Expecting the SEAL’s Baby by Katie Knight
Fifteen
Gina followed Jeremy, keeping her focus on his back and stepping carefully. She wanted to touch him, but she knew it wasn’t the right time. And she needed to get her own emotions in check. She was starting to feel like two individuals combined in one body. Part of her was desperate to find her brother. She couldn’t even imagine going home without Blake—didn’t want to consider that they might not have a choice if he was already gone.
Her feelings for Jeremy comprised her other self. She was falling deeper and deeper for him as they traveled together. She’d always been attracted to him, but she’d never dreamed she’d be having a baby with him, and they’d be forming some sort of partnership. Nor had she expected to want it more with every day. And last night, he’d seemed to have felt the same way about her. But…
He paused on the trail ahead of her to answer the satellite phone. This was the call they’d been waiting for, and she hoped it would give them something definite to go on. Jeremy listened, his head nodding along. The call lasted less than two minutes before Jeremy thanked Percy and hung up.
“Tell me he had information for you,” she said, feeling a knot of anticipation in her stomach.
“I’ve got new coordinates. The SAT imagery shows a structure and movement in the area. We’re looking at about a day’s hike to reach it. You up to it?” She could see his worry.
“I’m fine,” she said, smiling at his protective streak.
They began moving again, and he surprised her by reaching for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. It felt good but confusing at the same time. She wished she knew where this was leading. Would they have a happy ending? Would he be there for her and the baby in the long run? She hoped so, and they needed to talk about it, but for now she was going to have to put her faith in the idea that their future would be a good one.
They headed steadily toward the coordinates, taking only a few water breaks. Late in the afternoon, they came across a dirt road.
“Fresh tire tracks,” Jeremy said and crouched down to take a closer look. “More than one set. Looks to be trucks or other heavy vehicles. These tracks are from today, but there’s evidence of older ones, too.”
“You can tell all that?” Gina peered at the road. She could see tracks but wouldn’t have been able to distinguish anything more detailed.
“Yeah. Headed that way.” Jeremy gestured. “We’re going in the right direction. Let’s keep the road in sight, but not walk on it.” He led her away until they were about twenty feet from the road. They kept a parallel course for several minutes, and Gina noticed that Jeremy seemed to be hyperalert as if expecting trouble.
She was thinking that when gunshots sounded near them and bullets pelted the trees near her. She gasped and went rigid.
“Stay low.” Before she could do anything, Jeremy grabbed her arm, forcing her into a crouch, and pulled her deeper into the jungle.
He kept moving, away from the source of the shots, and picked up speed until they were almost running. She kept pace with him. She’d thought they’d gone far enough until she heard more gunfire. This time it was closer. They were being chased. What if they were caught?
A moment later, they burst out of the jungle canopy onto the banks of a raging river. The muddy waters were high and fast with the previous day’s rain. Jeremy yanked her to a stop on the slippery ground as he took in the river.
“There!” He pointed to a spot where the river was less wide and there was a fallen tree to help them cross.
“Are you sure?” The downed tree looked as though it could be washed downstream at any moment.
“Let’s move,” he answered, urging her forward.
She went where he directed, but she still wasn’t convinced it was their best option. “Maybe if we follow the bank farther, we’ll find a safer place to cross.”
“No time,” he said, with a glance over his shoulder. “We can’t let them catch up to us when we’re exposed like this. We need the cover of the jungle to evade them.” His argument made sense, and she’d promised not to question his decisions, but she didn’t like it at all. “You go first,” he told her. “I’ll be right behind you.” He turned at the sound of more gunfire. “Go. Now.”
She stepped onto the fallen tree, adjusting to the rounded curve of the trunk, and made it halfway across the river. Feeling more confident, she kept moving, though she desperately wanted to look back at Jeremy.
“You’ve got this.” His voice was just audible above the rush of the water.
She put her right foot forward again and felt the fallen tree shift. It began to rotate as the current pushed on it. Gina struggled but was unable to maintain her balance. Seconds later, she fell into the water, the depths completely submerging her. Instinctively, she kicked to the surface. As she came up, she reached for the tree, but it was out of her grasp already. The rapidly moving water bore her along, twisting and pulling at her as it rushed past rocks and debris.
* * *
Jeremy cursed as he ran along the riverbank, struggling to keep pace with Gina. For seconds at a time, she’d disappear under the surface before bopping up. He had to time this perfectly so he could reach her and pull her to safety.
A bullet hit the ground near him, but he ignored it. All of his focus was on her. What the hell had he been thinking? She was pregnant and still recovering from an injury, and he’d all but forced her to cross a dangerous river. What was wrong with him? He’d been overconfident and had made the wrong call. He should have listened to her fears and objections.
Her head appeared again briefly as the current turned her in circles. He yelled her name, even as he knew it was pointless. She couldn’t hear him with the sound of rushing water in her ears. He leaped across debris on the bank and kept moving.
He had to remind himself that she was strong and in shape—but he still knew all too well how much could go wrong, even though she’d been a competitive swimmer during high school and college. Being in a pool wasn’t anything like fighting against floodwaters.
A bend in the river was up ahead, and that might give him the opportunity to rescue her if she was swept to the inside of the curve. In the back of his mind, he registered that the gunfire had stopped, which was one piece of good news.
Her head and shoulders were above the surface of the water, as she struggled to control the direction she was going. She reached for a low hanging vine, but just missed it. Putting on a burst of speed, he got to the bend before her and waded into the water up to his chest, careful not to lose his footing. When she came near, he reached for her, wrapping his arm around her chest, feeling an almost overwhelming burst of relief once he had her in his arms.
Together, they staggered to shore and collapsed on the bank. He gave himself only seconds to recover before checking to see if she was injured. He listened to her breathing, which was becoming less labored, and checked her for cuts and bruises.
“I’m okay,” she got out and caught his hand in hers. “I just need a minute. Are we safe here?”
“I think so,” he said, but he didn’t intend to linger. As soon as she was able to move, he’d get her under cover again. On second thought, he couldn’t wait. He scooped her up and moved under the shelter of the trees with her before sitting down with her on his lap. “I’m so sorry, Gina.” He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her to him, but he didn’t think he had the right. He’d screwed up, nearly killing her.
“You couldn’t have known that would happen,” she said, her voice remarkably calm and steady. “It was an accident.”
“I should have realized the tree wasn’t stable. I shouldn’t have made you go out on it. The baby…”
“Is fine.” She put her fingers to his lips. “Don’t beat yourself up. Next thing you’ll be saying that you shouldn’t have brought me along.”
He met her eyes, not bothering to deny it because they both knew that was exactly what he’d been thinking. “Gina, we don’t know if Blake’s even alive. I can’t lose both of you. I can’t.” His emotions were raw, too near the surface. “This may all be for nothing.”
“It’s not,” she said firmly. “Blake’s alive somewhere. I can feel it in my gut. I need you to believe it, too. We have a purpose here.”
“I want to believe that.” Jeremy tried not to think about the death of his closest friend. “But I’ve seen too many missions not turn out the way people hoped they would.”
“No negative thoughts.” She gave him a small smile. How did she manage that, considering their circumstances? “We’ll find Blake and take him home.”
Jeremy nodded. It was the best he could do. “Let’s get you dried off before we find a different place to cross the river.” He gently lifted her off him and found a towel in his bag for her to use. He kept himself busy, doing what he could to care for her, but he couldn’t shake the immense guilt he felt for having put her in danger.
And there was another problem. Having her along was putting him off his game. His feelings for her, the happiness and security she brought into his life, were clouding his judgment at a time when he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.
He had to be at the top of his game because someone had been shooting at them before the episode by the river. He couldn’t forget that, couldn’t let anything—not even his feelings for her—prevent him from keeping her and their child safe.