by D'Ann Lindun
He didn’t need to explain. Coltraine knew all too well what could happen to a woman in the line of fire. He blinked away the sudden image of Lauren’s beautiful face, bloodied and battered. And what they had done to her body— A shudder ran up and down his back. “He’s right. Miss Savedra and Miss Baines, you go back—”
“No,” they said in unison.
Andy lifted her chin and glared at him. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m not either,” Gabriella declared.
“You’re not soldiers,” he said through gritted teeth. “Unqualified to deal with this kind of thing.”
“You have no idea what I can deal with,” Andy shot back. “And you’re right, I’m not a soldier, and I’m not under your command. This is my team. Not yours.” She hefted her rifle. “Besides, I can outshoot most people.”
He opened his mouth to argue, then snapped it shut. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You can’t outshoot snipers, Andy,” Painter said from her elbow. “And what these guys will do to a woman is horrific.”
Gabriella’s face paled. But she held her ground. “I can shoot, too.”
“Can you kill a man if it comes to that?” Coltraine didn’t pull punches. He wanted these women safe. Lauren had thought she could face down terrorists, too. She’d been wrong. Dead wrong.
They nodded.
He doubted it, but he couldn’t bodily put them on their horses and make them leave. Well, he could put them on the horses…making them leave was another story. “Fine, he muttered. “You win. Who takes the body back?”
“No one can move him,” Andy said. “Until the coroner has examined him.”
“We can’t risk more people traipsing around,” Coltraine said. This time he wasn’t backing down. The more civilians moving around, the more he had to try and protect.
Andy bit her bottom lip, considering. Then she nodded. “We’ll inform him when we come back.”
“Does everyone have a weapon? And know how to use it?” Coltraine asked.
Everyone but Mooney nodded.
“You don’t carry?
He shook his head. “No. I’m a peaceful kinda guy.”
Coltraine had no doubt about that. From the top of Mooney’s dredlock covered head to his boots, the guy screamed a granola-munching, tree-hugging, sit-in type that hated everything Coltraine stood for.
What he wouldn’t give for his guys—men he knew he could trust with his life. Instead, he was stuck with a group he didn’t know and didn’t particularly care for. Who knew how they would react if shit got real? Probably fall apart at the slightest provocation. He kept his doubts to himself. “We better move.”
“I’m not going any farther,” Mooney declared. “I didn’t sign up for this. A rescue, sure. But not being shot at by insurgents.”
“I can’t spare you,” Andy said. “There might be multiple injuries or deaths. I need every hand.”
Mooney shook his head until his dreds flew around his face. “Sorry, Andy. I’m out.”
“You’re in more danger going back alone and unarmed than staying with your team,” Coltraine said.
“He’s right,” Painter said. “You need to stick with us where you’re protected.”
Mooney looked between them with a half-wild look. “Okay, but if anyone tries to cut off my head, it’s on you guys.”
“Duly noted.” Coltraine turned away to hide his disgust. Shit hadn’t even gotten real yet, and the pussy wanted to bail. The women were stronger than that little prick.
He scouted the perimeter of the meadow for tracks but saw none. The SAR group and their horses had churned up the snow too badly to see which direction the shooter had gone.
~*~
Andy’s nerves were on edge as her team rode away from the cabin. She knew this was no ordinary mission, but terrorists and murder? Mooney had a point as much as she hated to admit it. They were SAR, not SEALs. This was way more than she’d bargained for. But Mick had put her in charge, placed his trust in her. She had to see this through. Most importantly, she had to bring everyone home safely.
Another failure was not an option.
She touched the butt of her rifle for reassurance. If she could get off a clear shot, she was certain she could defend herself. But if a killer lurked in the trees, not so easy to do. Her scalp tightened and she glanced around. Pine trees covered in snow, a gray sky. Not the prettiest day in the mountains, but she’d seen worse.
The night Margot died…
Instantly, she turned off that train of thought. She couldn’t dwell on that terrible event, especially not today. She needed to concentrate on the task ahead and nothing else.
The horses moved quietly, especially for so many. Andy wondered if this is what it had been like in a past era…a member of the cavalry or a Native American attempting to evade the enemy.
Her thoughts turned to the SEAL with the ice cold eyes and the granite jaw. She assumed this kind of situation was commonplace for him. How did he cope with the stress so calmly? Her stomach was as jumpy as a frog in a pond and her heart pounded so hard it hurt.
Where were the men who had killed the guy in the cabin? Were they ahead, waiting to ambush them? Or were they hurrying, attempting to get to the sheikha and her people first?
A snowshoe hare jumped out of hiding and raced across the trail in front of Andy’s gelding, making him throw up his head and snort. She laid a reassuring hand on his neck. “It’s okay, boy.”
She wasn’t sure if her words were more for the horse, or her. Her skin tingled with nerves and her heart raced. Although she had assured Coltraine she could shoot at the enemy, she wasn’t sure aiming at someone with killing them in mind would be all that easy to do.
Her job was saving lives, not taking them.
Not according to Gabrielle. In her mind, Andy had taken Margot’s life as sure as if she had aimed a gun at her and pulled the trigger.
She hadn’t, of course. She’d made the decision that felt right at the time. Not moving the sick woman in a blizzard seemed to be the only option. Staying on the mountain until morning light had seemed the right move. To wait out the snowstorm and not try and navigate the treacherous terrain in the dark. How was she to know that by doing so she would cost Margot her life? That the woman would die because a pulmonary embolism had not been immediately apparent.
Maybe Andy should have listened to Gabrielle, who argued against spending the night on the mountain. Andy had disagreed, feeling that doing so would not only endanger Margot but the entire team.
She still thought so.
She prayed she wouldn’t make another call that turned out bad.
Was making Mooney stay with them when he was afraid a blunder? Should she have let him leave the safety of the group? Andy hated second guessing herself like this.
She reined in to let the horses blow and looked around. The forest, which she normally felt at home in and loved, felt ominous. Dangerous and dark.
Coltraine, who had been bringing up the rear, rode alongside her. “Everything okay?”
She nodded. “Just letting the horses catch their breath. We’re well over ten thousand feet here. The snow’s getting deep. We’ll have to leave them soon and snowshoe.”
“You did the right thing making Mooney stay with you,” he said in a low tone. “Anyone alone is a sitting duck.”
She gave him a startled glance. Was her indecision that obvious? “Yeah?”
“I’ve been there,” he said. “Doubting myself even though I know I made the right choice at the time.”
“I find that hard to believe,” she said.
A cloud flitted across his eyes before he shuttered them. “It’s true.”
Andy wondered if a ghost haunted him like Margot’s did her. Probably. A Navy SEAL had probably seen more death and destruction than she could imagine. How did he live with it? As a trained therapist, she should’ve been better prepared for the aftermath of Margot’s death, but the guilt nearly destroyed her.
&n
bsp; “We have to get this woman out alive.” Desperation colored her voice, and she tempered it. “And everyone else, too.”
He gave her a sharp look. “I agree.”
“Let’s do it.” She lifted her reins and called to the packhorses before Coltraine could ask any questions. He waited to fall in line again, and for a minute, Andy wished he’d dropped in behind her instead.
She shook that thought off soon as it crossed her mind. Relying on him, or anyone else would only make her vulnerable. Counting on herself was best.
The snow had deepened, making it difficult for the horses. Andy’s gelding was sweaty, struggling against the knee-deep drifts. She wasn’t sure the horses would make it to the second cabin. She halted and looked over her shoulder. “Gabriella, Scribbles needs a break. You and Noir take the lead for a while.”
“Okay.” She moved her big Friesian to the front of the line.
“Be careful,” Andy told her. “It’s deep.”
“I know my job” Gabriella’s tone was frosty.
Andy wished the other woman had stayed home, although she was right—she knew her job better than most. “I know you do. Just reminding you to be on high alert.”
Gabriella sniffed. “I doubt anyone will try anything. There are too many of us, and besides, we’re American citizens. The dead guy was Mid-Eastern.”
Andy stared at her in disbelief. “You think that makes a difference? Coltraine says these guys are dangerous to all of us…”
“He would. He’s a SEAL. They think the whole world wants to kill Americans.”
“I think he’d know,” Andy shot back.
“Believe what you want.”
Arguing wasn’t getting them anywhere. Andy pointed. “Just go. Please.”
Gabriella snapped her mouth shut and reined her black horse away. “Fine.”
Andy couldn’t believe Gabriella’s naiveté. She was certain the SEAL had a better idea of the enemy’s intentions that Gabriella did. Was she deliberately sticking her head in the snow in an attempt to hide her anxiety?
Andy was scared spitless.
Her entire body vibrated with terror. She’d seen the news; the things ISIS did to their enemies. Public beheadings. Torture. Rape. Stoning women to death. Throwing homosexuals from buildings.
How did men like Coltraine face it all the time? Did they become immune, or just numb? Mooney had expressed his worry. Were the others frightened, too? Just hiding it in front of the SEAL? Frank probably was. He’d seen enough in his lifetime to know everything wasn’t love and joy and peace.
And, Howler?
He was too arrogant to admit to a silly emotion like fear. He thought he could charm his way out of any situation, and he was usually right. But she doubted insurgents would be impressed by his handsome face and disarming smile.
They’d probably kill him first.
God knows a lot of women would like to murder him, Andy included. Somehow, she didn’t care as much since she’d met the SEAL.
Odd.
Because she had zero interest in a man who might not come home alive every time he left for work.
CHAPTER FIVE
Late afternoon sun had fallen over the mountains by the time they reached the second cabin. Nestled in a grove of pine trees, with a small three-sided shed and corral, it was a great spot to rest.
Before they reached it, Andy had told Coltraine they were near, and he had gone ahead to scout for the enemy. He found no one, dead or alive.
The snow had reached the horse’s knees, and all of them were tired, with heads hanging. Andy slid off Scribbles’ back and patted his damp neck. “Good job, boy.”
Around her, the team had begun pulling saddles off their horses. They had been here before and knew the snow would be too deep from this point on to ride. “There are pellets for them in the panniers on Wildflower,” Andy called. “Give each horse a ration before you turn them loose.”
After she unsaddled Scribbles, she turned to the first packhorse and after undoing the straps, hefted the heavy left pannier. To her surprise, someone helped lift it. Coltraine. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Thanks.”
“Not a problem.” He moved to the right side and removed the heavy canvas carrier. “Where do you want these?”
“These are our gear, so inside the cabin,” she said.
Without comment, he carried the pannier toward the structure. In a moment, Howler appeared at her side and took the other one. “I got this.”
She shot him a surprised look. He’d never helped her before. “Okay.”
“Can’t have that SEAL making the rest of us look bad,” he grunted as he lifted the pannier.
Andy hid a grin. The guy was so jealous. He always had to be the star of the show. “Right.”
She moved to the next horse and began undoing straps when Coltraine reappeared. “I got this.”
“Thanks.”
Not to be outdone, Howler carried the second one inside. Gabriella and Painter had fed the horses and stowed the tack on a saddle rack inside the small shed built there for that purpose. Together, they released the horses in the corral.
Someone had built a fire in the cabin, and Andy removed her coat and gloves, holding her hands over the potbellied stove. “That feels good.” She looked around. “Where’s Mooney?”
Silence fell over the room.
“Nature call?” Painter suggested.
“When is the last time someone saw him?” Andy asked.
“Dismounting, along with the rest of us,” Gabriella said. “But I didn’t see him un-tack his horse, or turn him loose.”
“Is the horse here?” Andy moved toward the door, pulling on her coat and gloves as she went. “I’ll check.”
“I’m coming with you,” Coltraine said.
The sorrel horse Mooney had ridden was in the corral with the others. Andy and Coltraine walked to the trail they had followed to the cabin, and there, clearly in the new snow, was a set of tracks leading away from the cabin.
Andy pointed them out. “Looks like he decided to hike out of here.”
“Damn,” Coltraine muttered. “Hope he makes it.”
“Should we go after him?” Andy took a step that way, and Coltraine grabbed her arm, spinning her around.
“Let him go.” Coltraine sounded grim. “He was warned to stay close.”
“I won’t forgive myself if something happens to him.” Neither would anyone else.
“This isn’t on you,” Coltraine said. “Mooney has no one to blame but himself if hell rains down on him.”
Andy knew he was right, but it didn’t ease her guilt. “I guess.”
“There are people who need us and are counting on us getting them to safety. Concentrate on them,” Coltraine advised. “Not a pussy who runs out before shit even gets hot.”
She gave a stiff nod. “All right.”
Together, they walked back inside where Andy gave the others the news. “Mooney took off on foot toward home.”
“Dumbass,” Painter muttered.
“Hopefully, he’ll be safe going toward town,” Coltraine said. “But we can’t worry about him right now.”
“That’s pretty cold.” Howler gave a derisive sniff. “He could die—”
“Brought on only by himself,” Coltraine said.
The group fell silent, absorbing his harsh words.
Andy broke the uncomfortable silence. “We need to move. We have to get to the top of the mountain by dark. It’s 2:00 o’clock now; it’ll be dark on the peak by 4:30.”
With efficient, practiced moves, the group had their snowshoes strapped on and backpacks loaded with food and medical supplies in a matter of minutes.
Andy strapped her rifle scabbard across her chest, giving it a last pat for reassurance. “Let’s ride, team.”
“Speaking of riding, what do we do with the horses?” Coltraine asked.
“They’ll wait here until we return,” Andy told him. “It’s not ideal for them, but I can
’t spare anyone to stay.” Coltraine’s frown scared her. “What?”
He looked at something in his hand. “Nothing.”
She didn’t believe him but dropped the subject for now. There were too many other things to think about.
This time, Howler took the lead, Gabriella, Frank and Andy behind him. Coltraine brought up the rear. Moving single file, they slipped away from the cabin and into the forest like a row of ghosts. Even their clothing was ghost-like. Coltraine had given them each a set of white camo to wear, making them resemble the white trunks of the quaking aspen trees.
~*~
As they made their way through the silent forest, Coltraine glanced at his gloved fingertips again. They were stained dark red. Blood. He’d found it a few dozen yards from the cabin, on the trail leading back the way they’d come. There hadn’t been a lot, just enough to let him know someone, or something, was injured.
Mooney?
Had he hurt himself during his sneaky departure? Or had the insurgents done him in? No way to know and Coltraine didn’t have time to find out right now. If the kid had stayed with his team, he would’ve been protected. There was safety in numbers, but alone he was a sitting duck.
Numbers hadn’t saved Lauren.
A gorgeous blonde, she’d been a combat medic in Afghanistan. Proud of her work to attend soldiers injured in battle, she was brave beyond words. She often put her life in danger to save someone.
When Lauren’s unit was wiped out in a firefight, her and another female medic had been captured. Both were being held in a secret compound, held for ransom. Since the U.S. government didn’t negotiate with terrorists, the insurgents threatened to murder the women and televise their deaths.
Coltraine’s squad was chosen to rescue the prisoners.
His men got to the ladies, freed them. Both had been beaten, tortured. They’d had little to eat, were weak and unable to walk. Coltraine slung Lauren over his shoulders, one of his men had Natalie…the rescue chopper was notified.
Then they were spotted…
Gunfire erupted all around them.
“Fuck,” one of the men shouted.
“Cover me.” Coltraine ducked and weaved toward the waiting Black Hawk.