Page 4

CHAPTER 4

March 1 st

4:16 P.M.

Hungry.

That was the first thought Ava had when she drifted back to consciousness.

The second was that she felt better.

Not great, but her skin no longer felt like it was on fire and like it had been stretched too tightly over her muscles.

Despite feeling better, she couldn’t seem to put a stop to the anxiety now buzzing through her system.

“Nathaniel?” she called out as she opened her eyes to find light streaming through the front of the cave where he’d brought her when they reached the shore.

She’d wanted to look for a phone so she could call Prey and tell them what had happened to her and where she was. Or, at the very least, she’d wanted to find a vehicle of some sort that they could use to drive back home. Basically, she just wanted this whole ordeal to be over so she could find out what those people had stolen from her, how badly it was going to affect her life going forward and then start moving on.

But Nathaniel had been worried that someone from the ship would have alerted the closest land-based team that she was missing and they might be patrolling the beaches. He seemed to think she needed a little time to rest before they figured out their next step, and who was she to argue with his plan?

He was the Navy SEAL, and she was the computer geek.

For a second, she didn't see Nathaniel, didn't hear him, and was convinced that he had abandoned her and she was alone in the cave and would have to figure out how to get herself back home, but then a shadow shifted near the cave’s entrance.

“You okay?” he asked, concern in his voice as he moved toward where he’d tucked her into the back corner of the cave. “Are you feeling worse? Hurting?”

“Actually, I’m feeling better,” she quickly assured him. It was sweet of him to care but she didn't want him to worry about her. He’d already done more than enough. More than she’d been hoping for when she climbed into that raft.

Part of her had been so sure she was going to die alone at sea, but that would have been preferable to the long, slow death she would have had if she hadn't gotten herself off that boat.

Now, though, she had a chance to live and it was all because of the sexy man kneeling beside her with his brow crinkled with worry.

“You're very handsome,” she blurted out as she reached out a hand to smooth out the creases in his forehead.

Immediately, a flash of embarrassment hit as she realized what she’d just said.

Why, oh, why did her mouth not always connect with her head?

Ava had a bad habit of blurting out what she was thinking. Not in a mean way, she knew how carelessly spoken words could not just hurt but leave a lasting impact. But she tended to ramble a little, and when she was nervous, she would say the first thing that popped into her head. That had led to her finding herself in a whole bunch of humiliating circumstances, but this one had to take the cake.

“Oh, umm, can we just forget I said that?” she mumbled, snatching her hand back. It wasn't okay to touch people without their permission, even if she was just stroking her fingertips along his brow.

A hand clamped around her wrist when she pulled back, startling her. Nathaniel didn't look like he was upset with her touch, in fact, the corners of his mouth had curled into the most wonderful smile.

“I don’t think we can,” Nathaniel said, amusement dancing in his dark eyes.

“Why? Sometimes I just blurt things out when I'm not thinking clearly, and that was definitely something that got blurted out without me thinking. Because I'm sick,” she reminded him even though her being sick had nothing to do with her mouth forgetting to check in with her brain before opening.

“That’s a shame.”

“It is?”

“Yep. Because I think you're beautiful.”

The words seemed to catch him by surprise like his own mouth had started talking without his permission.

Clearing her throat because something needed to break the spell, and cast out the heavy emotions that suddenly seemed to fill the small cave, Ava pushed away a wave of regret. She had no time for heavy emotions right now. She’d just been kidnapped by an organ trafficking ring and lost an organ. She had no idea what her life was going to look like going forward. While it was a safe assumption they hadn't taken anything she needed to live, her guess would be that it was one of her kidneys that had been stolen, she didn't know that for sure.

Her entire life might be about to be upturned.

“Maybe we don’t forget, maybe we just move forward,” she suggested. If they’d met in another place at another time then she would have been open to the idea of flirting with Nathaniel, maybe even seeing if something real could develop between them. But now wasn't that time or place, even if Nathaniel was exactly the kind of down-to-earth guy she could see herself falling in love with one day.

“Sounds like a plan.”

It didn't go without notice that he released his hold on her wrist, slowly, one finger at a time, almost as if he were trying to memorize the feel of her skin beneath his, and then shifted back, putting some distance between them.

Almost immediately she missed his steady presence and the warmth radiating from his body, even if there was only a foot between them now. Nathaniel had saved her life, and he hadn't left her behind like he could have if he wanted to. Just because she had possible inside information on the ring didn't mean he could defy orders and not complete his mission.

“A plan,” she agreed because she didn't know what else to say. “And I really am feeling a little better. I'm not even hurting that much.”

To prove her point, Ava pushed herself up into a sitting position but was instantly swamped by a fresh wave of pain she’d almost forgotten about in the haze of escaping and then being rescued.

Crying out, she slumped back down, expecting to land in the dirty sand and hard rock of the cave bottom.

Instead, Nathaniel moved quicker than she thought a person could move and managed to catch her. One of his large hands cradled the back of her head, and the other supported her shoulders.

“You were saying?” He quirked an eyebrow up at her, and she knew that he knew how much pain she was in.

“Maybe the lack of pain was because I hadn't been moving,” she admitted.

“That might be a problem,” Nathaniel told her, and she looked up into his handsome face to see that his eyes were clouded with concern.

“Why is it a problem?” She knew that her being partially incapacitated was going to be an inconvenience, but not necessarily a major problem, which was the vibe he was giving her right now.

“Because while you were out, I did a little scouting.”

Knowing he hadn't been right by her side the entire time she’d been vulnerable in unconsciousness sent a wave of icy fear through her veins, and Ava had to remind herself that Nathaniel knew what he was doing, and he wouldn't have left her alone for long. Besides, nothing had happened. She was still in one piece, well actually minus one piece, but she hadn't been found, so all’s well that ends well, and she was glad she hadn't known he was going to leave her.

“And you found …” she prompted, inviting him to finish that sentence even if it wasn't with the words she wanted to hear.

“That we’re in the middle of nowhere. There are no towns I could see near the beach, we’re surrounded by the jungle. My comms are still down, so if we want to find our way out of here and back home, we’re going to have to hike through the jungle until we find a safe village or town to stop at and call for help.”

Now she could see why he looked so worried.

Hiking through the jungle was something she couldn’t do right now, not in her condition. Just because she was feeling a little better did not mean she was up for any sort of strenuous activity. She still had an open wound, was still fighting off an infection, and was as weak as a newborn kitten.

Unfortunately, none of that mattered.

If she wanted to get home, she had to find a way to do the impossible.

* * *

March 1 st

6:10 P.M.

“Thank you,” Ava said as she passed him back his canteen.

Leaning back on his heels, Nathaniel studied his charge. There was a little less pink staining her cheeks than he’d seen last night in the raft, and her eyes were a lot clearer. It was obvious she was still in a lot of pain, and there was no way the infection had cleared up in that small amount of time.

But she was improving and that was all he could ask for.

It should be all that mattered.

Yet, for some reason, it wasn't.

Telling her he thought she was beautiful was a stupid thing to do and something very unlike him. Controlling his emotions was the only thing that had spared him from even more beatings when he was a kid, and it served him well in his chosen career.

Despite that, the words had slipped out.

So easily.

One second he’d been feeling her embarrassment at blurting out that she thought he was handsome—something he was sure had little to do with the fact that she was ill—and then the next thing he knew he was telling her that it was a shame she didn't mean it because he thought she was pretty.

What was he doing?

Flirting?

He’d never flirted in his life.

Blessed with height and muscle mass from a young age, he’d never struggled to find a woman willing to hit the sheets for some fun without the added burden of strings. He hooked up, he didn't do relationships in any way, shape, or form. Yet here he was flirting—albeit clumsily—with a woman he had just met, had found close to death, who had just survived a horrific ordeal and wanted to get home.

Totally inappropriate considering he was the one who had to get her home.

It wasn’t like she was after a hookup, and once he got her back where she belonged, he wouldn't see her again.

So he had to nip this in the bud before it got out of hand.

Still, knowing that didn't seem to stop him from asking a question that had no bearing on the job he had to do. “You do that a lot. Why?”

“Do what a lot?” Ava asked, her nose scrunching up adorably as she looked at him in confusion.

“Say thank you,” he elaborated.

“Oh, well, because it’s manners?” Her confusion seemed to grow if the nose scrunching was anything to go by.

“You’ve already thanked me, you don’t have to keep saying it for the sake of manners.” Her easy-going attitude, polite manners, and knack for saying what she was thinking were making him uncomfortable.

It wasn't something he was used to.

The guys on his team were family but they didn't act all polite like Ava did. They told it like it was, sure, but they also loved to tease one another, goad one another, and just generally bother one another. They did what they had to do to break the tension of their jobs and the responsibilities that came with it because, if they didn't, that weight would wind up crushing them.

But with Ava everything felt soft, light, and sweet.

Weird.

Odd.

Confusing.

“Course I have to keep saying it,” Ava told him like he was stupid. “You literally saved my life. You didn't leave me behind. You found me something to eat and water to drink. Saying thank you is important because I'm so very grateful for everything you’ve done and everything you're doing to get me back home.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and he froze.

Talk about the icing on the uncomfortable cake.

No one liked dealing with tears, especially a guy with a woman he was attracted to. Convenient or not, he was attracted to Ava, and in more than just a physical way. So the sight of her on the brink of tears had him panicking.

The last time she’d cried was when she was hysterical on the raft, begging him not to leave her. Then she’d passed out, but he didn't want a repeat of that, so he needed something to distract them both.

“If I say you're welcome can we just move forward without more thanks needed?” he asked as he set the canteen down beside them. Thankfully, he had been able to source water and find them some edible berries when he was out scouting. It wasn't enough to sustain them long-term, but it at least got something into Ava. She needed the fuel, both to heal and because they were going to have to hike out of there soon.

His brisk words made her laugh, and the tears receded. For now at least. But despite her positive, sunny attitude she was still deeply affected by an ordeal she hadn't even begun to process yet.

“I need to check on your wound,” he informed her.

The light in her eyes dimmed, but thankfully the tears didn't come back. With a nod, she eased herself away from the wall where he’d helped her prop herself up earlier, and Nathaniel reached over to help her lie back down.

While she wasn't a complainer, he knew she was in a whole world of pain, and since all he had with him were the basics of a survival kit, he didn't have anything that was going to fix that problem for her. His op was supposed to be a quick one. Jump from the helo into the water, swim to the boat, plant the tracker, swim back to the exfil spot, and get picked up.

No one could have foreseen what was going to happen because the idea of anyone escaping from the organ traffickers was so outrageous.

Who could have accounted for one spunky little blonde?

All his small survival kit contained were some waterproof matches, water purification tablets, and of course, he had his weapon. They were going to have to make do with that and hope a village wasn't too far away. With Ava unconscious and vulnerable, he hadn't been able to travel far in any one direction at a time, so for all he knew there was help waiting for them just a couple of miles away.

“Sorry I don’t have any clothes for you to dress in,” he told her to fill the silence as he eased up the hospital gown. She was naked beneath it, and while it was impossible not to see things he was doing his best not to let his gaze linger anywhere it shouldn’t.

“Not your fault,” she reminded him.

Being as gentle as he could, Nathaniel probed the wound, trying to determine if it looked better than when he’d checked it last, which was after he got her to the cave. While he was no doctor, he could do what he had to in the field if a member of his team or someone else needed emergency first aid, but his training wasn't enough to deal with this kind of situation. Still, he was sure the edges of the ragged wound looked a little less red and angry, and some swelling had gone down. Bruises ringed the wound, and when he touched them, he felt Ava tense, doing her best not to flinch away from him.

“You're doing better,” he told her, picking up his canteen.

“Good enough to walk out of here? Because that’s all that matters.”

“If you can't walk, I’ll carry you.” It would slow them down, sure, but he could still likely move quicker carrying Ava than they could move with her walking on her own. He had no idea with her injury how she’d even made it to the life raft to begin with.

Actually, as he looked down at her, he did.

Determination. Pure determination and nothing else.

“I’ll be able to walk,” she said fiercely, and he was struck by how utterly sweet and adorable she was. She was like a little kitten with claws and bravery to spare. It was something he hoped she didn't lose over the next few weeks and months, she was going to need every drop of that strength to survive the aftermath of her ordeal.

“We’ll see how you do,” he said noncommittally. “This is probably going to hurt.”

His warning just earned him an arched brow. “More than someone cutting me open and taking one of my organs?”

“No, not more than that, Aves.”

Nathaniel was pretty sure he winced more than she did when he poured the water over the wound and used a torn piece of her gown to clean away as much of the dried blood and pus as he could.

They needed to talk, he needed to learn everything she knew about the ring from her time being held captive by them. They also needed to formulate a plan on how they were going to get themselves out of there. One with some compromise on Ava’s part because he was pretty sure she would try to insist on acting like she wasn't injured and weak.

But Ava’s eyes were already drooping. The hour or so she’d been awake had pushed her beyond her limit. Talking and planning would have to wait until morning when they headed out because Ava needed rest, and he found he wanted to give her everything she needed.

“Sleep, Aves,” he said gently. “I’ll be right here watching over you.”

The smile she gifted him before her eyelids fluttered closed and she drifted off to sleep, hit him in the gut with as much pain as he’d just caused her in cleaning out her wound.

He wanted to watch over this woman.

In a way that went beyond just doing his job.

Getting Ava back home as quickly as possible wasn't just about saving her life, it was about saving his as well because the last thing he needed was anyone, including his spunky charge, upending the peace he had carefully crafted for himself.