Carmen’s voice was a whisper. “I don’t know. I had to escape. I’m on the run.”
“How did you get away?”
“They tied me up and tossed me in a truck. The ride was so bumpy, I worked the knots loose and then I jumped out. They didn’t even realize I was gone. The truck kept on going. They didn’t realize I had my cell phone, but I haven’t been able to get it to work until now.”
“Did they hurt you?”
Carmen burst into tears. Instead of answering, she cried, “I just want to go home.”
Harlow’s eyes filled with tears and she had to choke out the words. “I’m so sorry I got you into this.”
Sawyer gently took the phone from her grip. “Carmen? My name is Sawyer. I’m a friend of Harlow’s. My team and I will get you. Do you know where you are?”
“The jungle. That’s all I know. And I’m scared.”
“Leave your phone on and hide. I’m going to have your location tracked. Harlow will call you right back.”
“Thank you for not leaving me here,” she whispered.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“We’ll get her,” Sawyer promised, pulling Harlow against him. He hoped her friend wasn’t in too bad shape. She sounded scared and weak, but she was alive and they would get to her soon.
Harlow wept silently against his chest and he rubbed a reassuring hand down her back. With his other hand, he dialed Tyler.
“S’up Sawyer?”
“I need you to trace a cell phone. It’s urgent.”
“Give me the deets.”
He rattled off Carmen’s name and the number and waited while Tyler worked his magic.
“Got the location on Carmen’s phone and hold on…I’ve got yours, too.” Thanks to chips embedded in COBRA Security agents’ high-tech watches, they could be tracked anywhere. It was necessary in case one of them needed assistance or were captured. There was also a button to push to request help if things went to hell. An AID button…agent in distress. He’d yet to use it and hoped he never would.
“You’re both on the jungle side of the river, so that’s good. You’re about five miles or so away. Grant and Wyatt are closer and they’re mobile.”
“Assuming they can drive through the jungle.”
“They’re using a path that passes for a road right now. They can get to within a couple of miles from Carmen’s location.”
“Thanks, Tyler.”
He disconnected and dialed Grant’s number. “I need you two to head to the coordinates I’m sending to your phone. We made contact with Harlow’s friend Carmen. She escaped her captors but she may be injured.”
“Got it. We’ll head there now.”
“We’re about five miles away and we’re hiking to that location now. Keep me posted when you find her.”
“Will do.”
#
The ancient Gremlin they’d hotwired jerked and sputtered as Grant and Wyatt motored down the rutted path that passed for a road in this country. It had taken longer than he hoped to explain the situation when the international security forces arrived to confiscate the deadly gas. The two men they’d captured refused to speak but he’d bet that after a few hours with an “interrogation specialist,” the men would sing like canaries. The head of the mission had basically kicked them out. That was fine with Grant. He’d left war behind when he left the SEALs…or so he thought.
Now they were headed to pick up Harlow’s friend from the jungle. They were driving as close as possible and then they’d hike in to get her…or that was the plan until the piece of crap decided to give it up miles before their destination. It coughed and sputtered and wheezed, sounding like an old man battling emphysema. After one last jerk, the engine sputtered and died.
“Did we run out of gas?”
“No.” Wyatt shook his head. “Full tank.”
Grant sighed and felt like slapping his head. “We’ve driven for miles, hours, Wyatt. You think the tank would still be full?”
“Bloody hell,” Wyatt muttered. “Broken gauge.”
“Looks like we’ll be hiking in earlier than we thought.”
They were lucky the car lasted this long. No telling how full the tank was when they took off. Frankly, he was surprised it hadn’t expired miles ago. He was gathering his belongings from the passenger seat when Wyatt uttered, “Uh, Grant?”
“What?”
“You might want to back out of the car. Slowly.”
“Why?” He straightened and came face to face with the beady black eyes of a large brown snake. “Oh, shit.”
The monster had climbed over the Gremlin and was slithering across the roof, headed right for him.
“No sudden movements,” he murmured as he backed slowly away. He glanced at his coworker and huffed in outrage. “Where’s your gun? Shoot the damn thing.”
“Nah, mate, he’s harmless…or should I say she.” Wyatt turned his head and studied the snake.
Seriously?
“About ten foot, give or take,” Wyatt deduced. “Females tend to be larger so that’s why I’m thinking it might be of the fairer sex.”
“Fairer sex? We’re talking about a slimy, disgusting snake. Now shoot it, dammit.”
“Eh, you’re perfectly safe. She won’t strike unless threatened. Even if she does, it won’t kill you.”
“I thought they squeezed to death, hence the name constrictor.”
“They do their prey. They tighten around the hapless critter and cut off their blood supply and disrupt the circulatory system. The animals can pass out within a matter of seconds, followed by death.”
“Well, for hell’s sake, let’s stand here and discuss the killing methods of slithering reptile.”
Wyatt chuckled and handed him his pack, along with a gas mask they’d absconded with from the truck at the airport. Better safe than sorry. “How did it get there, anyway?”
“Don’t ask me. I was gathering our gear from the boot. Didn’t see it until I was closing the hatch.”
Grant glanced around, making sure little snake babies weren’t slinking after their mama if it was a female, like Wyatt insisted. He didn’t spot any, but a glimpse of the Gremlin showed that the boa had crawled inside and made herself at home on the faded orange Naugahyde.
Grant checked their current coordinates and the last known of Harlow’s friend. “From here, she looks to be about five klicks to the west.”
“You do realize you aren’t in the military anymore.”
He shot Wyatt a droll look. “Fine. About three miles. Better? Now ruck up, buddy.”
“Roger that.” Wyatt flashed a huge smile. He’d also been military.
Grant took the lead and set a rapid pace, knowing Wyatt would have no trouble keeping up. Thanks to Peter Dennis and his crew at the COBRA Securities headquarters, he could also see where Sawyer was by the chip embedded in his multi-purpose watch. He kept his gun in hand in case they ran into any unfriendlies…either the jungle-dwelling critter or drug cartel variety.
The brush was overgrown, so walking was precarious. Vibrant birds chirped and fluttered overhead, and Grant just prayed they didn’t come across any more boas, pythons or other slithering creatures. He hated snakes.
Knowing they were entering a country with a known jungle, they’d both packed long-sleeved shirts to protect their skin from insects or thorns they encountered, it was hot, but not uncomfortably so. The canopy of leaves provided relief from the blazing sun.
“So Wyatt, how come you know so much about snakes?”
“Are you kidding, man? I come from a country infested with some of the most venomous snakes in the world. It just pays to be prepared.”
“Makes sense.” Still, he had no desire to learn more about the slimy disgusting creatures. He didn’t even like visiting the reptile house at a zoo.
They crossed a rocky stream that most likely fed into the La Grande river and a smaller one that they were able to leap across. He’d heard that Coslos was a beautiful country and away fro
m the concrete jungle of La Grande, it was scenic. The roads left much to be desired and with the drug cartels running rampant, tourists stayed away.
They were almost to the last coordinates they had for Harlow’s friend. He checked Sawyer’s location and they were still a couple of miles out.
“Should be coming upon her,” Wyatt said.
Just then, the underbrush rattled. Both he and Wyatt stopped and trained their weapons on the spot. “Come out slowly,” Grant ordered.
“Please, don’t shoot.”
A bedraggled woman with matted red hair crawled out from under bushes. Her clothes were torn and soiled, one spot looking suspiciously like blood. When she stood, she held an arm close to her stomach.
“Carmen?” Wyatt asked.
She nodded uncertainly.
“I’m Wyatt and this is Grant. We’re friends of Harlow’s.”
She choked out a sob. “Thank you for coming for me.”
“Are you hurt?” Grant asked.
“My ankle and my ribs,” she said.
“Will you allow me to check the injuries? I have combat medic training.”
At her nod of acceptance, he guided her to a rock. She lifted her leg and he carefully untied the laces of her boots before probing her ankle. She gasped and cried out but he didn’t feel any broken bones. Her skin was covered in dirt, so it was hard to ascertain the bruising. He didn’t want to remove the boot or it would swell and she wouldn’t be able to get it back on. He gently tied the laces, making sure he didn’t pull too tightly. Next, he gently ran his hands over her ribs above her clothing. It would be easier to check under the shirt, but he didn’t know what she’d gone through while being held hostage. He prayed she hadn’t been raped, but he’d seen too much evil in the world, so nothing surprised him anymore. He watched her face to gauge her reaction. Her face wrinkled and she cried out when he ran his hands over her left side.
“Without an X-ray, it’s hard to tell for sure, but you probably have a couple of cracked ribs, and your ankle is sprained. Do you think you can walk?”
“I can, but not very well, she admitted. “I twisted it when I was running away. I managed to go for a while longer before I had to stop.” She tested weight on her ankle and then limped forward. With a sharp gasp, she collapsed. He caught her before she landed face first into the brush.
The skin visible beneath the grime turned red and she blinked up at him with wide brown eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
“No prob—”
Voices sounded and he held a finger over his lips. He gently urged her down, while he and Wyatt crouched and took defensive positions.
“It’s not Sawyer,” Wyatt murmured.
Who the hell would be out here in the middle of the jungle for no reason?
“Oh, God,” the woman breathed, clutching his arm in an iron grip. “It’s the men who abducted me. They found me.”
“They won’t get you back,” he promised her. “How many?”
“Three.”
“Do they speak English?”
“Yes.”
Wyatt slipped soundlessly away while Grant waited for the perfect moment to spring. Only two men were traipsing through the brush, loud enough to wake every monkey in the jungle. Though the two men had weapons, they weren’t in hand. They were laughing and carrying on.
When they were about to stumble upon their position, he leaped from the brush and aimed his SIG. “Halt. Don’t even think about it,” he warned when one of the men went for a weapon.
Grant didn’t hear the man come up behind him until a gunshot sounded. He whipped around to see the man drop, thanks to Wyatt’s sharp shooting. But the diversion allowed the other two men to grab their weapons. One aimed at him while the other spun to face Wyatt. Both men dropped with double-taps to the forehead before they could get a shot off.
“Three tangos down,” Wyatt confirmed.
Grant rushed back to Carmen. She was wide-eyed and shaking. Then she choked a sob and threw her arms around him. He didn’t want to hug back because of her ribs, so he patted her awkwardly on the back. He wasn’t comfortable with women’s tears.
“They can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Th-thank you,” she stuttered.
It would be getting dark soon and they didn’t want to spend the night in the jungle among the things that go bite in the night. Plus, someone might come looking for their comrades.
“You can’t walk, so let me see if I can carry you.” He started to pick her up but she cried out in pain, her arm clutching her chest. He placed her back on the ground. That was out.
“I can try to walk.”
“Here, this will help.” Wyatt handed her a thick branch to use for a walking stick. “Put all of your weight on it.”
She tried it out and nodded. “It helps.”
Grant checked Sawyer’s location. “Harlow is close. Once we meet up with them, Wyatt and I will hike out and find transportation.” It wouldn’t be the Gremlin that got them here, but hopefully they would find another car…somewhere. He didn’t want to tell her that they hadn’t passed another car in over fifty miles. Hell, he didn’t want to tell himself that. It would be a long night if they had to hike to the nearest village.
They moved slowly so that Carmen could keep up. He led the way with Wyatt pulling up the rear. He made sure to take a path that wouldn’t take them by the dead kidnappers. The terrain was rocky and uneven and several times he turned to catch Carmen as she stumbled. A couple of times, her hands lingered longer on his chest than necessary. He really hoped she wasn’t flirting with him. Even if he was interested, he didn’t have anything to give any woman in his current state of mind.
His brain called up an image of a small woman with strawberry blond hair and flawless skin. Her blue eyes were kind and her smile electric. Melody. He’d only met her once, briefly, at his brother Luke’s house and sadly, he couldn’t even remember her last name.
He’d been in a bad state of mind at the time. He’d just returned home from his last deadly mission and he was about to embark on the journey that would take him to his fallen friends’ families. Those visits had been harder than anything he’d ever done, and that included BUDs training and Hell Week.
Carmen made a sound and he spun around and caught her again. She pressed her breasts against his chest. He met Wyatt’s gaze over her shoulder and his coworker rapidly lifted and lowered his brows while mouthing “Hubba, Hubba.” Grant flipped him off.
He eased her away, made sure she was stable, and took off again. He prayed she wasn’t flirting with him. After the ordeal she’d been through as a kidnap victim, she might be more messed up in the head than he was. He could barely deal with his own issues, let alone those of someone else.
He’d made sure his brothers and sister had no idea just how bad off he’d been. He wouldn’t lie to himself and say he was cured, but he was better. Luke already worried too much about him, Ben, too. Kaitlyn would mother him more than she did and that was saying something. She’d perfected that role growing up after they lost their parents. She’d taught herself to cook and now she was an excellent chef with her own television show. Plus, she was a newlywed. As busy as she was, she still found time to hover over him every chance she got. He loved her to death, but he needed to have a man-to-man with her husband Dan and tell him to kick it in gear and plant a bun in his little sister’s oven so she would have a baby to fuss over.
How disturbing was it that he wanted to order a man to impregnate his sister? He shivered. He spent most of his life strongly discouraging men to even go near her. In all fairness, Dan and Kait had been in love their whole lives. Dan was already like a brother to him before he married into the family. He was a good guy. He adored Kaitlyn and he’d protect her with his life if necessary. That’s all a brother could ask for.
Still, he felt like sticking his fingers in his ears and humming to ignore the thoughts in his head.
This time, when they heard the leaves rustling, he held up his han
d in a halt sign. Carmen apparently missed it since she crashed into his back. He turned and caught her and put a finger over her mouth before she could speak. Her eyes widened but she nodded in understanding. He took a quick glance at the GPS tracker and knew that Sawyer would be appearing at any second. Sure enough, there he was with the granddaughter of the US President, looking much different than the last time he saw her, but no less beautiful.
He watched as the moment their presence was registered. Sawyer nodded in relief. Harlow cried out and rushed to them. “Carmen!”
Before she could embrace her friend, he stopped her. “Her ribs are possibly cracked. Her ankle is compromised, too.”
“Oh, God, Carmen, I am so sorry.” Tears streamed from her cheeks as she brushed the matted hair from her friend’s face and rested her forehead against Carmen’s. “So very sorry.”
“I’m okay,” Carmen insisted. “Is that you, Harlow?”
Harlow patted her wig. “I forgot about it. The contacts, too.”
He bumped fists with Sawyer, glad his friend had made it through the war zone, though both he and Harlow were sporting several cuts and bruises. He glanced down and his brows puckered.
“Uh, Sawyer? What the hell is that?”
#
For the first time since he’d landed in Coslos, Sawyer could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Harlow was safe. Even though he knew they could take care of themselves, Grant and Wyatt were safe. Harlow’s friend Carmen was with them now. He wasn’t sure what she’d gone through when she’d been held captive, but she was alive and hugging Harlow like her life depended on it, even with the bruised ribs Grant proclaimed she sported.
“Dude, you realize you’re carrying a dog in a sling like a baby.” Wyatt’s tone was incredulous.
Sawyer glanced down to discover he was stroking his fingers over Duke’s fuzzy head. “Yeah. So?”
“Dude,” Wyatt repeated. “Please tell me it’s not wearing nappies, too.”
He frowned at Wyatt. “No, he is not wearing diapers. He was malnourished and starving in the middle of a war zone. What, we should just leave him to fend for himself? He’s just a puppy.”
Hunted Page 16
