Page 35 of Rescuing Nathaniel

Still thinking about how nice it would be to kiss Nathaniel, and by nice she actually meant toe-curling and panty melting, was totally preferable to thinking about how easy it would be for one of those bullets to go plowing through her body. Or Nathaniel’s. Or one of the team of SEALs that had come to rescue them.

Putting their lives on the line as these men did, didn't mean they wanted to get shot. She’d gotten to know the SEAL team a little over the last several hours, and she knew they were all married, some of them had kids, too. They had lives, people who loved them, and they wanted to make it home to them in one piece.

Just like she wanted to make it home to her Cyber Team family.

But she didn't want that at the expense of someone else’s life.

A bullet whizzed past her close enough that she could feel its heat as it brushed across her arm, and she squeaked and went down. Her knees hit the hard ground with a thud that reverberated through her body.

As badly as she wanted to keep running, her legs were already shaking badly enough that she wasn't sure she could.

Like he had been ever since he found her in the life raft, Nathaniel was there, hauling her to her feet, throwing her over his shoulder, and taking off at top speed with her bouncing along for the ride.

Pain spiraled through her body with each bounce, but it was fear that was dominating right now.

Gripping onto Nathaniel’s shirt in an attempt to steady herself, when Ava lifted her head she saw a figure moving in the trees behind them.

Right where the shots were coming from.

“Nathaniel!” she screamed, needing to alert him to the fact that danger lurked behind them but not able to get any more words out than his name.

Apparently, that was enough.

Without missing a single stride, without stumbling, or losing his balance, Nathaniel spun, fired off a shot, then turned back around the way he’d been going and kept running like nothing had happened.

Just like that, he’d killed someone.

Eliminated a threat.

For her.

The roar of the helicopter grew louder, and all Ava wanted was for all eight of them to be on board, away from the shooting, away from the danger, heading home where they would all be safe.

But safety seemed so far away.

How were they going to get up onto the helo without someone getting hit?

“Almost there, Aves,” Nathaniel’s voice cut through not only the roar of the approaching helicopter but the thrumming of fear inside her head.

They might be almost there, but they weren't close enough for her liking.

Almost meant someone could still die.

Since Nathaniel had taken out the man following them, there were no more bullets, and slowly Ava allowed herself to relax. They were almost to the helo, Nathaniel had comms on him, and as soon as they were in the other guys would come, and then they’d all be heading home.

It was doable.

Totally doable.

And she let herself believe that this ordeal was nearly over. Even after she escaped and got onto that life raft, and even after Nathaniel found her, she still hadn't quite believed that she was truly saved, that she’d be going home.

But now it was so close she could taste it.

They reached a small clearing, and she saw the helicopter hovering above it, a rope slowly lowering to them. Nathaniel set her on her feet, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly enough that Ava winced.

Bending his knees so they were eye to eye he made sure he had her full attention before speaking. “We’ll go up together. There’s a chance—a good chance—that they’ll try shooting at us as soon as we get moving. I'm not going to lie to you, Aves, we’ll be sitting ducks up there, but I will shoot at anything that shoots at us.”

What she translated in her mind was that he was going to use his body as a human shield to try to protect her from bullets.

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