Page 57 of Hazard

Alzate walked over to Leigh, grabbing her by the hair, twisting it so hard, she cried out. “This time I’ll make sure that your execution is well documented.”

Hazard surged forward, but he was held back by the armed guards. “Take your hands off her,” he shouted.

One of them cracked his rifle butt against the back of Hazard’s head, and he dropped to his knees, seeing stars. They were royally screwed, and by a man he had trusted.

“Now, Leigh,” Jose yelled, and she jerked her knee up, connecting solidly with Alzate’s junk. The man opened his mouth soundlessly, his eyes bulging. In one quick move, Jose cut Leigh’s bonds, and she grabbed something from the waist of her pants. She sliced at the nearest guard to Hazard, while Jose took out the other guard. When he brought up his weapon, Hazard pivoted and took his legs out from under him, then rose and dropped his knee on the guy’s neck. There was an audible crack, and the guy went still. Leigh ran to him and cut him free just as the sound of automatic gunfire ripped through the camp.

Hazard lunged at her and took her down to the ground, covering her with his body.

17

Hazard hit her from behind like a linebacker, the impact pushing the air from her lungs. She grunted when she hit the tent floor, his hard body covering her from head to toe. For several seconds, Leigh panicked at the weight of him on top of her, pressing her to the ground while bullets flew all around them. The stench of flash burns lingered on the steamy air. She could barely breathe and memories of what had happened to TOC almost paralyzed her. She kept telling herself this wasn’t the same. Hazard was protecting her, and he was all right. He was alive. He had to be.

The gunfire was steady and close.

“Hazard,” she called, but there was no answer. Had her voice been drowned out by the gunfire? She couldn’t see any of him, and she tried to control her chaotic mind to focus on whether or not he was breathing, but her heart was pounding so hard, she couldn’t distinguish any other sound.

There was indistinct shouting, then rapid bursts of additional gunfire, running feet, and discordant sound. She opened her eyes, but the only person she could see was Alzate. He was on his side, cupping his groin, his face contorted in pain, still reeling from her ball-breaking knee. Confident that he was incapacitated, Leigh tried calling again.

“Archer!”

“I got you, babe. Hang on.” His deep voice trembled over her skin, and her heartbeat staggered painfully, her panic-driven terror giving way to a debilitating relief. “Oh, thank God,” she sobbed.

“Hazard!” Iceman shouted and several more male voices, but she couldn’t distinguish the other members of his team. They must be frantic.

“In here, boss,” he shouted back, slipping off her. There was a muffled sound, then big, fully kitted-out Navy SEALs entered the tent, weapons bristling. Several of them went over to secure Alzate. One of them bent down to her…Breakneck and helped her to sit up. Kodiak was right behind him. The man was huge, and she couldn’t see Hazard.

“Are you all right, Leigh?” he asked.

She took inventory and hissed a little when her calf protested. “My leg,” she whispered.

He immediately bent down, placing his big hands gently on her calf until he probed. She protested. “Ow.”

“Yup, you got an owie,” he said, deadpan. He turned to his kit as she sputtered a little, then gave in and chuckled, hissing again as he injected something that made it numb, vigorously cleaned it, and slapped a bandage on it.

He finally moved those massive shoulders of his, and she could see Hazard kneeling while he talked to Iceman who crouched near him. Their leader was as impassive as ever, but she had detected that note of fear in his voice when he’d called out Hazard’s name.

She heard Hazard mention Jose, and that’s when Leigh realized that Jose and Astrid were gone, and so was all that cash on the table—to the tune of at least a couple million.

She huffed out a little scoffing laugh. That should fund their disappearance. Jose had given her instructions in the car, quite aware of how much Hazard would have protested against her being involved in any efforts to save them. He had quite decidedly left Hazard out of the conversation. But Jose knew the guards would dismiss her if she was bound. He had slipped Hazard’s knife into the waistband of her pants, and true to form, the guards had completely ignored her as any kind of threat. Jose had also loosely bound her before she’d gotten out of the car. He told her when he gave the signal, she was to act. He didn’t exactly say how, but the knee in Alzate’s groin had been more than satisfying.

Those thoughts rushed through her brain as she watched Hazard. Her lower lip quivered, and she drank in the moment, the man. She got lucky, so lucky, and even though she had been terrified of losing him, all that mattered now was that he was alive, they were both safe, and Angel Alzate was in their custody.

Iceman rose and he started giving orders to secure Alzate and get back to the compound.

Hazard turned his head and his gaze slammed into hers. He clenched and unclenched his jaw, his face twisting with emotion. She had no idea how she got to him. She just threw herself into his arms. Hazard made a choked sound and crushed her roughly against him, holding her as if she were his next breath. “My mouthy warrior,” he murmured. Then he clutched her tighter, his breath ragged. She couldn’t stop the laughter at the “mouthy” part of the comment. She took it as a compliment.

Burying her face against his neck, Leigh clung to him with every ounce of strength she had, holding on to her salvation. He had changed her in the time she’d been here, so drastically she barely recognized the woman she had been.

She closed her eyes and wrestled with dozens of emotions, not able to absorb them all right now.

As soon as they got back to the command center, Anna had already made arrangements with the DEA, and they were en route to transfer Alzate to San Diego. Colombia had released him in a previous agreement, Leigh had drawn up, so all of that red tape had already been handled. Most of the cartel had been rounded up, and jailed, waiting for their own justice.

When Iceman growled Hazard’s name and flicked his thumb to an empty room, Leigh realized this was the ass-chewing Hazard had expected. She waded through all the people milling around.

“Iceman, wait.”

He paused and currently had Hazard by the back of his vest with that signature Iceman coldness crackling like a blast chiller.

---