Page 15 of Duty Bound

She managed to get enough leverage to pull herself up until she trod lightly on his shoulders. Thank God for that.

He put his hands under her feet and pressed up. Combined with her efforts to pull and claw her way to the surface, she managed to scramble out.

“Keep low,” he called quietly, looking up.

Her face filled the opening, hair tumbling down. She whispered back into the darkness, “I am. How are you going to get out?”

“Take this.” He undid a length of rope that he’d tied around his belt then tossed it up. “Tie it to that tree but stay alert for anyone who might be creeping around.” The last thing he wanted was for a Taliban sniper to spot her, although they’d be under strict orders to shoot but not kill. She was useless to them dead. They needed her alive for the codes. He, on the other hand, would be toast.

Before long, there would be fighters crawling all over the hillside searching for them. When the five of them formulated the rescue plan, they hadn’t counted on a fighting force descending from over the ridge. He still didn’t know exactly where they’d come from. They must have emerged from the cave network that riddled the mountains. It was obviously larger than anyone anticipated.

An army colonel once told him to make sure his unit’s Plan B could function as a Plan A because in many cases it was the one ultimately put into action.

At least Pat, Phoenix, Viper, and Boomer had secured the four other hostages and had escaped into the forests in the valley below. It had taken him longer to find Lily. Her captors had kept her separate, probably to interrogate her in private. She was first prize. The others were collateral—an added bonus to use for ransom.

From what he’d seen, Lily didn’t appear to be injured or harmed in any way, which was one reason why they’d inserted as soon as possible, perhaps to the detriment of more thorough reconnaissance. It was vitally important she didn’t sabotage all her hard work by giving the Taliban the access codes. Pat had outlined how important her military system was to the Afghans, even more so now that the Taliban had assumed control. Unfortunately, that meant they’d stop at nothing to extract those codes from her.

The end of the rope dropped down into the tunnel. She’d done it! He gave it a firm tug. Satisfied her knot would hold, he climbed to the surface.

CHAPTER 6

With the cold night air on their faces, they crouched low and raced across the rocky terrain toward the green zone—an area of dense vegetation alongside a river in a valley such as this one—roughly five hundred yards below.

Despite it being spring, the temperature had dropped close to zero overnight, and their breaths misted in front of them. Particularly Lily’s, which was how Blade noticed she was breathing harder than normal.

“When did you last eat or drink anything?” he asked.

“Not for a while.” They reached the trees. She stopped, doubling over to catch her breath.

Another complication he hadn’t accounted for. She was fading fast, her blood sugar dangerously low due to dehydration and lack of food. “Let’s rest here. We should be okay for a moment.”

Lily wobbled, possibly due to lightheadedness.

He looped his arm around her. “You alright?”

“I just need to close my eyes for one second.” She leaned backwards against a tree.

“No, don’t close your eyes. Lily. Lily!”

Her legs buckled, then she sank to the ground.

Blade crouched beside her, studied her face. She was barely conscious.

Damn it. He didn’t want to stop for long, but she needed sustenance. A quick glance around told him they were alone, and he hadn’t spotted anyone on the trail down the mountain. The cave collapse would take most of the night to clear, and until then, the kidnappers would assume they were trapped inside.

But once they were in, it wouldn’t take long to realize they’d escaped. By then it would be morning. Daylight. A dangerous time to be on the move, but beneficial for their pursuers. They’d follow the tunnel, then start scouring the hilltops, eventually tracking them into the valley, which was the only logical escape route.

He detached his water flask from his utility belt and pulled a squishy energy bar from his pocket. “Here. Drink.”

She was so weak, it seemed an effort to open her eyes. He held the flask to her lips and watched while she drank—first a tentative sip, then thirsty gulps.

“Easy,” he cautioned. “Don’t choke.”

After she’d drunk half the bottle, he handed her the energy bar. “Eat this.”

She tore it open, took a greedy bite, then moaned and closed her eyes as she savored the pleasure.

He couldn’t tear his attention from her mouth. His hunger was far different from hers, and completely inappropriate given her relationship with Spade and their current predicament. Finally, he managed to banish the impure thoughts from his mind. Thank goodness it was too dark for her to notice his intense gaze. “Better?”