Page 59 of Fear No Evil

He hit her so hard across the face that she staggered backward.Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have said that. A vision of Farid’s fist arcing toward her eye robbed her of her bravado.

“Lena!”

At Jake’s shout, her confidence surged anew. When Gallo glanced back, assessing how much time he had, Maggie snapped off a roundhouse kick that hit his midsection with a satisfying thump and caused him to double over. “I’m here!”

Jake came flying toward them with the fury of a mother bear defending her cubs. Gallo didn’t even have time to respond before Jake was grabbing him by the scruff while, at the same time, raking Maggie with a protective once-over.“Tu vas bien?”Are you okay?

No doubt he could see the imprint of Gallo’s hand on her cheek. “Oui, I’m fine.” As she switched to French, she deliberated how much to say. “He thinks I stole a map from the officers’ quarters.”

Jake turned his attention to the man he was gripping. Maggie could see him struggling between the urge to thrash themondoto within an inch of his life and the wisdom of sticking to hiscover as the mild-mannered, myopic peacekeeper. Logic won out as it always did with Jake.

“Leave my wife alone,” he said in halting Spanish before giving themondoa shove in the direction of the camp.

Gallo shoved him back. But when Jake didn’t move, themondo’s confidence faltered. With a scornful sneer, he wheeled away and plodded back uphill, leaving them in solitude.

Jake didn’t wait for Gallo to disappear before folding Maggie into his embrace. He had to feel her heart hammering in her chest. “You shouldn’t have left the camp without me.”

“He put something in my drink. I had to throw up.”

“What?” Jake set her away from him to plumb her gaze. “Are you sure?”

“Oui. I could taste it in the drink. I only took a sip, thank God.”

“How do you feel now?”

“Better after getting sick. But I’m going to be hungry in ten minutes.”

His grip tightened, and he cast a backward glance just to make sure Gallo wasn’t hanging around. “Lena, you know what this means. He suspects us.”

She didn’t want to alarm Jake by telling him Gallo had called her a spy. “Well, he doesn’t have any proof, does he? Besides, the mission’s almost over. Let’s just see it through and get out of here.”

By the look on his face, that course of action didn’t please him. Or was it the prospect of parting ways that kept his expression so grim? Her heart fluttered at the thought.

“I don’t like this situation.” Jake’s jaw muscles jumped as he scanned the lush foliage around them.

“Me neither.”

“Please. From now on, stick close to me. I don’t trust Gallo not to come for either of us again.” Lifting a hand, he stroked hisknuckles over the side of her face that was likely still red from Gallo’s blow.

At his pleasurable touch, the stinging vanished. Maggie forced a smile. If Jake knew how little she looked forward to this mission ending, it would probably put ideas into his head. Of course, separation was inevitable. In the meantime, though, she would wring selfish pleasure from every second they still had together.

“And another thing. I don’t want you getting anywhere close to the Venezuelans. How long did you work at that weapons depot?”

“Two years. But I only worked the night shift. I doubt any of them would have seen me there.”

Jake’s frown didn’t disappear.

“No one’s going to recognize me.” She wet her dry lips. “So, what’s next?”

Jake stared at her a moment, as if memorizing how she looked in that moment. “We wait for Rojas to counter our latest offer. If he takes it, my guess is we’ll be out of here in seventy-two hours.”

That prospect was supposed to encourage Maggie. Instead, it left her feeling cheated.

It took the longest time for Jake to fall asleep. While Lena didn’t seem overly worried about Gallo’s suspicions, they spawned scenarios in his imagination, none of them good.

It was his job to protect her. But, ultimately, it was God who protected them both. With Lena’s head on his shoulder and with her slow, even breathing telling him she was finally sleeping, he prayed.

Heavenly Father, give me the wisdom to know if and when I need to get Lena to safety. When I think of what she suffered in Morocco, I would never forgive myself if something like that happened to her under my watch. Be with us and protect us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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