Page 55 of Extracted

He caught her hand and rubbed his thumb over the thin skin of her knuckles. The anxiety didn’t leave her blue eyes, and her forehead creased more. “I’m going to make some calls, okay? Don’t worry. Let’s take it one day at a time.”

She scoffed. “You mean an hour at a time.”

He didn’t disagree. The way things were going, they’d be lucky to make it to a motel in one piece—and not have their door blown in by money-hungry killers.

He dug out a grand in cash as they headed back to Carson. He slapped the bills in the guy’s hand, and then Carson led them to the back of the SUV and lifted the hatch. “I hope you don’t mind. We could fit you in the middle,” he said, gesturing to the two vacant seats, “but with the checkpoints coming up we might as well be cautious. It’s best if you stay down and cover yourselves with the blanket when we reach the authorities.”

Dallas tossed his bag inside and glanced at Gemma. Her lips were twisted to the side. He really couldn’t blame her for not liking the idea.

“Least there’s AC.” Carson laughed.

Gemma flashed him a less-than-amused smile and climbed into the back.

“There’s extra water and some food in the cooler,” Carson said. “We’ll give you a heads-up when we get close.”

Dallas hefted himself into the small area and settled back against the side of the vehicle. The hatch closed. Gemma scooted next to him as the other two men got into the passenger seats two rows ahead of them.

“I guess this isn’t the worst,” she said. “At least we have a bit of privacy and can stretch out.”

“Why don’t you rest?” He shook out the blanket.

She slid down, and he guided her head to his lap. As he pulled the blanket over her body, the SUV lurched and made a U-turn.

“Are you going to sleep?”

She yawned. “I don’t think so. I just need to rest my body.”

“Mmm.” Damn right. They both did. His muscles started to throb, but he pushed the discomfort away. If he let himself feel like shit now, it’d make the journey even longer. He glanced down as Gemma gingerly positioned her leg. He also needed to look at her wound, but it’d have to wait. One of the men turned on the radio, and music drummed through the speakers.

“Do you mind if I call my brother?” he asked her.

“Not at all.”

He dug his satellite phone from his pocket and brought the screen to life. They were still too far from cell-phone towers for his encrypted phone to work. Dare would be waiting for him to call and confirm he’d been picked up, but more than anything, Dallas felt the pull to call Cole.

He dialed the memorized number, and the line rang in his ear.

“Holy shit, you’re alive,” said Cole, in a monotone.

“Yeah. Guess I have you to thank for that.”

“Don’t mention it. You can trust Carson. He’s loyal. He knows I’m good for the money to keep you alive.”

“Well,” Dallas said, running his free hand over Gemma’s long, silky braid. “I’ll pay you back what you put up to get us out.”

“Don’t be dumb. You’d do the same for me. Good thing it’s you and not Nash or Dare—I wouldn’t pay a dime for those assholes.”

Dallas laughed. Cole’s dry humor never got old, but he was full of shit. Cole had come through more than once for their younger siblings, but he’d never admit he had a soft bone in his body. You had to read Cole’s actions, not his words. He didn’t make promises, didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, and he sure as hell wouldn’t admit to feeling any kind of emotion—but in little ways, he showed that he cared.

Dallas understood Cole better than anyone else could. Maybe it was because they’d shared a womb.

“You going to tell me about the woman I’m also rescuing?”

Dallas smiled, and he glanced down at Gemma’s body, lying on his. Cole got laid, probably more than most, but he was a lone wolf. A man who couldn’t understand the bleeding heart of a guy who had it bad for a woman.

“Not right now. But thanks for that, too.”

“Figured it was a two-for-one deal. You going to be able to get out of Ecuador after this?”

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