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Gathering her close, Christian settled her in his lap, his strong arms folded around her feeling like a shield that could keep all her fear, terror, and pain away. Instead of fighting it, Lila sank against him, pressed her face to his neck, and allowed herself this moment to fall apart.
“Shh, baby, it’s going to be okay,” Christian crooned in her ear as he rocked her gently.
When he said it, she believed him.
This was what he did. He’d been a SEAL, and now he worked for the best security contractor in the world. If anyone could get her out of this and home again, it was the man holding her like she meant everything to him.
Time to toughen up again.
“Sorry,” she murmured, lifting her head. Her eyes felt puffy and gritty, but no more tears trickled out.
“It’s all right, mama bear, you’re doing awesome. Toughing everything out like a champ, took care of yourself and our baby, didn’t even need a knight in shining armor,” he teased.
Huffing a small laugh, Lila wiped at her wet face. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she admitted. They both knew she had needed him and his team to come to her rescue. She’d fought for herself and her baby and gotten away, but without Christian and Alpha Team she would likely already be back at that house. “What’s going on, Christian? I know you think you’re protecting me by not saying anything, but it’s making it worse.”
Indecision was evident on his face as he looked like he was battling internally, deciding how much to tell her to put her mind at ease without adding further stress.
“I can handle it,” she assured him.
Tenderness wiped away the indecision. “Yeah, you can. I told you about the explosion. Well, when we got to the house it was empty.”
“Ross and Zara …?”
“Gone. We took out all the men outside guarding the perimeter, but there were likely men inside with them.”
“There were.” It seemed like there had been at least a dozen heavily armed men watching over Ross and Zara all the time.
Christian nodded. “They were likely using comms just as my team and I were, so the men in the house with the Duffys would have known an attack was underway. They got them out before we got inside.”
“So, they’re still out there?” It would have made her feel a whole lot safer to know that Alpha Team had taken Ross and Zara into custody, or even that the couple had been killed in the explosion, although that would have meant Christian’s team would be dead too. So definitely the in-custody option was the best one.
A small shudder rippled through the big chest she was resting against, and Lila reached for Christian’s hand, entwining their fingers. “When I was looking for a crutch, I saw signs that someone had walked past our cave last night.”
“Your team?”
“No. They would have expected me to hole us up somewhere to spend the night. They would be looking for caves like the one we were in and would have approached, giving a specific whistle to let me know they were there so I didn’t shoot them.”
Understanding dawned. Now she knew why he had been so focused and intense today. “If it wasn’t your team then it had to be Ross and Zara. They didn’t go far, probably waiting to swoop in and grab any survivors of the explosion. And find me.”
He offered up a small smile. “I knew you were too smart for your own good. That’s exactly what I think. It’s why we’re going to circle down and around and then approach the mansion from the opposite side. They know you ran this way, so they’ll be looking over here, hopefully we can sneak past them.”
Exhaustion was taking a heavy toll on her. When she’d opened her eyes to find that Christian was here, Lila had thought everything was going to be okay. Instead, they were separated from his team and alone. Zara and Ross would have at least a dozen men with them, possibly more.
Not good odds.
Easing her off his lap, Christian shrugged out of his pack. “You should eat something and drink some water. I’ll check your foot then we’ll get walking again.”
Taking the offered energy bar, she opened it and took a bite. It didn’t taste very good, but it was food, and she needed the boost it would give her. “How long will it take us to get back to the mansion?”
“I want to go far enough away that they aren’t expecting it. I’m thinking late the day after tomorrow. If we maintain this speed,” he added as he peeled off her sock and examined her foot to make sure her toes were still getting adequate blood supply.
The prospect of spending two more nights out here in the forest, two more full days of walking was almost more than she could cope with. Lila quickly took another bit of the energy bar, it was either keep her mouth occupied or burst into tears again, and she didn’t want to subject Christian to another crying jag.
“Drink some water, sweetheart,” Christian prompted as he put her sock back on and then maneuvered her heavily bandaged foot back into the boot.
Lila sipped unenthusiastically at the water, rubbing her arms, chilled now she’d stopped moving. Maybe she shouldn’t have run. If she’d just endured what Ross wanted to do to her, she would have still been in the mansion when Christian and his team got there. The two of them wouldn’t be alone out here now. Although Ross and Zara probably would have taken her with them when they ran. And if she hadn’t been gone Christian wouldn’t have been chasing her, he might have been in the house when it exploded.
“Take some more painkillers.” Christian held out the bottle, but she shook her head.
