And Lauren. Where was Lauren? He had to find her.
Damn it. He’d known it was a risky move using the radio back on the boat. The cartel had most likely pinpointed their location because of the transmission and that move had cost them their boat.
He needed to get a message to Gunner to let his boss know that he was safe. The boat they’d used earlier was most likely at the bottom of the sea by now.
A wild thought struck. Could someone inside the agency have given away his position? The same mole that had cost Tim and Smith their lives? Considering every possibility was habit even though he feared he was becoming too cynical. This job was beginning to weigh on him.
Stretching out his foot and groaning from pain, he heard a hammering sound bite through the howling wind. What was that? A plane. No. A chopper. Sounded like a chopper.
He popped to his feet, but his bad knee gave and landed him hard on his backside. His people would be scouting the seas for him by now.
“Here! Down here!” he shouted, the words bouncing off the thick clouds above and back down to him.
Ignoring the pain, he shouted again as he patted himself down looking for another flare. He’d had two but found nothing.
The roar of the engine faded.
By now, the chopper was too far. A flare wouldn’t help. He railed against the urge to spew out another round of swear words. Besides, what good would it do? He’d still be hurt. Stranded.
Damn.
His best chance to get to safety had disappeared into the clouds.
Thunder clapped in the sky.
What the hell happened to Lauren? The thought of her lying somewhere bleeding racked his insides.
A quick scan of the area provided no reassurances, no sign of her.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jaden caught something move by a nearby boulder.
He scrambled to his feet but couldn’t make out what was bobbing up and down in the water.
Chapter 6
“Thank goodness you’re alive,” Lauren said, looking relieved as she rounded the corner, rushing to get closer to Jaden.
He couldn’t admit to himself just how happy seeing her made him and it was more than just for work reasons. Her intelligence, determination and devotion to her family had hit him in a place he thought long dead. Her beauty only added to the equation. “Seems that way.”
“I was so worried when I couldn’t wake you,” she admitted. The concern in her eyes—concern for him—was another thing he shouldn’t allow to bring light into that dark place inside his soul.
Taking a step forward, his foot slipped on loose rocks. He caught the top of a big boulder to steady himself. His dry mouth reminded him dehydration was swallowing him, all the water around a constant reminder of an insatiable thirst. Nothing fit to drink. His stomach was tight, queasy. He could only imagine how torn up he must look, especially if his insides were any kind of gauge.
“Sit down,” she urged.
“How’d you get me here?” He opened his mouth and tried to catch raindrops on his tongue to ease the dryness, still unable to admit to himself how much his heart danced from the sight of her.
“I managed,” she said.
“Are you crazy, coming after me like that?” She must’ve dragged him out of the water and fifteen feet away from the edge.
“What choice did I have? You saved my life, remember? It was the least I could do for you. Besides, you’re bleeding.” More of that concern came through but he looked away before it could seed.
Leaning back, he summed up his injuries as nothing more than a few scratches. “Not bad.”
“You won’t be walking for a while.”
“This? No. I’m fine. A few scrapes.” He brought his hand to his forehead, wincing in pain as the movement dulled his aching body. If he were honest, the sight of her calmed more than his physical aches and pains. But that was ridiculous. They’d barely met.
Still, for half a second he wondered if she felt the emotion tethering them together with an invisible electric line as much as he did. The charges of electricity that came with it? He needed to get the conversation on the right track. “Did anything stand out with Max’s phone call? Do you recall any noise in the background?”
“Wait, I heard a train when they called. Wherever they were hiding him must’ve had a track nearby,” she said. “Do you think he’s even on the island?”
“I hope so.”
Lauren leaned in to get a better look at Jaden’s face. Again, Jaden winced as he moved and Lauren guessed his injuries were worse than he wanted to admit.
“You need rest.” For a brief moment her gaze flickered from his eyes to his lips...for a split second she saw an image of those lips pressed against hers. This was not the time for an inappropriate fantasy. Besides, he was injured. And they were stranded.
“How bad is the pain?” she asked.
His broad shoulders rolled, his expression tensed as he moved, showing he was unwilling to own up to his true amount of pain.
“We have to get out of here soon.” He glanced up at the sky.
“Not until you can move.” She moved to a neatly stacked pile before returning a moment later with a wadded up piece of cloth, which she touched to his forehead to blot the blood.
“Ouch.” He jerked back as his hand closed tightly on hers.
“Sorry. The salt.” She wrung out the piece of material one more time before touching it to the gash on his arm, afraid to acknowledge to herself how strong her physical attraction was to a stranger. She chalked it up to the fact that he’d saved her life countless times already.
Blotting the cut, she did her best to conceal just how frantic she’d been moments before, when she didn’t know if he’d break consciousness. Maybe it was the circumstances, but she wanted to know more about this man, be closer
