Echoes at Dawn (4 page)

Rio pulled the knotted shirt from her mouth. “Better?”

She nodded, still not trusting herself to speak.

“Okay, this is what’s going to happen. We have to move and I can’t spare the manpower necessary to keep you immobile. We don’t have a stretcher, which means I’m going to carry you out while my men surround us and provide cover. With a broken arm and ribs plus God only knows what else you’ve got going on, there’s no easy way to do this. It’s going to suck.”

She tried to smile at the blunt way he put it, but her lips trembled and she gave up with a sigh.

“I’ll need at least one hand free so I can hold a gun and protect us both. Terrence will secure you to my back. We once carried a teammate’s wife out of the jungle just like I’m going to carry you, so it’ll work. I don’t want you to worry. If you don’t trust in anything else, you trust in the fact that we’re going to get you out of these mountains.”

The unwavering conviction in his voice gave her the first hope she’d experienced in many weeks.

“I won’t let you give up,” Rio continued. “I know you hurt. I can only imagine what those bastards did to you. But you aren’t giving up, Grace. You’re a fighter. Your sister’s a fighter.”

Tears shimmered in her vision again, making Rio grow hazy. “I can’t talk to her. I’m not sure I can talk to anyone…like before I mean.”

Rio leaned over, his face close to hers. “You’ll get it back. I heard you last night. It’s there. You just have to heal both in body and spirit.”

“Who are you?” she whispered around the knot in her throat.

He smiled then, white teeth flashing against dark skin. “I’m the man who’s going to get you the hell out of here, and then I’m going to hunt down those sons of bitches who hurt you and gut every last one of them.”

She shivered at the menace in his voice but was oddly comforted by the savage vow.

“We need to roll, Rio,” Terrence said, startling her. She’d forgotten his presence. Had forgotten all of the men standing in close proximity.

Rio nodded and then stood, towering over her. She suddenly felt very small and insignificant and extremely vulnerable as she lay huddled on the ground, surrounded by the warriors with death in their eyes.

This time Terrence knelt by her side, his voice quiet and she suspected purposely gentle so as not to scare the bejesus out of her. It was a little late for that…

“All right, Miss Grace. This is what’s going to happen. The men are going to fashion a sling of sorts that will secure you to Rio’s back. I’m going to lift you very carefully. I’ll try not to hurt you.”

She nodded her understanding.

He smiled at her, and she decided he was an extremely handsome man despite his fierce appearance. Moreover, she believed him when he said he’d try not to hurt her.

He slid his arms underneath her body. “Deep breath.”

She sucked in, closed her eyes, and he lifted upward. She was amazed at the ease with which he picked her up. She opened her eyes and watched him. There was no evident strain. Just calm focus.

Diego appeared on her other side.

“Diego’s going to hook his arm underneath your leg,” Terrence explained. “I’m going to take the other.”

She appreciated the patience he demonstrated and how he explained every step so she wouldn’t be frightened. At this point, she was ready to be done with it all. The sooner they left this place where she was hunted, the better she’d feel. Maybe then she could begin healing.

She nodded her acceptance, and as soon as she did, Diego stepped forward and slid his arm underneath her legs. He hooked his other arm behind her, and he and Terrence held her up to Rio’s back.

The other two men quickly wound the long strips of cloth they’d secured together underneath her bottom and underneath her legs. They did a series of figure eights, coiling rope and material up and over Rio’s shoulders then under and around her legs and behind until she was solidly supported and attached to his back.

Diego positioned her splinted arm at Rio’s side just underneath his armpit and then secured it to Rio’s body as well.

She had no idea how on earth Rio was going to be able to move with her plastered to his body the way she was, much less carry a gun, but he didn’t seem at all bothered by the prospect.

“How are the ribs?” Rio asked.

“Okay.”

“They’ll hurt when he starts walking,” Diego warned. “Try to press against him to minimize your movements as much as possible. The more you jostle, the more it’s going to cause you pain.”

She nodded again and pressed in as close to Rio as she could get. Already she was exhausted and they hadn’t even begun the journey out. She didn’t even know how far they had to travel and she didn’t want to ask because she wasn’t sure she could handle the answer.

Instead she was going to put herself in their hands because she had no other choice. She had no idea who these men were—only that they knew her sister and they professed to want to help her.

She’d been prepared to die. It shamed her that she’d been so ready to give in. At her absolute lowest point, these men had appeared, refusing to let her give up. Rio had promised to take her home, though she had no inkling of what home meant. She’d spent too much time on the run, separated from her only family.

The idea that she was finally safe and could see her sister after so long was more than she could comprehend.

“Ready, Grace?” Rio called over his shoulder.

She took a deep breath, realizing that she was venturing into the unknown once again. Only this time she wasn’t alone, and that bolstered her flagging resolve like nothing else could.

“Ready.”

RIO’S
admiration for Grace grew with every passing hour. He knew she had to be in excruciating pain and yet she bore it stoically, never uttering a sound as he carried her over the uneven terrain.

His team had set a grueling pace that would have most people reduced to begging. But she hadn’t uttered a sound. But he felt her. She wasn’t a strong presence in his mind. He thought she was probably tightly protecting herself. But he could still sense the remains of the mental pathway that had been briefly forged between them, and he knew she was suffering.

“Bad news,” Terrence said grimly.

Rio looked up to get the report from the man he’d sent ahead to scout the area where they’d left the vehicles. Terrence’s lips were set into a fine line, and he kept looking to where Grace’s head rested on Rio’s shoulder as if he hated having to say what he was about to.

Diego pulled up, standing to the side of Terrence and Rio. He too glanced at Grace, but his gaze was seeking, trying to discern her condition.

“Tell me,” Rio said impatiently.

He couldn’t be concerned with Grace hearing bad news. Hell, how much worse could it get anyway? She’d already been to hell and back.

“We’ve got company. Hard to tell from the distance I was doing recon, but our hiding spot has been made and they’ve set up an ambush.”

Rio bit out a string of swear words that had Grace stirring against him. He went still, not wanting to cause her greater discomfort.

“Rio?”

Hearing his name on her lips did odd things to him. His heart turned over at the way she tried to mask her fear. She obviously had no idea how much she was broadcasting. Her fear was a tangible, living thing. He could smell it. He could feel it. He could damn near taste it as it vibrated through the air.

“What will we do?” she whispered.

Terrence and Diego both put a hand out to her, each seeking to comfort her.

“Don’t you worry, Miss Grace,” Terrence said gruffly. “We’ve faced a lot worse. We aren’t going down to a bunch of good ole boys with peashooters.”

Rio felt her lift her head and he grimaced at the effort it took her. She trembled against him and his gut clenched. She wasn’t doing well at all. He knew it like he knew nothing else. They had to get her somewhere she could have medical attention or she wasn’t going to make it.

“Where will we go?” she asked.

Her head rested on his shoulder again as if she no longer had the strength to hold it up. He could feel her breaths huff out in tiny little bursts against his neck.

It was then he felt the desolation and…the acceptance. Her acceptance. She’d resigned herself to death. Embraced it even. Sorrow surrounded him, pulled at him. She knew she was dying but she didn’t want to die out here in the cold. In the unknown. Afraid. She didn’t want to die afraid.

Rage blew through him. Helpless rage. He wanted to hit
something but he remained still, not wanting to add to her pain. He met the gazes of Diego and Terrence.

“We don’t have much time,” he said in a low voice. “We need a backup plan yesterday.” He stared hard at his teammates, his lips curled up in a snarl. “She’s not dying on my watch. Split up. Find us a place we can hunker down and give her some time to heal. We’ll figure out a plan after she’s taken care of.”

“We need to find a place for you to stay with Grace while we scout,” Diego said. “That’s our first priority.”

Terrence nodded his agreement.

Rio glanced over his shoulder but he sensed that Grace had slipped under again, no longer aware or maybe no longer caring of her surroundings. He knew he had to move fast. He didn’t have much time because she was fading more rapidly by the minute.

“You hang in there, Grace,” he said fiercely. “Don’t you dare give up.”

She didn’t even stir. Rio’s men gathered in a tight perimeter and they struck out again, this time heading back up in elevation and away from where the SUVs were parked.

Terrence fell in beside Rio and murmured in a low voice, “I can radio Sam. Tell him what’s up. Ask for backup. He could send a helo in. Might take the better part of a day but we’d be out of here.”

Rio knew the best thing, the right thing, was to report back to his boss. If he had such a thing. True, he worked for KGI. His men technically worked for KGI. But Rio was his own man and his men were loyal to him. They went where he went. Followed his orders.

His gut told him he didn’t entirely trust the situation at the KGI compound. Resnick was involved. Their CIA contact was up to his ears in the mess with Grace and her sister, Shea, only Rio didn’t know to what extent.

But he had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling, and it was why he hadn’t yet reported in to Sam about their progress or that they’d been close to recovering Grace. Part of his reasoning was that he hadn’t wanted to get Shea Peterson’s
hopes up. She was desperate to locate her sister, and Rio had made her a promise. Her. Not Sam. Not KGI. He’d promised Shea that he’d keep her sister safe.

He blew out his breath. If he called in KGI, they’d most assuredly come. But he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that it wasn’t what was best for Grace. Each time he started to agree and tell Terrence to check in with Sam, get the ball rolling, his stomach coiled into a knot and his instincts screamed at him to stand down.

“I’ll make the call,” Rio finally said. He had to talk to Sam himself. Had to know what was going on and why he was so reluctant to relinquish Grace into someone else’s care.

Right now he only wanted a place he could make Grace more comfortable and hopefully start the healing process. She wasn’t going to give in. He’d bully her mercilessly if that’s what it took, but over his dead body was he going to lose her now that he’d finally taken her from the people who’d done so much damage to her body and mind.

For the next hour, they climbed higher. The sun was starting its slow descent and the air grew cooler the higher they went.

“There,” Diego called, holding his hand up to halt the others.

Diego pointed to a series of large boulders jutting upward from the ground. Resting against the side of a steep cliff, the boulders provided a natural shelter. The cliff wall provided cover from behind with no possible access. The only way in or out was the front and Rio could easily pick off anyone coming hundreds of yards away.

“Help me get her down,” Rio said, crisp urgency in his voice.

Browning and Alton hurried to unwind the bonds securing Grace to his back. Decker and Terrence lifted her weight and eased her away. Rio stretched his aching shoulders and then hurried into the natural enclosure.

Diego tossed him his pack holding medical supplies and two canteens of water. Terrence pulled the sat phone from
his pack and laid it on the ground beside the sleeping bag Browning tossed down.

Rio quickly arranged the bedroll, and Decker and Terrence eased Grace down on it.

“We’ll do recon and find a place we can squat for as long as we need it,” Terrence said. “Be back soon.”

Rio nodded and his men melted back into the trees, leaving him and Grace alone.

His first order of business was to make sure she was protected. Then he’d see to her comfort. Dead was pretty uncomfortable by his standards.

He took his rifle and made a slow sweep of his surroundings through the scope. He took his time, noting the locations of markers and memorizing the landscape.

After positioning himself so he had a prime view down the incline, he propped his rifle so it would be in easy reach, and then he took out several grenades and lined them meticulously against the base of one of the boulders.

Both the knives he carried came out and were placed beside the grenades, and his handgun came last and he put it on his opposite side. Satisfied that everything was close enough for him to grasp in an instant, he turned his attention back to Grace.

She shivered and chill bumps were predominant on her skin. Her lips were set into a fine line, even in her unconscious state. He wondered if she dreamed, if she was reliving her treatment at the hands of her captors.

Her muscles twitched and she moaned softly. Her fingers flexed spasmodically and she tried to curl into a fetal position, drawing her knees up toward her chest.

Knowing she’d only hurt herself further, he straightened her and pulled the top of the sleeping bag over her body. He zipped it up, securing her firmly inside. For now he wanted her immobile and warm.

He slid his hand over her cheek, trying to offer what comfort her could. It seemed to work because she quieted and went still. He left his hand there a long moment before finally pulling it regretfully away.