His heart oozed sadness. Damn, he loved his girl. There it was—the blinding truth that becomes so clear on the battlefield. She’d almost killed him, and given the chance she might finish the job. But the truth, like death, was impossible to dodge forever.
He loved the admiral’s sexy daughter. There was not one damned thing he could do about it.
Spinning his finger through the air, he gave the signal. “All in!”
Taking a big breath, he lifted his rifle and rushed out from cover.
Chapter Ten
‡
Mack pointed his rifle between the older man’s eyes. He didn’t need Charlie’s smart weapon. At this range, he wouldn’t miss. Ty aimed at the other man, who could have been the first guy’s son. Tavon guarded their six.
“Don’t move,” Mack said quietly.
The man startled and of course moved. Shit. Mack held his position and did not take the guy’s head off his shoulders. The man’s eyes went wide, and he looked like he messed himself.
“CRAF?” Mack said.
The two shook their heads.
“You’re not CRAF guerillas?”
Violent head shaking that could have meant they weren’t CRAF or that they weren’t talking. Who knew?
“Ty, talk to them. Do they understand me or not?” Mack had not lowered his weapon.
In Spanish, Ty asked them again.
“No!” The older guy said followed by a few of the dirty Spanish words Mack knew. He spit his disgust in the fire.
“Could be an act,” Tavon whispered in his ear.
Mack nodded. “Ask them where the CRAF guerillas are. The truth and no one gets shot.”
Spanish words flew and Mack waited, scanning the jungle, knowing they could be sitting ducks.
“They say the guerillas were on the move this morning.”
“No shit, they were on the move to take us out at the helo,” Mack said.
Ty shook his head. “No, he’s talking about a different bunch.”
“Freakin’ rabbits are multiplying. How many CRAF groups are we dealing with?” Tavon asked.
“Apparently, they spilt up when they heard we were coming. The son here saw them in the jungle and hid until they passed by. CRAF guerillas were armed with rifles and AK-47s. They dragged a group of blindfolded people with them. Captives,” Ty interpreted.
“Do these guys know where the guerillas were headed?”
“East. That’s all they know. They steer clear of them because the guerillas steal their goats and money and sometimes mess with their women. They say they hate the bastards and the drug cartels too. They hope the U.S. sends them all to hell.”
“Do you believe them?” Mack asked.
Ty studied their faces and postures for a long moment. “Yeah. I do.”
Mack lowered his rifle. “Okay. Gracias. Enjoy your squirrel. It looks almost as good as an MRE.”
They retreated back the way they came.
“The son said that the guerillas never sit still for long. Move, move, move. Keeps the captives disoriented and makes it harder to track them.”
“Can you track them?” Mack asked.
Ty grinned. “Do bears shit in the woods?”
“How would I know? I’m no park ranger, and I don’t like bears.”
Ty smiled. “They do. It’s big, stinky crap. I came on a fresh pile once in Montana. It was still steaming.”
“Nice. Thank you for sharing that beautiful story. Let’s get the others and follow the CRAF’s trail before this shit stops steaming.”
“One good thing, we know the captives are still alive.” Tavon crossed his huge arms. “Or at least they were this morning.”
“Yeah. Can’t wait to tell Jenna.” Mack smiled. That oozing ball of sadness had melted in the heat of the moment.
“You poor sonofabitch,” Tavon said. “You’re in it deep.”
Ty laughed. “Yep, over his head.”
Mack ignored them. “Let’s go.”
They were back on the ridge about to head over the other side.
“She’s got you, brother.” Tavon closed his big hand as if he was squeezing the life out of a small woodland creature. “Nothing more to do but kiss your balls good-bye.”
“Shut up.”
Ty laughed again. “Wow, Mack. It’s nice to see you like this.”
“He’s such a goner.” Tavon expression was full of disgust.
“Whatever, lunatics.” Mack started jogging. “Come on. The heat must be getting to you.”
Tavon jogged beside him. For a big man, he was remarkably quiet on his feet. Ty came up on the other side. Silent, Apache wind. “And Ty, you should hear what she says about him.”
Mack slowed.
“Don’t play with the man,” Ty said.
Mack stopped. Crossing his arms he said. “He doesn’t have Jenna-intel. He’s just messing with me.”
“Oh, I’m messing with you all right. Ready for this? Our boss said she’d pay me a twenty-thousand dollar bonus—from her own bank account—if I watch over Macky boy. She wants me to keep him alive.”
“How much did she offer to keep me alive?” Ty asked.
“Not one damn penny, my friend. She only cares about our C.O.”
Mack scratched at the sweat running under his helmet. What did it mean?
“I’ll watch your back, bro. But you’d better protect those balls.” Tavon held up his closed fist. “Seems Jenna wants them back.”
Both men were still grinning at his expense by the time they made it back to camp.
Jenna crawled out from behind a boulder and rushed to him. Her hat flew off and her long blonde hair swirled freely around her war-painted face. Before he could stop her, she threw her arms around his neck. Holding on tight, she kissed his cheek. Hell, why’d he want to stop her again? Her lips were green from his face paint. Some of hers had smeared on him. So what?
“I was so worried. Thank God you’re back.” The emotion filling her eyes was real. Just as real as the swelling going on in his heart.
“What about me?” Ty asked.
Jenna rubbed his arm. “Yes, thank God Ty’s back too.”
Ty smiled, his white teeth looking exceptionally bright under the camouflaged paint.
“And…you too, Tavon.” She waved her fingers at him.
Tavon rolled his eyes and walked away.
“Oh, Mack. When you went over the ridge after those guys…” She swallowed hard. “All I could think about was the way we left things. I know you work for my dad. It’s your job. I get it. I shouldn’t have assumed things would be different than they are. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did.”
“Me too, babe. Your dad did contact me because he wanted me to look out for you and keep you safe.” He spread his arms. “I’m doing quite a bang-up job, aren’t I?”
She didn’t answer.
“But I didn’t have to agree to the job. You convinced me to do the right thing, so I’m here. Let’s try to leave the past behind us for now and rescue your clients. Are we good?”
“Yeah. We’re good.” She chewed her lip as if she wanted to say more. He waited, but she kept those words behind her pretty green lips.
“All right. Pack up. We roll out in five minutes,” Mack said. “CRAF is on the move and we’re going after them.”
*
Ty and Charlie led the way. Jenna fell in behind Mack and Willy. Tavon took up the rear. The sun’s light slanting through the trees told her it was getting late. Jenna was nervous about going deeper into the jungle, away from the helicopter and the last remnants of sunlight. CRAF could be anywhere.
“What happens when the sun sets?” she whispered.
“We’ve got night vision goggles,” Mack told her. “And our helmets have infrared chemlights on them. The naked eye can’t see them, but we can see each other with our NODs.”
“NODs?”
“Night Optical Devices. Since you don’t have any, you’d better stick close to me.” He pulled a glove o
ff his hand and tucked it into his pocket. Then he offered his bare skin to her and she gratefully took it.
It was amazing how a little thing like holding his hand could make all the difference in the world. His skin was warm and safe. Just like Mack. Her fingers laced with his, fitting perfectly. She’d forgotten how much she missed that.
“Here.” Ty stopped walking. “This is where they camped.”
Looking closer, Jenna saw a few burned twigs by Ty’s feet. How had he seen those?
Mack whispered in her ear, “Hide behind that tree. Don’t come out until I say so.” He planted a light kiss on her cheek and spun his finger through the air in some kind of signal. The guys all fanned out. Their weapons were raised as they searched the area.
It was getting dark now, and Jenna couldn’t see well. Every now and then she’d hear a twig snap. She gripped the tree. After what seemed an eternity, Mack nearly scared the soul out of her.
“They’re gone, Jenna. I found this.” He handed her a silver object.
She realized before she opened it that it was the driver’s cell phone. “Jacob left it behind. Does that mean—?” Her voice came out pitchy and raw.
She was so damned tired of this. So scared. She could think of only one reason why Jacob had left the phone behind. If those CRAF bastards hurt him and Anna, she’d hunt them down and kill them herself.
“It just means Jacob couldn’t bring it. Maybe he hid it and couldn’t get to it before they moved him. It doesn’t matter now. Ty doesn’t need the cell’s signal. He’s picked up their trail already. Come on, babe. We’ve got to hurry.”
Darkness fell fast in the jungle. Jenna couldn’t see a thing. She clutched Mack’s hand and tried her hardest not to slow him down. It wasn’t working. At least five times she walked up the back side of him, or got tangled in his boots.
“Sorry.” Her voice choked with exertion.
He gave her hand a squeeze. To Tavon he said, “You guys go ahead.”
“Your head’s stuck up your butt if you think I’ll leave you behind,” Tavon growled.
“My head is where it should be. Go on. Jenna and I will be right behind you.”
Tavon gave Jenna a fierce look. He’d be happy to leave her in the jungle for all the trouble she was causing.
“Get going! We’ll follow you.”
Two seconds later, Mack and Jenna were alone. It would have been sexy and romantic if she wasn’t so scared. And exhausted. She felt like she was going to hyperventilate from the fast-paced hike and the worry.
“Let’s stop for a second so you can catch your breath,” Mack said.
“I’m fine.” She tugged on his arm. “Let’s hurry before we lose the guys.”
“We won’t lose them. I can still see the infrared chemlights on their helmets and I’m in constant radio contact with them.” He pulled on the wire to his ear-piece. “But you should rest a bit.”
Why? Because she was hungry, thirsty, her feet were killing her, and she was about to have a panic attack because she had no idea where the Harmonds were?
He ran his thumb along her neck, slowly, deliciously. Heat flushed her skin.
“Your heart is racing, babe.”
Really? With bad guys close by and a hot SEAL even closer?
“I’m fine.” At least she would be once she had Jacob’s little hand in hers. Until then, her fears, aches, and pains didn’t matter.
“We’ve been running for the last seven miles through mountainous jungle terrain. In the dark! You’re not trained for this, Jenna. I’m just looking out for you.”
“I’m not the one to worry about. Let’s go.” She tugged his hand again.
Mack chuckled softly. “Always so damned stubborn.”
“I am not.”
“You do things your way, or not at all.”
That pushed a button. “That’s not true.”
“Name one thing.”
She spun to face him and wished she could see his eyes under those goggles. “One thing I did that I didn’t want to do? Is that what you are asking?”
He lifted his goggles and his eyes burned into hers. “That’s what I’m asking.”
She didn’t have to pause. The answer had formed in her brain before he lifted his goggles. No, before that. It started eighteen months ago on a miserable day she wished they could do over. She moved closer. Her lips brushed his.
“I left you, Mack. I didn’t want to. I had to. It was the worst mistake of my life.”
He stared at her, his mouth open.
A whistle broke the spell. She could have believed it was the trill of an exotic jungle bird except that Mack pressed his finger to the earpiece and listened.
“Ty found their campsite. Let’s go.”
*
Mack wouldn’t let himself think about her words. Why did she leave him if she didn’t want to? What kind of fresh hell was this? No. He had to put it aside. Later there’d be time to straighten out past mistakes. Hell, he was of half a mind to start some new ones. Maybe—he glanced at Jenna running beside him—he already was.
Tapping his comm line he whispered. “Location?”
There was no response.
“Dammit.” He tapped it again. “Location?”
Static came through his earpiece, followed by Tavon’s soft voice. “Sector A. Eleven hundred, five hundred yards. Six hostiles. Fully armed.”
“Sector A. Oh nine hundred. Seven hostiles. AK-47s,” Ty said.
“Sector B. Oh one hundred. Four hostiles. Armed. One RPG launcher,” Willy said.
“Sector B. Oh three hundred. Three hostiles. AK-47’s,” Charlie reported. “No captives in sight.”
Mack softly let out a deep breath. “Shit. Fall back. Maintain visual.”
“Copy that,” they said in unison.
“What did they say?” Jenna asked.
“That we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Mack needed to set up an overwatch to spy on the hostiles and figure out where the captives were hidden. This was not going to be an easy snatch and grab. It was exponentially worse now that he had Jenna pressing against him. He needed to get her out of harm’s way. He’d been serious when he told her that he couldn’t focus with her sweet little body close by. His thoughts ran to how best to protect her. Keep her safe.
“Mack, found a natural berm. Good for overwatch,” Ty said.
“Copy that. Be right there.” When he faced her, her heat pulsed in his goggles. He cupped her jaw. “Follow me close. I’ll find you a place to rest out of harm’s way.”
She tipped her chin up. “I want to stay with you. I left you once, Mack. I’m not doing it again.”
She was tiny, but the look on her face was ferocious. Her words did some serious twisting in his gut but he didn’t have time to dwell on them. “When this is over, we’ll sort us out. But until then, you have to listen to me. It’s my job to keep you safe.” He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Please, let me do my job.”
She nodded.
Could Jenna turn over total control? Doubtful, but at least she was trying. Taking his hand she stuck close, trying to imitate the slow, stalking way he moved. He had to hand it to her. She was a fast learner.
They reached the berm. It was a fifteen foot high hill made by some ancient rockslide. The guys were already flat against it, peeking over the top, their rifles resting on the peak and pointing over the other side. The slope was gradual enough that the team didn’t have to dig their feet in to keep from sliding down. It was perfect.
“Wait here.” Mack pointed to the spot where Jenna stood at the base of the hill. “I’m going to climb up and check things out.”
“Be careful.”
“I will.”
Before he had a chance to move, she grabbed him by the vest pockets and pulled him to her. And then she let him have it.
Sweet mother of God. He didn’t have a chance to catch his breath before her lips smashed into his. That kiss must have singed the hair under his helmet. Wr
apping his arms around her, he held on, matching her hunger, her need with his own. He didn’t want to let go.
“Eh-hmm,” someone above him said.
Yeah, right. CRAF, war, captives—he reminded himself where he was. Reluctantly, he released Jenna. “I’ll be back. Don’t move.”
*
How could she move? That kissed had stolen the strength right out of her legs. She sat down in the dirt and pulled her knees up to her chest.
Jenna was no Pollyanna idealist. She knew her relationship with Mack teetered on a thin sheet of ice. At any moment, they could fall through and she’d lose the love of her life forever. Again. Would he leave her once the hostage rescue was over? She really didn’t know. His lips wanted her. Other parts obviously did too. But his heart, and most assuredly his mind, were still eighteen months behind, locked inside the fort he’d built when she hurt him. He wasn’t ready to let her in.
Jenna was a woman with plans. Many plans. Rescuing the Harmonds was top of the list, and right next to it was to grab hold of her sexy, hard SEAL and never let him go. Life was ridiculously cold and lonely without Mack. She’d lost everything that was important to her when she walked away and she was determined not to be a loser anymore.
Looking up the slope, she watched him and the rest of the team. The men were lying prone on the slope using their scopes and binoculars to spy on CRAF. What was going on down there? Could they see Jacob? Anna? Andrew and Marcella? Jenna couldn’t stay behind. Her family was out there and she needed to be part of the plan to rescue them.
She climbed the hill.
Chapter Eleven
‡
“What’s going on?” The soft voice came up behind Mack.
Jenna! What in the hell?
Sliding backwards on his belly, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down with him until they were far below the peak.
“Hey, ouch, what are you doing?” She whispered far too loudly.
He put his finger to his lip and jammed his finger toward to the bottom of the berm. They slid to the bottom.
When her feet were firmly back where they were supposed to be, Jenna let out a breath. “I have to see, Mack. Please. I’ll stay down and out of the way. I’ll do anything you say.”
SEALs of Summer: Military Romance Superbundle - Navy SEAL Style Page 90