Chapter 9
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HARRISON KEPT LUCIANAclose to him as they hustled out the front door into the darkness of night.He’d wanted to shield her from the dead bodies, from the blood and gruesome scene around them, but he’d been telling the truth.They needed to move out ASAP, and his priority at the moment could only be ensuring she was physically safe.
Her mental state would have to be handled later.She was holding up remarkably well, but he feared once the adrenaline wore off, she’d crash.
Hudson “Torpedo” Brown and Austin “Storm” Eckhart were in front of them, clearing the way in case they came across any armed insurgents.Ryan brought up the rear, no doubt feeling as responsible as Harrison did for leaving Luciana a hostage in Panama all this time.She wasn’t their responsibility, yet she was.They protected their own.Luciana and Avery were close friends, roommates, which made it their duty to keep her safe.Both women had suffered at the hands of a ruthless cartel, and Harrison wished the men they’d taken out tonight had been forced to suffer as much as the women they held captive.
It burned him up that the two women—nurses—who’d dedicated their lives to the care of others were treated like mere objects whose only purpose was to service men.
Luciana trembled at his side as Harrison hurried her along, and he bit back a curse.He couldn’t see her expression in the darkness, but he knew she was scared.He kept a steady hand on her upper back, making sure she stayed with him, and felt a stirring inside his chest as she pressed closer.
She trusted him, and that thought alone was humbling.
“SITREP!”he said into this mic.
His headset crackled, and Wyatt’s voice was in his ear.“We’ve got two incoming vehicles on the highway.Saint and I are keeping watch in case they head this way,” he said, referring to Sawyer “Saint” Collins.“They look to be armed.Given there’s not much else around here, it’s likely that we’re the target.”
“Copy that.Make sure they’re not in our way as we deliver the package to the airstrip.”
“Roger that, sir.They won’t be a problem.”
Another update came over his headset, this time from his military counterparts.“Multiple armed men rushed to their vehicles at Santiago Garcia’s second property moments ago.We took them out before they could cause any issues and impede the mission.”
Wyatt responded, and Harrison helped Luciana into the waiting Humvee.He gripped her hips and physically lifted her inside, jumping in beside her but ensuring he was at the window to shield her with his body if need be.Ryan climbed in next, flanking Luciana’s other side, followed by the other men.The engine was already rumbling, the driver and rest of the team ready to roll out.
“We’re a go,” the driver said after communicating with the others.Two other Humvees pulled alongside them.
“Move out!”Harrison ordered.
Luciana let out a sigh of relief as they began pulling away from the home, and Harrison glanced toward her in the dark, not missing the way she shook, wrapping her arms around herself.“You’re safe now,” he promised in a low voice.“Nothing will happen to you.”
“I won’t believe that until we’re completely off the property,” she admitted.
Harrison didn’t respond.He was a man of his word, but she didn’t know that.Luciana didn’t know the first thing about him, and until about twenty minutes ago, she’d been a prisoner.He was actually surprised she was in as good of condition as she was when they’d found her.She appeared to be healthy, given the circumstances.She wasn’t too sickly or thin.She’d remained calm as they made their exit, holding her own despite the harrowing circumstances.It was about the best they could hope for in the situation, but he knew it would likely be a long time before she fully healed—both physically and mentally.
