Kathy grimaced and tightened the saddle girth on Hector. She watched as Sophie stood in the box stall with General, brushing him even though his saddle was on. Kathy had just delivered Tiki to Garcia, who was going over to see his wife at her caseta. He visited Paloma regularly. Kathy wondered if the drug addict was even coherent enough to know that Tiki was her child. Shaking her head, Kathy tried to focus on something positive in her murky, sordid little world.
At least there was a clear blue sky this morning, which was highly unusual in the jungle. With her nerves raw and screaming, Kathy wanted to escape the villa for just a little while and take Sophie for a ride down in the meadow.
She heard a helicopter returning, and could tell by the sound of the engine that it was Mac. He was approaching at a very high rate of speed, which was unusual. The stable was located down below the landing pad, but she could feel the buffeted air from the helicopter blades vibrating around her as he brought the bird in for a landing within the walls of the villa complex.
Pulling down the stirrup, she took Hector’s reins and turned him around in his cushy box stall, filled with dry, sweet yellow oat straw for bedding.
“How are you coming along?” she called to Sophie over the thick wooden wall.
“Fine, Kathy. I think General likes me to brush his legs. He keeps moving his lips all over me.” She laughed shortly. “He’s giving me horsey kisses.”
It felt good to hear Sophie laugh. Only since the horses had come into her life had the little girl emerged from her cocoon of depression. “Okay, squirt, hold on. We’ll get you mounted up in just a second,” Kathy said, her heart bleeding for the little girl. She’d marveled over Sophie’s riding abilities, then learned she had been taking riding lessons since she was four years old.
As the helicopter landed, Kathy’s mind drifted back to Mac. Her paranoia returned despite the fact that he had had every chance to turn her in and hadn’t. Was he a friendly agent? Who did he work for? She’d barely slept the last few nights. Had he delivered the CD to his handler in Cuzco? He’d been gone most of the time since the night they’d accidentally met in the office. And when she had seen him, he’d looked grim. Very grim. More so than ever before.
Something was going on. She could feel it in the air. The last two days the horses had been more fretful and restive than usual. And Tiki seemed to psychically pick up on everyone’s restlessness. She was crabby most of the time.
Only once had Kathy seen Garcia, and he, too, seemed tense. The guards were always on alert. The gate sentries had added ammunition, heavy belts of bullets that crisscrossed their chests. These weapons complemented the two pistols on their hips, not to mention the M-4 rifles. So much protection and anxiety. Why? What was going on? She wished someone would tell her.
As Kathy opened the box stall, she heard heavy footfalls; someone was running full speed toward her. Mac Coulter! His mouth was set and his eyes narrowed on her. Kathy started toward him then hesitated when she heard a sound—like a squadron of droning helicopters flying toward them.
The guards at the gates shouted orders and started scurrying about. Hector whinnied and moved around nervously in his stall. As Kathy tried to ascertain the cause of this commotion, Mac barreled down the hill toward the stable. Something was wrong. Badly wrong.
Tensing, she saw him run to the gate and jerk it open. Sweat beaded on his face, and his brow was furrowed. “Get those horses out!” he yelled. “Where’s Sophie?”
“She’s in there.” Kathy pointed. “What’s going on?” she demanded, opening the stall door and grabbing Hector’s reins.
“We’ve got Russian Ka-50s, Black Sharks, four of them, coming down on us right now,” he yelled. “A drug dealer named Navarro is making an attack on Garcia. He intends to wipe this place off the face of the earth!” Throwing a glance over his shoulder, he rasped, “Take the white horse! Take Sophie with you.” He grabbed Hector’s reins. “I’ll ride this one.”
“What—?”
“We’re going for the Blackhawk. It’s our only escape, Kathy.” He opened the door to General’s stall. “Come on. Hurry! There isn’t time to chat. We got about five minutes before those bastards hit this villa with enough firepower to destroy the whole damn thing!”
“Wait! What about Tiki? We can’t just leave her!” Kathy cried.
Mac hesitated, obviously torn. “Where is she?”
“Oh, God, Mac, she’s down at her mother’s caseta with her father!”
“That’s too far away! We’ll never make it in time!” Mac turned and looked skyward. Black dots were coming their way, the blades already starting to buffet the air. He heard Kathy cry out in frustration. Turning, he saw her start toward the gate.
“No!” he yelled. “You’ll never reach them in time!”
Tears flooded Kathy’s eyes. “We can’t leave her! We just can’t!”
Grimly, Mac pulled her to a halt. “Listen to me, will you? You either save three lives here or all of us are going to die in a very few minutes, including Tiki and her family. Which will it be, Kathy?”
Fighting back a sob, she stared into his burning gray eyes. “Tiki…”
“I know, I know…I’m sorry, but she’s gonna have to take her chances here. Come on! Let’s get going!”
Gasping, Kathy grabbed Sophie. “Honey, can you ride behind me? Hold on real tight around my waist?” She saw Sophie’s eyes go wide.
The puncturing beat of the double axial blades of the Black Sharks drew closer and closer. The entire villa vibrated with the power of the approaching enemy helicopters.
“Well—sure. That’s easy!” Sophie frowned, looking up at the sky.
“Climb aboard,” Mac ordered Kathy tightly, and he held out his hand to grasp her bended knee and lift her onto General.
Mounting quickly, she watched as he easily lifted Sophie, settling the child solidly behind her on the saddle.
“Now, you hold on,” Mac told her. “Don’t let go, Sophie! We have to get out of here.”
The little girl nodded and wrapped her arms tightly around Kathy’s waist.
General snorted, his eyes rolling as the puncturing noise thundered above them. As Kathy turned the Andalusian around, Mac leaped into Hector’s saddle like a born cowboy. “Follow me!” he yelled over the gathering din.
Everywhere Kathy looked, soldiers were running like rats escaping a sinking ship. As she reined the jumpy gelding around, Sophie stuck to her like glue. Good!
Mac galloped down toward the gate leading to the meadow. He made a flying dive from the horse as it skidded to a stop, sending up clouds of dust. Mac swung the white gate open and quickly leaped back onto Hector’s saddle.
Kathy galloped up to him. “Then we’re escaping to the Blackhawk?”
He gave her a tight smile and a short nod. “Damn straight. This is our chance! Let’s ride like hell.” He dug his heels into Hector’s heaving sides. The gelding snorted, leaped upward, landed on his front feet and galloped heavily down the narrow trail.
“Hold on to me,” Kathy told Sophie urgently, then leaned forward and sunk her heels in General’s sides. Instantly, their mount jumped forward.
Oh no! Kathy caught her first glimpse of a lethal Black Shark as it appeared over the villa. Real terror raced through her, the Black Shark was a flying arsenal. They were in big trouble! Leaning forward, the wind whipping around her, she urged the gelding faster.
As they flew down the winding trail, leaves hanging out in the narrow path swatted at her arms, legs and face. Kathy kept dodging and ducking, to avoid the larger ones.
The sucking sound of General’s hoofbeats as he slowed for the curves and corners made her sit up. The soil was red clay and always damp—dangerous conditions for a galloping horse. If the animal slipped, they could all go tumbling.
Kathy heard the hiss of a rocket, then an explosion at the villa. A booming sound rolled over them like a violent storm. They were too close! Slapping the reins hard against General’s withers, she coaxed
him to a dizzying speed. More explosions erupted behind them.
Sophie screamed in reaction to the attack. She clung to Kathy’s waist, her arms so tight that Kathy could barely breathe. A fireball rolled across the tree canopy overhead, then the stench of smoke assailed Kathy’s flared nostrils. The heat hit next, and General panicked. Kathy fought him, hauling back on the bit. The horse’s mouth gaped open as he reared crazily, slipping and sliding down the winding trail.
Kathy wrestled with the Andalusian, knowing that in a quarter of a mile they’d reach the meadow. Then it would be a straight run to the Blackhawk. What if the Black Sharks found their helicopter? They’d sure as hell destroy it!
“Come on,” Kathy crooned. “General! Settle down, dammit!” She took command of the careening horse, until he was once more under her control. She reined him in as they came to another sharp bend in the path. It was steeper now, and more slippery. Wrenching back on the reins, her legs pressed against his sweaty barrel, she used all her strength to control the panicked horse. Instantly, General sat back on his haunches, his rear hooves skidding beneath him along the red mud trail.
“Hang on!” Kathy cried to Sophie. Ahead, she caught a glimpse of Mac on Hector. The gray gelding, too, was sliding and scrambling, red mud splattering up his legs and across his underbelly.
This was the dangerous part! The trail became exceedingly steep. Everywhere, tree roots jutted out, and if a horse hit one the wrong way, they could flip end over end.
“Slow!” Kathy yelled at General.
The horse snorted loudly, his ears twitching back and forth. His sides were heaving and sweat made his white body shine. Behind her, Kathy heard another explosion, then another. The Black Sharks were wreaking hell at Garcia’s villa. Kathy worried for Tiki’s safety, but there was nothing she could do. Tears flooded her eyes and she sobbed. Oh, poor Tiki! She didn’t deserve this! She was an innocent!
Finally General reached the bottom of the slope and the jungle opened up to reveal the meadow. Kathy leaned forward and again whipped the reins across his withers. The Andalusian strained forward, his neck straight out, ears laid back. Ahead, Mac rode Hector hard, bent over the horse’s gleaming, steel-colored neck. The gelding’s black mane and tail flew like flags in a strong wind, and clouds of dust rose as Hector raced toward the end of the meadow.
Suddenly, Kathy heard an ominous sound behind her. Jerking a quick look across her shoulder, she felt her heart freeze. Oh, no! A Black Shark hoved into view, flying about a thousand feet above them—and straight at them!
“Mac!” she cried.
He didn’t hear her! Kathy knew she had to take evasive action. If they stayed on the trail, the Black Shark could target the Blackhawk and destroy it before they had a chance to escape.
“Hang on, Sophie!” Kathy knew she had to become a decoy so that, at least, Mac could get to the Blackhawk. As she glanced back, she saw six different fireballs mushrooming skyward from the villa. Two other Black Sharks hovered there, firing repeatedly into the place.
Jerking General to the right, Kathy veered off the trail. The horse leaped through the knee-high grass and jumped over small bushes. She steered him toward the jungle, a half mile away. After hearing the Black Shark change course, she realized it was now following and targeting them. Could she outmaneuver the pilot?
One thing Mac had told her was that only one pilot was on board the lethal monster. He had all the work of flying as well as targeting, whereas the Apache held two pilots—one to fly and one to fire. Was this pilot too busy flying to aim at them? Kathy prayed it was so.
She leaned low over the horse’s neck. Wind whipped them, making her eyes water, and General’s mane repeatedly slapped her face. Sophie was hanging on, thank God, her face pressed hard against Kathy’s back.
Seeing a small opening in the jungle wall, Kathy aimed for it. But then the helicopter stopped and hovered. It was drawing a bead on her.
At the last possible second, she wrenched General to the left—back across the meadow. The horse grunted, flexed his rear legs and leaped like a startled jackrabbit. Kathy dug her heels into his sweaty flanks, asking everything of him.
She heard the pop of a rocket. Gritting her teeth, she kept General swinging to the left.
Seconds later, the rocket exploded behind them.
General whinnied hysterically and ran even harder. Heat rolled by them. Rocks and dirt pelted them.
“Come on!” Kathy cried to the gelding. She lay low on the horse, urging him on with her hands, her legs and her pleading voice.
The Black Shark shifted. She could hear it. Was it stalking her again? Fear gutted her. Risking another look over her shoulder, Kathy saw to her surprise that it was turning around and flying back to the villa! The pilot must have thought they were poor pickings compared to the damage he could do at the villa.
The end of the meadow was coming up fast. As she guided the wild-eyed General to the jungle trail that would lead to the second, smaller meadow, Kathy gripped the horse with her legs to keep from being pitched off. Sophie continued to cling to her.
As they broke out of the jungle, she saw Hector running away from the Blackhawk, riderless. Mac was in the helo and had it started up, with the rotor turning! Good!! Kathy brought General to a sliding halt two hundred feet away from the whirling blades. The horse was wild, obviously scared of the noisy helicopter. Wrestling with him, Kathy gripped Sophie with one arm and lifted her off, setting her safely on the ground. Then she leaped off in turn. Hooking the reins over the saddle horn, Kathy spooked General by throwing up her hands. The horse took off at a gallop back up the trail, following the fleeing, panicked Hector.
Reaching down, Kathy gripped the child’s hand. “Come on, Sophie, we’re taking you home!” Kathy raced forward, her head down as she pulled the little girl toward the open door behind the cockpit. The wind punched at them, and Kathy held up her hand to protect her eyes. The little girl was close at her side as they struggled forward. Mac sat in the right-hand seat—the pilot’s seat—and had on a military helmet. As Kathy lifted Sophie aboard, she saw two flak vests, one small and one large, lying on the metal deck in front of them.
Diving inside, she quickly slid the door shut and locked it. The cabin wasn’t large, and she was on her knees. She hooked her thumb between the two seats in the cockpit to let Mac know he could take off.
First things first. Gasping for breath, with sweat dribbling into her eyes, Kathy shakily pulled the smaller flak vest off the deck and put it around Sophie. There was a net cargo seat against the armored wall at the rear of the bird. She hoisted Sophie into it and pulled the nylon straps across her small body, buckling her in as tightly as possible. Kathy’s hands shook so badly she could barely get the closures fastened and locked.
Leaning forward, her mouth near Sophie’s ear, she yelled, “No matter what happens, Sophie, stay in this harness, okay? It’s going to be a rough ride. Just hang on, okay?” She patted the girl’s shoulder. Sophie’s eyes were huge, but she had a fearless look in them as she nodded her head in understanding.
Kathy grinned and turned. She grabbed the other flak vest and quickly put it on with trembling fingers. Adrenaline was running full bore through her now. Giving Sophie a last reassuring pat on the knee, Kathy pivoted just as Mac powered up for takeoff. The noise was deafening, and the bird shook. The Blackhawk broke contact with the earth, throwing Kathy backward.
As he brought the chopper at a steep climb out of the jungle, Kathy scrambled to her hands and knees and made her way forward into the cockpit. She saw a second military helmet sitting on the copilot’s seat. After grabbing it, she crouched between the seats so she wouldn’t continue to be thrown around. Mac made several sharp, banking maneuvers to try and escape the sights of the Black Sharks no more than three miles away.
Once she’d climbed into the left seat, Kathy donned the helmet, strapped it on and positioned the mike close to her lips. She plugged in the connection.
“You hear me?�
� she demanded as her hands flew with familiar ease over the nylon harness system. She was soon strapped in tightly to her seat. They were on a rough ride and she knew it.
“Roger, I hear you loud and clear.”
“I’m Blackhawk qualified, Coulter.”
He glanced over at her in surprise, then grinned. “You’re just a bundle of surprises, you know that? Then be my copilot. I need a weapons officer. Can you handle that?”
“Shoot fast. Shoot straight. Load often. In my sleep, Coulter,” Kathy said, smiling wryly. The Blackhawk rapidly gained altitude as the jungle fell away. Altitude was their safe haven, in one respect. The more height they gained, the more room they had to maneuver if they were chased or cornered. Her hands flew across the console in front of her as she switched on the bird’s array of weapons.
“Watch our six,” Mac warned, his gaze pinned to the horizon ahead of them. “We’re making a run for Dodge. The moment the Black Sharks see us, they’re gonna come after us.”
“I’m on it,” Kathy said, intently studying the headsup display. The green HUD screen was five inches by five inches and resembled a television.
The helo was shaking and straining. The blades beat heavily to gain precious altitude in the turgid, humid air. Helos never climbed fast in high humidity like this. Kathy wished it was drier since it would mean a faster climb. She also wished she had a pair of aviator glasses like Mac wore to combat the bright sun.
“You got another pair of glasses around, Coulter?” she demanded.
“Yeah, side pocket.”
“You’ve thought of everything.” Kathy reached down into the nylon net pocket on the right side of her seat. There they were. She quickly took them out of the case and slipped them on; it was better than pulling down the half-face black shield of the helmet. The heat of the sunlight coming through the cockpit windows made her feel like a sponge. She quickly saw that Mac hadn’t turned on the air-conditioning yet. Normal checklists were thrown out the door on an emergency liftoff like this. Usually a copilot took care of such details.
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