Page 22 of Protecting Josie
“I’m okay,” he said softly. “Just hurting.”
Josie pressed her lips together in frustration. She wantedto tell Kevlar and the others that Nate had been tortured, had water poured over his face, and was repeatedly kicked and beaten. But her stupid words still wouldn’t come.
“What’d they do to you?” Kevlar asked, as he and Josie helped Nate navigate over the rocky terrain, churning up dust with every step.
“Whatdidn’tthey do?” he returned.
“Talk to me,” Kevlar ordered gruffly.
Josie felt Nate sigh more than she heard it. “Cigarettes, beatings, waterboarding…the usual.”
Tate had obviously been listening, and he stopped walking and turned to face his brother. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he asked.
Nate shook his head.
“And you didn’t say anything?”
“Would it do any good?” Nate countered.
They all knew the answer to that.
“Right. Give me a rundown of what hurts and where,” Kevlar demanded, sounding like the team leader he was.
Nate chuckled. Josie felt it down to her bones. “What doesn’t? Burns on my calves, ankles, and the tops of my feet. Ribs likely cracked. Bruises everywhere. A few broken fingers, and I think there’s some water in my lungs. But I’m alive and upright, so I’m good.”
“Fuck. And her? Sorry. You, miss? Are you okay?” Tate asked.
His concern surprised Josie. Especially after what he’d just learned about his brother. She nodded, trying to indicate she was fine, that she hadn’t been tortured.
“She’s not good,” Nate countered. “But she’s alive andupright too. We just need to rest for a while. Eat something other than jerky. Reset.”
“Found a place!” Pyro called out from somewhere ahead of them.
They all started walking again without another word, Tate ahead of them, looking back at them every few seconds as if to make sure his brother was still on his feet, and Kevlar and Josie still helping Nate along. Soon they arrived at a small cave, where Pyro waited.
“No footprints around it and nothing inside. Doesn’t look like anyone has used it for shelter. So that’s good.”
“Agreed. Okay. Pyro, see if you can find some sticks for a small fire. I’ll get my brother and his friend settled. Then we’ve got plenty of food for us all,” Tate said.
“I’ll help you, Pyro,” Kevlar volunteered, and after dropping their packs, the two of them headed away from the cave without a word.
Josie looked after them in concern.
“They’ll be back. Pyro won’t get lost. He’s got a great sense of direction. It’s why he’s such a good pilot,” Tate told her. “Now come on, let’s get the two of you off your feet.”
Within minutes, Josie was sitting on a crinkly metallic blanket Tate had pulled out of a pack, with Nate at her side.
“Show me,” Tate ordered his brother.
“I’m fine,” Nate insisted. “I’d rather eat something.”
“Not until you show me your fucking wounds,” Tate growled.
For a second, Josie thought the two men were going to get into a physical fight, but eventually Nate backed down and leaned forward to take off his boots, pull up his pants legs,then he removed his shirt as well. Tate growled low in his throat as he began to clean the worst of his brother’s wounds. He had dark bruises all over his body, which looked extremely painful. Josie was horrified all over again.
“Now can we eat, Mom?” Nate bitched after he’d put his boots and shirt back on.
Tate didn’t comment, simply reached into his pack and pulled out a bag and threw it toward Nate.
