Free Taken by Surprise by Tonya Ramagos Page A

their way deeper into the dense forest. The glide of Michael's walk spoke of his profession, of a skill honed in training. It brought her a level of comfort despite the fear of being found. As far as they knew, Xavier was the only one of Phay's men to have followed her into the forest. Because Michael, in turn, followed Xavier, they couldn't have known for sure that someone hadn't come after Michael. They'd left Xavier where he'd fallen, eyes wide in surprise, sporting a perfectly round entrance hole right between them.
    Rhonda wouldn't think about that. She wouldn't think about the way it had felt to pull the trigger herself, to fire the shot that took Xavier down before Michael arrived. The bullet she fired caught the vile man in the abdomen. She'd been stilling herself to shoot him again when she heard Michael behind her.
    Could she have done it?
    Yes. She knew with absolute certainty she could have pulled that trigger again, and even again, if necessary, until Xavier's cold, malicious eyes glazed over in death.
    Would it haunt her?
    Yes. She knew she would be hearing the echo of the shot she fired, of the kill shot Michael fired for many nights to come.
    "What now?" She took a careful step over a patch of particularly thick brush splintered with pieces of fallen branches and tried not to wince. She didn't need to look at the bottoms of her feet to know they were riddled with scratches. It concerned her because even the smallest sore could fester in the forest if not treated. She tossed up which might be better: walking through the forest barefoot or in strappy sandals with a half-inch heel. For now, she wore the sandals again.
    Michael checked his watch, glanced at the sky, and tipped his chin. "We change directions." His voice sounded odd, thick.
    "And go where, exactly?" He seemed to have no trouble discerning which way to go. She guessed he must have a compass on his watch. That made her feel marginally better seeing as how she was directionally challenged. Without her GPS, she'd be lucky to find her way out of Silver Springs much less through a forest in Cambodia. Or were they still in Thailand?
    "Where are we, anyway? I mean, I know we're in the forest. That's pretty obvious, but is this Thailand or Cambodia?"
    "Cambodia, not far from the Thailand boarder."
    Not far could mean anywhere from a few meters to a hundred miles. Rhonda didn't ask for him to elaborate. It didn't matter much in any case. She knew where they weren't, and that was on US soil. They weren't in Silver Springs. She wasn't with Lucas.
    Gods, what her son must be going through! She started to ask Michael how much he told Lucas. Did he tell her son about her abduction? The thought of Lucas sitting around some strange house with only his grandmother to offer anything familiar made Rhonda's throat close. She pushed the thoughts away, didn't ask the question. She had learned a lot about her son since leaving Preston, the biggest of which being that Lucas was strong. Whatever he knew, whatever he believed, he would be okay until she could get back to him. She firmly believed that. She had to believe it.
    Michael stopped, turned to face her. His gaze slid down her front, scrutinizing even as it awakened every erogenous spot in her body. By the gods, the man's eyes were devastatingly potent. Preston never looked at her with such hunger, such undisguised need. No man had, except this one. No man ever awakened such a desire in her that she couldn't control, except this one.
    "Do you remember the team of SEALs that helped rescue Timmy and Ryan Magee on the docks?"
    Rhonda nodded. She remembered that day all too well. Timmy's kidnapping at the hands of Veng Kim Phay, her best friend Tina's near insanity-induced fear for her son. She remembered the slew of agents and military personnel present to save the boy. She remembered the second time she saw Michael, standing larger than life and a thousand times sexier with admiration sparkling in his exotic eyes as Tina