Bad Men - Piper Stone Page 0,3

made it almost impossible. They’d used a single flashlight, a mere pinprick of light while going through the foliage, but I’d seen the goggles they wore. They had to be used for night vision. Were they really attempting to free me or something much worse? As I was finally eased to my feet, I sank several inches in mud. Thankfully, the asshole removed the tape, growling after doing so.

“What are we doing?” I could hear the sound of running water. We were close to a river.

“Keep quiet. The jungle has ears,” the first one whispered as he hoisted me into a small boat.

Folding my arms, I shivered even in the horrible humidity and did as I was told, trying to keep images of wretched creatures out of my imagination.

One of them pushed the boat away from the shore before both men settled in, using only paddles to guide us down the river. As it had before, time seemed to stand still, the darkness eerie and foreboding. Minutes passed.

Maybe hours.

My mind was foggy, my skin clammy and my heart racing. I had to remain strong. Were they telling me the truth? Did I dare believe them?

As the boat was finally rowed to what appeared to be a small alcove, I was finally able to take a deep breath.

After helping me out of the boat, I was lifted into the first man’s arms again, only this time close to his chest. He carried me with ease as both men trudged through the rough terrain, the second soldier using a light to guide our way.

“You will be all right, Doctor. I promise you,” he whispered, his fingers digging into my skin as if for reassurance.

I could hear his labored breathing as the scent of him reached me. Dear God, I wanted to believe him. He was all male in every sense of the word, his musk and testosterone filling my nostrils.

“Six hundred yards to the right,” the second man said, now leading the way.

I strained to see anything, finally able to make out a building or hut of some kind. The second man swung the light from right to left, then toward the entrance, the door creaking as it was opened. Only when the door was closed behind us did the second man locate and turn on a light, the small lantern creating a bleak glow in the rugged interior. Blinking in order to focus, I was finally able to get a decent look at the two men, although both were wearing dark clothes, some kind of black gunk on their faces. One had short cropped blond hair, his gorgeous eyes enigmatic. The other had shoulder-length black hair and ebony eyes, the kind that seemed soulless.

My saviors.

My dark angels.

Or were they merely another kind of beast?

Maybe they were really criminals in disguise, stealing away the Serpent’s precious possession, making up a story to keep me quiet. They certainly hadn’t provided any details. Why should I believe them? My father was the last person I would expect to attempt a rescue, unless he was determined to go through with a promise he’d obviously made regarding my hand in matrimony.

The two men were both extremely muscular, standing nearly six and a half feet tall. I felt tiny in comparison, my five-foot-six-inch frame no match for their brawn.

“This will do for now,” the second man said under his breath as he dropped a black duffle onto the floor.

“You’re going to remain quiet as a mouse, Doctor,” the blond stated with absolute authority, his look stern. He scanned the room, his scowl increasing.

The moment he placed me on a cot, the springs digging into my legs, I jerked up, immediately lunging toward him. Fuck the assholes. I had no idea who they were, and I didn’t give a damn. I just wanted to get away, to live. I’d find a way back to the medical camp somehow.

“Rar!” I hissed as I clawed at him. His heated growl was a distinct reward. He wasn’t prepared to face my wrath.

The blond caught me around my waist, his dark chuckle pissing me off.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he stated in a husky whisper, as if he was the new controller in town. Easing me back, he shook his head, his eyes shimmering with amusement that I’d bothered to try to get away.

Rearing back, I managed to rake my nails down the side of his face, gasping for air as his gaze turned deadly.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed, slapping his hand against his cheek.

“I