Read Online Special Forces Rendezvous by Elle Kennedy - Free Book Online Page B

in a tropical storm. Her breathing came out in unsteady pants, her slender torso rocking so hard he feared she’d topple right off the horse.
    “Breathe, Doc,” he murmured, gently stroking the sides of her arms. “Breathe before you pass out.”
    He felt her deep inhale, heard her slow exhale. She repeated the breathing exercise, once, twice, three times, until finally her soft voice broke through the cool mountain air.
    “Get me out of here,” she choked out. “Please, Sebastian, just get me out of here.”
    * * *
    Lissa. Simone. Marcus.
    Dead.
    Kevin. Marie-Thérèse. Kendra. Nadir.
    Dead.
    The names ran on a continuous loop in Julia’s mind, flickering from one to the next like a slideshow of old family photos.
    Lissa. Simone. Marcus.
    Dead.
    Enough!
    The sharp internal voice penetrated her state of addled numbness. Julia suddenly became conscious of her surroundings. The water splashing against the hull of the fishing boat. The hiss of the wind as the vessel sliced through the waves. The dark sky overhead and the chill in the early morning air.
    She was sitting on the splintered deck, huddled next to Sebastian, who’d slung a strong arm around her and urged her to get some sleep.
    Sleep. Ha. Like she would ever fall asleep again. Every time she closed her eyes, she pictured the flames hungrily devouring the clinic. She pictured the bodies of her colleagues, her family. She pictured Marcus’s teenaged daughter.
    It’s just death, Dr. Davenport. It’s nothing new.
    She almost laughed out loud. Right, just death.
    Yet the reminder succeeded in providing some clarity to her muddled brain. Death wasn’t anything new to her. During her residency in Boston General’s emergency room, she’d dealt with death on almost a daily basis. Grown skilled at steeling herself against it.
    That was what she had to do now. This wasn’t the time to dwell on the loss. She needed to put the gruesome images out of her mind. She couldn’t grieve now. Not if she wanted to stay alive.
    Swallowing the pain, she stared at the light beginning to gather at the horizon line. Without a word, she watched the sun greet the dawn, wondering how such beauty could follow all the ugliness she’d witnessed tonight. The sunrise was gorgeous. Soft pinks and oranges and purples rippled in the sky, growing brighter, shinier, until an explosion of brilliant yellow lit up the horizon and the sun rose like a phoenix from the ashes.
    “Pretty,” Sebastian murmured.
    Tears stung her eyes. “Beautiful,” she whispered.
    His strong arm tightened around her, and she found herself resting her head on his shoulder. Exhaustion settled over her, but she couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t close her eyes. Her gaze swept over the deck, landing on the pair of deckhands smoking cigarettes by the railing. The distinct flavor of sweet San Marquez tobacco floated in her and Sebastian’s direction, and for the first time in years, she was gripped by an overpowering nicotine craving.
    Stumbling to her feet, she caught the eye of one of the men. “¿Usted tiene un cigarrillo adicional?” she called.
    A minute later, the deckhand was lighting a cigarette for her. Julia took a deep drag, drawing the smoke deep into her lungs before exhaling a cloud into the early morning air.
    Sebastian stood up and joined her at the railing, his chiseled features revealing his surprise. “I didn’t realize you were a smoker,” he remarked.
    “I’m not. Well, not anymore, anyway.” She sucked down some more nicotine. “I quit three years ago.”
    Sebastian didn’t make a smartass comment about her return to the dark side, which was damn fortunate for him, because had he lectured her, she might have ripped his head off. She was too angry at the moment. Too horrified. Too anesthetized. Too cold. Too everything.
    She focused on the calm water for one long moment before shooting Sebastian a sidelong look. “The customs officials at the Ecuador port will detain me when I can’t offer