“Good.”
Her heart pounded a frantic beat in her chest as she watched Sebastian carefully part the canvas to peer out. He seemed satisfied by what he saw, because he ducked back in and shot her a firm look.
“Stay on my six, Doc. Do everything I say, and we’ll both get out of this alive.”
Julia had never been more terrified in her entire life as she followed Sebastian out of the makeshift escape route. Darkness immediately enveloped them, disorienting her for a moment. She breathed in the night air, a combination of earth and pine and decay, but then she caught a whiff of something else, something woodsy, musky. Sebastian. Despite the fact that she was scared for her life, that masculine scent actually made her heart skip a beat.
Go away, hormones, she ordered. I’m trying not to die here.
A hysterical laugh got stuck in her throat. Oh, God, how was any of this happening?
The back of the tent was perfectly positioned directly in front of the woods, and Julia stuck to Sebastian like glue as they crept toward the trees. For some inexplicable reason, she explicitly trusted the man leading the way. She had every intention of following him blindly and doing anything he asked without question, and that scared her almost as much as everything else that had happened thus far.
She kept her gaze on Sebastian, noticing how the strong muscles of his back flexed with each precise step he took. She was so focused on him, in fact, that she didn’t notice the two bodies lying in the dirt until she’d almost tripped over them.
A squeak flew out, ending prematurely when Sebastian’s warm hand clapped over her mouth to silence her. “Easy, Doc,” he murmured.
Her heart began racing again, and now her palms were shaking. She immediately recognized the dead men—the two guards who’d been in the tent. She stared at their green uniforms, those lifeless eyes, the thin red lines slashing across their throats. Then her gaze shifted to the knife in Sebastian’s hand.
Why hadn’t she noticed before that the blade was stained red?
Oh, God. He’d killed these men.
He caught her eye, his expression grim. “Kill or be killed, Julia.” Those soft words didn’t alleviate her panic, only increased it.
It occurred to her that she knew absolutely nothing about the man she’d entrusted with her life, but when she looked into those silver eyes, she saw no malice. No threat. Only a glint of fortitude and unexpected concern.
Taking a breath, she tore her gaze from the motionless bodies on the dirt, but not before she spotted the plastic water bottle poking out from one of the soldier’s pockets.
The water … maybe … don’t know.
Kevin’s words rushed into the forefront of her brain. The water, he’d said. Had he meant there was something in the water? Bacteria? A virus?
“We have to go back,” she blurted out.
Sebastian’s face filled with disbelief, and then he gave a stern shake of his head. “No way.”
Ignoring him, Julia dashed toward the dead soldier. She grabbed the water bottle and twisted off the cap, promptly pouring out the remaining liquid on the ground. Sebastian stalked over, visibly aggravated.
“They’ll have men swarming this entire mountain the second they realize you’re gone,” he said in a low voice. “We have to go, Doc. Now.”
She stubbornly lifted her chin. “Not until I get some water.”
“Oh, for the love of—”
“A water sample,” she clarified. “We need a sample of the water. There’s a well on the eastern edge of the village. That’s where Esperanza’s drinking supply comes from.”
His brows furrowed, and then understanding dawned on his face. “You think there’s something in the water.”
“Kevin— Dr. Carlisle, my colleague, he said something about the water when he radioed.” Frustration seized her body. “They’ll try to cover this up, Sebastian. I can’t let them do that. I need that water.”
After a moment, he released a resigned breath, then snatched the bottle right out of her hand. “C’mere,” he ordered, grabbing her arm and dragging her away.
“No,” she protested. “I can’t go until I get—”
“I’ll get you the damn sample. Now, come here.”
He led her to a thick cluster of tangled vegetation and practically threw her into it. “Stay out of sight. If I’m not back in five minutes, run.”
He was gone before she could blink.
Julia crouched in the cramped space, gulping hard, trying to ease the terror clamped like an angry fist around her throat.
She couldn’t believe Sebastian had gone back for a water sample. With those alpha-male vibes he was throwing off, she’d expected him to haul her over his shoulder and forcibly cart her away, yet he’d actually taken the time to listen to her. And now he was risking his life to carry out the task she’d been ready to do herself.
Her gaze kept darting to the watch strapped to her wrist. One minute passed. Two. Three.
If I’m not back in five minutes, run.
“Yeah, right,” she muttered to herself.
If Sebastian didn’t return in five minutes, she was going back for him. The man had risked his life to break her out of that camp, and he just expected her to abandon him? Fat chance.
When she heard a rustling sound, she shrank deeper into her hiding place and held her breath.
“It’s me, Doc,” came his raspy voice. “Time to go.”
She slid out of the brush and joined him, eyeing the full bottle in his hand. “You went to the well?”
He nodded. “Is this enough of a sample, you think?”
“Should be more than enough.”
“Good. Now let’s get the hell out of here. They don’t know you’re gone yet, but those two guards I incapacitated will be missed soon.”
“Incapacitated?” she echoed. “Is that what you like to call it? Because those men look more dead than incapacitated.”
He didn’t so much as flinch from the verbal jab. “What do we call saving your ass these days? Oh, right, saving your ass,” he said sarcastically, and then he took off walking.
Julia wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. There was no denying that this man had just saved her life.
But there was also no ignoring that he’d taken two other lives in the process.
Shoving aside the menacing reminder, she followed Sebastian, and they made their way through the forest. Their soft breathing and the crackle of twigs beneath their feet were the only sounds in the otherwise still air. At one point, Sebastian ordered her to stay put, disappeared in the shadows, and returned a moment later with a black duffel bag, which he must have stashed earlier, and then he slung the bag over his shoulder and signaled that they were resuming the trek. The temperature was dropping, making Julia grateful for the long-sleeved plaid shirt she’d worn over her tank top. She was glad for the sneakers, too, because they made walking in this mountainous terrain much easier.
But the longer they walked, the more concerned she got, until finally she couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “Where are we going?” she whispered.
Sebastian spared her a glance over his shoulder. “To meet our ride.”
Bewilderment rippled through her, and it only got worse when they stepped into a rocky clearing ten minutes later and she laid eyes on the white-and-brown horse standing by a cluster of rosewood trees. The animal neighed at the