Chapter Two
Sully gritted his teeth and leaned into the woman in his arms. The last time he’d been shot, the pain didn’t register until his buddy Red had applied a tourniquet to quell the blood flow.
Maybe it was the location on his leg, or the way the bullet entered his body, but it felt like being impaled by a blistering fire poker.
Even if he was in agony, he wouldn’t give just anyone his weight.
Wouldn’t look for comfort or strength from anyone outside of his teammates, and now apparently Jane.
There was no doubt that the woman had strength in spades.
When he dove into the river after her, the usual calm that resonated bone-deep wouldn’t come.
He’d been nearly frantic to get to her, and even though he was swimming with strength and speed it wasn’t fast enough.
Then he’d spotted the outline of a woman, although the way she moved so fluidly beneath the surface reminded him more of a siren.
Her long hair floated around her lithe, naked form.
Acid bubbled in his gut. He hated to think of the reason why her body was bare when he found her.
Protectiveness clawed up from his chest, nearly choking him.
She’d had no reason to trust him when he’d reached for her in that river.
No reason to instantly go lax in his arms and let him pull her even deeper below the surface.
With his specialized goggles, he could see the water ripple as bullets flew past. At the time, the safest action was to move downward, but she’d needed air.
Sharing his rebreather with her had been a risk for both of them, but the moment he’d placed the device against her lips, she’d fucking breathed.
The trust she’d placed in him that second had rocked him hard.
So, when her words hit his ears, you can hang on to me, he didn’t hesitate.
He wasn’t sure what it was, but something had passed between them in that water, then solidified when she’d begged his teammates to help get him out of the river without a thought of her own condition.
So yeah, he’d lean on this woman who had separated herself from being a mission the moment she submitted to him, the moment she breathed his air, and advocated for his well-being.
He swore as sharp pain tore through his calf.
“That’s it,” she soothed moving one had to rest firmly on his chest, as though she was trying to hold him in place.
The other took up a reassuring presence on his back.
“Breathe.” The feeling of her hands on him distracted from the pain.
He wished they had some light so he could lose himself in her eyes while Silver patched him up.
There was no doubt he’d need medical treatment once they reached the extraction point and boarded the helo.
“What’s your favorite kind of ice cream?”
To his shock, a hoarse chuckle left his lips. “Never met an ice cream flavor that wasn’t my favorite kind. You?”
“The only kind worth eating. Sundae style. Smothered with hot fudge and peanut butter. Piled high with whipped cream, sprinkles, cherries, and candy pieces.” He could hear the smile in her voice and was addicted to the sound.
“Even gummy worms?” Sully asked.
“Won’t hear any complaints from me.”
“Okay. I’ve disinfected the wound, but the second we get on the helo, we’re pumping you with I.V. antibiotics,” Silver said, interrupting their ice cream banter.
“Did the bullet pass through?” Jane asked before he could comment.
“Unfortunately, no.” Silver’s tone was flat.
“We need to keep you hydrated and monitor the site for infection.” Her tone changed, becoming more self-assured and professional. “Colonization of waterborne pathogens here is high and fragmenting and debris from the bullet pose additional risks.”
“That’s my big concern too. I’m giving him 400 milligrams of moxifloxacin now,” Silver said, responding to Jane’s comment. “Are you a doctor?”
“No. Nurse,” she said. Sully wondered if she was aware of the gentle circles she was rubbing on his back.
The last time someone had touched him so tenderly was his mother when he was a kid sick with the stomach flu.
With the amount of pain he was in and the high risk of infection, her touch was soothing.
“Good. A medical professional is always beneficial to have around.” Silver moved back, and Sully could make out the rustle of medical supplies being placed back into the case.
They sat in silence for several minutes, waiting for Ransom and Branch to signal for them to get into position. The crack of a branch on the nearby shore electrified the air.
“Everyone down.” Silver’s tone was urgent, and he was relieved when Jane and Addy dropped to their bellies. Even Wyatt, the other civilian contractor who was not nearly as adept as Addy, seemed to sense the tension in Silver’s voice and crouched down in the bottom of the boat.
Sully adjusted night-vision goggles over his head and gripped the assault rifle at his side.
When he rolled to his stomach and trained his rifle toward the tree line, pain ripped through his leg.
He clenched his teeth and pushed down the discomfort.
Several tense minutes passed before the crunch of boots on the riverbank was audible.
He trained his scope toward the men. They had rifles slung across their chests and didn’t bother masking the sounds of their heavy boots or conversation.
The people indigenous to the region would make no sound at all.
He couldn’t make out their conversations, but earlier, Addy told them the traffickers were speaking Quechua.
Once the danger passed, she’d let them know what the men were talking about.
Ransom and Branch should’ve made it to the boat by now, but there hadn’t been a signal from the direction of the catamaran.
Silver was easing the boat away from the shoreline, while he kept his scope on the men carelessly moving about.
“Can you make out what they’re saying?” Silver asked Addy.
“They’re waiting for the boat to drop off hostages.
They seem uneasy, worried that the other group won’t make good on their delivery.
They have buyers lined up.” Addy lifted herself up from the bottom of the boat, while Jane remained still.
He wanted to go to her, make sure she was okay, but the next steps of their mission were critical.
They picked up speed and the damp, warm air moved over his skin.
“Tangoes on the catamaran are neutralized,” Silver said under his breath.
Cries sounded from the boat. Fuck. Missions like this were why he became a SEAL.
Ones that rid the world of a small slice of depravity.
Missions that left you heartsick were a stark reminder of why they did what they did.
Sully moved their boat around the larger vessel, pulling it close against the aluminum siding.
Ransom approached the side of the boat and Silver cast him a rope, which he tied off on one of the boat rails.
Ransom disappeared for a moment before returning with a small child.
He glanced in Jane’s direction. She was standing up against the side of the boat, eyes trained on the little girl.
Addy and Silver cradled the trembling child and got her situated near Jane.
One by one, they helped the women and children into the Navy craft.
He wasn’t surprised that the children immediately gathered around Jane.
They crouched around her, buried their faces against her body, and sobbed.
The shrill voice of a woman speaking English cut through Jane and Addy’s gentle and reassuring murmurs to the children.
“Get your hands off me.” Fucking hell. That must be the ambassador’s granddaughter.
The woman’s high-pitched shriek was going to alert the men who were awaiting their shipment along the shore.
“Why are my wrist still tied? I feel like I’m going from one hostage situation to another.
” She continued to bitch as Ransom and Branch helped her into the boat.
“Our priority is getting everyone to safety.” Silver barely masked 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’s whines underscored the strength of Jane’s character.
She hadn’t complained once and had done her best to help from the moment he encountered her in the water.
When the children were lowered into the boat, Jane immediately began to assess them and see to their needs.
The woman currently moaning about the SEALs’ mistreatment of her was fully clothed and appeared unharmed, unlike Jane.
There was no doubt in his mind that the woman he rescued had suffered at the hands of those men.
Bile rolled in his gut when he thought about what they might’ve done to her, yet she was still able to share her strength and goodness with the children crying quietly against her.
“Think we found Wyatt a new friend,” Branch joked, referring to Addy’s assigned civilian partner, who had done nothing but bitch and moan since stepping foot on the aircraft that brought them to South America.
If he wasn’t so annoyed with the woman’s complaints he would’ve laughed at his teammate’s joke.
Silver started the nearly silent engine. The water barely rippled around them as they cut through it. Sully helped Addy pass out thermal blankets, water, and protein bars to the newcomers and settled on the bottom of the boat next to Jane. She shivered despite the blankets wrapped around her.
“You’re cold. Let me get you another blanket.” He started to stand.