Chapter Nine
A ddy recognized the moment the air around them changed. She glanced at Archer. He’d been looking out at the river, waiting for a signal from Ransom and Branch before driving the boat they were currently on over to the catamaran. Although it was dark, the moonlight provided just enough illumination for her to notice his form stiffen. The crack of a branch came seconds later.
“Everyone down.” Archer’s urgent tone got them all moving. She got on her belly with Jane. Even Wyatt seemed to sense the tension in Archer’s voice and crouched down in the bottom of the boat. Some kind of silent communication passed between Sully and Archer, and they both dropped to their stomachs, training their assault rifles toward the tree line. Her heart was pounding, and she concentrated on inhaling and exhaling in a steady rhythm to slow her breathing. A bead of sweat trickled down her back, but she didn’t dare move.
Jane was impossibly still beside her. While she was trying to suck in air, the other woman didn’t even seem to be breathing. Addy patted around looking for her hand. Jane’s fingers were cold, but she was reassured by the double squeeze the woman gave her. The air around them was heavy like thick syrup, which added to the sense that they were slowly dragging through time, waiting for something to happen.
The sound of footfalls on the land close to the riverbank made her stomach quiver. The people indigenous to the region would make no sound at all. These were individuals in heavy boots who didn’t care about a quiet approach. They were speaking Quechua, the same language as the traffickers. Ransom and Branch must’ve made it to the boat by now, but there hadn’t been a sound from the catamaran. Archer was easing the boat away from the shoreline, keeping his weapon trained on the thick foliage tangled along the riverbanks.
“Can you make out what they’re saying?”
“They’re waiting for the boat to drop off the hostages.” She listened more intently, but it was difficult to make out the conversation as they got farther away from shore. “They seem uneasy, worried that the other group won’t make good on their delivery. They have buyers lined up.” The fates of those being held against their will would’ve been unfathomable if it weren’t for the SEAL team navigating this rescue mission. When Archer got called away, she promised herself she’d be brave and remember the people he was rescuing from scenarios that made death seem merciful.
Archer signaled to Sully and they picked up speed, closing in on the traffickers’ boat. “Tangoes on the catamaran are neutralized,” he said under his breath. The soft cries echoing from the boat made her heart clench. Archer rounded the larger vessel, pulling up against the aluminum siding. A large shadowy form approached the side of the boat. She stiffened and her heart wailed against her ribs. Some of the tension released from her muscles when Ransom’s hushed tone drifted down to them. Archer tossed a rope to Ransom, and he tied it off on one of the rails of the boat before lowering a small figure into the boat. Archer reached up and cradled the child. Addy stood to help, and got the trembling girl situated near Jane.
One by one, they helped the women and children into the Navy craft. She kept glancing over her shoulder toward the shore, restless energy swarming through her body. Half of her expected machine gun fire to open up at any moment, or for the whir of a boat engine to fill the waterway. The children were immediately gathered around Jane, sitting by her legs and feet with bowed heads, sobbing. Addy did her best to console them but startled when another woman speaking English snapped at Ransom and Branch as they tried to help her down.
“Get your hands off me.” The woman’s high-pitched shriek was sure to alert the men who were awaiting their shipment along the shore. “Why are my wrists still tied? I feel like I’m going from one hostage situation to another.”
“Our priority is getting everyone to safety.” Archer was careful about masking his annoyance. “We’ll take care of everyone’s needs as soon as we’re in a safer position.”
“We all know the reason you’re here. That reason is me. I should’ve been the first one off that boat.” The woman had been through a trauma, and everyone’s reactions varied, but Addy hoped if she was ever in a similar position, she would handle the situation differently.
“Think we found Wyatt a new friend,” Branch joked as he untied the rope connecting the two boats.
“You okay?” Silver asked in a low voice, his eyes glinting in the moonlight.
“Yes.” This extraction had gone smoothly, considering the nature of the mission. “What can I do to help?”
“Been a big help already, sweetheart. I’m going to turn us around and start heading toward the extraction point.”
Silver started the nearly silent engine. The water barely rippled around them as they cut through it. She moved over to where the women and children sat and helped pass out more thermal blankets, water, and protein bars.
“When we got on the boat, one of the traffickers was already dead. Knife cut to the femoral artery,” Ransom told Sully, who still had his arm protectively wrapped around a sleeping Jane. “Another was close to bleeding out from a puncture wound to the neck.”
Sully hissed out a breath. “How?” She wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but it was difficult in the close quarters of the boat.
“Ambassador’s granddaughter was complaining about the blood spatter that got on her when Jane attacked them. They…were violating her and she grabbed one of their knives.”
One of the young girls, no more than ten years old, tugged on her shirt. “The men started to untie me. They were talking about doing bad things. She got their attention, said they should take her instead. It was so awful. I feel so—”
All Addison could think to do was pull her into a hug. The girl sobbed into her shirt. Heat prickled behind her lids. The human cruelty she’d witnessed tonight left her speechless. Her chest ached like someone had tossed a handful of splintered glass into her heart. She hadn’t been taken against her will or traumatized like the others on this boat, but there was no doubt she would see the world differently after this experience. How much worse had Archer seen in his time as a SEAL? She wasn’t sure how he closed his eyes without a constant barrage of images flashing behind his lids. Shame had another tear escaping her lower lid. She’d been so defensive when Archer followed her into the forest, but how could she blame him? He saw things, did things, that marked him in ways she couldn’t even begin to understand.
She wasn’t sure how far they’d traveled when she jolted awake. The sun was rising over the river, casting the water and canopy in hues of gold. She glanced around, taking stock of her surroundings. Her arm was still draped over the little girl’s shoulder, and she carefully removed it to wiggle out of the tight space. The team was talking quietly at the helm of the boat. She stood, wobbling slightly from staying in the same position for too much time.
Whether they sensed her or heard her movement, she wasn’t sure, but all the men turned their gaze on her. All her brother’s teammates were ruggedly handsome, but the fathomless blue of Archer’s eyes drew her in, beckoning to her in a way that was both tender and snapping with electricity in the same breath. She made it the last few steps toward them, selfishly wishing it was just her, Archer, and the majestic sunrise on this boat.
“Everything okay?” She’d gotten close enough to see lines of strain on each man’s face. “What is it?”
“Boats are blocking the river up ahead, cutting off our extraction point.” Archer ran his calloused fingers over her arm, and she shivered at his touch.
“There are lots of smaller outlets that could lead us to similar locations,” she said. “Hang on.” She went back to where she’d been sitting and pulled out a neat copy of her notes from her last solo visit to the Itaquaí River. She brought the notebook and her own rudimentary map back to the helm. “This is the course we’ve been traveling.” She dragged her finger along the map.
“We’re about here now,” Ransom said, tapping his finger close to hers on the paper.
“We’re nearly there.” They could make it to their destination in less than a half hour if they continued onward.
“We can’t pass those cargo boats in broad daylight. Too much risk,” Branch said, eyeing the two vessels with binoculars.
“There are tributaries here and here.” She glanced at the two smaller lines she’d drawn branching off from the main river.
“Which would you recommend for our size boat, and for steering clear of people?” Branch asked. Archer’s eyes narrowed at something over her shoulder.
“That one.” Wyatt’s voice was mere inches behind her, his breath adding to the sticky morning heat traveling up her nape.
“That’s the exact opposite of what I was going to suggest.” She looked over her shoulder to find his face much closer than she even anticipated.
A low rumble escaped Archer’s lips. “Give her some space, yeah?”
“Relax, I’m simply trying to get a look at the map. This is the right tributary,” he said and began to turn, as though his word was clearly the path they’d take.
“What’s your reasoning?” She wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead. Her arms were covered in mosquito bites starting at her shoulders and ending at the tips of her fingers. Her skin was swollen, tight, and itchy despite the liberal coating of bug spray she’d applied. “There’s an indigenous tribe along this river, and the passage is tight in some places where the vegetation is nearly impossible to get through without hacking it to bits.”
“It’s faster. It makes no sense to travel the other route.”
“Won’t be faster if we get stuck,” Archer said.
“This route’s the best choice,” Wyatt tried again. “Addison doesn’t have the experience I do on the river.”
“This is my map. One I sketched last year from this very spot. It’s the most current that we have.” She wasn’t sure why he was pushing this so hard. Yes, he was stubborn and self-absorbed, but surely he understood why that part of the river would be treacherous.
“We’re not going to get stuck.” Wyatt threw his arms up in frustration. “And we’ll get there faster. The smell of this boat alone is making me nauseous.”
“We can’t risk the entire mission because of your discomfort,” Ransom said, voice flat.
“Addison, can I talk to you privately?” Wyatt said, turning his body to block her from the other men.
“If you have concerns about the mission, the entire team should know.” She skirted around him.
The four SEALs voiced their agreement with a variation of grunts and nods.
“Anything we should be aware of with the other tributary, Addy?” Branch asked. The men angled their position away from Wyatt, dismissing him. She didn’t miss the flash of anger in her colleague’s eyes or the red hue that rose on his cheeks.
“Like Wyatt said, this path takes us farther out of the way before joining with the main waterway, but it will get us around those boats.”
“The longer we spend out here, the more chance there is of someone spotting us.” Wyatt had his arms crossed tightly over his chest. “If we take the longer route, we’re all going to be sorry.”
“I understand your concern.” Addy gentled her tone despite her annoyance. She wasn’t sure why Wyatt thought the other waterway was a better choice, but she had yet to be convinced by his arguments. “This way will take longer, but it’s wider and there are fewer possibilities of encountering the people you and I are here to protect.”
Wyatt just stared at her for a moment, his breathing growing faster, before he spun and went back to his seat.
Archer nodded his head, pride warming his gaze. Her heart ballooned in her chest, happy she was able to offer some kind of help. Two hours later, they arrived at the rendezvous point.
The ambassador’s granddaughter hadn’t stopped complaining about their extended time in the boat since she’d woken up to the news that they had to take an alternate route. The minute Wyatt told her there was a path that would’ve gotten them to the helicopter in half the time, she’d gone from weepy to enraged. For the rest of the journey, she kept shooting hostile stares at Addy and making remarks about her incompetent rescuers.
Sully had been quiet, and he was running a fever. Even the smallest wounds had the tendency to become infected quickly in these types of climates, and Sully had sustained his in the river, which was laden with all sorts of bacteria. Jane was awake, a smile stretched across her face as she kept the children busy with made-up games. Things like “Would You Rather.” Something she and Julian used to play at home together. Most of the missing children were from Brazil and she knew enough Portuguese to interpret for them.
“Sully’s looking worse,” she whispered to Archer, who was still at the helm.
“He needs antibiotics. I looked at the wound this morning. Infection is setting in. As soon as we’re in the air, I’ll begin treatment. You’re going to need something, too, for those bites.” A line creased between his brows as he looked over her arms.
“Not like Sully does. I’m okay.”
They reached the extraction point much quicker than she expected. Thank goodness. She was embarrassed by Wyatt’s unprofessionalism. She’d been considering asking for a new research partner at the beginning of the trip, but after his behavior on the last leg of the journey, she would ask to be reassigned and write a follow-up to their supervisor. She wasn’t sure what the cause of Wyatt’s demeanor was, but the entire boat was nearing a breaking point with him and the ambassador’s granddaughter.
Archer made the call for extraction once they reached their destination, and they lay in wait until the blades of the helo spun through the air. A flurry of activity happened as the SEALs helped the kidnapping survivors quickly board the aircraft. Next was Sully due to his injuries. The rest of them followed, placing on their headsets and strapping in as they took to the sky. Archer wasn’t sitting with her this time. He was at the back of the helicopter, hanging a bag of fluids and medication for Sully. She hadn’t known the extent of his training, or that he was the team’s medic.
It was impossible to stop staring at how quickly and competently he worked, his muscles bunching beneath his shirt as he placed the IV line and cut the fabric away from the wound. She clasped her hands together in her lap. The SEAL who had joined them just for this mission would be okay. Had to be. Julian would be devastated if something happened to the man who covered for him so he could be there for the birth of his firstborn.
Jane had moved toward the back of the plane and sat on the ground near her rescuer, offering him comfort the way he had done for her on the boat. Her respect soared for the woman. Maybe if Addy was lucky, she’d get the chance to know Jane. She reminded her of the other women in their tight-knit group. Brynn, whose brother hired a hitman to kill her. And Hannah, who had nearly died at her sister’s hands. Then there was Sam, her sweet sister-in-law who had been abducted by her mother. She couldn’t wait to land, take a long shower, and check in with her brother to see how she was doing. If she’d gone into labor yet. They hadn’t been away as long as she had expected, so there might be a chance that she would also get to witness the birth of her little niece.
Then there was Archer, and the promises he’d made her in the barracks. Ones that made her belly swarm and quiver with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to get him alone. Couldn’t wait to see if what was between them had a chance to grow into more. A voice in her heart whispered she already knew the seeds that had been planted would unfurl into something bright and beautiful. There was a pang in her chest. The last time she’d seen Julian, he’d been so upset when he discovered she was going on their mission.
Addy continued to watch Archer as he worked on Sully. He was so beautiful in a rugged way. The way he tenderly lifted the children onto the boat, how his eyes narrowed when Wyatt started giving her a hard time, and now making Sully laugh even though tension was visible over his broad back. Who could blame her for wanting to keep him?