Carol Ericson - Trap, Secure

One of the soldiers nudged him aside. “I’m the medic on this assignment, Booker, but stay close to assist me.”

Gage moved aside, a jumble of emotions churning in his gut as he watched Perkins clean and dress the woman’s head wound. How had a pretty, young woman like this wound up in Zendaris’s clutches? Then he scoffed at himself. That’s just it: pretty and young. What else did Zendaris need? And she’d probably grown accustomed to the lifestyle he’d offered—until he ditched her.

“Hello.” Perkins ripped the sleeve from the woman’s blouse and pointed to her arm. “This is a flesh wound from a bullet. Just creased the skin.”

The woman turned her head and glanced at the ripped flesh on her arm like she was examining a cut of beef at the market.

“How’d you get that?” As far as Gage knew, no shots had been fired other than the initial volley when they’d taken the men at the outer wall.

Captain Denny loomed over the scene. “Has she given you any information yet?”

Perkins shook his head. “She’s in shock, sir.”

After Perkins tended to the bullet wound and bandaged the gash on her head, he turned away to pack up the supplies.

Gage held a bottle of water to the woman’s lips and she drank deeply. “Do you have any other injuries?”

“No.”

Gage helped her to a sitting position and ran his hands along the smooth skin of her arms, back and legs. She sported a few nasty abrasions, but she didn’t wince at his touch and he didn’t see any more blood. She’d obviously fallen from that balcony and hit her head, but how’d she get the gunshot wound?

If he hoped to get any information from her, she’d have to start talking.

“Booker, we’re heading out. Our mission’s complete.”

Gage stood up and saluted Captain Denny. “Thank you for your assistance, sir.”

The captain eyed the woman sitting on the stretcher. “You’ll take it from here?”

“I’ve got it.”

“We’re exiting through the front gates. It’s a straight shot to the choppers from there.”

Perkins snapped the first-aid kit shut and placed it on a table. “I’ll leave this with you. Don’t let her fall asleep. She probably suffered a concussion, and she’s still in shock. Make sure she stays warm, even in this climate.”

“I’ll be taking her to a hospital just to get her checked out.”

“That’s a good idea.” Perkins pressed a bottle of pills into Gage’s hand. “Have her take one of these twice a day—antibiotics, so her wounds don’t get infected, and make sure she gets a tetanus shot when you get her to the hospital.”

Gage shook the bottle of pills. “Thanks, Perkins.”

The Green Berets left Zendaris’s compound with a lot less fanfare than when they arrived, turning the mission over to him.

At least the raid hadn’t been a complete failure. He’d be leaving Colombia with a prized witness—one of Zendaris’s mistresses.

He crouched next to the stretcher, and the woman took another swig of water. Her cheeks sported new color and her dark eyes had lost their glassiness.

He shook a pill into his hand. “Take this.”

She plucked the pill from his palm and downed it with her next gulp of water.

“I’m going to take you to a doctor. Perkins is okay in a pinch, but we’ll see if you need further medical treatment.” He tilted his chin toward her battered body. “Who did this to you?”

Her long, dark lashes swept her cheeks. “I don’t know.”

Zendaris had picked himself a real beauty. Why wouldn’t he just take her with him? Maybe he’d never been in residence here, and his henchmen left her behind.

“I know you’re not feeling great, but I need to ask you some questions...before we leave.” Gage swallowed. He’d always found it difficult interrogating women. Made him feel like a bully. But he hoped he’d made it clear that he wasn’t taking her anywhere until she answered his questions about Zendaris.

“Do you want to sit in this chair?” He slid his hand beneath her arm and helped her to her feet.

She took the two steps to the chair without wavering and perched on the end.

He pointed to a blanket one of the soldiers had stripped off a bed upstairs. “Are you cold?”

She raised a pair of sculpted, dark eyebrows. “It’s about eighty degrees out here.”

Gage grinned, feeling some tension seep from his shoulders. That was the most words she’d strung together all night—and she’d even made a small joke.

“I guess it’s the shock. Perkins said you might get the chills.”

“I’m fine.”

Dragging another chair close to hers, he said, “Okay, let’s get started. I’m Gage Booker. What’s your name?”

“I don’t know.”

Prickles of anger needled his flesh. So she was going to play it like that, huh?

“This can be easy, or this can be hard, Miss Idontknow.”

She blinked and a small sigh escaped her luscious lips.

Gage bit the inside of his cheek. If he focused on her attractiveness, he’d never get through this. She’d probably used her looks to get out of all kinds of scrapes. But not this time. He pinned his shoulders to the back of his chair.

“You think that’s going to save you? If you’ve been out here...consorting with Zendaris, we can bring you down, too. Make no mistake about it. Where is he? Where is Zendaris? What does he look like? I’m sure you’ve seen the real Zendaris—in the flesh.”

His lips twisted into a sneer because the woman’s eyes had grown bigger and bigger with each question until they took up half her face.

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, right. You’ve been with him...how long? How do you think he financed this lavish lifestyle? Did he lay some jewels on you? Some designer duds? Give it up, sweetheart, just like you gave it up to Zendaris. Where is he?”

Her full bottom lip trembled, and a big tear splashed onto her cheek.

Gage swept off his black beanie and raked a hand through his hair. Great. He’d made a woman cry—the last thing he ever wanted to do. But the woman in front of him was no damsel in distress. She had to know Zendaris’s business and that made her complicit in all the death and destruction that business engendered.

“Look, this will go easier on you if you just cooperate.”

She licked her lips, catching the tear on her tongue. “I’d like to help you. I really would, but I can’t.”

Hunching forward, he braced his hands on his knees. “If you’re afraid for your life, we can protect you. We’ll give you a new identity.”

She smiled then, a tremulous smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “That would be nice because I don’t even have an old identity.”

He narrowed his eyes. What kind of trick was she playing now? “What are you talking about?”

She spread her hands. “I don’t know who I am. I don’t know why I’m here. I don’t know this Zendaris person. In fact, I have no memory at all.”

Chapter Three

The man’s eyes were slits now—aquamarine slits. How could someone’s eyes be so blue? But they were hard and cold. He didn’t believe her. She didn’t blame him.

He threw his head back and laughed. She shivered. His laugh was as cold as his eyes.

“You want me to believe you have no memory? You don’t know your name or who you are or what you’re doing on Nico Zendaris’s compound?”

She put a hand to her head and traced the bandage there. “I don’t want you to believe anything. That’s the truth, whether you choose to believe it or not.”

The man, Gage, jumped up from the lawn chair, knocking it to the ground. Then he swung around and jabbed a finger in her face. “This could go very badly for you.”