“Okay, Dr Sweetheart.” Amusement colored his voice this time. “Try this.”
Before she could ask what “this” was, it was at her lips and sliding in. Then she moaned. Chocolate melted over her tongue, instantly settling her stomach and going to work on her shakes. She could chastise him for what he called her after she could speak.
“Just take a deep breath and let the chocolate work its magic.”
It took time, but the ground quit teetering and tottering. The acidic nausea soothed beneath the effects of the chocolate. The slightly calmer adrenaline flowing through her cleared the fog of terror from her brain.
And the warmth and strength holding her securely almost made her feel safe. But he was a stranger, and she needed to move. To stand on her own. In just another minute. Or ten.
Facing him would bring them too close, so she remained as she was, only lightening her death-clamp on his forearm. “How far is the rendezvous from here?”
“Six and a half clicks. Or about four miles.”
“I see.” Well, barely. She could see as far as the ground, maybe. “Who blew up our jet? Why do they want to kill my father? How did the military find out? What is at the rendezvous point, another jet or a building? Where are we supposed to go after we reach there? For how long?”
“Hey, Doc. Deep breaths.”
Jessica took a deep breath. Her adrenaline had spiked with each question, and even more as each question led her deeper into problems that would need solutions.
“We don’t have time to hash out everything. We don’t know exactly who they are, but they will be coming for us.”
And she was supposed to relax? Jessica sat straighter, looking around. Somehow, he’d carried her to a small area surrounded by trees and shrubs. Behind them was a hill of rock, and to the sides, impenetrable logs and green growth. There was a small clearing in front of them, easily surveyed from their position.
“So, we need to get up and run four miles?”
“Yes, Dr Sweetheart. The sooner the better.”
Jessica rolled her eyes at his continued endearment/nickname and released his arm completely, then glanced around. “My briefcase?”
“Right here.” He gave it to her.
Jessica leaned forward as he rose to his feet behind her. The waterproof leather briefcase was still locked closed and appeared none the worse for falling through the air with them. It had wide leather straps and a soft leather casing that zipped and locked closed. It resembled a large purse, but kept her work organized and protected. She pulled the strap over her shoulder and jumped to her feet.
Then rapidly buckled and fell, only stopping as the soldier’s hard arm surrounded her. Jessica braced her hands against his chest and looked up into his midnight-blue eyes. “I apologize. I can do this. I promise.”
“Of course you can. You just have to get used to standing again. Don’t worry.”
But even as he spoke to her in his low, calm voice and as he told her not to worry, he was scanning the area with a steady, hard gaze. That’s right. They, whoever “they” were, would be looking for them.
Jessica took another deep breath and willed strength to her legs. She pushed away from him, his chest barely moving.
“Okay. So, Airborne 81, what do I call you?”
“Lieutenant Reid Kincaid, Dr Sweetheart.”
Then he smiled, and she could have sworn she was falling again.
Three
The ground tilted and vibrated beneath her feet, and the low hum of a helijet engine hit her from overhead like a forceful weight pressing her down. Then she was actually going down to squat with the lieutenant’s arm guiding her from view. Between the muted dark camo of his uniform and the fronds of trees and bushes taller than them, they shouldn’t be seen.
He eyed the sky, watching for the enemy’s helijet. Before it reached them, it veered away, the force of the wind it stirred causing the leaves around them to flatten and spread so they could watch a clear path form as it left their area. A few seconds after it was gone, the lieutenant looked at her. “We need to get moving.”
Jessica nodded, and he rose, tugging on her hand to help her up. Instead, she pulled him back down. “I can’t go, yet.”
Looking harassed and struggling with patience, he asked, “Why?”
Jessica slipped spiked heels off her feet and opened her briefcase. “I wear these for public appearances, but the shoes I prefer to wear are better for tramping quickly through a forest.”
She felt his gaze lingering along the length of her legs, his features giving a silent thumbs-up to the heels. But when she held up her comfortable, lace-up shoes, his eyes brightened and he actually winked in approval. “Smart thinking, sweetheart.”
She smirked as she slid them on her feet and tied them tight. “Geniuses tend to do that, Lieutenant.”
He chuckled, visibly shrugging off her subtle reminder to address her more respectfully. “Call me Reid,” he said. And then added, “Ready?”
Grabbing one more item before she closed the case, Jessica stood, and slid the long strap of her bag diagonally across her body so it left her arms free. Arms she quickly raised to pull her long auburn hair back into a high, tight ponytail. “Now, I’m ready.”
He nodded, scanning the area around them before leading her away.
She kept her voice low, but faced his back and spoke clearly. “What kind of traps are we looking for, Lieutenant?”
“Reid,” he reminded, adding, “It’s unknown where the men or women first touched ground, or how far ahead they’ve spread out, or how many of them we should look for.”
Well, that made their job easy. “Then what do we look for?”
“We scan the trees for dark spots, pausing to make sure it’s just thick leaves and branches. We scan the bushes lower to the ground for the same. Any lines, between our toes and the sky, that seem too straight to be natural, let me know. Otherwise, we just keep moving, listening for the sound of them, and stay clear of a straight view from the sky.”
“Got it.”
For the next hour, that’s just what they did, communicating in simple, silent hand signals. Four miles could be run in an hour, easily, if she was on a straight track with relatively even ground. But between searching each dense tree or bush, and moving in a slow zigzag pattern to avoid anyone, one hour had only moved them a little over half a mile.
Pausing behind a tree, Jessica faced him. “Exactly how long do we have to reach the rendezvous?”
“Three hours from the jet exploding. It should have been plenty of time for two soldiers to get one old man in place.”
“Am I holding you back?”
Reid looked at her, his eyebrows raised. “Actually, no. You seem to be keeping up quite easily. Why is that?”
She looked away. “I’m fit?”
“You are in optimal health.”
Her mouth tightened, betraying her. Reid tugged her arm, returning her gaze to his face so he could search it. “You’ve taken TERA, haven’t you?”
She pursed her lips. “No.”
He scoffed. “Listen, sweetheart. Lies won’t help us get out of here alive, placate your enemies, or help your father uninvent his miracle drug – for whatever insane reason he wants to do that. The force after him is a lot more determined than even we anticipated, and it’s difficult to get past them.”
Her eyes had narrowed at the word “insane” and irritation colored her voice now. “My father isn’t insane. And I haven’t ‘taken’ TERA. My mother had difficulty conceiving, and TERA fixed her fertility issues.”