to wake her up. He doubted she’d appreciate waking to a group of men standing around staring at her. He rested his gloved hand on her boot, lightly jostling it. “Kim,” he said in a low voice. “Kimberly.”
She startled, sitting up quickly as the reflective blanket fell to the ground.
“Easy, sweetheart, it’s Ethan.”
“Ethan.” She blinked.
“Yep. You slept a couple of hours, but the guys are almost here. It’s time for us to go. The sun will be up in another hour or so, and we need to move before daylight.”
“Okay,” she said groggily. “I’m ready.”
He chuckled quietly. She was half-asleep, not ready to rush down a mountain. He had to give her credit though—the woman was tough as nails. She’d been through hell and was willing to do whatever was necessary to get out of here.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “We’ve got ten minutes before the guys get here.”
“A little bit,” she admitted.
“Have another protein bar,” he said, pulling one out and handing it over to her.
“Did anyone come near us while I was asleep?”
“Nope,” he assured her. “And the other guys hunkered down further up the mountain. I sent them our coordinates, and they’ll be here shortly.”
“Your entire team?”
“Yep. Don’t worry; they’re good guys. Just stick by me, and we’ll all hike down the mountain together. We’ll arrange for an extraction, and then fly on a helo back to Bagram.”
“Holy shit,” she whispered.
“We’ll get you out of here,” he promised.
“It just doesn’t seem real. After all this time….” She took a bite of the protein bar as Ethan scanned the area. He hated her uncertainty, but after what she’d been through, he didn’t blame her. No doubt she’d hoped night after night to be rescued or escape. When they’d snuck in to the camp, it had probably been like any other day to her. Except she was now free.
She stiffened beside him as they heard voices, and Ethan automatically reached out to rest a hand on her leg. “Easy. It’s just my teammates.”
“Okay. Right. Is Grayson with them? Hailey’s boyfriend?”
“He is. I’ll be sure to introduce you.”
“Wow. It’s so weird to learn she’s been dating him—that she lives with him. I feel like I’ve been gone forever and missed out on so much.”
“It’s nothing she can’t catch you up on,” he said, trying to make her feel better. She had missed a lot during her two months in captivity. He wasn’t about to remind her of that now. He wanted her to feel safe with them and focus on the present, not worry about life back home.
Ethan abruptly stood up as he heard his buddies approaching. He reached out a hand and helped Kimberly to stand. He didn’t miss the way she edged slightly closer to him. Damn. He’d do whatever it took to make her feel comfortable and safe with him. No doubt her captors had mistreated her. She didn’t need to fear anyone on his team though.
He stuffed his sweatshirt back into his rucksack and folded up the blanket. Then he scanned the area to make sure they hadn’t left something behind, before swinging his gear onto his back.
“Ready to get this show on the road?” Troy quipped as they walked up.
“About time you guys showed up,” Ethan said. “This is Kimberly.”
“Hi, I’m Blake Reynolds,” Raptor said, walking over to shake hands with Kim. “We’re thrilled that we found you, ma’am. I’m sorry you had to spend another night on the mountain, but we’ll be back on base before you know it. They’ll check you out at the hospital, and if you’re cleared for travel, you’ll be flying home to the States with us.”
“Okay,” she said uncertainly.
“We’ll keep you safe,” Jackson said, his voice deep.
Blake began talking to Bagram Airfield over his headset, and Ethan took Kim’s arm, guiding her forward through the darkness. He released it after a moment but remained close since she couldn’t see. They were moving more slowly than when they’d hiked up, but he knew his teammates would go at whatever pace she needed.
Grayson fell in step beside them. “Hi Kimberly, I’m Ghost. Grayson. I know this is probably strange for you, but I met Hailey at Bagram. She’s been so worried and can’t wait to see you.”
“Thank you for keeping her safe,” Kimberly said.
Ethan’s chest tightened. Even though she was likely scared out of her mind, Kim was thinking of her friend.
“She means everything to me,” Grayson admitted. “I guess Ethan told you about us. Things happened quickly, and she moved