Sam double-tapped the torturer’s forehead out of natural reaction before One-eye could pull the trigger. Sadly, no intel from that one. Sam hoped like hell the rest of his team managed to keep someone alive.
Preferably W.
Turning back quickly, he took in the woman’s face to see if what had happened to her had begun to sink in. Was she about to break in half?
She was calm. In fact, seeing her dead attacker washed away her fury.
Sam hadn’t allowed his gaze to look at her naked body. She may be tough, but she had to feel vulnerable. He managed a quick sweep from head to toe, assessing her for injuries. She had bruises along her arms and neck. Her long-ass legs hadn’t been treated any better. The rest of her body filled out his shirt in a way that would stay carved into his mind.
While he’d taken stock of her damage, he’d snatched up his vest and put it on over his undershirt. With all his weapons back in place, he nodded at her. “Can you walk?”
“Yes. I’m good.” She seemed to regain her composure then pinned him with a suspicious look. “You haven’t said who you are.”
How could she see him as the enemy? “Me? I’m the one who just got you out of a jam.” Then he yanked his head out of his ass to tell her what she needed to hear. “I’m with an American special operations unit. Please give me your name and my people will get you home.” His team had been told nothing about another captive, but it wouldn’t be as if W released a kidnap guest list.
She started backing up.
Sam could not believe his eyes. Did she feel threatened by him? “Wait a minute. Where are you going?”
“Not going with you.”
“Really? You thinkI’ma bad guy?”
She shrugged. “No, but I can’t even see your face with that mask and headgear.”
Was she serious? Still, Sam had to get her stable so he could go to his team. He lifted the NVG monocular headgear and pulled his black mask down. “Feel better?”
She sidestepped and backed up again. “I still have no idea who you are. What’syourname?”
Just kill him now.
What a shame for a woman that hot to be certifiable. Time to dial up his no-bullshit mission voice. “My name is classified, but I can get you returned to your home. I just need to know what’s going on, your name, and how you ended up here, Miss. That’s fair, right?”
She blew out a sigh as if this had become tedious.
What? Was he holding her up for a lunch appointment?
She had a husky voice that might star in his next fantasy, but it turned all business and dismissive. “Thanks for lowering me to the ground. I’ll pay you back right now by warning you to get your team moving and leave immediately or die. See? Debt paid. I’m out of here.”
An operative? She had skills and sounded too under control to not be. She backed up another two steps toward a grungy wall piled with boxes and clothes.
Now she had his suspicions pinging all over the place.
“What makes you think I have a team?” He stepped toward her and kept his voice calm as he put his headgear back on. He kept his assault rifle at the ready and hoped he would not have to use it. “Slow down because I don’t understand what’s going on with you or why you’re here.”
She raked a hand over what looked to have once been perfectly styled blond hair in a bun and snapped, “Try to keep up. That dead guy’s boss left two guards and Cyclops as bait to draw you and your team in. The minute your team inserted, you triggered the green light up there which came on for fifteen seconds just before you came running up to me.”
Sam followed her pointing finger to a small green light high on a wall that wasn’t currently illuminated. He swung back quickly to keep an eye on her.
Sounding in control, she continued. “That was a warning for any guards they wanted out of the house before a bomb detonates in ... crap. What time do you have?”
Bomb? Should he believe her?
He peeled the cover off his watch then put it back. “Twenty-two-hundred-twenty-three or ...”
“Twenty-three minutes after ten at night. Got it. Based on what I could see of Cyclops’ watch, I’m guessing you might have ninety seconds, plus or minus, to get out before everything blows.”
Pressure expanded in his head. Should he believe her? “Why would One-eye’s boss blow this house?”
