Her brow wrinkled in confusion. She had no idea who any of these people were, but Rio continued a steady stream of conversation, ignoring her befuddlement.
“This is going to hurt like a son of a bitch. I won’t lie to you. But I need you to be strong. If you scream, you’ll draw attention and that’s the last thing we need. I’m going to knot one of my shirts, and I want you to bite down on it as hard as you like. But don’t let out a sound. Can you do that?”
If he only knew how much she’d silently endured, he’d never ask that question. But she simply nodded, knowing that whatever they did wouldn’t touch what she’d already gone through.
He took out a T-shirt from his pack and began folding and knotting it into a long rope. “You didn’t answer my question. Can you heal yourself as you do others?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I mean it’s different, but I do heal faster. But there’s been so much…” She closed her eyes, holding back more tears. “I don’t know…”
Rio spoke in low, soothing tones. “It’s okay, Grace. I’m going to make sure you get out of this.”
Something in his voice settled her. Maybe it was the calm promise or the absolute conviction. Some of the fear faded and she relaxed, letting out her breath in a whispery rush.
“That’s my girl,” Rio murmured.
He carefully placed the shirt between her teeth, feathered his hand over her jaw and then eased her mouth shut over the material.
“Be strong.”
She closed her eyes and nodded, not wanting to see what was coming.
Strong hands gripped her arm in a surprisingly gentle manner. She could instantly tell the difference, knew that it was Terrence who held her hand.
And then he simply pulled and twisted, all at the same time. His strength took her completely by surprise. Her eyes flew open and her teeth bit savagely into the shirt. Her body bowed with the instant flash of pain. As she lay panting, her nostrils flaring with the ragged breaths she tried to suck in, a sense of relief settled over her.
Her arm ached from the manipulation, but the constant red-hot pain had subsided. Diego stepped in and quickly bound her arm, using two sturdy saplings one of the other men had fetched. He wound strips of cloth tightly around the sticks so it was impossible for her to move her arm.
Rio pulled the knotted shirt from her mouth. “Better?”
She nodded, still not trusting herself to speak.
“Okay, this is what’s going to happen. We have to move and I can’t spare the manpower necessary to keep you immobile. We don’t have a stretcher, which means I’m going to carry you out while my men surround us and provide cover. With a broken arm and ribs plus God only knows what else you’ve got going on, there’s no easy way to do this. It’s going to suck.”
She tried to smile at the blunt way he put it, but her lips trembled and she gave up with a sigh.
“I’ll need at least one hand free so I can hold a gun and protect us both. Terrence will secure you to my back. We once carried a teammate’s wife out of the jungle just like I’m going to carry you, so it’ll work. I don’t wanthe x2019;t you to worry. If you don’t trust in anything else, you trust in the fact that we’re going to get you out of these mountains.”
The unwavering conviction in his voice gave her the first hope she’d experienced in many weeks.
“I won’t let you give up,” Rio continued. “I know you hurt. I can only imagine what those bastards did to you. But you aren’t giving up, Grace. You’re a fighter. Your sister’s a fighter.”
Tears shimmered in her vision again, making Rio grow hazy. “I can’t talk to her. I’m not sure I can talk to anyone…like before I mean.”
Rio leaned over, his face close to hers. “You’ll get it back. I heard you last night. It’s there. You just have to heal both in body and spirit.”
“Who are you?” she whispered around the knot in her throat.
He smiled then, white teeth flashing against dark skin. “I’m the man who’s going to get you the hell out of here, and then I’m going to hunt down those sons of bitches who hurt you and gut every last one of them.”
She shivered at the menace in his voice but was oddly comforted by the savage vow.
“We need to roll, Rio,” Terrence said, startling her. She’d forgotten his presence. Had forgotten all of the men standing in close proximity.
Rio nodded and then stood, towering over her. She suddenly felt very small and insignificant and extremely vulnerable as she lay huddled on the ground, surrounded by the warriors with death in their eyes.
This time Terrence knelt by her side, his voice quiet and she suspected purposely gentle so as not to scare the bejesus out of her. It was a little late for that…
“All right, Miss Grace. This is what’s going to happen. The men are going to fashion a sling of sorts that will secure you to Rio’s back. I’m going to lift you very carefully. I’ll try not to hurt you.”
She nodded her understanding.
He smiled at her, and she decided he was an extremely handsome man despite his fierce appearance. Moreover, she believed him when he said he’d try not to hurt her.
He slid his arms underneath her body. “Deep breath.”
She sucked in, closed her eyes, and he lifted upward. She was amazed at the ease with which he picked her up. She opened her eyes and watched him. There was no evident strain. Just calm focus.