Page 16 of Her Wicked Hero

“It’s not on the map. There shouldn’t be a swamp,” Zed grumbled.

“I’m going to tell Cullen,” Kane laughed.

“Tell him later. Have you figured out which angle Raymond is working? Or who he might be working with?” Zed questioned.

“Nada,” Kane said, all laughter gone from his voice. “If Raymond is really heading toward that river, you gotta know it eventually spits out near Sandakan near the tip of Borneo.”

“He’s going to have to hijack a boat,” Zed thought aloud. He looked down at his GPS. There was a spot with a significant bend in the river. He mentioned it to Kane and Dex.

“Yep, that would be the perfect place to ambush someone,” Dex agreed.

“I’m heading there,” Zed stated. “Do you know what kind of boats I can expect on the river?” he asked.

“I’ve researched,” Kane said. “It’s mostly locals. Some longboats, kayaks, canoes, and houseboats.”

“Okay.” Zed looked off into the distance, thinking it through. He saw a swarm of brightly colored birds fly by and monkeys chattering in the distance. He felt himself calm. He had a plan. “Thanks. This helped,” he told the two men. “How’s it going with the rescue?” he asked Dex.

There was a pause.

“Tell me,” Zed prompted.

“Brockman’s not doing well. His right lung is deflated. We had to fashion a stretcher and wrap him in so that he wouldn’t jostle his rib and do more damage.”

“Shit you’re close enough to Brunei, can’t they help?” Kane asked.

“The jungle is too dense. We have to just wait until we get to that road. We need about eighteen more hours. Gray just decided to have Hunter and I camp with the others while the rest of the team double-time it to the chopper evac site.”

“How quick do you think you can make it to an extraction point?” Kane asked.

“They think they can make it in half the time while still keeping him relatively stable. He needs surgery, and they can provide that on the Reagan.”

“Gotcha,” Kane said. “In the meantime, I’m going to have my eye on you Zed. If you get off track, I’ll ping you.”

“Steak dinner says I won’t.”

“I’m not taking that bet,” Kane chuckled again. “But I’ll have your back, anyway.”

“You always do,” Zed muttered as he snagged a good-sized branch that was floating in the murky water. “Okay, ladies, gotta go.”

He pushed the branch into the mud ahead of him, making sure that there weren’t any drop-offs. It shouldn’t slow him down, and it would save him a dunking. Cullen would be so proud.

4

Marcia had been trying to get away from Raymond for hours. Not to escape. She knew that was hopeless in the swamp, but she just wanted his arm off her.

Suck it up, Price. Your life is on the line, and you’re over here caring if he has his arm around your waist? She shuddered because his fingers gripped her stomach, making her want to throw up. Marcia couldn’t help her visceral reaction, but seriously, this should just be number forty-one on her list of things that were bothering her. She tried to concentrate on the fact she was probably going to be sold to the highest bidder and tortured.

Torture was less intimate though, right?

God, Price, you are a piece of work.

“Where are we going?” she asked Raymond when he stopped and looked down at his hand-held GPS device.

“Thought you weren’t talking to me, Girly,” Raymond looked down at her with a sly grin.

“Figure since this concerns my life, I should pretend to care.”

He gave her a long considering look. Oh crappola, had she come off too flip? She really didn’t want to be hit again. She’d forgotten she needed to be acting subservient. Acting like a doormat needed to be number one on her list. As soon as she thought that, her mind rebelled. Absolutely not. Her number one priority was to survive. Life was too precious not to do everything possible to fight and stay alive. So, no more smart-mouth.