Read SEALs of Honor: Markus for Free Online Page B

and judged her correctly.
    “Sorry,” she whispered, her teeth chattering.
    “For what? Taking a chance on life instead of death – don’t be. Getting away from the men was a good idea as long as it worked. Racing blind out into the woods – not so much.”
    She laughed, grateful he knew who she was and what she’d done. But then she was pouring water down her throat and the laughter died behind the ravaging thirst. She drank and drank.
    He let her instead of warning her to not be sick. She appreciated that. She drank a lot of water on a regular basis and after today, well…
    Finally she could feel her body was tanked up enough to lower the canteen and realized she’d almost emptied it on him. “I’m sorry, I should have thought of you too.”
    “Not an issue. I have more.”
    “Thank God.”
    “You okay?”
    She knew what he was asking. She was pale and thin, her skin still recuperating from the lovely drug treatments she’d been through and didn’t have the robust color or fullness that a healthy person had. Instead it was thin and transparent. Her hair wasn’t much better. Even in the moonlight she’d look more ghostly than a real specter.
    “I am now,” she said, but her teeth were still chattering. He had his jacket off and wrapped around her shoulders, instantly enveloping her in a huge warm hug.
    She moaned in joy as heat seeped into her bones. “It’s summer. How can it be so cold out?”
    “When the sun goes down the cold races in when you’re north this far. The heat doesn’t stay like it does when you’re more south.”
    He gently reached out and rubbed her arms. “Can you move?”
    She nodded and tried to scramble to her feet. And tripped. He held her firm while she regained her footing. “Sorry, I’m more frozen than I expected.”
    “You’ve been out here for hours,” he said, his voice soothing. “Your muscles need a moment to get the blood recirculating.”
    “Yeah, not what I expected either. I’m new to Alaska and hadn’t expected the sheer vastness of the area.”
    “No one really does unless you live here,” he said.
    “I knew if I escaped that I’d be heading into the wilderness but before leaving I thought I’d heard a river or water close by and had intended to head in that direction. But honestly, once on the loose I ran and never did think of my original plan.”
    “Don’t blame yourself. You got away. That’s what counts.”
    “Are the other women free?”
    “In progress.”
    “Good, although I’d hoped you’d say the assholes had been captured, or better yet – dead.” She smiled up at him. “When I saw you at first, I wasn’t sure if you were one of the bad guys or the good guys.”
    “I’m one of the good guys all the time.” He laughed. “Haven’t had an update on the situation at the cabin yet, but I trust my team. They will do what needs to be done.”
    “I hope Betsy and Mary are all right. I hated to leave them.”
    “I’m sure they hated to see you go, too.” He grinned, the smile lighting up the dark shadow on his face. “Especially if they know the country and understand the desolation of being out here alone.”
    “Yeah, they probably think I’m a fool.” She tilted her face to the sky. “At least it’s not raining.”
    Just then droplets hit her face. She gasped in outrage and glared at the sky. “Really? Haven’t I been through enough? Do you have to soak me too?”
    The soldier in front of her chuckled. She turned to study his face. “My name is Bree Henderson.”
    “I’m Markus Donner. And I’m part of a military operation training here. We just happened to be doing an exercise when Jake found me and asked for help.”
    “Lucky for us. Or fate,” she added in a low voice, sending a wary glance to the sky. “Or a higher power.”
    “Whatever works for you.” His voice deepened into neutral tones.
    “You don’t believe.” She laughed. “Not sure I blame you.”
    “I used to think about it. Then I