gasp echoed in his ears. But she took it. With a sureness that’d do the admiral proud, she checked the clip, the safety. Her breath just as loud in his speaker again, she nodded.
What a woman.
Grinning behind his mask, Blake tilted his head to the north. Time to go.
As soon as he stepped a foot from the building, he was buffeted by driving snow.
“Hold on to my belt,” he instructed.
A second later he felt the pressure of her fingers. Good. Now he could focus ahead without needing to check her progress.
Without the wind and snow, they could have made the hundred and fifty yards to the fence line in less than half a minute. But running at a crouch through a foot of snow took twice that.
When they reached the bare expanse of wire fence, he stooped. Alexia did the same. Watching constantly, he pulled out what looked like a pair of tiny rubber pincers. He’d come in overhead, rappelling from the trees to the top of the building. To leave, they needed to cut the barbed wire.
He hesitated. As soon as he clamped the wires, an alarm would sound. If the compound had already been hit, the chaos would have covered their escape.
This, or the gates, were the only way out. Orders were to stay covert and not to engage the enemy.
So they’d stick with the plan. And run a little faster.
He took a deep breath.
Then, knowing what was likely to come, he looked at Alexia. Her brown eyes were huge, her lips white. Still, she gave him a reassuring smile.
“So far so good,” she whispered.
He nodded.
“As soon as I cut this, we’re tagged. There’s a vehicle waiting a mile to the east. In it is a radio in case you have to communicate with anyone.” He hesitated, then decided she was strong enough—had to be strong enough—to face reality. “If we’re engaged, you keep running. Don’t wait for me. Don’t look back or try to help. Head for the vehicle, get the hell out of here.”
“But—”
“Get the hell out,” he repeated firmly.
Her chin trembled. He watched, fascinated, as she breathed in, seeming to suck strength from the air. She squared her jaw, resolve steely in her eyes. And she nodded.
“Attagirl,” he whispered.
Then he clamped the wires.
The world exploded. Fire filled the air. Rocks flew. The ground shook. Alexia ducked low, covering the back of her head with her hands.
“And there’s the cavalry,” he said with a grin, cutting the wires. “Go.”
She gave a wide-eyed look at the now-flaming building, bodies scurrying like rats to and from the inferno. Then she crouched down low, sliding through the wires he’d cut.
“Hold my belt and keep up,” he told her as soon as they were clear. “Most of the enemy will be focused on the invasion. But if they’re smart, they’ll have people securing the perimeter.”
“They didn’t impress me as being too smart,” she said, showing a little of that sass he remembered so fondly. “But they did have the devil’s own luck on their side. So run as fast as you want. I’ll keep up.”
The rapid-fire pinging of automatic weapons got louder. The team had engaged, he noted. And since they had no idea he or Alexia were here, they’d be taken as the enemy if spotted.
“Let’s go.”
Taking her at her word, he set off at a low, crouching sprint. Moving through the snow, both the thick ground cover and the flurries buffeting them backward, was hardly fast. But—he checked his GPS to make sure they were on track—they were making progress.
“Hold,” he ordered. He stopped, still hunkered down, and scanned the area for signs of body heat. Nothing.
“Okay, let’s go.”
“Go? Where? How?”
“Vehicle,” he said, gesturing to what looked like one of the many snowdrifts in the blurry white landscape. When she shook her head in confusion, he pushed through the snow—hip deep here—and unerringly found the loose end of the white tarp. With a tug, he uncovered the snowmobile he’d stashed.
“This is a vehicle?” She gaped. “Are you sure?”
He grinned, swinging one leg over the seat. “Climb on.”
Giving him, then the snowmobile, a doubtful look, she shook her head before climbing on behind him. There wasn’t much sexy about the half foot of fabric between their bodies, but Blake’s blood still hummed when her thighs clamped tight against his hips. Her arms wrapped around his waist, holding tight to his jacket. As soon as she felt settled, he pressed the ignition and, with one last glance at the flaming sky to the west of the trees, took off.
They flew across the snow, flurries pounding against them as if protesting their escape. He watched his GPS, double-checking the few landmarks along the way to make sure they were on track.
Twenty minutes later, after taking a couple side trips and doubling back to make sure they weren’t followed, they reached the side of a mountain. He cut the snowmobile’s engine and, muscles trembling from the exertion of holding the vehicle steady in the intense winds, looked around. The helicopter would pick them up on top. At the base, camouflaged by icy brush and snow, was a domed tent. He didn’t see any new tracks in or out, but wasn’t taking any chances.
“I’m going to make sure it’s secure. You move forward and take the controls.”
He dismounted, waiting for her to grip the handlebars. As soon as she did, he pulled out his infrared binoculars again and checked the perimeter. Five minutes later, but never losing her from sight, he returned to the snowmobile. Alexia hadn’t moved. He could tell because she had at least three inches of snow on her now.
“All clear,” he told her.
Her eyes were huge behind the plastic lenses, swimming with exhaustion, fear and relief. She didn’t move, though.
“Ready to get out of the snow?”
Her nod was more along the lines of a shiver.
Knowing he needed to get her to warmth quickly, Blake opted for the fastest route. He reached out and lifted her into his arms. She didn’t make a sound. She did, however, wrap her hands around him and hold tight.
He liked how it felt, even through the miles of insulated fabric between them.
When he reached the tent, he shifted her, but didn’t let go. He tugged open the Velcro closure, then unzipped the canvas. It wasn’t until they were inside, lamp on and flap secured again, that he put her gently on her feet.
He waited until she’d stopped swaying, then unhooked the scarf from his hood and grinned.
“Welcome
