Page 20 of Rescuing Nathaniel

A beam of light danced about as the voices grew in volume until it seemed like they were right beside their hiding spot.

That’s when she smelled it.

The heavy scent of stale cigarette smoke mixed with mothballs.

She knew that fragrance.

It was what the man who had abducted her smelled like.

Things had come full circle, he’d snatched her off the streets, and now after she’d managed to escape, he was going to be the one to find her.

* * *

March 2nd

4:06 A.M.

Something was wrong.

Ava had just gone completely still in his arms.

It was like she wasn't even breathing, even though he could feel the slight rise and fall of her chest because he was holding her as tightly as he dared against his chest.

The men hunting them—well, hunting her since they were unaware of his presence at least for now—were almost right on top of them, so he couldn’t just ask her what was going on, as badly as he wanted to.

But he also needed to know.

Had he hurt her too badly carrying her as he had? There had been no way to avoid it. If he had her cradled in his arms so his shoulder wasn't digging into her wound, he left them vulnerable to an attack if they came face to face with the men after her. Still, she was injured and in a lot of pain, that had to have been hell for her, and he was worried that she was suffering some kind of physical reaction to the pressure against her injured stomach.

Close beside them the men—two of them if the number of distinct voices he’d heard and the number of sets of footsteps he could ascertain was correct—were chattering, discussing some movie he’d never heard of. They didn't seem to be taking their hunt very seriously, but then again, they thought they were searching only for one injured woman.

If they knew there was a Navy SEAL by her side, Nathaniel thought they’d be a lot more on guard.

As the men passed right by the hiding spot he’d chosen, he found himself almost holding his breath.

There was every chance they’d be spotted.

Every chance he was going to have to use his weapon to kill them, drawing in the attention of the men on the beach and any others in the area.

Then he’d have to snatch up Ava and hope to hell he could outrun them.

Luck still appeared to be on their side because the men passed by without incident, and as their voices receded as they continued on, he leaned in close and whispered in Ava’s ear.

“What’s wrong, Aves?”

In answer, her body shook violently. Enough that it rustled the leaves around them, and if the men had still been close, they would have noticed it for sure.

Shifting her so that she was facing him and sitting on his lap, he lifted his hands to frame her face. Her eyes appeared too big for her face, and he could see the stark fear in her expression clearly. Something about those men had upset her, but was it because she knew them or just because they had come so close to being spotted?

“Tell me,” he insisted, the command soft but an order nonetheless.

“I … he … the smell … it’s …” she stammered, her shaking increased to the point where he was once again concerned about her body temperature.

Drawing her into his chest, he tucked her face into the curve of his neck and rubbed circles on her back. Apparently, that was supposed to help soothe someone who was upset, although he’d never had anyone do it to him or done it to another person before Ava.

He knew the smell she was talking about. Cigarette smoke and mothballs were an unpleasant combination at the best of times, but something specific about it had triggered her.

“Was he one of the men on the boat?” he asked. He’d planted the tracker, so regardless of whether the ship had gone down when the helicopter crashed into it, his team would be monitoring it. No one would be getting off it without his team knowing. But that didn't mean people hadn't been coming and going from it before he got there.

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