“Not me. I didn’t take it.”
Jared gave a tug on her hair again. “Of course not, you were too busy trying to get me naked. Miss Kay’s boys, though, where did they stash it?”
“I don’t know. I have no idea. I swear.” She shook her head fervently, and he wound her hair around his fist, holding her immobile.
“Just like you swear you didn’t set me up?” The rage beat at him, battering down his logic. The need to punish her rose fast and hot. He pushed her away from him, knowing the more he touched her, the closer he was to losing control.
“I know you don’t believe me, but I had nothing to do with what happened to your brother. I could never hurt anybody like that.”
” If you don’t want me to gag you again, you’ll shut your mouth right now. I’ll never believe another word you say.” She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she wisely chose to close her mouth. Good.
Focus. Think. He had to get as much distance between them and the Crowes as possible. Jared unzipped his duffel, grabbed his sat phone, and dialed headquarters. Merc, Task Force Scorpion’s deadliest assassin, answered. “Where the fuck have you been?”
Shit. They were probably pissed. “No time. Need an evac pronto.”
“Where?” His team might want to grill his ass when he got home, but they were efficient at their job, and Jared knew Merc would recognize that he meant business.
“Hold for location.” Jared quickly ripped the topographic map out of his bag and shined a small flashlight, locating the nearest feasible extraction point. After communicating the coordinates, Jared added, “Merc, make sure Aaron brings his medical kit. I also want the Doc prepped and ready to go as soon as we get back to Mercy.”
“What the fuck happened? Are you hurt?”
“Not me. Hoyt.”
The line went silent for a second then Merc asked, his voice deadly, “Who did it?”
Jared’s gaze cut to Sparrow, who had sunk down to the ground and pulled her knees to her chest. With her forehead resting on her arms like that, she looked for all the world like a lost little girl. “Don’t worry, I’ve got her. Just get here ASAP.”
“Her?”
“Hurry.”
“Okay, ETA twelve hours. Extraction Hoyt Romeo. We’ll chopper in as close as we can, then send a boat to bring you back to the chopper. I’ll have the medical team ready and waiting for your arrival back at the compound.”
“Roger.” Jared hung up the phone and stared at his captive. The sympathy he felt for her only pissed him off more.
“Get up. We have to move.”
“Where?”
“Why do you care? Get the bag.” Jared squatted down next to his brother and did a quick check. Hoyt’s breathing was shallow, his pulse was weak and rapid, and his blond hair was drenched in sweat.
“I know this mountain better than anybody. They’ll track us. We have to move fast.”
“Isn’t that what you want?” Jared snarled.
13
The damn man was infuriating. Hardheaded. And what she wouldn’t give to place a well-aimed kick to his butt. But her muscles lagged in fatigue, so much so that the bag nearly dragged on the ground in front of her. She kicked it with each step, not on purpose, but because she didn’t have the strength to heft it further up.
They stayed as close to the river as possible, using the moon to light the way. How had she ended up in this mess? And why had Jimbo said that about her? Why had he even known to say it? Thoughts swirled in a confusing tornado. Jimbo had known the real reason she had brought Jared to the cabin.
No one had told her about the brother.
A knot of fear started to grow in her belly. The more she thought about it, the more she knew they’d set her up. Used her to lull Jared into a sense of safety so they could ambush him. No way Miss Kay was involved. If she’d known, Jared and Hoyt would already be stiff in the dirt. But Jimbo, she could definitely see Jimbo pulling something like this. Only his plan backfired. Her stupid older stepbrother hadn’t counted on the sheer power possessed by Jared Crowe. The attack he’d made on Jimbo had been so fast and brutal and efficient.
But the gentleness he’d used with his brother was the exact opposite. And her skin would never forget the sensation of his soft caresses. He was a man of extremes, Jared Crowe.
God, she really was like her mother. She needed to get her head on straight. Focus on the situation and not on her confusing feelings for Jared.
She couldn’t abandon them yet, not until she knew they were safe. From the conversation she’d overheard, it sounded like they just had to make it through until the morning. Jared kept a fast pace heading downriver, which meant they were moving south.
An area Sparrow knew well. She had hunted and trapped here her whole life with Squirrel. She knew the ravines, the valleys, the steep climbs and eddies. The small caves where critters like to hide.
Ravines. Sparrow ground to a halt. “Stop.”
Jared kept walking like she hadn’t spoken at all. Sparrow dug her heels in and leaned backwards as far she could, resisting his momentum with all her might. “You’ve got to stop now and head east.”
“East?”
Resisting the urge to stomp her foot, Sparrow said, “If you continue south along the river, you’re going to hit a huge ravine and a drop off so steep there’s no way you can cross it. Then you’re gonna have to walk up the whole length of the ravine to go around it. You might not lose a day, but you’ll definitely lose a few hours.”
Jared studied her, his expression inscrutable. His brother moaned and shifted in his arms, still unconscious.
“Look, I know you don’t believe me. I guess I wouldn’t trust me either right now. But I swear, if you don’t cut back east, you’re going to lose hours. And he ain’t got that many hours of travel left in him.”
“Shit.” Jared bit out the curse.
“Either way, we’re still heading away from the Crowes. My way is faster.”
His silence stretched out, grating along Sparrow’s nerves. Finally he spoke, “All right. You take lead, but I swear to God…”
“I know. You’ll slit my throat and kill everyone I know.” She tried to make light of the situation, but her attempt sounded pathetic even to her own ears.
A cold wind rushed across the river and swept up the side of the mountain and she couldn’t help the shiver. She was dressed for midday August heat, not the crisp fall night air. But she wasn’t going to give Jared even a moment to second-guess her idea. They took off once more, this time with Sparrow in the lead.
She did her best to keep the pace up, traveling the dark woods by memory. The farther away from the river they went, the thicker the big cedar and pine trees grew together. The dry sound of crunching leaves disappeared into the soft swish of old pine needles underfoot.
What she wouldn’t give to be able to fall back behind them and cover their tracks, but the added luggage and added weight made it impossible. Their best hope was to get as far as possible before Jimbo had the chance to wake up and alert his brothers. Even if Miss Kay was somehow ignorant of his doings, Bob always followed Jimbo’s lead.
They finally made it to the ravine that was spanned by an old rope bridge. Sparrow had made the crossing many times, but she’d always been alone. Now she had two full-grown men on her tail and a heavy duffle bag to weigh her down.
“You’ve got to cut the rope.” Sparrow said. They’d never make it if all three of them went across together.
“Not a chance.”
“This here ravine is nearly a hundred feet deep. That bridge was built when Squirrel was a little boy. You really think it can support all our weight at once?”
“You better pray it does. Cause I’m not cutting the rope.”
Sparrow stepped closer to the edge and peered down into the deep dark hole. Moonlight was filtering through the trees in a speckled pattern, but she could just barely make out the bottom. Dread weighed heavy in her stomach. If they fell, the
y would all be dead.
“You’re not making any sense. We’re doing this to save your brother. If we all go across together, we will all die.”
“And if you hadn’t done this to my brother, none of us would be here in the first place.”
A shiver worked down her body and it had nothing to do with the rickety bridge of death.
She weighed her options. There was a slim possibility of getting to her knife and cutting through the lead rope before Jared could stop her. His brother would slow him down, and if luck was on her side, she might make it across the bridge and escape. But she’d seen the speed with which Jared had moved against Jimbo.
“You’re being stubborn.” Sparrow eased one toe out onto the first wood plank and slowly leaned forward, carefully distributing her weight. Then she stepped fully onto the plank, tensing as she waited for the whole thing to collapse. Nothing. The bridge held.
But it had always held her. Her heartbeat sped to triple time. She only had a couple feet before Jared would be on the bridge too. And his brother. Sparrow glanced back and nearly screamed. He was standing right behind her. “What are you doing? Back up!”
Maybe if they stayed spaced out far enough…
“No way. For all I know, this is another one of your set ups.”
“Set up, my ass. You’re going to kill us.”
“As long as you die too, I’ll be happy.”
God, she had to get away from him. Without picking up her foot, Sparrow slid forward onto the next plank. And then the next, repeating the process until she was about five or six planks out and the lead rope was pulled tight. The bridge shifted and she knew without looking that Jared had stepped onto it.
Sparrow sent up a prayer and grabbed the rails. She was shaking now, whether from the cold or fear, she didn’t know. Probably it was both.
“Are you going to move or just stand here all night?”
Sparrow jumped and then chastised herself. The last thing this old bridge needed was her leaping around on it like a bunny. But Jared’s voice had been so close she swore she felt his hot breath on the back of her neck.
Too scared to turn back and look, she began inching her way forward once more, barely lifting her foot enough to slide it onto the next plank. And the next. And the next.
The bridge screeched, long and loud, protesting the weight. Fear snaked up her legs. They were straight over the middle of the deepest part of the ravine.
Keep moving. Keep moving. Keep moving. Sparrow chanted the mantra over and over in her mind as she continued forward. Over halfway there. They were still in the air. Closer now. Just a couple of feet left.
Then she heard it. A loud crack followed by a whoosh and the sound of rope snapping.
“Move!” Jared shouted and Sparrow took off, gaining momentum even as she felt the ground dropping out form under her. With a last burst of adrenaline, she landed on the other side, panting and scrambling for secure footing.
She heard a grunt and then turned to see Jared perched on the edge of the drop off, his heels hanging over air, his toes on solid ground. Sparrow sucked in a breath and pulled with all her might, yanking him toward her.
*
Jared kept his expression carefully blank and glanced over his shoulder into the dark and seemingly bottomless ravine. That had been close. Too close.
He was letting his emotions control his actions—something he’d never done. And something that would result in their death if he didn’t get his head on straight. But he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit his mistake to Sparrow. “See, told you we’d make it.”
Aggravation twisted her lovely features. “We almost died.”
“Almost doesn’t count.”
She let out a frustrated little shriek and stomped her foot. And for some reason, Jared found that movement incredibly amusing and sexy. When she stomped her foot, her breasts bounced up and down, bare beneath the white shirt. Suddenly the memory of her taste assaulted his senses.
“You’re crazy. We could’ve died.”
“It’s all part of the plan, sweetheart. Now Miss Kay’s boys won’t be able to follow us so easy, will they?” That had totally not even crossed his mind, but again, he liked to play his cards close.
Even closer after she’d saved his life. If Jared had been on the other end of that rope, he’d have cut it in a split second. But she’d saved him…again. Confusion painted his mind and filled his blood. Why couldn’t she just be evil? She would be so much easier to hate, but with every passing hour he found more and more reasons to doubt his hasty judgment of guilt.
“If our bodies were at the bottom of that gorge, no one would find us either.”
Jared shrugged, unable to combat that truth. Regardless, they had made it. Now they had to find shelter for the night. His arms were fast giving out and even though her chin was tilted at a defiant angle, the wariness etched into Sparrow’s features was undeniable.
The fastest option would be to hug the river and set up somewhere closer to their extraction point. But Hoyt needed protection from the elements. His skin was hot to the touch and Jared’s arms were drenched in sweat. He needed antibiotics and his wounds cleaned before he caught an infection. An infection that could kill him. “Head back to the river and look for shelter.”
Sparrow dropped the bag and glared at him. “No. Not until you promise you won’t do anything so foolish again.”
Jared took an intimidating step, “Did you forget our little deal? You obey me without question.”
The girl didn’t even falter. “Yeah, I know. But it’s awfully hard to obey you when you’re acting like an idiot.”
“An idiot, am I?” She couldn’t be much more than five feet tall and about a buck ten soaking wet, and yet she continuously proved that she wasn’t really scared of him.
“What’s your suggestion?”
“I know of a small cave not far from here. It’s close to the river, well hidden. And I know for a fact Miss Kay’s boys don’t know about it.”
“And how do you know that?”
Sparrow looked away. “Because it’s where I used to hide from them.”
Jared swallowed the sharp spike of sympathy. She might’ve had a rough upbringing, but that didn’t change the fact that she’d nearly killed his brother. Hadn’t she? “Show me.”
She nodded and headed straight south, away from the ravine. The mountain sloped steeply upward, and Jared’s calf muscles burned and screamed in protest. He forced himself to ignore the pain and continue. It wasn’t his life that was at stake—it was his brother’s.
The ground leveled out slightly and Sparrow hung a right, curving around the side of the mountain.
“This is it.” Sparrow stopped by a group of tall bushes and Jared looked around.
“I thought you said there was a cave.”
Sparrow grinned, “I did. It’s right here.” Then she turned sideways and sliced her hand into the bushes, pulling them back to reveal a small cave, about as tall as Jared’s chest.
“All kinds of critters like to hide out in here, mostly raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, no big deal. It’s too small for the bear to get in here, but we can fit just fine.”
This was perfect, but was it too perfect? “And who else knows about this cave?”
“No one. Not even Squirrel. This is my own place.”
The cave was situated three quarters of the way up the mountain, well hidden, its small opening perfect for defense against intruders. He couldn’t have picked a better spot himself. “I guess it will have to do for tonight.”
Her expression of pride fell, but he ruthlessly ignored her and turned into the cave, clutching his brother, careful not to squeeze too tight as he bent at the waist and entered the cave. The pull on the lead rope gave Sparrow no choice but to follow him.
The cave narrowed, then widened out, the ceiling opening up enough so that he could stand fully. The small cavern made about a ten by ten room and stood just over six feet tall. There was no back exit. Ye
s, it was a good spot.
As gently as possible, he knelt on the ground and laid Hoyt on his stomach, carefully turning his head to the side so the cut on his cheek faced up. Hoyt moaned, and the sound sent an immediate rush of helpless anger through Jared.
“We can build a fire, give you some light to get him warmed up.” Sparrow offered. Jared glanced up but couldn’t make out her features in the darkness.
“No fire. Bring me the bag.”
She shuffled over to him and place the bag to his right. Jared opened it and searched inside for his chem lights and headlamp. When he found the chem lights, he shook them until they lit up, filling the cave with a warm green glow. Next he snapped the head light on and shined it inside his bag, pulling out his medical kit and a blanket.
He stretched the blanket out on the ground and shifted his brother onto it. The sight of Hoyt’s hollowed out cheeks, scruffy beard, and sweat-drenched hair made his heart hurt. Jared checked his pulse to find it racing.
He was malnourished and abused. Could Sparrow really have been responsible for these horrible injuries? A mass of conflicting emotions swirled out of control in his mind, making it impossible for him to focus. Jared peeled Hoyt’s shirt back with shaking hands, revealing the mangled mess of his brother’s back inch by inch, the urge to roar with fury growing each second. Pieces of Jared’s skin had stuck to the shirt and he had to peel each one off individually. By the time he was through, Jared was a shaking mass of wrath.
“Can I help?” Sparrow knelt at his side, her voice gentle.
Jared stared at her, unable to determine what to say or do. Snap the fuck out of it.
“Stay away from him.” Jared rolled Hoyt to his side, his alarm growing when he spied the hundreds of small cuts crisscrossing his torso and abdomen. They weren’t as deep as the wounds on his back, but half of them oozed pus and blood. Rage like he’d never known overwhelmed him.
It was her. Her brother said it was…and she brought me right to that cabin. And now she had the audacity to gasp like she was horrified at the sight. But that didn’t matter now. Jared didn’t matter. Sparrow didn’t matter. All that mattered was Hoyt.
Reckless River: Men of Mercy, Book 3 Page 11