Page 31 of Rogue Voice

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

“Bring her back to thehacienda,” Thorne said authoritatively.

“Thorne—” Dark interjected, but Thorne interrupted.

“It’s the only way. Rogue, get her back before Cruz realizes either of you are gone. Then wait for our fucking signal before getting out again.”

Rogue’s heart sank. He knew Thorne was right. Anything else would put the entire operation at risk. If Cruz realized they were gone, it would increase the danger for the team a hundredfold. He might even escape before they got there, and this would all have been for nothing.

He looked at his watch. Three a.m. He should take Bea back now, while there was still time. But if he took her back, and Cruzor one of the others had noticed her missing, they would assume she was working with them. He’d be signing her death warrant.

As he watched, Bea straightened her spine and forced herself to stand her ground, though her body shook like a leaf. And he’d never been prouder in his life. That settled it for him.No.Never.He wasn’t going to put her in additional danger.

“We’re not going back.”

“Rogue …” Thorne warned. “Whatever’s going on with this girl, this is not about?—”

“I said no. We find a way that doesn’t put her at risk.”

“Tell us where you’re going,” Dark said.

Rogue clicked on the screen. “I’ve sent you our location. We’re heading south from here, on foot.”

“Into the jungle. Give us a few hours. I’ll see what we can?—”

“If something happens to me, get Bea out,” Rogue said, before disconnecting the call. He made his way back to Bea. He felt responsible—completely fucking responsible—for her but it wasn’t just that. When he looked at her, he saw possibilities he’d never imagined. He saw, clear as day, everything she could become if given a chance and he saw what the two of them together could become. It was a strange, unexpected feeling.

“Are we … are we going back?” Bea asked, her voice thin and thready.

He linked his fingers with hers and tightened his hold.

“We’re not going back. We’re going to need to move fast, through the jungle. Can you do that for me, honey?” he finished, pulling on her hand.

“Yes.” There was no hesitation.

“Stay behind me and hold on to my belt. Anything I tell you to do, you do it. No questions asked.”

Though she nodded bravely, her body shook, and Rogue was disgusted at himself. She had been treated wrong, and here he was, doing exactly the same thing to her that others had done.Ordering her around, not giving her a choice. But he needed her safe, dammit. Whatever the cost.

Rogue fisted the knife in his hand and took the lead. He moved fast, slicing at the greenery ahead of them with his right hand, then pulling with his left to clear enough of a path for the two of them to get through. The knife in his hand was insufficient for the wilderness in front of them; he wished he’d thought of grabbing a machete on his way out.

Behind him, Bea’s breaths grew louder, more ragged, but her hand never left the back of his belt. And though Rogue knew she was strong for her size—day after day he’d seen her swim those endless laps—he also knew this couldn’t be easy for the slender young woman. She wasn’t used to the prolonged activity that he was currently demanding of her. Hell, he had eighty pounds of muscle on her; he’d trained for this and even he was finding it tough going, even more so in the dark. Still, she didn’t make a sound, beyond her panting breaths.

They were getting close to the location he’d shared with Dark. There, they’d be able to hide and wait until the team could pick them up. Hope soared within him. Everything was going to be fine. Everything…

In that instant, the sounds of the jungle died out. One moment the jungle was there—the trees saturated with the buzzing of insects, the clicking of bats, the raspy shrieks of creatures Rogue couldn’t identify. The next instant, it was gone.

Rogue stepped out into an unexpected clearing and put his knife down, his arm throbbing mercilessly. He took in the trees and plants, surrounding them on all sides.Where the hell?

“La taza del demonio,” Bea whispered. Her eyes were wider than he’d ever seen them.

La taza?As in, the devil’s toilet?

“That’s what the locals call it,” she whispered, pointing at a raised spot in the middle of the large clearing, “because nobodyknows why it’s here.” The surrounding silence grew, bold and oppressive.

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