and, helpless to stop himself, watched her sleep.
HELL, YEAH, HE’LL come after us with a helo.
His men are hunting us. They’ll come after us in a helo.
Hell, yeah, he’ll come after us.
In a helicopter.
A helicopter.
Natalie jerked awake on a jolt of adrenaline, only to find that she hadn’t been dreaming. From somewhere overhead came the deep whir of chopper. And it was getting nearer.
“Easy, Natalie.” Zach sat beside her in the driver’s seat.
“They don’t know we’re here. They’re just coming in for a closer look.”
Heart thudding, she sat upright. “How do you know it’s the Zetas?”
“They passed over once already at a higher altitude. I can’t imagine anyone else wanting to circle back to get a closer look at this bridge. Time to move. Come on.”
Her mind fogged by sleep, Natalie had no idea what he meant. “Where are we going?”
“We’re getting out of the car and into position just in case they land.” AK-47 in hand, he climbed out, then retrieved a bag of gear from the backseat.
She followed him, scrambling up the embankment to where it met the underside of the bridge, crouching down beside him and watching as he opened the duffel bag and drew out weapons one at a time. He checked each one as he went, talking quickly, his hoarse voice taking on an almost businesslike tone.
“If they land, we’ll have no choice but to engage them. I’ll be at that side of the bridge, trying to take them out as they disembark.” He pointed to his right. “Your job is to stay here and keep an eye on the other side in case someone escapes my fire and tries to circle around that way. The objective is simple—shoot to kill. There could be as many as seven of them, so we’re outnumbered. But we have the tactical advantage.”
There wasn’t time to ask what he meant by that.
He handed her an AK-47 and a pistol. “The AK is on full auto. Just hold down the trigger and spray back and forth. And you remember how to use the pistol?”
Natalie stared down at the heavy weapons in her hands, a sense of unreality coming over her. Was this ever going to end? “Yes, but I . . .”
The helicopter seemed to beat down on them now.
Zach tucked a finger beneath her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his. “You didn’t bring this on yourself, Natalie, but you’re in it now. You’re going to have to stand strong if you want to get home again. Understand?”
There was no reproach in his eyes, only concern, his dark eyebrows knit together in a frown, his voice as reassuring as it had been when she’d been locked in that cell.
She drew a deep breath, tried to force her fear aside. “Go. I’ll be fine.”
But he didn’t go. Instead, he lowered his head—and kissed her.
It was barely a brushing of lips, and it lasted for only a second. But for that brief second the world disappeared. There was no helicopter. There were no Zetas. There was only Zach and the shock of his lips against hers. And then it was over. Astonished, Natalie stared after him as he hurried away, his head bent low, duffel bag in hand.
He kissed you, girl.
So she hadn’t imagined it earlier. When he’d been helping her to cool off, she’d opened her eyes to find him leaning over her, his lips so close to hers and . . .
But now the helicopter was on top of them, and there was time to think of nothing else. To her right, Zach got into position, lying on his belly, his head toward the top of the embankment, his legs spread wide, toes dug into the dirt. He adjusted something on his AK-47, another rifle at his side, spare magazines tucked in the back of his jeans.
The seconds crept by.
The metallic whirring of the chopper’s propeller.
The thrumming of her own heartbeat.
The cold weight of a gun in her hand.
Then the helicopter lifted into the sky, the deep pulse of its rotors disappearing into the distance.
CHAPTER 8
THE SUN WAS setting by the time Carlos finally arrived, the western horizon turning a pale shade of
HELL, YEAH, HE’LL come after us with a helo.
His men are hunting us. They’ll come after us in a helo.
Hell, yeah, he’ll come after us.
In a helicopter.
A helicopter.
Natalie jerked awake on a jolt of adrenaline, only to find that she hadn’t been dreaming. From somewhere overhead came the deep whir of chopper. And it was getting nearer.
“Easy, Natalie.” Zach sat beside her in the driver’s seat.
“They don’t know we’re here. They’re just coming in for a closer look.”
Heart thudding, she sat upright. “How do you know it’s the Zetas?”
“They passed over once already at a higher altitude. I can’t imagine anyone else wanting to circle back to get a closer look at this bridge. Time to move. Come on.”
Her mind fogged by sleep, Natalie had no idea what he meant. “Where are we going?”
“We’re getting out of the car and into position just in case they land.” AK-47 in hand, he climbed out, then retrieved a bag of gear from the backseat.
She followed him, scrambling up the embankment to where it met the underside of the bridge, crouching down beside him and watching as he opened the duffel bag and drew out weapons one at a time. He checked each one as he went, talking quickly, his hoarse voice taking on an almost businesslike tone.
“If they land, we’ll have no choice but to engage them. I’ll be at that side of the bridge, trying to take them out as they disembark.” He pointed to his right. “Your job is to stay here and keep an eye on the other side in case someone escapes my fire and tries to circle around that way. The objective is simple—shoot to kill. There could be as many as seven of them, so we’re outnumbered. But we have the tactical advantage.”
There wasn’t time to ask what he meant by that.
He handed her an AK-47 and a pistol. “The AK is on full auto. Just hold down the trigger and spray back and forth. And you remember how to use the pistol?”
Natalie stared down at the heavy weapons in her hands, a sense of unreality coming over her. Was this ever going to end? “Yes, but I . . .”
The helicopter seemed to beat down on them now.
Zach tucked a finger beneath her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his. “You didn’t bring this on yourself, Natalie, but you’re in it now. You’re going to have to stand strong if you want to get home again. Understand?”
There was no reproach in his eyes, only concern, his dark eyebrows knit together in a frown, his voice as reassuring as it had been when she’d been locked in that cell.
She drew a deep breath, tried to force her fear aside. “Go. I’ll be fine.”
But he didn’t go. Instead, he lowered his head—and kissed her.
It was barely a brushing of lips, and it lasted for only a second. But for that brief second the world disappeared. There was no helicopter. There were no Zetas. There was only Zach and the shock of his lips against hers. And then it was over. Astonished, Natalie stared after him as he hurried away, his head bent low, duffel bag in hand.
He kissed you, girl.
So she hadn’t imagined it earlier. When he’d been helping her to cool off, she’d opened her eyes to find him leaning over her, his lips so close to hers and . . .
But now the helicopter was on top of them, and there was time to think of nothing else. To her right, Zach got into position, lying on his belly, his head toward the top of the embankment, his legs spread wide, toes dug into the dirt. He adjusted something on his AK-47, another rifle at his side, spare magazines tucked in the back of his jeans.
The seconds crept by.
The metallic whirring of the chopper’s propeller.
The thrumming of her own heartbeat.
The cold weight of a gun in her hand.
Then the helicopter lifted into the sky, the deep pulse of its rotors disappearing into the distance.
CHAPTER 8
THE SUN WAS setting by the time Carlos finally arrived, the western horizon turning a pale shade of
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