Special Forces Savior by Janie Crouch Page A

if he had to. “Can you walk?”
    They’d work on walking first. Hopefully she could run, too. He helped her sit up on the cot, noticing every wince. But she didn’t stop or hesitate as he got her up onto her feet.
    But she swayed and would’ve fallen if Derek didn’t have an arm around her. He needed to know exactly what type of injuries they were dealing with. And Molly seemed to have a hard time staying awake. Head trauma?
    “Molls, I need you to focus. Can you tell me the worst of your injuries? Do I need to carry you?”
    It would make things harder, but Derek was prepared to do it. And despite the kiss that seemed to have rooted from a sweet dream, Derek had to face the very real possibility that Molly had been raped while they’d had her here.
    He could see Molly try to gather herself, to concentrate. “My left leg is in a lot of pain—it was kicked—but I don’t think it’s broken. I was drugged. Rohypnol, I think, or something similar. They gave me too much which is why I keep sleeping.”
    It was also probably helping to keep the pain under control, or at least make her not focus on it, so the drug wasn’t totally a bad thing. But too much still in her system so many hours later was definitely a concern. At least it wasn’t a concussion.
    And the question he didn’t want to ask. “Sweetheart, it’s better for me to know now rather than when we’re out in the middle of the jungle on the way to the plane—did they...” He couldn’t get the word out. “Were you sexually assaulted?”
    “No. But it was part of their plan, I know.” Her huge brown eyes were laced with terror. “But you got here in time.”
    Derek closed his eyes. Yes, he was thankful. But they weren’t out of the woods yet. Literally or figuratively.
    A low whisper came through the headpiece that was attached to his radio. “You got her?”
    “Affirmative.”
    “Can she travel?”
    “Affirmative.”
    Derek heard Liam’s short sigh of relief. “Then quit making out or whatever you’re doing and get going toward the wall.”
    “Roger that. Leaving in just a moment.”
    Very few of Belisario’s men were up and around. It was the middle of the night and they had no reason to believe anyone even knew Molly was there, much less expect any sort of rescue attempt.
    Their mistake.
    Derek knelt down and put a pair of tennis shoes that he’d brought on Molly’s feet, since hers were bare. He brought clothes, too, but she was wearing relatively decent clothing, dark yoga pants and a T-shirt, so they weren’t needed. Derek wrapped an arm around her and began hustling her toward the door.
    “Once we’re outside, stay as close as you can to the shadows. This whole place is surrounded by a wall with barbed fencing on top, but there’s one place that has an opening we can fit through. We have to cross to the other side of the estate. Liam is covering us and will meet us there.”
    She nodded and he brought her through the door, deliberately keeping his body between her and the guard who was lying dead outside it. They walked quickly and silently through the dark hallway before Derek cracked the larger outside door, wincing as it made a small sound which seemed to echo in the darkness. Since opening the door slowly seemed to be causing more noise, he jerked it open quickly.
    Derek wasted no time pulling Molly through the doorway and outside, shutting the door quickly behind them. It still made a noise, but an open door would be a sure giveaway that something was amiss.
    Outside was even more dangerous because there could be roving guards, or even someone who just came outside to have a cigarette, who could happen upon them and send this entire operation straight to hell. Knowing Liam was out there with his sniper rifle gave them a certain measure of safety. But if he had to use it, things would be going to pot quick, the sound would notify everyone of their presence.
    Molly was doing her best to stay with him. To get low when he