Luciana clutched her hands together in her lap, suddenly looking sad, and Harrison reached out and gave her a quick squeeze.He didn’t have any right to touch her, but he hated to see her looking so upset.“Renegade’s right.Avery will be extremely happy to learn that you’re alive and well.I’m sure she’ll be eager to talk to you.”
“Renegade?”she asked in confusion.
“That’s Ryan’s nickname,” Harrison explained, and he didn’t miss the fact that she relaxed a little.He wanted to do what he could to make her feel more comfortable.
“Oh.Do you all have nicknames?”
“Affirmative, ma’am.”
She seemed surprised by the way he addressed her, but Harrison needed to keep things professional.He might have been drawn to her from the moment he saw her photograph, but Luciana wasn’t his.He’d felt a deep-seated need to make sure she was safe, to finish the mission his men had started, but that was the extent of it.Harrison commanded a SEAL team and had a life and career to return to in Hawaii.Luciana was a kidnaping victim who’d have to learn how to live free once again.She certainly didn’t need him standing in her way.
“You’ll have to give me Avery’s phone number,” she said.“I don’t have my cell phone, which had all of my contacts stored.I’ll have to get a new phone, new ID, everything....”Her voice trailed off.
Before he could respond, static crackled over his headset.He lifted a hand to his ear, listening in to the urgent update.“Hold up!”Harrison yelled, clicking his mic so the men in the other vehicles could hear as well.“Abort plans.We have a problem at the airstrip.”
Chapter 10
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LUCIANA LOOKED ON INfear as the men suddenly began rapidly conferring with one another.She sat between Commander Harrison and Ryan but felt like she was worlds away.They were quickly formulating a new plan, and the vehicle she was riding in suddenly made a U-turn, crossing over the concrete median and racing the opposite way along the highway.The other Humvees were turning as well, one speeding ahead to take the lead, the other bringing up the rear.
“What’s wrong?”Luciana asked in alarm as they suddenly took an exit, speeding towards a side road that was somewhat concealed by the cover of the jungle.As they reached the camouflage of the trees, the Humvee executed a quick three-point turn, so that they were facing the road in a defensive position.Several men jumped out of the first vehicle, securing the area around them as a third Humvee took point closer to the cars still passing by on the road they’d just left.
It was hard to see exactly what was going on in the darkness.Luciana only got glimpses out the windows from what she could see in the headlights, and then everything inside the Humvee went dark.
Luciana noted that Harrison kept his rifle at the ready, his finger hovering near the trigger.“Temporary setback,” he said in a clipped tone.“We’re going to lie low for a bit while they secure the road to the airstrip.”
“Lie low?”
“I’ll explain later, ma’am,” Commander Madden said.
Luciana sucked in a breath.Everyone in the back of the Humvee had grown more tense, waiting for what, she wasn’t certain.All she could tell was that they were in danger.While they’d made a rapid getaway from the cartel leader’s home not long ago, it almost felt like they were sitting ducks here.The men were all holding their weapons, night vision goggles on, completely aware of their surroundings.
An explosion in the distance had her jolting in surprise, and Commander Madden’s large hand briefly landed on her knee.“Easy.That’s just us taking out another one of the bad guys.”
“They’re after us!”she said, her heart pounding.
