Page 23 of Hot Soldier's Rescue

The men surrounding her looked much like Enrique and his men had—hard and violent. They reacted in surprise to her wimple, and thankfully didn’t shoot her on sight. She silently blessed Father Ambrose for suggesting the nun masquerade.

“So. The rumors are true. A loco nun is running around the jungle,” one of the men commented.

She eyed him in particular. He held himself like a leader. She nodded at him and rose slowly to her feet, her hands held carefully in sight and away from her sides. “That’s correct. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking tonight?”

The weapons jerked as Drago appeared in the tent opening.

“Who’s this?” the leader of the group exclaimed.

“He’s my driver,” she explained.

Drago stood up beside her, his hands clasped behind his neck without the other men having to tell him to do it. “I am not her driver. I am a businessman. And she is the most annoying creature on the planet. She hitched a ride with me and wouldn’t take no for an answer.” He shrugged in obvious frustration. “How do you say no to a nun, for God’s sake?”

Inexplicably, the men around her relaxed at his explanation. Yet again, he’d judged these men better than her and said exactly the right thing to diffuse the tension. Who was he? Despite his business, she was more convinced than ever there was more to Drago than met the eye.

“And who might you be?” the leader asked.

“Drago Cantori,” he announced.

“The arms dealer?”

“Who’s asking?” Drago retorted.

“Enrique told us you’d be coming this way. He didn’t say anything about a nun, though.”

Yikes! This guy was the leader of the Army of Freedom? She gulped as Drago snorted. “I tried to ditch her, but she’s as tenacious as a tick. Pesky little thing. But she cooks a mean stuffed arepa.”

Yet again, it was her cooking skill that evoked real interest in these men. Was that all they thought women were good for? Cooking? Sheesh.

“Are you Raoul?” Drago asked.

“No.” The leader laughed. “But I will take you to him. He is most interested in having a conversation with you. You two make business together, eh?”

“The sooner the better,” Drago replied with unmistakable eagerness.

She scowled. All hot and bothered to make a big arms deal, was he? If it wouldn’t have screwed up her own mission and gotten her killed, she’d have run interference on his arms dealing so fast his head would spin. A few words to the right people questioning the quality of his goods, a dropped hint that he’d welched on deals before, and he’d be out of business in this part of the world.

“Come with us,” the patrol leader ordered.

“I need my bag,” she blurted. Everyone’s attention riveted on her. Drat. And she’d been doing such a good job of being invisible. “It’s got all my medical supplies in it,” she explained hastily.

The leader gestured to one of his men, who ducked into the tent and emerged a moment later with her canvas satchel. The guy shoved it into her arms. Not going to carry the lady’s bag for her, was he? Mentally sniffing at his lack of manners, she took the precious bag of first-aid supplies.

“What about the tent?” she asked.

“Leave it. You won’t need it where we’re going.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. They were being treated like prisoners and that couldn’t possibly be a good thing.

“Don’t cause trouble,” Drago muttered under his breath in English.

She subsided, falling in meekly beside him as the group tromped down the hill toward the road and their Jeep. She’d bet the insurgents didn’t leave that behind.

As they approached the road, a rustle in the trees was her only warning before deafening gunfire exploded around them.

Drago’s response was lightning fast. He threw an arm around her shoulders and threw her to the ground, his big body crushing hers. Damp leaves and dirt mashed against her face as bright flashes lit the night around them and their captors returned fire.

“Can you shoot a gun?” Drago asked urgently in her ear.

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