Page 76 of Evening Shadows

Approaching the fork, she tensed since they would be more vulnerable. This far from the compound should have fewer threats. Granted, it took them longer to make it to this point since they’d made the detour last night.

The thought of the previous evening had her nerves jittery with a need for Ken’s touch to soothe them. A pulse flowed over her skin, leaving an erotic tingling that touched every bit of her.

“Take cover!” Grits’s urgent voice, while low over the comms, had everyone moving faster than a jungle cat after its prey but nearly noiselessly. Before he’d completed the order, he’d grabbed her arm and basically shoved her into the overgrowth, leaving his body as a target before he joined her under the shelter.

Glancing over her shoulder, she gasped, and her heart skipped a beat as Ken fell when he’d twisted. Instinctively, she moved to help, but Grits held her strong, preventing her from assisting. He pulled her next to him. “We won’t leave him. You two are the targets. You stay with me. Period.”

Half listening to her self-designated bodyguard, her stomach clenched, waiting for Franks to get Ken to safety. Franks reached down, and before he could get an arm under Ken, Doc raced out of concealment to help get Ken to his feet quickly. Her eyes nearly misted at the dedication on this team.

Although Ken could probably walk—it was the getting up that bothered him—they kept their arms around his back, not letting him go until they’d reached a safe spot and confirmed he could stand on his own.

Spread out for yards and yards, the team faced the trails coming into and out of the intersection with weapons at the ready. An odd sort of adrenaline traveled up her spine, leaving her feeling as if she weighed nothing while retaining control of herself.

The next moment fear gripped her, and if a hand hadn’t slapped over her mouth, she’d have cried out, giving away their position. Her heart lodged in her throat as she worked to control herself. A big-assed snake dropped on her shoulder and left her quivering and all but ready to faint. Oh, how she wanted to shoot it.

Frozen to the spot, she nearly passed out from failure to breathe. Having ophidiophobia and trekking through the jungle didn’t mix, but she’d had no choice. She’d thought Cody had been abducted and then she had to get her and Ken to safety. Her own fears be damned.

The snake quickly disappeared from her shoulder, yet her fright kept her immobile. Panic ran through her, and every cell in her body stood on alert, expecting the snake to strike from whatever position it had taken.

“It’s okay, Sugar,” Ken whispered in her ear as his hand slid from her mouth. Relief, like she’d never known flooded her, leaving her emotionally spent and living in an air of safety. The one man who knew and understood her fear had kept her from crying out while removing the object of her terror.

She spun around and wanted to fling herself into his arms and soak up his comfort and love, but knew it was far from appropriate. That rescue meant more to her than getting shot at on an exit.

Smiling, he nodded back to the edge of the jungle. Turning, her eyes narrowed. Four men with rifles pointing forward raced toward them and abruptly halted, looking around as if lost. They must’ve realized the trail HIS would take to leave this Godforsaken jungle.

One of the men, a stout guy with thinning hair, appeared to be in charge of the foursome and said something that had them fanning out without entering the forest.

Like the agents on point, HIS didn’t engage the tangos. Not out of cowardliness but because they didn’t harm or kill unless necessary. Especially in foreign countries where worming their way out of trouble might not be easy. Their governmental contacts only went so high up the chain.

Focused on the four men, she hadn’t noticed Franks slip up next to Ken behind her. If she hadn’t seen Grits leaning over and chatting with Ken, she probably wouldn’t have. She gave herself an internal shake to wake up any of her senses dulled from the snake attack.

Once the tangos were a good distance away, the teams slid back onto the path, took the left branch, and moved at a faster pace with heightened tension.

When they halted this time, it meant they’d arrived at their last bit of cover.

Grits looked at his watch and cursed. An inappropriate giggle bubbled up at wanting to tell him he’d owe Reagan a couple of dollars but now wasn’t the time or place. She couldn’t relax, even in thought. “Stand by,” he said, presumably into his comms.

Franks and Ken pulled closer, and Ken directed, “Talk,”—always to the point when he led.

“We’re five early.” He grinned. “We got you here faster than we thought. Of course, you don’t look injured to me at all.”

Most of the blood has washed out of Ken’s pants, but plenty still remained.

Grits lifted his arm and pointed left to right. Half of the men spread out into the jungle. “Boss,” he hesitated.

Ken nodded. “It’s okay. Franks can get me there. I want you on the bird with us.”

“Planned on it.” His grin widened.

The conversation confused her. As Ken and Franks moved in front of them, she’d been about to ask when the welcome sign of helos landing reached them. With two birds, the sound echoed around them. Not good if they were still being followed.

It sounded like they’d canceled the hot-loading. Grits must’ve been concerned whether Ken could launch himself into the bird fast enough. She’d had the same concern.

“On me. Alpha team, bird one. Bravo team, bird two. Keep your eyes open.” Grits turned to her. “Your job is to get on that damn bird. No arguing. We’ll protect you.”

She moved the rifle in her arms. “I’m quite capable.”

“What part of no arguing did you not understand?”

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