Kaamisha was still trying to process all that was happening when the world around her exploded. A rush of heat shot over them as flames erupted in the other room. Shards of glass, chunks of plaster, and several splinters of wood flew through the opened doorway before raining down over where they all lay.
“What the hell?” Lucky’s confused shout cut through the incessant ringing now present in her ears.
“RPG!” Archer announced loudly. “Pretty sure we’ve been made!”
She wasn’t quite sure that was actually the case.
A set of hands began untying the ropes still holding her hostage to the partially broken chair. Kaamisha blinked against the cloud of dust dancing in the air, her vision clearing in time to see Donovan working the bindings around her ankles.
“Try anything, and I won’t hesitate to kill you,” he warned as he moved up to her wrists.
“I won’t.” She shook her head, praying he got her free in time. “You have my word.”
The intriguing man pushed himself to his feet before reaching down and grabbing her hand. He yanked her up from the rubble but didn’t immediately let go. Instead, he pulled her body in closer to his.
“Your word doesn’t mean shit to me, lady.” The grip on her hand tightened ever so slightly. “But if you want to stay alive, you’ll do exactly as I say.”
Since he didn’t trust her words, Kaamisha clamped her lips shut and gave him a curt nod.
“That was a fucking RPG,” Archer growled again as the six of them made their way across the piles of burning rubble.
As the team’s demolitions expert, he would know.
Keeping her hand held captive in his unwavering grasp, Donovan used his other to retrieve the concealed pistol at his hip. She glanced around, realizing his teammates had also done the same.
“Holy shit,” Chase commented as they got their first real look at the damage caused by the bomb.
The entire main area of the suite had been destroyed. Windows were shattered; their curtains ripped to shreds. The furniture that had been there turned into scattered piles of broken wood.
Crackling flames grew larger as a strong breeze blew through the broken windows, and despite the fresh air coming in, the swirling clouds of smoke began stealing the oxygen from the room.
“We have to get out of here.” Logan coughed. “Keep your eyes open and watch your sixes!”
They hurried over the pile of rubble toward the broken door leading into the hallway. Kaamisha felt her hijab slip therest of the way down, but she ignored it and focused on getting to safety.
Logan exited the room first, followed by Lucky and Chase. With her fingers curled around Donovan’s masculine grip, she did her best to keep up as Archer fell in line behind her. Others staying in the hotel had emerged as well, and she and the team had to push their way through the growing crowd in order to make their way past.
As they moved, she noticed the looks on the other guests’ faces. Some were shocked, some confused. But most looked around with fallen expressions of acceptance.
Violence was so commonplace in their country that even a late-night RPG strike on a hotel wasn’t all that surprising. It was one of the things she’d grown up wanting to change, and it was the same reason her mother and father were both dead.
Another explosion rocked the entire building, sending Kaamisha and the others stumbling a bit to their right. She threw out a hand to keep from hitting the wall with her entire body, but neither she nor the man leading the way missed a beat before continuing down the hall.
When they reached the stairs, they were already packed as guests ran in search of safety like a herd of wild animals. The men she was with didn’t stop to consider manners or any sort of polite etiquette. Instead, they barreled their way through the tight crowd until the six of them finally reached the bottom step.
“If this is about us, they’re probably waiting outside, ready to pick us off the second we step through the doors.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m the one they’re after.” Kaamisha spoke up. “Anyone standing near me is in danger of becoming collateral damage.” She tried pulling her hand free of Donovan’s grip. “You should leave me and go.”
“Not a chance.” He pulled her forward once again. “For all we know, you set this whole thing up.”
Me?
“You can’t be serious. That bomb could have easily killed me!”
“Or you planned for it to appear that way.” He shrugged. “Regardless, we’re not letting you out of our sight until we have the answers we came here to find.”
“And in the meantime?”
