Free Protecting Fiona (SEAL of Protection Book 3) by Susan Stoker Page A

only about ten seconds, they reached the ladder. “Help me, Hunter,” Fiona fake-begged him again. “Hold on to the ladder to keep it steady for me.”
    Fiona was completely lying to him, trying to get him near enough to the first rung so she could strap him in. “Step up, Hunter.” She watched him blindly step up to the first rung. Fiona wrapped the containment rope around his back and clipped it to the ladder again. It wasn’t much, and probably wouldn’t hold him if he passed out on his way up, so she prayed he’d be able to hold on for the short trip up.
    “Hold on,” Fiona begged Hunter desperately. “For me, hold on. Don’t let go.” Hunter seemed to become a bit more lucid at her words, and just as his partners were hauling him up, he tried to grab her hand.
    Fiona stepped back out of the way and ran back toward the break in the trees where they’d been hiding. She heard him swearing as he was lifted up toward the helicopter.
    “Thank God,” Fiona sobbed while still trying to randomly shoot his pistol. When she shot the last bullet, she just watched as Hunter miraculously reached the chopper and was hauled inside by several grasping hands. The drug runners were finally backing off as a result of the fire power from the chopper.
    Fiona wasn’t sure what the men in the helicopter would do. She knew they weren’t expecting to pick up more than two people. She didn’t even know if they had room for her. But they had to have seen her helping Hunter onto the ladder. Had to have seen she wasn’t the enemy. Fiona wanted to see the ladder drop back to the ground for her almost more than she wanted a three course meal, but she had no idea how much weight the chopper could hold and if it was even feasible for Hunter’s teammates to save her too.
    Fiona grabbed Hunter’s pack with the intention of slinging it over her back as she’d seen him do time after time, and almost fell backwards when she tried to pick it up. The thing was heavy! She had no idea how Hunter had been able to carry it as far as he did without seeming to be bothered by it. Fiona wanted to leave it on the ground where Hunter had left it, she honestly didn’t feel strong enough to take it with her, but she knew she couldn’t leave it behind. Fiona figured there was probably a lot of electronic equipment in it and probably other top secret things.
    The other reason she didn’t want to leave it behind was because she didn’t know if there was any identifying information in it or not, and she didn’t want anything coming back to Hunter. She had no time to search it to make sure and the last thing she wanted was some drug dealer in Mexico knowing who Hunter was and possibly coming after him in the States. She had no idea how likely that was, but then again she never would’ve thought she would’ve been kidnapped and taken away to be sold into the sex slave trade either.
    Fiona laid the pack on the ground and lay down on her back on top of it. She snaked her arms through the straps and struggled to get upright. She put her feet to the side and shifted around. She got her legs under her and used a nearby tree to pull herself painfully to her feet. She fell back once, and luckily there was a tree there to stop her from falling on her ass. Fiona shifted her weight until she felt comfortable standing with the heavy backpack on.
    Fiona looked nervously back up at the chopper hovering overhead. It was time for the million dollar question. Would they leave her behind? They’d rescued their man and the original hostage. They’d completed their mission. Would they rescue her too? Or was she too much of an unknown?
    Fiona held her breath. If they left, okay, she couldn’t think about that, but maybe just maybe…the seconds ticked by. Just as Fiona thought the chopper was going to take off and leave her to fend for herself in the jungle, the ladder started lowering again. Thank God! Fiona almost sobbed in relief, realizing what a close call