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  Instead, a man accompanying Jose appeared, carrying a tray with their evening meal. Ken’s stomach rumbled with hunger, but eating food provided by a crazy woman bent on vengeance meant hunger reigned supreme.

  Jose allowed the man to scramble in and out, placing the tray on the floor. Seemingly satisfied, the man retreated. When the footfalls stopped, he and Sam looked at each other.

  She broke first. “Are you hungry?” Moving to the tray, she continued. “This looks good.”

  “I am. I’m even thirstier.”

  After setting the tray on the cot, Sam picked up a water bottle and began examining it while she prattled on to appease anyone listening. “There’s this perfect red dress that I have my eye on back in Baltimore. Do you think Kate would like to shop with me?”

  With great effort, he held back the laughter at the thought of either of the two women spending their time in a dress store except for a special occasion. Then he remembered the red dress she’d worn the night they met, not the specifics, but that it’d been red and fit her perfectly. “I don’t know.”

  “I know you and Jesse are close, so you could help me find out. Maybe I could go over to visit.”

  He rolled his eyes at her poor acting skills. “Maybe. Let’s eat.”

  At his cutting off the conversation, footfalls continued away from them. He hoped Sam’s questioning of him would be satisfactory enough to keep Beverly from coming early.

  Sam put down the water bottle and shook her head. Knowing if he didn’t drink his water a second time, they’d know he’d caught on to them, he hobbled over to the bucket and poured out the contents. The two of them would be long gone before it’d be noticed.

  When she brought him the second bottle with a shake of her head, his confidence cracked and blood roared inside him, dropping heavily in his stomach.

  Beverly planned to drug Sam too.

  23

  Worried what Beverly might do since she’d expected both of them to be drugged, Ken hoped it’d just been something to make them sleep. He shuddered at the thought she might’ve tried something more harmful to not only himself but to Sam.

  It’d shaken Sam that her friend—no matter how crazy—had tried to drug her after the afternoon they’d had together, and the pact they’d made. A fake pact, but Beverly wasn’t supposed to have realized that.

  Ken rose from the cot—careful not to wake Sam—and checked the hallway as best he could. With the latest development, they’d kept a watch, taking turns so they wouldn’t be caught off-guard. With only the small knife, they’d be limited, but not unaware. Noting no one, and with all quiet, he reached for the earpiece and checked to see if the comm was open.

  Beverly had switched to salsa music. Being a country music fan, neither the heavy metal or this worked for him. It definitely wouldn’t work for whoever on the team had monitoring duty.

  With a shrug, he had to go with what they’d heard last. After dropping it into his pocket so Beverly wouldn’t find it after they’d gone, he began to stretch his injured leg. He had serious concerns over how well he’d do on the run. Holding Sam back and putting her in danger once again weighed heavily on his mind.

  If things went as planned—or ad hoc as they’d need to do with a limited team—he and Sam could make it to the rendezvous point in two days due to how much he’d slow them. He imagined he’d have to stop for the night and rest instead of pushing forward. Doc—as decoy—should pull the guards in the opposite direction then circle back to pick up his and Sam’s trail. Covering their trail also relied on whether they could rendezvous with Doc and gain weapons.

  Not being sure-footed, they’d certainly leave a path where they would cut through the jungle when they diverted off the main paths that ran through it to the house and main road.

  Ready, he turned around and saw the slivers of morning light attempting to break through the heavy darkness. The time had come for them to leave. They had to get over the wall and to the edge of the jungle before full dawn broke.

  With renewed vigor and adrenaline pumping, he touched the shoulder of the woman he loved, rousing her from sleep. Like him, she’d slept lightly, and within thirty seconds, she stood, ready to tackle the challenges of the day.

  Unable to stop himself, he pulled her tightly against his chest, and with his heartbeat quickening, captured her lips in a soul-searing kiss. Knowing this could be the last kiss they shared, he didn’t hold back, wanting this moment to be something that put a smile on their lips.

  Moving his lips over hers, he nibbled and memorized the soft feel, the perfect shape that accentuated a beautiful face. As if choreographed, they opened at the same time and tongues tangled, then mapped out the other’s mouths in familiarity.

  They’d shared several kisses while in captivity and held each other close. He wanted more. He didn’t give a shit how much his face and lips pained him.

  He craved a future with this amazing woman by his side.

  Without breaking their connection, he mouthed, “I love you” over her lips. He still didn’t expect to hear it from her, but with the way she gripped him and suffused passion into their kiss, she had feelings for him, even if only desire. He could work with that. Building up from there was more appealing than if that need didn’t exist.

  With an unwelcome force pulling at him, he lifted his lips from hers. “It’s time.” Before he let her go, he placed a lengthy kiss on her mouth. “Stay safe for me.”

  Sam looked up at him with those blue eyes that made him want to dive in and take a drink. “You stay safe for me. Don’t ruin something we should’ve made happen long before now.”

  “Marry me,” he blurted. His control had momentarily escaped him. It had to be that uncertainty they faced. Hell, he’d rushed to tell her he loved her when he thought they might die. Now didn’t appear much different.

  Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened with shock. Opening and closing her mouth like a fish, she finally got out, “I—” Without trying to finish that word or sentence, she stepped out of his embrace. Pulling the key from her pocket, she avoided responding and asked, “Are you ready?”

  A slice of disappointment lanced through him even though he shouldn’t allow it. She had to realize they were destined to be together soon enough. Straightening his spine and focusing his mind on their path and threats, he nodded.

  At the door, Sam reached through the bars and fumbled a bit until the key fit into the lock. She turned back to him before she turned it because they knew it made a light click. It shouldn’t attract anyone unless they were close. They’d already zeroed in on how far they could open the door before it squeaked.

  She looked back at him. Their gazes connected and before a fierceness took hold, they had a final soft moment. They nodded. Time to go.

  Turning back around, Sam worked at lightning speed to unlock and open the door.

  Ken slipped out and took a right. His leg, while painful, didn’t interfere with his fast stride. What it did was remind him of the pain in his chest from the injuries to his ribs.

  No matter the issues, he’d lived through worse. Just because Rangers were some of the best, didn’t mean they couldn’t be ambushed. Not a day went by that he didn’t silently thank Jesse for getting evac’d out.

  It appeared he needed Jesse to do that same thing again.

  Stopping right before a hallway intersection that he’d almost missed in the darkness, the two of them plastered themselves to the wall. He peeked around, and with the glow from another portion of the hall, he cleared them. Grabbing Sam’s hand, they turned left and hustled toward freedom. At least from the house.

  As they passed each room, they stopped and peered in, looking for any threats. The house was quiet—as would be typical this time of the day. He hoped that whoever monitored the indoor cameras wasn’t paying attention. They reached the final spot before the front door.

&
nbsp; Staying hidden, they observed the foyer for activity, alarm systems, and the locks on the front door, before they made their move into an open space.

  Adrenaline pumped through his body, forcing his heart to hammer in his chest and excitement to flood his nerves. He could barely even describe how his senses calmed, honed in on success and every step, every thought, every emotion, required such discipline to see it through to the end.

  Assured the coast was clear—although he didn’t doubt that possible guards were hiding—and with a nod, they moved to the door.

  He figured since Alejandro had a compound and guards, he must’ve felt safe enough to not have security active on his home. Fool.

  With a tug on Sam’s hand, they slipped outside.

  Since the east gate lay before them, they followed the front of the home to the north side as planned. When they ran out of cover, they found the path that held the barest of light, something they slipped through as only a shadow.

  Letting go of her hand, he used hand signals to count them down. At the ready, they darted toward the wall. As they progressed, Ken noticed his limp became more pronounced as the struggle to use injured muscles increased. His gut clenched with fear that they’d get recaptured or killed. Biting back that emotion, he turned back to observing his surroundings and getting the hell out of there.

  Once they reached the wall, he stopped, cupped his hands together, and boosted Sam over. Although she had the strength to pull herself over a wall, she couldn’t reach the eight feet height.

  Damn if even at six-one and with his long arms, he had to hop to reach the top which meant an almost unbearable pressure on his leg when he pushed off. With one try, he almost crumpled to the ground before his feet left from the perched position prior to jumping. If he remained here long, one of the roving guards might spot him. He made to jump again, but the pain radiating through his leg hampered the effort.

  Knowing Sam waited on the other side had him making another attempt. He needed less than a foot of airtime to grab the top and pull himself over.

  He silently cursed and prayed. He’d done a great deal of both on this op.

  Knowing he couldn’t allow the first challenge in their escape to be his last, he shifted his weight to jump. When a masculine arm reached out for him, he froze.

  24

  Shoving her knife back into the sheath, Sam grabbed the M4 Doc handed her. Alert, she stood guard while he leaped up and reached over the wall to assist Ken out of the compound. It hadn’t taken him long to join her, after her attempts to help Ken had failed. The only thing she could think of was to get to the team and have one of the men help. But she hadn’t wanted to leave Ken either.

  Doc must’ve seen her fruitless efforts to scale the wall back into the compound as he appeared at her side in no time.

  How the large man moved so silently left her mystified, but his sudden appearance scared the crap out of her. The two remained silent. He’d tossed her his rifle and bolted to the top of the wall as if he’d been born to climb. Facing forward, she hadn’t seen him pulling Ken over, and the silence unnerved her.

  She could only surmise that Doc had been patient and remembered Ken had been injured. Since he’d watched when she and Ken had been captured, he’d surely watched the men drag Ken inside the compound. Knowing how she’d feel, it must’ve wrenched at the big man’s stomach for not being able to help one of his own in rescue and give medical attention.

  Hearing a whisper of a sound, she guessed their feet had landed. And she’d been right except right after that, Ken collapsed and grunted.

  Instead of turning to help him, which her heart screamed at her to do, she remained vigilant.

  After Doc helped Ken up and held him tall, he whispered in her ear, “The boys have the guard towers and gates. You watch the jungle.”

  With a nod, they moved forward and she kept her focus on potential threats, fighting her instinct to check on Ken. With Doc holding him up, they walked at a fast clip.

  Less than fifty yards from the jungle, the high-pitched cry of an alarm ripped through the air. Fear climbed up her throat and churned in her gut. While her teammates were exceptional agents, none of those remaining were snipers. Although glad Jesse had left, having him now would’ve assuaged her worry. But if their men could keep the threats busy, that’s all they needed.

  As dawn met the skies, they entered the jungle and were plunged again into near darkness.

  Doc stopped the group and turned to Ken, “Tell me.”

  “Through-and-through on the thigh. Bruised ribs. Not broken.”

  Sam added, “Don’t forget cigarette burns.” She could single-handedly kill Bev after all she’d put Cody and Ken through.

  Doc raised an eyebrow at that. “Can you make it, Boss?”

  “Yeah, I’m a little slow going, but we’ll make it. You’ll need to house me at Point Charlie because I’ll never make it to Bravo today.”

  Gunfire from the fortress broke their conversation and Sam wondered if the men could prevent too many tangos from escaping through the gates.

  Doc nodded. “I’ll pass it along. Here.” He thrust a GPS tracker toward Ken. “Don’t get lost and end up in Guatemala,” the big man joked.

  Since the Lacandón rainforest spilled across the Usumacinta River into Guatemala from where they stood in Chiapas—Mexico’s southernmost state—landing in Guatemala could be a possibility with poor navigation.

  “You seem to be mixing me up with Franks.”

  With a smile at Ken’s response, Doc presented the Glock from his waist and handed it to her. It became apparent he wouldn’t be joining them. Something else they’d briefed prior to the op. They planned for so many what-ifs it astounded her. Now she understood why.

  “Point Delta has a bag for you. We’ll rendezvous with you before nightfall at Point Charlie. If we don’t make it, continue to the extraction point tomorrow. Old Man and Stone will be back by then with the bird. In the meantime, we’ll keep an eye on these assholes and keep them busy until you get to safety.”

  Doc stiffened, and she figured he’d heard something from the other agents. “Go. A few are on the move and coming this way. I’ll take them out or lead them away from you so you’ve got time. More weapons are with your pack.”

  Before either could say anything, he pointed. “Go.” Doc took off back to where they’d entered the jungle.

  Without her assistance, Ken limped at a fast clip in the direction Doc had pointed. With the Glock in her hand, she followed. Routinely, she turned and her alert gaze swept the 180 degrees behind them in case someone slipped through or had already been in the jungle.

  Where another small animal trail connected, they turned onto it, following the GPS with its programmed path to Point Delta.

  She started when the gunshots moved from the compound into the jungle. Doc putting himself out there as bait didn’t sit well, but she’d have done the same for him. By him leading the hostiles astray, she and Ken had an increased chance of getting away.

  Ken stopped and turned right into the jungle without a trail to follow. It didn’t appear to be thick at this point, although they’d have to weave through low-hanging vines.

  Maybe Ken sensed her presence. Maybe he caught her in his peripheral. Maybe he knew she’d be there. Whatever the reason, he didn’t look at her before he led them through a place where she knew snakes existed and if one dropped on her shoulder, she’d unload the magazine she had on it. Protection be damned.

  After turning to check their back trail, she almost bumped into Ken as he leaned into some big-leafed plant. Had they had more time to prep, they could’ve learned a bit about the flora and fauna of Mexico’s Lacandón rainforest.

  When he pulled out an olive-green backpack, she almost wept with relief. And when he reached behind it and pulled out a rifle—not just any rifle but Jesse’s sniper rifle where he’d
changed the barrel for their close-in situation—she almost gasped with relief. She hugged it to her chest, her confidence in their self-protection growing.

  Instead of squatting down, Ken bent over to pick up and check things in their pack. Seeing his discomfort, she crouched before him and conducted an inventory of the bag. She spied an M4 for Ken, hidden against a tree. Jesse and Stone must’ve turned over their supplies. This group had the best support system she’d ever witnessed. Maybe if the men she’d worked with on SWAT would’ve accepted her like these agents had, she might’ve enjoyed the job more than she had.

  In her inventory, she first saw a full water bladder with, she suspected, electrolytes, and thrust it at Ken, knowing he needed it first as he’d been the longest without something to hydrate. She wouldn’t tolerate his gentlemanly manners while they needed each other to survive.

  Finding a SIG in a rear holster, she checked the ammo and handed it to Ken, who passed her the water back. With full hands they placed the holsters and sheathed knives on their backs and sides. The setup wasn’t ideal, but with a rifle that, for her at least, took two hands to hold when firing, her choice would be to keep it in the bag or where she could reach it in a flash.

  Going back to the bag and seeing extra clips for their handguns and rifles, she distributed them and they filled their pockets. Handing back a sheathed knife to Ken, another KA-BAR in a sheath near the bottom caught her eye.

  Briefly picking through the items, the sight of food bars made her mouth water. She handed Ken one and took one for herself. They needed one on the go and could wait for more. As she nearly guzzled the water, her gaze caught a blanket, and two NVGs, which would be handy tonight. Excitement grabbed her when she came across a night vision scope for her rifle. Shuffling around the other items, she spied one for the rifle they’d left Ken. There were more items they could use, but the small first-aid kit had her just as thankful as the weapons. No matter how much he fussed, tonight, she’d clean him up if they didn’t rendezvous with Doc. She wished they had time now, but getting them to safety took priority since he wasn’t bleeding out or anything that severe.