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taunted, “Don’t worry. Your questionable virtue is safe with me.”
    “Questionable virtue?” She planted her hands on her hips, resisting the urge to stamp her foot. “How in the world after a few hours of running through a jungle did you come to the conclusion that I have ‘questionable virtue’?”
    “Are you married?”
    “What? No, I’m not married. What’s that got to do with anything?”
    “Are we not going to the orphanage to pick up your daughter? Although, now that I think about it, why is your child at the orphanage?”
    Cassidy’s anger disappeared as she realized that he thought Alexis was her biological child. She silently ran through each conversation she’d had with Gabe over the last several hours.
    “I never explained, did I?”
    “Explained what?”
    “The baby’s not mine by birth, she belonged to Kara and Jacob Foster, my best friends, missionaries to Brazil, who were killed in that village raid two months ago. I’m now her official guardian. They asked me to take her if anything ever happened to them. I said I would.”

SIX
    R elief edged out his embarrassment at jumping to conclusions. Gabe shifted his gun and checked the door one more time. Then he walked over to sit on the floor next to Cassidy. He was exhausted—and fighting feelings he thought he’d buried a long time ago.
    Ten years ago, he’d been attracted to her outward beauty. And while she had physically matured from a beautiful teenager into a lovely woman, his attraction now went beyond that. He admired her spunk, her spirit. Her determination to keep her promise to her friends.
    “I think I could sleep for a week.” Cassidy yawned and her eyelids fell to half-mast.
    Gabe nodded. “Why don’t you rest for a little bit. Hopefully, the rain will let up and we can move on.”
    “Sounds good to me.” She tapped her fingers against her leg, nervous, tense and still running on adrenaline. She kept tapping. Gabe reached over and grabbed her hand. She froze. “Cass, relax,” he soothed.
    “I am relaxed.” She held herself stiff. Gabe thought if he moved, she might snap in two. This was ridiculous.
    “Hold on a minute.” Gabe got up and walked into the bedroom. When he came back, he held a dusty blanket and a ratty pillow. With swift, efficient movements, he made her a pallet on the floor, then pulled mosquito netting from his waterproof pack to drape over her. “I’ll keep watch. You rest, all right?”
    She huffed a sigh and tentatively lay her head down on the pillow and mumbled, “I’m probably going to get lice, you know.”
    Gabe watched her fall asleep almost instantly. His eyes felt gritty and he used the palm of his hand to rub them. He could use a few hours of sleep himself, but that wasn’t an option. Careful not to wake her, he walked over to the door and peered out. Then he looked back at Cassidy and silently wondered if she’d ever be able to forgive him. If he’d ever find a way to forgive himself for practically forcing Micah into a mission he’d wanted no part of.
    Regrets and guilt covered him as he remembered….
    Gabe dialed the number to Micah’s private encrypted cell phone. “Micah, I need you on this mission. You know the language, you can get past the security and get the kid. I need you to pull one of your famous quarterback sneaks. Cancel whatever you’re doing and get your tail on board.”
    Micah refused. “Gabe, people in that compound know me. I’ve managed to gain the confidence of one of the ring-leaders in a human-trafficking deal. He’s cutting me in. I’m just about ready to bust this guy and his slimy business, and I can’t get my cover blown. Get someone else.”
    Gabe snapped back, “There is no one else. At least not someone available now. And I need you ASAP. If you don’t help out, a little kid could die. Don’t make me pull rank.”
    Micah went silent. He knew the same thing Gabe knew. Micah was the best. And Gabe needed the best on this mission.
    Gabe