Defending Zara (Mountain Mercenaries #6)(9)

Not only were there boys inside, but women too.

Rex and the team had heard about corruption in the police forces in Peru, but they hadn’t suspected anyone from the First Special Forces Brigade.

They certainly hadn’t expected to be caught smack-dab in the middle of a big fucking mess.

Zara and her friends hadn’t hurt him, and she’d said they’d planned on helping Black too. She’d gotten him out of the barrio. At least, he assumed they weren’t there anymore, if his memories of being jostled and traveling inside some kind of box were anything to go by.

And she and Daniela had bandaged up his ankle and cleaned his cuts and wounds. They hadn’t given him medication, but he believed them when they said they simply didn’t have any. He wasn’t about to lie around for three days, but for now, he couldn’t do anything with his head and ankle in the shape they were in, so he would have to put his trust in these women.

“If you’re telling the truth, I owe you and your friends my thanks.”

Zara simply nodded.

His eyes closed, but then he forced them open again. “I need to know about Black.”

“I’ll try to find out.”

His eyes closed again, and with a herculean effort, he pried them open one more time.

“Gray’s wife should be having their baby any day now. He won’t leave if I’m missing. He’ll miss the birth. Arrow’s wife is also expecting. She still has about a month and a half to go, but the stress of him being away could make her go into early labor. Chloe and Everly are probably worried, too, and Harlow will be frantic when she hears about Black being attacked. They’re my friends, Zara. My brothers. I can’t stand the thought of them worrying about me.”

“Sleep,” Zara said softly. “I’ll wake you up in an hour to make sure you’re okay because of your head.”

“Please,” Meat pleaded, not ashamed that he was begging. “I need to know my friend is okay . . .”

The last thing he remembered was Zara’s hand clasping his own and squeezing.

After what seemed like two minutes, but was probably an hour, Meat was abruptly woken with a hard shake to his good shoulder.

Expecting to see Zara, he was surprised to find Daniela standing over him. She was holding a knife at her side, and it was more than clear she didn’t trust him.

She said something in Spanish, then held up her free hand with three fingers sticking up.

“Three. Tres,” Meat told her.

She nodded, then backed away from him toward the doorway.

“Wait!” he said, and pushed up on an elbow, wincing when even that small movement made bile move up his throat. He forced it down and asked, “Where’s Zed?”

But Daniela didn’t answer, simply left him on the floor to wonder if he’d said something that had made Zara flee.

Meat wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but every hour, Daniela roughly shook him awake and held up a hand, demanding he tell her how many fingers she was holding up before leaving without talking to him further, not that they could understand each other.

He wished he had his watch so he’d know how long he’d been lying on the floor in the house, and how long Zara had been gone. He knew it had to have been at least ten or twelve hours, because when he was woken this time, it was well after sunrise, perhaps late morning.

And Zara was at his side once more.

She’d gently nudged him awake—unlike her friend, who hadn’t bothered trying to be kind when she’d tended to him. Meat was so happy to see her, so happy to be able to talk to someone, that he smiled. “You came back.”

She nodded and pulled out a bottle of water, two candy bars, and a plastic jug. The food and water looked amazing. Meat hadn’t realized how hungry he’d been until that moment. He frowned at the jug, wondering what it was for, when Zara spoke.

“Toilet.”

She wasn’t blushing and didn’t seem embarrassed that he’d have to pee in the jug, and she’d have to dispose of it for him. But thinking about it, Meat realized that if she’d lived in the barrios for any amount of time, nothing probably shocked her.

Relieved because he did need to pee, he reached for it. She handed it over, then stood and walked out of the room, giving him privacy. Thankful for that, Meat quickly took care of business and set the jug aside.

She returned in minutes and carried the container away. She returned shortly and placed the now-empty jug near him. She sat next to him and held out the water and candy.

“Where’d you get these?” he asked.

She stared back, saying nothing.

“Have you eaten?”

For the first time, her gaze fell from his, and she nodded.

Her stomach growling at that exact moment wasn’t the only thing telling him she was lying.

He held out one of the candy bars. “Here. Take it.”

She looked at him in disbelief, and Meat disliked the shock on her face. “Hasn’t anyone given you a candy bar before?”

This time, she didn’t take her eyes from his as she shook her head.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” Meat said as lightly as he could. But inside, he was shaken. He knew poverty existed. Had seen his share of it around the world. But the barrio had shocked even him. He didn’t know how Zara had gotten her hands on the candy or water, but he made the immediate decision to eat the bare minimum. She and Daniela probably needed the food and water way more than he did.