Holding the tree branch in front of her, she pleaded with him. “Please, Billy Ray. Let me go. They’re going to rape and kill me. Please, I have a family I love and want to see again. Please.”
Her vision blurred with unshed tears, and she blinked them away. Billy Ray hesitated and glanced at Jessup again before seemingly making his decision. He pointed to his left. “Go that way. I’ll tell him you went in the other direction. Look for the river and follow it; it’ll get you back home. Hurry.”
Despite hoping he would help her, she was surprised when he did. “Th-thank you.”
He nodded, the expression on his face softening. “I wish you could have been my girlfriend.” Jessup’s moan had them starting, but he was still down for the count. Billy Ray waved his hand to the east. “Hurry. Before he wakes up.”
Mallory didn’t need to be told again. She took off at a full run.
CHAPTER 7
Darius stretched in his sleeping bag, then listened to the sounds around him. His internal clock told him it was around 0630 hours. He heard murmuring coming from the clearing next to the rock shelter they’d slept under. Tents had been out of the question for this training mission since it was highly unlikely they’d have them during a real one. Glancing around, he saw Romeo and Skipper still supine with their eyes shut, but the spaces Abbott, Foster, and McCabe had slept in were now empty. While he’d love to close his eyes for another ten or fifteen minutes, his bladder couldn’t wait.
This weekend was a lot more pleasurable than the last one. He’d been stuck on the “princess” detail which sucked royal donkey shit. Princess Tahira had attended a big gala at the Tampa Museum of Art with her parents, brother, and a few members of their extended family. Darius had drawn one of the short straws and been assigned to Tahira. She was a huge flirt with her single bodyguards, and could be a first class brat when she wanted to be—which was more often than not. The gorgeous twenty-four-year-old was off-limits to anyone employed or contracted by Trident—and she knew it too. But that didn’t stop her from propositioning anyone not wearing a wedding ring or who she knew was engaged. However, Boss-man seemed to have a soft-spot for the princess, always greeting her warmly, and Darius had no idea why. All he knew was it was a pain in the ass to guard her and brush off her advances at the same time. More than once he’d ended up with a twitching cock around her. He’d have to be dead or gay not to have a reaction to the exotic beauty.
Crawling out of his sleeping bag, he checked his boots for spiders before pulling them on. They’d all slept in their camos last night as if it were a real mission. The only spare clothing any of them had was socks and they’d probably all be ripe for a shower when they got back to civilization some time tomorrow morning. It was colder than a witch’s tit, but in an hour or so, as the sun rose higher in the sky, it would be much more comfortable. He shook out his jacket and pulled it on.
After a quick trip into the woods to pee like a racehorse, he returned to where Abbott and the others were eating their choice of MREs for breakfast. McCabe’s bag was sitting on a rock, and Darius shuffled through the meal packages the man had been carrying until he found one tagged Maple Sausage. The meat, if that’s what you wanted to call it, wasn’t the greatest, but the maple muffin top and trail mix that came with it were pretty good, in addition to some cheese and crackers he’d save for later.
He sat on a rock next to McCabe. “How far to the next rock face?”
“About three klicks.” Translated, that was just under two miles. After that they had about sixteen more miles of high and low terrain, but no more sheer cliffs. That didn’t mean the rest of their hike was going to be easy, it just meant no more vertical drops.
“Any word on the missing hiker?”
“Still missing as of fifteen minutes ago when I spoke to Boss-man.”
Shit. The longer she was out alone in the elements, the less chance they had of finding her alive.
Darius ate his breakfast as Morrison and Mancini joined the group. Within the hour they were all fed, packed up, and on their way again. He’d grown comfortable with his new team over the months since leaving his old one behind. Having served with the TS Alpha Team when they’d all been on SEAL Team Four together, he’d jumped at the chance when word spread that Ian and Devon were adding to their company. At thirty-eight, he’d gotten his twenty years of service in and then gotten the hell out. He was still in excellent condition and if he stayed that way, he could be with Trident for a good ten years more before retiring. Between his military pension and the dramatic increase in pay in the private sector, he could become a bum on some beach in Florida or even the Caribbean somewhere and just fish for the rest of his life. Maybe by then he’ll have found someone to settle down with. At least with Trident, once a mission was over, they’d return home immediately instead of sitting in the sandbox on the other side of the world waiting to cycle back out to the states. Eight to ten month deployments overseas were now a thing of his past.
On point again, he noticed the tree line opening up and a rocky expanse just ahead. They were nearing the cliff. As if this were a true mission, the others held back as he moved closer to the edge. It was his job at the moment to make sure it was safe before giving his team the all clear signal. Keeping an eye out for any more bears or possibly a mountain lion, Darius eased toward the rim. He was also studying the terrain in front of him. The last thing he wanted to do was trip and pitch forward over the edge.
When he reached a large boulder, seemingly defying the laws of gravity, at the edge of the ridge, his breath caught at the beauty of the land before him. Majestic mountains surrounded him, under cloudless skies of blue. From there he could see miles of evergreens, scattered lakes and streams, and snow covered peaks. They’d reached a lower elevation late yesterday afternoon and there were only patches of snow at this level.
He was just about to signal the rest of the team, when a flash of red caught his eye far below him, maybe a half mile from the bluff. His gaze returned to the spot and he tried to zero in on what was moving. The figure entered a small clearing before disappearing again, but it had been enough for him to register long, blonde hair. The missing hiker.
While most people would have called out to get her attention, years of training had honed his instincts and powers of observation. The girl wasn’t just hiking through the woods, she was running … and hiding. Something or someone was after her.
Going down on one knee, Darius held up a solid fist at shoulder height, then extended his pointer finger in the air. His team would know to stay low and for one person to ease up stealthily toward him for backup. By the time he’d swung his deployment bag off his back, located his binoculars in the outside pocket, and was lying flat, McCabe was by his side.
“What’s up?”
Bringing the binoculars to his eyes, Darius scanned the area below. The glass lenses were specially coated, so he didn’t have to worry about sun glare reflecting off them and alerting anyone to the team’s presence. “Looks like we found our hiker. Twelve o’clock, about a quarter klick from the base. Problem is she’s running scared.” A short distance past the girl and to the south, he spotted more movement. Unlike her, this person hadn’t been as easy to spot—camouflage would do that. “I’ve got one male, also at one o’clock, about half a klick out.” He continued his surveillance and, after a full minute had passed, spotted another person even further south but closer to the cliff. “Second tango, probably male as well, two o’clock, a quarter klick out.”
“Whoever they are, they’re flanking her and driving her in the direction they want her to go. Keep watch.” McCabe signaled the rest of the team to put their comm units on, so they could communicate when separated, then move forward and take cover behind the huge boulder.
Darius didn’t see anyone else but something told him there were more out there. He shifted the binoculars back to where he last saw the girl. With that red jacket, she wasn’t hard to find—and that was both good and bad.
&nbs
p; A male voice rang out from below, echoing off the rock face. “Hey, pretty girl. Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
Any chance the men could be rescuers fled his mind. That voice had dripped with pure evil with a hint that its owner found the chase amusing and entertaining. The bastard was letting the poor girl know they weren’t far behind her.
Beside him, McCabe gave the team an update, then took the lead and said, “We can’t drop from here; we’ll be sitting ducks before we’re halfway down if they have rifles, which we have to assume they do. I doubt anybody up in these parts is without one. Abbott and Mancini, scopes out, keep an eye on these guys. Shades, take watch over the girl; I need Batman to fly with me.” Foster crawled over to Darius who handed over his binoculars. He pointed out where he’d been watching the red coat and made sure the other man had the girl in his sights before turning to McCabe.
Their leader pointed to the left. “Cowboy, check the north end of the ridge; see if we can rappel down without being spotted. Batman check the south. Find a way down and fast.”
Using boulders, grottos, bushes, and trees as cover, Darius worked his way along the edge of the cliff but after a few hundred feet, he realized there was no way down that didn’t put them in plain sight or wasn’t a potential death trap. Thankfully, Reese’s voice came over the comm in his ear stating he’d found a spot.
Darius returned to his team to find McCabe already pulling out what they’d need. “Cowboy, Batman, Skipper, you’re with me. Romeo and Costello, keep your eyes on the tangos until we find out what the hell is going on, and watch for others. Shades, don’t let that girl out of your sights. Move out.”
Reese led the way back to where the bluff curved around and inward. As long as they hadn’t missed anyone on the east side of the girl, then they shouldn’t have any problem getting down fast without being spotted. While Darius and Kip got their harnesses on and rubbed dirt over their faces for additional camouflage, the other two men anchored two ropes to a nearby tree using single-loop figure eights and locking carabiners. This descent was going to be much faster than yesterday’s in that it was used by special ops teams and search and rescue units to reach a victim or target quickly. As McCabe dropped the ropes off the cliff and made sure they weren’t tangled or caught on anything, Reese double-checked Darius and Kip’s harnesses and the anchors. Within minutes, the two rappellers were on their way down with their rifles strung across their backs and nothing else unless it fit in the pockets of their camo jackets or tactical pants.
Foster’s voice came over the comm units when they were halfway down. “She’s moving east, about the same distance out. Heading toward your twelve o’clock.” That meant she was almost directly behind them.
With his knees bent, the rope taut in his hands, Darius bounced off the face of the bluff with his feet, dropped about five yards, then repeated the process. Kip was about eight feet to his right, doing the same thing.
When their boots hit the ground, they quickly unhooked from the rope and Darius spoke into his microphone. “We’re down. Where’s our girl?”
“Just passing your twelve o’clock, about two hundred fifty yards out.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, there were a few chuckles, followed by Mancini saying, “In klicks, ya damn civilian.” Never having served in the military, Foster still couldn’t get used to the mile-to-klick conversions, and they were always busting his ass for it.
“Knock it off,” McCabe ordered without any heat. Jokes were par for the course on missions to help ease any tension. “Skipper and Batman, see if you can intercept without alerting the tangos to our presence. Cowboy’s on his way down.”
“Copy, Duracell.” Darius scrambled over a rock expanse in silence with Kip on his heels. They soon faded into the tree line, their camo clothing matching their surroundings. The lookouts above would let them know if there were any changes in either Mallory’s location or the two men after her.
“Shift to your eleven o’clock, Batman.”
He made the adjustment Foster had given him, keeping an eye out for the tell-tale red coat and any sign of danger. The hair on the back of his neck tingled, and once again, his instincts were telling him there were more tangos out here then they’d spotted so far. He just hoped he and Kip reached Mallory before someone else did.
*****
Hiding behind a tree, Mallory tried to catch her breath as she scanned the area she’d just come from. It was almost as if they were playing a game of cat and mouse with her. She kept trying to turn north, but each time she did, she’d either hear or spot one of the men—they weren’t exactly being quiet about stalking her—and have to turn back in the other direction. A few times she’d heard Jessup call out to her, “Hey, pretty girl. Come out, come out wherever you are.” The fucking creep.
She’d obviously not hit him hard enough, damn it. Darrell was also out there somewhere—she’d caught a glimpse of him earlier. Either Billy Ray had lied about sending them in the other direction or they hadn’t believed him—not that it mattered at this point.
After Billy Ray had let her go, she’d run for a good twenty minutes before taking a moment to break out of the zip ties. The trick her dad taught her had worked. The key to snapping them was to make them as tight as possible, using your teeth to pull the one end sticking out, and then make sure the locking mechanism is on top and between your wrists. Then you lifted your arms above your head and brought them down fast toward your abdomen, simulating an attempt in getting your shoulder blades to touch each other. Your elbows needed to flare out like chicken wings. If you did all that properly, the restraint should snap at its weakest point—the locking mechanism. Thankfully, that’s exactly what had happened.
Now with a huge cliff to the west and the men to the north and east, her only option was to head south. The problem was, she’d gotten so far away from any areas she’d explored over the years with her dad she had no idea what she was heading towards. All she knew was she had to keep going, otherwise she’d be raped then most likely killed when they finally tired of her, and she’d be damned if she’d go down without a fight. But if she didn’t find some fresh water soon, dehydration would begin to take its toll, in addition to the heavy snowfall and colder temperatures she’d figured were coming her way. The sun had been swallowed by dark clouds about a half hour ago, and the scent of foul weather had settled around her. It wouldn’t be long before snowflakes drifted down from the sky.
She’d been running for about two hours and the only reason she hadn’t passed out from the exertion yet was the fact she’d been a cross country runner since her freshman year in high school. While she no longer competed, she’d kept up her routine of five miles twice a week and two miles three times a week.
Something rustled behind her, and she gasped and spun to see two squirrels chasing each other. Thank God.
Turning back, she took stock of where the sun was, then wondered if she should try and head northeast again. If she could just get past them and continue in that direction, she’d eventually come to a river she could then follow east toward Ouray. By this point she was probably closer to the little town than where she’d parked her car, and trying to go back the way she came would most likely end up getting her spotted by one of the men.
One more check of the directions she thought the men were in, and then she’d make another run for it, now that her breathing was under control. As she peeked around the tree, a female deer was the only large thing she saw moving. But just as Mallory prepared to take off again, a gloved hand closed around her mouth and another around her waist. Oh, no! They found me!
Struggling to get loose, she reached back to scratch her assailant’s face, but his head was moving too much for her to do any damage. Whoever it was, she’d never heard him approach. Her feet left the ground and she kicked back, but the man crushed her against the tree to keep her immobile.
Hot air brushed against her ear a split second before a low voice ordered, “Mallory, calm
down. I’m here to help.” The words didn’t immediately register, and she continued to thrash. “Damn it, Mallory. Your uncle sent us to find you. Stop struggling or the guys who are after you will hear.”
That time she understood and her frantic movements ceased. She sagged with relief. He knew her real name—it wasn’t one of those bastards. Someone had found her. She was safe. God, she hoped she was safe.
“I’m going to let go, okay?” he whispered. “Turn around, but stay quiet.”
Mallory nodded and his hands released her. She wasn’t sure what she expected when she faced him, but it wasn’t what she saw. The man was about six foot two with broad shoulders and russet colored hair peeking out of the black knit cap he wore, as well as across his jaw and upper lip. He was covered in camouflage clothing, and had spread dirt over his face. Even with the sweat and grime, she could tell he was incredibly handsome. She also didn’t miss the assault rifle on his back sticking out over his right shoulder, nor the gentleness in his soft, brown eyes, which were assessing her.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head—it was obvious a few bumps, bruises, and blisters weren’t what he was asking about.
“Good. How many men are out there, and why are they chasing you?”
Keeping her voice as low as his, she answered, “Four. They robbed a bank the other day and killed a guard and a cop. It was all over the news. I ran into two of them while hiking and … and they kidnapped me. It’s a father and his three sons. The father was pissed they took me, but wouldn’t let me go. They were planning on taking me somewhere …” She swallowed hard. “… to rape and then k-kill me, but he wanted them out of the area where rescuers would be looking for me first. We have to get out of here. They’ve been chasing me and letting me know it. If they see you, they’ll kill you, I’m sure.”
Mountain of Evil_Trident Security Omega Team_Prequel Page 7