Defending Zara (Mountain Mercenaries #6)(16)

The only thing that made Gray feel even the slightest bit of hope that they’d see Meat again had happened near the end of the day. They’d been inside one of the hovels on the street where Meat had last been seen, and the military member who’d been with him and Ro had stepped out. There were two women inside who’d sworn up and down they hadn’t seen, heard, or known anything about a missing American.

The second their escort had left, however, one of them had said in broken English, “Maybe someone took friend to doctor. He come back when better.”

Gray had opened his mouth to ask for more information, but their escort had stuck his head back into the hut and barked something in Spanish to the women. They’d nodded and immediately turned their backs to Gray and Ro, and had begun to sweep the floor as if their lives depended on it.

Sharing a look, the mercenaries had been frustrated, but it was more information than they’d gotten all day. The woman hadn’t confirmed someone had taken Meat to a doctor, but that was the implication.

Hoping like hell the woman hadn’t been fucking with him, Gray had followed Ro out, but before he’d left, he’d placed the money he’d been trying to bribe someone with all day on a small shelf near the door.

Once again, that night they met in Gray’s motel room to update Black on the search, since he’d still been laid up in bed. Gray and Ro told the others what the woman had said, and they all agreed that since they’d found neither hide nor hair of Meat in the actual barrio, the woman’s suggestion had merit. At least they hoped so.

They had little hope of finding him on their own, though. There were hundreds of acres of destitute areas like the one they’d been searching. Not to mention the houses outside of each walled barrio. If someone had taken Meat out of the barrio, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. All they could do was wait, and pray that Meat would be brought back to them. Or, if he was being held hostage, that he’d find a way to escape.





Chapter Seven

Three days had passed since Meat had been brought to the doctor’s house. Night was falling on the third day, and while he wasn’t feeling up to going toe-to-toe with another gang, he was feeling much better than he had even a day before. He hadn’t seen much of Zara today, but he hoped she’d return soon. He couldn’t communicate with Daniela, and while she was nicer now, she didn’t exactly seem overjoyed to have him there.

Meat had woken up this morning with Zara in his arms. He was actually surprised, as he’d figured she was probably an early riser, like himself. It wasn’t until Daniela had banged her hand on the entryway that Zara had jolted awake. She’d blushed when she realized where she was, and said something to Daniela, who disappeared, leaving them alone.

She hadn’t said much to Meat, just mumbled about having to go, and before he could stop her, she’d left.

Meat had spent the day gently and repeatedly moving his ankle to try to get his range of motion back and to help it heal faster. His ribs still hurt like hell, but he’d had broken ribs in the past and did his best to ignore that pain. The bruises all over his body throbbed, and every now and then a feeling of nausea would make him dizzy. He slept a lot, as the house heated up quickly in the afternoon sun, making him drowsy.

By the time he woke up next, the sun was setting and he was starving. Meat knew his time being immobile and helpless was almost over. Tomorrow, he’d see how well he could bear his own body weight and think about getting out of wherever he was and back to his teammates. Moving at night would be better, as he could blend in, but it would also be more dangerous. He wasn’t an idiot; he knew moving around the poorest sections of Lima in the dark wasn’t exactly smart, but since all he had on was an undershirt and a pair of boxers, he wasn’t dressed for slinking around in the daylight.

His thoughts were interrupted by Zara’s return. She was still wearing the same large T-shirt and dirty, beaten-up sweats she’d been wearing when they’d met, but seeing her standing in the doorway made him wonder yet again how anyone could mistake her for a boy. Her hair was short, yes, but her hips were a bit too wide to be male, and her daintiness also made her look feminine.

Her cheeks were flushed. From exertion or the heat, he couldn’t tell, but it made him think about how she might look after being thoroughly ravished.

She stood there staring at him without a word, and finally, Meat realized she had a plastic bag in her hand. It was stuffed full.

“What do you have?” he asked, nodding toward the bag.

Zara shuffled in and shrugged. “I found some stuff for you today. You might not like any of it.”

Meat had no idea what she’d gotten for him, but he knew without a doubt that whatever it was had taken her all day to acquire. He didn’t want to think about how she’d gotten the items, but he’d be happy for whatever she’d scrounged up all the same.

“Well, come over here and let’s see what you have.”

She nodded and moved closer. Meat hoped there was food in the bag, but he wasn’t holding his breath. He could go another day without anything to eat; he’d gone longer on some of his past missions for the Army. Daniela had brought him water throughout the day, so he was good there.

Zara put the bag down and bit her lip as she stared at him.

Meat patted the floor next to him. “Sit, Zara. You look tired.”