Hard Target. Barb Han

what she was saying. Please. Please. Please. Believe me.

      Another bottle of water arrived. The agent twisted off the cap and handed it to her. His broad cheekbones and rich timbre set off a sparkler inside her.

      The glorious water cooled her still-parched throat. She downed most of the contents, using the leftovers to splash more water on her face. “Thank you.”

      Her stomach growled. “Any chance you have a hamburger hidden somewhere?”

      He shot her a look full of pity. Something else flashed behind his brown eyes when he said, “We can stop and pick something up on the way.”

      “Please don’t turn me in. I can prove I’m American if I can get to my belongings.” She took a step forward, and her knees buckled.

      The agent caught her before she hit the ground. “Let’s get something in your stomach first.”

      He helped her across the loading dock to his Jeep parked in the lot.

      She eased onto the passenger seat.

      “You’re welcome to my extra shirt.” He produced a white button-down from the back. “And I have a couple extra bottles of water and a towel.”

      A spark of hope lit inside her. Was he going to help? She thanked him for the supplies, pouring the opened bottle of water onto the towel first. The wet cloth felt cool on her skin. She dabbed her face before wiping her neck, chest and arms.

      Pulling on the shirt required a little more finesse. She winced as she stretched out her arms. The agent immediately made a move to help. He eased one of her hands in the sleeve, and then the other. She managed the buttons on her own. Taking in a breath, the smell of his shirt reminded her of campfires lit outdoors and clean spring air.

      “I have a power bar. Keep a few in a cooler in back for those long stretches of nothingness when I’m patrolling fence.” He held out the wrapped bar and another water.

      She took both, placed the water in her lap and tried to steady her hands enough to open the wrapper.

      The protein bar tasted better than steak. She drained the water bottle in less than a minute. “I’ve already thanked you, but I’d like to repay you somehow.”

      His gaze locked onto hers. “Tell me the truth about what happened to you. I can’t stop these men from hurting other women without information.”

      Was he saying what she thought? The men who’d abducted her belonged to a kidnapping ring? Of course they did. She hadn’t even considered it before, she’d been too concerned about her own life, but they seemed practiced and professional. If she could stop them, she had to try.

      She nodded.

      He climbed into the driver’s side, put the key in the ignition and then waited.

      “At first, I couldn’t believe what was happening to me. I just kept thinking this couldn’t be real.” She looked over at him, hating that she was trembling with fear. “I was dragged through the jungle for hours, starved and then stuck in a hole with no food or water.” Tears welled. She would hold back the information about knowing she’d been a target until she was certain she could trust him. As it was, maybe he’d let her go.

      “Do you know how long you were there?”

      “What day is it?”

      He glanced at his watch. “Monday.”

      “My flight arrived in Mexico last Monday.”

      “A week ago.”

      “The sky was clear blue, the most beautiful shade I’ve ever seen. I’d stayed up late at a welcome party, so I didn’t get outside until noon or so the next day. Took a kayak out, and that’s when they grabbed me.”

      Compassion warmed his stern features. “Now we’re getting somewhere. How many men were there?”

      “Half a dozen.”

      “Can you give a description?”

      “They wore bandannas to cover their faces. Other than that, they were a little taller than me.” She was five foot seven. “They had to be five-eight or five-nine. Black hair and eyes.”

      His face muscles tensed.

      “I just described half of the country, didn’t I?”

      He nodded, his expression radiating a sense of calm. “Dark skin or light?”

      “Dark. Definitely dark.”

      “Can you describe their clothing?”

      “Most of them wore old jeans and faded T-shirts. Looked like secondhand stuff. They were dirty.”

      “Some guerrilla groups live in the jungle,” he agreed.

      Did he believe her? He’d stopped looking at her as if she belonged in the mental ward, so that had to be a good sign.

      “If they abducted you for extortion, they would’ve contacted your family. Can I call someone? A spouse?”

      “I’m not married.” An emotion she couldn’t identify flashed behind the agent’s brown eyes. “As for the rest of my family... There’s not really... It’s complicated.”

      “Mother? Father?”

      “I don’t know where he is. My mom isn’t reachable. She’s sick.” Why was she suddenly embarrassed by her dysfunctional family?

      The better question might be when had she not been?

      Emily remembered being scared to death she wouldn’t pass the background check required to work in her job for a major computer company. She’d had to get clearance since she entered data for various banks, some of which came from foreign interests. With a mom living in basically a cult and a dad who was MIA, Emily had feared she wouldn’t get through the first round with her prospective employer. Emily had always been responsible. She hadn’t even sampled marijuana in college as so many of her friends had. While all her classmates were “experimenting” and partying, she’d been working two jobs to pay tuition and make rent. Not that she was a saint. She just didn’t have spare time or energy to do anything besides work, study and sleep.

      She had to keep a decent GPA, which didn’t leave a lot of time for anything else.

      Heck, her college boyfriend had left her because she’d been too serious. He’d walked out, saying he wanted to be with someone more fun.

      What was that?

      Life hadn’t handed Emily “fun.” It had given her a deserter for a dad and a mom who was as sweet as she was lost.

      Fun?

      Emily clamped down a bitter laugh.

      She’d had fun about as often as she’d had sex in the past year. And that really was a sad statement. Getting away, going to the beach, was supposed to represent a big step toward claiming her future and starting a new life.

      “There’s no one we can call?” The agent’s voice brought her back to the present.

      She shook her head. There was one name she could give him, her boss. She hated to do it. The last thing she wanted to do was jeopardize her job, but Jared could corroborate her story and then the agent would believe her. Possibly even let her go?

      With the information she’d given the agent so far, she had a feeling she was going to need all the help she could get. “My boss.”

      Agent Campbell pulled his cell from his pocket.

      She gave him Jared’s number and took a deep breath.

      * * *

      REED PUNCHED IN the number the witness had given while he kept one eye on her.

      She was still desperate, and there was an off chance she’d do something stupid, like run. He didn’t feel like chasing after her. He’d catch