Two more shots sounded, and then Stanley gave them the all clear. Bean glanced over his shoulder. “We’re heading out. Hold on and keep up.”
He felt her hand on him and trusted her to keep moving. His team would make sure she didn’t fall behind. They needed to escape before anyone else arrived.
Garnet kept up,running behind the man who’d saved her. They were covered in darkness, but that meant anyone else outside was hidden, too. What was up with the dark glasses the men were wearing? Maybe those glasses allowed them to see into the darkness, because she sure as heck couldn’t see more than ten feet away.
She had to keep her mind focused only on following the man in front of her. They were moving fast, but not at an all-out run. There were multiple guys behind her, and she could see another two guys up ahead. Her hope started to rise.
The men slowed, then the guy in front of her stopped. He reached back, touching her arm. She guessed he was making sure she still had her hand on his pack.
“The helicopter is about two clicks away. Can you jog two K?”
She nodded. “Not well. I’m not athletic, but I don’t have asthma. I should be able to jog that far.”
“If you have problems, I’ll carry you.”
She wanted to laugh, but she knew he would. These guys were the type to leave no one behind. Was he a Marine? She didn’t think so. Maybe he was Navy, but they had no markingson their clothes. They could be a private security force. She had no clue.
“I don’t think you’ll need to carry me. I don’t weigh too much, though. Only sixty-two kilograms, or one hundred and thirty-six pounds.”
His chuckle warmed her. She wished he would remove his goggles, then she could see his eyes. But he needed his equipment, she guessed.
He straightened and then took her hand. “We’re moving out. My team will keep you safe.”
She jogged beside him, glad he wasn’t moving any faster. They all had on packs, and they probably had at least thirty pounds of body armor. That would slow them down, then again, maybe not. They didn’t even seem like they were winded. She wasn’t gasping for breath, but she was winded.
After about twelve minutes, she heard a helicopter, and relief flooded her. She had kept up, or they had slowed enough for her to keep up, but she didn’t know how much longer she could run. Her legs were ready to give out, and she was huffing and puffing as they ran up a rise. This was probably the longest she’d run in a long time, and the incline was beginning to get to her.
She should take up running at home. Being a computer nerd wasn’t great for her cardio.
The guys helped her into the helicopter, and someone strapped her in, then gave her a headset. She needed to catch her breath before she told them her theory about the tech person being the double agent. Maybe she was wrong on that, but it had to be someone who could have sabotaged the system.
The helicopter lifted, and he squeezed her hands into fists. She’d been in a helicopter before, but it had been a long time.
The big guy who’d rescued her tapped her shoulder, then switched her headset on so she could hear his voice.
“You okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I’ll be okay.”
“Good. I was worried about you.”
His words were warm, almost like he knew her. She narrowed her gaze, but he still had on his goggles. There was no way he knew her. She had met military members, but not many of them knew her.
Then the man pulled off his goggles and tugged down the cloth covering his face. Shock pulsed through her. It was Brady. How had he found her?
Bean chuckledat the shock on her face. “Surprise.”
“How did you find me?”
“My team was sent in to rescue you. I didn’t know it was you until we landed in Beirut.”
“Oh.”
“It’s my job.”
Her mouth still hung open, and he was glad he’d moved her to a different channel on her headset so his team couldn’t hear them talk. She’d said something about who she thought was responsible, so he would need to move her back to the other channel before they started that part of the conversation.
“I’m glad you’re safe. I’m going to flip us back to another channel so you can tell the rest of my team what you told me inside. About how you think it’s the tech person who is involved with the terrorists.”
