by C. R. Hill
She stood. She tried to hide a wince, but Jake wasn’t fooled. She was hurting. No doubt she’d ripped open her side again in her struggle with the big goon.
They had a lot of ground to cover to get to the clearing. To get there by nightfall, they would have to keep a good pace. Sierra wasn’t going to be able to go full out.
Jake pushed to his feet and walked over to the big man who’d attacked Sierra. He’d broken the man’s neck. He should feel some remorse, but he didn’t. When he’d seen the guy pawing Sierra on the ground, any self-control he might have possessed had snapped. The man worked for Diaz, which meant he was a killer anyway.
After searching the guy, he came away with a 9mm pistol with three extra clips of ammo, a knife and a grenade.
“I found this lying over there,” Sierra said beside him. He looked up to see her holding an Ak-47.
“I’ve got a 9mm with extra ammo, a knife and a grenade. That’ll at least give us some protection. I counted fourteen men about a click behind us.” He looked down at the lone man dead on the ground. “I guess he was scouting out a head and ran right into you.”
“I think you should go on ahead without me.”
Jake looked straight at her. “I’m not leaving you.”
She shook her head. “As hard as it is for me to admit, I don’t think I can keep up with you to the clearing. The clock is ticking and you need to get the evidence we found to Trent. I’ll just slow things up. You can leave me the 9mm and I’ll find a place to hide.”
“No! I’m not leaving you. We’re in this together. That’s what you wanted and that’s what you’ve got. So forget it.”
Jake stalked over to where he’d dropped their backpack and picked it up. “We’ll go as far as we can today and stop when we need to. I’ll carry you if I have to.”
Sierra’s mouth thinned. “And you say I’m stubborn. That bag you’re carrying is more important than me. If we don’t find out who’s selling out our identities, more agents could die. And not just that, but it compromises all the good we do. Like ending Diaz’s illegal child trade.”
Jake stalked back to her and stopped in front of her, crowding her personal space. “The longer you stand here arguing with me, the closer Diaz’s men are getting. I’m not leaving you by yourself. We’ll get the bag to Trent. Together.”
Their gazes locked and held. Her chocolate brown eyes spitting frustration and stubbornness. It didn’t matter because she’d met her match on stubbornness. This was something Jake wouldn’t bend on. Never leave a man behind. That was the Marine way. That was his way.
“Fine.” She stomped around him. “Let’s go.”
He stopped her and gave her the pistol, which she stuck in her waistband at her back. The rifle he slung over his shoulder. The knife he strapped onto his leg. The grenade and the extra ammo, he put in the backpack. It wasn’t a lot of defense against fourteen heavily armed men, but it was better than nothing. “You tell me when you need to stop.”
He moved past her and they headed out. Considering how angry she was at him, he wondered if he should be worried that he’d given her a loaded pistol.
~***~
Sierra was sucking wind and trying to keep moving. They’d covered probably half the distance they needed to. The ground was slick in places, making it harder to walk. The terrain had also gotten hillier. In top form, Sierra would have no problem keeping up, but she needed rest.
Problem was, she didn’t know how to admit defeat. She’d come as close as she could when she’d told Jake to leave her. Part of her couldn’t help but be warmed by the fact he’d refused.
She was used to people leaving her or letting her down. The only place she’d ever really felt a sense of family was at the agency. But even that had its limits. None of them really socialized outside of work. They couldn’t. It was better to keep their identities separate.
She was easy, because she had no family to miss her when she was away. No one to care if she didn’t come home.
Jake pulled up suddenly. Sierra almost ran into him. “What is it? Do you see something?”
He turned. “No. But I think we’ll stop here and camp for the night.”
“Don’t stop on my account,” she said, but it was all bravado. Jake knew it too.
He frowned. “Your face is pale and you’re sucking wind like you just finished a marathon. We’re stopping. There’s a little outcropping of rock over there.” He nodded to their right and Sierra saw what he meant. “It isn’t much, but it’ll give us a little shelter.”
Sierra looked behind them. “How far back do you think Diaz’s men are?”
“Not far, but I’m suspecting they aren’t moving very fast. They don’t care if they catch us, they just don’t want us doubling back. They’re basically herding us toward Cotuit.”
“Where they no doubt have more men waiting for us.” Sierra grimaced. “Nice.”
Jake took her hand and a little electrical jolt went up her arm. You’d think that as tired as she was and as crappy as she felt, there would be no way for anything to stir her body’s libido. Not to mention the fact that she and Jake both desperately need a bath. But here she was feeling a shot of lust from the simple act of Jake taking her hand.
He led her to the rock. There was just enough light left for her to get a good look around. No snakes, which was good. She didn’t think she could handle any more emotional upheaval at the moment. “Why don’t you rest? I’m going to see if I can find some water? There’s not much left in the canteen.”
Sierra nodded. Jake looked at her a moment longer, she was sure he was waiting for her to argue. But she didn’t have the strength.
Sierra lowered to the ground and leaned against the rock. It felt good to sit. They’d stopped only once on their trek, to eat and for her to take more aspirin. She was pretty sure her fever had broken. Her skin didn’t feel all prickly, but she was soaked with perspiration from the humid air.
Jake reappeared in front of her. He held out his hand. “Come on. I have a surprise.”
“What is it?” she asked as she let him help her up.
He smiled and led her around the rock. Behind it was a small, clear stream. Probably the same stream they’d walked in when they’d first entered the forest.
“Thought you might like to clean up a little.”
Sierra sighed. “You do know how to charm a girl.”
That got a chuckle out of Jake. She liked hearing him laugh. She didn’t think he’d laughed much since he’d lost Katherine. Guilt and anger tended to rob you of your sense of humor.
Sierra didn’t waste time. She pulled her tee shirt over her head, shucked her pants and walked into the water with a pair of panties and her bra on. The water came to her thighs. She knelt, figuring it might not be the best thing to get her wound wet with the creek water, but she splashed water over her face and chest.
She heard splashing and looked up to find Jake beside her. He’d shucked his pants and shirt also. He was gloriously naked except for a pair of black boxer briefs. Muscles rippled across his hard chest. He was holding the ugly red shirt she’d had on yesterday. He dipped it in the water and handed it to her. “Thought you might want to scrub some.”
His deep voice was husky. Their eyes met and held. Heat simmered in his gaze.
Sierra took the shirt and used it to wash away the grime from the last day. The water was cool and refreshing. She looked back at Jake as she stood and used the shirt to wash down her legs. Jake’s gaze tracked her every move.
She tossed him the shirt when she was through. Despite the cool water, her body heated. She walked to the edge and sat down, enjoying the view as he moved. The man was beautiful. And dangerous.
Her feelings were becoming more complicated than ever. The care and concern he showed her. The way he’d looked when he’d killed the guard who’d attacked her. He had a protective streak a mile long. But, she didn’t need protecting.
If she were ever to have a relationship beyond the physica
l, she wanted to be on equal footing. She didn’t need a protector. She wanted someone who could respect who she was. Could respect her independence.
He’d said he’d never use her weaknesses against her, but that wasn’t human nature. People always used your weaknesses against you. They might not mean to, but they did.
She and Jake were like oil and water. He wanted to be in control and she didn’t want to be controlled. It was hard to imagine anything long term between them, despite the chemistry that clearly existed.
Still, that image of him at that farmhouse persisted in her head.
Chapter Sixteen
It was still dark when Jake opened his eyes. Sierra was snuggled against his chest, cradled in his arms. They were propped against the rock base. Not the most comfortable bed, but he’d slept under worse conditions.
And without the feel of a warm female body against him. She’d slept like the dead. He watched her for awhile, noticing how vulnerable she looked in sleep. Probably the only time she let her guard down.
He thought about how she’d grown up. Always looking over her shoulder. Waiting for someone to exploit her weaknesses. He was screwed up enough and he’d had a stable home life. It was amazing she was as normal as she was.
That is if you called normal, jumping fearlessly into trouble with both feet. It was hard to hold that against her though. She was competent, smart and loyal.
And so damn beautiful, she stopped the breath in his lungs. Watching her in the creek last night had lit his blood on fire. If it wasn’t for the fact they were in the middle of jungle with a contingency of very bad men chasing them and she’d been running on empty, he would have pulled her to him and buried himself inside her warm body.
Bad. Very bad. He shouldn’t be feeling the things he felt. It was dangerous and stupid. And everything he’d sworn not to feel again. Not for a fellow agent. And not for someone like Sierra, who was compulsive and fearless.
He felt her stir. She pushed off his chest and sat up. She shoved her hair off her face and yawned. “What time is it?”
“Almost dawn.”
“Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll be ready to go. We still have a lot of ground to cover today.”
“How do you feel?”
She smiled. “Better actually. I think my fever is gone. I think Ms. Grayson was right and I’m too mean to get an infection.”
Jake shook his head. “It wouldn’t surprise me where you’re concerned.”
They stood and each headed in different directions. Five minutes later, they’d eaten a protein bar, downed some water he’d treated with the purification tablets and were on their way. Everything seemed quiet behind them.
But like he’d told Sierra yesterday, Diaz’s men were probably just herding them to the open. He really hoped Flores had gotten his message. His friend would have enough man power to help them out. If not, then they were probably screwed.
~***~
Wispy clouds glided across the afternoon sky. Sierra knelt behind Jake. They’d traveled at least eight hours, having to cut around a large lake they’d run into. But now the trees had thinned and the town was in sight.
“What do you think?” Sierra asked. If Diaz’s men were waiting to ambush them, they weren’t anywhere in sight. Of course, she hadn’t really expected them to be.
Jake looked at her. “We wait here until it’s completely dark.”
“What about your friend?”
Jake sighed. “He could be out of town for all I know. But I think if he’s able, he’ll help us.” He put his bag down and pulled out his cell phone. “I don’t have any coverage.”
Their perch was at the top of a small slope. She looked down on the town. “I doubt these people have much need for mobile phones.”
“I didn’t think things would be easy.”
She grinned and leaned against a tree. “That would take all the fun out of it.”
Jake grunted, but a small smile played about his lips. He was a good-looking man without any help. When he smiled, he was devastating. She wished he’d do it more often.
“We could always make out while we wait,” Sierra said and arched an eyebrow. “I’m feeling much better today.” She was ribbing him, trying to make him smile again. Her words had the opposite effect.
He touched a hand to her cheek. “Don’t tempt me.”
“And why not? Not to give you a bigger head than you already have, but you’re a pretty good kisser.”
He shook his head and the smile returned to his sexy mouth. “You’re incorrigible.”
“But I made you smile. Something you don’t do very often.”
Leaning closer, he placed his mouth beside her ear. “You make me do a lot of things I rarely do, Sierra.”
His voice was low and husky, his breath warm against her neck.
Goosebumps peppered her skin, sending a pleasant tingle through her nerve endings. Sierra turned her head and pressed her lips to his. He hesitated only a second, before his hand moved to cup her neck and his tongue worked its magic.
Amazing that when they were lip-locked, she didn’t feel the slightest discomfort from her side. He was better than Vicaden.
She would give anything to be somewhere they could take this kiss to the next level. A nice clean comfortable hotel room. Soft sheets, softer bed and nowhere they had to be in the near future.
The kiss ended and with it, her wishful thinking.
“We need to keep our guard up,” Jake whispered and took one step back.
Sierra sighed and turned to look back at the town, settling in to wait.
~***~
“What’s that?” Jake asked and tilted his head to the side.
She listened and heard a distance whump-whump. “A chopper. The question is whether it’s the good guys or the bad?”
Darkness had settled in about thirty minutes ago and they were hoping for a signal from Jake’s friend, Flores.
“We’ll know soon enough.” Jake grasped her arm and pulled her down and behind the tree. He extricated his night goggles and looked toward the noise.
The chopper got closer to the tree line. The ground started exploding around them.
“Shit!” Jake exclaimed and pulled Sierra tighter against him and the tree.
“Not the good guys,” she murmured.
More bullets ripped through the soft ground and rattled the leaves around them.
“No and they have to be using thermal equipment to know our position.”
“We can’t stay here. We’re sitting ducks.”
“We’ll head east around the perimeter. If we can make it to town, that should give us some cover. Diaz isn’t daring enough to shoot up an entire town.”
Another burst of staccato gunfire echoed across the air. Accept it didn’t rattle the trees.
“What the hell?” Jake put the goggles back to his face. “The chopper’s turning. Someone’s firing at it.”
Sierra peered around the tree. “USOI?”
More gun bursts sounded. The chopper was firing adjacent to their position.
“Could be. Come on, let’s move while they’re distracted.”
Jake had his finger on the trigger of the AK47 and Sierra had her pistol out. They started running. Sierra had to stay close to Jake, since he had the night goggles and it was so dark now she couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of her face.
The gunfire was a constant echo in the distance. The small-town police of Cotui would most likely not get involved, unless things moved closer to town.
Jake halted suddenly and Sierra slammed into him. They both stumbled. “Why’d you stop?” she asked around pants of breath. Dammit, but she was still not a hundred percent.
“That light out there. It’s flashing.” He grasped her arm. “I think its Flores.”
“And what if its not?”
He shoved the backpack into her arms. “Hang onto this. I’ll go, if it’s not Flores, then stay alive until help comes.”
He released
her and took a step. She clutched the material of his shirt. “Dammit, Jake.”
“You won’t recognize Flores. It has to be me.”
She hated he was right. Leaning into him, she kissed him hard on the mouth. “Two long flashes and two short ones if it’s your friend.”
Jake jerked his head in a nod and took off down the embankment toward the flashing light. The chopper was still occupied. It had flown farther west, trying to avoid being hit.
Feeling helpless and hating it, she leaned against a tree and waited to see what happened.
If Jake didn’t come back…well, she wouldn’t even think about it. She was doing exactly what she accused him of. Doubting his abilities. He was as well trained as her and considering the fact, she was the one with the bullet wound in her side, probably more capable. Or at least more careful.
Sierra said a quick prayer and waited to see what would happen.
The seconds ticked by with excruciating slowness. Sierra held onto her rifle, clenching and unclenching her fingers around the metal. Patience was important in any good mission and Sierra’s was in short supply.
A light flashed. Two long, two short. Her fingers relaxed as she released a pent up breath.
Not wasting time, she took off down the embankment. Gunfire still sounded to the west, whoever had fired at the chopper was firing toward the trees, hopefully holding back any of Diaz’s men.
Jake waited for her outside a Range Rover. A man sat behind the wheel and another in the passenger side. She and Jake slid into the backseat.
“Sierra Thayer this is Cirilo Flores and his brother, Alfredo.” At the brother’s name, he turned and looked at her, his expression stern, he nodded in greeting.
Flores hit the gas and the vehicle bounced over the terrain. “Nice to meet you,” Flores said, his English near perfect. “You have stirred up quite the hornet’s nest.”
“Thank you for coming to our rescue.”
The tire hit a deep rut and Sierra almost bumped her head on the roof, before landing on the seat with a plop.
“Sorry about that. And I owe Señor Harding my life.”