When he returned, he came directly to her. “I’m taking up lookout at the other exfil. There are three drug soldiers out there from what I can see between those bushes covering our entrance. Two are farther along and a third is hanging back, looking around in another area. They’re trackers. And they’re looking for us.”
“Get your ear piece and radio on,” Ali spoke softly. Again, Ram nodded. She saw the hardness and focus in his eyes, his square jaw set. He was expecting trouble like she was.
“If we have to egress, are you familiar with this area? The best place to run to in case we have to get out of here?” Ram asked.
Grimly, Ali said, “Yes. I know another way down to that meadow where the Black Hawk will land.”
“I wouldn’t lead them there,” Ram warned. “They could follow our tracks and we don’t know how many of them there are. I’m more interested in disappearing into these mountains for the moment.”
“We can do that, too. Just depends upon which way we egress if we’re forced into doing it.”
He placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. “Go to radio click if they start coming too close to your position. I’ll do the same. One click means they’re close. Two clicks mean we egress.”
A shower of safety and protection swirled around Ali over Ram’s unexpected touch and concern. Now, he was all business. An operator. And their lives were on the line. Again. As always. Giving a bare nod, she saw his eyes soften on hers for a split second.
Then, that wonderful, warming look was gone. She lamented its passing, but said nothing further. Talk was out of the question now. Ram had never done this before and it left her unsure of his reasoning. He was still in shock from being shot. And right now, they had at least three drug soldiers, all trackers, trying to locate them. Worse, it was daylight and they would be easily seen if there were others behind these three.
She settled in and remained unmoving, her M4 nearby. The two men on her side of the cave were clearly drug soldiers, their heads bald, smoking cigarettes, wearing tactical vests with mags in it along with the M4 rifles they carried. Just how good as trackers were they?
“This makes no sense,” the black bearded one said.
“What doesn’t?” the clean-shaven one asked, coming up alongside the taller, beefier soldier.
“This isn’t the area they’d go. Those were most likely Norte Americanos who broke into the fortress, not Mexican Marines. They took off. Later, after Miguel discovered the four hostages gone, Don Azarola sent out our ten friends to find and intercept them.”
Snorting, the beardless one muttered, “Oh, they found them all right. Ten of our men dead. These were professionals, not Marines. Besides, the Marine detachment at the village wouldn’t hit and run. They’d amass a company and storm the fortress and try to capture the Don.”
“You’re right. That’s why I think it’s a black-ops group, most likely CIA.” He halted, turned, and pointed back toward the trail. “And if we assume that, Francisco? Then they are long gone. Chances are they put a rear tactical team of a few of their men to wait and kill our soldiers as they came down that trail. All of them were probably picked up by helo transport after they ambushed our men. They wouldn’t hang around here. Why would they? They had the hostages to take care of and get out of here.”
Grunting, Francisco put his hands on his hips, looking in the direction of the trail up on the gentle slope above them. “Then let’s go back.”
“Don Azarola will want a detailed report from us. I think we should go to the trail and continue to follow it down to that meadow. I will bet money that was their infil and exfil point. We’ll find the grass knocked down, indicating a helicopter or two landed there to drop them off and then take them all out of here.”
“I agree. Let’s get the other three guys and head to the meadow.”
Ali began to breathe easier. The two soldiers quickly turned and left, moving toward the trail that was fifteen minutes away from their cave. The soldiers weren’t dumb and she applauded their logic regarding this assault. Drug soldiers were usually mercenaries, having a strong military background. They were not slow or prone to making stupid decisions and mistakes like their drug lord leader. Usually.
She waited another ten minutes but didn’t spot any more activity, and no longer heard male voices. Ali eased out of her position and quietly moved to the other end of the cave. She saw Ram down on one knee, watching out the slit of the opening. Making sure he saw her coming, he lifted his head as she knelt on the opposite side of the slit from him.
“Did all five of them leave?” she asked in a low tone.
“Yes.” He glanced at his watch, lifting the flap. “Ten minutes ago. They’re heading back to the trail to make their way down to the meadow.”
“I think we’re safe, but we need to stay alert. Once they get to the meadow, they’ll see flattened grass from the blades of that Black Hawk and figure out that we were airlifted out of here with the hostages.”
“Yeah, and they’re going to see truck tracks, too, and figure it all out. But they’ll be coming back on the same trail later on.”
Nodding, she said, “You’ve got first eyes on them when they come back this way. I don’t think they’ll wander down here again, but rather, stay on the trail. And we’re too far away to hear voices up on that trail.”
“I’m thinking the same thing. That blue jay warned us of their approach before. But he might not be in this area when the soldiers come back. We each need to remain at our entrance/exits points for the next three to four hours. It looks like there’s going to be another band of rain coming through from that chubasco,” he said, his gaze moving toward the cloudy, restless-looking rainy sky to the west of them.
Ali breathed a sigh of relief. “I agree. How are you feeling, Ram?”
“Much better.” He flashed her a grin. “You have a healing touch, Ali.”
Snorting softly, she said, “It wasn’t that way for a couple of years between us.” His expression grew sad and she was sorry she’d said it. Usually, their acid pattern with one another was just like this. He’d say something innocuous and she’d become a smart mouth—or vice-versa.
Wanting to apologize, she realized her words had cut him. He was being vulnerable with her. Why couldn’t she be that way with him? Mentally cursing herself and her defensiveness, Ali said nothing.
“Well,” Ram said, moving his hand down the rifle, “maybe we’re entering a kinder, gentler time with one another?” He looked deep into her widening eyes.
“That would be nice,” she agreed, still feeling guilty. Ram wasn’t being defensive toward her. He looked concerned, and she knew he was resisting lowering himself to the usual sniping they flung at one another. “I-I prefer peace over war.”
“That makes two of us.” One corner of his mouth curved faintly. “Maybe we’ve grown up and traded our diapers for a pair of panties and skivvies?”
She couldn’t help but smile a little, realizing Ram was making it easy for her to gracefully bow out of her defensiveness. “I always wear my big girl panties, Torres.”
A low rumbling chuckle came out of his chest and he met her wicked looking smile. “You certainly do, Señorita Montero.”
CHAPTER 21
The rain hit the area less than twenty minutes later. Ram sat at his slit and watched the pall become heavier, a thick veil covering the mountainous region. He didn’t feel sorry for any of the bastards who had died under his withering fire. There was evil in the world and he took great pleasure in seeing it eradicated, no matter what form it took. Those drug soldiers had raped many women and children, he had no doubt, and in this very black-and-white world, they didn’t deserve to live to harm any more innocents who couldn’t protect themselves against such violent assaults.
His mind—and yes—his heart, moved gently to Aliyana once more. Just saying her name was like a soft, gentle breeze that calmed his rapid-fire mind. He had PTSD probably just as badly or worse than Ali, and his mind w
as always frantic, looking for threat potentials around him 24/7. Sometimes, like now, that came in real handy because it made him super alert and super intuitive. But other times when he was leading his civilian life in Alexandria, in his office at Artemis Security, it was a nasty constant, which didn’t help him at all. Then, it was an inner war going on inside him, and he tried not to let the prowling PTSD monster out to hurt others around him. It was exhausting for him on some of those days.
If they got out of this fix alive, he wanted to see Ali on a personal basis. Ram swore he could see her interest in him as a man to her woman, but he was unsure how to proceed. Her golden-brown eyes were giving him meaningful looks, and he swore she wanted to know him on a deeper level. If only the past hadn’t put up so daunting a wall between them. She’d fallen back into the old pattern with him just a short time ago, and Ram recognized it and consciously stopped himself from going down that thorny path with her. He didn’t want to hurt Ali. He only wanted to protect her, keep her safe, and get to know her on a peaceful basis to see if there was anything else there between them besides acrimony and great teamwork under pressure.
Rubbing his bearded face that would need a shave when he left this hellhole and got back to civilization, Ram tried to figure out how to let Ali know he was interested in her and wanted to explore how they might have an ongoing and intimate relationship.
But how could he broach the topic with her? Right now, this mission wasn’t helping his cause at all. His mind ticked off all the conversations they could have, as well as his fears of her reaction to his request. Ali would probably look shocked over him wanting to know her personally. Of course, timing was everything . . .
When would they have that kind of lull in their profession, and find a time and place where they could be relaxed and not on guard against tangos and other sinister characters? Ram understood that once Ali got back to that Mexican Marine base, she’d probably stay with her sister, Cara—and that was where she should be. But after that? Would she take a full-time job at Artemis? He knew Cara’s life was now center stage, not the new job waiting for her.
He had no idea what Ali was going to do once they completed this mission. She’d probably walk away from him without a backward glance. Family was important to her and he recognized it as such, trying to minimize his emotional reaction to it. The selfish side of himself wanted her with him at Artemis, not in Tucson, trying to help her sister recover from all of this. Shaking his head, Ram knew he had a lot more growing up to do. Just because he didn’t have a family he ever wanted to see again didn’t mean others felt like him.
He was slated to fly back to Alexandria and rejoin Artemis to become a Senior Mission Analyst again, which would give him downtime to recover from this mission. He’d have his condo in town, Mazzie would always be at the door to greet him when he came home at night, he could go to the gym at the office and work out, have lunch with some of his buddies at a local eatery and catch up on security gossip, since it was such a small world—but, he wanted Ali to be a part of it.
All his wishing did not stop the feeling of loneliness that ate away at him. And the more he was around Ali on this mission, the more Ram realized she was the missing puzzle piece to his life. If only she wanted to explore what they might have. Was it foolish or arrogant to think she’d want him in her life on a personal basis? His mouth twisted. Probably. Ali didn’t suffer fools for two seconds.
So how to approach her? What were the right words to use? Hell, he felt like the proverbial fish out of water trying to figure this one out. Fuck. Ram hated that his social skills were lousy at best. He wasn’t a PC kind of dude. Anything he’d picked up, socially speaking, was after he’d joined the Navy, from his SEAL buddies, and their skills weren’t always softball or particularly diplomatic, either. And he had to have both in order to approach Ali and not trigger their past patterns again.
Now, he wished he had a woman friend he could go to for counsel and suggestions. Women talked to one another. They were great communicators. Men were the complete opposite: close-mouthed, never able to give words to their feelings. Never had he felt more blocked socially than right now. The women he’d had draped all over him were years earlier, when he came back from deployment to Coronado, where his team was stationed. They didn’t want talk, they wanted action. The moment they entered certain bars on the island, it was a given that the women there were seeking out a SEAL to bed. Ram never wanted to go to bed with a woman who wanted to put another notch on her belt, and then brag about it later. There had to be something else to get him to bed a woman, some kind of emotional connection, but he had never delved deeper than that because they were always one-night stands.
He heard Ali approaching and turned his head. She had the sat phone in her hand, a happy expression on her face. Coming next to him, she knelt down one knee, inches separating them.
“I just got done talking to José at the Marine base. All the hostages have been picked up by a US Army Black Hawk and they’re on their way to Davis-Monthan in Tucson. From there, they will be debriefed.” Her voice softened. “José knows my family lives there, so he made a special call to talk with my parents about Cara and her present condition.”
“How is she?” Ram asked.
“She refuses to talk about it. José knows that at least two of the German women were raped in front of her.”
“Those bastards,” Ram growled.
“Yes. It’s horrible. Cara is in shock, which is understandable. My parents are going to pick her up as soon as the debriefing team calls them. They’ll take her home after that.”
Nodding, Ram could see the agony in Ali’s eyes for her sister. “That’s good news, Ali. What about you? As soon as we get out of this situation, will you fly home to them so you can be there for Cara?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice a little emotional, “that’s exactly what I intend to do. I’ll call Wyatt and ask him to delay my coming in to work at Artemis. I’m sure he’ll understand and grant me the time that I need.” She hesitated and then asked. “What about you, Ram? What will you do once we get out of this?”
“Fly back to Artemis, file my report, and become a Mission Analyst again.” He saw something in Ali’s eyes, but damned if he could translate what the hell it was. Frustration tightened his throat. Right now, she was vulnerable with him, not falling into their past pattern with one another. He was almost ready to say something when she spoke.
“Listen, I have a request to make of you.” She held his widening gaze. “If you can take me out of the equation when I tell you this, I’d appreciate it. My parents are begging José to bring you home with me. They know you were the leader of this mission and they really want to thank you for saving Cara’s life. My mom is Native American, and she wants to hold a tribal celebration at the reservation for you. I don’t know how you feel about such things, but our family is a mix of American Indian and Mexican, so we have all sorts of ceremonies, religious and otherwise.” Her voice turned pleading. “I know this is probably an imposition for you, Ram, but could you do it? Not for me, of course, but for Cara and my parents? They are so indebted to you and the others who risked their lives to save their daughter. It would mean so much to them. And I know Cara would like to personally thank you for your part in getting her free.”
Stunned, Ram stared up at her. “Sure,” he managed in a croak, “I can do that for you, Ali. Why wouldn’t I?” He saw her grow sad and then give him an apologetic look.
“I’m finding you aren’t the man I used to know, Ram. There’s more to you than I ever realized. I’m seeing these different sides of you on this mission and I like what I see. That’s why I got up the courage to ask you to consider coming home with me for Cara’s and my parents’ sake. I honestly didn’t expect you to say yes.” She reached out, briefly touching his upper arm. Her voice was unsteady, eyes filling with tears. “Thank you . . . thank you for doing this for them. That means more than you know to me . . . ”
Ram felt all her e
motions toward him in that moment. Being vulnerable meant they could feel and read one another so much better. It rocked his world. “Look, let’s be clear here, okay? I’m doing this for you, too, Ali.” He saw her lips part momentarily, her eyes reflecting surprise in them. Then, he saw a sheen of tears come to them and she quickly swallowed, pushing them away. Her reaction stunned him. Could she have feelings like his? Was she happy that he was going home with her for her, too, and not just as a hero to her parents and sister? Ram didn’t have a clue, feeling like a blind man in a dark room.
“I-I didn’t realize that,” she uttered, giving him a confused look. “I think Wyatt will be okay if you spent a bit of time at my parents’ home in Tucson—don’t you?”
“Yes, I can file my after-action report to Artemis via encrypted software. I don’t have to be in the office to do it.” He saw delight enter Ali’s face, and her cheeks flushed. Or, maybe she was relieved? Happy?
She had seemed startled that he was coming because of her. Well, let it sink in, and maybe she’d start seeing him differently. That was all Ram could hope for.
“I know my parents will insist you stay at their home. We have a guest bedroom. My mother wouldn’t have it any other way. Could you do that? Not stay at a hotel, instead? Please? It would mean so much to all three of them.”
“Well,” he said gruffly, “I’m not much on families, Ali. But I’ll be happy to try if that’s what you want.” Besides, he wanted to be close to Ali, whether she realized it or not. Of course, he wasn’t about to own up to that right now with her. At least, not yet . . . maybe never.
“Really? You’d stay with them? Seriously?”
He heard the shock, right along with the disbelief, and then joy in her low, husky tone. His lips twitched. “Sure, I’d do that for them.”
Trapped (Delos Series Book 7) Page 26