Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
July 13 th
2:17 A.M.
There was roaring in his ears.
Cooper couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.
Everything was all jumbled inside him.
He couldn’t seem to figure anything out.
He had no idea where he was, what had happened to him, and why something was lying on top of him, pinning him to the ground.
Or why he hurt so badly.
But he knew he had to figure it out.
There was something in his mind, poking at him, trying to stir him awake, trying to force him to figure things out.
Only he didn't want to.
He wanted to slide back into the peaceful slumber he’d been in before the roaring started.
Just as he was drifting away, allowing the darkness to pull him under one word screamed inside his mind.
Willow.
It was like a physical shout.
Like there was somebody inside his head screaming her name.
Not just once, but over and over again, like a chant he couldn’t ignore.
Willow needed him.
That much he was sure of.
Once he latched onto that thought, everything else came tumbling back.
Being followed at the Step Pyramid, being captured, driven in the van, watching helplessly as one of their captors snapped her finger like it was nothing but a twig. The helicopter, the fight, knowing they were going down and there was nothing he could do about it.
Then …
Nothing.
He didn't remember hitting the ground, but it was evident he’d somehow managed to survive the crash.
Had Willow?
Fear propelled him through the darkness clogging his mind and body, and he jerked fully awake.
The black, inky sky stretched out above him, and for a second, Cooper was confused. He should be inside the wreckage of the helicopter if he survived the crash.
Only he wasn't.
He was outside.
Had he fallen out the door before they hit the ground?
If he had, then what was pinning him down?
A glance at his chest answered that question for him.
Blonde hair spread out across his neck, tickling his skin.
Willow was lying on top of him. But they hadn't been together when they crashed. She’d been in the backseat. He’d watched in horror as her grip on the seatbelt had loosened and she’d fallen out the door.
He remembered vividly screaming her name and trying to scramble over the back seat to get to her. Even if he’d fallen out of the helicopter before it hit the ground, she’d fallen first, there was no way he could have hit the ground, and then she landed on top of him.
No way .
Lifting his head, Cooper looked around, but the helicopter was nowhere in sight.
Then he spotted it.
Red and orange dancing flames.
That was when it clicked.
The roaring that had awakened him had to have been the helicopter exploding. He was in it when it crashed, he was positive of that. Which meant the only reason he wasn't in it now, wasn't currently dead or burning to death, was because of the small weight resting against his chest.
Willow.
She’d saved his life.
She must have regained consciousness first and pulled him from the wreckage, anticipating that it might go up in flames.
Relief had tears welling in his eyes. Cooper hadn't cried since the day he was thirteen years old and learned his mother had apparently committed suicide in her cell so she didn't have to face the consequences of her betrayal of her country.
He’d cried then and he wasn't ashamed to admit he shed a tear or two now.
If Willow had dragged him from the wreckage, then she was alive. Against all odds, they had both survived the crash.
A miracle.
No other way to describe it.
Carefully, he reached out and smoothed Willow’s hair. His body moved as he’d ordered it to, even if it hurt, so he had to assume he had not just survived but managed to do so without life-threatening injuries. Willow, too, because she’d dragged him a good hundred yards or so away from the remains of the helicopter.
“Willow, honey, can you hear me?” he asked as he shifted her body slightly so he could sit up. This woman never ceased to amaze him. Not only had she pulled him out of the wreckage and a safe distance away from it, but when the helicopter had exploded, she’d thrown her body over his before passing out.
Warmth spread through him. Willow was a keeper, that much he knew for certain. As uncertain as their future was it was nice to have that one thing to hold onto.
And he did hold onto it as he moved onto his knees and lay Willow’s still form out before him. There was fresh blood on her face, and he noted several rips in her clothes that were also sticky with blood. As he ran his hands up and down her body, searching for anything he had to be immediately concerned about, he was beyond grateful when he didn't find anything.
Settling his fingertips on the wrist of her unbroken arm, he checked her pulse. It was exactly how he’d expect to find it given the trauma she’d just been through, but the very fact that it beat beneath his fingers was a testament to how lucky they had been.
“Willow?” he called her name again, brushing locks of hair away from the blood on her face.
There was no answer, and as badly as he wanted to be staring into her turquoise eyes, he accepted that she’d used up whatever strength she had after the crash by saving his life. Right now, her mind needed to protect itself and her body, and to do that, it had to shut down and allow itself some time to recoup.
“Thank you, honey. I won't ever forget what you did for me.” Leaning down, Cooper brushed his lips to her forehead. No matter what happened between them, he wanted Willow in his life, even if he could only have her as a friend. She was strong, brave, loyal, determined, and someone he counted himself lucky to know.
Since there was nothing he could do for her right now, Cooper struggled to his feet, his own body longing for the respite of unconsciousness, but he had to check out the wreckage to see if anything was salvageable.
Just because they had survived the crash didn't mean they were out of the woods.
Or out of the desert.
Their situation was still precarious. They were both injured, both bleeding, and infection was a major concern. Willow had already been hurt before the crash, her body had already pushed up to and beyond its limits. Then there was the fact that as soon as the sun rose it was going to get hot. Really hot. Dehydration was their biggest concern right now. Injured as they were, it could take them out in less than a day. Lost as they were, they couldn’t just sit around, no one was coming to rescue them, and no doubt, once the helicopter didn't show up, Mahmoud’s men would be out searching for it. Which meant they had to move, water or not.
Heat was radiating off the wreckage as he approached it. He could see one body partially hanging out of the helicopter, it was likely the man he’d been fighting with when the gun went off and took out the helicopter’s controls. That still left the pilot, but what were the chances that all three of them had survived the crash and escaped the wreckage before it exploded?
Not high.
Still, he rounded the burning remains and saw the body of the pilot still in his seat.
One worry out of the way. At least no one would be coming after them for at least a few hours.
If Mahmoud’s men came looking for them while it was still dark, the burning wreckage was a dead giveaway to their location. There was nothing he could salvage from it. It was burning too badly for him to see if there had been water on board, or even a first aid kit which might have bandages and antibiotics.
There was one thing he could do though.
Scooping up a handful of sand, he threw it at the closest dancing flames. Slowly, Cooper circled the plane over and over again. Gathering as much sand as he could to douse the flames. It was hard, tiring work that made only a tiny bit of difference at a time, but eventually, he began smothering some of the flames.
“Cooper?” Willow’s terrified voice called his name, and he turned to see her staggering through the dark toward him.
He was moving before he even realized it.
Snatched her into his arms and crushed her against his chest as soon as she was within reach.
Burying his face against her neck he inhaled deeply. Beneath the coppery scent of blood, and the heavy scent of gas in the air, he could smell Willow’s sweet scent. She was there, she was alive, she was in one piece, and he hadn't lost her, although he’d come damn close time after time.
“You weren't there when I woke up,” Willow whispered as she pressed against him as though she could meld their bodies together if she tried hard enough.
“Wanted to see if I could salvage anything.”
“Could you?”
“No. The flames were too strong. Was just trying to douse them so it’s not a flaming arrow pointing right to us.”
“I’ll help. If we work together, maybe we can put them out, and it’ll buy us a little extra time.”
When she went to pull back, Cooper tightened his hold on her. That right there was exactly why he had so much respect for Willow, why he didn't care that feelings were springing to life so quickly.
Beaten and battered as she was, exhausted and no doubt in agony, she was right there volunteering to help. They were in this together. As rough as this whole mess was, as much danger as they were still in, as badly as he wanted to take her, clean her up, bandage her wounds, make sure she wasn't in pain and got the rest she so badly needed, he was glad that she was by his side.
Right where he wanted to keep her.
This wasn't a woman he wanted to let go of, he liked having her by his side, and he was going to make sure nobody snatched her away from him.
Whatever he had to do he was going to slay all the dragons standing between him and a shot at a future with Willow.
July 13 th
3:31 A.M
Exhaustion tugged at every fiber of her being .
It clung to her just as the sand did.
Coating her body in a fine sheen of sweat that seemed to get heavier each time Willow leaned over and scooped up more sand to throw on the dwindling flames.
After what felt like hours of kicking and throwing sand onto the wreckage of the plane, to say her body was aching would be the understatement of the century. Adrenalin had long since worn off, and it had taken with it the mask that had initially covered some of her pain.
Now it screeched at her like an angry bird, making sure she knew she was pushing her body beyond what it could handle every time she moved. She was barely able to move now, but there were a few lingering flames, and she certainly wasn't going to leave this all to Cooper, he had to be hurting just as badly as she was.
They were in this together.
That’s what she’d told him earlier and that’s what she believed.
For better or worse, they would fight side by side against their common enemy.
Right now, Willow couldn’t allow herself to think about what happened next. About what would happen if they managed to get out of Egypt alive and dismantled Allah’s Warriors taking Professor Mahmoud down along with it.
There was every chance that Cooper would just walk away, after all, he owed her nothing. He’d helped her and got a boatload of trouble for his efforts, if she was him, she’d be grateful to get rid of the burden she represented.
Only …
That wasn't how Cooper looked at her.
Each time she caught him staring at her, she could have sworn that burden was the last thing she saw in his gaze. Respect was there, maybe a little bit of awe, deeper things, too, like tenderness and affection. Maybe he didn't want to walk away as soon as he knew she was out of danger.
Maybe he wanted to stick around.
“Okay, honey, time to call it quits.” Hands circled her shoulders, gently massaging the tight muscles around the back of her neck.
With a sigh of contentment, Willow sank back against Cooper’s sturdy frame. Other than the blood and tears to his clothing, you wouldn't guess he’d just been kidnapped and in a helicopter crash. He looked so strong, so confident, his movements were sure and smooth, he was something else, and she found she liked watching him, even when all he was doing was kicking sand on a smoldering wreck of a helicopter.
“You think they know the helicopter didn't arrive by now?” she asked. Out there it was hard to keep track of the time. The sky was still inky black, stars twinkled merrily like they weren't shining down on death and destruction. The moon was moving across the sky like it always did, but she didn't know enough to figure out how to approximate time based on its position.
“I’m guessing they do.”
“You think they’re already looking for us?”
There was a slight pause, and his hands tightened their grip on her. “My guess is yes, they’re assembling a search party and heading out here now to try to find us.”
A shiver rocketed through her, and the overheated feeling she’d had while they threw sand at the smoldering helicopter suddenly disappeared leaving her feeling icy cold.
Of course, she’d known they’d be looking for her.
Professor Mahmoud had to look for her if he wanted even a chance at saving himself. What she’d told the mercenaries was true. She’d used Cooper’s phone to call her boss, given him the passwords to the drive that held all her work files, and instructions to go ahead and put it all together in an article in a week if he didn't hear from her again. That same intel would also be sent to the appropriate authorities.
Regardless of whether she lived or died, the professor’s life as he knew it was over.
Not that he’d stop coming after her.
Not until either he was dead or she was.
Revenge would eat away at him, even if he was battling charges, he would need to see her punished. Even if it wound up painting him in a worse light. He placed no value on women, and to be bested by one would be more than he could bear. In his mind, at least if he punished her and took her life, he would regain some of his standing and respect amongst the warriors.
“Hey, we’re alive, and right now that counts for a lot,” Cooper reminded her as he turned her around so she was facing him. “Don’t lose hope now. We can’t be all that far from where we came from, we can walk our way out of the desert.”
Although she nodded in agreement, anxiety settled heavily in her stomach.
Sure, they could walk out of the desert and back to civilization. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility. But they were both injured, and as soon as the sun came up the temperature would rise, high and fast, and they had no water and no real likelihood of finding any.
Their situation wasn't just dangerous, it was precarious.
“I’ll get you out of here, Willow. That’s a promise.”
There was so much determination behind those words that, despite all her doubts, she nodded again, this time a little more forcefully.
Cooper was right. They couldn’t give up now. It was nothing short of a miracle that they were alive. That they’d survived the crash defied all odds. Giving up now would be almost disrespectful to the universe that had handed them this chance. A chance they couldn’t waste.
“Okay,” she agreed. “We give this everything we have. No giving up. If anyone can find their way out of the desert, then it’s us for sure.”
“That’s my girl.” The smile he beamed down at her warmed her, melting away a little of the icy fear that still clung to her body along with exhaustion. What warmed her more were his words.
He’d called her his girl.
A slip of the tongue or something he meant and had consciously decided to say?
Willow was too cowardly to ask.
Instead, she just leaned forward, pressed her cheek to Cooper’s solid chest, tucked her head beneath his chin, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Maybe it made her selfish, but she was glad he was there with her. Of all the people who could have seen her in the professor’s house, she was so grateful it was a man with enough honor and integrity to do something about it.
“We need to rest for a while,” Cooper said, one of his hands absently stroking the length of her spine while the other palmed the back of her head.
“Shouldn’t we start walking?” If the professor’s men were already going to be heading out to search for the missing helicopter, they needed to put as much distance between themselves and the wreckage as quickly as possible.
“It’s dark and we’re both exhausted and hurting. If we try to walk now, we’re likely to stumble, trip on the rocks, lose our footing in the sand, and hurt ourselves more. There were no lights around as we were going down, wherever we are, we’re not close enough to a village that anyone should have reported the crash, which means, they’ve got no idea where to start looking. We need a couple of hours rest. We can afford this break,” he added as though knowing she needed a little extra reassurance.
As badly as her body begged her for rest, Willow couldn’t help but feel like they needed to just run as far and as fast as they could get from the helicopter.
But this was what Cooper did.
He’d been in Delta Force and now he worked for Prey Security. If he believed they could afford a couple of hours to rest and recharge, she shouldn’t be arguing with him.
“Okay,” she agreed, her eyes already growing heavy just at the prospect of sleep.
When he scooped her into his arms, Cooper killed the protest she’d been about to utter by feathering his lips across hers. “Shh, honey, don’t argue with me. Let me carry you. Better to only have one set of footsteps leading away from the helicopter anyway. That way, if wind doesn’t blow sand over our trails they at least won't know right away that we both survived.”
“Don’t want you to hurt yourself, I can walk,” she told him, even though she burrowed into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder, which made for a surprisingly comfortable pillow.
Carrying her a short distance from the wreckage, over a small hill that would provide them a little cover should Professor Mahmoud’s men show up quicker than they thought, Cooper then sank down to sit in the sand. He kept her on his lap, his arms firm like steel bands around her, but she felt the softness to his hold.
“I'm glad I didn't lose you,” she whispered sleepily, no longer able to fight off the darkness tugging at the corners of her mind.
“I'm glad I didn't lose you either,” Cooper whispered back, and she felt his lips touch a kiss to her temple.
A smile was on her lips as she drifted off to sleep. They weren't safe, they might not survive the trek across the desert, but she had Cooper by her side, and somehow, that made everything better.