Page 31 of Hazard

But all of it paled in comparison to what Leigh was going through. It was excruciating thinking about the possibilities, and his special forces brain could conjure up a lot of scenarios. He was relieved they had found and rescued Anna, not surprised at all by her ingenuity and courage in fighting her captors and winning. She was a badass. But Leigh was a badass in a different way. She hadn’t been trained in fighting off her attackers, and he feared down to his soul that her mouth was going to get her killed. Leigh was used to a normal world, to the sedate courtroom where prisoners were in suits and on their best behavior, guards nearby to keep the peace, not this fetid jungle where feral predators roamed in a lawless stretch of sixty-six miles, measuring life by how much someone inconvenienced them, or not thinking about it at all. Leigh’s life was immeasurable, precious, and priceless.

Finding that tent empty had felt like he had a fist jammed into his chest. A cold numbing sensation engulfed him. Too late. They had just missed her, goddammit. He dragged his hand down his unshaven face.

The thought of all that vitality and fighting spirit snuffed out in seconds spurred him on as he pushed away the frustration and disappointment. He couldn’t lose her before he even had a chance to know her. His encounter with her might have been brief, but it had been powerful, so powerful, he was contemplating chucking out his rule book for just another taste of this woman. Would it be smart to cross the line with her? Hell-fucking-no, but he wasn’t sure he could keep his cool if he didn’t step into what was happening between them.

There were no frickin’ rules here or in Bogotá, no goddamn rules when it came to killing anyone who threatened an American, especially a federal prosecutor hell-bent on getting justice for her dead colleagues against guns, drugs, and thugs, an international, transnational clusterfuck.

He ran, his senses on alert, searching the jungle for any sign of danger or threat. They had to hoof it. If Leigh was at that camp, they couldn’t be far behind. He was floored by the sheer amount of denseness. Everywhere he looked…just more jungle. They splashed through small streams, over roots designed to make anyone stumble, through thick brush, all the while Bones didn’t waver.

Hazard dug deep, asking more of his body, one that had been trained, primed, conditioned for just this type of activity, his heart beating, his adrenaline shooting, and his legs pumping. It was all part of the SEAL gig. They performed at an extremely high level. Their country expected it from them, and they expected it from themselves.

He swallowed the hard ball of rage sticking in his throat like a forty-pound weight, ignoring the edge of fear licking at his emotions.

He lived with brutality every day. He didn’t want Leigh to have to experience it up close and personal. Not that she wasn’t strong, that wasn’t it. He did this job so people like her, the ones who lived a normal life, wouldn’t have to be exposed to this kind of threat or terror. His biggest fear wasn’t acting on the darker side of his nature that came to the fore when he needed that warrior, that man who would do anything to stop Leigh from dying, but it was failing her, failing in his very mission to protect her.

And they had failed, in many ways here. Unable to be two places at once, he had been very uneasy about her coming on this mission, of leaving her in the hands of another protector, while he went with his team, a split in loyalties that still churned inside him.

He had always sought balance in his life, but the moment he’d met Leigh, she was always tipping those damn scales, and part of him acknowledged that it wasn’t a bad thing. He could handle being challenged. He lived for that every day. But she affected him like no other person in his life. Something had been missing. Something that kept him in his head, not that he didn’t enjoy sex or the pleasure that came with the act. It was that he was and had always been cautious about who took up his time. He strived to be knowledgeable, well-informed, and self-sufficient, and at the same time using his skills to help others, especially his mom.

He’d never been afraid of engaging outside his home bubble, using his mind and body to overcome obstacles always felt natural and right. But internally, maybe he’d been leery of sharing too much of who he was, making for a very lonely existence.

They continued on. Hazard pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion. They had to find her in time, otherwise he would never be able to forgive himself.

Leigh came awake the instant the handle on the door twisted, the squeak loud and chilling. She rose, her back to the wall, but there was no escape from this room. The door let in daylight, and she shielded her eyes against the penetrating glow.

A man materialized as he stepped into the shade.

Conde.

Then two more, and finally the last man. Again, the intense sunlight caused her to squint, but when he walked into the shade her heart lurched against the wall of her chest. The very man they were all hunting stopped just inside the door.

Angel Alzate.

He had close-cropped hair with a receding hairline, dark, almost black eyes, and a serious personality deficit, just like his lackeys. He smirked as he gave her a once over with disdain and a smug triumphant fire in his eyes, up and down, giving her a look like she was taking up important space.

She straightened and faced him, pushing down the fear and her sense of survival until the only thing that burned in her chest was the need to bring this man to justice.

He chuckled. “Such bravery for a member of the American government.”

She didn’t answer, just stared at him with contempt.

“Tell me what I want to know, and I will execute you quickly and painlessly.” He delivered the words like he was ordering his next meal, without any inflection. Empty-souled bastard. Hell would freeze over first.

She still kept her mouth closed. She had no intention of telling them anything of their plans, plans only she and Nick knew about. She hadn’t even had a moment to share it with the task force.

“Such restraint. I hear that you have been anything but mute since we killed your people and took you like taking the candy from the infant.”

“Candy from a baby, you ignorant asshole.”

“Ah, she does speak.” He nodded to Conde and with that signal, that thug strode across the space that separated them, grabbing her by the hair.

Alzate approached. He caught her chin. “You are quite beautiful up close. Your picture doesn’t do you justice. Eh, Conde?” He trailed his finger down the side of her face, to her neck, then lower until he brushed the side of her breast in the center of her chest. She gritted her teeth, her skin crawling at his touch, the threat not even subtle, each and every one delivered in a flat monotone voice that was really starting to grate on her nerves. She brought up her hands to push him away, but Conde grabbed her wrists and pulled them over her head. Of course, she should have expected that sexual assault would be in the cartel’s arsenal. After all, women were the weaker sex, and they were nothing but power-hungry jerks, using such a base way to make a woman see exactly what her place was.

Conde chuckled, his stare turning hot and predatory, a wholly sexual smile curling the corner of his harsh mouth. “As long as she doesn’t speak,” he said.

“Hmm,” Alzate said, brushing his fingers against her flesh, the caress undoing a button on her ruined and torn blouse. “What if I take execution off the table? Let you live to serve us.”

It was her turn to laugh. “I’d rather die, and I’m smart enough to know that I can’t trust a fucking thing you say.”

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