Outcast (SEAL Team: Disavowed Book 2) by Laura Marie Altom Read Free Book Online Page B

wall we made. For one simple reason—he can’t risk hurting you. Whatever your dad has that Leo wants, you’re the key.”
    “Gee . . .” She winced. “That makes me feel so much better.”
    “Sorry, but it’s the truth. You’re our one ace in a hand loaded with Jokers.”
    “Your stupid poker analogy isn’t helping.” Her faint smile belied her harsh words.
    “You used to love a good game of strip poker . . .” He skimmed the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Her color heightened with his dirty innuendo. She was great in bed. They’d been great. Did she remember? He needed her to.
    She placed her hand over his, capturing it, holding on tight. “I said I was okay with dying . . . But I lied. I’m scared, and all of this is only making my fear worse. My plan was to go out on my terms, but—”
    “Stop.” He brought her hand to his mouth, kissing the back, then turning it over to kiss her palm. Her quickened breathing didn’t escape him. She might say she was done with him, but that was a lie, just like the reassurances he felt obligated to spew. “You’re going to be fine. We both are. Let’s grab some gear, and hike our way out of here.”
    “You can’t be serious? It’s thirty below. Those rock walls are impenetrable, and even a mountain goat would have trouble navigating with the size of the rocks going forward. Supposing we do get out of this canyon, what if Leo and his men are waiting on the other side?”
    “I’ve got another plan.” He winked, then pointed out the window. “I’m not willing to surrender just yet. Those steam vents you said might be attached to a small cave? What if we go all in and hope for more—like if Leo’s still coming for you, there’s enough room to set up an ambush, then pick them off one-by-one. After that, we hike out to their cats and mosey our way back to McMurdo in time for movie night. It’s possible, right?”
    “Sure. I guess that could work. But . . .”
    “That’s all I need to know. Come on,” he held out his hand. “Help me load our gear. We’ve got a lot to set up for this to go as planned.”
    “For the record, I think you’re being ridiculously optimistic.”
    “Whatever. It’s not like we’ve got anything better to do. Unless . . .” He squeezed her hand. “Are you feeling frisky?”
    His hopeful wink earned him a playful smack.
    “You wish.”
    Yes, I do . Never had he been happier than when the two of them had been together. She’d soothed the beasts left in his mind and heart from five Gulf tours, and more covert missions into various hellholes than he cared to remember. Most of all, she made him recall what it had been like to be unconditionally loved when his own family no longer spoke to him. At least, he hoped she’d loved him. If not, maybe he had an even bigger problem.
    At the rear of the cat, all decked out in their full arctic finery—he’d sliced the front seat to get padding to make Eden’s boots fit tighter—they stood side-by-side, appraising supplies. While all of it could be needed at one time or another, there was no way they could practically transport it for any appreciable distance. Which meant tough decisions had to be made.
    Potentially life-saving decisions.
    There were no backpacks, so after jogging back to the front for the GPS, Jasper rigged a cargo net into a bag that he crammed with freeze dried meals, drink packs, a compact jet-boil stove, an aluminum pan and two spoons and mugs.
    For warmth, the two sleeping bags and tent were a must.
    “Do me a favor,” he said to Eden, pointing toward the first aid kit. “There are a couple of smaller kits in there that are loaded with bandages and other odds and ends. Dump those, and then refill them with an assortment of anything you think might be useful.”
    “That would be all of it . . .”
    “Agreed, but if we can’t carry it, it won’t do us much good.”
    When it came to choosing the most practical weapon, he opted for a sheathed hunting