Anna sat quiet and obedient. Her shoulders were slouched with exhaustion, and Aidan didn’t know if he’d ever seen her so dispirited.
“I need to change clothes.”
It was the first time she’d spoken in a while and Aidan felt immeasurably better. Not only were her words clear and concise, they were calm. When she opened her eyes, Aidan could still see her horror, but he knew she was blocking it. Practical matters, like getting into clean clothing, were something she could hang on to and deal with. Later, he knew, she’d fall apart. He planned to be there when that happened.
“I have something you can wear.” He stood. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
Anna waited until he’d left the room before she allowed the fierce shudder to go through her. At some point, she’d have to face the nightmare of what had happened, but for right now she had to stay strong. Aidan was doing everything he could to make sure she was okay. She needed to show him that she was.
He returned within a minute, holding a T-shirt, a pair of boxer briefs, and a belt.
His smile was a little crooked. “Not exactly haute couture, but I think we can make this work.” He dropped the clothing on the side of the tub. “Come on, raise your arms.”
She did as he asked, and he pulled her tank top over her head. She was glad to see there was no visible blood on her bra. Aidan went to his knees again and untied her boots, pulling them off. She unzipped her pants and, wiggling slightly, managed to remove them without standing up.
Her panties and bra were made for sensibility and comfort, not sex appeal. They covered her better than most swimsuits, so while this wasn’t what she’d dreamed of wearing if Aidan ever undressed her, she at least felt no sense of embarrassment.
She took a breath and, willing her legs to support her, stood. “I’m all right. I’ll clean up and change. Carrie might need you.”
“I’m not leaving you, Bradford.”
Yes, he would. Eventually. But that wasn’t what he meant, and that was a heartache for another day. This day had more than enough on its own. She wished she could give him a smile of reassurance, but it would have been fake. She sucked at fake smiles. Instead, she tried to convince him with words. “I’ll be fine. I promise.” Seeing he was about to object again, she added with a firmness she didn’t feel, “I need to be alone, Aidan. Please.”
“Fine.” He backed out of the room. “I’ll be out here if you need me.”
Too tired to argue, she waited until he closed the door, and then her legs gave up their support. She dropped back onto the toilet seat, covered her face with her hands, breathed in and out several times. This was still not the time to fall apart, but she needed this moment, this small increment of time to center herself.
A few minutes later, her breathing had calmed, as had her heartbeat. Standing, she took a clean towel, wet it down, and wiped the rest of the blood from her face, neck, and arms. Aidan had gotten most of it, but she needed to do this herself. Scrubbing as hard as she could gave her a weird sense of accomplishment—she didn’t know why.
She unbraided her hair and used the remaining water to pour over her head. When she saw the blood drip into the sink, she let out a little moan. Stop it, Anna! Straightening her spine, she worked through the strands as best she could, towel-dried her hair, and braided it. How odd that less than an hour ago, she was in here doing the very same thing and feeling if not happy at least optimistic. And now? Now she just felt empty.
Grabbing the clothes Aidan had given her, she put them on and looked in the mirror. Staring back at her was a pale, wide-eyed, scared little girl. She had left that little girl behind long ago, and dammit, here she was staring at her again. This wasn’t what she wanted Aidan to see. She closed her eyes, took more deep breaths, and then opened them again. Better. Not good, but definitely better. She would make it through.
Chapter Nineteen
Aidan paced the length of the bedroom suite. He wanted to go back in there and help her, but she was trying so hard to be brave. If he pushed, he didn’t know how she’d react. She was holding up a helluva lot better than most people would have. How many people, trained for danger or not, could stay calm when they had a gun pointed in their face and remain that way seconds later when a head exploded all over them? He knew she’d never get the image out of her mind. He sure as hell never would.
Why hadn’t he checked on her earlier? Why had he left her alone? Why had she left the room? Why the hell had he brought her here in the first place? This was no place for a woman like Anna. Yes, she was strong and smart, but that couldn’t prepare her for dealing with drug lords or poisoned and dying men. And certainly not almost being killed.
The door opened, and when she walked out, he didn’t bother to hide his smile. It felt damn good on his mouth. The olive green T-shirt was his color of choice when stomping around the Colombian jungle. It wasn’t meant to be attractive, but Anna could make a paper sack look good. The shirt was about five sizes too big for her and should have swallowed her up, but she’d used his belt to create a sort of minidress. Combined with the hiking boots, the outfit that should have looked ridiculous was sexy as hell.
She had the gray boxer briefs in her hand and held them out to him with a small, quick grin. “I couldn’t keep them from falling down.”
He took the briefs and snagged her hand, too, pulling her to him. She came into his arms willingly, so trustingly. Aidan closed his eyes and just held her for a while. They both needed this. Maybe him more than her.
The sudden whomp whomp of a helicopter told him their time was up. He squeezed her tight one last time and let her go. “The doctors and supplies have arrived. Once they unload, they’re going to take you to the airport. I’ll have your stuff in Cali sent to you in Phoenix.”
She was shaking her head before he could finish, about to disagree. Aidan leaned his forehead against hers. “Do this for me, Bradford. Please. I can’t do the job if I’m worrying about you.”
A breath shuddered out of her, and she sighed a soft, “Okay.”
Knowing he might never have the chance again, Aidan pushed aside the knowledge that this was about the most inappropriate time to kiss her and did it anyway. Covering her mouth with his, he allowed everything he was feeling to show in his kiss. It was soft, sexy, hot, and needy. His mouth ate at hers, sucking and devouring. His tongue plunged deep, sweeping through her mouth, tangling and dueling with her tongue. She tasted sweet, warm, and so damn addictive he knew he could kiss her for a thousand years and never get enough.
He jerked away, his breathing heavy and erratic. Damn, he’d almost lost all sense of where he was and what he was here for. She could do that do him, and he couldn’t afford it.
“Grab your backpack, and let’s go.”
His steps quick and decisive, he stalked to the door. He was about to open it when she softly said his name.
“Yeah?” Turning, he looked back at her and took in the beauty of Anna Bradford. Even though she was a physically attractive woman, it wasn’t only her outward beauty that drew Aidan. Anna was what his Gram years ago referred to as good people. She had heart, courage, and goodness.
“Thanks for your help.”
Even though it was ripping his insides to shreds to say goodbye, knowing they might never see each other again, Aidan did the only thing he could. Shrugging, he gave her his standard smile and said, “Hey, it’s what I do.”
It’s what I do.
As Anna followed Aidan out the door to meet the helicopter, she told herself his words shouldn’t bother her. It was what he did. And this was a job for him. He rescued kidnapped victims. How silly for her to believe this was anything else to him but a job.
Yes, he’d kissed her. Several times. Yes, he’d given her one spectacular orgasm. But he’d also made it clear on more than one occasion that there could be nothing between them. Even though it was obvious he was attracted to her, she knew he fought that with every breath. What could she do but help him fight it?
The next person that jumped out of the helicopter, a petite, dark-haired woman, had Anna running forward with her arms outstretched.
Riley Ingram used to have a serious expression on her face twenty-four seven, but now that she and Justin had fallen in love, she was much less solemn looking. Even though her friend would never be what one would call bubbly, the quiet joy radiating from her was more than apparent. The instant Anna called her name, Riley gave one of her rare big smiles and ran to greet her.
They hugged each other and then stepped back. “I thought you and Justin were hiking up the mountain.”
“We were, but when Noah told us that he was gathering a medical team, we figured we’d just hitch a ride. We probably got here faster this way.” She gave Anna a once-over. “You okay? The uh…outfit…is interesting.”
Like a falling rock, the smile dropped from Anna’s face. “It’s a long story.”
Recognizing that that meant it wasn’t a good time to explain things, Riley squeezed her arm in comfort. They turned back to the helicopter and watched as Elite operatives Justin Kelly, Angela Delvecchio, and Jake Mallory stepped out onto the helipad.
Aidan was greeting them, most likely explaining the events of the last hour. They turned once and looked at Anna. She raised her hand, and all three of them gave her what looked like nods of approval.
“The helicopter will take you to the airport,” Riley said. “Noah’s got a plane waiting for you and your doctor friend to take you back to the States.”
As usual, Noah McCall had coordinated things with what seemed like magic. It would do no good to tell Riley that she didn’t want to go back. There was nothing for her to do here other than get in the way. The biggest reason she wanted to stay was standing beside the helicopter with a look in his eyes that told her he wanted her to go. And soon.
As if she could read her mind, Riley squeezed Anna’s arm again. “When I get back home, I’ll call you, and we’ll arrange a weekend to meet.” She winked and added, “I’ll bring the ice cream.”
“Sounds wonderful. I—”
“Anna, can I talk to you a moment?”
She turned to see Carrie, who wore a worried frown on her face. She quickly made the introductions between Riley and Carrie and then allowed Carrie to pull her a few feet away. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not coming with you.” Carrie looked back toward the house. “I just feel like I need to stay here and finish what I started.”
That wasn’t a surprise to Anna. Carrie’s compassion and deep sense of commitment were among the many reasons she admired her so much.
“I understand. Take care of yourself. Okay?”
“I’m sorry I got you into this mess.” She shook her head. “What happened in there. It shouldn’t have happened, and you definitely shouldn’t have witnessed it.”
“I’m fine, Carrie. It wasn’t anything we could have predicted. How’s Julio doing?”
“Not well at all. I don’t know if he’ll survive this illness, and even if he does, I’m not sure he’ll survive what he did to Elena.”
“Or what Elena did to him,” Anna added.
“Yes.” She looked at the helicopter. “Looks like they’ve unloaded and are ready to take off again. When I get back to the States, we’ll have a long sit-down and a good cry together.”
Tears sprang to Anna’s eyes even as she laughed and said, “I’ll look forward to it.”
She hugged the older woman. On the way to the helicopter, she gave Riley one last hug, waved at the other operatives, and then continued on to the chopper. Before she stepped up, she glanced back to find Aidan. He was several yards away with a cellphone glued to his ear and a scowl on his face. He gave her a brief, sweeping glance and then turned his back to her.
And she guessed that was that.
Her heart heavier than she could remember it being in years, she followed the safety directions of the pilot, who introduced himself as Howie. When he was sure she was buckled in safely, he turned back to the controls, and in seconds they were lifting from the ground.
Her eyes stayed on the man who was still talking on the phone, seemingly oblivious to her leaving. She willed him to look up at her, to reveal even one minuscule percentage of the pain she was feeling at having to leave him. She waited until he became a small, dark, unmoving blip on the landscape. When she could no longer see anything but trees, she sat back in her seat and allowed the hurt to wash through her. Silly, she knew. Why did it matter that he hadn’t even acknowledged her leaving? It wasn’t like he had promised her anything.
They were up in the air for maybe five minutes when something beeped on the instrument panel. She heard Howie mumble a few words and then say, “Roger that.”
Suddenly, the helicopter made a wide turn in the sky, and she realized they were headed back to the compound. Had something else happened? Did she forget something?
They landed back on the helipad, and within a minute, Aidan opened the door and climbed inside. “I’m coming with you.”
Chapter Twenty
Aidan refused to reconsider the commitment he’d just made. McCall had phoned just as Anna was leaving. When his boss told him that Garcia and Ruiz were about to engage in an all-out war and that anyone who had been involved in the debacle at the compound could be a target, Aidan hadn’t been able to make any other choice. Until this thing was over, he was sticking to Anna like glue.
She kept sending him little frowns, and he couldn’t help but smile. She wanted to know what was going on, and he’d tell her soon. Right now he wanted to sit back and consider what he needed to do. Even though he and Anna were leaving Colombia, both Garcia and Ruiz had a reach far outside their own country. He needed a place that neither of them would ever know about or could find. And Anna needed a place where she would feel safe enough to let go and recover.
Her face was almost supernaturally pale. Dark shadows circled her eyes, and her mouth drooped with both fatigue and sorrow. In the last twenty-four hours, she’d had two near-death experiences, very little food, and almost no sleep. She might not know it, but she was staying upright on adrenaline and sheer will. Soon, everything would catch up with her. She would fall, and Aidan would be there to catch her.
When the location came to him, relief followed. But it was not without risk. Anna would be physically safe, but where he was taking her would put both of them in jeopardy of another kind. Being completely alone with this woman was something he’d fought against. It had been more than ten years since he’d had these feelings. He had believed they died when his wife was murdered.
Damned if he would allow anything to happen to Anna. He would guard her and keep her safe. And when it was time to say goodbye, he would make her understand that seeing him again was out of the question. After this was over, it would be over for good.
Anna kept her eyes focused out the window of the helicopter. If she hadn’t been so tired, she was sure her stomach would be doing somersaults. Maybe her exhaustion was the reason she wasn’t asking Aidan all sorts of questions. Like, why had he decided to come with her? Had something happened?
The helicopter hit an air pocket and lurched up and then down. It shook her enough out of her stupor to look at the pilot, then at Aidan. He gave her a reassuring wink and took her hand. He gave it a squeeze and held it between them on the seat.
It was then she realized why she wasn’t demanding answers. She didn’t care. Aidan was with her. Whether it was for the next hour or much longer wasn’t something she was going to dwell on or question. When she’d gotten on
the helicopter and he hadn’t even acknowledged her leaving, she hadn’t thought she would see him again. But he was here with her now. If there was one thing she’d learned from her experience of the past, it was to appreciate each moment for what it was. Worrying never solved one problem. So she would take this moment—and all the ones she could get—and enjoy them.
***
The LCR plane was ready and waiting when they landed at a small airport in Medellín. All Aidan and Anna had to do was get on board and inform the pilot of their destination.
After he ensured that Anna was buckled into her seat, Aidan went to the cockpit. He gave the destination to the pilot, requesting that an alternate flight plan be filed. This was an unusual request but not unheard of for LCR. The organization often took extra precautions such as these when undercover or hiding a rescued victim. Having their route made available to anyone other than those they trusted could mean disaster.
Satisfied that his request would be granted, he stopped in the galley and requested a light meal of sandwiches and fruit. After all she’d been through, he suspected that Anna’s stomach would be a little unsettled. Something light until she’d had some rest and time to decompress would probably sit better.
When he returned to the main cabin, he wasn’t surprised that Anna had reclined in her chair and was asleep. She wouldn’t rest well there, but a light doze was better than nothing. As she slept, Aidan went to the back of the plane and settled into a seat. When they arrived at their destination, he wanted everything ready and in place.
He’d let McCall know where they were headed, but no one else. Not only was he hiding Anna from two drug lords, there was another man out there she wasn’t aware of yet. This one was more dangerous than Garcia or Ruiz. This man’s only focus would be to destroy her life. It was Aidan’s responsibility to make sure the man never found out about her.
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