Page 62 of SEAL of Fate

Yeah, right!Doing what she was told hadn’t earned Jordan a single point. As she eyed the poor-excuse-for-a-man in front of her, she imagined Travis hiking farther away from the danger. Kyle was nothing compared to him. Travis had saved her life countless times, had never failed her, and was the bravest man she’d ever met. If she could do one thing—make sure Kyle didn’t hurt Travis—it wouldn’t matter what happened to her. Love and determination pushed fear into a box in her mind and locked it away.

Her lips formed a confident smile as she stood, holding the heavy pack in front of her like a shield. Then she opened her mouth and screamed with every bit of fury and frustration she possessed.

Kyle’s mouth dropped open, apparently dumbfounded by her act of rebellion. Anger quickly replaced his confusion, and he stumbled toward her. “Shut the hell up! Jesus, what are you doing?” He pulled back his gun hand and swung at the side of her head.

Not this time!Jordan had had enough of being used as a punching bag. Ducking behind the backpack, she lunged forward until she plowed into his chest. He wasn’t much taller than her and undoubtedly under the influence of something, so it was easy to catch him off guard. He lost his balance and clambered backward as she put all of her weight into shoving the pack and him closer to the cave opening. If she could only get outside—if Travis heard her scream—she could save him.

She felt the helicopter's vibration, which sounded right overhead. That couldn’t be right. They couldn’t land anywhere close; the ground was too steep.

Jordan forgot about the fire ring until Kyle tripped over a rock and fell, his back and shoulders landing in the red-hot coals. He screeched and pushed himself out of the pit, but the denim of his jacket had already caught fire. Swearing and hurling unintelligible threats, he rolled, sat up, and tried to rip off the jacket. Jordan didn’t wait to see what happened. Heaving the backpack toward him, she turned and fled.

The roar of the wind was tremendous. She saw the helicopter, almost level with her, and realized the gale surged from the rotor blades, whipping up dirt and small pebbles. Her hair flapped around her face. What were they doing?

The aircraft hovered a half of a football field away, and as it turned, Jordan recognized Coop, hanging near the edge of the open cargo bay. Relief surged through her. There was a gun in his hand, but he wasn’t close enough to hit anything with a handgun, especially in a strong wind. He must have realized that because he shoved the weapon into his waistband and cupped his hands around his mouth. He yelled something, but she couldn’t make out his words. Frustrated, she shook her head, and then he pointed to her right.

Does he want me to go that way? Where is Travis?

Catching a glimpse of Kyle exiting the cave behind her, she jumped from the ledge. The instant she landed, the loose rocks swept her legs out from under her. She twisted to her stomach and grabbed hold of an outcropping, which stopped her slide, and she scrambled to her feet. Kyle stood ten feet above her, his gun hand beside his leg.

His smug grin disappeared as his lips began to move. Jordan couldn’t hear him, but she got the gist when he raised the weapon and aimed at her. There was nowhere to go and nothing to take cover behind.

Jordan glanced over her shoulder as the helicopter veered up and away from the rock face, reducing the wind’s force. Coop still filled the open doorway. There was no mistaking his directive when he mouthed two words—get down—and let his hand fall hard against his knee.

Jordan went limp, dropping in place, her arms shielding her face from the bed of rocks. The small avalanche she’d escaped began in earnest again, and this time she allowed it to drag her down the slope. An instant later, a sharpcrackand a stirring in the air startled her. Peering into the rising sun, she watched as Kyle’s head snapped back so quickly it could have been her imagination. But she knew she hadn’t imagined it when his vacant eyes stared straight through her until his body toppled backward.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Travis carried Jordanfrom the helicopter into the ER at St. Charles Hospital in Bend, thirty minutes away, Blackhawk time. He hadn't stopped holding her or worrying since he’d scooped her out of the rocks and dirt below the cave. The courageous, stubborn woman he’d grown accustomed to appeared on hiatus. In her place was a silent, vulnerable, acquiescent young lady who’d finally allowed shock to have its way with her.

Wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into his chest, Jordan gave up the fight. Ignoring Luke’s raised eyebrows and Coop’s smug grin, Travis had memorized every nuance of her face as he whispered words he hoped would penetrate the wall her mind had erected. Somewhere between the cave in the Ochoco Mountains and the hospital emergency room, he’d admitted to himself that he wasn’t only attracted to her—he loved her. How the hell that had happened, he’d never know, but he was surprisingly okay with his newfound knowledge.

There was just one thing standing in the way of his plans.Jordan!Did she have similar feelings for him? He wasn’t going anywhere until she was well and they had an opportunity to talk. Given their rocky start, there was a chance she would never want to see him again.

With a queue of emotions running rampant, Travis followed a nurse into a tiny examination room and laid Jordan on the table. He squeezed her hand, but she didn’t respond. Then he gave the nurse a rundown on Jordan’s activities for the past seventy-two hours.

“Are you family, Mr. Monroe?”

“No.”Shit!He recognized his mistake as soon as the words escaped. “But I’d like to be,” he added lamely.

“I’m sorry. Please have a seat in the waiting room. The doctor will speak with you after seeing the patient.” The nurse dropped the card she’d jotted her notes on in a wall pocket outside the door and waited for him to vacate the room.

He hated leaving Jordan. After weighing the idea of going ballistic on the poor nurse, he refrained, knowing Jordan didn’t need any additional trauma today. He swallowed his angry reply and left.

Luke, Coop, MacGyver, and Blake were in the waiting room and grabbed him before he could sit. They dragged him down a long corridor and up a flight of stairs to the cafeteria. After ordering coffee, they found an empty table on an outdoor patio.

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