Page 40 of Lethal Pursuit

“Hey! You okay? It’s the middle of the night there.”

“Yeah. Just wanted to hear your voice.”

A pause, and he knew she’d put it all together without him having to say a word. Dev knew him so well already. “Okay. Want me to distract you for a bit?”

“That’d be awesome.” He cast a quick glance about the room, making sure he was alone to keep the ribbing from the other guys to a minimum. “Hey, Dev?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.” He made sure he told her every time they spoke, just in case. Life was unpredictable as hell over here, something they all were aware of.

A soft chuckle. “I know, and I love you back. So, I saw the news about the Sec Def. You getting any sleep over there these days?”

She had no idea that Jackson and Maya were two of the hostages. He could picture her so clearly, stretched out on the couch beneath her living room window at her place near Seattle. She’d have her left leg propped up on some pillows, the brace wrapped around her healing knee. Her chin-length black hair would be tucked behind her ears and the Pararescue mug he’d given her would be on the coffee table beside her. “Some.”

“Uh-huh. Well, you watch yourself out there. Okay, you wanted a distraction, so lie down and close your eyes while I tell you about my latest physio appointments. If that doesn’t put you to sleep I don’t know what will, so if you nod off, I won’t hold it against you.”

She was so low maintenance. “Sounds good to me.”

A short pause. “Cam?”

“Yeah?”

“I know you guys’ll find them and get them out of there.”

The absolute conviction in her voice made him smile. “Damn right, we will.” He only hoped it would be a rescue mission rather than a recovery.

* * *

JACKSON’S HEART WASin his throat when someone returned for him a minute after Maya had passed his cell. He wasn’t afraid for himself. He was afraid for what would happen to her. That stricken look onher face had twisted an invisible knife embedded in his chest.

“Come.” Mohammed beckoned to him, standing back from the door.

For the first time since they’d captured him, Jackson couldn’t get to the interrogation room fast enough. He shot of out his cage, nearly falling when the ties around his ankles hobbled him. Following right on Mohammed’s heels into the other room, he breathed out a sigh of relief and said a silent prayer of thanks when he saw that Maya was still okay. She blanched when he entered, her eyes wide. Doug was slumped against the wall where the men had left him after cutting him free of the chair. His eyes were closed, both swelling shut, and blood leaked from his nose and mouth to trail into the black stubble covering his dark face. His white undershirt was soaked through with blood, sweat and vomit. He seemed to be barely conscious.

Shit, what were these assholes going to do to them now? That Khalid guy had mentioned something about a game, but Jackson had no idea what it meant. He was pretty sure this was a last-minute invitation to the party, and they hadn’t intended him to be present for whatever they had planned.

Preparing himself for the worst, he waited to find out what they wanted from him.

Khalid stood in the center of the room, watching him with intent, hostile eyes. The other four men in the room all wore black balaclavas to hide their faces, but not him. He indicated Haversham with an impatient nod. “Do what you need to wake him up. I need him alert.”

Alert for what? So they could torture him all over again? Fuck that. Locking his jaw, Jackson cut a quick glance at Maya before turning his attention back to Haversham. Mohammed stepped up behind him to cut his hands free and for just a moment Jackson seriously contemplated attacking. He held off only because he worried about what would happen to Maya after they killed him. Because if he tried anything now, he’d be shot down in seconds.

Instead, he made himself take a calming breath and sank to his knees in front of his fellow prisoner. One of the other men dropped the medical bag next to him. The first thing Jackson did was checkDoug’s carotid pulse, finding it fast and thready.

Peeling off the stained shirt, he stilled when he saw the burn marks on the man’s chest. They weren’t serious in medical terms, but they had to hurt like hell, and any open wound in this filthy environment could easily lead to infection. Jackson had scorch marks of his own on his chest from the electrical instrument they’d used on him, but nothing like these.

He did what he could for the burns, applying topical antibiotic cream and taping bandages in place over the raw skin. Haversham’s lids barely flickered in response. When Jackson lifted them to check for a pupillary response, he was relieved to see them react to the light in the room, constricting quick and evenly. They hadn’t damaged his brain, at least. And the captors expected Jackson to revive him? They were all dehydrated, starving, exhausted and dealing with the aftereffects of the torture they’d been subjected to. Would be better for Haversham to stay in a near-unconscious state, rather than wake up and go through more hell.

“He’s not responding,” he told Khalid flatly.

“You will wake him. Now.”

“What do you expect me to do? He’s practically unconscious.”

Khalid yanked a pistol from the man closest to him and pulled the slide back, raising it to point directly at Maya. “Wake him, or I kill her.” His expression was implacable, and Jackson knew he’d do it.

Fucking pathetic asshole.The threat against Maya was enough to take his attitude down a notch. He cupped Haversham’s bloody, scruffy cheeks in his hands. “Hey, Doug. Can you hear me? Wake up. You gotta wake up, man.” His nape prickled with the knowledge that the weapon was still pointed at Maya’s head. He gave Haversham a little shake, spoke louder. “Come on, Doug, you have to open your eyes.” When that didn’t work, urgency drove him to smack one hand against the stubbled cheek he cradled. “Wake up.”

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