Diego appeared on her other side.
“Diego’s going to hook his arm underneath your leg,” Terrence explained. “I’m going to take the other.”
She appreciated the patience he demonstrated and how he explained every step so she wouldn’t be frightened. At this point, she was ready to be done with it all. The sooner they left this place where she was hunted, the better she’d feel. Maybe then she could begin healing.
She nodded her acceptance, and as soon as she did, Diego stepped forward and slid his arm underneath her legs. He hooked his other arm behind her, and he and Terrence held her up to Rio’s back.
The other two men quickly wound the long strips of cloth they’d secured together underneath her bottom and underneath her legs. They did a series of figure eights, coiling rope and material up and over Rio’s shoulders then under and around her legs and behind until she was solidly supported and attached to his back.
Diego positioned her splinted arm at Rio’s side just underneath his armpit and then secured it to Rio’s body as well.
She had no idea how on ead hea how rth Rio was going to be able to move with her plastered to his body the way she was, much less carry a gun, but he didn’t seem at all bothered by the prospect.
“How are the ribs?” Rio asked.
“Okay.”
“They’ll hurt when he starts walking,” Diego warned. “Try to press against him to minimize your movements as much as possible. The more you jostle, the more it’s going to cause you pain.”
She nodded again and pressed in as close to Rio as she could get. Already she was exhausted and they hadn’t even begun the journey out. She didn’t even know how far they had to travel and she didn’t want to ask because she wasn’t sure she could handle the answer.
Instead she was going to put herself in their hands because she had no other choice. She had no idea who these men were—only that they knew her sister and they professed to want to help her.
She’d been prepared to die. It shamed her that she’d been so ready to give in. At her absolute lowest point, these men had appeared, refusing to let her give up. Rio had promised to take her home, though she had no inkling of what home meant. She’d spent too much time on the run, separated from her only family.
The idea that she was finally safe and could see her sister after so long was more than she could comprehend.
“Ready, Grace?” Rio called over his shoulder.
She took a deep breath, realizing that she was venturing into the unknown once again. Only this time she wasn’t alone, and that bolstered
her flagging resolve like nothing else could.
“Ready.”
CHAPTER 3
RIO’S admiration for Grace grew with every passing hour. He knew she had to be in excruciating pain and yet she bore it stoically, never uttering a sound as he carried her over the uneven terrain.
His team had set a grueling pace that would have most people reduced to begging. But she hadn’t uttered a sound. But he felt her. She wasn’t a strong presence in his mind. He thought she was probably tightly protecting herself. But he could still sense the remains of the mental pathway that had been briefly forged between them, and he knew she was suffering.
“Bad news,” Terrence said grimly.
Rio looked up to get the report from the man he’d sent ahead to scout the area where they’d left the vehicles. Terrence’s lips were set into a fine line, and he kept looking to where Grace’s head rested on Rio’s shoulder as if he hated having to say what he was about to.
Diego pulled up, standing to the side of Terrence and Rio. He too glanced at Grace, but his gaze was seeking, trying to discern her condition.
“Tell me,” Rio said impatiently.
He couldn’t be concerned with Grace hearing bad news. Hell, how much worse could it get anyway? She’d already been to hell and back.
“We’ve got company. Hard to tell from the distance I was doing recon, but our hiding spot has been made and they’ve set up an ambush.”
Rio bit out a string of swear words that had Grace stirring against him. He went still, not wanting to cause her greater discomfort.
“Rio?”
Hearing his name on her lips did odd things to him. His heart turned over at the way she tried to mask her fear. She obviously had no idea how much she was broadcasting. Her fear was a tangible, living thing. He could smell it. He could feel it. He could damn near taste it as it vibrated t/p>ihrough the air.
“What will we do?” she whispered.
Terrence and Diego both put a hand out to her, each seeking to comfort her.
“Don’t you worry, Miss Grace,” Terrence said gruffly. “We’ve faced a lot worse. We aren’t going down to a bunch of good ole boys with peashooters.”
Rio felt her lift her head and he grimaced at the effort it took her. She trembled against him and his gut clenched. She wasn’t doing well at all. He knew it like he knew nothing else. They had to get her somewhere she could have medical attention or she wasn’t going to make it.
“Where will we go?” she asked.
Her head rested on his shoulder again as if she no longer had the strength to hold it up. He could feel her breaths huff out in tiny little bursts against his neck.
It was then he felt the desolation and…the acceptance. Her acceptance. She’d resigned herself to death. Embraced it even. Sorrow surrounded him, pulled at him. She knew she was dying but she didn’t want to die out here in the cold. In the unknown. Afraid. She didn’t want to die afraid.