Chapter 24
Evan, Justice, and Scout crowd around the stretcher once we’ve reached the road. Damn, it’s good to finally get on stable terrain. We lower the stretcher and Truck to the ground.
Evan shakes his head at Truck. “What now?”
“Just a minor blip. A piece of metal in my leg.”
The medic kneels beside Truck. “He’s very brave. When this man cut away the excess metal, this wonderful SEAL didn’t even flinch,” she coos and pats his shoulder.
I catch Truck’s look of alarm.
You did this to yourself, buddy.
Evan leans over and mutters, “Stage five clinger?”
“Yep.”
He chuckles. But our guy, Scout, leaps into action to save Truck. He motions Justice over to help him. “Thanks, everyone. We’ve got it from here. Beast, you need to get that arm looked at. I’m sure this very helpful young woman can take care of all your needs.”
If glares had a volume, mine would be ear-splitting.
“I’m fine.”
Everyone grumbles at me at the same time. Tough shit. “I’m going to find Camile.”
With that, my men shut up and I stride off. Not that their opinions mattered.
Behind me, the medic says, “Sir! Let me help you, you need stitches.”
Justice laughs. “Honey, you couldn’t stop him with a grenade.”
Damn right.
People look at my bloody arm in horror as I stride through the encampment. The sun is just coming over the top of the mountain, so it’s easy to see the bright red covering my arm and shirt.
Someone scurries up to me. “Sir! Are you okay?”
“Fine.”
They don’t follow. Smart move. I’m in no mood for bullshit.
But when I arrive at the area where I left Camile, my mood turns into a building thunderstorm.
She’s nowhere to be seen.
And who the hell are all these people?
“Come on. Seriously?” I’m tired. I’m filthy. I’m bleeding like I’ve been shot. But all I can think about is seeing Camile.
Maybe I do need medical intervention. For my head.
Jaw locked tight, arm throbbing, heart beating too hard, I push through the crowd.
It shouldn’t be hard to spot Camile. She’s tall. Her coppery red hair would be catching the early morning light.
The truly alarming part is that I don’t feel her.
I scan from right to left, working a grid pattern with my eyes.
Fucking hell. Nothing.
I circle the crowd, my irritation growing with every stride.
Why does the stubborn woman always ignore what I say?
Anger tightens the muscles of my neck.
Why do I care so damned much that she doesn’t listen?
I’m losing my edge. Getting soft.
Right. That’s not happening. Camile makes me anything but soft.
I spin around and stalk in the other direction, heading toward the operations area where the communications equipment is staged.
Someone had to see her. She’s impossible to miss. I haven’t seen another woman with red hair in a thousand miles.
My stride falters when a deafening roar, like rolling thunder, splits the air. I turn in a circle, looking up.
What the hell? There’s not a cloud in the damned early morning sky.
The crowd suddenly sways. The ground jolts below my feet, bucking me into the air.
Holy fuck!
It’sanother earthquake.
The horde of villagers tumbles like dominoes as a wave of energy violently shakes us.
Shocked screams mix with the unnerving sound of the earth’s cover shifting. It’s a sound that you will never forget. The kind that fills nightmares.
This goes on for a solid twenty seconds that might as well be an hour for how long it feels.
When the ground stops moving there’s an eerie hush. People cautiously climb to their feet. Steadying each other, checking for injuries.
Jesus.
My stomach clenches. A flash of nausea hits me. I hope everyone was out of that other rescue site before the quake hit.
Around me, men and women start to talk in hushed tones. There’s a crying baby. Dogs are circling, sniffing the ground.
Something makes me look down the road, toward the area where FamFind is staged. Maybe it was a flash of movement. Or possibly a sixth sense. But what I see makes an animalistic sound tear out of my throat.
I don’t know who that asshole is, but he better have a damned good reason to be touching Camile.
“Camile!” I bellow.
She snaps her head my way, the light catching on her crimson locks.
What unfolds next all happens in a hot second.
We’re too far apart for me to see her expression, but her hand flies up and she covers her heart. He leans down in her face, but she jerks back and breaks free of his hold. Then she’s sprinting toward me, arms pumping, hair flying behind her.
A murderous fury barrels me, turning my cells to ticking bombs. I stride toward her to close the distance. My heart is thundering, pounding out a war march.
Fuck me sideways.
She’s safe.Take a breath.
But when I see her face up close, it’s clear something’s very wrong. She leaps into my arms, burying her nose against my neck.
“I’ve got you.”
I glare at the man as I look over her head.
She whispers roughly against me, “Thank god you’re okay. I was worried sick.”
There’s a goddamn tremble in her voice that makes me want to tear his arms off and shove them down his throat.
“Who is that fuckface and, more importantly, why did he have a hand on you?”
She shivers and burrows deeper against me. Her pulse is pounding. I can feel it through her chest. “I don’t know who he is.”
I swing her into my arms and glare across the two hundred yards separating me from the man.
I’m coming for you. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll fucking run.
We’re locked in a staring match for a beat, then he wheels around and disappears between a cluster of parked trucks. A glint of something silver on his wrist catches the light as he goes.
The bastard is mine.
I crush her tighter to me and brush my lips across her temple. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. Tell me exactly what happened.”
She’s shaking in my arms. “I was looking for you because a woman told me a man was asking for me. So, I came back to the place you left me. Before I knew what was happening, he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the crowd. Thankfully, we got that second quake, because it made both of us fall down. I was just getting up when I heard you shout my name.”
I glare at the spot where the man was last standing. There was something about him…
I’d bet my left nut that he was military. And what was that on his wrist?
Camile’s shriek jerks my attention back. “Oh, no! You’re bleeding.”
“It’s nothing.”
She tries to squirm out of my arms. “We need to get that fixed.”
Scout strides over to stand beside me, and I turn my head to look at him. He’s staring off toward the trucks where the assailant took cover. I know from his deadly expression that he saw the whole thing.
He cracks his neck and strides off. “I’m on it. Turn on your coms.”
I sound like I’m chewing metal, when I reply, “Copy that. Bring me that fucker, I’ve got a bone to pick.”