A noise in the hallway distracted Isaac from Jenna, and he focused on the man who'd been standing there a moment ago. Now two men flanked him, and the man who'd complained about being hungry had gone white as a sheet and was begging. Oh Jesus. What the fuck? He glanced sharply back at Jenna, knowing a hell of a lot more had happened than what Ramie had seen and what they'd assumed when Jenna had said no one had been back.
"We have to go now!" Jenna hissed with urgency. "We only have a few minutes before they'll know I'm gone."
Bile rose in Isaac's throat and Shadow didn't look any better as realization sank in. As soon as the hallway was clear, Isaac yanked Jenna to him and grabbed her hand. Shadow hovered on her other side while the rest took positions in front of and behind Isaac, Jenna and Shadow.
They rushed into the kitchen and out the back door, knowing they would have been alerted by Dane if the exit had been compromised. Dane looked up in relief from his lookout position when they barged into the night. The others were in similar guarded positions, but now they all turned in the direction of the section of fence that had been cut through.
"Situation upgraded to 'get the fuck out as fast as possible,' " Isaac barked to Dane.
Choosing speed over stealth, the men took off at a dead run while Isaac simply plucked Jenna from her feet and tossed her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and then he too ran, keeping pace with them while bearing Jenna's slight weight.
"What the fuck did that sick bastard do to her?" Shadow whispered as he ran next to Isaac.
Isaac closed his eyes. He responded in a whispered voice to make sure Jenna didn't hear their exchange. "I think it's pretty obvious and I don't want to make her relive that now. I wanted to fucking throw up myself when I realized and Jesus, Shadow, did you see her eyes?"
Shadow's features became glacial, his expression icy. "I'm going to find that bastard if it's the last thing I do."
Alarm registered at Shadow's quiet vow.
"Need you to stick with me, man. You aren't going to have to find Jaysus. He'll be coming for us, and I'm going to need all the protection for Jenna that I can get."
Shadow briefly glanced over at Jenna. She was slung over Isaac's opposite shoulder, but held with extreme care so she was jostled as little as possible as they closed the distance between where she'd been kept prisoner and where Brent waited to drive them to safety.
"You got it, brother," Shadow said, his words a quiet vow.
SEVENTEEN
ISAAC glanced at Jenna, who sat huddled amid the group of grim-faced DSS operatives in the back of the cargo van, her face pale, eyes wide and swamped with a myriad of emotions, all of which made him seethe. Guilt, fear and sadness. He wanted to pull her into his arms and never let go, but he couldn't until he knew why she took off like she did and what the hell was going on in her mind before her flight-and now, he had to keep it under control. Which was pretty hard to do when he was on the verge of losing his fucking mind.
Silence lay heavy in the interior of the van and avoidance seemed to be the choice of everyone. Except Shadow, who'd apparently become Jenna's champion. Another thing that he had mixed feelings about. On one hand, he was glad she had Shadow's protection, but on the other it just pissed Isaac the fuck off. Anything-everything-having to do with Jenna was Isaac's job and his job only, and his teammate had better not cross the line or they were going to have serious problems.
Shadow turned to look at Jenna. Her gaze was fixed on a distant spot out the windows of the back door of the large cargo area, her mind obviously a million miles away. Most of the men were slouched in various positions, leaning against the side walls of the van, but Jenna had edged toward the back as if trying to separate herself from everyone. Only Isaac hadn't let her put any distance between him and her. He'd simply shifted in her direction every time she moved away.
"You okay, sweetheart?" Shadow asked in a gentle tone.
Jenna looked up with startled eyes, seemingly shocked that anyone had inquired as to her well-being. Did she think they were all pissed at her? Did she think anything about the way Isaac felt about her had changed? Fuck. As soon as they arrived at yet another of DSS's hidey-holes, they were going to have one serious come-to-Jesus meeting.
Her eyes watered, becoming shiny and luminous with tears, and Isaac clenched his jaw so tight it was a wonder he didn't crack his teeth.
"I'm sorry," she said brokenly, not answering Shadow's question. "I didn't mean this to happen. I'm so sorry I keep causing so much trouble. I didn't mean for you all to do this, to take this kind of risk. I didn't know what else to do. You've all already done so much and I just keep messing up."