Page 3 of Storm Warning

“Bad enough, but I’ll handle it. If that’s our only way out, then I’ll deal.”

“Are you sure? If you freak out in there and alert the enemy to our location, they’ll pick us off like ducks in a shooting gallery.”

She scowled. “I said I’d handle it, and I will.”

He gave a slight nod. “After you.” Once Riley stood beneath the duct, Andre wrapped his arms around her knees and lifted.

Riley scrambled into the duct and crawled a few feet in before stopping. “Hurry.”

She didn’t have to tell him twice. Andre jammed Riley’s chair under the doorknob, then hauled himself into the ventilation shaft. He eased the grate into place and hoped for the best.

No way that grate would hold for long. A good gust of wind would send it tumbling to the floor and clue the kidnappers in to their escape route. They had to get out of this building beforethe enemy sent men into the vents after them or stationed men under key strategic vents to catch them when they climbed out.

He caught up with Riley at a junction and slid past her to lead the way to the outside. Inch by inch, they slid through the duct system, slowly heading toward the utility room where Andre had gained access to the vent.

Every few feet, he glanced over his shoulder, assessing Riley’s progress. Near the halfway mark, he noticed her pallor. Not good. If he didn’t get her out of the enclosed space soon, Riley might lose it. “You’re doing great.”

“Keep going.”

Right. Don’t waste time. Andre pressed ahead, pushing the pace a little faster and willing her to keep up. She did.

At another juncture, he turned left and checked on his woman. Not only was she pale, but perspiration dotted Riley’s face. He longed to comfort her, but there was no time for comfort. Every minute they remained in the ducts meant the enemy had a greater chance of locating them and smoking them out.

Andre moved faster, encouraging Riley to follow his pace. She gritted her teeth and matched him.

Finally, he saw the grate in the utility room where he’d accessed the ventilation system. Andre reached toward the grate to remove it and paused when he heard male voices. He gave Riley the signal to hold.

“Are you sure she crawled into the vent?” Interrogator asked.

“There’s no other way to escape,” Thug One said. “Like you said, there weren’t any windows in that room, and she sure didn’t get past us in the corridor.”

“Do you know how many vents are in this place?”

“So many we’ll be lucky if we figure out which one she used to exit the system,” Thug Two said. “I think she’s in the compound somewhere. This is a waste of our time.”

“Do you want to go back to the boss and tell him you let her escape?”

Silence.

“Didn’t think so.” A sigh. “The vent’s in place here. Let’s move on to the next floor.”

The voices faded as the men walked to another location.

Andre waited for a minute to be sure the utility room was empty, then signaled Riley that he would check the room. If someone had remained behind to watch for Riley, Andre would have seconds to neutralize the threat before the enemy soldier raised the alarm and alerted other soldiers in the area.

He removed the grate, held it in one hand, and jumped silently to the floor. A quick glance around told him he was correct. The utility room was empty. Andre motioned for Riley to come ahead. Seconds later, she slid from the vent and into his arms.

Riley looked up at him, startled. “Thanks.”

Although Andre would love to linger with her in his arms, he hurried to the window that he’d used to enter the building and checked their escape route to see if it was still viable. Easing the window up, he surveyed the area. Coast was clear.

Excellent. “It’s clear. Go.” When Riley stood in front of him beneath the window, Andre grasped her around the knees and lifted her.

She scrambled through the open window and signaled to him that the area was still clear of threats.

It wouldn’t be for long. Too many soldiers walked around this compound for them to ignore this area. Andre hoisted himself up and over the sill and crouched beside Riley.

The humid jungle air settled on them like a wet wool blanket. Breathing was hard work in this atmosphere. He’d be glad when the team headed for home. They’d been in this jungle for two weeks, tracking terrorists who had kidnapped an ambassador’sten-year-old son. They’d freed the boy and were heading back to the jet when the teams ran into a contingent of terrorists. While they were busy with the enemy, three of the terrorists had grabbed Riley and fled with her. That led them to where they were now, escaping from the compound.