Page 65 of Ravaged Hearts

We needed to move swiftly but steadily. It was only a matter of time before someone raised the alarm about the two dead guards.

Avoiding the well-lit footpath, we stayed in the shadowy gardens to reach the balcony where we’d spotted Hope. If she wasn’t in that room, we had big problems, because finding her in the mansion would become a dangerous guessing game.

As I unfastened a rope ladder from my pack, Owen tapped my elbow. I tensed at the contact, but then he pointed to a bench near a grove of palms. I gave him a thumbs-up, and we shifted the seat to beneath the balcony. With Owen giving me a boost, I pulled myself up and over the handrail, then gave my brother a hand to do the same.

Before I could peer through the door, it swung open, and I was met with the most beautiful sight I’d ever laid eyes on.

My Gatita.

29

HOPE

Whatever Carlos had said or done to Jorge after I left the courtyard had been enough to keep the monster from following me to my room. But I couldn’t sleep, because the thought of Jorge slipping in here to finish what he’d started still terrified me. So I sat on my bed wearing one of Gabi’s pink silk nightgowns and clutching the heavy nightstand lamp in case I needed to use it as a weapon.

Every sound reached my ears with vivid clarity. The guard’s footsteps as he walked up and down the hallway, the sporadic low crackle of radio static followed by brief conversation, and the occasional cheers of men at a gathering not too far from here.

Then I heard something outside and much closer. Maybe it was Gabi, getting fresh air on the balcony next door. But when I went to the window, I had to cover my mouth to hold in whatever startled sound was about to burst out.

A large dark figure dressed in military gear stood on my balcony, helping another up and over the balustrade.

I’d recognize that tall frame and those broad shoulders anywhere. Vaughn was here.

Oh, God no.

Vaughn ishere.

How had he found the compound? He was going to get himself killed.

My pulse escalated as a fresh bout of fear washed over me.

Trying to make as little noise as possible, I pulled the door open, grabbed the shoulder straps of Vaughn’s tactical vest, and tugged him inside. “What are you doing here?” I whisper shouted.

It was a stupid question because I already knew the answer. The siege was happening, and it was too late to stop it.

Vaughn tilted his night-vision goggles up. “That wasn’t the warm welcome I was expecting.”

“Sorry.” I winced and dragged his face down to mine for a firm, feverish kiss.

Vaughn moaned as he clasped my jaw with one hand and pulled me against him with the other. Hot tears sprang into my eyes as his reassuring warmth enveloped me. I soaked up his familiar tobacco-and-leather scent, breathing him in like he was pure, life-sustaining oxygen.

These last few days, I’d spent a considerable amount of time wondering how pissed Vaughn would be when we reunited. Which had inevitably led me to thinking,What if I don’t make it out of here alive for said reunion?Then I’d think about Vaughn, how much I missed him, and how shitty it would be if we never got the chance to explore our fledgling relationship further.

I’d tried to keep the negative thoughts at bay and had recently given myself more pep talks about sucking up tears than I cared to admit, but back in Vaughn’s soothing embrace, all those suppressed emotions threatened to spill like water gushing through a crumbling dam wall.

Vaughn broke off the kiss sharply but didn’t let me go. “Are you okay?” he whispered.

I nodded, and even with the small amount of light in the room, his relief was clear.

“If we make it out of this alive, I’m going to tan your ass for making me lose my ever-loving mind. I’ve been worried sick about you.”

“I’m sorry. I?—”

He pressed a finger to my lips. “We don’t have time for explanations.”

I clutched his thick biceps. “You can’t start a war here. There are kids on the other side of the wall.”

“We know, which is why it’s just Owen and me doing the op. The rest of the team is outside unless we need backup.”

---