The sounds of screeching monkeys and the occasional roar of a big cat broke the silence as they tracked through the undergrowth. Havoc had the lead now and was diligently carving a path when, without warning, the sky opened in a cloudburst.
Beth turned up her collar for protection from the elements, a futile gesture as there was no escape, and she was soaked through in minutes.
Wet, miserable, and mighty uncomfortable, she zipped her lips—no way would she complain. Things were tough enough without the men having to deal with a bleating female, so she sucked it up and marched on, brushing the thick wet strands of hair from her eyes.
The rain ceased as suddenly as it had begun, but it wasn’t without consequence. Brilliant sunlight filtered through the trees making conditions steamy and turning the jungle into a sauna.
As they slogged on, the humidity became stifling and the slushy terrain made every step precarious. To avoid being bogged down in the misery of her predicament Beth cast her thoughts elsewhere, and that was a mistake. She lost her footing. So with feet skidding and arms twirling like a demented windmill, she would have fallen had it not been for Hawk’s immediate reaction.
He lunged forward and caught her under the arm. “I’ve got you, sweetheart.”
His quick hands saved her from going down. One across her breasts, the other her upper arm. The one on her breast may have been unintentional, so she gave him the benefit of the doubt, but if it wasn’t then it was a slick maneuver because Hawk had copped a feel.
Snap. All three of the men had now felt her up. So what was it with these guys? Did she have “Easy Target” tattooed across her forehead in bold lettering? Whether deliberate or accidental, she really didn’t give two hoots, at any other time she’d smart-mouth Hawk—right now, she was just too done in to care.
“Ah, t-thanks,” she stammered her appreciation on the off chance it had been accidental.
His brown eyes twinkled and one side of his mouth quirked up. The burning impression was it had been no accident, still, he’d saved her from landing in the mud and perhaps an injury, so she guessed it was a small price to pay.
“Don’t mention it,” he said, his face lighting with a devilish grin. “Take my arm, we haven’t much farther to go and the gradient is steepening.” The grin expanded from ear to ear.
Zach glowered and took point, shouldering past them as she accepted Hawk’s arm. His muscles flexed and rippled beneath her fingers as he took her weight, and she smiled, grateful for his strength.
Despite his help though, her thigh and calf muscles burned from the steep incline, and perspiration streamed between her shoulder blades from the exertion, making her sticky and even more uncomfortable. To add insult to injury, it seemed that every insect known to man had selected her as the main course.
As another one of the beasts landed on her arm, she swatted it. Mosquito—small bird was more like it. Several welts from the pesky creatures already blemished her skin and they were itching like crazy. She just prayed they didn’t carry malaria.
If asked before whether she was fit, her answer would have been an outstanding yes having rough-housed with her brothers and played sports from an early age, and still played basketball as part of a mixed team with Brett and his friends. Even so, she was not prepared for the punishing trek either physically or mentally. She was tiring.
As the incline started to level out, the going got easier, and despite Hernandez’s best efforts to slow the party down they were making good time. But as the sun’s heat diminished, Zach called a halt.
“Welcome to the Hilton.” He dropped his pack and rolled his shoulders.
It was anything but. They were in a small clearing of sorts. An overhang from a rocky outcrop nearby would provide shelter in case it stormed again, and if she wasn’t mistaken, the tinkle of running water could be heard close at hand. Hot, sweaty and grimy, a stream to wash away the dirt was an unexpected luxury.
“This is as good a place as any to spend the night.” Hawk likewise dropped his gear.
Her backpack was proving more difficult. She was struggling to free it from her shoulders when Havoc came to her rescue.
“Let me help you with that. It’s been a trying day, and we could all do with a rest.”
“What I wouldn’t give for a massage.” She rolled her unencumbered shoulders and groaned.
“Here, love, turn around.”
She obliged without hesitation. Havoc’s hands were all over her aching muscles, his magic fingers kneading the kinks from her shoulders, neck and back. It was bliss.
“Mm, a little more to the right.” She purred as he manipulated her body. The massage was just what she needed. The tension eased and she surveyed her surroundings, her contented gaze coasting over Zach. His face morphed into a scowl, his mouth took a downward turn, and his brow creased. The surly expression reserved for her alone was back. He’d warned her about distracting the men, but seriously.
“Thanks, Havoc, that was divine,” she said, patting his hand.
“My pleasure.”
More than ready to flop, and to put some distance between her and the men, she sauntered over to what looked like a comfy spot. But as she passed Zach, his swollen lip curled and he winced. Good. She hoped the sneer hurt him every bit as much as it had her. Then remorse reared its head. The injury was her fault.
Fine, if he didn’t want to acknowledge her, then she wouldn’t look at him again. But as she sat on the ground cross-legged, back resting against a tree, her wicked eyes betrayed her.
He was staring, and the feral glare he sent her was unsettling. Her innocent touch of Havoc’s arm a moment earlier had earned her a scowl. Even now, he was probably misconstruing it into some kind of promiscuous invitation. One didn’t need to be a brain surgeon to know he didn’t want her along, but did he have to make it so damn obvious?
Yes, his instructions were clear—back off at the first sign of trouble, and perhaps she should have, but where would that have left Loretta? She’d made a judgment call, and damn it, he’d just have to deal with it. At least now they knew where Loretta was, and they had the element of surprise.
She flicked her gaze to Hernandez, and cringed. Havoc had him hogtied, but still, he gave her the creeps. The slimy pig would have raped her, stolen her virginity if Zach hadn’t arrived when he did.
Thoughts of Zach sent her attention to him again. His face and hands bore the battle scars of her rescue. Bruised jaw, fat lip, knuckles raw and bloody. It made her heart lurch. She ached to go to him, to soothe his wounds. But Zach despised her. He was still playing the blame game and watching her now with savage eyes. A self-appointed judge, jury, and executioner, and her tenuous control snapped.
“What’s your problem, Zach?” The question, made sharper by her jangled nerves, splintered across the clearing like shards of glass hitting a ceramic floor.
Her eyes didn’t waver as they held his. She didn’t think he was going to answer at first, but then he shot to his feet and snarled, “You, you’re the problem. You put yourself in unnecessary danger.”
The harsh words hit her like a splash of icy water and inflicted wounds to her soul as deep and painful as if his tongue were a knife cutting into her flesh.
Hawk made to get up, but Havoc placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.
“What was I supposed to do?”
“You need to ask?” His voice was quieter, calmer, more controlled it seemed now that he’d gotten that off his chest.
“I did what I thought was right.”
“That’s no excuse. Look at you, you’re a bloody mess, and you were almost…”
“Get off her case.” Hawk jumped up, pushing Havoc’s hand aside. “She’s had a shit of a day, but do you hear her bitching? No, the girl’s a fucking trooper.”
“I’ll get off her case when she takes responsibility for her actions. You heard me tell her to get her ass out of there if things went sour, but did she follow orders? No, instead she almost got herself raped, and is sitting here now with her face battered and bruised.”
“Shit, man, she acted on instinct and made a choice, cut her some slack.”
“Back off, kid,” he ordered through clenched teeth. “She doesn’t need you as her protector.”
*
“Well, you’re doing a lousy job, and she sure as hell needs someone.”
Hawk sprang to Beth’s defense, his body rigid. A placid man by nature, but when push came to shove he could plant his feet and stand his ground with the best. Havoc shook his head. Was the kid blind or just dumb?
“When I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it.”
As the two men squared off, Havoc got to his feet and intervened before things turned ugly. “Give us a minute will you, kid, and go see if Beth needs anything,” he said, and laying a hand on Hawk’s shoulder, squeezed.
Both men needed to simmer down. Hawk glared but after only the briefest hesitation spun on his heel and tramped over to Beth.
Havoc heaved a sigh. This had been a goat fuck from the very start. As Ice predicted, Wolf was strung-out, holding on by a thread, made more difficult with the complication of Beth. He might be cool under pressure, but it was different when family was involved. Hell, Havoc knew better than any of them how that felt, but that recollection was nasty. He blinked away the memory and placed a reassuring hand on Wolf’s shoulder.
A muscle jerked in Wolf’s cheek at the contact, his fingers coiled and straightened at his side. He’d come too close to hitting the kid, and that would weigh heavy on him.
“Chill, man, you know how it is with boy blunder, sometimes he runs off at the mouth when it would be wiser to clam up.”
“Well, he needs to learn to mind his own fucking business.”
“Come on, mate, I’ve known you a damn long time, and you and I both know that’s not all that this is really about.”
As Wolf eyeballed him back, Havoc cocked his head in Beth’s direction. Wolf dropped his head and whooshed out a breath. His fingers pushed a path through his hair. When his head lifted he looked Havoc straight in the eye.
“You’re right. And I can’t begin to tell you the monumental way I fucked up last night. I just can’t seem to think straight around her.”
Wolf gave her a fleeting glance, then turned back to him with a sigh. “My brain scrambles whenever she’s near, and with what that asshole almost did to her, I just lost it.”
Havoc’s stomach churned as visions of his sister crumpled and bleeding resurfaced. He gritted his teeth and again shut down the memory as bile threatened to rise up his throat. “It’s hard, I know, but she’s safe now and we’ll keep her that way. Loretta too, you’ve got my word.”