Defending Raven (Mountain Mercenaries #7)(80)

“Are you ready to go to the airport to see Mamá?” Dave asked.

David nodded enthusiastically.

Dave quickly explained the situation as best he could to the little boy. “You’re going to have to be brave for just a little longer. My friends, the ones you’ve already met, are going to pull up in about a minute and a half. They’re going to park right down there.” Dave pointed to the spot below the edge of the roof they were standing on. “Gray, our really tall friend, is going to get on top of the car and help you down. Can you be brave for that?”

David bit his lip and looked concerned. “Are you coming too?”

“Of course, champ. I’ll be right behind you. But it’s too far for me to jump with you in my arms. I’m going to have to lower you down over the edge of the roof. But Gray will be right there. You’ll be fine. I promise.”

“Okay, Papá. I can do it.”

“Good boy,” Dave praised. “But we’re going to have to do it very fast because del Rio’s men don’t want you to go back to your mom. We hid out here on this roof in the hopes they’d give up looking for us. Do you understand?”

David nodded solemnly, and Dave hated that the little boy understood all too well what the consequences would be if they were caught. “We’re going to be fine,” he told him firmly. “Do you believe me?”

It took a second, but David’s chin finally dipped once.

Bending, Dave put his son’s feet on the ground and crouched to look him in the eye. “I haven’t found you and your mom after all this time to lose you again. I swear, son, that soon you’ll be reunited with your mom, and we’ll all be on our way back to the United States.”

Father and son stared at each other for a long moment until finally Dave whispered, “Okay, Papá.”

“Twenty seconds out,” Ball said in Dave’s ear.

“You ready, champ? Our friends are comin’, and they’re comin’ fast.”

“Ready,” David said, although his little voice quivered a bit.

Dave was furious at del Rio. How dare he cause his son so much fear! How dare he feel as if he had the right to kidnap whoever he wanted for his despicable plans. Hatred rose within Dave, but he pushed it back. There was no room for anything in his mind other than the mission at hand. He had to control himself. David and Raven were counting on him.

Time slowed as Dave waited for his team to arrive. He saw the minivan at the same time he heard Ball say he was almost there through the radio in his ear. He got down on his knees and scooted closer to the edge of the roof. “Give me your hands, champ. Feel free to keep your eyes closed if you want. This is going to happen very fast. You won’t have time to be scared.”

“I trust you, Papá,” David said.

Once again, Dave’s heart felt as if it was going to burst with pride and love for this small human. He’d known him less than twenty-four hours, and had known about him for only around two weeks, but already he was his whole world.

Dave watched as Ball barely slowed down as he barreled toward the house. He slammed on the brakes and skidded to a halt inches from the side of the building. Even as Dave took David’s hands in his and began to lower him over the edge of the roof, Gray had leapt out of the van and was climbing on top of it.

“Ready, champ?” Dave asked when Gray was in place to catch the little boy.

David looked up into his eyes and nodded. “I’m not scared, Papá. You wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.”

Fuck . . . This kid.

Dave leaned his head a bit to the side and met Gray’s eyes. “Ready?”

“I’ve got ’im, boss.”

Dave didn’t hesitate or count down. He simply let go of David’s hands, and in two seconds, he was in Gray’s arms. It had been the longest two seconds of Dave’s life. He hated losing touch with his son for even the small amount of time it took for him to throw his legs over the side of the roof and lower himself down, hanging from his arms. The second he heard Gray say, “Clear,” he let go and landed on top of the minivan himself.

Gray had already climbed off with David and was getting back into the vehicle. Hearing the squeal of tires, Dave knew they had no time to spare. They’d been spotted by one of del Rio’s roving bands of men.

He jumped off the roof and threw himself into the minivan. Ro slammed the door behind him, and Ball was moving before Dave got his balance. He turned and reached for David, and Gray immediately handed him over.

Putting one arm around his son and bracing the other on the front passenger seat, Dave sent up a silent prayer of thanks that the extraction had gone so well. Of course, they weren’t out of the woods yet.

“Can you lose him?” Arrow asked Ball from the seat next to him.

“Piece of cake,” Ball muttered as he flicked off the headlights and pressed on the gas.

How the hell the man could see anything in the poorly lit neighborhood, Dave didn’t know, but he wasn’t worried. Ball had proven himself time and time again when it came to eluding bad guys. The minivan they were in wasn’t exactly the fastest or most maneuverable vehicle, but Ball would find a way to lose their tail and get them to the airport safely.

David’s eyes were huge in his face as he stared at the other men.