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“Declan.” She took a breath. “Listen to me. If everything goes bad, I’d rather die than go back.”

His jaw tightened. What had they done to her? Something awful enough so that she’d sooner lose her life than be captured? And he, asshole that he was, had doubted her story.

“Didn’t you hear me? We’re going to be fine.”

“I know. But—but just in case… You can’t let them take me. Do you understand?”

He reached for her, kissed her, looked into her eyes.

“I won’t let them take you,” he said. “I swear it.”

She gave a quick nod.

What he’d told her was the truth. Of course, he would give his life for hers—and if it came to more than that… If there was no other choice, he’d take her with him into death.

But he had no intention of dying on this day. He’d only just found the woman he loved. He was not going to lose her now.

“Go,” he whispered.

She vanished into the darkness of the cave.

Time to move, and move fast.

Dec jammed his gear bag and a couple of lengths of wood under the thermal blanket. It didn’t look much like two sleeping people if you got up close, but all he needed was a couple of seconds.

As quietly as a big cat, he slipped close to the cave entrance, then flattened himself against the rocky wall. He knew they’d come in one at a time, exactly as he would in the same circumstances.

A minute passed. Then two.

The first man came in low. Light from the dying fire glinted on the knife in his hand.

Dec let him get just inside the cave.

Then he stepped forward, wrapped his arm around the guy’s neck, drew him up and back, and slit his throat.

The man went down noiselessly. Dec kicked him aside.

One down. One to go.

And there he was. The second guy. Crouched down, moving more cautiously, knife in his outstretched hand.

“Sahir?” he whispered. He stepped inside the cave. Slowly. Very slowly. “Sahir?” he said again.

He grunted when Dec grabbed him, but that was all he managed before Dec’s blade slid into the nape of his neck and severed his spinal cord.

He went down like a stone.

Dec waited. Counted off the seconds just to be sure these two were on their own. After a little while, he heard the hooting of the owls and he relaxed.

Nobody else was out there.

He and Annie were alone.

Well, alone except for two corpses.

He squatted down. Checked each for a pulse and found none. One guy had a long scarf wrapped around his head and the lower part of his face; Dec used it to wipe the blade of his knife before returning it to its sheath.

“Declan?”