Out of the Shadows (Falcon) (5 page)

In normal light he’d have
had no problem seeing into the distance. Tonight, even with the full moon, nothing but shadows.

During August the temperature rarely cooled down at night in this area of the world, which made Brody wish he’d waited until D
ecember. But A.J. didn’t have that much time.  

He turned to Stone
, who sat hugging her knees to her chest. His gut twisted like a wrung-out towel when he noticed the sad look on her face. She chewed on her full bottom lip. “I asked you what’s wrong.”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit. I mentioned his name and you practically fainted. I didn’t think CIA agents could do that.”

Narrowed blue eyes cut into his conscience, and that eerie feeling he’d had since kidnapping her grew.

“I’m not his girlfriend. Okay?”

“Maybe not now, but you
two were an item a few years ago.”

Through the green tint of his
night goggles, the mean snarl on her lips confirmed she wasn’t thrilled about a reunion. “Besides, I don’t plan to turn you over to him. You’re just a ploy to get his attention.”

“You’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever met.” She stood with her fists primed and ready to strike.

“You’re safe,” he reassured her. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“You just don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what? That you had a lover’s quarrel? You dumped him, and he’s been looking for you ever since. My guess is he wants to rekindle the love affair.” Brody shrugged.

She growled.

“I realize that’s not your plan. A snitch told me all he wanted was you. I take you to him, he releases my partner and we get out of there.”

She pointed to herself.
“What about me? How do you plan to get me out of there?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’m actually pretty good at this stuff.”

She stalked over to him and landed a punch to his jaw. Brody flinched and raised his arm to block her next move. “That man doesn’t love me,” she hissed. “We’re not sweethearts. He wants me dead. I’m the CIA agent who provided your team with a layout of Oscar’s compound.”

Doubt made a command appearance.

That wasn’t the intel he’d heard. But still, he didn’t plan to let Chavez near her. No, he wasn’t a man who would let a woman get hurt. All she had to do was cooperate. They’d be home in no time.

“Nobody is going to die. Especially you.” He stepped closer, smiled
, and gently touched her shoulder. Her feminine warmth traveled up his arm and washed over his heart like rain in the middle of a Texas drought.

Brody dropped his arm and stepped back. He hadn’t expected that. From the beginning she’d been a means to get what he wanted. In the process he hadn’t noticed her appearance.
Now, here in a foreign country, in the middle of the night, her beauty sidelined him in a way he never anticipated. 

“I’ll take care of you. You can trust me.”

“The last guy who said that to me got two men killed, and I barely escaped from Iraq.”

T
hat was a bitch. Probably worse for a woman. It didn’t matter that she was a CIA agent. Losing a team member hurt, and it left enough remorse to last a lifetime.

“That guy wasn’t me. Nobody is going to die.”

“So you keep saying.”

“Yes I do, and I’m rarely wrong.”

“Let’s hope this isn’t one of those
rare
times.”

H
e knew she’d been in Iraq. Hell, he’d memorized everything he could get his hands on about her. And with a few connections, that was a lot of information. But no one had told him she’d provided the intel for Falcon’s raid on Chavez. What else didn’t he know about Kate Stone? “Let’s go,” he said, holding out his hand. “It’s not far.”

“That’s going to be fun on my feet.”

“You’re the one who ran.”

She pulled back. He turned to face her. “I’m going to hate you for the rest of my life.”

Brody hefted the backpack onto his shoulder. “This isn’t the
Bachelorette
and I’m not one of those sappy contestants. I didn’t bring you here to fall in love. You’re here because that mean son of a bitch has my friend and partner. We get him out, and I don’t care what happens after that.”

“Oh, you’re going to care. Trust me. If I survive this, I’m going to make you care.”

“Good luck,” he said.

He looked down at her
, and a twinge of self-disgust pulled his heart. The plan didn’t involve bringing her here in a T-shirt and lacy bikini panties. Besides being a distraction, her wardrobe probably embarrassed the hell out of her, and for good reason. There wasn’t a whole lot to imagine.

He stole a look at her beautiful le
gs. Heat scorched his cheeks and he scolded himself for looking. Angry that the circumstances had compelled him to be so thoughtless, he started walking.

“The village is about two klicks down this road. When we get there we’ll find you something to wear.” He looked at her bare feet. “I’ll carry you.”

And he could. Years of training carved out a man’s abilities and accented his short-comings. For Brody, that had always been his impulsiveness, never his physical strength or his ability to get out of tight situations.

“I’d rather crawl, if you don’t mind.”

He didn’t blame her. He’d say the same thing. No man wanted to be indebted to someone he didn’t like. She had no way of knowing he would cut his own throat to keep her safe.

“I do.”

“I refuse to be carried by you or any man.”

“Sit down,” he said. “Let me see how bad your feet are.”

She plopped in the middle of the dusty road and waited. He took the bottle of water she’d grabbed on her way out of the plane, unscrewed the cap, and slowly poured a small portion over her feet. Then, while the skin was wet, he gently rubbed his palm along her soles. She pulled back. He looked at her and grinned. “Ticklish?”

Blue e
yes flashed fire. “Absolutely not.”

“I won’t think
less of you. I’m ticklish myself. Just in other places,” he teased.

Her glare
conveyed her lack of appreciation for his sense of humor.

With his hand around
her ankle, he pulled her foot closer. No glass or deep cuts. Thank God. Using his night-goggles and fingers, he was able to determine her left foot was fine. He repeated the process on her other foot with the same results.

W
hen he finished, she was fighting back a giggle. Then it popped, and she laughed aloud. For some reason her silliness made her more appealing than an ice cold Coors.

“It might be hard to walk, but if we take it easy, I think you can make it.”

She clamped her jaw and winced as she shoved her butt off the road. “I can walk.”

He admired
her sheer determination. “Good.” He handed her the half-empty bottle of water. “Finish this, and stay close.”

She could walk, but slowly
. Brody had to meet his contact at 1230 hours and it was 1215 hours now. With her only inches behind him, he kept a pace she could match. Occasionally he checked their rear. He didn’t want anyone coming up behind them.

His dry throat made it hard to swallow or cough. He continued to search the perimeter and saw a few shrubs, dead trees
, and cacti. They walked a road that was nothing more than a dry creek bed. The heat drained his body dry as the landscape around them, but he would survive.

Ten minutes later a village rose from the desert. The
sweltering heat had his body drenched with sweat. He pulled his soaked shirt away from his chest and let out a hot breath.

The wat
er he’d given Stone earlier would taste good right now, but he didn’t regret his action. She came first. No doubt they’d find water at the village. As soon as he quenched his thirst, he’d leave to find his friend.

From behind him he heard, “I need a rest.”

Brody halted and looked to find her standing with her head down, arms limp at her sides. Sweat soaked her clothing.

Brody put his arm around her
. They moved to the side of the road. He searched the ground for snakes and scorpions before he sat down, taking her with him.

She dropped into his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. “Catch your breath. We have a few minutes.” He wiped the sweat from her face and wished for a cool cloth. If she had a heatstroke
, they’d be screwed.

“Are you meeting someone?”

“Yes, and don’t deliberately make me late. That wouldn’t end well for anyone.”

“I’m not, I’m just
tired,” she said breathlessly.

“
Keep leaning on me.”

“I’d rather shave my head.”

She stayed put, and he chuckled at her determination.

Brody didn’t like being this close to a woman he planned to use shamelessly, but with the way things were, he had little choice. Had he left her alone
, she’d be home sleeping safely in her bed. Hopefully that would still happen tomorrow night.

Brody scanned the emptiness before him and thought of A
.J. What if they were too late? Could he already be dead? Tortured and hung out to die alone.

Frank hadn’t heard a word since the raid
. Those thoughts sent a surge of anger exploding through his mind. He’d once lived the horror A.J. was experiencing, and the nightmares still woke him in the middle of the night screaming in terror.

Four Falcon agents had been
sent to Mexico with orders to get Oscar Chavez. Instructions were to bust up his drug cartel and destroy his weapons arsenal. There had been a leak, and they were ambushed immediately. They engaged in one hell of a fight. Right after touchdown, A.J. took a bullet in the side. Before he could be extracted, Chavez’s men took him captive.

That made it impossible for them to blow the place. Frank got word from Washington to clear out of the area. Once back in Dallas, Frank tried
to make arrangements to get A.J. released, but the DEA, ATF and Border Patrol were crawling all over Falcon demanding answers.

Chavez claimed he didn’t have a
prisoner. There was no raid, and he didn’t know what Frank was talking about. Last week Chavez complained to his government that he was being harassed by the United States.

Falcon Securities
had to back off or else risk embarrassing the president. Something his boss would never do, because Frank and Colin Davis had been friends for years.

Determined to get A.J.,
Brody pushed as far as he could for approval to go in after the captured agent, but the situation was too hot, too political and too hopeless.

So
Brody did the only thing he could. On his own, he found a way to infiltrate the compound. While there, he planned to bring A.J. home or they would both die.

In spite of her earlier protest
s, Stone stood on shaky legs. “I’m ready if you are.”

Brody picked up his bag. “Let’s get this over with.”

“I can’t help but think you’re making a big mistake.”

“I’ve done that before.”

“You like risking innocent lives?” she asked wearily. Alarm set in when Brody realized she was closer to dehydration than he’d thought.

“No, but I’m getting my friend out.”

“Just how do you plan to do that? The minute Oscar Chavez sees me there’s a good chance he’ll shoot me. And you too while he’s at it.”

“I told you-
you’re not going to be hurt.”

“
I know that man. I know what he’s capable of. Your plan is too risky and unrealistic. If you’d spent more time learning about Chavez instead of me, maybe you’d be better prepared.”

Brody’s lips drew tight. Wome
n. They could be so fucking logical. He braced his hands on his hips. “You finished? Are you done with all the negativity crap? Cause I came to get a buddy out of this hellhole, and he’s leaving with me, no matter what.”

“What good are you to your friend if you’re dead?”

“At least then it won’t haunt me at night.”

They moved toward several stucco huts. A d
og barked, and a child cried out. Maybe twelve buildings made up the whole village. Two old beaters were parked outside the shack to their left. Faded light spilled from the grimy windows.

To his right
was a corral with horses and mules. Next to the fence sat a small wooden shed with closed doors. In the center of the village a bricked well served as the residents’ only water source.

Except for the one hut, darkness enveloped the landscape.
A lone coyote’s howl sent chills over his body. He didn’t like the feel of the place. They had nowhere to hide should anything happen.

Quietly he signaled to cross the r
oad. With her against his back, they moved to the shed. Brody opened the doors and looked inside. Finding it empty, he went around to the side. The barnyard animals showed little interest as they made their way to the back of the building.