Page 64 of Protecting Maggie
MacGyver obviously felt the same way. He asked, “What do you eat here?”
Artem looked at him. The boy had lived a thousand years since his parents had died, it was obvious. He’dassumed the role of protector over his siblings, and it was taking a toll on him. How could it not?
“What we can find,” he said simply.
“Show me?” MacGyver asked.
Preacher opened his mouth to protest. To tell his friend it wasn’t smart to be wandering around the ruined city right now, especially since the sound of gunfire hadn’t really abated since they’d taken refuge in the rubble of the building.
Artem studied MacGyver, then nodded. He turned to his brother and said something in Ukrainian. Borysko shook his head, and they had a small argument. But Artem obviously won, because he stood up and told MacGyver, “You after me.”
“I’ll follow you,” he agreed.
The two slipped out of the room, and Preacher hoped they hadn’t just made a huge mistake. Artem could be a spy for the Russian army. Or he could be leading MacGyver into a trap. But he shook his head. The kid was eight. And he wouldn’t do anything that might put his brother and sister in danger. He knew that as well as he knew his name. MacGyver would be all right. He’d find something for all of them to eat, and by then, hopefully Tex would have done his thing and sent their SEAL team to pick them up.
Looking over at Maggie and Yana sleeping soundly made his heart clench again. For the first time in his career, Preacher wasn’t sure hewantedto be rescued. Going back to California meant dealing with Robertson, which was going to be a special kind of hell. As much as he nowbelieved everything Maggie said about the man, prosecuting him wouldn’t be easy. And while they waited for the hands of justice to spin, Robertson would be a danger to all of them. He’d managed to kidnap Maggie and ship her across the fucking world; there was no telling what he’d do when he found out his plans had been thwarted.
Then there were these kids. They’d obviously done all right on their own, but the thought of leaving them in this destroyed part of the country with no adults to look after them…it hit Preacher hard.
Scooting over, he sidled up next to Maggie and put his arm around her, pulling her against him, so she was using him rather than the hard concrete as a pillow.
Borysko eyed the three of them for a moment, before lying down in the dirt next to them, one hand under his head, the other draped over his sister’s foot. Obviously wanting to keep a connection with her even in sleep.
Even after closing his eyes to get some rest himself, Preacher still couldn’t stop seeing Borysko’s dirty little hand reaching for his sister.
Somehow, someway, he’d do something for this little family.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Maggie looked around at their little group and shook her head in amazement. How long she’d slept while MacGyver and Artem had been gone, she had no idea. But when Shawn woke her up, the two were back, and they had their hands full of food. Two dented cans and two MREs. She’d asked where in the world they’d found everything, but MacGyver had shaken his head, making it clear he wasn’t going to talk about it…at least not in front of the kids.
Artem had frowned at Maggie and woken up Yana, taking her by the hand and leading her to the other side of the room. It was clear he wasn’t especially happy at how quickly she’d trusted the Americans. The three kids knelt over an MRE, and if the way they shoved food in their mouths was any indication, they’d been very hungry.
Seeing their desperation and enjoyment of the meal made Maggie’s hunger disappear in a flash.
“I know,” Shawn told her in a low voice. “But you have to eat, Maggie. You need the nutrients. You’ve been deprived too.”
She knew that, but it was still really hard to eat when she felt as if she was literally stealing food from the mouths of babes.
Even though Yana had fallen asleep in her lap, it was obvious the children were drawn to MacGyver more than her and Shawn. The SEAL was amazing with the kids. Didn’t talk down to them and asked for their thoughts on subjects ranging anywhere from the situation with the Russians to their favorite foods.
And despite Artem still being distrustful and wary, clearly something happened when he and MacGyver had gone foraging for food. They’d bonded in a way that was obvious to Maggie. Artem seemed more relaxed around the man, and his gaze was glued to the SEAL anytime one of his siblings wasn’t talking.
Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded way too close to where they were holed up.
Artem was on his feet instantly, his sister’s hand in his own and Borysko on her other side.
MacGyver quickly gathered up the uneaten food and shoved it into the pockets of his cargo pants.
“We gotta go,” Shawn said unnecessarily. “Maggie, you take Yana. MacGyver, you’re in the lead. Artem behind him, then Maggie, Borysko, and I’ll bring up the rear.”
Maggie wanted to protest, but the SEALs were the experts here. She knew nothing about evading incomingbombs or defeating any unexpected bad guys they came across.
To her surprise, Artem nodded in agreement, towing Yana over to where she was standing next to Shawn. He said something to the little girl, and she nodded and held up her arms to Maggie.
Once again, Maggie’s heart melted. It wasn’t that the little girl was coming to her for protection; she’d done it because her big brother told her to. And yet, she was still in awe of the trust Yana was showing.
MacGyver turned to Artem and held out his KA-BAR knife. In any other situation, Maggie would’ve protested giving such a lethal weapon to a child, but this wasn’t suburbia United States.
