Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

February 7 th

1:40 A.M.

Panic.

That was the first conscious thought Ella was aware of.

As quickly as it came, it passed as she felt the strong arms wrapped around her and the sense of fear was chased away by a sense of security.

“Miguel?” Even half out of it as she was, Ella knew there was only one thing that gave her that feeling of safety and that one thing was the tall, dark, and handsome SEAL who had saved her life on more than one occasion.

“You back with me, honey?” he asked.

Was she?

Maybe.

Kind of.

Okay, the more thoughts that slipped into her mind the more awake she felt. Even though it might be nice to stay tucked away in a little cocoon where she didn't have to acknowledge what was happening to her, she couldn’t do that.

Not here, not now.

Just because Miguel had pulled her out of the river, where she had truly believed she was going to drown, didn't mean that they were safe. They couldn’t be all that far away from Raul’s place, which meant his men would still be out in the jungle searching for them. Hunting them.

If ever there was a time where she had to pull it together and be strong, this was it.

Miguel was counting on her, and she didn't want to let him down.

“Are you okay?” she asked, remembering that he’d been shot before she’d tackled that man and sent them careening down the hill and into the water. “You were hurt.”

A surprised chuckle rumbled through the chest she was tucked against, and she lifted her head from a surprisingly comfortable shoulder to find him looking down at her. In the dark, it was hard to see much, to make out his expression, but she could feel his dark eyes on her, and they felt like they were probing her very soul.

“I'm fine,” he said, brushing off her concern.

“But you were shot,” she persisted. She knew he had been, remembered his grunt of pain, yet he’d swum through the river like it was nothing, and now he was carrying her. That couldn’t be good for him.

“A flesh wound, nothing serious.”

“Did you check?”

“No time for that, you were gone,” he said simply, and she smiled as something warm unfurled low in her belly. She liked the way he said that, liked knowing that he was protective of her. What she didn't like was knowing he was hurt and hadn't taken care of his injury.

“Put me down,” she said, lightly pushing at his shoulders. She was reasonably sure she could stay upright on her feet.

For a second his hold on her tightened, and she got the feeling he didn't like the idea of not holding her any more than she liked the idea of no longer being in his arms. Then he carefully lowered one arm until her feet touched the ground. The other arm he kept around her waist for a moment longer while he waited to see if she could stand without support.

Only when he was sure she could did he take a step back.

Ella wanted to protest the distance between them even if it was only a foot, but she knew that was silly. Just because Miguel had saved her and just because he believed in her didn't change the fact that he’d come to Mexico to arrest her and once he handed her over to Prey, or an agency, or whoever was going to want her when they got home, he’d disappear, and she’d likely never see him again. His brother might be dating her friend, but right now, Ella didn't know where things stood between her and her team. There was every chance those bridges had been burned too badly to repair, and they would not be part of her life going forward either.

“You hit your head,” Miguel said. A fingertip feathered across a lump on her forehead, and light as the contact was, she soaked it up. “Not sure if you have a concussion or you just passed out from exhaustion. Maybe a little of both.”

“Where did you get shot?”

“Shoulder. But it’s just a flesh wound, El.”

Maybe.

But she found herself consumed with the need to check.

“I know it’s dark, but can I check?” she asked uncertainly, so very aware of the fact that he was there because it was his job, because even if she wasn’t going to jail, she had important knowledge of a wanted weapons trafficker. Just because she got all warm and tingly every time he touched her didn't mean that he felt the same way.

“You can check,” he agreed, the husky quality to his voice making her shiver in a way that had nothing to do with her soaked clothes and wet hair.

“Your left shoulder?” she asked, noting the slightly stiff way he held that side of his body.

“Yeah.”

Her hands trembled as she stepped closer and reached up to probe the area. She quickly found the wound, it was low on his shoulder, the fact that he’d sensed the guard’s presence a split second before the man fired his weapon likely meant the bullet hadn't plowed through his body and instead grazed along his skin.

He was right, it was just a flesh wound, he was going to be fine.

Still, tears burned the backs of her eyes.

Miguel had been shot because of her.

Because she’d distracted him when he should have been focused on his job.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered, standing on tiptoe to touch a kiss just beneath the gash.

A shudder rippled through the large body beside her, and when he spoke there was emotion she couldn’t quite name in his voice. “You don’t have to apologize, Ella. It wasn’t your fault.”

Some of the tears building leaked out and she wished she could stop crying. It made her feel weak, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. Weariness seemed to steal whatever strength she’d managed to recover, and she swayed and braced her hands on Miguel’s chest.

“Of course it is. This is all my fault. I panicked, and I honestly didn't see a way where I could contact anyone at Prey without possibly alerting the mole. I love my family, they’re everything to me, and I couldn’t risk them. I'm sorry,” she whispered again. While she knew in her heart she’d made the best choices she could with the situation she’d been thrust into, she still understood she’d created one giant mess that wasn’t going to be easy to clean up.

“Hey.” Turning, Miguel hooked an arm around her waist, lifting her off her feet so they were eye to eye. “You did what you had to do while still protecting your team and the drug. I respect that. Do I hate that you got so close to Raul? Yes. Hell, yes. Absolutely. But you had a plan that you thought through, were prepared to see through, and were prepared to risk your life to do. I respect that, Ella. And so will your team once they get their heads on straight.”

Maybe they would.

Maybe they’d regret suspecting her, believing she could betray them, but she was pretty sure the damage was already done. How could she trust them going forward?

Call her na?ve, but she honestly hadn't thought they would doubt her. Not deep down. She had just assumed they would believe she knew what she was doing and that whatever she was doing was in their best interest.

“Your team, they headed home, pretending they had me in custody?” she asked.

“They did.”

“My family … do you think the mole is still watching them?”

“Probably is. But I don’t think they’re going to do anything stupid. Besides, I think there might have been a little “incident” on their street that necessitated evacuating the whole block.”

That coaxed a smile out of her. Whatever had happened to have the street evacuated she had a feeling that Miguel had something to do with it. A big something. He’d managed to get her family to a safe place where they were no longer in danger. “You got them out for me. Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

The urge to kiss him was strong. Heat was building between them, and she didn't think it was them sharing body heat. It was something deeper. There was a thread of something there, she could feel it. The problem was, she didn't know much about Miguel but what she did know was that they wanted different things out of life. He wanted casual and she wanted serious when it came to the opposite sex. And even if he didn't, she had a huge mess to clean up when she got home. Her future was uncertain and she was in no place to start anything up with anyone.

“You shouldn’t thank me too soon,” Miguel said, a light teasing tone to his voice now that made her smile again.

“Yeah? Why not?”

“Because you need rest and the best place for us to hide out is one you're not going to like.”

“Why? Where is it?” she asked suspiciously.

“Up there.” He tilted his head up to look at a huge tree beside them.

“Up a tree?” she groaned.

“Yep. After seeing your tree climbing skills earlier, I thought it was the perfect place.” He chuckled and she swatted at his shoulder.

“You were watching me, so you know I did a terrible job. I was shaky and almost fell a dozen times.”

“Two dozen,” he corrected. “I was counting.”

“I don’t like heights, and I'm not very outdoorsy,” she huffed, defending herself.

“But you did it anyway,” Miguel said, more seriously now. “Because you're brave, Ella. You do the things that scare you.”

Ella pondered those words as she followed Miguel to the tree and copied his movements as they worked their way higher and higher. She didn't feel brave, but she agreed she did the things that scared her because she’d had no choice.

When she came to Mexico, she had been prepared to suffer whatever consequences she had to to ensure her family was safe. Now it sounded like they were out of danger so it was time to face those consequences.

Was she brave enough to do that?

February 8 th

12:00 A.M.

It was time and he should be a whole lot happier to get out of Mexico than he was.

Miguel wanted to get Ella safe, wanted to make sure her name was cleared, and wanted her to be able to move forward with her life. He’d lost his comms somewhere along the way, maybe while he was in the river searching for Ella, so he wasn’t able to check in with his team anymore.

Before they’d left the country pretending to have Ella with them, he’d asked them to fake an arrest or something in her parents’ street. A hostage situation or something that could believably be passed off so the mole wouldn't be suspicious and set off the bomb. It was a big ask but Eagle Oswald owed Ella for being quick thinking enough to get the Reactivator someplace safe and walking into the lion’s den to get the notorious dealer off their backs once and for all. He had no doubt that Eagle could pull off something that would get her family safe.

While he hadn't been able to communicate with his team since they left the country, the distance too big for their comms units to work, he knew that Eagle would have prioritized getting Ella’s family out of that house. The man took good care of his people, and even though Prey had doubted Ella, Miguel hadn't spoken to the CEO, so he didn't know if that included Eagle.

Somehow, he couldn’t see the former SEAL doubting Ella.

How anyone could was beyond him.

Yet he’d been the only one who hadn't readily believed the worst of her, and he knew that was hurting her deeply.

She was too sweet for her own good, that was the problem. Because she wouldn't have doubted her friends if their positions had been reversed meant that she was genuinely surprised to learn they hadn't afforded her the same courtesy.

He was worried about how she was going to handle things when she got home. Was she going to feel alone and abandoned? She didn't have the support of the people who should have been there for her, and while she’d have her family this was all classified information that she wouldn't be able to share with them.

Who was going to be there for her?

To support her and make sure she was okay?

And why did he feel the need to stay by her side? Protecting her from the people she should have been able to trust just like he’d protected her from Raul’s men.

Maybe it was for the best that he wouldn't see her again once they got home. When he was with her, he wanted things he knew he could never have. There was no way he was going to risk tainting Ella and her life with the darkness that ran through his veins.

Best to get her away from him as quickly as possible, she’d been through enough and she didn't need his family demons getting their tentacles into her.

“You ready to go?” he asked, nudging the woman curled up against his side.

“Do we have to?”

Knowing her fear of heights made her anxious about climbing down the tree, he ruffled her hair. They’d grown close over the last twenty-four hours, between bouts of sleep Ella had shared bits and pieces about her life and he’d done the same. While he was sure they were both selective about what they’d shared, he could feel a bond forming and solidifying.

If he didn't get away from Ella soon, he might do something stupid.

Like take her to bed.

Like sleep beside her.

Like cook her breakfast in the morning and ask her for a repeat.

Something he never did.

Something he’d never wanted to do.

“Come on now, where’s that lioness who launched herself at an armed man?” he teased.

“She disappears when she’s forced to confront her fear of heights,” Ella replied.

“You can do it. You’ve already been up and down this tree three times now,” he reminded her. They’d taken a couple of bathroom breaks, but other than that he’d wanted to keep her up and out of the way because they both knew that Raul’s men would still be hunting them. The guard who had shot him had gotten away. Sure, there was a chance he’d drowned, but there was also a chance that he’d made his way back to the house and told everyone that Ella had attacked him.

His plan to make Ella seem like she was still on Raul’s side if she was captured again, that he’d taken her against her will, was useless now.

She’d tried to save his life, there was no way she would have done that if he’d kidnapped her.

That meant he couldn’t allow her to fall into Raul’s hands. The man was already more obsessed with her than he would have liked, and the last thing he wanted was to allow Ella to be kept as some sort of perverted sex toy for a weapon’s dealer who would wind up killing her when he got bored.

“You’d think it would get easier each time,” Ella complained as she started to climb down after him.

Doing this in the dark made it harder on her, but he hadn't wanted them to move while it was light out. This made it easier for them to move without being spotted and he was going to play this as safe as he could because Ella was his priority.

The other team coming in to extract them and hopefully bring Raul into custody would be there, somewhere close by. All he needed to do was get Ella to the exfil spot and then it would be as good as over. Although he doubted that Raul was still close by, the man usually fled when it looked like he might get caught, which meant the threat to Ella and her team wouldn't be completely gone, but at least she’d be back home where someone could keep her safe.

Not him.

The longer he spent around her the more he was tempted to give in to the need to touch, taste, and risk everything to have her, even just for one night.

“I don’t think I'm ever going up in a tree again for as long as I live,” Ella said when their feet finally touched the ground.

There was relief in her tone.

Relief he hated he was about to wipe away.

“Go back up the tree, Ella,” he said, voice low so it didn't carry. They weren't alone anymore. Someone was coming. Not whichever team was coming to extract them, because they would know he was there and have let him know it was them.

That meant it had to be Raul’s men.

“Is someone there?” Ella asked in a scared whisper.

“Yes. Now, go. Get up there. Don’t come down unless I tell you to. I mean it, Ella,” he added. “No more heroics. I'm here to rescue you, not the other way around.”

“You were here to arrest me,” she muttered under her breath, but she began to climb the tree she’d only just gotten out of.

With Ella out of the way, Miguel faded into the trees, moving so he was behind the man he had sensed approaching their hiding spot.

Thankfully the man was alone and didn't appear to know he wasn’t alone.

Palming the handle of the knife he’d taken from the guard in the bathroom, he pounced on the man, burying the blade in his neck.

A panicked gurgle was all the man gave as he tried desperately to slow the flood of blood as he sank to the ground.

Just as Miguel was going to return to Ella, tell her to hurry back down so they could get away from there and to the exfil location, he spotted another man. Once again, he circled around until he was behind the other man, before striking. Another well placed blade to the neck left another body bleeding out on the jungle floor.

Two dead but there would be more.

Raul wasn’t the kind of man who just gave up.

Not when he’d spent a month trying to get his hands on this drug. It was about principles. He wasn’t going to miss out on something he wanted, wasn’t going to lose, and definitely wasn’t going to be bested by four women.

Before returning to the tree, he spotted another three men approaching him. There was no way he could take them out silently. If he used his weapons, he risked bringing in every other guard anywhere nearby, and if he thought he was outnumbered three to one he wouldn't like the odds when it was five to one, or ten to one, or worse.

At least Ella wasn’t with him.

If the guard she’d attacked had made it back to the house, maybe he hadn't hung around long enough to watch as Miguel pulled her out of the water.

Could he use that to his advantage?

Allowing himself to be captured could buy time for the team coming in to find and rescue Ella. She still had the tracker which meant they’d find her, and if Raul believed that he and Ella had been separated then they wouldn't need to search this area to see if she was nearby.

They’d just take him in and leave her behind, giving her a fighting chance at surviving.