  The door to the room opened and Blackwell and Knight entered. Cat tried to stand up, but the doctor just pushed her back onto the exam table. “Don’t move.” He poked at the stitches in her upper arm, tsking.

  Blackwell scowled at her. “You appropriated government vehicles and weapons for an unsanctioned mission.”

  “Yes, sir.” She had wondered when the brass would find her. Commander Knight stood silent behind Blackwell, letting him take the lead. She knew they would dress her down, but would they kick her off the team as well?

  “You misled government officials and military officers,” Blackwell continued, the edge in his voice growing sharper.

  At that moment the door opened again. Rhys, a bandage on his forehead, entered followed by Jake, Sarah, Marc, Zach, and her brother.

  “Excuse us, sir,” Rhys said, his voice demanding attention.

  “What is it?” Blackwell barked.

  “I was the other team leader for this mission. I’ll share whatever bullshit you’re going to dish out.”

  Blackwell raised one eyebrow as he regarded Rhys.

  Jake and Sarah moved to stand beside Rhys. The rest of the team crowded in.

  Knight put his hands on his hips. “Enough, Blackwell. Time to ease off.”

  Blackwell’s eyes glittered and his lips quirked in a small smile. “But I haven’t gotten to the good part yet, where I slam my fist on the table.”

  Knight laughed and clapped Blackwell on the shoulder. “They don’t understand your humor, Derrick.” He gazed at the men and women around the room. “We have been told to sanction the people who conducted the unauthorized mission so no one else decides to go rogue.”

  He stood there a moment, eyeing them all. “Consider yourselves sanctioned,” Knight said.

  Rhys grinned. “And now can we go have a drink to celebrate?”

  Knight nodded. “Twenty young girls are back with their families today because of what you did. I am proud to have you all working for me.” He smiled. “First round is on E.D.G.E.”

  Everyone shuffled out of the room after that. Blackwell and Knight waited while the doctor helped Cat into a sling for her arm. She tried not to grimace at the doctor’s efficient movements.

  Rhys waited by the door.

  They hadn’t spoken alone since coming back from the mission. They’d spent a day getting checked out at the U.S. military hospital in Germany before being flown back to Montreal, where black-windowed SUVs picked them up. Cat had chosen to sit in one with Jake, Sarah, and her brother. She’d purposely been avoiding being close to Rhys since they’d made it back to the airbase in Niger. She’d just been too tired to deal with the chaotic emotions being around him brought up.

  The room cleared out.

  Blackwell stared at Rhys. “Did you have a question, Lafayette?”

  “No sir, just waiting for Valkyrie.”

  Knight raised his eyebrows, and a blush heated Cat’s face. Damn. She was acting like a schoolgirl. She had to be professional.

  “I’ll be done in a minute,” she told Rhys with no emotion in her voice. “Meet me in my office and we’ll go over the reports.”

  Rhys clenched his jaw, knowing when he’d been dismissed. He waited outside the room, determined to speak with the woman currently driving him insane. Moments later she opened the door, her head down. He touched her good arm before she walked into him. “Are you okay? What’d they say?”

  She lifted her head. A smile blossomed on her face and lit her impossibly blue eyes. “The team is mine. Permanently.”

  “It’s the only thing they could do,” he replied. Damn, he wanted this woman, especially when she smiled at him like that.

  Her face dimmed and she glanced back at Knight and Blackwell, who still spoke quietly inside the room. She moved away and tried to sidle around him.

  “Where’re you going, chère?” he asked quietly. “You know we need to talk.”

  She straightened her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. “No,” she said. “There’s nothing we need to talk about. You are now officially a member of my team. We have leave for a week. Go rest and recover.”

  He tilted his head as he regarded her. “Are you blowing me off?”

  She shook her head, looked back at Knight and Blackwell, and then motioned for him to follow her.

  He obliged and she led him to her office, but she stopped in the doorway—not letting him into the room.

  “This thing between us is over,” she said. “I can’t be involved with someone I work with. If you have a problem with that, then I’ll need you to request a transfer to another team.”

  He stepped closer. “And what reason should I give them?”

  She tilted her chin up. “Tell them whatever you want. I’m sorry, but I won’t have anything that could potentially jeopardize my team or my future missions.”

  “We worked well together in Nigeria. Why would that jeopardize the team?”

  She sighed. “Others have seen the way you look at me-”

  “And the way you look at me,” he said. />
  “You’re not listening, Rhys. The rest of the team doubts us. They doubt we can focus on the mission.”

  “It doesn’t matter what they think. Unless you doubt us?”

  “I’m sorry, Rhys.” She stepped back. “I have a report to write.” She closed the door in his face.

  He clenched his fists and stared at the door for a moment. No way was he letting her shut him out. He’d let her have this moment, but this conversation wasn’t over.

  I’ll see you soon, chère.

  Cat lifted her head at the sharp rap on her office door. Had she really expected Rhys to leave so easily?

  She yanked it open. “Rhys, I mean—”

  Her brother stood there, a half-smile on his face. “Hey, sis.”

  Her shoulders slumped slightly. She assured herself she was relieved it wasn’t Rhys–but if that was true, why did she feel slightly lost inside?

  “Hey.” She waved her brother inside. “You heading back to Petawawa?”

  He nodded. “Colonel Blackwell is going to smooth things over with my CO. He also said that E.D.G.E. might need a helicopter pilot in the future.”

  She hugged her brother. “That would be amazing.”

  “Well, I’m not finished with CSOR yet,” he said. He shrugged and then blew out a long breath. “Look, I just wanted to say that…I’m sorry for being disappointed in you before.” He shook his head and pointed around him. “I had no idea what you were really doing. I just thought you’d…”

  “Given up?”

  He nodded. “I’m glad to see you didn’t.”

  “I only wish Dad knew, too.”

  “Don’t worry about him,” Dylan said. “He’s proud no matter what you do, even if it’s some fancy-schmancy marketing job that’s too complicated to explain.”

  She laughed. “When will I see you again?”

  “Maybe sooner than you think.” He gave her another hug and went to the door. “And hey, I think Mom would approve of Rhys.”