Linda Howard - Mackenzie's Heroes

Her foot looked small and fragile in his big hands. He frowned in concentration as he applied an antibiotic ointment to the cut, then fashioned a butterfly bandage to close the wound. He worked with a swift, sure dexterity, and it was only a moment before the bandaging was complete. Gently, he lifted her foot off his leg. “There. You should be able to walk with no problem, but as soon as we get you to the ship, get the doc to put in a couple of stitches and give you an injection for tetanus.”

“Yes, sir,” she said softly.

He looked up with a swift, faint smile. “I’m Navy. That’s, ‘Aye, aye, sir.’”

The smile nearly took her breath. If he ever truly smiled, she thought, she might have heart failure. To hide her reaction, she held out her hand to him. “Barrie Lovejoy. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”

He folded his fingers around hers and solemnly shook hands. “Lieutenant-Commander Zane Mackenzie, United States Navy SEALs.”

A SEAL. Her heart jumped in her chest. That explained it, then. SEALs were known as the most dangerous men alive, men so skilled in the arts of warfare that they were in a class by themselves. He didn’t just look lethal; he was lethal.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“My pleasure, ma’am.”

Hot color flooded her face as she looked at her blanket-covered lap. “Please, call me Barrie. After all, your shirt is the only thing I...” Her voice trailed off, and she bit her lip. “I mean, formality at this point is—”

“I understand,” he said gently, breaking into her stumbling explanation. “I don’t want you to be embarrassed, so the circumstances are strictly between us, if you prefer. But I advise you to tell the ship’s surgeon, or your own doctor, for the sake of your health.”

Barrie blinked at him in confusion, wondering what on earth her health had to do with the fact that he’d seen her naked. Then comprehension dawned; if she hadn’t been so tired, she would have realized immediately what conclusion he had drawn from the situation.

“They didn’t rape me,” she whispered. Her face flushed even hotter. “They—they touched me, they hurt me and did some...other things, but they didn’t actually rape me. They were saving that for today. Some important guy in their organization was supposed to arrive, and I suppose they were planning a sort of p-party.”

Zane’s expression remained calm and grave, and she knew he didn’t believe her. Why should he? He’d found her tied up and naked, and she’d already been in the kidnappers’ hands for most of a day. Chivalry wasn’t part of their code; they had refrained from rape only on orders from their leader, because he wanted to be there to enjoy her himself before the others had their turn on her.

He didn’t say anything, and Barrie busied herself with the used antiseptic pads, which were still damp enough to clean the rest of the disgusting muck from her feet. She longed for a bath, but that was so far out of the question that she didn’t even voice the wish.

While she busied herself with tidying up, he explored the small room, which didn’t take long, because there was nothing in it. He closed the broken shutters over the window; the wooden slats were rotted away at the top, allowing some light through but preventing any passersby from seeing inside.

With the room mostly dark once more, it was like being in a snug, private cave. Barrie smothered a yawn, fighting the fatigue that dragged on her like lead weights. The only sleep she’d had was that brief nap while Zane had been finding a way out of the building, and she was so tired that even her hunger paled in comparison.

He noticed, of course; he didn’t miss anything. “Why don’t you go to sleep?” he suggested. “In a couple of hours, when more people are moving around and I won’t be as noticeable, I’ll go scrounge up something for us to eat and liberate some clothes for you.”

Barrie eyed the paint streaking his face. “With makeup like that, I don’t believe you’re going to go unnoticed no matter how crowded the streets are.”

That faint smile touched his lips again, then was gone. “I’ll take it off first.”

The smile almost kept her awake. Almost. She felt her muscles slowly loosening, as if his permission to sleep was all her body needed to hear. Her eyelids were too heavy for her to hold open anymore; it was like a veil of darkness descending. With her last fraction of consciousness, she was aware of his arms around her, gently lowering her to the floor.

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