11
Diggs reachedout and wrapped an arm around Audra’s shoulder, sliding his thumb across her soft skin, pulling her deeper in the crook of his arm to try and comfort her. She looked like she was on the verge of puking or passing out. Orboth.
Those men had been military trained, and while a couple of them had been sloppy, the rest had not. They were professionals, and professionals didn’t work for any Joe Blow. But it made him hesitate to tell her that hardfact.
“I don’t know why, but I’ll find out. After we get you safely out of thesewoods.”
“What now?” Her voice shook as hard as her body; if she didn’t get the trembles under control he was scared she’d fracture her ownrib.
“Now, we contact my team, and find their extraction point.” Diggs snatched his phone, which had remained dry next to Trigger, and sent out a message to the compound. He got a set of coordinates, and a meeting time one hour fromnow.
“Okay, let’s get moving. I’ll get Trigger’s feet; you get his head. Keep your head down, and try to watch where you’re stepping.” Because snakes liked to move at night. He was definitely smart enough to keep that one to himself, though. He wasn’t sure how they’d made it out of the water without bumping into one of the two gators he’d seen floating nearby during their escape, but he didn’t question thatblessing.
Audra squared her shoulders and marched around to Trigger, robbing Diggs of her touch. He fought off the small ache from the loss and shook his head, following herlead.
The moon slithered back behind the clouds, the frogs and insects buzzed and chirped around them. They would have to angle back in the direction of the house to meet with his team’s selected rendezvous point, but they’d stay deep enough in the trees that they could goundetected.
Audra and he were both soaked head to foot, and he could see the fatigue lining her features. He prayed that she had the will to keep going just a little longer. Because if he had to choose between extracting Audra or Trigger he knew without a doubt he’d choose her. And Audra would never forgivehim.
* * *
They walked slowlythrough the woods, moving carefully so as not to make too much noise. Her wet shoes rubbed blisters on her waterlogged feet. More limbs than she could count scratched her arms and legs and the mud dried to an itchy thick coat of plaster on herskin.
Trigger had started to whimper every few minutes, a barely there sound that broke her heart. He had to be in such pain. And here all she could do was focus on her own pounding head and wobbly legs. At least the need to throw up had receded enough where she could breathe in and out of her mouth without worry about embarrassing herself in front ofDiggs.
They continued to make their way through the darkness for what seemed like hours, Audra following Diggs nearly blind in the dark. She wasn’t sure she could keep her eyes open muchlonger.
When she stumbled and he caught both herself and Trigger before they hit the ground, Diggs seemed to sense her weariness and stopped. “Let’s take a break for a second. We’ll be at the extraction pointsoon.”
Audra went to the nearest tree and slid down its trunk, landing hard on the ground. She drew her knees up to her chest and dropped her chin between them, propping her head up the only way shecould.
Diggs checked Trigger and then moved to sit beside her, drawing her close to hisside.
“How much farther?” Now that she had taken the weight off of her feet, she became aware of how badly they were throbbing in her shoes, almost with the same ferocity as her head. Images of the dead men on the floor bombarded her thoughts. Snapshots of Rex coming after her. She shuddered and reached up to touch her face but Diggs kept her hand down andaway.
“Maybe ten moreminutes.”
Ten more minutes and she’d be safe with Diggs—right back in the predicament she’d started out in. Diggs wasn’t safe—she had to remember that. If he was associated with the military in any way, he would never be safe. Even so, she couldn’t help but lay her head on his shoulder and seek the warmth of histouch.
Suddenly, Audra had a wild thought. “Leave me here,” she said, lifting her head from hisshoulder.
* * *
Leave herhere?
“What are you talking about?” Maybe she had suffered a concussion. The whole right side of her face was swollen and she’d been unconscious when he first entered the house. Even now the rage and desire to commit violence against those who had harmed her continued to flood his veins. Part of him hoped the other team would find them, just so he would have the excuse to killthem.
Diggs hooked a finger under her chin and forced her to look at him, searching her pupils for any signs of concussion. But her pupils were fine, even if the razor-like emotion blasting from her eyeswasn’t.
“I can’t go back with you, Diggs. It’s notsafe.”
She tried to pull her chin from his fingers, but he wouldn’t let her. “Audra, I am the only place that is safe for you now. Can’t you seethat?”
She shook her head, as if he wasn’t making any sense. “But you’re withthem.”
“Myteam?”
“The military. You used to be part ofthem.”
