If they made it through that minute.

“Your heart’s beating so hard,” Kelly whispered. “Are you scared?”

“Yes, it’s stupid not to be scared if someone’s trying to hurt you. You just have to hold on and either wait or fight back.” She smiled down at her. “But you have to realize that they can’t really hurt you. Maybe your body, but not what you are inside. That’s what’s important. None of the rest matters.”

“All clear,” Timbers called back to them.

Catherine gave a sigh of relief. “But it seems we don’t have to worry about anything right now. We’re on our way. In a few minutes, I’ll call Agent Venable and tell him to meet us at the airport in Bogotá. He’ll be very relieved. Everyone has been worried about you.”

Kelly was silent a moment. “But Daddy is dead.”

It was natural that after the first explosion of danger was over, the girl’s hideous memories would surface. Distract her. Keep her busy. “I need your help.” She sat up and reached for the first-aid kit fastened to the wall. “I’m hurt and bleeding a little. Will you bandage it for me?”

“I’m not sure I know how.” Kelly’s eyes widened as she watched Catherine take off her black shirt and saw the deep cut in her side. Her lips tightened. “But I’ll try. Tell me what to do.”

“First the antiseptic. Take a pad and clean the wound. The bleeding seems to have almost stopped.” But it had bled enough to make her feel woozy, she realized. “I’m a little tired. Don’t be afraid if I fall asleep.”

“You mean pass out,” she said bluntly.

“I guess that is what I mean.” She leaned back against the wall. “But if I do pass out, it won’t be for long, and the pilot knows how to take you home to your mother.”

“My mother doesn’t want me.” Kelly was dabbing at the wound. “That’s why I live-lived with my daddy.”

Great. After a nightmare like this, the kid didn’t even have someone to hold on to until she healed. If she healed. No, Catherine wouldn’t accept that possibility. Kelly would heal. She was strong, or she wouldn’t have been able to survive what had happened to her. Just that time in that tent with the remains of her father should have made her catatonic. “Your mother may want you more than you think. Sometimes when parents quarrel, things are said that aren’t really true.”