Page 51 of Mated to Team Shadow

It was dark, and the thick canopy hid the moon, and a small part of me regretted the decision to follow. My eyes were not as good as these men who apparently could see in the dark. The sounds of the rainforest assailed me, putting me on edge. The smells of rotten vegetation and the whiff of flowers floated thick in the air. The over-sweet aroma of rotting fruit mixed with mud and damp earth rose around me. Animals skittered unseen in the dark, flies buzzed, and insects hummed while mosquitoes tried to light on me. Yeah, coming along was not my best idea.

But I picked my way along the descending trail, and soon I spotted the lights from the docked boats and the buildings in the cove. Waves rolled onto the shore, and the boats rocked in their mooring. In the illumination of the lighted window, I saw a guard with a rifle backlit by lights from the window pacing the length of the building. He stiffened, apparently hearing a nose, and then disappeared around the side. He did not return.

With the sound of crashing glass, the unmistakable outline of Aedan Morgan burst of the building, yelling in Spanish. Men ran toward him until a jaguar dashed from the building and leaped on top of him, raking Morgan's shoulders with his claws. Gunner was right. I did not want to see this, and I looked away.

The rattle of gunfire peppered the night, and I looked up again to see another jaguar fly at the man shooting at the cat that downed Morgan. I put my hand over my mouth to keep from crying out. Several shots cracked the night, and the man shooting at the cat fell. Ryker stepped out of the tree line followed by Damon, and he shouted in Spanish to the half-dozen men there. They dropped to the sandy beach.

Boats at the dock started their engines and made for open water, but then a bright light burst out from nowhere, and someone spoke through a bullhorn in Spanish. My gut clenched. Who were these people? I looked to Ryker, but he didn't seem alarmed. In fact, he waved for me to join him.

I tore out of the forest and ran to Ryker. Damon took plastics strips from his pack and then searched the men lying in the sand, zip-tying their hands behind their backs.

"What's going on?" I said, looking over my shoulder to the light coming closer to shore.

"The cavalry finally showed up. They just announced that the boats should turn off their engines and wait to be boarded. If anyone tries to run, a French navy boat will wait for them outside the harbor."

I didn't understand all that was going on, and Damon now questioned the men roughly. He glanced back at Ryker and me.

"The small building to the side of the bigger one," he said grimly.

"Take her," said Ryker. "I'll watch them." He pointed his rifle over the men as a large raft pulled up on the dock.

"Let's go," repeated Damon, and he took my hand. Swiftly we moved to the shed, and in the dark space between the two buildings, I spotted two sets of glowing eyes. Damon tossed two backpacks toward them.

"Dress. We have visitors."

A padlock hung on the door to the tin shack, and Damon used the butt of his rifle to break it. He pulled the door open.

Damon fumbled around inside, and a single light switched on, and my heart stopped.

Handcuffed to a pipe running along the wall slumped a woman. She crumpled against the wall, but I recognized her face.

"Surma!"

I ran to my friend, who looked at me dully. Her beautiful dark-skinned face showed old bruises, and one eye was closed and crusted.

"I'm here, Surma. It's me, Jeanine."

Damon took the underwire from my bra and worked the lock of the handcuffs. After a few tries, the cuffs clicked open, and Surma fell into my arms.

"Jeanine?" she said.

Damon handed me a water bottle. "See if she can drink."

I put the bottle to her lips, and she took a few sips and then some more. Her eyes lost some dullness.

"How?" she croaked. "Why?"

"That I found you? It's a long story."

She swallowed. "And who is tall, dark and handsome there?"

"Mine," I said. "You can't have him."

"Should have known," she said. "I go to the Caribbean, but you end up with the hot guy."

"Well, that's another long story."

"I'll go get help," said Damon with a smile.

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