Page 36 of Evening Shadows

Trying not to show his weakness, Ken tried to gain his feet, but unmanageable searing pain ripped through his leg, and he collapsed on his face. When darkness began to creep in around his eyes, he fought it. He had to protect Sam. He couldn’t leave her alone with these men. He had no idea what they planned for her.

His angel leaned over him. “Come on, Boss, I’ll help you up.”

“Sam, save yourself,” he said, knowing her chance probably dwindled because instead of covering her, he lapsed into darkness with her sweet face on his mind.

14

Fear skittered up Sam’s spine as she swiveled her head from side to side assessing every threat while assuming a protective stance over Ken. Being unarmed, she had to remain calm, yet vigilant.

Before Ken had passed out, she’d been focused on one thing—their survival. It hadn’t been fear that motivated her; it’d been pure determination. Yes, her heart beat overtime and her pulse raced fast enough to win the Kentucky Derby, but since she’d learned to control her fear, she’d not allowed it to rule her. Fear alone didn’t help someone survive. Skill and a level head were her best bet.

An acute sense of purpose drove her, and she stood solidly, at the ready. There had to be a way out and getting them there drove her. Her stomach revolted, because escape presented a challenge she couldn’t overcome without Ken’s help. Not only could she not overpower this many men at once, but even if they offered her the ability to slip away, she wouldn’t leave him to his fate.

She’d sprinted back to help cover his six since he’d not been moving at his full speed. Although, she’d been surprised at how fast he had moved with his injury. She knew the prospect of death made someone forget an impediment to their survival.

His whispered words had thrown her. “I love you, Sam. I always have.” She hadn’t any idea how to respond to that admission. And right now, she couldn’t allow her mind to drift away from their situation.

Trying to wrap her head around this change in the men’s directives, she wanted to rub her temples to ease the confusion. The last group of men said that she and Ken would die, while this group said to come. But it was their knowing Ken’s name that unsettled her.

Then it struck her and made her want to strike out.Bev.Her friend had ratted them out, probably describing each one in order to gain affection from Alejandro. Anger swamped her at the betrayal of someone who’d been dear to her. Obviously, it hadn’t worked because she’d hightailed it out in no time, alone—no Cody.

Two men stepped forward to pick Ken up under his arms, and Sam’s protective instinct went into overdrive. She didn’t know what the hell they had planned, but she didn’t believe it involved medical care. Remembering her training, she returned her focus on any means to escape. She wouldn’t go alone because in HIS, they worked as a team and their HIS commitment meant everything. “No man left behind.” They weren’t completely alone. Earlier, the code word had been transmitted, and Doc should’ve headed their way. He just hadn’t made it in time. He’d observe and be able to transmit out the situation.

Having learned more about the men of HIS, she imagined that once they placed Cody on the bird, two of the men would accompany the boy back to the states, while the others would return to support in whatever role needed. Whether it be interference, negotiation, or rescue. And dare she admit, recovery. She fought to control the shivers attempting to take over her body at that thought.

With clenched fists, she knew their chance of survival improved if they could escape—her mind refused to allow that to leave her thoughts—before reaching the compound, even though they didn’t have the team as backup. But she needed Ken awake and at least able to lean on her to walk because she couldn’t do anything but drag him, and considering his dead weight, her efforts wouldn’t move them fast enough to safety. If they could get away, they’d find their way to Doc, and he could do some of his field medic magic so they could get the hell out of there and to the secondary extraction point before the scheduled time of the helo arrival. It wouldn’t do any good if they missed the window and had to evade for longer.

Her captor’s fingers bit into her right bicep hard enough to leave five-digit bruises, before tugging her forward. At first, she dug herself in and refused to allow him to put distance between her and Ken. She wouldn’t leave the man who’d made her feel again. Even things she’d never admit because they conflicted with all she’d recently discovered from Bev. Though in her heart, she now fully doubted the “new intel” Bev had given her. Ken’s admission and that deep-seated need to save and protect him destroyed the demons that haunted her, removing the weight of the decision on how to respond to the report, and set her heart free.

Her thoughts almost stopped in their tracks. She hated to admit that she’d almost allowed Jesse to die without verifying anything. Ken had broken her out of those thoughts when she hadn’t taken the first shot to cover Jesse. Now, she would rely on him to save her and an injured Ken.

When the two men stepped away, dragging Ken forward, her body tensed as her blood raged. The fear she’d been pushing at bay, turned to anger at the situation and these assholes. If they escaped—no,whenthey escaped—she’d remember every one of these bastards once she had a weapon again. Any weapon would do. Going from police to SWAT to HIS, she’d learned quite a few things about survival. Taking out a threat could be accomplished in many different ways.

Captive. She couldn’t let it happen. If she could get closer to the man who’d removed her small knife—a gift from Ken on her twenty-first birthday—she had no qualms about using her pickpocket skills to lift it. In no way would she allow them to take her sexually. Her stomach roiled with the idea and nausea rose in her throat.

In silence, they continued through the jungle and over the rocky area, so unlike where they’d had cover. Thinking of the small rocks in the terrain, and Ken not grunting or moving, her respect for his strength built. As far as she could tell, the bleeding on his thigh, for the most part, had stopped, but she only saw the back of his leg where his pants appeared stuck to his leg. No trail of red followed him.

Knowing better than to look around for any friendlies, she watched their guards, and her lips quirked as she held back a smile. Most likely afraid of the rest of the team laying an ambush, the men looked a bit afraid. She’d pinpointed the stout guy who’d originally spoken as the leader. Knowing their chain of command could be helpful at some point.

The brute holding her in an iron grip thwarted her attempt to trip toward the thief with her knife. His lightning reaction caught her the moment she stumbled in the opposite direction.Dammit.That also nixed her idea to fall and grab a rock. She’d find something once the man released her.

Before they entered that metal gate, she’d sighted her targets, but new guards in the towers grabbed her attention. Son of a gun. Then she remembered that if Jesse didn’t accompany Cody home, he’d target them first. Mentally crossing her fingers that Jesse returned, she scanned the rest of the area—left to right, near to far.

Ken must’ve tagged it right that they had bunks in the barracks. HIS had taken out quite a few men, but more strolled the compound, inside and outside the adobe walls. If only she had a way to feed the information to Doc, the remaining agents could formulate a good plan for rescue. Somehow, she didn’t think it would be as easy as Cody’s since they’d trespassed, blown up shit, killed some people, injured some others, and surely more because they didn’t do things halfway. They either got in and out with stealth or dealt with crap like this. If it hadn’t been for Bev’s interference, this would have been a clean rescue where they wouldn’t have known Cody was gone until HIS had him on a flight home.

As they traversed the lawn area between the gate and the house, the extra men guarding her and Ken abandoned them and moved to what she suspected were their original posts. If she understood Spanish better, she’d know what they planned for the two of them. Damn, she should’ve paid more attention to their quick language training.

The coolness inside the house surprised her due to the warmth outside. The outside temp had been tolerable, but she freely admitted she preferred the temp inside and the lack of heavy humidity that swamped the rainforest. In no time, her sweat-soaked shirt felt cool against her skin, sending goose bumps skittering up her arms.

After a quick scan for threats and finding only the remaining men, with an alert gaze, she searched for a weapon. In what appeared to be a living room large enough for two sofas, one loveseat, one fainting couch, and four armchairs, she searched out every door, reevaluated every person—the asshole with her knife hadn’t followed them inside—every piece of furniture and its location, and more—so they could escape. Knowing Ken had awakened renewed her strength on their ability to make it. They just needed to find a way out.

“Hello, my dear.”

Sam bristled at the endearment as her head jerked to the barrel-chested Hispanic man who walked through the doorway of a connected room. His deep voice, when speaking English, held little accent. Swallowing hard, she reminded herself that she couldn’t allow taunts to bother her. If she played this right, she could get them released or at the least, medical care for Ken until HIS arrived.

She voiced her assumption, “Alejandro Ramirez.”

With a smile, he bowed his head. “At your service.”

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