And while she knew Grover had his own bone to pick with Shahzada—after all, he’d been tortured viciously over the last week—that wasn’t what this was about. She knew it instinctively.
No. He’d made sure the man would never be a threat to her again.
Grover nodded, then gave Doc a chin lift, and the group headed back the way they’d come. Back toward the edge of the mountain they were apparently going over.
“The plan hasn’t changed, huh?” Sierra asked nervously.
“Piece of cake,” Lucky said, sounding almost excited about the prospect of their upcoming adventure.
“No ropes?” Sierra asked.
“Don’t need ’em,” Lefty told her. “Just hang on to Grover.”
“Who’s gonna hold on to him?” she muttered.
They walked along the edge of the mountain road for a beat, and Sierra wasn’t sure what Trigger and the others were looking for. But they obviously found it when Oz said, “Here.”
Before she knew it, Sierra was sitting in the dirt, her legs hanging over the edge of the drop-off. It wasn’t as bad as it looked, closer to the entrance of the cave, but it still didn’t look like it would be easy to go down this way. The terrain had an extreme slope and there were scraggly bushes dotted along the landscape. She had no idea how far down the slope went, but she could see trees what looked like miles below them.
“There’s a small river down there,” Trigger informed her. “And the trees will give us cover. Your job is to slide on your butt slowly and steadily. Let us worry about everything else.”
Sierra nodded. She wasn’t sure she wanted to do this, but she wanted to be recaptured even less.
“They aren’t going to follow us,” Grover said in a soothing tone next to her. “With Shahzada dead, they don’t have anyone telling them what to do anymore. Some might make a halfhearted attempt to stop us, but more likely they’ll scatter and try to hide their association with him and the Taliban.”
“Until someone else steps into his empty shoes,” Brain muttered.
“Time to go,” Trigger said as shouts echoed along the road.
“Slow and steady,” Grover said. “I’ll be right here.”
Sierra nodded and took a deep breath. Without waiting for anyone else to go first or for more reassurance, she scooted her butt off the edge of the road and began to slide downhill.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t like being on a slide. She didn’t fall out of control and her visions of rolling down the mountain like the Dread Pirate Roberts in The Princess Bride never happened. Her ass hurt from all the rocks and sticks she was sliding over, but the scraggly bushes gave her plenty of handholds to control her descent.
Time had no meaning as Sierra concentrated on getting down the mountain. She was keenly aware of Grover beside her in some places, behind her in others. In one particularly steep section, he moved so he was in front of her, protecting her from sliding out of control. His teammates were also nearby, encouraging her quietly and making sure no one was following.
“You did amazing, Bean. Think you can walk now?”
Sierra looked up and saw Grover standing next to her, holding out a hand. Blinking, she realized that she’d been concentrating so hard on scooting, she hadn’t noticed the ground beneath her had lost its severe angle. The trees she’d occasionally glanced at to gauge distance were closer than ever, and the ground she was sitting on wasn’t so precarious.
Reaching up and taking Grover’s hand, she let him pull her to her feet. She swayed, but he was there to make sure she didn’t fall. He started to pull her into his arms, then stopped himself. She looked up at him in question.
“I’m sorry.”
She frowned. “For what?”
“For you having to see me lose control up there.”
Sierra literally had no idea what he was talking about. “Lose control?”
“After everything you’ve been through, you didn’t need to see me play with Shahzada like I did. I should’ve just let Trigger shoot him in the head and been done with it.”
Sierra shook her head. “No. That would’ve been too fast for him. I’m sorry you didn’t have more time to give him exactly what he deserved.”
It was Grover’s turn to look surprised. “You aren’t disgusted?”
Sierra reached up and touched a cut on his forehead. It was still slowly oozing blood and it was obvious it would scar. Shahzada had done that. Or one of the men he’d commanded to beat him. “I’m not disgusted,” she verified.
Grover reached up for her hand and held it tightly in his own, against his chest. His gaze was intense as he studied her. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met, Sierra Clarkson.”
Sierra didn’t know what he meant by that, exactly. She chuckled nervously. “Yeah, I haven’t showered in a year, I’m bald, helpless, and I probably smell like a dead body that’s been rotting in the woods for months.”
He didn’t even crack a smile. “I expected that if I did manage to find you, I’d probably find a shell of the woman I’d met back in that mess hall on base. That you’d be broken and maybe even a little crazy after being held against your will for so long. Instead, I found a woman who did her best to comfort me. You’d been there for months, yet you still reached out to try to make me feel better. You held my hand and talked to me. When the bullets started flying, you didn’t panic. Didn’t get in the way. But you aren’t meek and mild. You’re smart. You’re brave. You know when you’re out of your league…but you aren’t helpless. No fucking way.
“Being dirty and smelly can be fixed, Sierra. Your hair will grow back. But it’s harder to change who we are on the inside. What others make us become. And you are one hundred percent, completely and absolutely amazing. Don’t let anyone tell you any differently…even yourself.”
Sierra stared at Grover and swallowed hard. She wasn’t close to crying, didn’t even know if she could cry normally anymore. But this man’s words meant more to her than she could ever articulate. She’d felt so lost and alone, for so long. Didn’t know if she’d ever see the light of day again. And here she was, standing in the open air, sore, tired, and still so very unsure about what her future held, but free. With Grover’s words going a long way toward giving her the confidence she needed to keep moving forward.
She nodded, then slowly leaned closer.
His arms wrapped around her, holding her against him gently. He didn’t make her feel trapped. Sierra could step back at any moment and she knew he’d let her go. “Mashed potatoes, medium-rare steak, and hot garlic bread straight from the oven,” she muttered.
Proving they’d connected on a deep level, she felt his chuckle rumble through his chest under her cheek, then he said, “Grilled salmon, with green beans slathered with butter, and corn bread.” He didn’t ask what the hell she was talking about. He remembered and went with it. And she was grateful.
Sierra’s mouth watered. She picked her head up and smiled at him. “With a huge piece of chocolate cake for dessert.”
“Warm peach pie with ice cream,” he said
“Hey, get a move on!” Lucky called out from in front of them.