AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He smiled. “Almost to safety.”
“I can’t wait to see Eric,” Amy said, her voice shaking. “I want to see for myself that he’s all right.”
Rafe skidded to a stop. The operatives scrambled from the SUV.
A moment later, Cal plucked Rachelle from the floorboard and set her on her feet. “Run!” He clasped her hand in his strong grip, and they sprinted for the jet with Amy and Rafe a few steps in front of them. Jon, Eli, and Jackson hung back, weapons up and ready.
“Incoming,” Eli shouted over the jet powering up.
Cal swept Rachelle into his arms without missing a step and ran faster. She wrapped her arms around his neck and glanced over his shoulder. Three vehicles raced up the road toward the airstrip.
Rafe took the stairs to the jet two at a time with Amy in his arms. Cal surged up to the cabin in his wake. “Clear,” he called to his teammates.
Cal set her in a seat, shrugged off his pack and stowed it in the overhead compartment. He dropped into the empty seat beside hers. “Strap in.”
Eli, Jon, and Jackson bounded into the cabin.
“Go, go, go,” Eli called to the pilot as he and Jon secured the door.
The jet began to move as three vehicles careened onto the tarmac.
The operatives stowed their gear and strapped into seats.
Picking up speed, the jet lifted from the ground. Rachelle gripped Cal’s hand, hardly daring to breathe as the jet gained altitude.
“Oh, yeah, baby,” one of the Texas team called out. “That’s what I call an adventure.”
A dark-haired man slid a glance to his more enthusiastic teammate. “Give it a rest, Max. I don’t think the ladies are a fan of this kind of adventure.”
An understatement. Rachelle’s idea of an adventure was a day at the zoo. Running from terrorists wasn’t an item on her bucket list.
“It’s more energy than a four-shot espresso,” Max said.
“Where’s Eric?” Amy twisted in her seat, worry in her eyes. “I want to see him.”
“In the bedroom at the back of the jet,” Rafe said. “I’ll take you to him as soon as the jet levels off.”
“Is he all right?”
“He’s fine for now,” the dark-haired man said. “Our medic is with him. When you see Eric, keep in mind that he should still be in the hospital.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’s in a lot of pain and worried about you. Reassure him that you’re fine and encourage him to take the pain meds so he can sleep through the flight. Aside from seeing you, that’s the best thing for him.”
Five minutes later, the jet leveled off, and Rafe escorted Amy to see Eric.
Jackson grabbed his bag from an overhead bin and approached Cal. “Let me look at your arm. After you’re patched up, I’ll help Jesse with Eric.”
The medic crouched beside Cal and used a big knife to rip the sleeve to see the injury better. He gave a soft whistle. “That needs more than a Band-Aid, buddy.”
Dismayed, Rachelle twisted to see for herself. The ragged furrow across Cal’s upper arm looked red and swollen. “Oh, Cal,” she whispered. His arm must hurt, yet he didn’t act as though the pain fazed him.
“I’ve had worse.”
“But you were hurt protecting me.”
His gaze locked with hers. “Better me than you.”
