by Anna Hackett
Shit. He crouched. “Can we both squeeze in there?”
She blinked up at him. “It’ll be tight.”
He shoved his CXM through. “I like it tight.”
She rolled her eyes and moved back. Seth moved through the gap. His shoulders almost got stuck in the narrow opening, but he pushed through and squeezed in with her.
She hadn’t been wrong. It was a really tight fit.
“Move your knee,” she muttered.
“Move your elbow.”
They squirmed around, trying to find a comfortable position. He heard her curse, then he grabbed her hips and yanked her into his lap. Seth found his arms filled with wriggling, mud-covered female.
Hell. “Stop moving. And be quiet.”
She froze. The voices were right outside their hiding place, muttering in rapid Spanish.
“Seth—” she whispered.
He covered her mouth and pulled her closer. A worn, dark boot appeared near the opening in the tree. These guys were practically on top of them.
Seth grabbed his rifle and shifted it around January. He lifted it, all his muscles tense, and waited.
Chapter Three
With her heart in her throat, January listened to the voices outside and held her breath.
She shifted, and became very aware of the hard, muscled body beneath her.
The man definitely knew how to work her last nerve, but there was no doubting that Seth had a killer body. She moved again, and hard fingers clamped on her hip. Lips pressed to her ear.
“Hold your curvy ass still.”
She froze and stayed there, listening to the voices speaking in Spanish outside. They slowly drifted away and her shoulders relaxed. The fingers at her hip squeezed and let go.
“The artifacts are safe?” he asked.
Happy to focus on anything other than very hard thighs, she dragged her backpack closer and opened it. She’d ditched the heavy metal case after the crash.
When she looked up, she saw Seth’s face was close to hers. He had pale-blue eyes that made her think of chips of ice. She reached in and pulled out the first sphere.
His gaze dropped.
She pulled the dark covering off the top of the artifact, displaying the jade ball nestled in her palm. She reached in and pulled out the second one.
“What do they do?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t risked touching them with my bare hand. But they are similar in size to the crystal one I brought you. I didn’t want to take any risks and put my team in danger. We found them in an overgrown temple covered in vines. And when I say overgrown, I mean overgrown.”
He touched one sphere with his gloved hand, taking it in his long fingers and turning it over. “You think someone was hiding the temple?”
“Probably.”
Next, he touched the sphere’s wrapping from the backpack. It was a rough fabric and very heavy.
“You found them in this?” he asked.
She nodded. “Some sort of protective wraps. They’re really heavy, and I think they could be metallic.”
He nodded, and she carefully wrapped and packed the sphere away with the other one.
“Climb out, James.”
She pulled the backpack on, hitting him in the chin in the process. Oops. He glared at her and she smiled sweetly. Then she turned and clambered through the small opening.
“You better not be looking at my ass.”
“It’s right at eye level, James. Can hardly miss it.”
Outside, January rose and halfheartedly dusted off her trousers. Seth climbed out a lot more nimbly than she had.
Suddenly, he touched his ear. “Lachlan, that you?” He paused. “Damn, the line is terrible. Smith okay?” Another pause. “Good. Yeah, I fell down an embankment, but I found James.” His gaze flicked her way. “Yes, she’s alive and she has the artifacts. Two jade spheres.”
January leaned closer and could just make out Lachlan Hunter’s voice.
“Can he get a message to my aunt and uncle? And to my team? I left Dr. Li in charge. Let them know I’m okay?”
Seth nodded and relayed the information, “Jungle’s teeming with unfriendlies. We’re on our way back to you.” He looked at her. “Let’s move. Stay close.”
For the first time in her life, January was happy to stay close to Seth Lynch. As they set off through the trees, she eyed him. Black suited him. She couldn’t imagine a man as intense as Seth wearing color. He had a handsome face, and she thought he’d been saved from being too pretty by those scars on the one side.
He set a fast pace, but she didn’t complain. She was going home. Relief shot through her. She was incredibly sad about Robert, Tyler, and Carlos, but right now, she was too tired to process it. All she wanted was a hot shower, some food, a full night of sleep.
Her stomach rumbled loudly, and Seth glanced her way. A second later, he reached into the pockets on his vest and pulled out a granola bar. She almost moaned. She tore off the wrapper and bit into it.
When she looked up, Seth was staring at her with a strange look on his face. “What?”
He shook his head, like he was trying to clear it. “Glad you aren’t dead, James.”
“Me too,” she whispered.
He reached out, his fingers brushing her ear, then he pulled away. That small connection, after the twenty-four hours she’d had, filled her chest with something warm.
Suddenly, he stiffened. He spun and slammed into her, driving her to the ground. They landed in rotting leaves, and all the air was knocked out of her.
“What the hell?” she wheezed.
Gunfire peppered the trees behind them. January swallowed a scream and Seth’s big body covered hers.
The gunfire paused.
Seth yanked his big, dangerous-looking assault rifle off his shoulder and returned fire.
“Come on.” He pushed off her, yanked her up, and gave her a hard shove. “Run.”
January obeyed. She took off at a sprint. Vines slapped at her face and arms.
“Lachlan, we’re under attack. Lachlan?” Seth cursed softly. “No response. Brooks, you there?”
January had met the buff, tattooed and good-looking Brooks. She knew the tech guru would be back in Nevada.
“Thank God,” Seth muttered. “I can’t reach Lachlan.” He stiffened. “What do you mean, there are more bogies on the way? Dammit to hell.”
Okay, this was sounding really bad. Any warmth she’d been feeling fled. She swallowed, old feelings of helplessness trying to break free inside her.
You aren’t alone, January. Big, tough badass with a gun right here with you.
Seth scanned around, his face set in serious lines. “Up there.” He pointed to a large tree.
She nodded and gripped the lower branches. She started to pull herself up when she felt big hands on her ass. He gave her a push.
Seth followed right behind her.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“Large group of people headed this way.”
She sucked in a breath. “What now?”
“Climb. Hide. Wait for them to pass.”
Suddenly, they heard voices. January climbed a couple feet higher, then she and Seth settled onto a large branch. He pulled her close, and pressed a finger to his lips. January’s breathing was shallow, her muscles tensed. She could really do with a break right now.
Below, two men stepped into view. They were wearing fatigues and holding AK-47s. They moved cautiously, looking around intently.
Then January felt movement on their branch. She turned her head and stifled a gasp. A monkey had appeared on the branch, staring at them curiously. Ah, hell.
“Shit.” Seth’s curse was almost soundless.
The animal let out a screech.
Shit. The men looked up, and January’s chest locked.
Seth launched himself off the branch. She gasped and watched as he slammed into one man. As soon as they hit the ground, Seth leaped up and charged at the second m
an.
Dammit, dammit, dammit. Gunfire hit the trunk near January and she screamed. She scrambled down. She needed to get out of the tree and help Seth.
The sound of thuds and grunts filled the air. Near the bottom, she lost her grip and went flying out of the tree. She landed on her side, hitting the ground hard, pain jarring through her, but she bounced back onto her feet. She had to get to Seth.
January spun and saw Seth fighting the two men. She paused. He didn’t look like he needed any help.
His blows were hard, fast, and brutal. He moved like water, flowing with wicked power and grace.
In another few seconds, both attackers were laid out on the ground, unconscious.
Wow.
Seth’s brows drew together. “Why didn’t you stay in the tree?”
“Bullets were flying, and I thought you might need help.”
He blinked. “You were going to help me?”
“Yes.”
“How? By throwing rocks at them? Flinging some mud?”
Asshole. She glared at him. “I might not be a badass commando or former 007 who can kill with his little finger, but I’m hardly a fainting damsel, Lynch. I gave you a black eye, didn’t I?”
Seth scowled at her and touched his ear. “Brooks? Yeah.” Seth looked at his boots and cursed. “Acknowledged.”
“What now?” she asked.
Ice-blue eyes slid up to meet hers. “There are too many of these fuckers.” He toed the soldiers. “We’re cut off from my team.”
January swallowed. “Okay. So what do we do now?”
“Now we need a Plan B.”
“Have you got one?”
“Not yet.”
As Seth jogged through the jungle, he heard the distant gunfire, followed by an explosion. He gritted his teeth, worried briefly about his team. But if anyone could handle themselves, it was Team 52.
January ducked under some vines. She was holding up. Even caked in mud and clearly exhausted, she was staying steady.
His admiration for her went up another notch.
“We need to get away from here,” he said. “Find somewhere to lay low until it’s safe to get picked up by the team later.” They couldn’t trek to Blair and the X8, because that was on the other side of the wreck site.
January bit her lip, lost in thought. “Do you know where we are?”
He lifted his chin and told her.
She snapped her fingers. “I know. We have a satellite dig site not too far away from here. I mean, we’ll have to trek through dense jungle…”
He nodded. “Let’s do it.”
“It’s east of here.”
Seth touched his ear. “Brooks. January and I are headed for a satellite dig site called…” He looked at January.
“Site Z. It’s run by a colleague of mine, Dr. Andelman.”
Seth repeated the information.
“Got it, Seth,” came Brooks’ reply. “I’ll have—”
The harsh screech of static filled the line. Seth winced. “Brooks? Brooks?” Shit. “Lachlan?”
There was only silence.
“What?” January looked up at him with wide eyes.
“Our comms are being jammed.”
She pressed her lips together and looked worried. Seth was worried too.
Drug runners wouldn’t have the tech to jam their comms. The last pair who’d attacked them had fought well—they were better trained than the average drug runner.
Seth’s instincts were twitching. Hard. Those instincts had saved his life too many times in the CIA. More times than he could count.
She grabbed the straps of her backpack and set off. “Come on.”
“Hey, let me lead.”
She glanced at him. “Why?”
“Because I have the gun.”
“Doesn’t seem like a good enough reason for you to lead.”
Seth pulled in a breath and looked up at the dappled light filtering through the trees. “Do you have to argue about everything?”
She considered for a second. “Yes.”
“Shit,” he muttered. “Why me?”
“If you move your ass, Lynch, and quit bitching, we’ll get out of here faster.”
Seth took a moment to contemplate strangling her. Or tanning her ass.
They kept moving and he kept trying the comms. Nothing.
He turned to face January. “Okay, let’s—”
The next attack was blindingly fast.
Several bodies rushed out of the vegetation and slammed into Seth, driving him to the ground. He heard January scream.
Fuck. He rolled and got a punch to the sternum. He got his feet under him, shoving back at the weight holding him. A blow slammed into his kidneys and he bit off a groan.
But he’d been well-trained by the CIA. He knew how to fight dirty.
He rammed an elbow up, took another hit to the stomach, then broke free and rolled across the vegetation. He yanked his knife off his belt, spun, and jammed the blade into the belly of the incoming attacker. The man screamed and staggered back.
Seth scanned the area and saw January being held against a tree. The bastard pinning her had his hands clamped around her neck. Her face was turning red, but the hellcat was fighting—twisting and kicking wildly.
Seth lowered into a fighting stance, his gaze going to the other attacker circling him. These guys were good. Too good. They might be dressed like drug runners, but they were not drug runners.
Feinting, Seth moved left. His opponent fell for it and moved. Seth adjusted course, slamming a kick into the man’s knee. He went down, and Seth sank his blade into the man’s shoulder—deep.
Another kick sent the man onto his back. He clutched his bleeding shoulder and glared at Seth. Seth brought his boot down and the man slumped.
Moving fast, Seth spun and ran to January. He could see her kicks were turning sluggish and uncoordinated. The man choking her was tugging at the straps of her backpack.
Seth came up behind the man, moving silently. He circled his gloved hands around the man’s throat.
Startled, the attacker released January, and Seth quickly cut off the man’s air supply. January dropped to the ground, coughing and rubbing her abused throat.
“How’s it feel?” Seth asked. “Suffering the same thing you were just inflicting on a woman half your size?”
The man made a gurgling sound and Seth eased up. “Who do you work for?”
No answer.
Seth asked in Spanish. “Who sent you?”
Still nothing.
Cool flowed through Seth’s veins. He kicked the man’s legs out from under him and he dropped to his knees with a choked cry. Seth wrapped an arm around the man’s neck and pulled up hard, denying him air again.
The man thumped a fist futilely against Seth’s left forearm.
“Answer my question,” Seth said, his tone low.
January rose, watching Seth with an unreadable face. Okay, not that unreadable. She was watching him like she’d just discovered a snake that might strike.
“Last chance.” Seth jerked hard on the man’s neck.
This time, the attacker made a sound and patted Seth’s arm.
Seth eased up a little
“Gaia,” the man croaked.
Seth frowned. He’d never heard of a criminal group called Gaia.
All of a sudden, a roar thundered overhead. Shit, helicopter.
He looked up, and through the canopy, he caught glimpses of the aircraft circling overhead. For a second, he thought it was the X8.
No. His muscles locked. Not the X8, a Black Hawk.
Shit. Not one of theirs. He released the man and punched him. Then Seth reached out and grabbed January’s hand.
“We need to go.”
“I take it that helicopter isn’t your team?”
“Correct.”
He yanked her forward, knocking some vines out of their way.
Suddenly, machine gun fire tore through the trees from above. January s
creamed.
Seth dived, taking her with him. They rolled, and he covered her as they came up against the trunk of a tree.
Dammit, the helo was armed with a minigun. They could pepper the jungle with thousands of rounds per minute. His CXM was no match for it.
The gunfire stopped.
“Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” January clutched his vest.
He pulled her up.
“Move that pretty ass, James. Now.”
Chapter Four
January ran through the jungle, her lungs burning. Seth’s broad back was right in front of her, and the man barely seemed winded.
A branch hit her shoulder, scratching her skin, but she didn’t slow down. She hadn’t uttered any complaints about the brutal pace that Seth had set for them.
She had no desire to become machine-gun fodder.
But every muscle in her body ached. She was drenched in sweat, and hungry, and her neck stung. She was pretty damn miserable.
But she was breathing.
Ahead, Seth glanced back at her. The man powered through the vegetation, not slowing or flagging one bit. She hated him more than usual right now.
“We’ll take a break.” He halted.
January staggered to a stop. She could have wept from relief. “I can keep going.”
“We both need a rest.”
“But I can—”
He scowled. “Do you argue about everything?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “When it comes to me living or dying, then yes.”
“Figures.”
If he wanted to rest, fine. She moved to a fallen log and dropped onto it. She sucked air into her burning lungs.
“We far enough away from the unfriendlies?” she asked.
“Yeah. I don’t hear the helo anymore.”
He sat beside her and opened his backpack. He handed her another granola bar, and she tore it open. She wolfed the snack down in three bites. He smiled at her, seemingly amused, and handed her a water bottle.
Darn, the man had a hell of a smile.
January sipped the water. “You got a three-course meal in there, as well?”
“Sorry.” He handed her a candy bar.
She moaned. She tore it open in a blink, and took a bite. She closed her eyes, savoring the rich, chocolatey flavor. When she opened her eyes, Seth was watching her, with a funny expression.