Desperate Escape. Lisa Harris

      “You could wait back at the car,” Grant threw out.

      “I’m not afraid of dying.” Antonio’s tone was straightforward. “I’m just making sure you’re fully aware of what we’re stepping into.”

      A blade of razor-sharp grass sliced through the back of his calf. Grant reached down to slap at the stinging cut and felt the wet trickle of blood. He’d known the stakes when he signed up to serve his country more than a decade ago. Knew his chances of returning home in a body bag were far higher than average. But he wasn’t the one they’d laid in the ground that cold Chicago winter six years ago. Darren had stepped on a land mine they were trying to clear. And nothing he’d done had been able to save his friend.

      Grant tried to clear his head of those memories as he stumbled midstride over a rotten log, regained his balance and then continued through the thick undergrowth beside Antonio. “You know I’d rather have you with me, but either way, Maddie’s out here somewhere, and I intend to find her.”

      She’d already been missing for five days, and he knew that with each hour that passed the probability she was alive decreased. But even that fact hadn’t managed to deter him.

      “You were always stubborn. I just hope she’s worth it,” Antonio said. “You and I both know what they’ll do to us if we’re captured.”

      Grant slapped at the mosquito buzzing in his ear, knowing exactly what they’d do. And if he didn’t die tonight at the hands of those they were trying to stop, he still risked dying from some tropical disease. He laughed inwardly at the irony of the situation as the sun dropped beneath the horizon and darkness quickly closed in on them like a thick wool blanket. No longer able to clearly see the path ahead of him, he slowed his steps and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Winged insects buzzed around his face, a monkey shrieked in the treetops and something growled in the distance.

      He shivered despite the stifling humidity. Maybe he was foolish, but he’d never wavered on his decision when he’d first heard the report that Maddie Gilbert was missing. Never faltered on his resolve to keep his promise to his best friend, who’d died beside him in a combat zone—a death he still blamed on himself.

      Three nights ago he’d received a phone call from Frank Gilbert. He was worried sick over his daughter, frustrated with the government red tape and asking for Grant’s help. Maddie had been abducted near the hospital where she volunteered, and the body of a coworker had been found nearby. No one knew yet if Maddie was dead or alive, but Grant hoped that her skill as a doctor ended up being the one thing that kept her alive. And that it—along with the prayers of hundreds—would keep her safe until they were able to rescue her.

      Within an hour of the phone call, he’d bought his tickets and contacted Antonio, who’d promised to pick him up once he’d arrived. Three planes later—including an eight-hour flight across the Atlantic and a stopover in Dakar, Senegal—he’d arrived at Guinea-Bissau’s international airport on Africa’s west coast. It was a country most people had never even heard of.

      But he knew it well. He’d been a part of a Special Forces military training operation in the region for eighteen months, helping to mentor and instruct local troops intent on curbing drug trafficking. He’d trained new recruits on how to clear the land mines drug traffickers had buried, taught them about the types of mines they would find, offered paramedic courses and further trained section leaders to ensure that the country remained safe.

      Antonio had been one of his best students, and to this day was still a close friend. And he had connections. Four hours ago, they’d finally tracked down where Maddie was being held on one of the islands off the mainland. And while they might be on their own, Grant had every intention of bringing her out. Alive.

      His mind shifted as they trudged through the thick undergrowth toward the reason he was here. Maddie had been like a younger sister to him, too. She’d always been there at the Gilbert Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners he’d managed to make. And while he’d made an effort to keep in touch with Darren’s family, it was mainly Maddie’s mom, Alyce, who kept him up-to-date with what was going on with them.

      Most of what he knew about Maddie was what her mother had told him over the years. How she’d excelled through medical school, found a position in a well-established practice and finally met a man she’d planned to marry. The last time he and Alyce had chatted about family she’d told him how Maddie called off her wedding two months before the date, a decision that had surprised everyone. Then she’d joined Doctors International.

      A wave of jetlag washed over him. He ran his hand across the back of his neck and wiped away the perspiration. Despite the little sleep he’d gotten over the past few days, he couldn’t afford not to be alert. Years of working with explosives had taught him that. All it took was a moment’s lapse.

      “How much farther until we reach the camp?” he asked.

      Antonio pointed to a row of dim lights in the distance and slowed down. “That’s the camp, just ahead of us. It’s got to be less than a kilometer.”

      Grant glanced at his friend, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Getting here was the simple part. But now they had to find a way into the camp, rescue Maddie and get out without being caught.

      * * *

      Maddie knew it was dangerous to venture into the compound. But even at the risk of running into one of the armed guards, grabbing a moment of fresh air was worth it. Between the intense smell of chlorine and sewage, the plastered walls of the twelve-by-twelve makeshift infirmary had begun to close in around her.

      She hesitated briefly in the doorway of the grass-thatched structure and studied the moonlight filtering through the cracks in the wooden window frame. Clothes hung on twine strung diagonally in the corner. A small table that held a candlestick pooled with wax. And six thin mattresses on the floor where her new patients lay.

      Cholera might be what was trying to snuff out the lives of the rebels, but it was also the one thing saving hers.

      She stepped outside and immediately drew in a deep breath of humid air that was tinged with smoke. With the sun now below the horizon, the only sources of light—beyond the moonlight—were the cooking fires, a couple lanterns and a few bare light bulbs strung across the open courtyard bordered by individual sleeping huts.

      Men huddled in a small circle around the fire, while a handful of women finished preparing dinner. Above the boisterous conversation was the constant noise of goats and chickens, used to supplement the rebels’ diet, and the distant sounds of the forest beyond.

      Over the past five days, she’d done everything she knew to contain the unraveling situation, while giving specific instructions how to rid the camp of the disease. She’d taught the women to boil all water used in the camp for drinking and cooking, and gave them all strict instructions on waste management, hygiene and food safety. She even managed to find what she believed to be the origin of the cholera—a contaminated water source less than a kilometer south of the camp. But finding the source was only the beginning of stopping the disease, as more of the men continued to come down with the symptoms.

      Without the option of replacing fluids with IVs, she’d opted for a simple homemade oral rehydration recipe using precise measurements of sugar, salt and boiled water, hoping it would be adequate. At least until she could get her hands on some proper medical equipment.

      Though containing the epidemic was essential to those in the camp, escape was still in the forefront of her mind. And escape was not going to be easy.

      She’d studied the layout of the large compound—individual huts arranged in a circle that surrounded an open space in the middle. Men armed with automatic weapons patrolled the walled perimeter on a rotating basis. Inside the camp, they watched her carefully. The only place they left her completely alone was inside the room they’d given her to treat the sick.

      She leaned against the rough bark of a palm tree, thankful for a few moments to refocus her thoughts and pray. Thankful the men were ignoring her for the moment while the women served their spicy yam, onion and