Read Online Navy SEAL Noel by Liz Johnson - Free Book Online Page B

you!” Raul screamed after them, his incredible girth bouncing as he chased them. They had to find a hiding place. Now.
    Raul’s labored breathing was dropping farther behind, but it wouldn’t take long for him to reach the alley. There was nowhere to hide. On either side there were only gray cinder block walls, leading straight toward the center of the courtyard.
    Suddenly Jess slipped into a crevice he hadn’t noticed. They raced between two walls, charging for the big house.
    â€œUp here.” Jess jumped onto one of the plastic trash bins behind the house, grabbed the eave of a small shed and pulled herself onto the roof. There wasn’t time to appreciate her athletic moves as he followed, yanking his foot up just as Raul reached the crevice that they’d used. The heavy-set guard leaned against his thighs and panted as if he’d just finished a marathon rather than a fifty-yard dash.
    Will and Jess squatted at the edge of the shingled roof—one of the few in the compound not made of tin—with a perfect view of the path they’d just taken.
    Raul looked around the larger alleyway, spun twice and then pointed his weapon down the narrow path.
    Another guard ran up to him and swore loudly. “What are you doing? Get back to the truck.”
    â€œBut I think I saw someone.”
    The taller man made a slow circle and squinted in the direction that Jess had taken them. Her fingernails dug into Will’s forearm as the new guard lingered, squinting toward the big house.
    â€œYou’re seeing things,” he finally mumbled. “Go back to work.”
    â€œI’m telling you, there’s someone out there.” The guard’s voice dropped so low that Will couldn’t make out another word, but the other man pushed Raul’s shoulder.
    â€œDon’t be stupid. It’s just the guys.” He glanced around one more time. “Who else would be up at this time of night?”
    Raul shrugged, but continued spinning in slow circles. “I don’t know. But I know I saw something.”
    Raul’s friend shook his head hard. “The boys are restless tonight. Jumpy. They know something’s coming.”
    â€œWhat’s coming?”
    â€œShut up and get back to work watching the trucks.”
    Raul’s friend was clearly the leader of the two, and while Will could make out only his profile in the darkness, his posture suggested that he expected to be obeyed.
    Finally, Raul nodded.
“Sí.”
He lumbered away as his friend took one more look down each of the paths in the area. Clearly satisfied that Raul had imagined the whole thing, the second guard finally strolled toward the courtyard and disappeared beyond one of the trucks.
    Jess’s grip on Will’s arm slowly relaxed, and she clasped her hands around her bent knees.
    She glanced at him for a split second, as though she couldn’t risk more than that. Maybe she thought if she looked away from the winding paths and alleys before them, she’d miss Raul or one of his friends returning to find them.
    But they were alone for the moment, with no one for at least twenty yards in each direction. A balcony on the big house hung over their hiding spot, blocking the moonlight that poked around lazy clouds. The ruckus within the barracks had settled, lights going dark once again. Every few minutes good-natured yelling from the guards in the courtyard pierced the night, but other than that, all was silent and still.
    They were safe. If just for a minute.
    Will risked a quiet whisper. “Did you catch much of that?”
    She only shook her head, her long braid flopping over her shoulder.
    He quickly translated the gist of the conversation, and she nodded slowly, never quite meeting his gaze. “What’s coming?”
    â€œJuan Carlos.”
    Finally, Jess looked directly at Will and hugged her knees even tighter.
    If he hadn’t been so highly trained, he would have