RunningWildAmazon

by Reece, Christy

  Words weren’t necessary. The arrangements had been made. He just hoped Smith didn’t have another agenda. He’d asked the man for help a couple of times before, and Smith had always come through. Didn’t mean Aidan trusted him, though. He just distrusted him less than others.

  His expression impassive as always, Smith handed Aidan a key to the Land Rover. Giving the other man a nod, Aidan squeezed Miguel’s shoulder and backed away. Should’ve known Anna had other ideas.

  Hugging Miguel hard, she whispered something in his ear, which made him smile and then redden with a deep blush. Releasing the kid, she turned to Smith and gave him what was probably the meanest look Anna Bradford could conjure. In Aidan’s opinion, she looked like a spitting kitten.

  “You’ll take good care of him?”

  “Yes.” Smith wasn’t one to talk much. Another reason Aidan kind of liked him.

  “See that you do, or I’ll come gunning for you.”

  Instead of commenting, he glanced over at Aidan with a raised brow.

  Aidan shrugged. “She means business. She’s meaner than she looks.”

  In a deep but surprisingly gentle voice, Smith said, “I will take very good care of your friend.”

  With that, Smith grabbed Miguel by the elbow and led him to Aidan’s motorcycle. Without another glance back, they sped off.

  Aidan turned to the woman at his side. “Let’s go find your friend.”

  Chapter Five

  Anna followed Aidan to their ride. Mud, at least two inches thick, caked the giant tires. The hood and doors were only slightly cleaner. The Land Rover looked as though it had driven through hell at least twice.

  She was about to open the passenger door to get in when Aidan grabbed her arm. “Hold on.” He bent down, pulled a small handgun from his ankle holster, and handed it to her. “Hold this at your side. You see anything suspicious, let me know.”

  With that, he stooped down and looked underneath the vehicle. Determined to be as helpful as possible, Anna did as he’d asked and kept her eyes open for anything odd or suspicious. This part of town was filled with small businesses, and traffic was light. A few people walked down the sidewalk but seemed lost in their own worlds. Still, she kept a wary eye on them. Aidan’s paranoia was contagious.

  Standing, Aidan opened the front door, hit the hood release, and then went around to the front of the vehicle and lifted the hood for inspection. After careful examination, he gave what sounded like an approving grunt and slammed the hood shut. He took the gun from her hand and said, “Let’s go.”

  Relieved, Anna jumped inside. An instant later, Aidan climbed in beside her and started the engine. He glanced over and gave her the first smile she’d seen from him today. “You hungry?”

  She was so startled by the question, she burst out laughing.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I guess that wasn’t what I thought you’d say. Don’t we need to get going finding Carrie?”

  “We will, don’t worry.” His eyes shifted to the rearview mirror. “Soon as I’m sure we’re alone.”

  “Who would be following us?”

  “You think the Garcia family trusts Miguel to keep his mouth shut?”

  “Miguel’s in danger?”

  “Not anymore.”

  “Do you think the Garcias know we’re coming?”

  “Maybe. Probably.” He turned onto a street filled with food vendors. “We’ll keep ’em guessing for a while.

  He sent her another look, this one almost lighthearted. “So, what are you hungry for?”

  If ever there was a loaded question. She decided to take the question at face value and answered truthfully, “Anything sounds good. Breakfast was a long time ago, and I missed lunch.”

  “You like empanadas?”

  Her stomach growled an answer before she got the chance.

  At the sound, she was treated to another smile. Two in less than five minutes was almost more than her heart could take.

  “I’ll take that grumble as a yes. There’s a hole-in-the-wall restaurant down this street. Best empanadas in the city. Got a takeout window, too. We’ll eat on the road as we head on up to see Garcia.”

  It struck her then. “You don’t think Carrie’s in danger, do you?”

  He steered the Rover onto a dusty gravel road. “No. At least not yet. I put out some feelers to a few of my more reliable contacts. No one knows of any injuries to the family or his people. One of my contacts thought a baby might be on the way for a daughter-in-law.”

  “If Garcia is so powerful and wealthy, couldn’t he afford a full-time physician?”

  “My sources say the family had one, but he died.” Apparently seeing her alarm, he added, “Stroke. Not murder.”

  Feeling only slightly less worried, she was about to ask about his plans to rescue Carrie when he pulled up to the window of a small brick building. A harsh-faced man glared at them and barked out, “What do you want?”

  She listened as Aidan placed an order large enough to feed a small army. The man nodded and snapped, “Five minutes.”

  Aidan winked, gave her a quick grin. “Customer service sucks. Food’s better.”

  A buzz sounded. Aidan grabbed his cellphone from the console and swiped the screen to read a text. His expression never changed, but Anna noted a slight tightening of his jaw.

  “Something wrong?”

  Instead of answering her, he tapped out a reply. Another buzz, then another reply. The rapid rate of replies was both dizzying and worrisome. Had something happened?

  In the midst of Aidan’s rapid-fire texting, the dour-faced man returned to the takeout window and growled out an amount for their order. Anna grabbed her wallet, determined to pay. It was the very least she could do. Without taking his eyes from his phone, Aidan pulled a wad of bills from this pocket and held them out to the man. It must have been more than enough, because the man’s mouth actually moved up into what might’ve been a smile.

  Seconds later, two giant white sacks were shoved through the open window. Aidan grabbed them and handed them over to Anna.

  With a nod and a “Gracias” to the man, Aidan pulled away from the building.

  Anna dealt with the food. She was a little surprised that instead of pulling over so he could eat, he pressed a key on his cellphone and then held it to his ear.

  Anna shamelessly listened to the short and very one-sided conversation.

  “Yeah. You’re sure?” Aidan said. He listened for several long seconds and then gave two “Okays,” one grunt, and an “All right” before ending the call and dropping the phone back onto the console.

  Frustrated, Anna said, “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

  He didn’t give her an answer, just an odd, concerned look as he pulled into the parking lot of a small strip mall.

  “Let’s eat, and then we’ll talk.”

  Aidan was more than a little surprised he got away with that. Instead of demanding to know what was going on, she silently withdrew several paper-wrapped meat pies from the sack. She handed him two and unwrapped another, taking a healthy bite.

  He downed one pie in three bites, then started on the second one, eating only slightly slower. After finishing that one off, he twisted in his seat and pulled open a cooler in the backseat. Smith had come through once again. The cooler was filled with ice-cold bottles of water, along with sports drinks and sodas.

  He handed a bottle of water to Anna and then took several chugs from his own bottle before he looked at her again. He was impressed that she’d managed to handle two empanadas and was now working on her third. He liked a woman with a healthy appetite.

  “Taste good?”

  She nodded. Chewing and then swallowing, she said, “Truly excellent.”

  Aidan grabbed another from the bag between them and ate slowly. His thoughts were anything but slow. Circumstances had changed, and he didn’t like it one damn bit. But he’d learned a long time ago that accepting the shit that happened and liking it wer
e two different things.

  He took one last swig from his water bottle. “Why have you never accepted Noah’s offer to come work for LCR?”

  If she was surprised by his question, she didn’t let on. “For one thing, I love what I do. For me, there’s nothing more rewarding than making a difference in a child’s life. Seeing a traumatized child recover and know that I was a part of that is a phenomenal feeling.”

  He liked the way her brown eyes gleamed and her expressive face glowed when she talked about her job. He liked that she didn’t overreact at the bar earlier. She’d been in danger but had kept her wits about her. He liked that when she didn’t like something, she spoke up. He liked the way her hair glinted with different colors when the sun hit it at a certain angle. He liked the light spatter of freckles across her nose and that when she smiled, her entire face lit up. He liked that—

  He slammed the door on those thoughts. Oh hell no, he would not go there. He had successfully tamped down his attraction to Anna Bradford for over two years. Damned if this event would throw him off course.

  “McCall says you’ve had training. Said that you’ve been through some practice missions with Riley.”

  Riley Ingram was one of Anna’s best friends. She was also one of the toughest operatives Aidan had ever worked with.

  “Yes, Riley and I have done some training on occasion. Whenever we’ve got some extra time together.” Her eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”

  Aidan sprawled back in his seat. No point in beating around the bush. McCall believed she could handle this. The LCR leader would never put anyone, especially a civilian and someone he cared about, in harm’s way unless he had total confidence in her abilities.

  “Circumstances have changed.”

  “In what way?”

  “Your friend was taken to a Garcia family compound. Only, it’s not the one we figured. This one is several hours away.”

  “Do you know how to get there?”

  “McCall is sending me coordinates.”

  “There’s more, though. What?”

  “This compound belongs to Garcia’s youngest son. Julio’s not known for his even temper even in the best of times. Does Carrie have a good head on her shoulders?”

  “She’s the most level-headed person I’ve ever known.”

  “Good. She should be safe.”

  “But not us?”

  “He won’t be as accommodating as his father would have been. We’ll have to use stealth. It could get dangerous. You need to tell me if you don’t want to do this. I can handle this alone.”

  What an odd feeling it was to want to slap a man and kiss him at the same time. Only Aidan Thorne had ever made her think that way. He was telling her she didn’t have to put herself in danger. That he was willing to take the risk on his own. Aidan Thorne was a hero in every sense of the word. But he had shown her on more than one occasion that he didn’t have a lot of faith in her abilities.

  “Yes, you can handle this alone, but you don’t have to. I’ll be with you every step of the way. And I will be an asset, not a liability.”

  She spoke with a quiet confidence. Anna knew what she was made of.

  “Good enough for me.”

  Something loosened inside her. She had always believed in her abilities, but having Aidan’s support and trust did something to her. She so wanted this man’s approval. Pushing that needy feeling aside for now, she asked, “What’s the game plan?”

  “The compound is on a mountain, situated between Medellín and Arauca. Give or take any interruptions along the way, that’s about a six-hour drive to the base of the mountain. McCall’s intel says the compound was once easily accessible, but after Julio finished building his home, he had all access roads blocked off.”

  “How does he get supplies?”

  “Other than on foot, helicopter is the only way on or off the mountain. It’s been a couple of years since Julio finished his home, so there’s no telling what kind of growth has built up. We’ll drive up as far as we can, hike the rest of the way. Could be a couple dozen miles or so. Depending on the terrain, it could take a day, day and a half to get to the top.”

  Hiking was one of her favorite pastimes. She was in good shape and was thankful for it. Hiking in the humid ninety-plus-degree heat would be a challenge.

  “Do you expect resistance before we arrive?”

  “Colombian authorities aren’t crazy about having Americans wandering into unknown territory. If we get stopped, I’ll handle things.

  “Once we get to the compound, it could get dicey. Juan Garcia turned the bulk of his business over to his two sons. Julio’s hotheaded and arrogant. Got a double dose of machismo.” He paused a beat, then gave her that bone-melting sexy smile. “But that’s a weakness we can exploit.”

  “How so?”

  “You get too cocky, you screw up.”

  He glanced at one of the bags still full of empanadas. “You finished?”

  “Yes.”

  He took the sack from her and dropped it into the backseat.

  “So what now?”

  “We’re going shopping.”

  Chapter Six

  An hour later, armed with more weapons and equipment than they might need, they were headed out of Cali. Aidan was taking no chances. McCall had sent as much information as he’d been able to gather on short notice. No matter how Aidan looked at it, this rescue would be no picnic.

  He glanced over at his passenger. So far, she had been the biggest surprise. From this morning’s encounter at Claudio’s Cantina to learning that her friend had been abducted, she had taken everything in stride. No, Anna Bradford was not one to overreact.

  And because of her maturity and calm demeanor, Aidan was taking her on a rescue mission. Even though he really had no choice, he didn’t feel as uneasy as he might have with another civilian. McCall, who was nobody’s fool, believed she could handle herself. Just because she looked like candy sprinkles on an ice cream sundae didn’t mean she was delicate.

  What she had survived a few years back, abduction and torture, might’ve destroyed most people. He knew Anna Bradford was no weakling.

  “You ever been to Medellín or Arauca?”

  She’d been gazing out the window but turned to him when he started talking. “No. This is my first time in Colombia.”

  “You’ve had an interesting introduction. Sorry your work got interrupted.”

  She turned away to look out the window, but not before he saw the grimace. “I wasn’t having much luck anyway.”

  “Why not?”

  “Some of the kids I worked with have been through more trauma than most people will see in a lifetime. Their parents—some, not all—want to push it under the rug, pretend it never happened.”

  “It can’t be the first time you’ve dealt with parents in denial.”

  She gave a little strangled laugh. “No. I was raised by parents in denial. I know the symptoms. Doesn’t make it any easier to understand or deal with.”

  “Your parents are divorced. Right?”

  “Yes. Not that it’s done them a lot of good.”

  “How so?”

  “They can’t move on. They were miserable when they were married. Now they’re miserable apart. Always wanting to know what’s going on with the other. Is she seeing anyone? Does he have a new bimbo?”

  She shrugged in that nonchalant way people did when they were trying to pretend something didn’t bother them when it bothered them a helluva lot.

  “Putting you right in the middle.”

  “I’ve been there most of my life. You’d think I’d be used to it by now.” She threw him a wry look. “I shouldn’t complain. If there’s one thing my parents agree on, it’s their love for me. There are too many children…people in general, who never know the love of one parent, much less two. I’m lucky, I know.”

  “Doesn’t make it any easier to bear.”

  Another shrug, she then shifted in her seat to face him. “What about you? Wer
e you one of the lucky ones, too?”

  “The luckiest. Great parents. Wonderful sister. I hit the jackpot.”

  Anna’s expression was easy to read. She was wondering where his damage was. Most LCR operatives had something in their past that compelled them to dedicate their lives to rescuing others from a similar fate. He couldn’t say his own hellacious experience was a typical one, but in a roundabout way, it had brought him to LCR.

  “You’re wondering what happened to me.”

  She didn’t even try to hide her curiosity. Instead, she nodded and waited.

  For the first time in a long time, he found himself wanting to spill his guts, tell her the whole sorry mess. The pain, the betrayal. The waste of a beautiful life. The destruction of other lives. The gut-wrenching ache of his own.

  The temptation was so great, he actually opened his mouth to say the first words and then slammed his trap closed. What the hell? How damn selfish would he be to put any of his shit into Anna’s head? The less she knew, the safer she was.

  “You can trust me, you know.”

  She said it so sweetly, no judgment, no artifice. Just the compassionate words of a caring, beautiful soul. It was all he could do not to reach over and hug her. Dammit, why did she have to be so damned sweet?

  “I know I can. It’s just best for both of us if you don’t know.”

  “You’re still in danger?”

  He looked away from her, away from temptation. “Let’s not go there.”

  “But… I—”

  “Drop it,” he snapped.

  He didn’t see her flinch, but he felt it like a blow.

  “Shit, Anna,” he rasped out. “I’m sorry. It’s just—”

  “No. Sorry. Prying is my business, and sometimes I overstep my boundaries.”

  “You didn’t overstep. It’s just best not to talk about it. Okay?”

  “It’s fine. Really.” Her best fake smile in place, she glanced out at the sky. “Will the weather be this humid and hot where we’re headed?”