She smiled at him as if he’d just given her a million bucks.
Okay, yeah. That was why. Hell.
“Okay,” he said gruffly, “here’s what we’ve got facing us.” Pulling his phone from his pocket, he clicked on the map. “We’ve got the river in front of us. Just because McCall’s contact said there’s a bridge, we don’t know what kind of condition it’s in. If we go this way, we’ll be at Garcia’s hideout within a couple of hours.” He pointed to another trail. “The safer way is this path that bypasses the river.”
“How much longer would that take?”
“Half a day at least.”
“We’ve got to get there as soon as possible.”
He’d already known what her answer would be. He actually agreed with her, but he didn’t have to like it.
“You’re right. Problem is, with this being the rainy season, even a small stream will probably be gushing like a geyser. The rain we had earlier didn’t help. With a river…who the hell knows?”
“We have to try.”
“I agree.” He huffed a frustrated breath, not liking where this was going but unable to do anything else. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Thirteen
Standing on the edge of the rushing river less than an hour later, Anna was having serious doubts about whether they had made the right decision. One glance at Aidan told her he was having the same thoughts.
“Well, there is a bridge,” Anna said in what was supposed to be a cheerful tone, but the quiver in her voice ruined the intent.
“Calling that a bridge is a serious insult to bridge builders everywhere.”
She couldn’t deny his statement. The bridge was a bunch of slats held up by two thick ropes. Most of the slats were either cracked or rotting. There were several open areas where slats used to be. And while the bridge stretched across to the other side, crossing it was going to take more courage than Anna was sure she possessed. If they didn’t make it across, the only alternative was the gushing, wild river beneath them.
She was a strong swimmer, but even if she survived the fall…at worst, the wild current would bash her body against the rocks. At best, it would carry her miles downstream.
A hand grasped hers and gave a squeeze. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Even though she was terrified, she was grateful he didn’t say they needed to head the long way around. Aidan wouldn’t do this if he didn’t believe they would survive.
“This probably sounds pretty selfish, but I’m glad you’re with me.”
He squeezed her hand again. “I am, too.”
“We’re going to make it, aren’t we?”
“Hell yeah, we’re going to make it.” Turning to face her, he took both her hands in his. “We do this together. I’ll be in front, but you’ll be with me every step. You step where I step. Okay?”
Her mouth suddenly bone-dry, all she could do was nod.
If she thought they would discuss the issue further, she was wrong. Pulling her with him, they took the first step together. The raging river below couldn’t drown out the creaking of the wood as Aidan’s weight pressed down on the first slat.
Her heart pounding so hard the noise from the rushing water almost disappeared, Anna followed Aidan step by step, one hand gripped in his, the other hanging on to his belt.
Aidan took each step as if he were about to step on a land mine. He had faced death more times than he could count, but he didn’t know if he’d ever been more aware of what might happen if he died. Because if he went today, so did Anna. That wasn’t something he planned on happening. This woman, with her courageous spirit, zest for life, and screwy sense of humor, was precious to him. He might not ever be able to tell her that, but he could damn well keep her alive so she could go on existing. The world without Anna Bradford would be a much sadder world.
The drop to the water below was maybe a hundred feet. The fall probably wouldn’t kill them. It was what would happen after the fall that concerned him. It was his responsibility to make sure that didn’t happen.
Even though his focus was on taking each step just right, he was hyperaware of the woman behind him. She clung to his hand and was gripping his belt but wasn’t touching him anywhere else. Even so, he could feel the rigidity of her body as if he held her. She was terrified and trying so damn hard not to show it. When she had given him her hand, she had placed her trust in him. He would not let her down.
Sweat trickled from his forehead into his eyes, and Aidan forced himself to ignore the sting. One misstep was all it would take to turn this into disaster.
They made it to the middle of the bridge without mishap. He wasn’t ready to let out a relieved breath yet, not until they were both back on solid ground, but—
He heard the crack of the wooden slat a second before Anna screamed his name.
Aidan tightened his hand around hers as he whirled around. Her eyes wide with horror, Anna was dangling in the air. She had let go of his belt, and the only thing keeping her from plunging to the rushing river was his grip on her hand.
“Hang on!” Bracing his feet against the rope, Aidan grabbed hold of her forearm with his other hand. “I’m going to pull you up.”
“No!” She glanced down at the water, then back up at him. “You’ll fall, too.”
“No, don’t look down. Look at me, Anna.” Either she didn’t hear him, or she was too frightened to comprehend. He shouted in a harsh, uncompromising voice, “Anna Bradford, look at me. Now, dammit!”
She raised her head and locked eyes with him.
“Bring your other hand up and take hold of my arm.”
Even though it was only seconds, it felt like a millennium before she reached up and grabbed his arm.
“Hang on, baby. Just hang on to me.”
With every ounce of strength within him, straining with all his might, Aidan pulled Anna up. He knew he was probably hurting her, possibly crushing her hand and wrist, but if he loosened his grip, she was gone. Inch by slow inch, he brought her up. He knew she would do everything she could to aid him, but for right now, she could do nothing but hold on.
Jaw clenched tight and muscles screaming with strain, Aidan pulled her up and into his arms. Even though he wanted to hold on to her and celebrate the fact that she wasn’t in the river, neither of them was out of the woods.
“Let’s go.” Without waiting for her consent, he grabbed her hand again and continued their journey.
Torn between sobbing and throwing her guts up, Anna did neither as she followed Aidan’s every step. When they got to the other side, on firm ground, would be soon enough to have a mini breakdown. She would not put Aidan’s life in jeopardy again. He had saved her life and almost lost his own.
The rest of the way passed without incident. The slats held. There were no bobbles, no major swaying of the bridge. Only the slightest of breezes ruffled their hair. Though her heart was still pounding like a terrified rabbit’s, Anna was finally ready to accept that they were both going to make it. Only a few more steps…
Craaack!
Anna jerked her head around. Her heart flew up into her throat. Panic zoomed through her as she watched the bridge begin to collapse behind them.
“Aidan!”
She was flying through the air without a word of warning. Her terrified mind comprehended that Aidan had grabbed her by the waist and literally thrown her onto the bank. She landed with a crash and a roll, barely noticing the jagged rocks that cut into her skin. Whipping around, she faced the stuff of nightmares. The bridge was completely gone.
And so was Aidan.
Chapter Fourteen
“Aidan!”
“Down here!”
Aidan looked up to see Anna peering over the edge of the hill. Her pale face held twin expressions of terror and relief.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” he yelled back. “How about you?”
“I’d be better if you were up here with me. What can I do to help make that
happen?”
Despite the fact that he was clinging to the side of a muddy cliff that was rapidly disintegrating beneath him, he couldn’t help but feel a lift to his heart. Anna Bradford was good to have around in a tight spot.
“You see a sturdy tree close by?”
“Just a sec.”
Anna disappeared from view, and Aidan took a moment to assess his situation. He was maybe twenty feet below her. The footholds he could see looked precarious at best.
Anna reappeared above him. “Yes, I found one not too far away.”
“Great. Take the rope I put in your backpack and tie a knot around the tree. Throw the other end to me. I’ll climb up, and we’ll be set to go.”
He made it sound simpler than it was. If she tied a lousy knot, he was a goner. However, there was no time to give her instructions on tying a proper knot. His feet were sliding out beneath him, and he figured he had maybe a minute or less before he slid down the hill into the river.
Her head had disappeared again, and he couldn’t help but call out to her. “Anna?”
“Hang on! Be right there.”
Half a minute later, she appeared again. “Okay, I’m going to lower the rope down to you.”
When the rope was within a few inches of him, Aidan reached up for it. His foot slipped out from under him, and he started sliding. He grabbed hold of whatever he could find and finally stopped his slide. He looked up and grimaced. Now he was about ten feet farther down than he had been. Fortunately, the rope was a long one. This time, he waited until the end of it was right in front of him before taking hold of it.
“Got it.”
“What next? Want me to hold the rope?”
“No! You’ll rip your hands to pieces. Step back. I’ll be up in no time.”
Praying he was right, he braced himself with his feet and quickly looped the rope around his torso, tying it in a figure eight. Wishing he had a climbing harness was pointless. The instant the rope was secured, he started to climb. Even though Anna continued to peer over the edge, he concentrated on moving one foot in front of the other. It was slow going. For every solid place he put his foot, the next one dissolved beneath him. Jaw clenched with determination, Aidan continued until he reached the top and collapsed onto solid ground.
Breathless, his entire body aching, he glanced over to where Anna sat. Tears were streaming down her face.
“What’s wrong?”
Instead of answering, she rushed toward him, then jerked to a stop within inches of reaching him. “Wait. Are you hurt anywhere? Anything broken or bleeding?”
“I’m fine.”
With that reassurance, Anna threw herself into his arms and held on. He didn’t know which one of them was shaking the most. He only knew he wanted to hold her forever. When she’d almost fallen into the river… A giant ball of lead settled in his gut. He never wanted to go through something like that again. It reminded him way too much of what he’d lost years ago.
Anna pulled away slightly so she could look Aidan over. She was beginning to get her breath back, and her heart rate had slowed some. “Are you sure you’re okay? You probably slammed hard against that mountain side.”
He grimaced a smile. “I think the mud softened the impact.” He sat back farther and started running his hands over her arms and legs. “What about you? Sorry I had to throw you like that, but I didn’t see a choice. You’re sure you didn’t break anything?”
“Bruised and scratched. Nothing broken.” She gave him her brightest smile. When this was all over, she’d allow herself a giant sobfest, but for right now they needed to celebrate a major victory. “We survived.”
“Yeah. We damn well did.” He went to his feet, wincing a little.
“Where do you hurt?”
“It’d be easier to say where I don’t hurt.” He waved away her concern. “Just bruises and scratches, like you. Do you need to take more time to rest?”
She pulled herself to her feet, a little slower than Aidan had. “No. We need to get going.”
He grabbed her arm. “You are hurt. Dammit, don’t give me that cheerful, stoic look. Tell me.”
“I’m not hurt. I just bruised my side a bit when I landed.”
“Show me.”
Flushing a little but knowing that if she didn’t show him, he wouldn’t hesitate to roam his hands all over her until he found what he was looking for. Anna ignored the enticing thought of him doing just that. This was so not the time to think about things like that. She lifted her shirt on her right side.
“Holy hell, Anna,” Aidan breathed. His hand gently ran down her side, from beneath her armpit to her waistband. “Pull down your pants. I want to see your hip.”
“It’s fine, Aidan. I—”
The uncompromising look he gave her said she was wasting time and breath by protesting.
“Fine.” She unzipped her pants and lowered them, along with her panties, to show him her hip.
His fingers probed gently, looking for broken bones.
“Take a deep breath and let it out.”
She did as he asked.
“Any sharp pains?”
“No. If I were hurt, I promise I would tell you, Aidan. Nothing’s broken, fractured, or even bleeding. Just some bruising.”
His fingers stayed on her skin for several more seconds. She wondered if he even knew his touch had gone from probing to caressing. The expression on his face had changed from concern to something dark and sensual. Anna couldn’t prevent the shudder of desire that went through her. After everything they’d gone through today, the need to lose herself for a few minutes in his arms was almost overwhelming, but they had no time to spare.
As if he abruptly realized that, too, Aidan stepped back. “I agree. Bruising but nothing broken.”
His cool tone told her he was back in control. She watched him go over to the tree where she’d tied the rope. He stooped down to release the knot and sent her an astonished look. “That’s a perfect bowline knot. Where’d you learn how to do that?”
Feeling a little deflated at the return of his coolness, Anna wanted to lie and tell him she’d dated a really hot Eagle Scout who used to tie her up and do wicked things to her. Since that sounded as convincing as telling him she was an Olympic knot-tying champ, she told him the glum truth. “YouTube.”
Though his mouth twitched slightly, as though he wanted to smile, he simply nodded and untied the knot. He walked over, put the rope in her backpack, and said, “Let’s go.”
Chapter Fifteen
It was almost pitch dark by the time they made it to the compound. Aidan knew they needed to rest. Anna had stumbled several times in the last hour, and it was all he could do not to give in and let her take a few minutes break. It was too dangerous. He couldn’t risk using a flashlight in case there were lookouts guarding the perimeter. And knowing what he did about Garcia, he wouldn’t put it past him to have set up booby-traps. The entire family was paranoid, for good reason, but living in a fortress on his own mountain, the youngest Garcia had taken it a step further.
Besides, walking in the jungle at night was just asking for disaster.
If he had suggested a rest, he already knew what Anna’s answer would have been. In both the military and LCR, he’d worked alongside some of the toughest, gutsiest women he’d ever met. Anna was right up there with them. And she didn’t have the training or the experience others had gone through. Much of her toughness came from sheer bravado and a good heart.
Aidan knew he was getting into seriously dangerous territory with her. Once this was over, and everyone was safe and home, he’d have to back away completely from Anna. Putting her at risk any more than he already had wasn’t something he could continue to do.
“Let’s stop here.” Aidan spoke in low, quiet tones. They were maybe seventy-five yards from the fence that surrounded the compound. Julio hadn’t gone for aesthetics. The fence was a twelve-foot chain-link monster with barbwire at the top. Was it to keep people out or to prevent t
hem from leaving?
“I don’t see anyone,” Anna said softly. “Do you?”
Using his night vision binoculars, Aidan scanned the area once more. “Not a soul. Place looks deserted.”
Dropping his backpack on the ground, Aidan stooped down and pulled out a device he had never had cause to purchase before. Standing, he handed it to Anna. “You know what this is?”
She took it from him without hesitation. “Sure. It’s a bra holster. I have a similar one at home.”
He refused to even let his imagination wander down that path. He nodded his approval and bent down to pull a secondary weapon from his ankle holster. As he handed it to her, his eyes carefully assessed her facial expression. He’d given it to her to hold in Cali, but the situation had been much less volatile. There was a real possibility that she’d have to use it this time. If she cringed or acted the least bit uncertain, he wouldn’t give her the weapon.
Instead of appearing frightened, her face lightened. “Thank you. I was feeling decidedly naked.”
Nope. He wasn’t going there either.
“They’ll expect me to be armed. They might suspect you are, too, but I’ll deal with that when the time comes.”
He wasn’t surprised when she flushed slightly and turned away. He busied himself with checking his own weapons. When she turned, there was no indication that she had a weapon anywhere on her body.
Pulling his phone from his pocket, Aidan viewed the satellite map of the compound that McCall had texted him. He pointed to the northwest corner. “This is where we are.” His finger moved up the screen an inch. “From talking with Carrie, I think she’s here.”
“Are we going to—”
Before she could finish the question, Anna’s cellphone buzzed. She checked the screen and handed the phone to Aidan. “It’s Carrie.”
Aidan held the phone to his ear. “Are you all right?”
Sounding considerably wearier than she had a few hours ago, she said, “It’s bad, Aidan. I’ve lost two more men. Two others won’t make it till morning. Two additional men are sick.”
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