Read Online On Thin Ice by Anne Stuart - Free Book Online
Authors: Anne Stuart
Tags: Suspense
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either survive or end up as one of Carlos’s victims? The thought of being abandoned in this mountainside jungle was beyond frightening, but she refused to let the familiar fear seep through her. As long as she kept putting one foot in front of the other she’d survive.
But if he had left her she needed to do everything she could to catch up with them. She rose to her feet, slowly, her aching muscles screaming in protest. And then she froze.
She was more than average height – just about five-nine in her stocking feet, and the thick jungle growth only came up to her shoulders. She could see them moving through the deepening shadows. Four men, one barely grazing the top of the bushes. Carlos and three others. She ducked down, mercifully silent, praying they hadn’t seen her. They didn’t slow in their determined progress toward the edge of the ravine. They were going after MacGowan.
Had they already recaptured Dylan and Froelich? Most likely. And MacGowan wouldn’t hear their approach over the noise of the waterfall. She had two choices. She could make a run for it, hoping they wouldn’t be able to find her, hoping she’d be able to make her way down the treacherous mountains on her own.
Or she could try to warn MacGowan.
It really wasn’t any choice at all. If she valued her own comfort and safety she wouldn’t have moved heaven and hell to get to this country, to try to make a difference. And despite MacGowan’s rough demeanor and not-so-veiled threats, he was still one of the good guys, at least compared to Carlos. He’d tried to get her away from her kidnappers, even if it hadn’t been his idea in the first place.
She was no fool – she’d paid very careful attention to where MacGowan had settled down to sleep, in case she needed to get to him quickly. The rebels were moving toward the spot, making as little noise as possible, and if she was lucky she could make it there faster, with time enough for him to hide.
If she was unlucky they’d hear her and shoot into the heavy bushes and kill her, but she wasn’t going to think about that. In the last forty-eight hours she’d had to come face to face with the possibility of her imminent death, and she’d faced it calmly enough. Now was no time to freak out.
She moved swiftly through the underbrush, keeping down, doing her best to jostle as few leaves as possible. She could hear their steady progress and she sped up. The waterfall grew louder and louder, and suddenly the clearing was in sight. She reached the edge, just about to break through, when something slammed her to the ground, something huge and crushing, smashing her face into the dirt as a hand clamped around her mouth.
She knew that hand – it had covered her mouth before. She was getting to know the body as well, heavier than the gaunt frame would suggest. “What the fuck are you doing?” His voice was no more than a breath in her ear. “No, don’t answer that. Do you want to get yourself killed?”
She didn’t bother answering that either. She let her body relax, so that he’d know she’d recognized him, wasn’t going to fight him, and he slowly took his hand away from her mouth.
The soldiers had reached the clearing, and they were arguing, angrily, looking back toward the way they came. She turned her head, just able to see them. “You expect to get out of here, you need to give us MacGowan,” the older man said. “We don’t get him, you go back to the camp.”
“He’s here,” the voice came back. The German accent made it unmistakable. “He must have heard you coming. It’s not my fault if you’re clumsy.”
Carlos was looking at the German out of narrowed eyes. And then, to Beth’s shock, he raised his gun and fired, three times. She couldn’t see Froelich fall, but she heard the thud, just as she saw an older man cuff Carlos along the side of his head. “Stupido! You wait for orders! They could have heard your shots and hidden.”
Carlos looked sullen. “He
But if he had left her she needed to do everything she could to catch up with them. She rose to her feet, slowly, her aching muscles screaming in protest. And then she froze.
She was more than average height – just about five-nine in her stocking feet, and the thick jungle growth only came up to her shoulders. She could see them moving through the deepening shadows. Four men, one barely grazing the top of the bushes. Carlos and three others. She ducked down, mercifully silent, praying they hadn’t seen her. They didn’t slow in their determined progress toward the edge of the ravine. They were going after MacGowan.
Had they already recaptured Dylan and Froelich? Most likely. And MacGowan wouldn’t hear their approach over the noise of the waterfall. She had two choices. She could make a run for it, hoping they wouldn’t be able to find her, hoping she’d be able to make her way down the treacherous mountains on her own.
Or she could try to warn MacGowan.
It really wasn’t any choice at all. If she valued her own comfort and safety she wouldn’t have moved heaven and hell to get to this country, to try to make a difference. And despite MacGowan’s rough demeanor and not-so-veiled threats, he was still one of the good guys, at least compared to Carlos. He’d tried to get her away from her kidnappers, even if it hadn’t been his idea in the first place.
She was no fool – she’d paid very careful attention to where MacGowan had settled down to sleep, in case she needed to get to him quickly. The rebels were moving toward the spot, making as little noise as possible, and if she was lucky she could make it there faster, with time enough for him to hide.
If she was unlucky they’d hear her and shoot into the heavy bushes and kill her, but she wasn’t going to think about that. In the last forty-eight hours she’d had to come face to face with the possibility of her imminent death, and she’d faced it calmly enough. Now was no time to freak out.
She moved swiftly through the underbrush, keeping down, doing her best to jostle as few leaves as possible. She could hear their steady progress and she sped up. The waterfall grew louder and louder, and suddenly the clearing was in sight. She reached the edge, just about to break through, when something slammed her to the ground, something huge and crushing, smashing her face into the dirt as a hand clamped around her mouth.
She knew that hand – it had covered her mouth before. She was getting to know the body as well, heavier than the gaunt frame would suggest. “What the fuck are you doing?” His voice was no more than a breath in her ear. “No, don’t answer that. Do you want to get yourself killed?”
She didn’t bother answering that either. She let her body relax, so that he’d know she’d recognized him, wasn’t going to fight him, and he slowly took his hand away from her mouth.
The soldiers had reached the clearing, and they were arguing, angrily, looking back toward the way they came. She turned her head, just able to see them. “You expect to get out of here, you need to give us MacGowan,” the older man said. “We don’t get him, you go back to the camp.”
“He’s here,” the voice came back. The German accent made it unmistakable. “He must have heard you coming. It’s not my fault if you’re clumsy.”
Carlos was looking at the German out of narrowed eyes. And then, to Beth’s shock, he raised his gun and fired, three times. She couldn’t see Froelich fall, but she heard the thud, just as she saw an older man cuff Carlos along the side of his head. “Stupido! You wait for orders! They could have heard your shots and hidden.”
Carlos looked sullen. “He
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