Page 42 of Kage

Sadly, yes.

Another reason Gray had called me in on the mission.

As soon as we were outside, she slipped the sunglasses on her face, the cap firmly in place. The disguise would only provide so much coverage. The soldiers knew exactly what they were looking for. I was the one behind the eight ball.

That pissed me off.

“Stay right with me, Juliette. Stay quiet and we’ll make it back.”

“You’re scaring me,” she said. “But I trust you.”

Trust.

Maybe trusting anyone was the last thing she should do. As we moved into the clump of trees, I realized I hadn’t been able to spend enough time on intel on her father. In my mind and experience, he was the key. He’d angered someone. Perhaps a deal gone bad. I’d seen and experienced it before, and the end was usually not the one anyone wanted.

That’s where SEAL Team Six had come into play.

And why I was here.

We continued moving toward the hotel. I had my hand on my weapon, prepared to protect her at all costs. She seemed even more vulnerable as she tried to maintain similar long strides. But she was struggling.

“Oh.” Juliette tripped over a branch, falling onto her hands and knees.

Reaching down, I offered her my hand. As soon as she grasped it, I sensed she was injured. She stood, her body swaying and she immediately fell against me.

“Shit.” She barely lifted her head, her small hands gripping my arms igniting another group of sensations. “It’s my knee. I guess you were right.”

She shoved a fallen lock of hair under her cap. Her lips were pursed, her entire body trembling. At least I’d put the fear of God into her.

“Can you walk?”

“I think so.” To prove it to both me and to herself, she took a couple of tentative steps forward, tipping her head over her shoulder after accomplishing the small feat.

Gritting my teeth, I flanked her side, taking her arm just above her elbow. At least she didn’t fight me, taking two more steps. Then a third. That was it. Her knee gave out and her body pitched sideways.

And directly into my arms.

With her hands planted on my chest, she took several gasping breaths and lifted her head. There were tears in her eyes. Emotions had no place in a rescue, but she hadn’t signed up for this bullshit.

There was no time to comfort her, not that I’d be good at it anyway. After pulling the water from her hands, I hid the bag of bottles and the dogfood under a group of bushes. Then I eased my arm under her legs, lifting her into my arms.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting us to safety. You can’t walk.”

“What about the dogfood and the water?” She clutched the bag of cheap clothes close to her chest. Right now, keeping the items safe was the only thing she could control.

“I’ll come back for them.”

“But you can’t do this,” she insisted.

“I can and I will. Whatever is necessary.” I didn’t waste any time arguing with her. We needed to remain in hiding until Stone managed to come through with the plan we’d discussed. There would be a single shot at success, but there was no other choice.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, her eyes never leaving me. I’d sensed her mixed emotions. The woman had no idea what the hell to make of me. Better she didn’t know.

I moved swiftly through the trees, constantly aware of our surroundings. We reached the back of the structure only a couple of minutes later. I stood on the outskirts, able to catch a glimpse of the street and a portion of the parking lot. Nothing came across as a clear warning we’d been compromised.

But everyone could be bought for a price. The sooner we got the fuck out of here, the better.

---