He’d given her a small pack with a few bottles of water and medical supplies. He’d talked her into leaving the red bag and just stuffing a few items of clothing into his duffel.
“Are you sure you can do this? You just suffered a concussion.”
“I have no memory. What could possibly be worse?”
“Aggravating your injuries with physical exhaustion. We can stay here for a few days, and I can call in for help.”
She shifted the pack on her back. “I’m not staying here another minute.”
“Let me know if you get tired, and follow my footsteps. We’re still a long way from morning, and it’s still dark out here.”
She peered up through the canopy of trees. Even if the sun were rising, it would take a while for its light to reach them beneath the umbrella of branches and leaves.
Gage tromped through the foliage, his boots snapping twigs and crushing leaves along the way.
Randi followed, her mind, or what was left of it, whirring. If everything Gage had said about her was true, maybe she didn’t want to discover her real identity. But maybe her boyfriend had kept his illegal activities hidden from her. Maybe she didn’t know anything about his business.
That wouldn’t make Gage very happy. He’d be counting on her help once she regained her memory. If she claimed no knowledge of Zendaris’s drug empire, Gage wouldn’t believe her, anyway.
She wasn’t sure he believed her now.
Despite her injuries, the hike through the jungle hadn’t sapped her strength. Gage had stopped a few times for water, and it was enough to carry her through. She seemed to regain strength with each step away from the compound.
“We’re here.” He parted some branches for her, and she peered into a clearing. A helicopter beckoned, promising freedom and maybe an identity.
“You know how to fly this thing?”
“I do.”
“But you’re not U.S. Military.”
“I used to be.”
If he planned to grill her, she planned to give as good as she got. She’d drop it for now and let him concentrate on flying. “Where are we going?”
“First stop is a CIA compound in Panama. There’s a hospital there.”
He was CIA? “Then what?”
He hoisted the bags into the helicopter. “We’ll see.”
She shrugged out of the backpack, and Gage stored that next to the other two bags. Then he helped her into the helicopter and secured her seat belt, his hands lingering near her shoulders.
Had he wanted to touch her? Reassure her? She needed it but she’d ask nothing of him. Getting too close to this man would put her on dangerous ground.
He punched some buttons from the array in front of him and even on the ceiling of the chopper. When the blades started thwacking, she clenched the edge of the seat with clammy hands. The sound caused her insides to twist.
Gage pointed to the headphones hanging in front of her, and she slipped them onto her head. His voice purred intimately into her ears. “Are you okay?”
She nodded and gritted her teeth.
He fiddled with more dials and gadgets, and then flashed her a thumbs-up signal.
Just as the chopper lifted from the ground, a new barrage of noises assailed her. This time Gage swore into her ear, and she jerked her head toward him.
“What’s wrong?”
The helicopter shuddered and lunged into the air as the smell of fuel saturated the cabin. With his jaw clenched, Gage slammed a lever forward and the chopper jumped.
She tried again. “Gage, what’s wrong? What’s happening?”
“Someone’s shooting at us.”
Chapter Four
The thwacking helicopter blades stuttered, and Randi’s heart stuttered along with them. The chopper lurched toward the treetops, which slapped its runners with their branches for daring to invade their territory.
Randi held her breath, mesmerized by Gage’s long fingers flicking switches and spinning dials on the console of the helicopter.
“A-are we going down?”
“Not yet.”
The smell of gasoline invaded her nostrils, and her fingernails curled into the vinyl seat. Was the helicopter going to blow up?
Her gaze flicked to Gage’s face, lined with tension and concentration. She wanted to ask him more questions. She wanted him to reassure her. But she didn’t want to distract him. It looked like he had a life-and-death struggle going on with the jerking and dipping chopper.
He lifted the bird above the treetops and the jerking stopped.
Closing her eyes, Randi let out a long breath. “Are we okay now?”
“Not exactly.” He dropped his head to peer at the ground below, or what he saw of it shrouded in darkness. “We’re safe from the people who were shooting at us, but we’re not okay. Do you smell that gasoline?”
“Yes.” Her nostrils flared. Maybe they were going to blow up.
“It’s leaking out of the chopper. We have—” he flicked a gauge on the console with his finger “—maybe ten minutes of flight time before I have to put this bird down.”
Randi swallowed as she looked at the blackness out the window. “We’re in the middle of the jungle. How are you going to find a place to land when we can’t even see anything?”
“Good question. I have about ten minutes to figure out the answer.”
“Can I help?”
He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “There’s a pair of night-vision binoculars in my backpack.”
Twisting in her seat, Randi reached for the black backpack and unzipped it. She rummaged through the contents with one hand, stumbling over hard edges and metal and dangerous things. Her fingers traced the edges of a lens and she pulled out the binoculars.
“Flick the switch on the top, and then see if you can focus on anything out the window.”
She followed his instructions, aiming the heavy scope at the ground as they chugged above it. At first she saw nothing but dark shapes and flashes of light.
“The focus is on the bottom.”
Her thumb rolled across the serrated dial, and the shadows below her began to take shape. But she didn’t like the shape they took.
“Trees. Nothing but trees.”
“Look for any gap, no matter how small.”
Her eyes ached as she squinted through the lenses, tracking the binoculars back and forth across the treetops. Her heart did a somersault when she spotted a break in the leafy blanket.
“We’re coming up to a gap in the trees. I can’t tell how big it is, but it’s there.”
“Straight ahead?”
“To the right.”
The chopper sputtered and seemed to stall, a wingless bird floating through the air.
Randi’s grip tightened on the binoculars, which were in danger of slipping from her clammy grasp. “Keep veering to the right. We’re almost above the patch.”
Light flooded the ground, and Randi dropped the binoculars to her lap as the trees swayed beneath them. “Why didn’t you put those lights on before?”
“Didn’t want to advertise our direction to what were probably cohorts of Zendaris. You did a great job.”
“I-is that a big enough space to land?” She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and eyed the rapidly approaching square of ground that looked more like a postage stamp than a landing pad.
“It’s going to have to be.”
The helicopter coughed and jerked, dropping several more feet.
Randi squeezed her eyes shut and braced her feet against the floor of the chopper. Her stomach dropped along with the helicopter, and she clenched her teeth, trapping a scream in her throat.
The man beside her needed all of his concentration. She didn’t want to spook him by screaming in his ear.
When the chopper hit the ground, it jolted her and she bounced once in her seat. Her eyes flew open amid a storm of leaves outside the window, which fluttered and swirled around them in a thick cloud.
“What hap
pened?”
“I squeezed onto the landing pad, but I took out a few branches on my way in.” He chuckled and the sound loosened the knots in just about every muscle of her body.
She patted her face and her shoulders. “I can’t believe I’m in one piece.”
“How’s your head feeling?”
“I almost forgot about that in all the excitement.” She traced the bandage with her fingertips. She didn’t need to forget anything else.
“I still want to get you to a doctor.” Gage flipped a few switches and dials on the control panel as the blades wound down and the shower of leaves subsided.
She peered at the small clearing, surrounded on all sides by the verdant vegetation. “I don’t think we’re going to find a doctor in the immediate vicinity. In fact, where are we? How far did we get from the compound?”
“Far enough away from those friendly folks with guns.”
“Now what?”
Gage stabbed at the buttons on his cell phone a few times, and then shoved it in his pocket. “We hike out of here until I can get some cell reception. I still plan to take you to Panama to get you checked out by a medic.”
“And to interrogate me.”
He raised one eyebrow in her direction. “We’d like to help you, Randi. We’re your only lifeline right now.”
“That’s what worries me.”
The blades had stopped spinning, so she pushed open the door of the chopper and slid to the ground, her feet squelching the thick carpet of tumultuous vegetation. The ripe odor of the moist earth clung to her skin. It smelled like life and she planned to get hers back.
Gage scrambled in the back of the helicopter and emerged with his duffel bag. He dropped it to the ground and pointed at the thickest clump of trees. “We’re going to head in that direction.”
“Do you know where you’re going?”
“Taking the fastest route out of this jungle. I saw a road from the air.”
“Do you think we can get some gasoline and get that helicopter back up in the air—at least until it leaks again?”
“Not an option. To walk out of here and then walk back in again is a waste of effort.” He peered beneath the body of the helicopter. “And judging by the size of that hole in the tank, more gas is not going to buy us much time in the air.”
“Are we going to hitch a ride to Panama?” She wedged her hands on her hips and tapped her toe. She didn’t trust anyone in this country—except Gage.
“As long as I can get cell reception, we should be able to order another mode of transportation. Besides—” he smacked the side of the chopper “—I think I may have damaged the blades on my way in, so even if it didn’t have a hole in the gas tank, this bird is done.”
“Then let’s get moving.” She marched a few steps in the direction he’d indicated before and stopped when she didn’t hear his footsteps behind her. She spun around.
He looked up from digging through his bag. “What’s your hurry?”
“My hurry?” She drew her brows together as he pulled what looked like a blanket out of his bag. “I want to get to civilization.”
He tucked the blanket under his arm. “But the path to that civilization is not all that civilized—especially at this time of night...or morning.”
“We’re staying here?” She blinked and wrapped her arms around her body.
“You need to rest, especially if we’re going to be hiking through the jungle, and it’s not safe out there in the dark.”
Her gaze slid to the line of trees bordering unknown surprises, and a shiver rolled through her body despite the warmth of the damp air pressing against her. She hugged herself tighter.
“We’re going to sleep here?”
“That’s the plan.” He gestured toward the disabled chopper, listing to one side. “That should be enough to shield you from whatever is squirming on the jungle floor.”
“If you’re trying to make me feel better about spending the night here, you just failed miserably.”
He pulled a bottle from his bag and waved it in the air. “This bug repellant will add another layer of protection.”
And who’s going to protect me from you?
The thought crept out of nowhere. Not for a minute did she believe she had anything to fear from Gage Booker. Hadn’t she just admitted he was the only one she did trust right now? And yet danger hung about him like a loose cape.
Maybe her genetic makeup dictated her visceral response to this man with his weapons, survival skills and take-charge attitude. After all, hadn’t she been living with some international drug dealer as his mistress?
She couldn’t wrap her fractured mind around that. She couldn’t wrap her fractured mind around anything right now, except that a creeping lethargy had stolen over her body and she wanted nothing more than to climb back into the helicopter and sleep for a million years.
Maybe some prince would happen by, plant a kiss on her bruised head, awaken her and restore her memory.
“You look ready to drop.” Gage held out his hand. “Come on over here and make yourself comfortable inside the chopper. I want to check your vitals, anyway.”
Would he notice her racing heart?
Her feet shuffled through the leaves as she walked toward him.
He took her arm and helped her back into the passenger seat of the helicopter. Her legs hung over the side of the seat and out the door. Gage positioned himself in front of her, and her knees brushed his stomach.
Leaning in, he unwrapped the bandage from around her head. “Doesn’t look too bad, although you have a lot of sticky hair covering the wound.”
He pulled a water bottle and the first-aid kit from his bag, which he’d dropped to the ground. He dampened a cloth and dabbed the side of her head. “Does that hurt?”
“Not too much.”
“I don’t think you’ll need stitches, but I’ll feel a lot better once you see a doctor.”
“I’ll feel a lot better once I know who I am.”
His hands stopped moving and his body tensed. “I hope so.”
Even being a drug dealer’s mistress would be better than having this black hole of a mind. At least that gave her a starting point.
Gage finished wrapping her head in fresh gauze, and then scooped up his bag. “How’s the pain? Do you need another ibuprofen?”
“I’ll take another.”
He flicked open the envelope and shook one into her palm. “I can give you something to help you sleep, too.”
“I’m woozy enough. I’m trying to clear my mind, not fog it up.”
“Okay, sit back and relax and I’ll join you. Too bad it doesn’t have reclining seats.” He shut the door, and she tilted her head back against the seat.
The chopper jostled as he climbed in next to her. The blanket dropped in her lap on top of her folded hands.
“Do you want to wrap up in the blanket?”
“It’s still warm.”
“You can sit on it, tuck it around your body or bunch it up for a pillow.”
“What about you?”
He wedged his gun between his seat and the instrument panel and folded his arms across his black T-shirt. “I’m good.”
“You’re not going to sleep, are you?”
“Sure I am—with one eye open.”
“That sounds relaxing.” She smooshed the blanket against the door and shifted in her seat, leaning her head against her makeshift pillow. “Maybe I’ll wake up with my memory intact.”
“Maybe you will.”
He almost whispered, which lent an uncertain quality to his words. She gritted her teeth and punched the blanket into shape.
Gage Booker would like nothing more than for her to regain her memory so he could grill her about Nico Zendaris. In the end, where would her loyalty lie?
* * *
GAGE NARROWED HIS EYES, his gaze skewering the fluttering leaves—probably a bird stirring in the morning light. He’d kept vigil through the night. The rising sun combed t
hrough the trees, but wasn’t high enough to reach their little patch of land yet.
He shifted in his seat and stretched, careful not to jostle the chopper and disturb Randi. She’d slept soundly most of the night, no dreams causing her to talk in her sleep, letting slip any clues to her identity.
Who was he kidding? Randi was Zendaris’s woman.
Could amnesia lead to a personality change? Would she stand by her man once she regained her memory?
Zendaris must’ve thought she was dead to leave her at the compound. No way would he leave a living witness—even one who had shared his bed.
That thought tasted sour in his mouth, and he ran his tongue along his teeth as he reached for his water.
Randi stirred and rolled her head to the side. She grabbed the back of her neck, murmuring a few slurred words.
Gage took a gulp of water. When he lowered the bottle, he met a pair of dark eyes, half-shuttered by thick lashes.
“Are you awake?”
“Yeah.” She scooted forward, twisting her head from side to side. “We’re still in one piece?”
“As far as I can tell.” He held out a bottle of water to her. “How do you feel?”
“Sore.” She twisted the cap from the bottle and chugged half the water without taking a breath.
“Your head?”
“My entire body.” She rolled her shoulders backward. “I guess that dive off the balcony is taking its full toll.”
“Your memory?”
She rubbed her eyes. “Still a black hole.”
“Let’s take care of the pain first.” He dumped a couple of ibuprofen gel caps onto his palm and bounced them around in front of her nose before dropping them into her hand.
“For a minute there, I thought you meant a massage.” She downed the pills, and then pinched her shoulders with her fingertips. “My body might be bruised, but my neck is stiff from the sleeping accommodations.”
“Turn around.” He held out his hands and flexed his fingers. “It’s the least I can do before we start our jungle trek.”
Her eyes widened before she turned around, presenting her back to him. “Do you think we’ll reach the road before nightfall again?”
“Definitely. It’s not that far.” He nudged her hair over her shoulder, its silky strands catching on his calloused fingertips. Then he drove his thumbs into the base of her neck.
Trap, Secure: Navy SEAL Security Page 4
