Page 59 of Her Tempting Protector

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He pulled onto the highway. Carys held his satellite phone so tightly that her knuckles were white, yet somehow her other hand was gently stroking Adam’s head as he slept in the sling against her chest. Kane had called eighteen minutes ago to say they would have an update soon, but that Cullen and Carys should get onto the highway as planned.

The sun was just beginning to crest on the horizon. Why the hell were there so many cars on the highway? This highway was normally as empty as Route 66 in August. It should be dead. At least all the cars were headed south, away from Khartoum.

“It has to be bad in the city if this many people are fleeing,” Carys said quietly. She gasped. Cullen hated it, he had hoped she wouldn’t notice the small incident up ahead. Apparently, that was too much to ask for.

“What’s going on?”

“RSF,” he said succinctly.

“Yes, but what are they doing to those people? It looks like a family. I see children.”

Carys let out a muffled shriek as she watched one of the civilian men hit in the head by the butt of a rifle. Cullen just drove faster past the spectacle.

“What could he have possibly done to deserve that?”

“Probably nothing,” Cullen said. His hands were getting sweaty on the steering wheel. He glanced down at the phone in Carys’ hand, willing it to ring.

They had approximately eighty kilometers to cover before they made it to the city barricade. He saw an armored combat vehicle approaching with two men manning the gun at the top. It barreled down the highway, pushing cars out of its way. Cullen swerved into the gravel on the side of the road to avoid them. Shada groaned with pain and Adam let out a sharp cry as he was jerked around.

Cullen righted the truck and continued to drive north, shutting out the sounds of Shada and Adam, and Carys’ attempts to soothe them both. He needed to stay focused, not just on his driving but on any more Rapid Support Forces that might be coming their way.

The phone rang and Carys shot her hand out toward him. He grabbed it.

“Yeah? Whatcha got?”

“It’s Kane. I’ve got a lock on you. I’m coming toward you. I’m halfway between you and Khartoum. Raiden’s behind me. We’re going to convoy you in.”

Cullen didn’t spend his time asking stupid questions like how’d they make it out of city past the barriers. “What are you driving?” Cullen asked so that he would know what to be on the lookout for.

“I’m driving the VW Kumelwagen. It’s the color of mud.”

“You mean The Thing?” Cullen couldn’t help the sharp laugh that popped out of his mouth. It felt good, he needed the relief.

He saw Carys giving him the side-eye.

“Yep I think Rommel rode in it during World War II,” Kane chuckled. “Raiden’s stuck driving a Toyota four-runner. He lost the coin toss.”

“What color is Raiden’s truck?”

“It’s baby blue. You said you were in a puke yellow Unimog, right? We’ll see you since I’m tracking you. We’ll be pulled over on your side of the road before you get past us. As soon as we see you coming in our rear-view mirrors, I’ll pull out in front of you.”

“What’s the situation in Khartoum?”

“It’s a shitstorm, but yours is a goatfuck, so you and Carys are the priority,” Kane said succinctly.

“Great.”

“Exactly. We should have taken the mission in Chad. Keep your head down, Lyons. Don’t worry, we’ve got this.”

The line went dead. He handed the phone back to Carys without taking his eyes away from the highway.

“What is a goatfuck?” she asked. “For that matter, what’s a shitstorm?”

Cullen laughed without any humor. Then he realized she’d just sworn. “Put down the phone and give me your hand,” he said as he reached out. When he felt her warm palm hit his, he twined their fingers together.

“I’m scared,” she admitted quietly.