Dangerous to Hold Read Online Free PDF

village.”
    The leader sneered. “And that offended some long-lost religious sensibility of yours?”
    â€œThat offended my sense of self-preservation,” Jake shot back. “The public outcry over a religiosa ’s death would’ve caused a massive government manhunt for her killers. I didn’t think you’d appreciate that, at least not until we get our hands on those missiles you want and even the odds a bit.”
    â€œYou could’ve left her body in the jungle, where no one would find it.”
    â€œAnd the children’s, too?” Jake shrugged. “You aren’t paying me to murder nuns and children. If you don’t want them here, you get rid of them.”
    Che’s eyes went flat and black. For a heart-stopping moment, Jake feared he might have overplayed his hand.
    â€œWe might have need of a médica ’s skills sometime in the near future,” he offered casually.
    Che made no effort to hide his suspicion as he glanced from Jake to the woman, then back again.
    â€œYou brought her, gringo,” he said at last. “You’re responsible for her. If she escapes or puts a knife through one of my men, you die.”
    Jake bared his teeth in a slow, twisting, menacing smile. “Then tell your men to keep away from her. Or they die.”
    Jake turned without another word and gripped the nun by the arm. The quick, questioning look she slanted him from beneath lowered lids told him she had understood little of the exchange. Just as well, he decided grimly.
    The milling men parted as they walked to where the eldest boy stood protectively beside the packhorse. Jake reached up and lifted the little girl down first. She ran to the sister, burying her face in the black skirts. He scooped the toddler up, tucked him under one arm and jerked his chin toward the hutthat served as a storage dump for the camp’s supplies and the few personal belongings the men had with them. “Over there.”
    When he shoved open the door, trapped moist heat hit Jake in the face and sucked the air out of his lungs. He stepped inside and gestured to the others to follow. Setting the boy down, he nudged him toward the now-wilting sister, then tossed the bundles of gear belonging to the others out the door. That done, he knelt beside a military-style backpack propped against a crate stenciled with U.S. markings. As he dug through the knapsack, Jake rapped out a series of low, hurried orders.
    â€œListen, and listen well. I’m going to go get some water and round up some food. Don’t show your face outside this hut, and for God’s sake don’t try anything stupid, like slipping into the jungle while I’m gone. This camp is ringed with more booby traps and explosive devices than a nuclear storage site.”
    He straightened, canteens dangling from one fist, and eyed her for a moment. “I don’t suppose you know how to use an AK-47—or, better yet, an APG?”
    She ran her tongue over dry lips. “What’s an APG?”
    â€œNever mind.”
    A ripple of comprehension crossed her pale, strained face. She glanced at the crates, then back at Jake. “It’s some kind of weapon, I gather. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You sell guns to these men.”
    â€œNo. I sell myself, or rather my expertise. These goons don’t know how to operate half the weapons they’re supplied by the drug lords who keep them in business. I show them.”
    A look of scorn settled in her eyes, deepening them to a shimmering blue-green that reminded Jake of a lake he’d once fished in upstate New York. It held cold, crystal-clear water, with a deceptive, unplumbed depth. The kind that invited a man to strip off and plunge in. The kind that invigorated and enticed and—
    Jake pulled himself up short. Jaws tight, he whirled andslammed the door of the hut behind him. As he strode toward the sluggish stream, he couldn’t