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Five Ways To Surrender
Elle James
His life is dedicated to the SEALs.His heart is dedicated to her.Their mission was clear: do not engage! But when his SEAL team is ambushed, “Big Jake” Schuler sacrifices his safety to draw the terrorists away from his unit. When village missionary teacher Alexandria Parker runs right into Jake’s arms, they must hide together in the wild hills of Niger, causing Jake to discover that Alex is as tough as she is beautiful. This mission he’ll engage with feelings he thought he buried a lifetime ago.


His life is dedicated to the SEALs.
His heart is dedicated to her.
Their mission was clear: do not engage! But when his SEAL team is ambushed, “Big Jake” Schuler sacrifices his safety to draw the terrorists away from his unit. When village missionary teacher Alexandria Parker runs right into Jake’s arms, they must hide together in the wild hills of Niger, causing Jake to discover that Alex is as tough as she is beautiful. This mission he’ll engage with feelings he thought he buried a lifetime ago.
Mission: Six
ELLE JAMES, a New York Times bestselling author, started writing when her sister challenged her to write a romance novel. She has managed a full-time job and raised three wonderful children, and she and her husband even tried ranching exotic birds (ostriches, emus and rheas). Ask her, and she’ll tell you what it’s like to go toe-to-toe with an angry three-hundred-and-fifty-pound bird! Elle loves to hear from fans at ellejames@earthlink.net or ellejames.com (http://www.ellejames.com).
Also by Elle James (#uf80de86b-b6e9-5d24-8278-a71cd4081eae)
One Intrepid SEAL
Two Dauntless Hearts
Three Courageous Words
Four Relentless Days
Hot Combat
Hot Target
Hot Zone
Hot Velocity
Navy SEAL Survival
Navy SEAL Casptive
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Five Ways to Surrender
Elle James


www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-07955-6
FIVE WAYS TO SURRENDER
© 2018 Mary Jernigan
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To my daughters for being such strong young women
and for joining me on many of my writing adventures.
Thank you for helping brainstorm my stories and for
assisting me at conferences. You know I love you so
very much!
Contents
Cover (#u32c50783-04d6-5bc3-a17b-4b6fe8e1bb6c)
Back Cover Text (#u9a53fb64-39aa-544a-b46a-1fe9691b288a)
About the Author (#ucc45c36a-929d-593f-8ca8-088e26416e9c)
Booklist (#u24ba8893-3783-556c-aa0c-cb28989f4ea1)
Title Page (#u4d620920-43f1-5360-bd79-0e9793e8e80c)
Copyright (#u15980757-f93c-5819-9832-583fe5e22bae)
Dedication (#u6f266239-fff1-518a-bdee-a3af434b3868)
Chapter One (#udf5d7cbc-c749-5afe-8b3a-f4bceba7a075)
Chapter Two (#u9ffeac37-bbcc-5a8a-80e0-7351f8741ec4)
Chapter Three (#uaa8ec155-3194-59f5-a5b1-e374954686c3)
Chapter Four (#uef8ac26f-f78e-5773-a72b-928bbbe942f8)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#uf80de86b-b6e9-5d24-8278-a71cd4081eae)
Sweat dripped from beneath navy SEAL “Big Jake” Schuler’s helmet, down his forehead and into his eyes. He raised a hand to wipe away the salty liquid, blinking to clear his vision.
Their local informant stood at the village entrance, in the Tillabéri region of Niger, talking to a barefoot man dressed in long dusty black pants and a worn button-down gray shirt. They had their heads together and appeared to be talking fast. Several times, the men glanced in the SEAL team’s direction.
“What’s Dubaku doing?” Jake asked into his mic.
“He’s only supposed to be checking that the village is clear, before we move on,” Harmon “Harm” Payne said. “You heard the brief. We’re on a recon mission. We’re not to engage.”
Military Intelligence had gotten wind that Abu Nuru al-Waseka, the head of the ISIS faction in north central Africa, had been seen in one of the villages farther up the road.
With what little they knew, Jake’s SEAL team had deployed from their base of operations in Djibouti to Niger. From there, they hooked up with Dubaku, a member of the Niger Army who had connections with villagers along their route. Their contact had been known to help the army Special Forces unit positioned there to train the Niger armed forces. He was supposed to be a trusted source.
A prickly feeling crawled across the back of Jake’s neck. “I don’t like how long he’s been standing there.”
Dubaku turned and pointed in Jake’s direction.
The man he’d been talking to nodded and reentered the small village, disappearing around the side of a hut.
Dubaku left the village and walked along the dusty road until he reached one of the SUVs they’d commandeered from the Special Forces units. The vehicle stood partially hidden in the branches of a group of scraggly trees.
The sun baked the land, making dust out of the soil. Every puff of wind stirred the fine grains of dirt into whirling dervishes.
Using the SUV for cover, Jake hurried to Dubaku. “What did you find out?”
“The villagers haven’t seen any strangers,” Dubaku said.
Jake studied the man.
Dubaku didn’t make eye contact. Instead, he alternated between staring at his feet and back at the village. “Ashiri went to ask others if they have seen anyone.” Dubaku gave a slight bow with his hands pressed together. “If you will excuse me, I must relieve myself.”
That prickly feeling multiplied when Dubaku left the SUV, walked into the sparsely wooded landscape and disappeared.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Jake said. “Let’s move.”
Percy “Pitbull” Taylor leaned across the cab of the SUV and flung open the passenger door. “Get in.”
Jake shook his head, his gaze scanning the area and coming back to the village where Ashiri had disappeared. He gripped his rifle in his fists. “I’ll walk alongside until we’re past the village. I don’t trust Ashiri or Dubaku at this point.” Then he spoke into his mic. “Diesel, keep a safe distance between the vehicles.”
“Wilco.” Dalton “Diesel” Landon waited until Pitbull pulled several vehicle lengths ahead.
Graham “Buck” Buckner climbed out of Diesel’s vehicle and raised his M4A1 rifle at the ready.
Harm, already on the other side of Pitbull’s vehicle, moved forward as the SUV inched along at a slow, steady pace.
Buck and Trace “T-Mac” McGuire brought up the rear of Diesel’s SUV. Every SEAL on the ground had an M4A1 carbine rifle with the Special Operations Peculiar Modification (SOPMOD) upgrade. Pitbull and Diesel had their weapons in the SUVs, within easy reach.
At that moment, Jake wished he had an HK MP5 submachine gun with several fully loaded clips. That prickly feeling was getting worse by the minute. Jake didn’t see the normal congregation of women and children outside the huts. In fact, since they’d arrived outside the village, those people who had been hanging around had all disappeared.
“Let’s move a little faster,” Jake urged. “The village appears to be a ghost town.”
“Something’s up,” Harm agreed.
“I thought this was supposed to be a routine fact-finding mission,” T-Mac said.
“‘Don’t engage,’ they said.” Buck mimicked the intel officer who’d briefed them in Djibouti. “Well, what if they engage us first?”
“That’s when all bets are off.” Jake’s hold tightened on his rifle.
The lead vehicle had passed the village and was moving along the dirt road leading to the next village when an explosion ripped through the air.
“What the hell was that?” Diesel asked.
“We’ve got incoming!” Harm yelled. “Someone’s got an RPG and they’re targeting our vehicles.”
Another rocket hit the ground fifty yards from where Jake stood. He dropped to a squat and waited for the dust to clear.
When it did, he counted half a dozen men in black garb and turbans rushing toward him, firing AK-47s.
“They fired first,” Jake said, returning fire. “Six Tangos incoming from the west.” He took out two and kept firing.
“I count five from the east,” Harm said from the other side of the SUV. Sounds of gunfire filled the air.
“Got a truckload of them coming straight at us on the road,” Pitbull said.
“I count at least half a dozen comin’ at us from the rear,” T-Mac reported.
“We’re surrounded,” Buck said. “Use the SUVs for cover.”
The men rolled under the SUVs and fired from beneath.
“Guys, get out from under the lead vehicle!” Pitbull yelled. “They’re going to ram us!”
Jake rolled out from under and kept rolling, staying as low to the ground as he could, firing every time he came back to the prone position. He slipped into a slight depression in the hard-packed dirt and fired at the black-garbed men coming at him.
A loud bang sounded along with the screech of metal slamming into metal.
Giving only the fleetest of glances, Jake’s heart plummeted. The lead SUV had been knocked several feet back from where it had been standing. If Harm hadn’t made it out in time, he would have been crushed by the ramming enemy truck.
“Pitbull?” Jake held his breath, awaiting his friend’s response.
“I’m good,” Pitbull said. “Shaken, not stirred. I shot the truck driver before he hit.”
“Good. Everyone else,” Jake said, “sound off.”
In quick succession, the other four men reported in.
“Harm.”
“T-Mac.”
“Buck.”
“Diesel.”
A man leaped up from the ground and ran toward Jake.
The navy SEAL fired, cutting him down, only to have another man take his place and rush his position. He pulled the trigger. At the last minute, the attacker swerved right. The bullet nicked him, but didn’t slow him down.
Jake pulled the trigger again, only nothing happened. He pushed the release button, and the magazine dropped at the same time as he reached for another. Slamming the full magazine into the weapon, Jake fired point-blank as the man flung himself at Jake.
The bullet sailed right through the man’s chest, and he fell on top of Jake.
For a moment, Jake was crushed by the man’s weight. He couldn’t move and couldn’t free his hands to fire his weapon.
Gunfire blasted all around. Dust choked the air and made locating the enemy difficult at best.
Jake pushed aside the dead man and glanced around.
“They fell back,” Buck said. “But they’re regrouping.”
“Get in the rear SUV and get the hell out of here,” Jake said. “I’ll cover.”
Buck and T-Mac jumped into the rear SUV. Diesel revved the engine and raced up to the destroyed one.
The doors were flung open. “Get in,” Buck said.
Harm ran alongside the vehicle, refusing to get inside. Pitbull pulled himself into the front passenger seat.
The enemy soldiers raced to follow them.
Jake laid down suppressive fire, emptying a thirty-round magazine in seconds.
“We’re not leaving without you!” Harm yelled.
Jake shook his head and kept firing. “Get in the damned vehicle. I’ll remain on the ground and cover.”
Harm complied and the SUV moved forward, using the crashed SUV for cover.
Jake popped out the expended magazine and slammed in one of the last two he had.
The enemy soldiers either hit the ground when they caught a bullet, or dived low to avoid getting hit. Either way, Jake’s gunfire slowed their movement. But not for long. “Go!” he yelled, lurched to his feet and backed up to the enemy truck without letting up his suppressive fire against the oncoming threat. “You have to leave now. It’s the only way any of us are getting out of this alive.”
Jake flung open the door of the truck, dragged the dead driver out and climbed behind the steering wheel. He hung his rifle out the window and fired with his left hand. “I’ll head for the hills, head south, get to safety and come back when you have sufficient backup.” He started the engine and attempted to reverse. The front grill of the truck hung on the grill of the damaged SUV.
“I don’t like it,” Diesel said into Jake’s earpiece.
“You don’t have to,” Jake said. “Just go before I run out of bullets.”
Diesel pulled away in the SUV.
Jake fired again, laying down a barrage of bullets at the men advancing on his position. He ducked low as bullets hit the windshield and pinged off the metal frame of the truck. He shifted into Drive, hit the accelerator and slammed the SUV. Then he shoved the shift into Reverse and gunned the engine. The SUV dragged along with him for several feet until the front grill broke free.
Jake backed up fast and considered racing after the other SUV. But, already, another truck had appeared from the direction of the village. If he didn’t take out the oncoming vehicle, the rest of his team would gain little lead time on the enemy.
Shifting into Drive, Jake revved the engine and shifted his foot off the brake. The truck shot forward, plowing through the line of attackers, knocking some down and scattering the rest.
Driving head-on toward the truck, Jake held true, daring the other driver to back down first but guessing he wouldn’t.
At the last moment, Jake grabbed his rifle, flung open the door and threw himself out of the truck. He hit the ground hard, tucked and somersaulted, his weapon pressed close to his chest.
The truck he’d been driving plowed into the other with the clash of metal on metal. Both vehicles shook and then settled, smoke and steam rising from the engines.
Jake didn’t wait around to see what the remaining jihadist would do. He jerked a smoke grenade from his vest, pulled the ring, tossed it behind him and then ran toward the only cover he had—the short, squat mud-and-stick huts of the village clustered against a bluff. He figured the enemy wouldn’t start looking for him there.
He prayed he was right. From the intel briefing they’d received, the ISIS faction was alive and well in the Tillabéri region of southwestern Niger and was known for the extreme torture tactics they used against their foes. He refused to be one of their victims. He’d die fighting rather than be captured. Surrender wasn’t an option.
* * *
REVEREND TOWNSEND BURST through the door of the makeshift schoolhouse, interrupting Alex’s reading lesson. “Alex, get the children out of the building. Now!”
Alexandria Parker’s heart leaped into her throat. “Why? What’s wrong?”
The reverend’s wrinkled face was tense, his hands shaking as he waved children toward the door. “Kamathi just came through the village and told everyone to get out. If I hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have known.”
Alex closed her reading book. “Why do we have to leave?”
“Al-Waseka is coming.”
Fear rippled through Alex. One of the men in the village had been captured by al-Waseka, the most notorious Islamic State leader in all of Niger. He had been beaten, whipped and burned in many places on his body. The only reason he’d survived was because they’d thrown his body off the back of a truck, presuming he was dead. He’d crawled under a bush and waited until his captors had left the area. Then he’d used what little energy he had remaining to wait near the road for the next friendly vehicle to pass. Fortunately, it had been the good reverend’s.
In his seventies, Reverend Townsend got around well for his age. He worked hard and never complained. The villagers loved him and treated the white-haired old man and his wife like family.
Standing in Alex’s makeshift schoolroom, he appeared to have aged ten years. “By the time I left the village, every man, woman and child had gone. They ran into the hills. We have to get these children out of the orphanage as quickly as possible. Take them into the hills.”
Alex waved to her assistant, Fariji, the tall young man who’d been more than happy to help her with her lessons and, in the process, was learning to read himself. “Help me get the children out.”
“Yes, Miss Alex.” He had the older kids hold hands with the younger ones and led them out the door.
Alex herded the rest of the children toward the door. “Leave your books,” she said. “Older children, help the younger ones.”
The children bottlenecked at the door, where the reverend hurried them through. Once they were all outside, he faced the children. “Follow Miss Alex and Fariji,” he said. “Stay with them.”
Alex turned to the reverend. “Where do I go in the hills?”
“Anywhere, just hide. Some of the older children play in the hills. Let them lead you.” He turned to stare into the distance, where the road led into the village.
Alex didn’t like that the reverend wasn’t coming with them. “What about you and Mrs. Townsend?”
“Martha refused to leave the sick baby.” He looked back at her. “Go. We are in God’s hands.”
Maybe so, but the ISIS terrorists didn’t believe in the reverend’s God. They believed in killing all foreigners and many of their own people in their efforts to control the entire region. “Reverend, let me help you bring Martha out of the village.”
He shook his head. “She won’t abandon the mother and child she has been helping for the past few days. They can’t be moved.”
“Have you considered the fact that you and your wife staying with them might give the terrorists more reason to not only kill you and your wife, but also the woman and her baby?”
He nodded and repeated, “We are in God’s hands.” He nodded at the children running toward the hills. “Go with them. They need someone to ensure their survival.”
Torn between saving the children and saving her mentor, father figure and friend, Alex hesitated.
“You can’t help everyone,” the reverend said. “Martha and I have lived long, productive lives. No regrets. You and the children have not.” He waved her toward the children. “Go. Live.”
Alex hugged the reverend. “I’ll go, but once the children are safe, I’m coming back for you and Martha.”
He patted her back. “Only if it’s safe.”
An explosion rocked the ground and was followed by the sound of gunfire.
Her pulse hammering in her veins, Alex hurried after Fariji and the children running through the village streets toward the hills.
She counted heads, satisfied she had all of her little charges. Some of them clustered around her, while others ran ahead. One little girl tripped and fell.
Alex scooped her up and set her on her feet, barely slowing. She clutched the child’s hand and kept moving.
More gunfire sounded behind her. She didn’t look back. She had one goal: to get the children to safety. Only then would she think about what was going on in the village.
At the far end of the community, they neared the base of the bluffs rising high over their heads.
A shiver of fear rippled through Alex. She had never hiked in the hills because she was afraid she wouldn’t find her way back out. Now she was purposely heading into unknown territory—with children. For a moment, she hesitated.
Then another explosion shook the earth beneath her feet. She glanced over her shoulder. A plume of dusty fire and smoke rose up into the air near the road leading into the village.
She didn’t need any more motivation. Bullets were bad; bombs were even worse. “Hurry!” she yelled.
The youngest children had slowed, their little legs tired from running through the village.
Alex despaired. How could she get all of them up the steep slopes? And if they did make it, where would she hide them?
She’d heard from some of the elders that there were caves in the hills. In the past, when their village had been invaded, the people had fled to the hills and hidden in the caves until the attackers moved on.
Alex lifted one of the smallest girls and settled her on her back. She started up the hill, holding the hand of a little boy, small for his seven years. She tried not to think about what was happening down in the village.
If the threat was the ISIS faction, the reverend and his wife were in grave danger. Alex’s heart squeezed tightly in her chest. The elderly couple were incredibly kind and selfless. They didn’t deserve to be tortured or killed.
Ahead, Alex caught glimpses of other villagers, climbing the rugged path upward. She felt better knowing they were heading in the right direction. Hopefully, the men terrorizing the village wouldn’t take the time or make the effort to climb into the hills to capture villagers and orphans. What would it buy them?
However, Alex, being an American and female, might be a more attractive bargaining chip. Or she’d make for better film footage on propaganda videos. She had to keep out of sight of the ISIS terrorists.
Once they could no longer see the village, Alex breathed a little more freely. Not that they were out of danger, but if they couldn’t see the village, the attackers couldn’t see them.
Ahead and to the north rose stony bluffs, shadowed by the angle of the sun hitting the ridge to the south.
Alex paused to catch her breath and study the bluff. Had she seen movement? She blinked and stared again at a dark patch in the rocky edifice.
A village woman slipped from the patch and climbed downward to where Alex stood with her little band of orphaned children.
Another woman followed the first, and then another. Soon five women were on their way down the steep slope to where Alex and Fariji stood. Each gathered a small child and headed up to what Alex realized was a cave entrance.
Alex, burdened with the girl on her back, started up the path, urging the other children to climb or crawl up the slippery slope. By the time she reached the entrance, she was breathing hard.
She slipped the girl from her back and eased her to the stone floor of the cave.
More than a dozen women and children emerged from deep in the shadows, their eyes wide and wary. They gathered around Alex, all talking at once.
“Where are the others?” Alex asked in French.
“Scattered among the caves.” A woman called Rashida stepped forward. “There are many caves. This is only the first one.”
“They will find us here,” a younger woman said. “We must go deeper into the hills.”
“We can’t,” Rashida said. She tipped her head toward three older women sitting on the ground, their backs hunched, their eyes closed. “The old ones will not make it. It was all they could do to come this far.”
Alex’s heart went out to the old and young who couldn’t move as fast or endure another climb up steep hills.
“None of us will last long without food and water,” the other woman argued.
“We can’t go back down to the village.” An old woman called Mirembe glanced up from her position seated on the ground. “We would all be tortured or killed.”
Alex didn’t want to argue with the women when the reverend and his wife were down there with no one to help or hide them. With the children safe in the cave, Alex couldn’t stop thinking about the elderly missionaries. She drew in a deep breath and made up her mind. “I need you women to care for these children.”
Again, the women gathered around her.
“Where are you going?” Rashida asked.
“Don’t leave us,” another woman pleaded.
“If you go back, you’ll be killed,” Mirembe predicted.
“I have to go back. Reverend Townsend and his wife stayed behind.”
Mirembe shook her head. “They are dead by now. They must be.”
A sharp pain pierced Alex’s heart. “I choose to think they are still alive. And I’m going down to see if there is anything I can do to help.” She glanced around at the women. “Will you care for these children?” she repeated with more force.
Rashida nodded. “We will look after them until your return.”
A tiny hand tugged at her pant leg. “Miss Alex, please don’t go.”
Alex glanced down at Kamaria, the little girl she’d carried up the hill. She had tears in her big brown eyes as she stared up at Alex.
Her chest tight, Alex dropped to one knee and hugged Kamaria. “I’ll be back,” she promised. “Until I return, I need you to help take care of your brothers and sisters.” She brushed a tear from the child’s cheek. “Can you do that for me?”
Kamaria nodded, another tear slipping down her cheek.
Alex straightened. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Fariji followed her to the cave entrance. “It is not safe for you to return to the village. I will go with you.”
“No.” Alex touched his arm. “Stay here and protect the women and children. They have no one else.”
The gentle young man nodded, his brow dipping low. “I will do what I can to help.”
And he always did. Fariji was one of the most loving, selfless men in the village.
Alex hugged him, and then she left the cave and slid down the gravelly slope to the base of the bluff. She figured returning to the village would be dangerous, but she couldn’t abandon the missionaries. If she could help, she would, even if it meant risking her own safety.
Chapter Two (#uf80de86b-b6e9-5d24-8278-a71cd4081eae)
Going down from the hills alone went a lot faster than climbing, carrying a child on her back and herding half a dozen more. Within minutes, Alex reached the edge of the village.
She hid behind the first wall she came to, pushed the scarf she wore down around her neck and listened, her heart beating so loudly against her eardrums, she could barely hear anything.
The gunfire had ceased, but men shouted. A woman screamed and vehicle engines rumbled.
The reverend’s wife had been in the home of a woman who’d given birth to a baby boy. The baby had been breech, complicating the birth. Both had survived, but were weak and unable to travel.
Mrs. Townsend had been caring for the two since the baby’s birth.
Alex dared to peek around the side of the hut. The narrow street between the dirt-brown mud-and-stick buildings appeared empty. She sucked in a deep breath and ran to the next structure.
A man shouted nearby. Footsteps pounded in the dirt, along with the rattle of metal against metal or plastic, like the rattle of a strap on a rifle.
Alex held her breath and waited.
Shouts grew closer. The sound of something smashing made Alex jump and nearly cry out.
She clapped a hand over her mouth and slipped farther back into the shadows.
Another man yelled, the noise coming from inside the building behind which Alex huddled.
Voices argued back and forth, and then...bang!
Knowing it was too late to change her mind about coming back to the village, Alex shrank into a dark corner and prayed the men in the hut didn’t come out and discover her there.
The home the reverend’s wife had been in was a couple huts over from where Alex hid. If she could get there without being seen, perhaps she could convince the missionaries to leave before the men found them.
Voices sounded again as the men exited the building and moved to the next.
Alex waited, fully expecting them to come around the corner and start shooting.
She froze and made herself as small as she could in the meager shadow.
A loud bang erupted nearby, as if someone had slammed a door.
The men in the street said something, and then more footsteps pounded against the dirt street, moving away from Alex’s hiding place.
She let go of the breath she’d been holding. After another moment or two, she rose and eased to the corner. The street was clear.
Someone shouted from a couple houses over.
If she was going to move, she had to do it before the men returned.
Alex ran across the street, skirted another hut and checked around the next corner.
It, too, was clear.
She started across the street, heard a cry and nearly froze. Realizing she couldn’t make it around the next home in time, she dived through a door and squatted inside, trying to control her breathing in order to hear the enemy’s approach.
Footsteps clattered along the path outside the hut. Then they stopped.
For a long moment, Alex heard nothing. She waited a little longer and then eased toward the door.
Before she reached it, an arm wrapped around her middle and a hand clamped over her mouth, stifling a scream rising up her throat.
She struggled to free herself, but the arm holding her tightened, trapping her arms against her side and her back against a hard wall of a chest. “Shh,” he whispered against her ear, his breath heated and minty. Not what Alex would have expected from an enemy rebel.
“Check in that building,” someone said in French outside.
Alex froze. Though she was unsure of her captor, the men outside had been shooting. She’d make her escape from the man holding her after the other men passed in the street. Until then, she held still against the warm, hard surface of a hulking, big man with arms like steel vises. As she waited, she listened for the sound of movement outside the building.
Someone called out next to the door, “I have this one, you check the next.”
The door jiggled.
The hand over her mouth dropped to her arm and she was shoved backward, behind the man.
If she wanted, she could escape him. But to what?
She couldn’t go back out into the street and risk being captured by the rebels storming the village. She’d be better off taking her chances with her unknown captor in the dark interior of the hut.
The door swung inward.
Alex was shoved behind the opening door as a beam of sunlight slashed across the floor.
A man in black clothing stepped into the building, pushing the door wider with the rifle he held in his hands.
As the light beam fanned out, it chased away the darkness of the rest of the room. In the gray light out of the sunshine’s wedge, Alex studied her captor.
He wore a desert-camouflage military uniform and a helmet, and carried a wicked-looking rifle of the type the Special Forces units carried. She searched for some indication of whose team he played for. Was he American, French or—God forbid—one of the paid mercenaries so often found in conflicts where they didn’t belong? He wasn’t from Niger. The skin she could see was too light. Granted, it appeared tanned, but not the rich darkness of the native Niger people.
The man who’d pushed open the door stepped inside the room, his weapon raised. Then he fired several bullets.
Alex flinched and shrank back into the corner. If the shooter turned any farther in their direction, he’d hit her captor.
The rebel turned slowly.
Alex’s captor leaped forward, slamming the butt of his weapon into the side of the shooter’s head. The weapon dropped from his hands and fell to the floor. Before the man could react, the military guy pulled a knife and slit the shooter’s throat. Her captor bent to retrieve the other man’s weapon. With equally efficient movements, he removed the bolt, slid it into his pocket and laid the remainder of the rifle on the ground next to the dead man.
Then her captor turned to her and held out his hand. “We have to move.”
She remained frozen in her position crouched on the floor of the hut, her heart beating so fast she could barely breathe to keep up with her need for oxygen.
His hand shot out, palm up. “Now!”
Alex stared at the big, calloused hand that had just dispatched a rebel fighter with such ease and efficiency of movement. Would he do the same to her?
Shouts outside the open door of the hut shook Alex out of her stunned silence.
Her captor dropped his arm, eased up to the door and glanced out. Without turning, he spoke softly, “If you want to live, come with me now.”
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Introductions later. Run now!” He hooked her arm, jerked her up off the floor and rushed her to the doorway.
After a quick pause, he dragged her out into the street and back toward the hills.
They’d gone past several huts when Alex remembered why she’d returned to the village in the first place. She dug her heels into the dirt and ripped her arm out of his grasp.
He wheeled around, his gaze shooting in all directions. “Why are you stopping?”
“I came to help Reverend Townsend and his wife,” she said.
His lips pressed into a thin line. “You can’t help anyone if you’re dead. We have to get out of the village, before they find that man’s body.”
“I didn’t kill him,” she pointed out. “You did.”
“It was him or us.” The man grabbed her arm and pulled her off the street and into the shadow of one of the huts. “Now isn’t the time to argue. The terrorists outnumber us twenty to one. And they won’t hesitate to shoot first. If they take prisoners, they won’t be kind to them.”
“Exactly my point. The reverend and his wife stayed behind with a new mother and her baby. I can’t leave them to the terrorists.”
“You will do them no good if these ISIS bad guys capture you, as well. The best we can do is get out of here, notify someone with more firepower than we have and let them launch a rescue mission.”
“Why should I go with you? I don’t even know if you’re one of the good guys.”
“If I was one of the bad guys, I would have left you behind for ISIS to find instead of wasting my time arguing with you.” He peeked around the corner of the building. “Now, if you’re done flapping your jaw, we need to move.”
He had an American accent, and, despite his gruff demeanor, he had saved her from being filled with bullets. Or had he saved himself? Either way, she was still alive and he was the reason.
This time he didn’t grab her and drag her; he glanced back and raised his eyebrows. “Ready?”
She nodded.
He held out his hand.
Alex laid hers in his. A jolt of awareness raced up her arm into her chest. His fingers curled around hers, strong, sure and rough. A fleeting thought ran through her mind. What would it feel like to have those hands run freely over her naked body?
Shocked at her thoughts, Alex shook herself and fell in step with the man who had her life in his hands. Once he got them out of the current situation, he could do anything he wanted with her.
A trickle of fear and something else slipped down her spine. Alex refused to think past getting out of the village to somewhere safe where they could hide. For all she knew, she was trading one bad set of cards for another.
* * *
JAKE HADN’T EXPECTED to find an American woman in the village. When she’d run into the hut where he’d been hiding, he knew he couldn’t leave without taking her with him. The ISIS terrorists would either kill her, or rape and torture her until she wished she were dead. Leaving her behind wasn’t an option. But taking her with him made them both more vulnerable. She slowed him down, and two people made a bigger target than just one person attempting to escape and evade capture.
With the sun starting its descent toward the horizon, their best bet would be to either make a dash for cover in the hills, or hunker down in one of the huts and wait until dark to make their move.
The crack of gunfire filled the air with the answer to Jake’s question. They had to get out now rather than later. When the terrorists found the dead man, they’d be out for blood. He felt bad about leaving behind the reverend, his wife and the new mother, but he couldn’t take on the entire ISIS force that had stormed the village. They were far outnumbered, and his ammo wouldn’t last long enough to take out all of them.
He prayed his diversion had bought the rest of the SEAL team time enough to get away from the ISIS rebels. They would expect him to seek refuge and escape from the occupied village before attempting to reconnect with friendly forces.
Jake wondered what had happened to the drone that was supposed to be flying over while they were on their mission. Had the drone been in the vicinity of the village, they would have known the ISIS group was on its way and either been prepared for the attack or gotten the hell out of Dodge before they’d arrived.
Instead, they’d been outmaneuvered and outgunned. If Jake hadn’t rammed the other truck, they would have been mowed down by the sheer number of bullets the terrorists could have unloaded into them.
Hut by hut, Jake led the way, making it to the edge of the village. He paused to assess the chances of strolling across a wide, barren expanse of land. By himself, he could low crawl or run in a zigzag line long enough to achieve the safety of cover behind some of the larger boulders at the base of the nearby hills. With the woman, he wasn’t sure he could reach safety before they were discovered, and he didn’t know her physical capabilities.
He ran his gaze over her length. “Can you run?”
The woman tilted her chin. “I was on the track team in high school.”
“I didn’t ask if you were on the track team.” He drew in a deep breath, let it out and asked again, “Can you run now?”
She frowned. A nearby shout made her jump. “Yes. Yes, I can run.” She inched closer to him.
“Then on the count of three, I want you to take off in front of me and run like the hounds of hell are on your heels. Keep as low as you can. I’ll be right behind you. Don’t slow down until you reach those boulders at the base of the hills.” He touched her arm. “Can you do it?”
Her eyes round, she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded.
After one more glance around the vicinity, Jake whispered, “Go.”
For a moment, the woman didn’t move. Then she took off like a bullet shot from an M4A1 rifle. He’d never seen a woman run as fast as that woman ran from the Niger village.
He almost smiled, but he didn’t have time to admire her resilience and strength. He took off after her, staying as close as possible to block the bullets someone might shoot their way. He had the bulletproof vest, but the woman had nothing.
Once they were over halfway there, he began to think they’d make it without being noticed. That was not the case. The sharp report of gunfire echoed off the hillsides.
Jake automatically ducked lower, and he was glad to see the woman in front of him doing the same.
With over two hundred yards between them and the village, they could potentially make it to the hills without being shot. Hitting a still target at two hundred yards was hard enough. Hitting one that was moving was even harder. He closed the distance between himself and his lady counterpart, keeping his back between her and that village. Fifty yards. All they needed was another fifty yards, and then they could duck behind the cover of the boulders.
Something slammed into his back, pushing him forward. He stumbled and plowed into the woman, sending her flying forward. She hit the ground on her hands and knees, but kept moving, crawling as fast as she could go.
Jake regained his footing, scooped up the woman, set her on her feet and hustled her toward the boulders.
Bullets kicked up dust at their feet as they rounded a man-size rock that had fallen from the bluffs above.
After a few deep breaths to refill his lungs, Jake stared at the woman who wasn’t breathing any harder than he was. “By the way, I’m Jake.”
“Alexandria Parker. Most folks call me Alex.” She looked past his shoulder. “I can hear voices coming nearer. Let’s go.”
She stepped out with purpose, heading away from the village and up into the hills.
Jake followed. “You weren’t kidding about running track.”
“I run whenever I get a chance,” she said without slowing to catch her breath. “Even over here in Niger.”
When they came to a bend in the trail, Jake glanced back, his pulse picking up again. “Well, you’re going to have to keep running. They’re coming after us.”
Alexandria picked up the pace, climbing higher and faster. Soon the village was completely out of view behind a hill. They couldn’t keep up the pace, but, thankfully, neither could their pursuers, and they didn’t have the benefit of ATVs to speed up the search.
“If you’re up to it, we should keep moving until nightfall,” Jake suggested.
“I’m good to go,” she said, her breathing a little labored. But she didn’t slow, didn’t falter, just kept going.
Jake thanked his lucky stars this woman wasn’t one to fall to pieces when the going got tough. A glance ahead at the rocky path provided a good indication that the going promised to get tougher. And they had no food or water to sustain them if they had to hide out for any longer than a day or two.
At the moment, though, their number-one need was a safe haven from gunfire.
The path into the hills forked. When Alexandria turned right instead of left, he didn’t question her choice. It made sense to choose the path least traveled. The other appeared to be recently disturbed.
The crack of gunfire echoed off the hillsides. As they slipped over the top of a ridge, Jake glanced back.
Several men dressed in the black garb of the ISIS rebels were climbing the path they’d taken.
“Wait on the other side,” Jake commanded.
Alexandria dropped below the ridge and did as told.
Hunkering low to the ground, Jake steadied his rifle and peered through the scope, focusing on the movement below.
His hands tightened on the rifle. “Damn.”
“What?” Alexandria started to climb up beside him.
Jake held out a hand to stop her and replied, “They’re following our path.”
“Good,” Alexandria whispered. “They found the candy wrapper I left.”
Anger surged as Jake sank back behind the ridge and stared at the woman as if she’d lost her mind. He stopped short of grabbing her by the arms and shaking some sense into her. “Why the hell did you do that?”
Her lips firmed and she lifted her chin. “The other path led to where the orphans and villagers are hiding in the caves. I didn’t want the militants to find them.”
His ire abated as he stared into the eyes of a woman who had sacrificed her own safety for that of others. He couldn’t fault her for that, not when he’d done the same for his team. “Okay. I get it. But that doesn’t make it any easier on us. We can’t stop moving until dark.” He glanced one last time over the top of the ridge.
They’d lost some of their lead. They’d have to get a move on to gain ground. He’d counted six of the ISIS fighters. The predators outnumbered the prey, but they still had the lead. With only a few rounds remaining in his magazine, Jake couldn’t risk a firefight. He had to get himself and Alexandria back to his team before they were caught or died in the arid landscape.
Chapter Three (#uf80de86b-b6e9-5d24-8278-a71cd4081eae)
Alex’s calves and thighs were past sore and now bordered on numb, but she kept climbing. Dusk settled in around her and Jake, making it more difficult to judge distance. She slipped on the path and almost tumbled down the hill they were on.
Jake grabbed her arm just in time and jerked her backward, slamming her into his broad, muscular chest.
She clung to him, appreciating his strength for a brief moment. He didn’t seem to be winded at all, whereas she was breathing hard and every muscle in her body quivered with overuse. Sure, she ran and kept in good shape, but she hadn’t been climbing hills, which required the use of a different set of muscles.
“We need to find shelter for the night,” Jake said, his voice so close to her ear it warmed the side of her neck.
She pushed against his chest and straightened. “I can keep going.” It was a lie, but she refused to be the one to hold them back. If the rebels caught up to them because of her, she would be responsible for the outcome.
“You might be able to keep going, but I’m tired and I don’t have any desire to fall off a cliff in the dark.”
“Okay.” She stared up at the bluffs surrounding them. “These hills are riddled with caves. Will a cave suffice?”
He nodded and glanced up. “Yes.”
Alex’s lips twisted. “We passed several in the last valley. But, of course, when you’re looking for one you can’t find one.”
“We’ll keep moving. Maybe there will be one over the next ridge.”
Jake took the lead, picking his way through the brush and bramble. The trails had become nothing more than animal paths, crisscrossing the sides of hills and seeming to have no rhyme or reason to their course. He headed toward a pass between two hills, climbing up a steep slope to reach it. He didn’t linger on the ridgeline, dropping to the other side quickly to keep from being silhouetted against the fading light.
Alex did the same. When she stood beside him on the other side of the ridge, she scanned the hillsides, cliffs and valley below.
“There.” Jake pointed to several dark areas along the side of a bluff, across the narrow valley from where they stood.
Alex squinted. The dark shadows could be caves. The only way to know for certain was to get closer and check them out. With darkness settling in around them, they had to hurry or they’d be stumbling around in pitch black before the stars came out to shed a little light on their situation. And when the stars came out, that might allow for enough light that their pursuers could pick them out against the slopes and give away their hiding place before they even reached it.
Jake eased down the slippery slope one side step at a time.
Alex sucked in a deep, tired breath and hurried down the hillside, slipping and sliding on the loose gravel and stones. Her feet flew out from underneath her and she sat down hard, her momentum carrying her downward faster than she’d intended and bruising her backside as she went. She reached out, flailing for purchase, grabbing at the brush or anything that would slow her descent. The roots and brush she tried to hold on to ripped from the dry soil, barely slowing her fall.
“Watch out,” she called out as her body picked up speed, heading straight for the man who’d saved her from the ISIS rebels. And she could do nothing to stop herself.
About the time Jake turned to see what was happening, she plowed into his shins, knocking him off his feet. He fell, landing on top of her.
Instead of slowing her fall, he slipped down the hillside with her, like an avalanche of human flesh, plummeting to the bottom.
When she finally came to a halt, Alex lay for a moment, trying to breathe.
Jake was still on top of her, his face dusty, his eyes wide. “Are you all right?” he asked.
She tried to say something, but she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs to pass her vocal cords. “Can’t...” she wheezed.
“Can’t what?” he asked, untangling his legs from hers. Finally he pushed up on his arms, still leaning over her.
“Breathe,” Alex said on a gasp. She filled her freed lungs with precious air. “Though we needed to get down the hill fast, I believe there could have been a better way than using me as a human sled.”
He chuckled and leaned over on one arm so that he could push the hair out of her eyes. “Sorry. I couldn’t move out of your way fast enough.”
“No, it was my fault. I should have taken better care coming down the side of the hill.”
“How bad is your backside? After sliding down a rocky hill, it’s bound to be bruised and cut. Roll over, and let me take a look.”
Alex shook her head. “No time. We have to make it to those caves before we’re spotted by the ISIS rebels. We might make it there before them, but if they see us, we might as well be sitting ducks.” Though her back hurt and she was bruised and scratched, as he’d guessed, she couldn’t give in to self-pity. They had to keep moving or risk capture.
A shiver shook her frame. She’d heard what the ISIS men did to women they captured, and she didn’t plan on finding out just how bad it was.
Jake rose and held out his hand.
She took it in hers, let him pull her to her feet and straightened her torn shirt.
He turned her hand over in his and studied the cuts and scratches. “You’re bleeding.”
Alex tugged her hand free and wiped it on her jeans. “I’ll live. We need to move.”
For a moment, he remained standing in front of her. Then he nodded. “We’ll take care of it when we get to the cave.” He hooked her arm and set off through the brush and across the narrow valley. At the valley’s center was a narrow stream with running water.
Jake squatted on his haunches and scooped water into his palm. He splashed it up into his face, washing away the dust. Then he scooped another handful and drank.
Alex dropped to her knees and slipped her sore hands into the cool stream, letting the water wash away the dirt and grit from the cuts and bruises. Then she scooped some and drank, praying she didn’t get deathly ill from contaminated water.
“We don’t know when we’ll find water again, or how long it will be until my men come back for us,” Jake said. “Drink up. But make it fast.”
Not willing to give their pursuers time to catch up, Alex drank as much as she could in a few precious minutes and then pushed to her feet.
Having crossed the stream, Jake held out his hand to Alex and helped her to navigate the wet stones in the shallow water, guiding her over. Her foot slipped on the last rock.
Jake pulled her into his arms and held her long enough for her to get her feet beneath her. And long enough for Alex to appreciate the warmth and solid strength of his body against her.
Heat seared a path from where their chests met all the way to her core. When he set her back from him, she ducked her head, afraid he might see the awareness in her eyes. The man had a hard body, one most women would find hard to ignore and even harder to resist.
Thankfully, Alex wasn’t most women. She couldn’t be so easily influenced by a man with delicious muscles and narrow hips. And the way he wore his uniform trousers, fitting snug across his tight bottom, shouldn’t affect her, either. Shouldn’t...but it did. Having spent the last couple hours with the man, following him through thorny brush and bramble, she should be too tired to think about how sexy this stranger was. Perhaps because she was tired, she was thinking naughty thoughts when she should concentrate instead on survival.
Squaring her shoulders, she picked up the pace. Darkness and distance made it harder to see that tight butt, and she didn’t want to lose him. Not out in the middle of the hills in Niger. She wasn’t sure what wild animals they might encounter. They weren’t far from one of the major national parks and wildlife preserves. For all she knew, they’d need those last few bullets to protect them from lions or other, more dangerous animals than the humans hunting them.
* * *
JAKE KEPT MOVING, determined to find a cave to hide from the men following them. Alex would need to rest before they continued on to find a way out of the hills and away from the ISIS terrorists that had taken control of the village.
Once they’d crossed the creek, he headed up the side of a hill, following an animal path to the dark, shadowy maw on the face of a bluff. By the time they reached the cave entrance, the path was nothing more than a thin trail, probably created by some surefooted sheep, goat or deer. He’d snagged Alex’s hand and held on as they navigated the treacherous hillside.
If either one of them slipped, it would be a long, bumpy way down. He wasn’t sure Alex could withstand another beating courtesy of a fall. Her hands were scratched, as were her elbows. And if her torn shirt was any indication, her back would be pretty messed up, too.
Jake had wet a bandanna while at the creek and stuffed it into one of his cargo pockets on the side of his pants. When they stopped, he’d attend to her wounds. She couldn’t afford to get an infection. Not when he was unsure of when his team would send out a drone to search for their whereabouts. The rescue mission could take days to find him. If the ISIS terrorists continued to hunt them, a drone might lead them straight to their location before help could arrive to extract them.
At the cave entrance Jake took out a small flashlight from his shirt pocket, aimed his weapon into the darkness and switched on the light, careful not to shine it for too long in case the ISIS predators were close enough to see the beam.
The cave didn’t go back far enough for them to hide in the depths. Anyone who climbed the hill and peered inside would see the man and woman huddled against a far wall.
“Too shallow,” Jake muttered.
“There’s another one farther along the bluff.” Alexandria motioned toward the west.
They left the shallow cave and eased along the narrow path, lit only by the stars beginning to pop out one by one in the indigo sky. Again Jake held Alexandria’s hand, helping her to keep her balance.
When they reached the second cave, he shined his light into the darkness and couldn’t see the back wall. He stepped inside, his weapon pointed into the blackness.
“Aren’t you afraid of animals?” Alex whispered.
“I’m more afraid of having to shoot one. If I fire a round, I give away our location.”
“And if a lion comes at us?” Alex asked, her voice shaking.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep us alive,” he assured her. “Stay behind me in case something does jump out. Or better yet, wait here.”
He entered the cave.
Alex followed. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather face a lion than a militant.”
“Suit yourself,” he said, and continued his perusal of the interior of the cave.
“So, what are you? A Special Forces soldier or something like that?”
His lips quirked. “Something like that.”
She stayed close enough behind him that he could almost feel the heat of her body, but not so close that she hampered his ability to use his weapon.
“Don’t the Special Forces soldiers work in teams?”
“Yes.”
“So?”
“So what?” He stalled, shifting the beam of his flashlight back and forth to cover every inch of the cave floor and the dark crevices that could contain wild animals. He even checked behind a large boulder near the back of the cave.
“So, where are the rest of your teammates?” she asked.
Completing his inspection, he turned to face her. “The cave is clear.”
“And you haven’t answered my question.” She raised her brow.
“We were separated in battle.” He took her hand and led her to the back of the cave and pointed to the cave floor. “You might as well bed down for the night back here. If someone does come into the cave, they won’t see us immediately.” He turned to leave.
She touched his arm. “Where are you going?” Her voice held a note of panic.
He covered her hand with his. “I’m going out to scout for a few minutes.”
“Do you have to?” she asked, smoothing her hands over her skirt nervously.
“I like to know what other options we have if we need to beat a hasty retreat.” He handed her a small penlight. “Here. Keep this. It’s not much, but it will give you a little light to see by. I’ll need my bigger flashlight out there.”
Alex held up the flashlight that looked more like a ballpoint pen, and cocked an eyebrow. “Like that’s going to do me any good against a lion.”
“No, but this might.” He pulled a handgun out of his belt and handed it over.
“I haven’t fired a gun since my father showed me how when I was a teen.” She smiled.
His lips turned upward on the corners. “I’m surprised you’ve fired one at all.”
“Oh, my father was all about taking care of yourself.” She weighed the handgun in her palm. “He wanted me to be able to defend myself. I think he wanted me to test for the concealed carry license. Only I didn’t feel comfortable carrying a gun in my purse. Most of my friends only carried makeup, a credit card, driver’s license and the keys to their cars. I was afraid someone would take the gun out of my purse and shoot himself accidentally. Thus, no gun in my purse.”
“Do you know how to operate this, or do I need to show you?”
“I can figure it out,” she said. “Especially if my life depends on it.”
“Good. I’ll be back shortly.” He touched her hand holding the gun. “Promise not to shoot me?”
Her lips twisted. “I promise not to shoot you.”
And he left to go down into the valley and back up over the pass to see if the men who’d been following them were still on their tail.
He paused just short of the top of the ridge. Inching just to the top, he peered over to the valley below. On the valley floor, he could see the warm glow of a campfire and shadowy figures gathered around the flames.
The ISIS rebels weren’t far behind them, with only a ridge standing between them.
Jake returned to the creek, rewet the bandanna and hurried back to the cave. If the cuts and scratches on Alex’s back were deep, they could become infected and cause her a whole lot more grief if left untreated for any length of time.
They could stay the night, but they’d have to leave early the next morning, while it was still dark, to be gone before the terrorists made it up over the ridge.
When he arrived back at the cave, he eased into the darkness, searching for the woman who’d escaped the village with him. Nothing stirred. No sounds of breathing or indication that anyone was there.
His pulse sped as he switched on his flashlight, using the red lens setting, making it harder for anyone outside the cave to see but illuminating the interior up to three feet in front of him.
Where was she? Had he entered the wrong cave? Or had some of the rebel forces found their way around him and made off with the pretty teacher?
He drew in a shaking breath and whispered, “It’s me.” Then he waited, his breath lodged in his chest.
Chapter Four (#uf80de86b-b6e9-5d24-8278-a71cd4081eae)
As soon as Alex heard those words, she launched herself out of her hiding place behind the giant boulders and flung her arms around Jake’s neck. “Thank God,” she said, burying her face in the front of his bulletproof vest.
He wrapped her in his embrace and held on.
In the back of Alex’s mind, she wished he didn’t have on the bulletproof vest. She would like to have felt all of his body against her, imagining its warmth pressed against her cave-chilled skin.
“Hey.” He set her at arm’s length and chuckled. “Did you think I wouldn’t come back?”
Alex shrugged, her face cast down. She didn’t want him to witness the fear in her eyes when she’d come to the conclusion he wasn’t coming back. “The thought did cross my mind, as I fumbled around in the pitch dark. When you came into the cave, I didn’t know if you were friend or foe.” She snorted. “I’d never been so happy to hear the sound of someone’s voice. You were gone for what felt like forever.”
He smoothed a loose strand of hair out of her face, brushing her cheek with his calloused thumb. “Sorry. I backtracked to see whether we are still being followed.”
She stiffened. “And?”
He drew in a deep breath and let it out. “They’re on the other side of the ridge.”
Alex’s heart rate sped up. “We should leave. Now.”
“They’ve stopped for the night. I think we’ll be all right for now, but we need to head out before daylight to stay ahead of them.”
Her brows knit. “Are you sure? I can keep going, if you can.”
He smiled. “I know you can, but we’re running on empty. At the very least, we could use some sleep.” He nodded toward her. “And we need to take care of your cuts and scratches before they get infected.”
Alex crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m fine. I can keep going.”
“I have no doubt you can, but I need the rest and I want to see your backside. You can’t ignore your injuries.” He spun his finger. “About-face.”
She hesitated. “Really—”
“I know. You’re fine. But let me be the judge. You can’t see what’s on your back, but I can.” He twirled his finger again. “Just do it. The sooner we take care of you, the sooner we sleep.”
Swallowing hard, Alex turned her back to the man who was not much more than a stranger.
He lifted the tattered remains of her shirt.
Alex held on to the front to keep it from riding up high enough to expose her breasts in the lacy white bra she wore.
When he didn’t say anything for a moment, Alex’s pulse quickened. “How bad is it?” Sure, it stung and burned every time her ruined shirt rubbed against her scratches and cuts.
“It’s not great, but the good news is that you’ll survive, as long as the wounds don’t get infected.” He pulled a wet cloth from his pocket and patted her back with it. The cloth had been warmed by his thigh, and his touch was gentle. One hand held her side, steadying her, while the other removed dirt and debris from her wounds. When he was done, he released the tattered ends of her shirt and let them fall back down over her body. “The shirt has to go.”
Heat seared a path through her, heading south to her core. “It’ll have to do for now. I don’t have another.”
Jake stepped back. “You can have mine.”
When Alex turned to face him, a protest on her lips, she stopped, her thoughts flying out of her head as Jake unclipped the fasteners on his vest and lowered it to the ground.
Her mouth went dry and her palms filled with sweat. “What are you doing?”
He smiled. “Giving you my shirt. Granted, it might be a little sweaty, but it will be better than what you have on.”
He unbuttoned his uniform jacket and slipped out of it. Then he yanked his T-shirt up over his head in one fluid, ever-so-sexy move.
He stood in front of her wearing only his trousers and boots, his broad chest shining in the dim glow of the red-lensed flashlight. The man looked like a Roman gladiator, all hard muscles, strength and magnetism.
Alex lost her ability to form thoughts and words. Her gaze swept over the massive amount of skin stretched tautly over his frame.
When he handed her his T-shirt, she gulped. Her fingers touched his and a shock of fire raced through her hand and up her arm. “Thank—” she squeaked, cleared her throat and tried again. “Thank you.”
The man turned his back to her, allowing her the privacy to shed her shredded shirt and slip the T-shirt over her head. It smelled of male, that outdoorsy scent that made her insides quiver. The fabric slid over her breasts and torso and hung down to her knees.
“I’m decent,” she said. “Thanks again.”
He turned, a smile spreading across his face. “It’s a little big.”
“But better than nothing.” She wadded the torn shirt into her fist.
“Let me have that.” He reached out for the ruined shirt.
Again her hand touched his. This time he glanced up sharply, as if he too felt the electric shock. Just as quickly, he looked back down at the fabric in his grip. “I want to bind the wounds on your hands.”
“They’ll be okay,” she said.
“You need some protection to prevent further injury to your palms if you slide down another hill.” He ripped a piece off the front of her shirt. Then he took her hand and wrapped it gently over the cuts and scratches, tucking the end in to keep it from unraveling.
The whole time he held her fingers in his, she couldn’t breathe; nor could she control her wildly racing pulse.
When he had finished both hands, he released her and stepped back. “We need to get some rest. Morning will come all too soon.”
“Shouldn’t we stand watch?” she asked.
“Actually, I’d planned on staying awake and keeping an eye out for trouble.”
“You need rest as much as I do.” Alex lifted her chin. “I can take the first shift.”
“I don’t mind staying awake all night. I’m used to it. It’s part of the job.”
“I can stay awake half the night,” Alex insisted. “I’d rather you get some sleep to keep sharp.”
He studied her for a moment. “Keep an eye on the valley below. If you see any movement whatsoever, wake me immediately. Even if it’s an animal scurrying out from under a rock. Wake me.” His brows drew downward. “Understand?”
She popped a salute and smiled. “Yes, sir.” Then she took up a position at the mouth of the cave and sat, leaning her back against the stone wall.
A glance at Jake proved he was taking her up on her offer to get some sleep. He lay on the hard floor of the cave, bunched her shirt beneath his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you need the light?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “The stars are enough light for me to see by.”
There was a soft click, and the red glow from the flashlight blinked out.
Alex could just barely discern the outline of the man lying on the ground, but she didn’t need to see him to know he’d be there for her if she needed him. The least she could do was let him sleep while she kept watch.
Staring out into the night, she scanned the valley below again and again, going over all that had happened leading up to their escape. Some things still niggled at her.
“Are you army Special Forces or something else?”
“Something else,” he replied.
“Delta Force?” she guessed.
He snorted. “Please.”
Not army Special Forces or Delta Force...
“Mercenary?” she tried again.
“I don’t get paid enough to be a mercenary,” he replied.
“What does that leave?” She glanced over her shoulder. “Marine?”
“Navy,” he replied.
“Don’t you need a ship nearby to be in the navy? Or at least a body of water?”
He chuckled. “Not if you’re a navy SEAL.”
“You’re a navy SEAL?” she asked, unable to keep the awe from her voice. “Aren’t they the best of the best?”
“So we’re told.”
She glanced back at him. “What were you doing in the village?”
“Intel had it that ISIS was in the vicinity,” he said. “We were on a recon mission.”
“Recon?”
“We were only out seeking further intelligence. We weren’t there to engage.”
“But you did,” she pointed out.
“Only because they surprised us. We thought they’d be several miles up the road. We were supposed to have some drone support.”
“I take it you didn’t get it?”
“No.” His voice was hard.
“Did the rest of your team make it out?” she asked softly.
“I hope so.” For a long moment, silence reigned in the cave.
“What brought you to Niger?” he asked.
Alex stared out at the night, thinking back over her reasons for leaving Virginia and her home. “I needed a new start, and I wanted to go somewhere I could make a difference with my teaching and my ability to speak French.”
“Sounds like a breakup,” Jake said.
She shrugged, though he wouldn’t see the movement. “Yeah. It was something like that.” She had broken up with her fiancé, realizing he wasn’t the right man for her. They’d been together since their first year in college. He’d proposed after they’d been together for six years.
When they’d started planning the wedding, something had made her step back and rethink her decision to marry Paul. He’d been a good friend, and she liked his company, but there wasn’t any spark and no fire in their kisses. Sex with Paul had been something she did because she knew it was expected, not because she couldn’t wait to get naked and in bed with him.
Rather than go into the sad details of her less-than-exciting life, she asked, “What about you? Are you married? Do you have kids, a dog and the house with the white picket fence back in the States?”
He didn’t answer for a while.
“You don’t have to answer,” Alex said. “It’s none of my business.”
“You’re right,” he said. “It’s none of your business.”
A flare of anger surged inside Alex, but she bit her tongue and refused to rise to his tart retort.
“I figured the life of a navy SEAL wasn’t conducive to marriage or long-term relationships. So, no. No wife, no kids, no dog or white picket fence. Just me and my team. I keep it simple.”
Alex told herself to leave the conversation there. But she couldn’t help asking, “Did you ever want more?”
Again the silence stretched between them.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t ask such personal questions,” she whispered.
“The answer to your question is yes. There was a time when I was fairly new to the team that I thought I wanted it all. I thought I could have it all.” He sighed. “I was wrong.”
“I’m sorry,” Alex said.
“For what?”
Her heart pinched. “That things didn’t work out for you.”
“I’m not. The relationship wasn’t meant to be. Once a SEAL, always a SEAL. It takes a special person to put up with our lifestyle. I don’t believe she exists for me. Now, let me sleep.”
“Right. Zipping my lips here.” She clamped her mouth shut and refused to ask a hundred more questions of the navy SEAL. He needed sleep, and it truly wasn’t any of her business that he didn’t think there was a woman who could love him and the life he’d chosen to lead.
Deep in Alex’s heart, she knew the man was wrong. But who was she to tell him that there was someone for everyone when she hadn’t been completely convinced herself?
* * *
JAKE LAY FOR a long time with his eyes closed, willing himself to sleep. Normally he didn’t have a problem dropping off into light sleep when he knew he needed the mental and physical recharge only rest could provide.
But sleep wasn’t coming, and the more he lay there, the more he realized it was because of the woman sitting by the mouth of the cave. Since finding her in the village, he’d had a difficult time focusing on the mission at hand.
Alex’s silky black hair, hanging down to her waist in straight lengths, made Jake want to reach out and run his fingers through the strands. And those ice-blue eyes made him look twice. He could swear he saw the vastness of the universe reflected in their depths. And her alabaster skin fairly glowed in the darkness.
She was beautiful, smart and physically capable of keeping up with the grueling trek through the hills and rocky terrain. She hadn’t complained, even after sliding down the side of a hill, scraping the skin off her hands and backside. She was one tough lady, and she stirred up more feelings inside Jake than he cared to acknowledge.
The last time he’d felt this way he’d been too eager to make a relationship permanent, only to discover the woman he had fallen for wasn’t willing to wait for him to return home from deployments.
Trish had left him after his very first deployment. While he’d been gone, dreaming about her, she’d found a civil service employee on the navy base who would be home each night to see to her every want and need. With him, she would never have to worry that he’d return from work in a body bag or be deployed nine months out of the year to some godforsaken place he couldn’t even discuss.
That was when Jake had sworn off meaningful relationships that lasted more than a date or two. He didn’t have time for the games, and he didn’t need the heartache. His team depended on him to have a level head and solid focus.
He opened his eyes and stared at the silhouette of the woman he’d rescued from the village overtaken by the ISIS terrorists. She wasn’t someone who took the easy way out. She’d come to Africa to start over. And, boy, had she. Teaching orphans in a poor village had to be completely different from her life in the States, yet she’d done it. Not only had she taught them, she’d gotten her orphans out of the village when the terrorists stormed the streets. And she’d returned to help her missionary sponsors.
How many women had he known who would fearlessly head back into danger to help someone else?
Alex had gumption. She was the kind of woman who wouldn’t settle for safe and boring in a relationship. But was she the kind of woman who could stand long separations from her significant other? What had been the reason for her breakup?
Jake found himself wanting to know more about Alex. But he needed to sleep so that he could be refreshed enough to continue the trek out of the hills and back to some measure of safety, away from the terrorists.
Thinking about Alex was pointless. Once he got her out of this situation, he probably wouldn’t see her again. Why waste his time mooning over a beautiful woman? Hadn’t he proved he wasn’t cut out for anything more than a quick fling?
Alex didn’t strike him as a quick-fling kind of woman.
With a sigh, he closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep. And he must have drifted off, because he woke with a start after what felt like only a few minutes.
“Jake,” a soft, feminine voice called out to him.
He sat bolt upright, his gaze going to Alex. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, but I’m nodding off. I can’t keep watch through my eyelids.” She wrapped her arms around herself and yawned. “And it’s getting cold out here.”
He glanced at his watch. “Four hours to sunrise. You should have woken me an hour ago.”
“You were sleeping so peacefully I hated to disturb you.”
He rose and crossed to where she sat with her back against the wall of the mouth of the cave.
Alex shivered and yawned at the same time. “I can’t quit yawning,” she said into her hand.
“Then lie down and catch some z’s. I’ll keep watch.”

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