Chapter 47
Jemma didn’t think.
She reacted on instinct.
Vance Neville had pointed a gun in Rocco’s face as he lay pinned underneath the cargo container door. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t free himself. Couldn’t stop El Sombro’s top lieutenant from ending his life.
But she could.
Lowering her weapon, she forced it into the holster then ran from the edge of the jungle to Rocco’s side. The expanse of cleared land sat empty. The tracks of tires scattered across the ground were the only evidence that cargo trucks had been in the area.
Vance’s dead body was several feet away. His blood and brain matter splattered across the ground. Droplets smeared across Rocco’s face. But he was alive.
“Nice shot,” Rocco said with a pained smile and muffled chuckle.
Jemma dropped to her knees next to him, unable to stop the smile erupting on her face. “Almost lost you.”
Rocco reached out and gripped her hand with surprising strength considering his predicament. “You could never lose me. Ever.”
A flutter tickled her heart at his words, but this was no time for romance. If she stopped to think about how close she’d come to watching Rocco die, she would be crushed by a wave of emotions. Rocco needed her to focus and get him out of danger. There would be plenty of time to process what happened later.
“Jemma, you saved my life.”
“And now you owe me big time. Don’t think because you’re pinned under this metal door that you get out of paying me back.” Jemma gripped the edge of the thick metal as she squatted next to Rocco and pulled with all her might. The damn thing didn’t budge a millimeter.
“Hey …” Rocco said, his breath labored.
“I need your help to get you from under here. Can you move at all?”
“No and believe me I tried like hell,” Rocco said grimacing. “It’s heavy but I don’t think I have any broken bones. My hips and legs are pinned underneath the damn thing.”
“Maybe I can find a branch or pole to use as a fulcrum. With some extra leverage I might be able to get it off you.”
“It’s too heavy. Maybe if someone else was here, that could work but face it. We can’t do this by ourselves.”
She gazed down into the face of this amazing man. He’d become the first thing she saw when she woke and the last face she saw before she went to bed. She realized that was what she wanted her days to be like … forever. She didn’t want to know a life without Rocco.
“Fine. You’re right,” Jemma said, then reached into her pocket for her phone. “I need to call Proteus.”
“Signals have been jammed out here. I’m not sure you’ll be able to.”
Checking her phone, she realized he was right.
“You have to leave me and go get help.” Rocco cleared his throat. “But before you do, there’s something I need to say.”
“We can catch up later?—”
“No,” Rocco insisted, reaching for her. “I need to say this now.”
Jemma sat down next to him, holding his hand in hers.
“When Vance had that gun pointed in my face, I didn’t know if I would ever see you again. I had so many regrets. I hated that the last time we’d talked had been a huge argument. That I’d walked out on you?—”
Jemma caressed the side of his face. “Trust me, I have plenty of regrets, too. There’s a lot we need to talk about. And we will. I promise.” She couldn’t let him say anything more as if this would be their last moments together. They’d come too far. She’d done too much to lose him now. He needed to fight to stay alive from underneath the crushing weight until she could get help. “But all of our focus has to be on getting you free. The longer you’re pinned under here, the higher the risk that you suffer nerve or muscle damage.”
“I thought I was the doctor,” Rocco said.
“I’ve been in more situations like this than I care to remember. I know the risks and the urgency. I need to get help.”
“Yeah, okay. You’re right.” Rocco nodded his head slowly. “I have to say one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Thank you.”
Jemma leaned down and kissed him. He tasted of dirt and metallic blood, but it was the most intimate kiss they’d ever shared.
She pulled away after several seconds, swiping his sweat-drenched locks from his forehead. She could tell he was exhausted from bearing the weight. He wouldn’t last under there much longer. Rocco’s eyes fluttered closed.
“I will be back soon.” Jemma kissed his eyelids, then stood. The quickest way back to town and a working call service was to trek back through the rain forest and get Rocco’s discarded motorbike.
“No, you won’t.”
Nomar’s voice cut through the still, stagnant night air.
Jemma reached for her gun, but Nomar was too quick. His fist landed with a hard punch against her jaw. She screamed and stumbled backward, losing her grip on the weapon.
“Don’t touch her!” Rocco screamed, trying like hell to move from under the door but it was no use.
Nomar ignored him as he grabbed her gun from the ground, then stalked over to where she’d fallen.
“You’re coming with me,” Nomar declared. He landed three vicious blows to her abdomen. She doubled over with excruciating pain. “And this time, your lover won’t be able to stop me.”
Nomar yanked her from the ground. She tried to fight back but she could barely stand from the pain in her side. He didn’t care, gripping a fistful of her hair and jerking her toward him.
“Let go of me!” Jemma screamed.
It was no use.
Nomar was too strong. His arm snaked around her neck, squeezing so tight that she couldn’t breathe. She clawed and scratched at his arm, struggling to get oxygen into her lungs. Jemma writhed and struggled but couldn’t free herself. She knew what was coming but she’d never been on the receiving end of this hold. The one that rendered a threat unconscious.
As her world faded to black, the only comfort she had was that Nomar didn’t want to kill her.
At least not yet.