Page 38 of With One Breath (Blackhawk Security)

Chapter 12

“I know exactly what I’m asking you to do,” Laila said. Jase heard the regret in her voice, but also the determination. She needed to go back to that village and save her students, and if he said no, he knew her resolve to walk there wasn’t an idle threat.

He closed his eyes for a long moment, trying to rein in his frustration. His anger. He and Dev and Cody had put themselves in danger to rescue her, and now she wanted to go back to some tiny village instead of returning to the relative safety of Kabul.

She was right about what she said, a small voice whispered. Your mission here is to help the agents. Protect them.

All he wanted to do was get Laila back to Kabul. Back to safety. Get to know her better.

He swallowed the snort that wanted to escape. He wanted her in his bed. And from the way she’d looked at him, the way she’d touched him, she wanted that, too.

Was that why he’d dismissed her request immediately?

He hoped he wasn’t that shallow but was afraid he might be. “I’m a former SEAL. A CIA Spec Op soldier. I don’t do kind. Or soft.” Which was probably why he’d never been in a serious relationship. The bad-asses didn’t get the happily-ever-afters.

“But I’ll talk to Dev and Cody. We’ll see if we can figure out a safe way to get to your village and extract your girls and their families. But they might not want to leave.”

Laila swallowed. “Maybe they’ll say they don’t want to leave. But my girls are smart. They know what would happen if the Taliban took over. Some of them would want to get out of Al Kamen.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “I’m against this idea. Strongly. I want that on record. But we’ll see what we can figure out.” It would be a suicide mission. Dangerous as hell. But he and Dev and Cody were a good team. On an op, they practically read each other’s minds. They’d figure out if it was even possible. Then they’d come up with a plan.

“Thank you, Jase,” Laila said, going up on her toes and brushing a kiss over his mouth. “I can’t leave them behind. If I didn’t try to save them, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. I’d always wonder what happened to them.”

“Yeah,” he said, his hand stilling as he swept it down her back. In the military, the code was ‘no man left behind’. Laila had that same code. And he had to respect that.

Blowing out a breath, he said. sweeping his hand down her back. “I know, bae. I figured that out about you. You can’t leave anyone behind. Just like I can’t.”

“Yes,” she said, relaxing into him like she belonged there. He held her tightly for a long moment. He was a sap for Laila, and stupid with it. But maybe he and Dev and Cody could figure out a way to make this work.

“Let’s get back to that cave,” he finally said, easing away from her. “They’ve already searched it, so there’s no reason for them to come back. We’re both running on fumes right now. Adrenaline has kept us going, but we’re going to crash soon. You got very little sleep last night and neither did I. We both need to eat an MRE, drink a lot of water and get some sleep before it gets dark. Then we’ll haul ass back to the Humvee and get out of here.”

“Okay,” she said, and he felt her shiver. “Back through that tunnel we go.”

He put his hand on her arm. “I know it freaks you out. But I’ll be in front of you. I know you can make it. You made it through once, and this time we’ll be going toward the light. It’ll be faint, but you’ll see at least a glimmer of brightness. The tough part, where you have to get on your side, is right at the beginning. Once you’re past that?” He brushed another kiss over her mouth. “Piece of cake.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it that,” she murmured. “But I can do this. I’ve done a lot of things in the past twenty-four hours that I’ve never done before.”

Yeah, Laila was tough. Strong. Resourceful. She’d hate going back through this tunnel, but her fear wouldn’t stop her.

“You sure we shouldn’t stay here?” she asked, and her voice wobbled. “It might be safer.”

Even though she was completely freaked out back here, she’d suggested they stay here. Because it might be safer. Laila Burke was unlike any woman he’d ever met.

He reached for her, then drew his hand away. If he touched her now, after hearing that, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to let her go. “Yeah, we need to be in that cave. I need to talk to Dev and Cody, and you should check in with Mel. She’s probably frantic by now. And the SAT phones won’t work back here. Too much rock.”

“Okay,” she said, and in the faint light of the flashlight, the muscle of her neck rippled. “Let’s do this. I assume you’re going first?”

“Damn straight. There’s only one time I don’t go first, bae, and it sure as hell isn’t in this cave. Just like last time, stay close. Touch my ankle every minute so I know you’re back there. It’ll be easier this time. We’ll get past the hardest part first. The rest is just moving through the tunnel. You did it once. This time will be easier.”

“Not sure about that,” she muttered. Then she took a deep breath. Picked up her backpack and clutched it to her chest. Like it was a shield or something.

He swept the flashlight over the rocks to make sure they’d left nothing behind. Glanced at Laila. She’d clenched her teeth. Her hands shook slightly as she gripped the straps of her backpack. But she didn’t say a word.

“I’ll take your pack,” he said gruffly, reaching for it. When she handed it to him, he shoved it into the tunnel, along with his pack and his gun. Then he stared down at Laila. “I’m going to turn the flashlight off once we’re both in the tunnel. I’ll get the packs and the gun through the crevice, then I’ll crawl after them. As soon as you can’t see my boots, start crawling into the opening.”

She was breathing a little too quickly, but she nodded. “I’ll follow you. I’ll stay close. And I’ll touch you every minute or so.”

“Good.” He studied her for a moment, then ran his hands up and down her arms. “You can do this, Laila. You did it once. It’ll be easier this time because you know what it’ll be like.”

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