Another man joined the one on the ground, sliding up beside him in well-practiced silence. The first man turned his head and the second man’s hands began to move in a coded form of sign language. Reid’s eyes widened. Army, either current or past.
The old doc has been captured, the new man signed.
The young doc is still evading us, the first man responded.
Are you sure we need them both?
Our orders were clear.
Have they passed this point already?
Maybe. No one ahead or behind has seen them either.
Ghosts.
Yes. That’s the point.
We know the rendezvous. We should tighten formation and wait for them there.
The first man gazed around the clearing, looking at every tree but not behind him where Reid and Jessica were. With a sigh, he nodded. Both men gathered themselves and crept away. Reid watched them as far as he could, until they reached the darker depths and disappeared completely.
Reid rested his head on Jessica’s shoulder, taking his first deep breath. His arms were beginning to shake from the effort of holding himself completely still. Jessica’s had begun trembling against him awhile before. Standing motionless on a tree branch was not easy.
“What just happened?”
“Have you ever heard the term ‘FUBAR’?”
“No.”
“Soldiers created it over a hundred years ago to describe moments like this.” Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition. Yep, that was their situation now.
“What does it mean?”
“It means they have the rendezvous, they have your dad and they have Mike. They just need us for a complete set.”
Five
“What are you doing?” Jessica paused at the edge of the stream, her hands dripping cool water over her neck, as she tried not to flip out at the thought of her father being captured. The transition from dawn to early morning was unexpectedly hot, and her skirt and suit jacket felt heavy and smothering.
Reid poked around the saplings and bushes lining the stream and the base of the mountain. “According to my research, this mountain is riddled with caves.”
She scowled, disbelief twisting her eyebrows. “You think hiding in a cave is the best move right now?”
“Not exactly. But sitting exposed while we hash out what to do next doesn’t seem too genius.”
Her skin suddenly chilled. “What’s to hash? We rescue my father.”
Reid continued his search, moving aside bushes and trees and even a few rocks. “By just walking in, getting him and leaving?”
If that’s what it took, yes. Not rescuing him was not an option. “Why not? We’ve been walking right past these guys all morning.”
“Okay, fine. Then what? Where do we hide him?”
“We’re two miles away from the rendezvous point. How does hiding him this far back help?” Not having him face her was really annoying.
“The rendezvous is compromised. We need a new one. I’ll call and set it up.”
That silenced her for a moment. He turned back to searching and didn’t see as she stalked right up behind him. At the last minute, he turned and she pushed him up against the boulders. In a low, deadly voice, she asked, “You’ll call?”
He gave her a charming grin. “Yes. And no, I couldn’t have done it sooner. Considering the mountains, the best reception is with the satellite in place and the sun up, so solar power can boost the signal.”
“So we’re going into a cave?” In what world did that make sense?
He tugged on her ponytail. “Good Lord, sweetheart. Trust me a little, will you?”
Jessica stared up at the man whose strength and determination had protected her all morning. He had rescued her from an exploding plane, even if it was by scaring her to death. It was his eyes and smile that calmed her when the enemy came too close. “Of course I trust you.”
Just as his smile widened, she couldn’t help but add, “A little.”
He tweaked her nose and rolled his eyes. “Good. Now, behave yourself and crawl into the cave.”
She glanced down where he pointed. The opening was tiny and shared with the stream. Raising her brows, she gave him a doubtful look. “You want me to do what?”
“I’ll be right behind you.” Before she could comment, he explained. “I need to cover the entrance.”
Jessica sighed, but when he looked behind her and stiffened, she started moving, even before he gave her the order. “Now.”
Thankfully, her skirt was long enough to cushion her knees as she crawled over rocks, through the water. She could hear Reid behind her, barely, but it was enough to comfort her as the darkness became complete. Her bag was on her back, safe from the water. She reached into it and felt for her safety ring.
Feeling for the dangling unicorn pendant on her mother’s old keyring, she identified her small pen light and switched it on.
The small tunnel lit up ahead of her, and she could see where the water seemed to stop. Jessica headed for that point. It seemed a little wider and they could at least sit on the side of the stream instead of in it.
But once she reached it, she saw the water went down into a wider area, likely carved when the stream had been more than the trickle it was now. Carefully climbing down the few feet to the bottom, she chose a small dry area to the right. The water formed a pool in the center of a cavern barely tall enough for her to stand upright.
Reid joined her, stooping. “This looks like a good spot to stop.”
Jessica nodded in agreement. Squatting beside the pool, she set the light on a rock and pulled off her wet jacket, using it to wipe dirt and debris from her arms and face. The surface of her skin felt nearly chilled now, but it was a welcome chill. She was able to quickly brush her hair into a neater ponytail and rinse her mouth out with water.
“Does that bag hold everything?” He sounded impressed.
Jessica glanced over her shoulder at him. He leaned against a boulder, fiddling with a small communications unit. “I can live out of it for two days, at least. Would you like a protein bar? They aren’t as tasty as your chocolate, but they’re filling.”
“Sure.”
She chose two from her bag and settled closer to him. The space was much wider than the tunnel, but that wasn’t saying much. They couldn’t sit side by side. Reid pulled her back to his front, between his legs, so she could lie back comfortably. “Rest a bit while we make contact.”
She hated to appear weak, even for a second, but what the hell. He’d already seen her at her panicky worst that morning. And honestly, two hours of sneaking through a forest in the heat, tense with worry, made relaxing in a cool, dark cavern an irresistible temptation. And since they were waiting to talk to someone, she could do without guilt. Jessica adjusted her seat and fell back, letting his chest and arms cradle her.
Six
“Is the unit working?”
“It’s all set up. I set a wireless signal outside the cave, it will amplify this unit. The call has gone out.
As soon as the satellite catches the signal, they’ll get it. Right now, we just have to wait for them to respond.” He took a bite of his protein bar.