She swiftly ripped off part of her shirt and belt and fashioned a pressure bandage on the wound in Alisa’s shoulder. Be safe, she prayed. You’re strong. I need you. You’ve always told me that we were a team no one could separate. Don’t you leave me now. Then she jumped to her feet and moved toward him. “You won’t get away, you know. Alisa is much cleverer than you, and she’s not alone.”

“Yes, I will. I’ve got a reputation for slipping away from my enemies, and this will be no different. All this smoke and confusion will only help.” He pushed her toward the canvas door at the side entrance. “And they’ll probably think I’m dead anyway. Your friends took the precaution of blowing up my helicopter after luring me toward it with that fool, Baldwin. By the time they discover that I’m not also a fool and among the dead, we’ll be gone. I always have a standby plan. We’ll be going upriver and be picked up in one of the northern villages and taken to the mountains.”

“It will be different,” she said fiercely. “You’re slipping away with practically nothing. Those girls are free now and every parent and organization you were taunting all these weeks will be on the hunt for you. And I don’t have to tell you that you’re a laughingstock to the CIA now.”

“Only until the next raid.” His fingers bit into her arm as he pushed her toward the jungle. “Then I’ll show them all I won’t be laughed at. And as soon as I get to the mountains, you’re going to help me recoup everything I’ve lost here. You and your Chaos…”

Chapter 9

Chapter
9

Border Base Camp
2:55 A.M.

She was being carried…

Korgan. Alisa knew that scent…Dark, spicy, clean. The fragrance that had clung to her when she’d left his tent that morning after she’d brought him Baldwin. But Korgan shouldn’t be carrying her. Not now. Wrong…

And there was pain, and that was wrong, too.

“Put me…down.” She tried to open her eyes. “I think…you’re hurting me.”

“I’m not hurting you,” he said roughly. “You managed to do that for yourself. And I’ll put you down as soon as I get you into my tent to wait your turn at boarding. Gilroy wanted to load all the students before they put you on the helicopter so you won’t be jarred.”

Helicopter? “We’re back at base camp? I don’t remember…” Why didn’t she remember? “And I didn’t…hurt myself.” Why was he so angry?