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  “Company,” Joe said again, disgust in his tone. “They’re inching up on us.”

  The SUV leaped forward.

  “Straight to the airfield,” Nico told Trace as he glanced out the back of the vehicle to check the position of their tail. “We’ll make it, but it will be close.”

  Mercy gripped the edge of the seat. Why were the Scorpions determined to get their hands on her? She wasn’t important. If the terrorist group wanted to pressure Uncle William, they’d do better to target Charlotte. Her breath caught. Charlotte and the children.

  She twisted in her seat, her hand gripping Nico’s forearm. “You have to warn Charlotte. She needs extra protection.”

  “They’re safe, Mercy. She and her family are at Camp David under heavy guard.”

  Mercy sank back against the seat. “Oh, thank goodness. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to them.”

  Nico turned to glance out the back of the SUV again. “I’ll slow down Hector’s men.”

  “Don’t miss,” Trace said. “Too many houses on this section of road.”

  After readying the RPG, Nico balanced on the window frame, this time facing toward the back of the vehicle. “Hold it steady, Trace.” He aimed and fired.

  Mercy squinted at the flash of bright light followed by an explosion.

  Nico growled as he returned to the SUV’s cab. “Although I eliminated one, there are still two on our six.”

  “Four minutes to the airfield.” Trace dodged around a slow-moving vehicle in their path and surged ahead.

  “Get your gear ready,” Nico told his teammates. “We’ll have to bail and run to the jet.” He turned to Mercy. “We’ll park at the edge of the airfield. Will you be able to run to the plane?”

  “Watch me.”

  He grinned at her, then divided his attention between keeping watch out the left side of the vehicle and the back.

  Moments later, Trace said, “Airfield’s ahead. Jet’s powered up.”

  “Floor it,” Nico said. “I want more than a thirty-second lead.”

  The tires squealed as the operative followed Nico’s order.

  Mercy expected a small airport. Instead, the airfield Trace had mentioned consisted of an airstrip and a small hut with a single light burning over the side door.

  Trace guided the SUV onto the grass and parked at the safest point near the jet. The operatives threw open their doors, grabbed their bags, and bailed from the SUV. Nico wrapped his hand around Mercy’s and grabbed his bag. “Go. I’ll cover you.”

  She opened the door, slid to the ground, and sprinted for the plane. Mercy ignored the pain in her leg. Sam could take a look after they were airborne and her rescuers were safe.

  The pursuing vehicles came to a stop with a squawk of tires. Mercy glanced over her shoulder to see four men from each race vehicle spill out with guns in their hands. Gunfire echoed in the night.

  Nico’s team dropped back to place themselves between Nico and Mercy and Hector’s men. He wrapped his arm around her waist and forced her to run faster.

  As Mercy climbed the first step, something hit her left shoulder, shoving her forward. She gritted her teeth as pain radiated through her body.

  Nico grabbed her and hauled her up the stairs, ignoring her gasp of pain. He helped her to one of the seats, snatched his rifle, returned to the open entrance, and began to fire. Within two minutes, the shots ceased and Nico’s team hurried into the plane with their bags in hand.

  Once the door was secured, Nico pressed the intercom. “Go.” He shoved his bag into the overhead compartment as the plane began to taxi down the strip. “Sam, Mercy’s been shot.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Nico looked at Joe, a ball of ice forming in his stomach. “Help me take Mercy to the back. Trace, tell the pilot we’re flying into Bayside instead of Nashville.”

  The sniper nodded and rose.

  Between them, Nico and Joe maneuvered Mercy down the aisle and to the bedroom at the back of the plane. Sam trailed them with her mike bag.

  “Joe, spread plastic over the bed.” The medic hurried to the bathroom to wash up.

  Nico’s hold on Mercy tightened as her breathing became labored. “Hold on,” he murmured. “Sam will fix you up.”

  “Guess I’ll have a scar to show for my time in Mexico,” she whispered.

  “Badge of honor,” he corrected gently. “You’ll be fine. I promise.”

  “Bed’s ready,” Joe said.

  Sam returned. “Help her to the bed, then leave. I’ll have to remove her shirt. I doubt she’ll be comfortable with you two in here.”

  Nico waited until Mercy was situated on the bed before he tipped his chin at Joe for his teammate to return to the main cabin. When the door closed behind him, Nico crouched beside the bed where Mercy lay on her back. He gripped her bloodstained hand with his own. “I want to stay. If I promise to keep my gaze averted, will you let me?”

  A small smile formed and she gave a slight nod.

  The ice melted. “Thank you for trusting me.” He stood and turned to Sam. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He didn’t know if Sam would need help or not, but he wanted to be clean enough to lend assistance if necessary.

  By the time he returned from washing his hands and face, Sam had cut one sleeve and shoulder from Mercy’s shirt, exposing the wound but leaving her modesty intact. Perfect.

  “Bullet went through her shoulder. I’ll clean it up, use a couple pressure bandages to control the bleeding, and start pumping her full of antibiotics and a pain killer. She’ll hold until Sorensen sees her.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Prepare the IV. We’ll start the fluids, antibiotic, and pain killer before I clean out the wound.” Sam looked at Mercy. “Are you allergic to anything?”

  “Sulfa, morphine, and ibuprofen.”

  The medic blinked. “Wow.”

  Her lips curved. “That’s what my doctor says. I’m allergic to all the helpful drugs.”

  Sam told Nico what to pull from the jet’s medicine supply as she examined Mercy’s wound. She sighed. “I’ll have to flush this out, Mercy. I won’t lie. This will hurt. Can’t be helped, though. The bullet dragged bits of cloth into your shoulder. Pain meds in the IV will help, but you’ll feel this.”

  After Nico readied the IV, he handed everything to Sam and sat on the bed beside Mercy. He wrapped his hand around hers. While the medic located a vein and inserted the needle, then administered a local anesthetic to deaden the area around the wound, Nico said, “Start from the beginning and tell me what happened.” He wanted to know who to hunt in Rio Azul. He’d make sure the people who hurt her never hurt anyone else again. He wanted her safe. The only way to do that was to rid the world of the thugs’ presence. Permanently.

  While Mercy talked, her muscles relaxed as the pain meds kicked in. Nico nodded at Sam. The meds had been in her system long enough to make Sam’s ministration at least tolerable.

  Mercy’s face paled when the medic flushed the wound. “Stay with me,” Nico said softly. “This will be over soon and you can sleep. Tell me more about your abduction. You said the clowns who grabbed you jabbed a needle in your neck. Did you wake up en route to Rio Azul?”

  She shook her head. “I woke up in the cave where you found me. Miguel, one of the guards, dragged me out and down the hillside to see Hector.”

  “I saw the recording he sent to your uncle. Did he say anything or question you off camera?”

  “No. He was furious when I wouldn’t cooperate.”

  “You figured out he would kill you if he got what he wanted, didn’t you?”

  “My husband told me that terrorists have no reason to keep you alive if they learn what they want to know.”

  Nico froze. In a neutral voice, he said, “Husband?”

  Sadness filled Mercy’s eyes. “I’m a widow. Aiden died in combat two years ago. His Humvee rolled over an IED in Afghanistan. No one survived.”

  “I’m sorry. He was Army?�
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  A nod. “A Ranger.” She hissed and arched away from the bed as Sam flushed more fluid into the wound.

  “Sorry,” Sam murmured. “I’m going to roll you toward Nico and place a bandage on the back of your shoulder.”

  “Let us do the work, Mercy.” Nico worked with his medic to shift the president’s niece to her side. He held Mercy in place with a hand on her waist to steady her as Sam ripped open the package and applied the pressure bandage.

  After cleaning blood from the plastic covering, they rolled Mercy to her back again and applied a pressure bandage to the exit wound.

  Sam pulled off her rubber gloves and tossed them in the waste bin she’d positioned near the bed, then pitched the rest of the debris in as well. After flicking a glance at her team leader, she squeezed Mercy’s hand briefly. “Do you feel like eating anything?”

  A head shake. “Wouldn’t be wise. My stomach is unsettled.”

  “I’ll add nutrients and something for nausea to your IV. Do you have other injuries I need to treat?”

  “Check my left calf. I think I cut it when Miguel shoved me into the cave after I talked to Hector.”

  Nico rolled Mercy to her side again and held her in place while Sam raised her pant leg and examined her calf.

  “This is going to need stitches.”

  Mercy grimaced. “Hate needles.”

  “Yeah? What a coincidence. So does Nico.” She grabbed another pair of gloves and tugged them on.

  Mercy eyed him. “You don’t look like you’re afraid of anything.”

  He winked at her. “Maybe one day I’ll tell you what I’m really afraid of.”

  Sam bent closer to her patient’s leg. “Little stick,” she murmured and administered a local anesthetic. “When this is numb, I’ll clean the cut and stitch it. Shouldn’t take more than four or five to close the wound.” The medic turned away to get more supplies and add meds to the IV bag.

  “Do you and your team work for the government?” Mercy asked Nico.

  “Sometimes.”

  Her brow furrowed. “You’re not military?”

  “Most of us are former military and law enforcement. We work for a private security organization.”

  She thought about that a moment. “Why would Uncle William ask your organization to rescue me instead of a Special Forces teams in the military?”

  “Hector claimed to have a source inside the Pentagon. If he was telling the truth, Martin couldn’t send a military unit after you without the mole alerting the terrorists. Hector would have killed you before the team set foot in Mexico.”

  “Can you feel this?” Sam asked.

  “Just pressure.”

  “Good. Keep talking to Nico while I take care of this.”

  “Who do you work for?” Mercy asked.

  “Fortress Security.” His gaze sharpened when her breath caught. Pain from Sam’s work or something else? “What is it?”

  “Aiden wanted to work for Brent Maddox. He’d planned to interview for a job after he mustered out. He was killed a month before his time in the military ended. He said applying for a job there was by invitation only, and he was proud of the fact he’d been asked to come for an interview.”

  Although she fell silent and closed her eyes, Mercy didn’t let go of his hand. Pleased, Nico’s thumb stroked the back of her hand in a soothing motion, reminding her he was there for her.

  Unable to tear his gaze from her face for some reason, he gave into the madness and memorized her features. Long lashes feathered against her fair skin. Her bow-shaped lips were perfect for kissing. High cheek bones, cute button nose. Altogether, Mercy Powers was beautiful. Add that to her spine of steel, sharp brain, and never-quit attitude, the woman fascinated him and made other women he’d met pale in comparison.

  He reminded himself that she was off limits to him. A job, nothing more. He frowned, not liking the lurch of his heart at that thought. No matter what he might want or wish, Mercy had a life of her own and when this job was done and she was safe, Nico would probably never see her again.

  Sam straightened. “Finished.” She removed her supplies, pitched the trash into the garbage along with her gloves. “Roll her to her back.”

  Mercy’s eyes opened as they settled her flat on the bed again. “Thanks, Sam.”

  “If you need anything, tell Nico.” She turned her gaze toward him. “Let me know if she develops a fever or something changes. I’ll check on her in an hour.” After she squeezed Mercy’s hand, she left the bedroom.

  “I should leave you to rest.” He tightened his grip on her hand. “I’ll go if you want me to, but I’d like to stay with you.”

  “Don’t go,” she whispered, her eyelids drooping.

  Nico scooted closer until his thigh pressed against her shoulder and he could stroke her hair easily. “Sleep, Mercy. I’ll watch over you.”

  “Tired. Afraid to sleep in Mexico.”

  “Understandable and smart.” He wouldn’t have slept, either. “Rest now. I’ll be here.”

  She sighed and drifted to sleep while Nico’s fingers threaded through her hair. The silken strands caught on his calluses, reminding him that they were from two different worlds.

  Mercy was stable and asleep. He should leave. But everything in him rejected that logic. Nico had promised to keep an eye on her, and she was his responsibility. He’d see this through. He assured himself this didn’t have anything to do with the fact that she was beautiful and vulnerable. He sighed. When had he started lying to himself?

  An hour later, Sam tapped lightly on the bedroom door and stuck her head in. “How is she?”

  “No change. She fell asleep right after you left. She was afraid to sleep while she was being held hostage.”

  “I don’t blame her. I’ll be back in an hour to check the IV.”

  Nico settled against the headboard and allowed himself to fall into a light sleep. Shadow had spent much of their flight time studying maps and satellite photos, and planning contingencies. A soft moan woke him sometime later. He looked down at Mercy, frowned. Her face was beaded with sweat.

  He felt her forehead. Oh, man. She was burning up with fever. Nico eased away from her and opened the door. “Sam.”

  The medic appeared seconds later. “What’s wrong?”

  “Fever.”

  She checked Mercy. “I’ll give her a stronger antibiotic and check her wounds. Take a break and tell the pilot to find a good tailwind.”

  Although reluctant to leave Mercy, he needed to visit the head and stretch his legs. “I’ll be back soon.”

  “I’ll stay with her until you return.” Amusement lit her gaze.

  Face hot, he left the bedroom. After visiting the facilities, he detoured to talk to the pilot. On his return trip from the cockpit, Nico snagged two bottles of water.

  “How is your girl?” Joe asked.

  His girl. Although inaccurate, he liked the sound of that. “Fever.”

  The spotter grimaced. “Sorry to hear that. Sam and Sorensen will pull her through.”

  With a nod, Nico continued down the aisle. Before he reached the bedroom, he called Zane.

  “Yeah, Murphy.”

  “We rescued the package and we’re en route to Bayside. Call Sorensen and tell him we’re bringing him a customer.”

  “Who?”

  “One of Hector’s men nailed Mercy in the shoulder. Through-and-through.”

  “How bad?”

  “Sam cleaned the wound and bandaged it. Says Mercy will hold until we reach the States. She’s developed a fever, though.”

  “No one else hurt?”

  “Negative. Hector lost twenty men tonight. He won’t be happy.”

  “I’ll update Maddox and Sorensen. The safe house is fully stocked with food plus clothes for Mercy. I talked to Charlotte and made sure the supplies included things that your principal likes and finds comforting.”

  “Thanks, Z.” He ended the call and walked into the bedroom to see Sam bending over the b
ed trying to hold Mercy still. He set down the water and laid his hand on Mercy’s cheek. She stilled.

  Sam straightened with a bemused expression on her face. “You have the magic touch. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  While she was gone, Nico returned to his original position on the bed with his thigh pressed to Mercy’s shoulder. “You will be fine. Your body is fighting off an infection.”

  “Nico,” she whispered.

  “Right here. I left to get water and talk to the pilot.”

  Mercy sighed and settled back to sleep.

  Nico’s heart turned over. No one had ever accused him of being comforting. This woman, however, seemed to gravitate to him where others rejected him as being too harsh and jaded.

  Sam returned with a plastic container and a washcloth in her hands. She disappeared into the bathroom. A moment later, Nico heard the water running. When Sam entered the bedroom again, she placed the container now filled with water on the nightstand by the bed and handed Nico the cloth. “Bathe her face and neck with cool water. We need to bring down the fever. I strung up a new IV with a stronger antibiotic. Do you want me to stay and help?”

  Nico noted the pallor of his medic’s face and the fatigue evident in her posture. “I’ve got this. Go sleep. I’ll get you if Mercy grows worse.”

  A nod. “I’ll check back in a couple hours.”

  After Sam left, Nico dunked the cloth in water and wrung it out. As soon as he began to smooth the damp fabric over her face, Mercy shivered. “I know it’s cold,” he murmured. “We have to reduce your fever so you’ll be more comfortable.”

  He spent the rest of the flight alternately wiping her face and neck, and praying she’d survive long enough to reach Bayside.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  By the time the plane landed in Texas, Nico’s muscles were knotted with the need to do something, anything, to alleviate Mercy’s suffering. She had spent several hours alternating between shivering in misery and sleeping fitfully. He’d bathed her face and neck with cool water, and tucked blankets around her during the times when she was freezing, none of it enough. Throughout the flight to Bayside, Nico’s teammates had checked in every hour, insisting that he take short breaks to stretch his legs. Every time he left, Mercy was restless until he returned, laid his hand on her cheek, and reassured her that he was with her. Her trust in him sank hooks into his heart. Would she feel the same if she knew the real Nico Rivera?