Austin stretched his good leg out beside the fire while Noah stitched up the gashes on his hand. The newest member of HERO Force had sewn up Austin’s leg first, which was why he wasn’t moving it anywhere.

The fire felt good, first for the heat, second for what it symbolized. They were no longer hiding from David Kelleher. As far as Austin was concerned, they were hunters taking a break before going back for the kill, and the reversal of their roles had his blood pumping.

He was tense as hell knowing Cassidy was in there with that psychopath by herself while all the good guys with guns were on this side of the perimeter, and he wished again she’d come with him instead of sacrificing herself at the potato cellars.

Noah handed him a full canteen. “You might want to wash off some of the blood. I’m done with the stitches.”

“Thanks.” He poured some on his leg, rubbing at the dried blood that seemed to be everywhere. “You didn’t sign your initials. Not into showing off your handiwork?”

Noah chuckled. “Not this time. When you need a full appendectomy in the field, that’s when I get creative.”

The sound of a helicopter could be heard in the distance. HERO Force, come to pick up Julianne. The men exchanged a look. She’d been in bad shape, suffering from extreme dehydration and malnutrition in addition to the trauma from the rape.

“I’m worried she might lose the baby. I’m bringing in the bird,” Cowboy had said.

“The compound will be able to hear it,” said Noah.

“I don’t give a fuck. Think of it as war drums beating on the wind, letting them know what’s about to come roaring through their asshole.”

He was upset about Julianne. They all were. They could handle their own blood and guts being spilled on the floor and sewn up with a needle and thread, but seeing a young pregnant woman in that kind of condition had shaken them to the core.

Cowboy had found a clearing nearby for the helicopter to land, then carried her there when she’d barely been able to stand. Austin and Noah had been somber in their wake.

“I should turn around and go back in there right now,” said Austin. He was staring into the flames, his conscience blaming him for anything and everything that might be happening to Cassidy.

Noah dug in his pack, pulling out a pill bottle and shaking some out. “You lost a lot of blood. Stay here the night and get some sleep. We’ll kick some ass in the morning.” He held out his hand to Austin.

“No thanks.” He deserved to feel this pain. The last thing he wanted was something to take the edge off.

“Antibiotics.”

Austin took the pills and washed them down with water. The sound of the helicopter taking off could be heard through the trees.

“That was a pretty stupid thing you did, going into the compound by yourself,” said Noah.

“Wasn’t so smart of you two to get your chutes tangled at eight hundred feet.”

“That was Logan.”

“I figured as much. He okay?”

“Broke his femur. And his pride. Fucking lucky to be alive.”

Austin hissed. “Ouch.”

“Going to be at least six months until it’s healed.”

“I’m sure Charlotte will make sure he gets his exercise sitting down.” He took a long drink of water. “You did a good job with Logan.”

“What, falling from the sky?”

“I know you must have grabbed him or there’s no way he’d be alive right now.”

“Yeah, well, I dropped him when I hit the tree line.”

“That’s just so he learns for next time.” The men laughed. “Seriously man, I was there, and I thought he was going to bounce.”

“Yeah. I thought that for a minute myself, even after I grabbed hold of him.”

Noah gave the first MRE to Austin, then heated up a second. The food, the water, and the warmth were making him feel sated and sleepy—unless Noah was right and he really had lost that much blood. He stared at his tent already setup and waiting for him, remembering how he’d made love to Cassidy inside it.

She’d told him she loved him right before he left, and he hadn’t said a goddamn thing. She was dazed and in shock. The words didn’t mean anything when they were spoken like that, but the memory made his chest tighten regardless.

It was possible she really did love him, and he thought of those war drums on the air—this time foretelling of heartache and loss just like he’d experienced the first time he tried to love her. Nothing had changed since then. They’d only had time to know what they’d been missing and how good they’d been together. Shit, that just made it worse. Because there was no way in hell he and Cassidy Lane could ever be more than lovers.

Cowboy appeared through the trees. “She’s a fucking mess,” he said. “The medics were acting like she was about to code.” He held his hands over the fire, shaking his head. “I wanted to take a picture while they were hooking her up to the monitors and send it to Senator Lane, just so he’d have something to think about when he’s trying to sleep at night.”

Austin cocked his head. “What are you talking about?”

“He showed up at the office to see Jax. He wanted to remind us we were hired to save his daughter and his daughter only, that if there was a choice between the two women he would be highly disappointed if we chose Julianne.”

“That is fucked up,” said Austin. “I mean I get it, you want Cassidy to be all right. But that makes it sound like the other person was just expendable to him.”

“Exactly,” said Cowboy. “He even went on about collateral damage and how sometimes you’ve got to sacrifice one life to save another. You would think that son of a bitch wanted her to die in there, for how much concern he showed.”

Noah shook his head. “Somebody did want her to die in there. Telling David Kelleher she was a spy posing as a follower was akin to a death sentence. It’s a miracle she got out of there alive.”

Austin furrowed his brow. “The bloody press credentials and necklace… the ones Lane showed us as ‘proof’ Julianne was dead? Why would Kelleher send those to the Post?”

“A warning,” said Cowboy. “Reporters die here.”

“No. He’s an isolationist. He let a freaking road become overgrown with trees because he doesn’t like contact with the outside world. Sending that press pass was like waving a red flag in front of one of the biggest bulls in the media today.”

“He didn’t do it,” said Noah.

“Then who the fuck did?” asked Cowboy.

“Somebody who wanted it to look like Julianne was dead,” said Austin.

“Maybe so we don’t go looking for Julianne instead of Cassidy.” said Cowboy.

Austin’s mind raced. “But what’s so wrong about saving Julianne?”

“That’s the four-million-dollar question, right there,” said Noah.

“How many people knew she was in there, do you think?” asked Austin. “Her boss. Maybe her coworkers.”

“Friends, family,” said Cowboy.

“The father of her child,” said Noah.

“One of them had to have revealed Julianne’s identity to David Kelleher.”

“The baby’s father,” said Austin. He looked from Cowboy to Noah. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Cowboy and Noah answered at the same time. “Senator Lane.”

“Cassidy probably introduced them.” Austin shook his head. “It could have ruined his career—his marriage, if that got out.”

“No better way for an affair to be advertised than with a baby,” said Cowboy.

“Is this really possible?” asked Noah.

Cowboy pulled out his satellite phone. “I know how to find out. I’m going to ask him.”