Swanny looked up at Sam, determination gleaming in the shadowed depths. “I know I’m not part of your team, but I want to go. I need to do this for him. He refused to leave me. I’m not going to leave him.”
Sam glanced at Donovan, and Donovan nodded.
“Okay, you’re in, Swanny. Right now, you’re the only one Nathan’s talking to, so maybe you can figure out what the hell is going on.”
CHAPTER 15
IT was pitch black when Nathan landed. The sky was overcast. No stars. No moon. There was a murkiness to the air that left him uneasy and stirred his panic.
He was impatient with the time it took to square away paperwork and make sure the jet was adequately hangared. His cell phone was buzzing his leg off. Missed calls, current calls, texts and voice mails from his family.
He ignored them all but knew he had to tell them something. He picked up his phone as he jogged toward the parking lot, where the rental was supposed to be waiting. He didn’t want to get involved in a conversation because there was no way it could end well.
So he sent a text to Joe.
I’m okay. Don’t worry. Keep family off my back. I need to do this. Be in touch soon.
As soon as he hit Send, he shut off the phone and tossed his pack into the jeep.
He’d tried to plan for any eventuality in the few minutes he had to gather his wits and hit the road. But his one thought was to get to Shea, however he had to do it.
He took a moment to reach into his pack, retrieve his pistol and make sure his clip was loaded. He pulled out the assault rifle, popped in the magazine and then laid it on the seat. He shoved the Glock into the shoulder harness and did a quick inventory of his supplies.
He had no idea what he was up against, but he was prepared for damn near anything.
Automatically he reached for Shea. They hadn’t communicated much during the flight. She needed to rest and regain her strength, but he’d checked in periodically, always afraid that she’d simply be gone.
Shea. I’m here, baby. I’m not far. Where are you?
He felt her stir as though she’d been asleep. He felt her grogginess and then her sudden fear and self-condemnation that she’d allowed herself to drift off. He ached to hold her and to ease her fear, just as she’d once done for him.
I’m in a culvert. She struggled to clear her mind of the cobwebs. There’s a drainage ditch just past the sign saying two miles from the city limits. I hid there.
Sit tight. Don’t move a muscle until I get there.
Nathan roared down the highway, the headlights bouncing erratically off the landscape. He kept at the speed limit because he couldn’t afford to be pulled over with a freaking arsenal in the jeep.
He was traveling in reverse of the way Shea had come in and as a result he passed over the culvert before he realized it. Swearing, he executed a sharp U-turn and spun back around. His headlights flashed over the sign Shea had referenced and he slowed to a crawl until he saw the deep drainage ditch cutting under the road.
His heart nearly stopped as he pulled onto the shoulder. His palms went slick on the steering wheel. His pulse raced so hard he was light-headed.
Just a few feet away was Shea. The woman—the angel—who’d invaded his mind. All his doubts surfaced, but all he had to do was open his door and get out. He would have his proof, and until now he’d had no idea how badly he wanted her to be real.
He needed her.
Needed to touch her. Needed to hold her. Needed to keep her safe.
He grabbed his flashlight, his gun, and scrambled out of the jeep. His feet skidded along the gravel and then he headed down the sharp incline.
“Shea?”
It felt weird to be speaking to her aloud. Her name came out hoarse and unsure. His grip tightened around his pistol when he heard a slight sound from within the culvert.
He shone the light inside as he raised the gun. He was met by wide, frightened eyes. His heart damn near exploded out of his chest. She was real. It was her.
“Shea, it’s me, Nathan.”
She raised her arm to shield her eyes from the light, and he yanked it down so the culvert would be illuminated but she wouldn’t