She shrugged.“It wasn’t a picnic.More often than not, I ate lunch alone, or with one or two other kids who’d also been shunned by the cliques.I also spent a lot of time with my laptop while the other kids played outside.By high school, I was known as that weird, pasty, geeky girl who sat in the front row but never spoke in class.The mean girls called me Twitchy because of the time I had a seizure in the lunchroom.”Her blood pressure spiked at the memory.The incident happened way back in sixth grade, but the nickname followed her all the way to her high school graduation ceremony.
Navarre frowned.“Mean girls suck.”
“Tell me about it.”She was touched by his indignation over something that happened so long ago.Overhead, the tree canopy thinned even further, allowing more light to reach the forest floor.“But it wasn’t all bad.It gave me the opportunity to get really good with computers.I was writing code in middle school, and now I get paid fairly well to do something I enjoy.Not everyone gets to say that.”
“That’s a healthy way to look at it,” he said.“A lot of people would have been scarred by the experience.”
“Oh, there’s baggage, trust me on that.I’ve come to terms with most of it.The rest, I try to leave behind.”This whole assignment had been an exercise in battling her inner demons.They’d gotten the best of her on more than one occasion, mostly because this was uncharted territory for her.But now she was feeling more confident.After all, she’d done so well that she’d become the target of a kidnapping attempt.That alone spoke volumes about her ability to imitate Sierra.
Navarre fell silent, his face unreadable.After a long pause, he asked, “My questioning your ability to do this job didn’t help, did it?”
She waved her hand dismissively.There wasn’t any point in holding grudges, especially when he seemed genuinely remorseful about his earlier behavior.“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.I shouldn’t have been such an asshole to you.I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.There’s no need—”
Before she could finish, he hooked one arm around her waist, yanking her against him with startling force.The sudden movement stole her breath as he dragged her back under the cover of the trees.
Her pulse hammered in her throat.Oh God, had the mercenaries found them?Keeping her voice barely above a whisper, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
He pointed one finger toward the sky.“Drone.”
Chapter 16
Navarreheardthehigh-pitchedwhir of the drone a few seconds before he spotted it hovering overhead.It sounded more like a swarm of bees than high-tech surveillance equipment.He had no idea what kind it was—that wasn’t his field of expertise.But it was safe to say that it wasn’t here to enjoy the scenery.
Sloane’s gaze flicked upward.Her mouth fell open.“Do you think it’s looking for us?”
“Why else would it be flying around in the middle of nowhere?”
Her eyes narrowed.“No need to get snippy.”
She was right, but he wasn’t in the mood to acknowledge it.“If it spotted us, we’re about to have company.”
Her face paled.“And if it didn’t?”
“It’s only a matter of time before it does.”He released his hold of her and took a step back, because he liked the feel of her pressed against him a little too much.
“What do we do?”she asked.
Navarre peered up through a gap in the branches.The drone hovered above the tree line, its cameras undoubtedly focused on the forest below.An easy shot with a rifle, but the effective range of his pistol was much shorter, which increased the level of difficulty.
There was no way of knowing how long it had been in the area before he’d spotted it.More likely than not, it was also equipped with thermal sensors that could track them through the cover of the canopy and had already broadcast their location to its operator.
That needed to end right now.
“Cover your ears,” he told Sloane.
He raised his pistol and lined the drone in his sights, making slight adjustments for distance, wind speed, and bullet trajectory.On the next exhale, he pressed the trigger, and the deafening crack of the bullet sent birds scattering.The drone jerked hard to the left.It lost altitude but remained aloft, the whir of its propellers louder than before.His second shot finished the job, and the drone dropped like a stone, snapping branches as it hurtled toward the earth.It broke into pieces when it slammed to the ground not far from where they stood.
Navarre slid his pistol back into his shoulder holster.“Let’s go.We don’t know how long it’ll be before company arrives.”
If he had his rifle, he would have preferred to lay in wait and end things right then and there.But with only a pistol, limited ammunition, and a civilian he needed to protect at all costs, it made sense to err on the side of caution.
“Wait,” Sloane said.“I want to check something first.”
“We don’t have time.”
