Ana leaned against the wall near the table and voraciously absorbed the sight of Jake into her heart. How could she have fallen in love with him? When did it happen? Could love happen so quickly? She was unsure, and felt as if she was floundering. One thing she was certain about was that Jake would leave her as soon as Tal was able to be transported by air back to North America. Tears flooded Ana’s eyes, surprising her. Looking away, she grappled with her unexpected reaction. Swallowing convulsively, she finally managed to contain her emotions, and turned back to him. He was handing her the cup of coffee, a strange look in his eyes.
“Thanks,” she murmured, taking it.
“How are you feeling? You look pale,” Jake noted as he walked with her to the red plastic couch and sat down near her. Ana sat carefully and very straight.
“I’m okay,” she said. Giving him a wry look, she added, “And you? How are you doing?”
Sipping the hot coffee, his elbows resting on his massive thighs, Jake said, “Physically I’ve got a lot of bruises, but nothing’s broken.” Giving her a sour smile, he added, “I don’t know why. That Kamov was thunking out 30 mm cannon shells at me like candy. I thought for sure I was going to die. It was just a matter of when.”
Ana set the coffee down on the table beside the couch. She couldn’t help herself, she needed Jake’s nearness. Reaching out, she touched his arm again. To her surprise he put his cup down, enclosed her hand in his own and sat back. Tipping his head back, Jake sprawled out, his long legs in front of him beneath the coffee table, her hand held firmly in his.
“This is what I needed,” he murmured, closing his eyes. “You.”
Ana leaned back, their shoulders touching, their hands wrapped together. “I was missing you, too,” she admitted in a low tone. Her heart ached with grief. Jake was going to leave her. Did she have the courage to tell him what lay in her heart? Would it make a difference? No, because Jake would go home to take care of Tal. And Tal was going to need him more than she. Tal would still be shell-shocked by the violence and trauma she’d experienced at Rojas’s hands.
Ana would not ask Jake to stay. Under the circumstances, he must take care of his family first. She would make the same decision herself. Compressing her lips, Ana decided not to speak of what was in her heart. Family came first. His responsibility to Tal, his support of her healing was most important.
Jake’s mouth twitched and he rolled his head in Ana’s direction, barely opening his eyes. Ana’s hand was small and slender in comparison to his. It was damp and cool. Squeezing it gently, he whispered, “I don’t know what I was afraid of more, Ana—losing you or Tal. I didn’t want either of you hurt…but when it was happening, when that Kamov was stalking us…well, a lot of things ran through my head and heart.”
Ana hung on every huskily spoken word. She saw the warmth in Jake’s eyes and greedily absorbed it. “Your first duty is to Tal,” she said in a choked voice. “Tal was beaten up…maybe worse, I don’t know. She’s going to need you, Jake, in many ways. The physical scars will heal pretty quickly. I’m more worried about her emotional scars. She’s going to need someone strong and caring like you to help her cope with all of this. Someone she can trust.”
Nodding, he said, “I’ve already talked to Morgan Trayhern. They’re sending an air ambulance down here.” He looked at his watch. “They’ll be landing in Cusco in three hours. There’s an emergency-trained physician on board. As soon as the docs here at the hospital say Tal can leave, we’re flying her back to the States. I want to take her home, to my parents’ farm in Iowa. I’ve been in touch with Mom and Dad. They know everything. They want Tal home to heal up. I agree with them.”
“Good,” Ana whispered, meaning it. “I’ve seen too many young women like Tal terrorized by drug lords. It’s awful to be trapped, to be a plaything to them, at the whim of their violence and selfishness.”
“I…” Jake scowled. He opened his eyes and sat up. “I’m afraid Tal was raped. The look in her eyes…like a wild animal…I’ve never seen that look before, Ana. I’m afraid she’s going to tell me that when she comes out of surgery.” Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Jake rasped, “I don’t know how to help her on that. I’m a man….”
Sitting up, Ana turned toward him, her knee pressing against his thigh. She gripped his hand firmly. “Listen to me, Jake, you’re her brother. Yes, you’re a man. And if Rojas or those other goons raped Tal, she might have a hard time at first because you are a man. But you’ve got a lot going for you,” she whispered fervently. “You’re close to her. You shared so many good times together. Tal loves you, Jake. And she trusts you. That’s the key in helping her. Just let her talk, okay? And get her help by locating a counselor or psychotherapist who has an office near your parents’ farm. That and time will help her recover.”
Gazing up at her, Jake saw the anguish in Ana’s wide, cinnamon eyes. “Do you know how beautiful you are? From the heart outward?” He was stunned by how deep his feelings for Ana ran, but he knew that, under the circumstances, he couldn’t spill his heart out to her. Tal needed him, and would for a while. She might have a physical injury to heal from, but if she’d been raped, there was an even deeper, darker wound that would have to be addressed. Tal would need to heal in her spirit as well as her body in any case, due to all the violence and trauma she’d suffered.
“You’re a very brave man,” Ana said, her voice wobbling as she clung to his hand. “I couldn’t stand the fact that you put yourself in danger for us. When I saw the Kamov hunting you, I couldn’t let you face it alone….” She lowered her lashes, tears welling into her eyes. Above all, Jake couldn’t see her cry. He mustn’t.
Though he ached to take Ana into his arms, Jake squelched the desire. She looked raw and was obviously hurting. All he could do presently was hold her hand. “Brave? You were courageous. My heart dropped through my feet when I saw you standing out there in that clearing, trying to draw the Kamov off me.” He shook his head. To hell with it. He lifted his hand and eased his fingers through her thick, luxuriant hair, then cupped her cheek. Guiding her chin upward, he saw that her eyes were dark and marred with pain. Her lower lip trembled.
“Listen…this isn’t the time or place, Ana. So much has happened so fast, my head’s still spinning. I want…I want to say so much to you…about the discoveries I’ve made, how I feel about you. But dammit, I can’t! It’s Tal…. I have to be there for her. I know you understand that.” Reluctantly, he dropped his hand from her cheek. Yet he saw hope burning deeply in her eyes as his gaze locked with hers. When she lifted the corners of her suffering mouth in a slight smile, his heart wrenched.
“I know that,” Ana said in a choked voice. “And I accept that. Family is first. Always. That is the way of campesinos.”
“I don’t want to leave here, leave you….” He managed a twisted smile. “Peru has grown on me more than I ever thought possible.”
“Well…” Ana whispered, unable to hold his intense, burning gaze, “maybe she’ll call you back here someday….”
Jake stood the instant the surgeon, Dr. Ramone Salinas, entered the surgery lounge. The doctor took off his blue sterile cap from his balding head and went straight to them. Ana stood, her arm around Jake’s waist to support him, no matter what the news was.
“Doctor?” Jake’s voice was low with tension. “How’s Tal?”
Salinas, a man in his fifties, with a silver goatee and narrow face, nodded deferentially. “I’m sorry it took so long, Señor Travers, but your sister’s compound fracture was very complicated. She is out of surgery now, and in recovery.” Waving his thin, long hand, he said, “There were many, many fine bone splinters and fragments that we had to search for. Several of her veins and an artery had to be spliced and repaired. She has lost some of the femur, the thigh bone, as you know it, and that leg will be roughly half an inch to an inch shorter than her other leg. She can, of course, compensate for that by wearing a shoe with a thicker sole. I’m sure you will have her tal
k to a specialist in Norteamérica when you take her home. Right now, she’s coming out of anesthesia and her vital signs are strong and good.” He smiled a little. “You can go see her now, if you wish.”
Jake felt relief sheet through him like heat on a freezing day. “Thank you, Doctor,” he said, pumping the surgeon’s hand fervently. Tears welled up in Jake’s eyes, but he didn’t care. Ana was looking up at him, her face alight with joy—for him. For Tal. She was so unselfish. He placed his arm around her proud shoulders.
“We’d like to see her, Dr. Salinas. Any problem with Ana coming with me?”
He frowned. “She is family?”
Ana knew the rules. Only close relatives could see someone in recovery. She started to speak, but Jake gripped her shoulder gently.
“Yes, she is, Doctor.”
Salinas smiled briefly. “Of course. Please, go see her. Just go down to the end of the hall and turn right. The recovery nurse will take you to her.”
Ana walked with Jake out of the room. He wouldn’t let her go, and it felt good to be wrapped in his arm and walking at his side. Jake was careful of her broken ribs and shortened his stride to match hers. Ana was grateful.
“This is such great news,” she said. How strong and supportive Jake’s body was against hers. Ana hungered to simply have time to lay at his side and explore him, love him and give herself to him in all ways.
“I’m walking on air,” he told her, his voice still wobbling with emotion. Turning at the end of the hall, they found themselves at another desk. Behind the desk was a glass-enclosed room with several patients on gurneys who had recently come out of surgery. A number of nurses were going from one gurney to another checking each patient in turn. Jake stretched to his full height and saw Tal’s ruffled blond hair on the last gurney in the line. He could barely make out his sister’s pale face. When one of the nurses in dark green scrubs came out, Ana spoke to her in Spanish and told them who they were. The nurse smiled and gestured for them to follow her. Inside the cool, air-conditioned room, which smelled strongly of anesthesia and other hospital odors, Jake stood on one side of Tal’s gurney, Ana on the other. He leaned down and gently curved his hand across her tousled blond hair.
“Tal? It’s Jake. We’re here. You’re okay. Everything went fine, Sis. You’re here in Cusco, Peru. In a hospital.” Jake saw Tal’s lashes flutter. His heart wrenched as she slowly turned her head toward him. The bruising beneath her right eye, the swelling of her nose and cheek, made his blood run hot with rage again. Tal had been beaten a number of times, there was no question. Gently stroking her hair, he leaned over the gurney and put his other hand on her thickly blanketed shoulder. As she opened her eyes to slits, he smiled down at her.
“Hi, Sleeping Beauty.”
Tal’s mouth opened. Her lower lip was badly chapped, but she managed to hike one corner. “Jake…you’re here….”
“Yeah, I am.” Jake looked up. “And so is Ana. You remember her?”
Tal frowned, her thin eyebrows knitting slowly. She closed her eyes and moved her lips together. “No…”
“She’s groggy, Jake,” Ana said quietly. Leaning over with a damp cloth, she gently patted it against Tal’s dry lips. “She’s probably thirsty, too.”
Jake was grateful for Ana’s presence. She seemed to know about these things. As he looked down, he saw that Tal’s leg was heavily bandaged, and held in place by a series of pulleys suspended above the gurney. She had IVs in both arms. Just watching Ana administer to Tal broke his heart. He was going to be leaving here soon. Ana would be left behind. Jake didn’t want that to happen.
Grimly, he shoved away his personal feelings, the ache in his heart, and settled all his attention on Tal.
Jake made sure that Tal had been transferred safely aboard Perseus’s Learjet and had the physician onboard attending her before he exited the plane. He saw Ana waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. The morning was cool, with clouds hanging over the valley where Cusco lay. The mountains were dark brown, bare of much vegetation at this twelve-thousand-foot elevation. Off to the right, he saw a civilian helicopter and Captain Maya Stevenson, dressed in civilian clothes, slowly walking toward them. Ana would be flown back to Agua Caliente, the tiny town at the foot of Machu Picchu. From there, another civilian helicopter would pick them up and fly them fifty miles into the jungle and back to their hidden base. Ana didn’t want to stay in Cusco, and Jake didn’t blame her. All her friends were at the base.
When Jake looked down at Ana’s upturned face, his heart cringed. Today, she wore jeans, hiking boots, a dark brown leather jacket and a soft pink alpaca sweater with a cowl neck that showed off her beautiful face and slender neck. Her dark hair lay in a thick coverlet about her shoulders. He saw the sorrow in her cinnamon eyes.
His gaze settled hotly on her lips. From time to time over the past week, they’d shared sweet, lingering kisses. And yet neither had talked about the future. The past seven days had been a bittersweet heaven and hell for him, and for Ana as well, he was sure. They’d spent a lot of time with Tal, who was still in shock but slowly recovering from her injuries. Her leg was the least of her problems, Jake was discovering. She had been raped by Rojas a number of times, so Jake knew now that he had his work cut out for him. Thanks to Ana and their long discussions, he had a better understanding of Tal and what kind of emotions to expect after her trauma. He felt more confident about being there for his sister and getting her qualified help once he got her home.
Reaching out, Jake murmured, “It’s time, Ana….” He felt her fingers slide into his as he halted at the bottom of the stairs. Around them, large airliners that plied their trade between Lima and Cusco were trundling down the runway toward takeoff. It was only 6:00 a.m., and the chill that hung around the international airport was bone deep.
“I know….” Ana put on her best face.
Jake looked beyond her. “That’s Captain Stevenson coming to pick you up?” Tall and proud, the commanding officer moved with a confidence he rarely saw in women. And to top it off, she was drop-dead gorgeous even at this distance, with her thick, black hair flowing across her shoulders. He reminded himself there were women warriors in the world. Ana had shown him that. She was a proud example as far as he was concerned.
“Yes.” Ana tried to ignore the pain in her racing heart. “She’ll take me home, Jake.”
“Home,” he mused as he placed his arms around her and brought her gently against him. Her hips settled against his. Burning heat flowed through his lower body. How badly Jake wanted to love Ana. As she tipped her head upward, he saw tears matted in her thick black lashes. “You’ve been my home away from home, Ana….” And she had. In the past week, Jake had found out just how emotionally strong and nurturing Ana could be. When he’d found out Tal had been raped, he’d fled the room. He’d gone off to an isolated stairwell on Tal’s floor, and sat down and cried. Ana had found him. He’d been angry and frustrated and hurt by Tal’s admittance. Ana had quietly come and sat down next to him, put her slender arm around his shoulders and held him gently while he cried for his sister and her pain.
Ana hadn’t said anything. She’d just let him cry and get out the venom and hatred he felt for Tal’s attackers. Jake wanted to kill every one of them. He hurt for Tal. Even though he couldn’t imagine what had happened to her, he could see the devastation it had wrought on her. His once sunny, ebullient sister was now fearful, withdrawn and jumpy. She didn’t sleep well at night. She had nightmares. He’d sobbed out his hatred about it to Ana. And all she’d done was hold him and rock him with her womanly strength and tenderness. It was then that Jake knew he loved her with a fervency that burned in his soul.
He looked deeply into Ana’s eyes now and saw the tears glimmering in them. Captain Stevenson halted a good ten feet away and waited patiently, an understanding look on her clean, proud features. Jake caressed Ana’s shoulders tenderly. “You’re my real home, Ana. You know that, don’t you?” How much he wanted to say. And how
little time was left to say it. Jake knew their lives were never going to cross. It was just as well he’d resigned his commission in the army because Tal needed him, and he wouldn’t go rushing back to his post under the circumstances. No, he’d be staying at the farm to be with her, to help her heal, if he could. He could promise Ana nothing. Nothing.
Her heart broke. Ana leaned her head against Jake’s broad shoulder. Hot tears dripped down her cheeks. She felt his hands moving gently across her shoulders and down to caress her spine, carefully because of her rib injury. Today he wore her chalina. What did it all mean? Confused, Ana whispered, “The heart has many homes, Jake.”
He laughed roughly and pressed a kiss to her hair. “Mine has only one, Ana. You.” Sliding his hand beneath her chin, he made her look up at him. His heart contracted with anguish as he saw the paths of tears down her wan cheeks. Her eyes were filled with anguish. “I’ve got to go….”
“I know….”
“You mean so much to me, Ana….”
More tears fell. His face blurred before her. “I—I know. I feel the same, Jake…but Tal needs you more than ever now. You can help her heal….”
He smiled down at Ana as he slid his hand across her jaw and angled her head toward his descending one. “You’ve helped to heal me, you know….” He settled his mouth gently upon hers and felt her quiver. Her left arm slid across his shoulder and she pressed herself against him. She tasted sweet and warm. How brave she was. Jake felt her returning fire, felt her heart being given to him. Ana was as honest as she was pragmatic. She knew he had to leave.
Easing away from her lips, the taste of her salty tears upon his mouth, he framed her face with his hands. “I’m keeping the chalina, Ana. As a reminder of what we shared.” His fingers tightened briefly around her face. “Do you hear me?”
She barely nodded her head, unable to stop crying. “Y-yes, I hear you, Jake.” A huge sob welled up through her chest and jammed in her throat. His hands were gentle upon her and she ached to speak of her love for him.
Man with a Mission Page 14
