CHAPTER6
Colby
Iwaited, barely breathing, for a while after they left. They’d tied me to the cot, but hadn’t touched me inappropriately, so I was holding out hope that they wouldn’t barge back through the door.
Tears welled in my eyes and the burning sting gave way to wetness on my cheeks. My kidnappers were gone—I wouldn’t allow them to see me cry this way—but I knew they’d be back. I cried for myself a little, but mostly I cried for the secret my heart knew that my mind was unwilling to consider. My team was gone. There was no way they could have gotten out of that building, and no one could have survived that blast.
My sobs gave way to hiccups, then finally the tears ran dry. I had nothing left to give. All I was left with was an aching head and a broken heart.
I won’t give up on them.
That meant I needed to get myself out of here. It was only a guess since I didn’t have a watch or my phone, but I estimated they’d been gone about twenty minutes before I started working on my bindings.
There were a few choices before me. I could lay here and wallow in my sadness and wait for those guys to come back, putting my trust in them.
Yeah, right.
That meant the only thing left for me was to escape and try to get somewhere safe until I could figure out how to get back to the village where we’d been ambushed. I would check the building for survivors, then find a way to get help, and get home.
Shifting my right hand around as much as I could, I tried to loosen the rope securing me to the cot. I had to leave before they came back. My mind was crying out that I needed to go back and find my team, and my heart was willing to play pretend in order to protect me. Iwouldfind them. Then we could radio the base and get help. Worst case scenario we’d walk our asses back. Chas would bitch every step of the way. Right now I’d be glad to hear it.
A tear dripped down my cheek as I thought about him. What I wouldn’t give to have him here with me, complaining about anything and everything.
This was easier than facing the truth. So, I’d go back. I had no other choice. I didn’t know what these men wanted with me, why they’d kidnapped me. But I couldn't stick around to find out. Taking me couldn’t have been for anything good. Whether they were going to use me as some kind of prisoner exchange or for something more malicious, I wasn’t going to go along with their plans.
I rotated my hands in circles in an attempt to stretch the bindings enough to slip my hands out. I hissed out a breath as the rope began to burn the skin on my wrist. Despite the pain, I kept working. I had to get out of here as quickly as I could.
My wrist was numb by the time I loosened the rope enough to slide it out. One glance showed that it was bloody and bruised, but it didn’t matter. I reached over and plucked at the knot on my other wrist.
I finished untying myself and searched around the room. It took me a few minutes to find my discarded clothing as it was mixed up with the giant’s stuff.
My eyes kept straying to the door as I dressed and put my combat boots on. I had no idea how long they’d be gone. It’d be a damn shame to have them barge in when I was so close to escaping.
They didn’t. I searched around through all three men’s belongings, but there were no weapons. It didn’t matter. There was a package of some kind of dried meat in one of the duffle bags, so I took it along with a canteen of water. It wouldn’t last me the whole trip, but I hoped I wouldn’t be out there long either.
Poking my head out the door, I looked around. The place was deserted. There was a spot where they built campfires and it had some kind of spit over it.
That must be how they cook.
“Talk about rustic,” I muttered to myself as I eyed the makeshift porta potty that stood out back. Shrugging, I made use of it as quickly as I could, holding my breath the whole time. We had to make do with them on the base too, though they weren’t my favorite. After I emerged I went over to the area they used for cooking.
There were various things stacked along the side of the shack. Pots, pans, what looked like a large wooden tub that had a stack of dishes in it. Laying on a plate was a steak knife.
The idea of wandering around in the middle of the desert with nothing but a steak knife as protection was laughable at best. Unfortunately, it was all I had.
I grabbed it and walked over to a small grove of bushes. The men’s tracks led that way and they stopped by marks in the sand that had to have been made by camels.
My gaze followed the way they’d gone. Where were they headed? I’d been unconscious when they’d brought me here, so I had no idea whereherewas. I hadn’t thought about that until right this moment. If I was to search for survivors, first I had to get my bearings.
Nibbling my lower lip, I stared out at the camel tracks. I tried to decide whether it was better to follow their tracks or go the opposite direction. I doubted they were going anywhere I wanted to be. Plus, I was trying to get away from them.
Mind made up, I walked around the small grove and started out across the hot sand. I wasn’t sure what time it was, but if I had to guess, I’d say around nine in the morning. The sun wasn’t fully up in the sky. That, plus the temperature, told me it wasn’t afternoon yet. I wasn’t looking forward to roasting out in this desert as I walked, but I didn’t have any other option.
I decided to head east. We had been flying northwest when we crashed. I figured it was low odds that they had moved me farther west than the base. If I headed east long enough I should find a road or village.
My feet sunk down in the deep sand, making each step a struggle. I kept my eye out for a road as I went. I was hoping to find something that would make slogging through this stuff easier. Despite the fact that I was in good shape I was going to end up getting winded fast.
I held off as long as I could on eating, but my moaning stomach finally convinced me to open the bag of meat. I sniffed it and realized it was some kind of jerky. I grabbed a piece and bit off a hunk of it.