Page 12 of Burning for Him

“It’s remote—about forty minutes up into the mountains. Home to about eighty to a hundred people. It took Luis a while to get his old truck started. Otherwise, he would’ve been here sooner. I’ve notified the federal authorities, but they don’t know when they’ll be able to get anyone up there. They’ve got their hands full with the damage and injuries in the larger towns and the city. We’re all the people of Anjama have right now.”

“Then let’s go.”

They quickly gathered in the center of the commune, stocking several vehicles with the necessary supplies—ropes, chainsaws, tarps, shovels, work gloves, first aid and emergency kits, boxes of medical supplies, a few collapsible military-style stretchers, blankets, water jugs, and more. Not everyone could go—some had to stay behind and help Dr. Sanchez and her staff with the injured people already there as more had arrived in the past hour.

Since Doug, Lindsey, and Romeo had medic training from their time in the military, they could assist Roland with triage inthe village. Rich and two other guards would drive the vehicles, while Jenn, Tony, Margie, and Adam offered to help as well. When the vehicles were nearly stocked, the volunteers took a few moments to change into jeans and their hiking boots before grabbing sweatshirts. Lindsey, Doug, and Romeo also retrieved their go-bags. It would be a bit cooler up in the mountains, especially if they were still there after dark.

Doug told Jenn several times that she was to stay at the commune, but she ignored him, refusing to get into an argument in front of everyone. She was going whether he liked it or not. When she returned from getting changed, Doug stepped in front of her and opened his mouth, most likely to order her to stay behind again. Her eyes narrowed, and she didn’t give him a chance to say more than her name before pointing at him. “Enough! I stood up to Uncle Ian, and now I’m standing up to you. I’m going, and that’s final. Get over it.”

He clamped his mouth shut and scowled at her while Lindsey and Romeo tried to hide their smirks and laughter. She skirted around him, marched over to one of the pickup trucks, and climbed in the passenger side before sliding to the middle of the bench seat. Tony got in beside her, slammed the door shut, and tapped her thigh. “So...would it be okay if I laughed at his expression when you told him off?”

“Yup.” She popped the P in aggravation before glancing at him. The look he gave her made her chuckle, and then she sighed loudly. “Why, out of all the men in the world, did I have to fall in love with a grumpy, domineering jackass?”

“Well, personally, I can see the physical attraction—girl, he’s hot and definitely all alpha. But you’re right, heisa grumpy, domineering jackass. But don’t worry—I’ve got your back.”

“You two had words earlier? I saw you both giving each other death glares at lunch.”

He shrugged. “A few. No big deal. I do get the feeling he just wants you safe, and so do I. It’s not that I don’t think you can’t handle yourself—you already proved that to me these past few weeks—but that doesn’t mean I can’t worry about you. You’re my friend—a good one—and I care about my friends.”

Smiling, she nudged her shoulder against his. “I care about you too.”

They dropped the subject when a guard got into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

A half-hour later, Doug’s jaw had been clenched so tightly since they left the commune that it ached, and he wasn’t sure it would unlock anytime soon. Tension had seized his entire body, and he rubbed the bullet wound scar on his chest. At some point over the past few years, that had become an unconscious habit. Most of the time, he didn’t realize he was doing it until his fingers had rubbed off a layer or two of skin around the area, causing it to become sore.

They left the flatlands behind about fifteen minutes ago and were on a well-traveled dirt road heading up into the mountains. The higher elevation brought with it lush vegetation, and they passed the occasional tapir, deer, and armadillo along the way.

He was in the passenger seat of an older model Chevy Suburban, which he swore was held together by nothing but duct tape and grease, following the pickup truck Jenn was in. Parsons was driving, and Lindsey and Romeo were in the back seat. Conversation flowed between the three, but Doug hadn’t listened to a word they said. He was pissed and worried about Jenn. Why couldn’t she just stay back at the commune where itwas safe? She wasn’t trained for situations like this, which put her at risk, and in turn, put Doug at risk because he’d be too distracted while trying to keep her out of danger.

Damn that woman!She was stubborn as all hell. Doug never knew her parents, but from what he’d heard, her dad was a lot like her godfather, which was probably where she got her tenacity.

Lindsey smacked his shoulder. “Hey. What’s with you and Jenn?”

“Nothing,” he bit out too quickly. “She should’ve stayed at the commune, that’s all. She’s gonna get hurt or worse.”

“Seriously? Do you really think Ian would’ve let her come down here and now stay after an earthquake if he didn’t think she could handle herself? You don’t give her enough credit, Doug. She’s a strong woman, physically and mentally. She’ll be fine.”

He huffed but didn’t respond. Lindsey was right. He wasn’t being fair to Jenn—he knew that—but the urge to protect her was so powerful that he didn’t always think rationally when it came to her.

“Don’t worry,” Romeo said. “We’ll all keep an eye on her and each other. Just like any other detail. Think of her as the newest member of our team.”

“She doesn’t have the training we do.”

“She’s gone through a ton of training—maybe not military grade, but damn close. Ever since her kidnap—” There was a long pause, but Doug knew what was coming. “Oooh. That’s what’s going on here. Jesus.” Romeo leaned forward. “Doug, man, listen. Lindsey and I weren’t at Trident then, but we know all about it. You were fucking ambushed. I’m sorry you lost your partner, but from what I heard, there was nothing you could’ve done differently—especially with a hole in your goddamn chest. Bad shit happens to good people—we all saw it over in Iraq andA-stan. If that weren’t true, none of us would’ve lost anyone over there. But we did, and it wasn’t anyone’s fault but the enemy’s. Ian doesn’t blame you for what happened. None of her uncles do. Hell, Jenn doesn’t blame you ei?—”

“Shut up! Would you—” He ran a shaky hand through his hair. “Just fucking drop it, all right.”

Romeo let out a heavy breath and tapped Doug’s bicep lightly. “All right. I’ve got one more thing to say, and then I’ll back off. You’ve got to get past what happened. It’s been four years. Jenn survived and is thriving. Let it go, and take a good look at her now. You might be surprised by what you see.”

That was the last thing he wanted to do. If he let the past go, he might forget why he wasn’t good enough for her. The more he thought about it lately, the more he realized that the age thing wasn’t the big issue. Hell, the fact that she was his boss’s goddaughter wasn’t it either. It was because he had failed her once and never wanted to be in that situation again. If that happened, he might lose her forever.

CHAPTER NINE

“Oh, my God!” Jenn exclaimed when they arrived at Anjama. The village had been transformed into a hellscape of shattered homes and broken lives. People, young and old, were scattered throughout the area. Some lay on the ground, writhing in pain, while others tried to comfort them. At least two didn’t move at all, and Jenn feared they were dead. Towering trees blocked pathways where they'd fallen, their roots torn from the earth, while numerous buildings had pancaked into piles of debris. Two large boulders, that must have rolled down from the hill above, sat off to the side of the main dirt roadway. One landed partially on top of a hut, and she hoped no one was inside when it hit. Men frantically dug in the piles of rubble, pausing only to call out in Spanish if anyone could hear them underneath the wreckage.

The village was similar to the commune, with a combination of large buildings and smaller huts or cabins. However, instead of being built on acres of flat land, they sat on multiple natural outcroppings protruding from the hillside, with well-worn paths zigzagging to connect those above and below the main road, if you could call it that. Some structures were constructed with wood and metal sheets, while others were made of concrete.Livestock—sheep, goats, cows, and chickens—and several dogs roamed free.

Everyone piled out of the four-truck caravan, including the one Luis had driven to get help, and Rich started issuing orders. He knew this area better than any of them and was a natural leader. Doug, Lindsey, Roland, and Romeo immediately began triaging the wounded. At the same time, Tony, Adam, and the other guards grabbed the chainsaws, ropes, and shovels and joined forces with the men searching for victims. Rich pointed toward a nearby building with a wooden cross above the front entrance. “Jenn, Margie, I’m going to check out the chapel. If it’s stable, we’ll move the wounded in there for treatment. Start unpacking the medical supplies. I’ll be right back.”

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