Derek gave him a few seconds to let those numbers sink in. “Come on, man. My gut’s screamin’ here. Somethin’s not right, and you know it. We need some fuckin’ eyes in the sky, and we need them up there now, before it gets dark.”
“He’s right.” Grant’s deep voice cut through the thick-as-hell tension in the room.
Trevor glanced over, shocked when he saw some honest-to-God emotion behind the other man’s eyes.
“If it were one of us out there, McQueen wouldn’t give two shits about anything other than bringing us home.”
Trevor ran a hand across the dark stubble on his jaw. Grant was right. So was Derek. And with Coop injured, and Mac having gone with him back to the States, they were down to just half their team. Shit.
“Ryker’s gonna be pissed. Jake, too, if he and Olivia come walking through that door after I’ve already called.”
Grant shrugged one shoulder before going back to the business of cleaning his gun. “They’ll get over it.”
Trevor hesitated only a second more and then, “I’ll make the call.”
Some of the tension left D’s shoulders. Though the guy looked like he wanted to say more, he simply gave Trevor a slight nod before walking back over to the table and resuming his game. Derek’s way of letting Trevor know they were okay.
Feeling a sudden sense of urgency, Trevor reached for his phone and dialed the number they all knew by heart. If, God forbid, something bad had happened to Jake and Olivia, and these last few hours he’d waited could have made the difference? Trevor knew no one on the team would ever be okay again.
Chapter 14
Jake watched as the chopper flew high above them before vanishing over the jungle’s tall canopy. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if it was his team. Knowing the chances of that were slim, he ignored those hopeful thoughts and looked over at Olivia.
He was amazed at the way she kept going. Jake had extensive training, and could go for long periods of time without food or sleep. It was necessary for combat. Olivia, on the other hand, had no such training, and still, she didn’t complain.
Jake had always admired the hell out of her. The way she was holding up now, after everything she’d been through...he didn’t just admire Olivia. He was in fucking awe of her.
She tripped over a rock and started to go down. Jake spun his body in front of hers, using himself as a human wall to keep her from falling. Olivia’s face smacked into his chest. She grunted from the impact, but stayed on her feet.
“You okay?” Jake asked.
She straightened herself and looked up at him apologetically. “Yeah. Thanks.”
“Keep moving!” Asshole Two hollered from behind them.
Asshole One, who was still guiding them from the front, didn’t even bother to slow down. Knowing Two already had a hard-on for Liv, Jake gave her a nod of encouragement before stepping aside so they could keep going.
Olivia moved sluggishly beside him. Angry fumes clawed their way to the surface, but for her sake, Jake drove them back down. He chose, instead, to focus on the woman herself. Despite her disheveled appearance, she was still beautiful. And close to breaking.
Though she hadn’t said anything, it was obvious she was scared out of her mind. And way the hell beyond exhausted. Not caring, the two men seemed to be in a real fucking hurry to get to wherever they were taking them. Anxious for their big payday, no doubt.
Jake had no idea where they were headed, but the jungle was only so big, and they’d left the cave several hours ago. Granted, they were moving significantly slower than before, but it was only a matter of time before they came upon a town or village. After that, Jake was confident he and Olivia would be separated.
He’d either be turned over to authorities, or made an example of. Probably both. Jake didn’t allow himself to even think about what would happen to Liv. His insides twisted with the knowledge that their time was running out.
Adding confirmation to his thoughts, Asshole Two shoved Olivia again. She stumbled forward, barely keeping her footing, and...
Jake. Was. Done.
He spun around, getting right into the pudgy bastard’s face. “Don’t fucking touch her again.”
The man curled his lip, uncovering several of his nasty, yellow teeth. “She’s slowing us down.”
“Because she’s tired! We all are.”
“We need to keep moving.”
The man started to take a step forward, but Jake stood his ground. “She’s going to collapse if you don’t give her a few minutes to sit down and rest.” Jake glanced over at Liv and back to the other man, forcing his voice to lose its dark edge. “Look at us, man. She’s in no shape to fight you or run away, and I’m sure as hell not going anywhere without her. Let’s just all sit down and take a breather for a few minutes, then, we can be on our merry way.”
The man looked behind Jake to Asshole One, nodded, then brought his eyes back to Jake’s. “Thirty minutes. No longer.” He took a step closer, his nose nearly touching Jake’s chin. “If you try anything...if you fight me or try to run, you will watch as I put a bullet in her head. Then, I’ll put one into yours. Understand?”
“You have my word.” Jake was lying, of course. First chance he got, these assholes were dead.
He and Olivia were led to some nearby trees. Jake bent his knees, getting as low as he could, and plopped his ass onto the ground.
Surprisingly, Asshole One held onto one of Olivia’s arms and helped her ease down more gently. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the tree and groaned.
Jake waited until the two men stepped away from them. Asshole One lit a cigarette as both men spoke in low murmurs.
Their backs were to him, so Jake couldn’t hear what they
