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“You’re with the US military?”
He hesitated, leery of revealing too much information until he knew more about Bridget and her situation. For all he knew, she could be working with the enemy. Doubtful, considering the condition he’d found her in. Still, he had to be sure for his own safety and that of his team. “We used to be. We’ll talk more when we’re on the jet, okay?”
When Bridget nodded, Trace and Sam positioned themselves on either side of her.
In the predawn morning with the citizens of Puebla stirring, Shadow slipped into the street in the warehouse district and navigated swiftly from the area.
Despite her injuries and obvious pain, Bridget didn’t utter a word of complaint. When she passed under the occasional sliver of light, Trace noted her pallor and the perspiration dotting her face.
When she stumbled and almost went down, Trace shifted his hold from her arm to her waist and tugged her up against his side. “Okay?” he murmured.
She gave a slight nod. “Thanks.” Her voice was tight.
“Not much longer now.”
Ben glanced back at Bridget and moved a fraction faster.
Two more blocks to go. One block from the safety of the SUV, Ben held up his fist in a silent signal to stop.
Trace moved into the shadows with Bridget and held his forefinger up to his lips to indicate a need for silence. Weapon in hand, he shifted until his body blocked her from view, alert for more trouble.
She didn’t bother replying, just rested her weight against Trace’s back. Her breathing was shallow and fast. Sam noticed Bridget’s distress and cast a worried glance Trace’s direction.
Yeah, he got it. They needed to get Bridget onto the jet, fast. She wasn’t going to last much longer before she collapsed.
“Clear,” Ben murmured, and they were moving again.
Finally, they reached the SUV. Nico climbed behind the wheel, Joe hopped into the shotgun seat. Sam and Trace sat with Bridget between them in the back seat. Ben climbed into the cargo area and kept watch out the back window with an M4 in his hands in case of trouble.
Nico cranked the engine and started toward Bridget’s hotel. He took several detours to be sure they didn’t pick up a tail. When they reached their destination, he drove past the hotel a couple times. “Looks good. How do you want to handle this, Trace?”
He glanced at Bridget. “Do you have your room key?”
She shook her head, flinched. “Sorry. I lost it somewhere in the scuffle with the men who took me.”
Something else he had to ask her about. The list of information he needed was growing longer. “No problem. What’s your room number?”
Once he’d gotten the information, he handed his sniper rifle to Ben and slid off his pack. With his Sig and two full clips on him, he should be fine if he ran into trouble. “Let me out at the back of the hotel, Nico. I’ll go up the stairs to get her gear.”
“I’ll go with you,” Joe said.
When Nico stopped close to the back door, Trace and Joe bailed from the SUV and rushed toward the hotel. Both men kept their faces averted from the camera at the back door.
Ten seconds at the back door with his lock picks and Trace had the door open. One man turned from one of the prep tables, his eyes widening in surprise. The two operatives ignored him as they hurried toward the back stairwell.
On the fourth floor, Trace peered into the hallway. “Clear,” he murmured. He and Joe jogged down the hall to Room 4214. He made quick work of the lock to Bridget’s room, scowling at the ease with which he opened her door. She shouldn’t have stayed in this hotel. The security was crap.
They stepped inside the darkened room before turning on their penlights. Trace stared at the mess revealed in the pinprick of light. “Oh, man,” he murmured.
Someone had gone through Bridget’s belongings and tossed them around the room. Who was the culprit? The men who had grabbed her or thieves who chose random rooms to burglarize? He didn’t see a way to safely bring Bridget up here to go through her belongings. Trace’s skin prickled. He and Joe needed to get out of here.
“She’s not going to be happy about this,” Joe said. “Let’s shove her stuff into her bags and get out of here.”
They gathered everything they could find and stored it in one bag. Her second bag had been shredded with a knife. Trace dropped to his stomach and checked under the bed while Joe made a quick pass through the drawers in the dresser and nightstands.
Trace glanced at Joe who looked grim as he shook his head. That’s what he’d been afraid of. “Let’s go. We’ve been here too long as it is.” He grabbed Bridget’s bag and signaled Joe to take the lead.
Through his ear piece, Nico said, “Company. Get out of there.”
