Defending Raven (Mountain Mercenaries #7)(55)
They were idiots. Conceited and too confident that they’d killed him, or that he’d eventually die from whatever they’d already done.
They should’ve made sure they’d finished the job they were assigned.
It was a stupid thought, but Dave knew his Mountain Mercenaries would never have made such a colossal mistake. They weren’t killers, as he told them often enough, but if forced to take someone out in their quest to free a captive, they’d make damn sure the job was done.
Groaning, Dave managed to turn onto his side. He brought a hand up to his neck again and applied pressure to the knife wound he found there. Somehow the assholes had managed to fuck up killing him when he was lying helpless on the floor, unable to defend himself. The new slice was perpendicular to the wound he’d received years before. Dave could only imagine what the new scar would do to his already somewhat fearsome appearance, but he could hardly worry about that now. All he could think about was getting the hell out of wherever he was and rescuing his son.
Opening his eyes fully, Dave saw that he’d been tossed in what could only be called a dump. As far as the eye could see, there were mounds of junk and refuse. The stench was horrific, but as long as he was alive, he had a fighting chance. Birds flew overhead, scrounging for whatever they could find to eat, and the sounds of their squawking were loud in the otherwise-quiet atmosphere.
Dave tried to push up to his knees, but the world spun crazily around him. Swearing, he fell flat on his face in the gunk. Rolling to his back, he lay there, trying to get his bearings and strength back.
He had to get to the city. Back to Raven. Had to rescue his son before del Rio could move him or carry out his plan. He also needed to figure out where this “orphanage” was located; the other children didn’t deserve what del Rio had planned for them any more than David did.
What had started as a simple trip to find his wife and bring her back home had become more complicated than anything Dave could’ve imagined.
But it didn’t matter. Rescuing women and children was what the Mountain Mercenaries did, and no matter how long it took or how much red tape they had to cut through, del Rio wasn’t going to win this battle. David would be coming home with him, and del Rio would rue the day he’d fucked with his family.
But first . . .
Dave shut his eyes. First he’d rest a minute and get his strength back. Then he’d get up, find his way back to the city, rescue his son, and get the hell out of Peru.
Chapter Twelve
Mags paced around Gray’s room impatiently. It was six in the evening, and Dave hadn’t returned to pick her up from meeting with David. She’d walked all the way back to the motel, expecting to find him there . . . expecting Dave to apologize for being detained by his other errands. But there had been no sign of him when she’d arrived.
Gray hadn’t even realized Dave was missing until she’d gotten back to the motel and explained he hadn’t picked her up.
Zara was in the room with Mags, along with Ro and Ball. The others were in another room, apparently talking over what their next steps were and how to find Dave.
“He told me he was going to get David’s passport, and hopefully by tomorrow, we’d be out of here,” Mags said. “What happened? Where is he? Is David no longer safe?”
“Don’t panic,” Ro said in a voice that was way too calm for Mags’s peace of mind.
“Don’t panic?” she asked, becoming frantic. “How can I not? My husband managed to find me after all this time and by some miracle accepted the fact that I have a child who isn’t his. And now he’s missing. This is bad, Ro. Very bad. Del Rio is literally crazy. If he got his hands on Dave, everyone I love is in danger.”
“Dave might not be a soldier, but he’s got good instincts,” Ball told her. “Even if he found himself in a situation that went sideways, he’ll be able to get himself out of it.”
“Not if someone shoots him in the head!” Mags exclaimed hysterically.
Ro walked over to her, took her hand, and led her to one of the beds. He sat her down on the mattress and kneeled in front of her. “I know you haven’t been around us for all that long, but trust me when I say we’re doing all we can to find him and give him backup.”
“You know where he is?” Mags asked.
Ro shook his head. “No. But Dave’s smart. Hell, he helped us plan hundreds of missions. If he’s in trouble, he’ll find a way out of it.”
She took a deep breath. “So what’s the plan in the meantime? Sit around here and just wait for Dave to come back?”
Surprisingly, Ro smiled.
Mags frowned at him.
“Sorry, love, I just . . . I can see why Dave’s head over heels for you. You’re a cut-to-the-chase kind of person, just like he is. Anyway, the plan is to find Dave, get your son, and get the hell out of this country.”
She didn’t even crack a smile. “How?”
Ro stood, and then Ball was in front of her. “Meat’s getting in touch with our contacts here in the country to get us additional weapons. We have some, but we need more firepower. We’ll go to the embassy and see if Dave ever arrived there this morning. If not, we’ll get David’s passport, along with yours and the other women’s as well. The plan is to have our shit ready to go so the second we find Dave and get your son, we can head to the airport. We’ve chartered a plane, and it’s ready to go. We just have to give them a time, and they’ll be there to pick us up and take us home.”