Defending Zara (Mountain Mercenaries #6)(28)

“If we’d known about you, we would’ve come for you,” Arrow added. “No one—man, woman, or child—should be taken away from their loved ones and abandoned, but right now, you’re our new mission. None of us are leaving without you.”

For the first time in years, Zara felt tears threaten. She’d learned a long time ago that crying didn’t help. In fact, there were a lot of people who enjoyed seeing tears because it meant they’d broken you. “I’m nobody,” she whispered.

“Wrong,” Meat said forcefully. “You’re Zara Layne. You risked your life for mine, and I won’t forget that. Ever.”

“Me either,” Ro said.

“Or me,” Gray added.

The others all agreed.

“But I could be lying,” Zara insisted. Not sure why she wasn’t letting it go.

“Are you?” Black asked.

She stared at him. He was handsome. With his black hair and brown, piercing eyes, he could’ve been on the cover of any of the glossy magazines Zara had seen in Miraflores in the tourist shops. The bruises on his face didn’t diminish his good looks in any way.

She didn’t really care about how he looked. She’d come across many handsome men in the last decade who had black souls.

But she could easily see this man cared about his friend. And, for some reason, about her.

She shook her head.

Black nodded. “Right, then we’re all staying until Rex can pull strings and get you a passport. We’ll hole up here until that happens.”

“What are we gonna tell the military?” Ball asked.

“We’ll put Rex on that too. He’s the one who was working with them. We’ve already told him that we thought some of the people he’s working with are corrupt, but now we’ve got confirmation. He’ll have to be careful, but he can help figure out how to get them off our backs,” Gray said.

“We should probably change rooms, just in case the others are bugged,” Ro suggested.

Gray nodded again. “While Zara and Meat get cleaned up, we’ll work on that. Meat, you seem to be okay beyond some general pain, but I’d like to take a look at your injuries anyway, if that’s all right.”

Meat nodded. “Bum ankle, busted ribs, and the concussion, as I said earlier. Zara’s doctor friend reset my shoulder. I wouldn’t mind something to take the edge off, but otherwise I’m good.”

Gray lifted his chin at his friend, then looked at her. “Zara? What about you?”

She frowned, not understanding the question.

He smiled. “You need any medical care?”

Zara wanted to laugh. She hadn’t seen a doctor since she was about nine and had broken a finger at recess. She and her best friend, Renee, had been swinging in circles on the swings, and she’d gotten her finger stuck in the chains as they’d wrapped around each other. “No.”

To his credit, Gray didn’t push.

“I’ll bring your duffel by when we’re done,” Ball told Meat. “Not sure what we’ll do about Zara, though.”

“I’m okay with what I’ve got on,” Zara said quickly.

All six men looked at her as if she were insane.

“I mean . . . I’ll wash them in the shower, and they’ll be fine once they dry,” she told them.

“I’ll slip out and find something appropriate,” Arrow said.

Zara hated the panic that tore through her, but the thought of putting on feminine clothes was abhorrent. She couldn’t be a girl. It was too dangerous.

Meat turned to her and put a finger under her chin, so she had no choice but to look at him. “Trust us,” he said softly. “Arrow isn’t going to get you a big, poofy pink party dress, Zar.”

She took a deep breath. Of course he wasn’t. These men wanted to fly under the radar as much as she did. Especially after hearing how corrupt the people running the government were. She nodded.

“You hungry?” Gray asked.

Meat’s stomach chose that moment to growl so loudly, there was no way anyone could miss it. Everyone chuckled, and even Zara had to smile.

“Guess that answers that,” Meat said without an ounce of embarrassment.

“I can get something while I’m out shopping for Zara. I don’t know what your situation has been for the last few days . . . Should I find something filling but bland, or go hog wild?” Arrow asked.

To her surprise, Meat turned to her. “What do you want, Zara?”

She immediately said, “Anything is fine.”

Meat’s eyes narrowed, and she wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Then he turned back to his friend. “Filling but bland. And lots of candy bars. No soft drinks. Fruit and vegetables, if you can find them.”

“Got it. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Arrow said, not even blinking at the strange food request.

“Take your time. We aren’t going anywhere,” Meat told him.

Zara felt the pesky tears again. Meat had remembered that she didn’t drink soda, and he’d obviously picked up on the fact that candy bars were her weakness. And it probably wasn’t a good idea for either of them to gorge on rich, spicy food. She also couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a full serving of vegetables. When she was a kid, she’d turned up her nose at anything green on her plate, but now, she’d kill to eat healthy vegetables with every meal.