Chapter 10
Sasha stared at Jamel while inside she realized that by sneaking out back she’d left herself alone and exposed to trouble. The look on her Jamel’s face wasn’t that of a man seeking medical help.
“What’s going on, Jamel?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to do this.”
“Then don’t do it, whatever it is,” she countered. “And definitely don’t do it if it’s wrong. You’re already in trouble, don’t make things any worse.”
He gave her a hangdog look that made her even more suspicious. “I need you to come over to another house. To help someone else.”
“No. I can’t do that,” she said firmly, her feet already moving backwards. “I have to leave. You know that.”
“No, these people need you,” he cried.
She frowned and studied his face. He looked beat up, bruised, but more than that he looked different. Or maybe she was different. Because he had a slyness to the furtive way he looked around as if expecting someone to jump out from the shacks. And she realized he likely was. He definitely wasn’t acting like normal. She gave a quick glance to the quiet area as everyone was still partying on the other side of the row, and without giving herself any chance to think, she bolted.
But wasn’t fast enough. He grabbed her, a gun suddenly appearing from nowhere, and he pointed it at her head.
She took a deep breath and let it our shakily. “Jamel, what are you doing.”
“What I have to do,” he cried. “Do you think I want to do this?”
“I don’t know,” she said in a soothing voice, needing him to stay calm. If he got frightened then his finger would get trigger happy. And she’d be history.
She groaned. “How the hell do I always end up in the shit?”
“Move. I need you to come with me,” he said, tugging on her arm. He kept glancing around knowing that she’d be missed any moment. When the SEALs found her, she was going to get it. She shouldn’t have snuck out the back. Especially not telling anyone… But it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Of course knowing what she knew now…
She could scream for help but the noise from the front was loud, boisterous. “You only pretended to be dead, didn’t you?”
He shot her a scornful look. “Of course I did, what would you do in that situation, stand up and let them shoot me again?”
“You could have done something to help us,” she said, feeling the sting of more betrayal. “Did you do anything after you escaped?”
“What would you have me do?” he cried. “I saw there was a rescue happening, so I stole a truck and came home.”
“Just like that, you stole a truck?” Still being tugged in the direction he wanted to go, she said, “That’s not good.”
“I was just trying to get home.”
And she realized he likely made that excuse any time he was caught doing what he shouldn’t be doing. It somehow justified his actions. As if doing anything for his family made it okay.
“Where are you taking me?” She recognized the sudden silence behind her. Her absence had been missed. Good. The sudden pause in the noise was then broken by a shout followed by sounds of confusion.
“We must hurry.”
She dragged back on his arm. “No. I don’t want to go with you. You’re the one that helped the terrorists before. Like hell I’m going to go with you again.” And she jerked on his arm hard and broke free. She fled around the first corner and kept weaving through the rows upon rows of temporary housing.
Jamel was weasel thin and small and now that she knew him better she understood it described his behavior as well. She kept trying to dodge behind the buildings and circle back and around to where the men had to be waiting for her. In fact, she damn well hoped they were out looking for her. If she could get close enough she’d start screaming, but there was no point in alerting the enemy to her position if she also couldn’t alert her rescuers.
She barreled around another corner, took a right and started running back toward safety.
And got two steps in before she slammed into a huge man. With her breath knocked out of her, she tumbled to the ground.
Before she had a chance to say or do anything she was picked up like a rag doll and squeezed.
*
Cooper was pissed. At himself. At her. At the little rat driver. He stormed through his section of the camp, one of the refugees who spoke a little English was at his side, asking anyone they came across if they’d seen Jamel or Dr. Sasha. They’d had a stream of nos so far and it wasn’t doing any good to panic, but he wanted to. Damn it. Where the hell was she?
She knew it was dangerous here. She had to know that it was possible the kidnappers lived here – still lived here. If they saw her…
He should never have let her out of his sight. He cursed yet again to let off a little steam, but his mind was organized and reaching for answers.
“Anything?” he said into his headset.
“No. No one has seen her. Most weren’t awake as it’s early and many were hiding as they didn’t understand the commotion, but not one has seen Dr. Sasha and she’s well-loved here.”
She was well-loved by everyone who’d been lucky enough to have her work on them too. She was just that kind of person. His translator stopped at a shack and sent out several questions.
A little girl with a cast on her arm smiled and nodded. The translator crouched down and talked to her. She nodded again and smiled up at him. Then she pointed past her home. Even Cooper understood that. And he ran down the direction she’d pointed out. The translator called up again, but Cooper’s feet didn’t want to slow.
“She turned left here.”
Damn it. He turned and backtracked a few feet and followed the man who was now heading down a different lane. This place was a maze. How could anyone keep track of it? There were tents everywhere.
“Did she say anything else?”
“Yes. Dr. Sasha is with Jamel.”
Of course she was. Well, she wasn’t going to stay that way.
“She was running with the driver chasing her.”
“So she’s trying to escape from him. Damn it.”
He studied the faces as they peered through the doorways. Sasha, where the hell are you?
The pathway ended abruptly and he came to stop. There was nothing ahead of them. Except tire tracks.
Shit.
“Mason?” At the quiet affirmative he quickly explained what he’d heard and found.
“Security gate is locked down. No one is going in or out. There aren’t many vehicles here at all and none will get outside.”
That helped but not by much. He turned to study the tracks. “Where’s Hawk?”
“Should be thirty-seconds away.”
Sure enough when he lifted his gaze a second time it was to see Hawk coming from the side, his gaze on the ground. “Her tracks stop here.”
“Likely after getting into the vehicle.”
Hawk nodded. But he didn’t stop reading the ground and what it would tell him. “No. She fell here.”
He pointed out a series of smudges on the ground that didn’t tell him anything. “Then she got to her feet, and bending over she raced that way.”
“What way?”
Suddenly, Cooper could see her childlike footprints racing down the path. He took off in pursuit. Hawk right beside him.
“Let me go in front.”
Because that made the most sense, Cooper eased the pace back slightly and let Hawk take the lead. Hawk suddenly took a right then a left and came to a stop at another of the many identical tent homes. “Their tracks went in here,” he said in a low voice. “But I can’t tell if she’s still in here or not.”
“Not likely. She’d be trying to make her way back to us.”
Hawk went around to the back of the tent, gave a shout and took off. Cooper was right behind him.
Just as suddenly as they started this second chase it came to an end as they found her and a huge young man who was holding her.
Of Jamel there was no sign.
Not that he’d waste time worrying about him. Sasha cried out, “Oh thank heavens. Jamel forced me to go with him again.”
Cooper nodded but didn’t take his eyes off the massive man who held her in his arms.
The man’s gaze was hard, cold.
“Put her down.”
The man never moved.
“I said put her down.”
Nothing.
“I tried to talk to him, but I get no response either,” she said apologetically. “He won’t do anything.”
“Where is he taking you?”
“I don’t know.”
She struggled to free herself. And couldn’t move. The man held her tight.
Hawk shrugged. He walked closer as if to walk past. Then in a smooth movement he jumped and hit the huge man in the neck. Sasha tumbled to the ground. Cooper raced to help Hawk and between them they subdued the man long enough for the others to arrive. Camp security forces came swinging up behind them. When Cooper could, he stood up and spun around. When his gaze landed on her the tension eased. He swung her up in his arms and held her close. “Jesus,” he whispered. “I was so damn afraid.”
His heart slammed against his ribcage and the acid in his stomach threatened to overflow – especially now that she was safe.
It took a few moments to realize she was hugging him back just as hard, and that her body was shaking in reaction.
“God, I’m so sorry.” She leaned back to look at him, her hands reaching to cup his face. “I just slipped out the back of the tent to avoid the crush with all the men cheering and shouting.”
“I don’t blame you for trying to get away, but you can’t be anywhere alone. And the sooner I get you back stateside the better,” he growled, worry threading through his voice. He slowly let her back down on her feet. “Don’t do that again.”
Cheeky as ever, she grinned up at him and said, “Don’t what? Don’t go missing? Don’t make you worry? Or don’t–”
“Bolt–”
“Return your hug…”
He glared at her. She smiled at him and slid her arm through his to cuddle closer. “Thank you for rescuing me again.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her back to the truck. The crowds around them separated to let them through.
He glanced over and caught the look in Hawk’s eyes. That surprise and knowing mixed up with a big dose of humor in his friends gaze made Cooper realize how this exchange must have looked to anyone watching. He shook his head at Hawk as if to say, it was nothing.
Hawk’s grin widened.
Not wanting Sasha to see their exchange he led her to the SUVs where David and Theresa cried out and ran to her. He waited patiently as they talked and hugged, then separated them. “Let’s go. We need to get you out of here before something else happens,” he muttered.
She gasped as she was forced to the other SUV. “You’re not saying I’m to blame for everything, are you?”
“No, not everything. But too damn much of it, yes.” He glared at her. “I want you safe.”
That urchin’s grin popped up. Damn he was getting foolish. All he wanted to do was repeat his actions so he could see it again.
“Get in, Doc.”
She frowned and opened her mouth.
“Don’t do it,” he growled, fed up and frustrated that he couldn’t whisk her away some place safe, strip her naked and make mad passionate love to her. That it was not going to happen – likely ever – just added to his pain.
Her frown deepened. She opened her mouth to blast him and this time he placed his finger against her lips and shook his head. “Don’t do it.”
She growled deep in the back of her throat.
And then did something that sent his blood quaking in his boots.
She bit his finger.
He pulled his hand away, swearing.
She grinned up at him unrepentantly. “That’s what you get for trying to shut me up.”
“Like anything would do that,” he scoffed.
She laughed then leaned forward, and the look in her eyes had him thinking about that whole plan to get her naked again. And there was nothing he could do to control his train wreck of thoughts. And then she made it ten times worse.
“There’s one thing that would work,” she whispered.
He narrowed his gaze, knowing he was in quicksand and unable to ask for a handout.
“What?” Barely able to breathe, even less able to believe she was being as teasingly playful as she was, he hoped for one answer. The one he wanted so desperately to hear…
“A kiss.”
Bingo.