Sal was about one hundred yards from their exit point, and when she saw them flop on the sand, she paddled furiously before jumping into the water and swimming as fast as she could, until she found herself being yanked out of the water by Josh’s large hands.
“Salamander! You made it!” Josh crushed Sal to his huge chest and lifted her off the ground.
When Josh finally released her, Sal stared, slack-jawed, at Megan. “You got out? How?”
After a brief explanation of how they’d all arrived, Megan examined the shore and posed her own question. Sal knew by Megan’s tone that she wasn’t going to be pleased with the answer.
Megan frowned. She knew Connie well enough to hazard a good guess. “No, don’t tell me…”
Nodding, Sal sighed. “There was no talking her out of it, you know how she gets. Sometimes, she’s more pigheaded than Delta.”
Megan looked over at Carducci, who shrugged. “Damn her. I should have expected as much. Those two would rather die here together than live without each other.”
Josh cleared his throat. “Ladies, we don’t have time to sit here and discuss the relationship of two crazy broads, we have to get these people some help and get the hell outta here.”
“How long ago did she leave?” Megan asked Sal, who was rubbing the back of her leg.
“Not long, about thirty or forty minutes. She sent me back to the boat to get a second raft. We were off-course when we landed here.”
Megan nodded as she turned to Josh. “How far behind do you think the General’s men are?”
Josh shrugged. “Not far. You can just bet that asshole will send men after us.”
“I’ll go get the raft,” Carducci offered, stripping down to the army fatigues Josh had loaned him.
Megan wiped some wet hair off Sal’s forehead. She was still breathing hard from her swim. “Did Gina and Logan get help?”
Sal smiled. “She’s a smart one, that woman. She told both the Panamanian police and the Costa Rican cops that there were Nicaraguan rebel forces here. Their responses were immediate anger and irritation. Nico rebels are a zit on the face of Central America, and apparently, that means the Panamanians and the Ticos are more than willing to jump in. We should be seeing choppers over the horizon any time now.”
Josh rubbed his hands together. “Smart thinking. If they can get a bird in the air soon, the general’s men will be forced to disperse. Once they scatter, we can get back to their camp and see about getting Delta and Taylor out of there.”
Megan looked up at Josh’s tired, sweaty face, “You think she could have survived those blasts, Josh?”
Josh looked away for a moment before returning his gaze to Megan. “Delta just doesn’t go down easily, Meg.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Inhaling deeply, Josh rubbed his beard. “No, Meg, I don’t. But in Nam, you never believed your buddy was dead until you carried his lifeless body off the field. Until I see her body, Delta is as alive as if she was standin’ here with us.”
Throwing her arms around Josh’s neck, Megan stood on tiptoe to hug him. “Thank you, Josh. Thank you for believing in her.”
“I’ve seen her pull outta too many scrapes not to, Meg.”
Sal looked at the small dot on the horizon that was their boat. “Let’s get these people to the boat and figure out how to get us all home safely.”
Everyone turned and looked at Sal, who seldom issued orders of any kind. When she realized everyone was staring at her, she grinned sheepishly and shrugged. “Connie told me to take care of everyone until she got back, and that’s what I’m going to do. Now double-time your asses and get to that boat.”
Connie double-timed through the thick forest, fueled by an oddly familiar mixture of fear and anger. She pushed herself as if she’d been hiking through the rainforest all her life; as if she had a fresh pair of legs and nothing to fear. She was not afraid to die.
Like so many others before her, Sal’s questions about her relationship with Delta made Connie smile. Delta hadn’t just blasted into Connie’s life; she had filled a void that only one’s true soulmate could fill. She had brought with her all the pieces Connie needed to feel whole. When Delta Stevens had landed in Connie’s life, she had lit it up like a halogen headlight illuminates the dark. Oh sure, Delta was unpredictable, quick to react, and broke all the rules, but she was also the most loyal person Connie had ever met, and her level of integrity was second to none.
As Connie pushed her way deeper into the jungle, she didn’t even stop to wipe the sweat off her forehead. The ‘what if’ syndrome began playing in her head like a song she couldn’t let go of. What if Delta hadn’t made it out of the cavern? What if she were alive and suffering? Shaking her head, Connie knew one thing. She wasn’t leaving without Delta.
Period.
After a period of time, Delta woke, her head pillowed on Taylor’s soggy backpack. Delta was still holding Taylor and had no way of knowing how long they’d been asleep. By the looks of sky, dawn had graced the world, shining small bursts of sun through the forest canopy.
“Damn it,” Delta cursed under her breath. She knew it was more dangerous to travel in the daylight and wished she hadn’t fallen asleep.
“Taylor?” she whispered, gently shaking her. When there was no response, Delta’s heart leaped into her throat. “Taylor?” this time, Delta shook her roughly. “Wake up, Taylor.”
“Is this how you treat all the women you sleep with?” Taylor’s eyes slowly opened, and a slight smile played on her lips. Her face was paler and had an unhealthy gray sheen.
“Feeling better?” Delta knew the answer but hoped for a different response to the one Taylor’s face reflected.
“No, but I was afraid you’d slap me again. I feel like shit.”
Delta felt her forehead. She was clammy. “Yeah, well, if you have any thoughts about dying on me, forget it.”
Taylor chuckled. “You gotta be kidding. After your superhuman effort to get us out of that fucking cavern and then spitting some green shit in my wound? Not hardly. Even I have to stay alive to see how this adventure turns out.”
“Good.” Easing out of Taylor’s embrace, Delta checked the tourniquet. “At least in the daylight, I’ll be able to get a good look at your leg.”
“It’s busted.”
“Now you’re a doctor?”
“I busted it once before. Took a bad fall from a four-story condo in Spain. Good air time, poor landing, lots of loot. Felt a lot like it does right now, only sans the loot.”
Delta looked at the leg. It was swollen and had a purple tint. “You’re going to need help soon, or you could lose it.”
Taylor smiled in the pink and green morning and lightly touched Delta’s cheek. “Lover, if we get out of this godforsaken jungle alive, a leg will be a small price to pay. It’ll read great in my memoirs.”
Delta chuckled. “Now that’s a book I’d pay hardcover price for.”
As the morning light burst through the foliage, Delta knelt and studied Taylor’s leg more closely. It did look broken, but the bleeding had stopped. Loosening the tourniquet, she looked at Taylor’s pale face. “You don’t look so hot.”
“Told you I feel like shit. Are we leaving or are you going to play doctor all day?”
Delta grinned. “You wish.”
Taylor smiled back. “Can we play doctor just once later, when I feel better?”
Delta shook her head and pulled Taylor’s pant leg down. “You know that’s not how I work.”
“I wasn’t talking about work. I was talking about playing. Come on, Delta, play with me.”
Delta gazed down into Taylor’s eyes and smiled warmly. “Don’t you know that people in shock aren’t supposed to be cantankerous?”
Taylor looked into Delta’s green eyes and sighed, “Can’t help it. You bring out the sexual beast in me.”
Delta rummaged through Taylor’s bag and pulled out a canteen. “Here, oh-saucy-one, have a drink.”
<
br /> Taylor took the canteen and sipped a little before handing it back to Delta. “You know, you keep saving my life, and I’m going to have to be indebted to you forever.”
Delta recapped the canteen and pulled a bag of trail mix from the backpack. “Nah. I told you. You’re family now. My family. We don’t run out on each other.” Delta poured some trail mix in her mouth and started to hand the bag to Taylor, who shook her head.
“No, thanks. Family, eh?”
Delta ate another mouthful before putting the rest back in the bag. “Yep.”
Taylor studied Delta through exhausted eyes. “Then how could Megan leave you?”
“Megan knew I’d never leave you. Hell, it’s the first time I think she ever really understood me.”
“She’s not the one who truly gets you, is she?”
Delta shrugged. “Con doesn’t believe I’m dead, if that’s what you mean.”
“How can she not? That blast was probably felt all the way to Brazil.”
Retying the tourniquet, Delta helped Taylor up. “You gotta understand one thing about me and Connie. We’re connected. Before all this shit came down, I took a spiritual journey.”
Taylor held up her hand, signaling for Delta to stop. “Whoa right there. You took a what?”
“A spiritual journey. She and I discovered something I’d known all along, but I was hesitant to admit for fear of sounding like a lunatic. Connie and I are more than friends, much more than colleagues, and more important than lovers. We’re connected. Our spirits coexist together…” Delta’s voice trailed off, her thoughts with Connie, who she knew would be searching for her now.
“Uh, Del?”
“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking.”
“For a minute there, I thought you were communicating with the spirits.”
Delta grinned slightly, and then her face froze. “What did you just say?”
“I said—oh, never mind.”
Delta stared hard at Taylor. “Wait here.”
Taylor pointed to her leg and leaned against a tree. “Gee, okay. Where are you going?”
Moving to a slight clearing, Delta knelt down and closed her eyes. As she did, she dug the fingers of one hand into the soft dirt and placed her other palm against a tree. She had seen Connie do this once when they first met. It had appeared crazy at the time, but now, Delta realized how little she truly knew about her best friend. Too busy scoffing at the intangible, Delta had never fully understood or accepted the spiritual gifts Connie possessed, until now.
It wasn’t until Taylor had joked about her communicating with the spirits that Delta realized the impact of her own journey. During the warrior’s initiation, Connie’s spirit had somehow managed to join Delta’s on the spiritual plane. That meant Connie’s spirit was so tied to Delta’s that she could locate her even in another realm. If she could do that on an astral level, the chances were high that Connie could find here, too.
Delta wasn’t sure what to do except open her mind and let the images float freely. After several minutes, she opened her eyes and felt a peacefulness she hadn’t felt since before Megan had left the States.
Yes, Connie was out here. Of that, Delta was sure. Now, if only they could find each other.
Rising, Delta walked back to find Taylor still leaning against a tree. “We’ll move faster if you don’t have to carry me.”
Smiling, Delta threaded her arms around Taylor’s tiny waist. “You sure you’re up to it?”
“No, but we don’t have much choice. If I don’t take a bath soon, I may get suicidal.”
This made Delta laugh. “Doesn’t anything get you down?”
Taylor nodded. “A few things do.”
“Like what?”
“Let’s see. I hate it when I miss a sale at Nordstrom’s. I get depressed when Susan Lucci doesn’t win a much-deserved Emmy, and it really bums me out that you won’t sleep with me.”
“Taylor!”
“Hey, you asked.”
Moving toward the southwest, Delta helped Taylor walk. “You’re nuts.”
Taylor stopped abruptly. “I’m nuts? I’m nuts? You go off to commune with the spirits, and you think I’m crazy? Look again, Sherlock.”
Pushing branches out of the way, Delta and Taylor forged silently ahead, trying to make it to the beach before the sun completely gave them away.
“Will you always be my hero, Delta Stevens?”
Delta chuckled. “You bet. As long as you’ll always be my number one fan.”
Taylor nodded. “Count on it.”
Josh counted the remaining rounds of ammo before looking over at Carducci’s stack. “How much you got?”
“Not much. A hundred rounds, maybe. Give or take.”
Josh nodded and reloaded his rifle. Lowering his voice, he said, “Getting’ all of us outta here alive ain’t gonna happen.”
Carducci sighed and nodded. “I know.”
“We gotta make sure those in the boat get outta range first.”
Carducci looked up from his rifle. “First?”
Josh nodded. “Never seen combat, eh?”
Carducci, a Gen X-er, barely knew what the Vietnam War was about. “Nope.”
“You’re lucky. We have a chance to get some of us to safety. That’s a first. In Nam, if half your unit returned, you considered that a success.”
“Pretty harsh.”
“War’s harsh, man, and that’s what we’re in.”
“So, what’s second?”
Josh studied the ever-lightening forest. “Second rule in Nam was you go back after those you left behind.”
“With less than a hundred rounds? Is there a third rule? A Plan B?”
Josh shrugged. “Sure. We can cover the boat and then get the hell outta here ourselves.”
Carducci reached out and touched Josh’s rifle. “You’re kidding, right?”
Josh shook his head. “Saving your own ass is always an option.”
“Not for me, it isn’t. Dead or alive, I’m bringing her back. I may not have seen war like you have, Josh, but that doesn’t mean I’m a coward. I’d be nowhere if it weren’t for Delta. Any dream I ever had about becoming part of SWAT will only come true because I was taught by the best. I won’t leave her in this fucked-up wilderness.”
“You sure about that? She could be under tons of rocks and shit.”
“She’d do the same for me,” Carducci said quietly. “For all of us.”
“Yeah, she would. She’s a helluva gal.”
Checking his sights, Carducci nodded. “Hope she made it outta there.”
Sal returned to the two men after seeing Megan and the others into the raft. “Sure you can’t come with us?”
Josh looked over his shoulder at the forest before looking down at Sal. “They’ll kill us all if they get to the beach before we can get safely out of range. Can’t risk it.”
Sal hugged Josh hard, lifting her feet off the ground as she wrapped her arms around his thick, sweaty neck. “Be safe,” she whispered. “I need you.”
Josh turned his head and listened intently. “They’re coming. Get outta here, Salamander. And don’t take any wooden nickels.”
Sal wanted to respond to the stupid phrase, the same one her dad used to use before sending her to the store for those pink bubble gum cigars, but Josh’s expression told her to get moving. Sal ran to the raft and hopped in with the others.
“You can see them?” Carducci looked through his scope, seeing nothing; he tensed his finger around the trigger.
“Nah. Hear’em. There’s a sound the jungle makes when men are slithering through it. I heard it so much, I still hear it in my sleep. The Cong could do it better than anyone. They’d slither along, slit your throat, and slither out with barely a noise. You learned to listen for that sound. You also never forget it.” Josh glanced over his shoulder and watched as the raft’s tiny engine spluttered to life for the first time and zipped away. “But it’ll be a cold day in hell before a bunch of bean-eater
s hurt Sal. These boys are rookies, about to experience their first American Marine.” Josh returned to his rifle, took a deep breath, and fired off a few rounds, instantly killing two men who hadn’t even emerged from the jungle yet.
Carducci followed suit, carefully squeezing the trigger to take out one more.
“How many?” Carducci asked, a single bead of sweat running down the side of his face.
Josh fired again. “Too many.”
“Meaning?”
“We’re fucked.”
When the first shots reverberated through the jungle, Delta stopped in her tracks. “Fuck!” she growled, regripping Taylor.
“What?” Drenched with sweat, Taylor hung like a rag doll from Delta’s left arm.
“That’s gunfire. The general’s men must have caught up to the group. Damn it!” Delta’s voice was low and gravelly.
“Our escape route is blocked, huh?”
Delta refastened her grip on Taylor’s waist and continued pushing through the jungle. “Not necessarily. It just means we’ll have to work our way south and hope the general’s men have stayed together.”
“You think everyone got out?”
Delta shrugged, pausing to wipe sweat from her forehead. “Well, someone got to the beach or they wouldn’t be firing. Unless…”
“What?”
“Unless they caught up to them before the beach. Hell, anything’s possible out here.” Delta listened carefully to the sounds in the far distance, hearing much more shooting than she’d expected. It could be another group in the rainforest. Or maybe help had already arrived and was fighting off the renegade soldiers. Or maybe the Colombians were trying to take down her best friends in a standoff at the beach.
“You scared?” Taylor asked softly.
Delta shook her head. “I’m way past being scared.”
“Are you too scared to stop and loosen the tourniquet? It’s really hurting.”
Delta stopped and leaned Taylor against a tree. As Delta retied the tourniquet, she felt Taylor’s body stiffen. When she looked up at her, Taylor’s face was pale and her eyes wide. “Taylor? Did I hurt you?”
Storm Surge (Delta Stevens Crime Logs Book 6) Page 20