Page 58 of Evening Shadows

When she brought him the second bottle with a shake of her head, his confidence cracked and blood roared inside him, dropping heavily in his stomach.

Beverly planned to drug Sam too.

23

Worried what Beverly might do since she’d expected both of them to be drugged, Ken hoped it’d just been something to make them sleep. He shuddered at the thought she might’ve tried something more harmful to not only himself but to Sam.

It’d shaken Sam that her friend—no matter how crazy—had tried to drug her after the afternoon they’d had together, and the pact they’d made. A fake pact, but Beverly wasn’t supposed to have realized that.

Ken rose from the cot—careful not to wake Sam—and checked the hallway as best he could. With the latest development, they’d kept a watch, taking turns so they wouldn’t be caught off-guard. With only the small knife, they’d be limited, but not unaware. Noting no one, and with all quiet, he reached for the earpiece and checked to see if the comm was open.

Beverly had switched to salsa music. Being a country music fan, neither the heavy metal or this worked for him. It definitely wouldn’t work for whoever on the team had monitoring duty.

With a shrug, he had to go with what they’d heard last. After dropping it into his pocket so Beverly wouldn’t find it after they’d gone, he began to stretch his injured leg. He had serious concerns over how well he’d do on the run. Holding Sam back and putting her in danger once again weighed heavily on his mind.

If things went as planned—or ad hoc as they’d need to do with a limited team—he and Sam could make it to the rendezvous point in two days due to how much he’d slow them. He imagined he’d have to stop for the night and rest instead of pushing forward. Doc—as decoy—should pull the guards in the opposite direction then circle back to pick up his and Sam’s trail. Covering their trail also relied on whether they could rendezvous with Doc and gain weapons.

Not being sure-footed, they’d certainly leave a path where they would cut through the jungle when they diverted off the main paths that ran through it to the house and main road.

Ready, he turned around and saw the slivers of morning light attempting to break through the heavy darkness. The time had come for them to leave. They had to get over the wall and to the edge of the jungle before full dawn broke.

With renewed vigor and adrenaline pumping, he touched the shoulder of the woman he loved, rousing her from sleep. Like him, she’d slept lightly, and within thirty seconds, she stood, ready to tackle the challenges of the day.

Unable to stop himself, he pulled her tightly against his chest, and with his heartbeat quickening, captured her lips in a soul-searing kiss. Knowing this could be the last kiss they shared, he didn’t hold back, wanting this moment to be something that put a smile on their lips.

Moving his lips over hers, he nibbled and memorized the soft feel, the perfect shape that accentuated a beautiful face. As if choreographed, they opened at the same time and tongues tangled, then mapped out the other’s mouths in familiarity.

They’d shared several kisses while in captivity and held each other close. He wanted more. He didn’t give a shit how much his face and lips pained him.

He craved a future with this amazing woman by his side.

Without breaking their connection, he mouthed, “I love you” over her lips. He still didn’t expect to hear it from her, but with the way she gripped him and suffused passion into their kiss, she had feelings for him, even if only desire. He could work with that. Building up from there was more appealing than if that need didn’t exist.

With an unwelcome force pulling at him, he lifted his lips from hers. “It’s time.” Before he let her go, he placed a lengthy kiss on her mouth. “Stay safe for me.”

Sam looked up at him with those blue eyes that made him want to dive in and take a drink. “You stay safe for me. Don’t ruin something we should’ve made happen long before now.”

“Marry me,” he blurted. His control had momentarily escaped him. It had to be that uncertainty they faced. Hell, he’d rushed to tell her he loved her when he thought they might die. Now didn’t appear much different.

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened with shock. Opening and closing her mouth like a fish, she finally got out, “I—” Without trying to finish that word or sentence, she stepped out of his embrace. Pulling the key from her pocket, she avoided responding and asked, “Are you ready?”

A slice of disappointment lanced through him even though he shouldn’t allow it. She had to realize they were destined to be together soon enough. Straightening his spine and focusing his mind on their path and threats, he nodded.

At the door, Sam reached through the bars and fumbled a bit until the key fit into the lock. She turned back to him before she turned it because they knew it made a light click. It shouldn’t attract anyone unless they were close. They’d already zeroed in on how far they could open the door before it squeaked.

She looked back at him. Their gazes connected and before a fierceness took hold, they had a final soft moment. They nodded. Time to go.

Turning back around, Sam worked at lightning speed to unlock and open the door.

Ken slipped out and took a right. His leg, while painful, didn’t interfere with his fast stride. What it did was remind him of the pain in his chest from the injuries to his ribs.

No matter the issues, he’d lived through worse. Just because Rangers were some of the best, didn’t mean they couldn’t be ambushed. Not a day went by that he didn’t silently thank Jesse for getting evac’d out.

It appeared he needed Jesse to do that same thing again.

Stopping right before a hallway intersection that he’d almost missed in the darkness, the two of them plastered themselves to the wall. He peeked around, and with the glow from another portion of the hall, he cleared them. Grabbing Sam’s hand, they turned left and hustled toward freedom. At least from the house.

As they passed each room, they stopped and peered in, looking for any threats. The house was quiet—as would be typical this time of the day. He hoped that whoever monitored the indoor cameras wasn’t paying attention. They reached the final spot before the front door.

---