Lethal Deception. Lynette Eason

      She turned at the sound of another engine and understood.

      A jeep full of four men all holding rifles was headed directly toward them.

      Anna grabbed her arm. “Run back through the gate!”

      As Cassidy turned to obey, bullets kicked up the dirt around her and she froze in shock, terror causing her to shake. Eyes closed, shoulders hunched, she clutched Alexis close. The child howled her protests and fear. Cassidy flinched with each report, but she knew that if these men wanted to kill her or the baby, they’d both be dead.

      God, what is going on? Protect Alexis, please!

      The shooting stopped; the silence screamed in her ringing ears. Before she could raise her head, rough hands pulled at her.

      “Put down the baby!” ordered a hard-eyed man dressed in jungle fatigues, his rifle held negligently in his hand, pointing to the ground.

      Automatically, Cassidy pulled Alexis closer.

      The gun barrel rose and pointed at the child. In precise English, he stated, “Put her down or I will shoot her.”

      And he would. Like he would shoot an annoying dog. Terrified for the little girl, Cassidy kissed the top of her head and bent to put her on the ground. “Go to Anna,” she whispered in Alexis’s ear.

      When she tried to straighten, Alexis clung to her, her chubby arms like steel bands around Cassidy’s neck. “No! No! Want up!”

      All too aware of the gun still pointed at the child, Cassidy kept her eyes trained on the rebel, reached back and wrenched the clinging arms away from her, feeling like her heart was being torn from her chest in much the same way.

      Alexis fought and grabbed at her. “No! Stay with my Cass-ty!”

      Cassidy’s stomach cramped at the little girl’s fear and confusion, but she took a step away, holding the child’s hands so she couldn’t latch on again. “Shh, sweetheart. It’ll be okay.”

      She shot a pleading look at Anna who stood off to the side with the other two relief workers, eyes narrowed, lips tight. Anna stepped forward to grab up the screeching child and hand her off to one of the other women. She turned back.

      The hard hand clamped around Cassidy’s upper arm hauled her toward the waiting jeep. Alexis still cried for her. And these brutes had threatened her.

      Cassidy exploded. She struggled and resisted the hands that gripped her. But she was no match for their sheer strength.

      Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Anna turn back to the jeep and race toward her. Horror chilled her as she realized what her friend meant to do. “No, Anna, get back!”

      Anna ignored her.

      Cassidy renewed her fight and landed a solid kick on a hard shin. Her captor grunted and twisted her arm. Pain shot through her shoulder, and Cassidy shrieked.

      Anna delivered a solid right hook to the man who held her. He grabbed his bloody nose and hollered, but didn’t lose his grip on Cassidy. One of his companions in the jeep yelled a curse, gripped his rifle and dropped to the ground to help. As Anna turned to face him, he swiped the barrel across the side of her head. Blood squirted; she went down and didn’t move.

      Cassidy fought harder until the man grabbed a fistful of hair and brought her face up to his. His black eyes glittered in his filthy, unshaven face. She tried to turn her face from his rancid breath, but he held her head fast as he told her in slow, measured English, “Continue to struggle and I will snap your neck.”

      Cassidy froze and whimpered at the pain in her scalp. God, please!

      “That’s better.” With no more effort than it takes a cook to toss a pizza, he hurled her into the back of the jeep. Cassidy hit the floor with a grunt. Pain shot through her left shoulder and her hip throbbed.

      A third man grabbed her arms and yanked them behind her back. Rough rope chewed her tender wrists. Cassidy stopped fighting. Her muscles quivered from the exertion. She had no more strength left. Struggling now would only earn her more bruises.

      The jeep screeched off, churning up dust as it bumped down the pitted dirt road. Alexis’s screams echoed in her ears and fury mingled with the terror choking her.

      Cassidy rolled over to see the man who had knocked Anna out. He sat slightly ahead of her, perched on the edge of the jeep instead of in one of the seats. She drew knees up to her chin then kicked out as hard as she could. The bottom of her feet landed on his backside and toppled him over the edge. His harsh yell and shouted curse gave her a brief moment of satisfaction.

      His comrades howled with laughter; the driver slammed on the brakes and backed up. They taunted him as he came up over the side of the jeep, dusty, the gash on his forehead matching the one he’d put on Anna’s. However, the rage in his eyes turned Cassidy’s satisfaction back to terror.

      She was dead.

      His fist shot out and connected with her left eye and cheekbone. Pain exploded, bright lights flashed, then darkness blanketed her.

      

      Cassidy awoke and choked back an agonized moan as the ropes bit into the tender skin of her wrists. She lay on her right side, her cheek pressed into the dirt while her heart beat in time with her pounding head. She couldn’t decide what hurt more—cheek, eye, hip or wrists.

      With the return of consciousness came memory. Unfortunately, memory brought forth such a surge of terror she gasped.

      She’d been kidnapped.

      Oh, Lord, help me. Give me the strength to endure. Be with Alexis. Cassidy whispered the prayer then inched her way to sit up as straight as her bonds would allow. She tried to shift into a more comfortable position.

      Impossible.

      With her hands bound behind her, fire shot along every muscle in her shoulders, arms and back, her body protesting the strain of being in one position for too long. A bead of sweat dripped off her chin; her head throbbed harder and nausea churned.

      Gritting her teeth, she gathered every ounce of strength and managed to shift into a sitting position. Panting from her efforts, she dropped her head to bent knees and told herself to keep breathing.

      Finally, the nausea eased and she dragged her head up to look around. Misshapen boards were stacked on top of each other and nailed haphazardly to keep them from falling in. Through the slits in the walls, she could see movement. Shifting closer to lean against the wall, she looked out. A dark-headed, dark-eyed preteen was cooking over a campfire, occasionally turning the meat on the skewer. Cassidy sucked in a sharp breath. Next to the young girl stood the man Cassidy had kicked out of the jeep. Rafael, they’d called him.

      She watched, unable to pull her gaze from the sight before her. This man, this rebel, leaned over and gently kissed the top of the girl’s head. The girl looked up, smiled and said something. Cassidy couldn’t understand all of it, but caught the word, Papai. That awful man was a father? Ugh. Oh, what are these people doing to their children, Lord?

      Cassidy shook her head and pain splintered through it. She gasped out a groan and waited. When the throbbing faded, she looked out once again. Garlic, peppers and other spices tantalized her. Dogs barked and children played soldier, shooting each other with toy guns fashioned from sticks.

      Several older preteens carried the real thing.

      Cassidy shuddered; fear clawed up her spine.

      Did anyone other than her kidnappers know she was here? She bent her shoulders forward. No relief. Cassidy looked through the widest crack again. Rustic huts, no electricity, no phone lines. She felt caught in a time warp…surrounded only by towering trees, a rushing river and the occasional monkey calling to its mate.

      Oh, God, please get me out of this! And get us out before Mom hears I’ve disappeared. Please, God, first Micah and now me. She’ll die. Literally.

      Micah, a Navy SEAL on a mission,