Steph gasped and scooted into the farthest back corner.
Jenna had to latch her shaking, half-numb fingers around bars of the cage to keep herself from falling sideways. She saw a cartel guy peel off from the crew and swing his gun around as he took a step closer. She wondered, almost absently, how he could be so certain of his aim in the poor light.
A gunshot exploded, echoing in the chamber of the cavern.
Jenna jumped, eyes blowing wide as she watched her would-be assassin crumble to the ground. His gun clattered to the stone floor.
But Jon isn’t holding a gun. And he couldn’t have made a shot from that angle. And—
“What the fuck?” Drew shouted as weapons went up and men adjusted to put their backs together, leaving Drew the odd man out.
Jenna exhaled, calming as realization dawned.
“See, Drew,” Jon said, stepping forward and talking loud enough for his voice to carry. “When I got your message, I did what any good boyfriend would do. I put my foot to the gas and drove straight here.” He reached out and took hold of Drew’s uniform collar. “What sucks for you is that I had a truck full of Marines at the time. You lost the moment you laid hands on her.”
Jenna had the perfect angle to see Drew reach down for his holstered weapon.
Jon raised his voice. “Move in!”
“Oorah!” The word bounced around the cave from multiple voices seconds before more figures moved into view and gunfire burst everywhere.
It was deafening … for about twenty seconds.
Then the cave was so silent Jenna could easily hear Steph’s heavy breathing as the poor girl tried to keep herself composed. And she couldn’t say she didn’t understand. Knowing they were being rescued did not mean the rescue itself was a fun experience.
“Billy, find the goddamn keys!” Jon snapped, his voice unexpectedly closer.
Jenna turned her head, feeling as though she needed to orient herself and blink her vision clear to understand what changed during the cacophony.
“Yes, sir!”
She watched a man with dirty blonde hair lope up to one of the bodies on the ground and start patting it in search of pockets, or something within the pockets.
Then movement and a gentle voice at her back consumed her full attention. “Jenna, I’m here.”
Tears rushed to her eyes and she bit back a sob, her fingers trembling worse as she attempted to retain her hold on the bars. Relief surged hot through her system, emphasizing all her aches and pains even as it chased the chill from her skin.
Jon laid a hand over her fingers and gave a soft squeeze. “Let’s get you out of these fucking cuffs. Hold still just a second, okay?”
She only trusted herself to hum.
Jon was so livid his entire body shook. He’d never had a lot of respect for Drew Parker, but what the bastard had done that day was a whole new fucking low. He was going to beat the shit out of Parker before he let the fucker die.
But it was too soon for that.
“Easy, baby,” he murmured as he finally helped Jenna out of the cage. He’d gotten the cuffs off her with the keys he’d pilfered from Parker, but her arms were shot from the aggressive treatment. And he realized quickly she was favoring one foot, or perhaps ankle. Once she was clear of the metal box, he scooped her up and carried her to the nearest vacant chair.
It wasn’t ideal, but options were rather limited. The chairs were gathered in the best portion of light, and he wanted to check her injuries.
Billy moved in behind him to help Steph from the cage, and Billy would probably follow his lead if the girl was cooperative. She’d been trapped there much longer. It was likely her condition was worse.
In better lighting, Jon could easily see that Jenna’s wrists were an angry shade of red and a bit torn into on the outer curves. Parker had definitely cuffed her too tight.
Jon ghosted a thumb beneath the swollen skin on one wrist and pressed his lips to the heel of her hand. “I’m so sorry I let this happen, Jen,” he whispered. He was the one who’d insisted she not be home. He was the one who hadn’t thought it was a good idea to leave her at the hospital for the day.
“Don’t do that,” she whispered back, her voice strained. “This … is his fault.” She paused to swallow, but her lips lifted in a faint smile when he looked up to meet her eyes. “Not yours.”
“Boss-man,” Billy said as he stepped into Jon’s periphery. Something rustled. “I got the med kit. Thought your lady might need it.”
