Securing Avery, page 5
One second she was floating like one of the loose branches around her, and the next, someone grabbed her wrist and tugged—hard.
She let out a small scream before her head went under the water. But just as soon as she went under, the person had their arm around her chest and was towing her to the bank. Avery grabbed onto the strong forearm across her chest and dug in what was left of her fingernails. She wanted to struggle. Wanted to do whatever she could to save herself from being captured again, but her body wouldn’t cooperate.
“I’ve got you, Lieutenant!” a deep voice shouted from above her head.
Every muscle in her body went limp. It was Phantom.
But a second later, she started fighting again. “Cole!” she managed to get out between waves.
“Safe!” Phantom yelled back.
Relaxing once more, Avery let herself be towed across the river toward shore. When she felt Phantom’s arm unwind from around her, she tried to sit up to help him, but it was no use. Her body was completely exhausted.
She looked up into his worried face and felt his beard dripping water onto her as he reached for her, but after that, everything went black.
Chapter Five
Rex watched Phantom grab hold of Avery before she was completely washed downstream away from them and start to head back to shore.
He knew he’d come very close to dying. He couldn’t reach the branch his pack had snagged on, and the force of the water wouldn’t allow him to turn over or to keep his head above water for longer than a few seconds at a time. He’d been weakening, and it wouldn’t have been long before he no longer had the strength to lift his head out of the rushing water at all.
Then he’d felt something hammering along his back. Before he’d even realized it was Avery, she’d managed to break the small branch holding him captive, and he’d catapulted downstream. Phantom had caught him and helped him into the slower-moving water closer to shore, then he’d gone after Avery.
Rex had followed their progress from his position and held his breath until Phantom had grabbed Avery’s hand and begun hauling her in. He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been until right that second.
He floated down to Phantom and Avery just as they reached the shoreline. Rex had no idea how far downstream they’d gotten, but for now, it was going to have to be enough. Both he and Phantom had lost their radios to the rushing water, but they’d worry about that later.
He saw the second Avery went unconscious. Standing on his own shaky legs, he helped Phantom drag her to dry land. Once he reassured himself that Avery was breathing and had a heartbeat, Rex allowed himself to crash for just a moment. He shrugged off the pack and fell to his back on the mud-soaked shoreline. Phantom did the same.
“Shit, man,” Phantom said after a long moment. “I couldn’t get to you. The rapids were too strong.”
“I know,” Rex said. And he did. He’d seen his teammate trying frantically to swim upstream toward him, but knew he’d never make it.
“She shouldn’t have been able to do what she did,” Phantom continued. “Not after all she’s already been through. Not with cracked ribs. Not with no food for two weeks. No fucking way.”
“But she did,” Rex said softly, sitting up. “We need to get away from the river.”
Phantom nodded. They were all soaking wet, but would dry soon enough in the warm desert air. Rex took Avery’s pulse once more and, satisfied it was normal, that she was simply exhausted after everything that had happened, he picked her up with one arm under her knees and the other behind her back. She was tall, but not too heavy for him. Phantom helped get her settled in his arms, placing her head on Rex’s shoulder and tucking her arms in front of her. Then he picked up both packs and the trio started walking away from the river.
Ten minutes later, Avery stirred in Rex’s arms. She came to slowly, as if her body was reluctant to emerge from its much-needed sleep.
One second she was deadweight in his arms, and the next she was flailing, trying to get away from him.
Rex immediately went down on one knee. If she squirmed out of his hold, he didn’t want her to get hurt by falling to the ground. “Easy, Avery, it’s Rex…er…Cole. You’re safe.”
She stilled and her eyes opened. She was squinting, the sunglasses she’d been wearing lost to the river. “Cole?” she asked in a tentative voice.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
Then she surprised him by reaching up with one hand and palming his cheek. “Are you all right?”
Rex heard Phantom give a startled snort behind him, but he didn’t take his eyes from Avery’s. “Yeah, I’m good. Thanks to you.”
She looked around. “And Phantom?”
“I’m here. And I’m fine too,” Phantom said, stepping to the side so she could see him.
The longer she was awake, the more aware she became. Rex knew the second she realized he was holding her because her hand dropped and she wiggled a bit. “Were you carrying me? I can walk.”
“You passed out,” Rex told her. “We needed to get away from the river.”
“Oh.” She tried to sit up. “I’m okay now.”
Ignoring her, Rex stood up again and began walking.
“Cole? Did you hear me?”
“I heard you,” he told her. “I’m just ignoring you.”
She sighed in frustration, and Rex had to hold back the smile that was threatening to break free.
“I could order you to put me down so I can walk,” she said.
“You could,” Rex agreed. Then added, “But I’d ignore the order, so you might as well save your breath.”
She was quiet for a minute or so before asking, “How far do we have to go?”
“Not sure,” Rex said. “We need to get far enough away from the river so if we were followed, the insurgents don’t have a good idea of where we might’ve gone. We also need to get to higher ground. We lost our radios in the river, so we’re going to have to use the sat phones we’ve got in our packs to contact the rest of the team and arrange for extraction.”
“Will they still work?” she asked. “I mean, after getting wet in the river?”
Rex nodded. “We’ve got dry bags inside the packs holding the phones and other odds and ends that wouldn’t survive a dunking. Bandages, water purification tablets, that sort of thing.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Speaking of which, Phantom, can you grab another gel pack for Avery?”
“Sure thing,” the other man said. A minute or so later, he came up beside them and handed another one of the high-calorie, protein, and carbohydrate gels to Avery. He’d already torn off the top.
She took it with a grimace.
“I know they aren’t the best-tasting thing in the world, but your body needs it,” Rex told her gently.
She nodded. “I know, but I’m really not that hungry, believe it or not, and as you saw, my body didn’t like the last one.”
“I get it. Your body hasn’t swallowed anything other than water in over two weeks. Take very small sips and do your best to see how much you can get down.”
One of the things Rex liked most about Avery was that she didn’t complain for the sake of complaining. Hell, she didn’t bitch about her situation at all. She was a credit to the US Navy.
They walked on, and as Avery did her best to consume the energy gel, he and Phantom discussed their next course of action.
“We have to assume the insurgents saw Avery with us,” Phantom said. “They’ll be all over this area by morning. Especially since we weren’t able to get out on the other side of the river like we’d planned.”
“Agreed. So I’m thinking we double back and head for the same mountain we just left,” Rex said.
Phantom thought for a minute, then nodded. “That’s a good plan. They’ll expect us to have gotten out on the other side, then double back and head for the base and presumed safety, but I don’t think they’d guess in a million years we’d go right back to where we’d started.”
“Just tell me we aren’t going to spend the night inside a cave,” Avery pleaded softly.
Rex shared a look with Phantom. Using a cave for shelter was the smartest option. They could light a fire to help dry their clothes and other things in their packs that had gotten wet. They’d also be hidden from any drones flying overhead. But it was obvious by the slight tremor in Avery’s voice that it would do her psyche more harm than good.
Rex opened his mouth to reassure her that, no, they wouldn’t be sleeping in a cave, when she shook her head.
“Sorry, ignore me. A cave makes the most sense, tactically. The last thing we want is to be out in the open.”
Surprisingly, Phantom commented before Rex could. “No. That’s exactly what they’d expect us to do. And the last thing we want is to be predictable. Besides, you’ve already seen what Afghanistan has to offer in the way of cave hospitality. We need to expand your horizons.”
Rex tightened his hold on Avery as she smirked. “Right. Maybe we can find a three- or four-star hotel while we’re walking around. I could use a nice long soak in a hot tub and a massage.”
Amazingly, Phantom chuckled. “I’m not sure about that. A rent-by-the-hour motel is probably more the speed you’re gonna get.”
She was quiet for a moment before saying in a low, earnest tone, “Thank you for coming for me.”
“You’re one of us,” Phantom said simply. “We protect our own.”
“Besides, once we heard it was you, there was nothing that was going to keep us away,” Rex added.
He looked down at her—and knew he’d never forget this moment for the rest of his life. Her auburn hair was in complete disarray. It had begun to dry and wisps were curling around her face. She was still very pale, which made her freckles stand out even more on her nose and cheeks. He could feel her ribs clearly through her shirt under his arm and the bruises on her face stood out in stark contrast to her skin tone, the greens and purples almost obscene. He knew the pain she must’ve felt when she’d received them had been intense.
But she was smiling.
Some people would be complaining about each and every ache. She could’ve been paralyzed with fear that she was being hunted by a mob of men who wanted to kill her. She’d just survived being starved, beaten, and buried alive. Not to mention the frantic and frightening run down an Afghani class-four rapid, where she’d almost saw him die in front of her.
But she was fucking smiling.
“Once I heard it was you, nothing was going to keep me away,” he clarified.
He saw her interest. The same connection he felt toward Avery was reflected back in her eyes.
“Yeah, he was pissed he hadn’t asked you out. And a SEAL never fails. So he had to come all the way over here to see if you wanted to have a coffee or something,” Phantom teased.
Rex looked over at his friend in disbelief. Phantom wasn’t a kidder. Didn’t really join in the good-natured teasing he and the others engaged in from time to time. For him to be bantering with Avery so much was way out of character.
Ever since their mission to Timor-Leste, Phantom had been out of sorts. Something was bothering him about their time there. He felt as if he’d missed something during that mission. They’d all sat down and tried to review everything they’d done, but it still hadn’t helped. Phantom had even recently admitted he was going to see a hypnotist, to see if that would jog his memory, but because of their frequent missions, he hadn’t had a chance yet.
“Well, he still hasn’t asked me,” Avery said with another smile. “I mean, I proposed the idea to him, but I’m not sure he ever really answered.”
Rex thought back to when they were inside the cave together and realized he hadn’t answered her. “I think I’ve got some coffee packets in my bag. We can have a nice hot cup of joe tonight when we get settled.”
She chuckled, and the sound made his belly do summersaults. It was crazy to be this attracted to someone. Rex had liked her for months before now, but seeing how calm she’d been under pressure so far, and her positive attitude, made him realize he’d had no idea how truly amazing she was. And he mentally kicked his own ass for not acting on his attraction for her earlier.
“Deal,” she said with a nod. “I could use a good cup of coffee.”
“I didn’t say it would be good,” Rex warned with a grin.
They walked for another couple of hours. Avery insisted on being put down and reluctantly Rex complied. They could probably move faster with him carrying her, but he understood more than most the psychological importance of being able to carry your own weight. Avery managed to get down three more of the gel packets while they walked. And while he and Phantom watched her like a hawk for signs of faltering, she continued on as if she went for hikes in the hot desert after being starved and beaten all her life.
The sun was setting when they finally found a place to hole up for the night. It wasn’t a cave, but it afforded some protection. There were at least a hundred large boulders strewn across a dusty landscape near the foot of the mountain they would be climbing the next day. They could hunker down next to some of the bigger ones and soak in the heat they’d absorbed during the day and blend in with their surroundings.
They wouldn’t be able to build a fire or use their lights, just in case the insurgents were nearby and looking for them, but they’d be as safe as they could be, under the circumstances. When it got dark, Phantom would climb up the mountain and see if he could get reception on the satellite phone to touch base with the rest of the team and arrange to be picked up.
Rex got Avery settled, happy to see her relaxing for the moment, and he and Phantom got to work emptying their packs and spreading out the clothes that needed drying. He gave Avery another gel packet and his canteen while he prepared an MRE.
Then the three of them sat down to eat.
Rex had known hunger. He and his SEALs had been POWs before, and he could even remember during hell week of SEAL training how hungry he’d been. But he’d never gone two weeks without food. Hadn’t had to hike miles in the heat without eating afterward. Had never saved someone’s life after being beaten and starved.
When Avery was handed the hot pasta from the MRE, she didn’t gulp it down like the starving woman she was. She very daintily ate the elbow noodles one forkful at a time, pausing between bites to take sips of water.
Doing his best not to stare, Rex quickly swallowed his own meal, hardly tasting it.
Before she’d finished even half the noodles, Avery set the MRE aside and claimed she was full. Rex wasn’t surprised. Her stomach had most certainly shrunk, and she wouldn’t be able to eat regular-size meals for a while.
“In about an hour, you can see if you can eat some more,” he told her, reaching for her uneaten portion. “I’ll wrap this up until you’re ready.”
Nodding, Avery rested her head against the rock behind her.
“Can I take a look at your feet before it gets too dark to see?” Rex asked. “We need to let those socks dry out the rest of the way anyway.”
Avery hesitantly nodded. “They hurt, but I don’t think it’s anything serious,” she told him.
Rex didn’t bother commenting. He wanted to see for himself. He knew Avery well enough by now to know she’d downplay her injuries.
He unlaced her boots and gently eased the socks off. Her feet were wrinkled from walking in wet socks, and he winced anew at the scrapes and welts on her soles.
Phantom handed him some antiseptic wipes and Rex methodically cleaned her up the best he could. As far as he could tell, she didn’t have any cuts deep enough to warrant stitches, but he made a mental note to keep watch just in case they got infected.
Throughout his care of her feet, Avery didn’t say a word, merely watched him with an inscrutable look on her face. When he was finished and had replaced her damp socks with a dry pair that had been inside one of the waterproof bags in his backpack, she said, “You’re good at that.”
Rex shrugged. “Lots of experience.”
Knowing she shouldn’t be drinking coffee, that she should instead be filling her stomach with more nutritional fare, but wanting to give her something to smile about, he reached for one of the instant packets of coffee that came inside an MRE. He used the heating pack from an MRE to warm up some water and handed her a cup of the strong brew when he was finished preparing it.
He watched, contentment filling him, as she inhaled deeply before bringing the mug up to her mouth. He could watch her inherent joy for life all day and never get tired of it. She truly enjoyed the little things, and it reminded him that he should do the same more often.
“This is seriously the most amazing cup of coffee I’ve ever had,” she said softly after she’d taken a sip.
Rex snorted. “It’s shit, Avery. If you think that’s good, you’re going to flip over the double-chocolate espresso I can make you from fresh beans at my house.”
She groaned. “God…chocolate. I would kill for some right about now.”
Phantom reached into his MRE packet and pulled out a Hershey’s Kiss. It was mostly melted and smushed. “No need for murder,” he said as he held it out on his palm.
Avery moved faster than Rex had seen her move thus far and snatched the candy from Phantom’s hand. She carefully put down her coffee and peeled back the foil on the chocolate. Rex watched in amusement as she sucked the melted candy into her mouth, then licked every bit of the chocolate off the wrapper. When she was done, she smiled huge at them both.
“I’m feeling very spoiled,” she said. “First coffee, now chocolate. You sure do know how to treat a girl.”
Rex scowled. Instead of her words making him feel good, as intended, they did the opposite. She’d been through hell. And they not only hadn’t gotten her back to the base so she could get medical attention, they’d pushed her body so hard she’d passed out from exhaustion. Then made her walk for miles through the desert. It wasn’t like they’d done it for fun, but that didn’t make his guilt lessen.
