Page 29 of Her Tempting Protector

7

Cullen felt like he was holding a porcelain statue. A beautiful piece of art that had been through the fire many times and ended up exquisite, something meant to last through the ages, yet could still shatter if not treated with the love and care it deserved.

He closed his eyes and prayed for guidance on how to protect this woman.

How had he always known that it would hit him like this? His dad had told him that it had taken only one day with his mother, and he was a goner. Cullen was nothing if not his father’s son.

But really, in the middle of Africa?

He was expecting the grocery store. Home Depot. Maybe the Cheesecake Factory. But Africa?

She stiffened and drew away from him. Okay, now it started. He smothered his sigh.

“I must be a heck of a lot more tired than I realized. I never spill my troubles out on the first person who comes along.” She pushed her hair back from her face with a trembling hand and started to tighten up her braid. “I need to get back to Shada.”

She disappeared into the shack and left him looking out into the green tree line. Cullen looked down at his watch and pulled out his iPhone. Nope, no cell service, so he grabbed the satellite phone and called Raiden. No answer. Max was next.

“About damn time you checked in. I’ve been trying to get your ass on the line for hours,” Max said. “Get the doctor to Khartoum, we’re out of here yesterday.”

“Max can’t do it. There is no way she’s going to leave her patient,” Cullen explained calmly.

“You don’t have a choice, because you can be sure as shit there are eyes on the both of you. Get the fuck out of there. I don’t care how you do it. Get. Her. Here.”

Cullen toed open the rickety door with his boot. Above the static of the phone he could hear the baby crying.

“Max. The mother could die.”

“Cullen, you’re not hearing me. Dr. Adams has a target on her back. Four of her associates have been killed. Another two are missing. The rebel forces are making a point. They don’t want this democracy to succeed and they have decided to make examples of all the aid workers. The C.I.A. found a list with Dr. Adam’s name on it. You’ve got to get her out of there.”

Cullen’s blood ran cold.

“Got it.”

“Do you?” Max asked. “Because her life is on the line. I understand that she feels the need to take care of her patient, but nobody should die the way Nurse Kowalski did.”

“I said I understood,” Cullen ground out. He didn’t need to hear any horror stories. “I’m going to get her to safety. I need to get a vehicle.”

“Keep me updated.”

“Yes, sir,” he said, then disconnected.

He took a moment to get his head on straight. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the hell out of Carys, it wouldn’t do a damn bit of good. Cullen pushed open the door with his shoulder and looked over the little home. To think of it as a shack did it a disservice, not when the little girl’s bed was covered with vibrant fabric and the walls had been painstakingly painted in blue and white. Hell, there was even a water glass on the little table with a wilted flower in it. Yep, this was a home, and there was a woman of the house who needed to be taken care of, and there wasn’t a chance in hell that Max would have considered leaving her behind if he were in Cullen’s shoes. Not a chance in fucking hell. He knew his friend too well.

“Cullen?” He looked over at Carys as she came out from behind the blanket. “Is everything okay?” she asked in English.

“I’m going to go find some transport. We need to move out.”

“We can’t. Shada needs at least, at the very least, another twenty-four hours of rest. Her blood pressure isn’t good. She’s bonding with the baby now, but even that is going to tire her out.”

He moved closer and looked down at her so that he could talk quietly. “Carys, things have changed. It isn’t safe here. I’m going to go find some kind of vehicle, and when I get back here you need to be ready to go. This is life and death.”

Her green eyes searched his face.

“There’s really is no other choice, is there?” she asked. She must have read the answer in his expression, because her chin lifted, and her mouth firmed.

“If there were, I would take it. I promise. I’ve got to go right now.” He started pulling on the gear he’d taken off to care for the newborn. Carys watched him with steady eyes.

“What can I do to help?” she asked.