SEAL's Desire (Alpha SEALs Coronado #1) - Makenna Jameison Page 0,22
she’d freaked out any time a tiny gust of wind blew her way.
“I definitely wore cowboy hats when I was younger,” he said, realizing he’d been lost in thought. “It doesn’t really go with the SEAL attire though.”
“God no,” she agreed. “If you wore that thing, the bad guys would spot you a mile away and shoot your head right off.”
He smirked, shaking his head. It was cute as hell the way she said “bad guys.” Terrorists, drug lords, suicide bombers—that was more his line of work. Bad guys sounded like a child playing cops and robbers. “I’ve got an extra water pouch,” he said. “We can fill it in the stream and then drop a purification tablet in. Hopefully we’ll be the hell out of here soon. You can take my canteen though.”
She accepted it gratefully as he stood and walked over to the trickle of water. It wasn’t much, but it would do the trick.
Blowing out a sigh, he sank to the ground beside her. “I don’t hear the helos. That was our original plan for extraction. My guys are either still chasing after Abboud or trying to find us.”
“There were a lot of trucks parked at the camp. Maybe he got away.”
Blake nodded. “It’s a possibility. The Colombian military was supposed to be on the highway, stopping exactly that, but half of the camp seemed to know we were coming. All those empty tents on one side? It doesn’t add up.”
“What’s going to happen to the weapons?”
“They’ll deal with them. We were only there for the leader.”
“So what happens if you can’t get in contact with your team?”
“We can head back toward the airstrip. It’s not safe for us to walk along the highway, and it’ll take a hell of a long time moving through this terrain. I’ve got a compass and maps though, so we can work our way back if it comes to that.”
“But they’ll look for you, right?” she asked, looking concerned.
“Absolutely. No one’s leaving us behind, Clarissa. I’m taking you home with me to the States. If my team has Abboud, they’ll need to bring him in to base though. They know I can handle myself. A night roughing it in the rainforest isn’t a big deal.”
She nodded, and Blake hated the look of fear in her eyes. She’d already been through a lot and deserved a night in a warm, soft bed, surrounded by four walls and a ceiling. She needed a long bath and hot meal, not a night camping in the wilderness.
He’d offer what he could though, trying to make it as easy as possible on her.
“Hey,” he said in a low voice, waiting until she met his gaze. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but I promise you’re safe with me. We’ll keep moving toward the river, and hopefully we can get a signal and set a rendezvous point. If not, we’ll hunker down for the night and meet up with everyone tomorrow. It wasn’t the original plan, but I’ve got supplies. And moving back to the terrorists’ camp with you just isn’t safe.”
She nodded again, still looking wary. There were dark circles under her eyes, and Blake knew she probably hadn’t slept much while in captivity. He hated that he needed to keep them moving deeper into the jungle, but he needed to get in contact with his men. The area where the river widened was his best bet, unless he wanted to head back toward the camp or highway. Considering they’d already been shot at and possibly followed, he wanted to keep Clarissa safe.
Choices he’d make if he were on his own just weren’t an option with a rescued civilian.
She finished her protein bar, and he took the wrapper from her, shoving it into his rucksack.
“Are you going to eat anything?” she asked.
“Not yet,” he said, shaking his head. “You forget that I haven’t been out here that long. We ate before we moved in.”
“Does your communication usually go out like this?”
He shook his head as he got to his feet, offering her a hand. Without hesitation, she took it, and he pulled her to her feet. Reluctantly, he let go and bent down to grab his gear. “Not usually,” he admitted. “But we’re often in the desert and other terrain, not a tropical rainforest with lots of trees. It’s not too surprising I can’t get a signal where the forest is thickest—and we weren’t planning to separate either.”
“I’m sorry you had to leave them for