Loving her had been the reason he’d let her go. Neither of them had functioned in their jobs the way they should have. When the success of the mission should have been top priority, they each layered on the added complication of caring what happened to the other. They took unnecessary risks to protect one another, real over- the-top stuff like her risking her career and her life to come looking for him in Mexico.
So when Garrett had seen an opportunity to end it, he had let her find him with another woman, someone who didn’t matter and could remain discreet. Although it had killed him to hurt Alexa that way, he had seen the writing on the wall and knew it was in her best interest to dump him so she could find a better man.
Quitting Alexa was the hardest thing he had ever done. And he’d failed at it. Now it would take all his concentration to focus on the rest of his mission, when all he wanted to do was find her.
But from the look on Hank’s face, the man had more bad news.
“My communications guy just got a call from our handler,” Hank interrupted his misery. “He’s picking up chatter with the local police. They know we’re here, and they’re coming out to investigate. We’ve run out of time, sir.”
Garrett stared across the compound. The Sentinels had survived for as long as they had because of their secrecy. He wouldn’t break that code.
He knew what he had to do, but he didn’t have to like it.
Before the last missile blew apart the main residence, Alexa had zeroed in on the prison cell she had seen from the outside. One corridor, partially belowground, had fit her memory of its location. But after the blast, the destruction had been devastating. Whole sections of the roof had collapsed, and flames lit the night sky. Clouds of dust made it hard to breathe, but she pressed on, aiming her MP-5 into every dark corner. With slow, deliberate steps, she made her way through the debris.
When she heard a moan ahead, and the sound of footsteps echoing down what remained of the stone hallway, she moved faster.
She peered through the dust and smoke and saw movement. The faint silhouette of a man caught her eye. She wanted to yell out, but she had no idea if the man was Kinkaid or the enemy.
The man she had seen hadn’t been alone. Another wounded man was with him. With his back to her, the big man hobbled and needed help to walk. When Alexa got close enough to take aim, she shouted.
“Stop, or I’ll shoot.”
One man looked over his shoulder, the one helping the wounded guy, but neither of them slowed down. And when they disappeared around a corner, she’d lost sight of them.
“Damn it,” she cursed under her breath.
But before she could chase them down, something caught her eye. When she crossed the threshold of the only chamber down that corridor—a room that had a massive door splintered by the blast and fallen rock at the entrance that blocked the way in—she saw a light.
A flickering flame burned through the debris. And eclipsing the fire was a barred window that had been cracked from its casing. The metal bars cut the light and were exactly what she had seen from outside. Gut instinct told her this cell was the one she had come to find.
“Kinkaid . . . you in there?” She took a risk and called out his name, but no one answered. While she kept her eye on the corridor where the men had vanished, she leaned closer to peer through the pile of rock.
Nothing moved inside.
“Jackson. Talk to me. Please.” She yelled louder this time, but still, she heard nothing.
Alexa stood back from the cell and stared at the cave-in. Something made her stay. She couldn’t explain it, but to move the boulders that blocked the door didn’t make sense if there were no signs of life inside. She grimaced and shook her head as she held her assault rifle. She had the two men to follow. They were real. They should have been her target, but something kept her rooted where she was.
“Kinkaid. Give me a reason. Please!”
When her plea echoed in the room without a response and nothing else to show for it, Alexa reluctantly made up her mind to leave. She turned, but stopped when she heard it. The sound barely registered with her, and yet she knew she’d heard something.
“Jackson, is that you? Come on. Answer me.”
“Please . . . h-help him. I don’t know what to do.”
A girl’s voice gripped Alexa by the throat. When she heard it, she didn’t hesitate. She slung her weapon on her shoulder and dug into the rocks and debris blocking the splintered door.
“Hold on. I’m coming,” Alexa cried out as she worked.
Sweat that had beaded on her skin now ran down her arms and back. It stung her eyes, but she kept working. And without gloves, the shards of rock cut her hands, and dust clotted the wounds.
“Is he alive? Please tell me,” she begged the girl. And while she shoved at the door that hung off a hinge, she listened for any signs of life inside. When no answer came, Alexa worked harder. A minute later, she heard the weak voice again. The girl answered her, but Alexa didn’t like what she heard.
“I don’t know. I don’t think h-he’s breathing. Pl-please hurry. There’s blood.”
A slow rage burned under Alexa’s skin. She hadn’t come this close to Kinkaid to let him die. With her hands bleeding and raw, she strained to move the wall of stone that stood between them.
“Hang on, Jackson. Please . . . for once in your life, do as I tell you.”
Chapter 15
Alexa heaved rocks one by one, trying to open a gap for her to squeeze through the toppled wall. Outside, she still heard the sounds of the skirmish, but things had died down. To avoid the Mexican authorities, Garrett’s team on the ground and Kinkaid’s UAV would have to clear out soon. She was running out of time, but she had no choice, not now.
The more she worked, the more her hands and shoulders ached.
She heard muffled sounds coming from outside. She tried calling for help, but no one heard her. Being in a collapsed part of the hacienda, Alexa knew it would take time for Garrett and his men to find her. And it would soon be dawn. In the harsh light of day, she didn’t want to get stranded and have to explain to the Mexican government why she was there. Getting caught would land her in a Mexican prison, with the Sentinels throwing away the key. They wouldn’t officially claim her, and that meant she’d be on her own, but all she could think about was . . .
“Jackson? Are you with me?” she called out.
“He’s opening his eyes,” the girl told her. “Can you hear me,
Alexa heard the excitement in the girl’s voice when she began talking to Kinkaid. And with more of the rock shoved aside, Alexa heard the crunch of shoes on the stone floor. The girl was moving inside the cell. At least she was free and didn’t have to be dug out. Alexa prayed that would be the same for Jackson.
“Is he okay?” she asked.
“I think so, but I see blood. I think he’s been shot.”
Alexa craned her neck to look into the cell. Torches had been tossed to the floor but were still lit. The flames gave off enough light for her to see a small girl kneeling by Kinkaid. Dust covered both of them.
“I’m coming. Hang on.”
Alexa shoved at the last boulder that blocked her way. She squeezed through and worked her way back to where they were. The roof looked dangerously fragile. It wasn’t safe, but she had to see how bad Kinkaid was before she moved them to a better location.
Jackson was sprawled flat on his back in a corner of the cell, covered in dirt and debris. Alexa had to lift rocks off his legs before she could get close enough. When she stared down at him, she saw his blood-covered shirt and went looking for the damage. He’d been shot in the shoulder, but that was the least of his worries. She’d seen men tortured before, but nothing like this.
She couldn’t help but stare at him. He’d been beaten so badly that half his face was swollen, and one eye was nearly shut. His body was bruised with deep contusions, with knife wounds across his chest and stomach. He had to be in incredible pain even though he didn’t let it show.
But Jackson was breathing. And that made him beautiful to her.
