Delta Force Rescue - Elle James Page 0,49

along the gravel road.

“We don’t send Alejandra in until they send Briana out,” Rafe said.

“The trade has to be made outside the compound,” Hank agreed. “To have any chance of bringing both women back, we need them to be where we can see them. If they get Alejandra inside the compound, it’ll complicate her extraction.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Alejandra said. “We need to get Briana out alive. If I go in, take Briana and get the hell out of El Salvador. El Chefe cannot be trusted.”

“The compound is two hours out of the city,” one of the DEA agents said. “You need time to get there and get in place. We’ve arranged for a couple of produce trucks to get your advance team to within a couple of miles of the compound. They’ll go in on foot from there.”

The Delta Force team gathered their weapons, protective gear and communications equipment then loaded their duffle bags into the back of the truck. They wore civilian clothing, having agreed that arriving in uniform would alert the cartel to their presence sooner than they wanted.

One of the agents made a call, and minutes later, trucks pulled into the hangar loaded with boxes of produce arranged so that the soldiers could climb into the back, hunker down amid the boxes and not be seen from the road.

“Great. Let's get this party started,” Hank said. “I have a wife and little girl waiting for me back home.”

“And I have a baby girl I hope to see again,” Alejandra said.

“If all goes according to plan, you should see your daughter soon,” Hank said.

If.

Rafe prayed the operation that night went according to the plan. At the very least, he hoped they got Briana and Alejandra out alive. Trading one woman for another didn’t sit well with him. He preferred to go in with just the team and duke it out. Having the ladies in the line of fire made it trickier and more dangerous.

After his week in the mountains with Briana, Rafe didn’t want their time together to end so soon. He liked her a lot and could be well on his way to loving her. Rafe wanted more time with Briana to get to know her even more. At the end of the day, he hoped they’d have that chance.

Briana spent the day working on the legs on the bed, trying to break a leg free. The metal didn’t bend, and the screws were in tight, holding the legs to the frame. She needed a screwdriver and a wrench to free the bolts holding it together. Since she had neither of those two items, she moved on to the other items in the room. The bed had no sheets or blankets she could use to throw over the guard. The toilet had no lid she could use to hit the guard with, but the food tray was made of metal. If she could get the guard far enough inside the room, she could hit him with the tray and make her escape.

Getting the guard to open the door would be the first challenge.

Briana stood to the side of the door holding the empty tray. She moaned loudly. “I’m sick. Please, get me a doctor. I’m so sick.” She moaned again.

When the door didn’t open, she pounded the wooden panel with her fist. “Please, I’m sick and need help. Por favor.” She stopped and dropped to the ground with as loud a thump as she could manage and not hurt herself. As soon as she hit the floor, she quietly crawled to the side of the door, lifted the tray and stood, ready for when the guard might finally open the door to check on her.

She waited silently.

And waited.

Just when she thought the guard might not even be on the other side of the door, the lock clicked.

Briana’s pulse quickened as she raised the tray over one shoulder, her arms cocked and ready.

A guard pushed open the door with the barrel of his AK-47 and looked inside.

Because it was so dark in the room, he had to push the door wider to let in some light.

Holding her breath, Briana waited for the man to cross the threshold.

When he didn’t see her in the triangle of light shining across the floor, he stepped into the room.

Briana swung the tray as hard as she could, slamming it into the man’s face.

The man released his hold on the AK-47. It clattered to the hard tiles.

Briana would’ve dived for the weapon,