by Liliana Hart
“10-4, Lieutenant Hottie,” Audrey said.
Archer snickered and Brady narrowed his eyes at her, but she just grinned at him. “What? I heard it through the Bluetooth while you were talking with Willa. I think it’s cute.”
“Not a word to anyone,” he said.
“Oh no,” she said, her grin widening. “I’d never do that.”
Brady rolled his eyes, figuring he was going to catch hell for the nickname later. He was quick to traverse the tree line. It wouldn’t protect him from bullets, but it helped hide him from immediate threats. He crouched about twenty yards from the rear bumper of the small sedan and looked back to Archer, waiting for the all clear.
Archer gave the signal.
A quick sprint across an open area landed Brady nearly on top of the dead man. He was dark complected, his stature small. His face was gone. The bullet had been fired point blank. He was dressed similarly to the staff at the resort. Even his nametag showed he worked there.
Brady made his way back to Archer and Audrey.
“He looks like a local from the resort. I’m betting whoever else is chasing her isn’t trained—they’re just desperate.”
“Desperation usually leads to death,” Audrey said.
“Ahh, there’s my bride. You’re such a romantic,” Archer said, chuckling.
Brady half-smiled as he headed into the brush with the smaller man’s body. He’d missed teaming up with the MacKenzie agents. There was a closeness and camaraderie similar to his SEAL team. Being able to joke during times of crisis was a good thing. Soldiers who became too stone-faced at the onset of conflict often ended up with tragic results.
“You’re in their direct travel line, Lieutenant Hottie,” Willa said in his earpiece. He’d been so focused on the body, he’d forgotten they were connected.
“You’re going to be our eyes,” he told her. “Guide us through. We’re in a triangular fire team formation. I’m on point.”
“Roger,” she said. “Looks like you’re going to swing right and head close to twenty yards. You’ll see a slight clearing.”
He moved quietly in the direction suggested, Archer and Audrey flanking his sides. They maintained their distance from each other so in the event they began taking on fire, they wouldn’t all get hit. Their separation also allowed them to shoot freely without getting in front of each other’s lines of fire.
“Found the clearing,” Brady whispered.
He saw a creek bed with a shallow amount of green water flowing downstream, and he immediately moved them into the middle of it. It wasn’t the best route to conceal their approach, but it was the quickest.
“She’s not moved in a while,” Willa said.
“Perfect, it gives us a chance to make up ground,” Brady said.
“Willa, can you text Elena? Maybe she’ll reply with intel,” Audrey said.
“Been texting her. No reply. I’m guessing it’s on silent and her hands are full with being a badass.”
Brady grunted and held up a fist that signaled for the others to stop and hold their positions. He tuned his hearing into anything that sounded out of the ordinary. The brush was thick and tore at his clothes, but he maintained focus on listening for unnatural movements.
“Nothing,” he said. “Let’s move.”
“Hold up a second,” Willa said. “She’s showing a slight turn back to the left. About fifty yards to your west and a quarter mile north. If you move toward the ten o’clock position, I think you’ll run smack into her.”
“Roger,” Brady said. “Adjusting position.”
The trio were like ghosts. Brady didn’t even hear them, much less anyone else, but he thought there were odd breaks in the shadows up ahead.
“Hold,” he said. “We got tangoes.”
“Oh, yeah,” Audrey said. “I see them.”
“I don’t see shit,” Archer admitted.
“Just hold your position,” Audrey said. “I’ll move.”
Audrey slithered through the jungle like a snake, and Brady admired her ability to move without detection. He locked in on the person hunched in the brush like an awkward panther, waiting to ambush them.
“She’s close,” Brady whispered to Archer. “Be ready in case she draws a crowd.”
“I’m always ready.”
Audrey hunted the man with stealth. He never felt her—never moved—never looked back. Audrey didn’t waste time. She sprang, her hand forcing his head back, exposing the thick veins in his neck. The KA-BAR was in her hand in a flash, and she sliced it quickly across his neck, easing him gently to the ground. It was almost humane in its speed and lethality—the man never saw it coming.
Audrey returned to the formation, so Brady slid back to point and Archer moved back to left flank. He guided them away from the initial path clearing and into a deeper, darker section of the jungle.
“Twenty yards,” Willa whispered.
The anticipation and tension built steadily, and it was obvious even Willa could feel it all the way back in Surrender because he could hear her breathing escalate on the other end of the line.
“I’ve got a visual,” Brady said. “Elena’s up ahead, but there are at least two threats to the west of her. Looks like they’re climbing ahead and over her position.”
“Can you take them out?” Archer asked.
“Not sure,” Brady said. “The distance is okay, but I don’t have a clear shot.”
“Best course?” Audrey asked.
“We’ll waste too much time trying to outflank them,” Brady said. “Going east only moves us further away.”
“Full-on assault?” Archer asked.
“10-4. Straight ahead.” Brady recalculated all the possibilities in his mind and determined that full force was still the best option. They had the element of surprise and training on their side.
“Umm…” Willa said through the headset. “I don’t mean to rain on your parade, Lieutenant Hottie, but what if Elena shoots at y’all, thinking you’re the bad guys? I thought she was armed.”
“Are you ever going to call me by my name?” Brady asked with a sigh.
“You have a name?” Willa said, feigning surprise.
“Very funny,” Brady said. “But no, I’m not worried about Elena shooting us. Chances are they’ve already disarmed her. If they haven’t, they’re the dumbest criminals in the history of the world. Audrey and I will take care of the two tangoes and Archer will secure Elena. In and out. Piece of cake.”
“They’re closing in,” Archer said. “The window of opportunity is here.”
“On my count,” Brady said. “Three…two…one…”
Audrey fell in line behind him, and they moved swiftly straight toward the targets, their bodies bladed out so they each covered all angles. The tangoes had no clue what was about to hit them. Neither did Elena. And she was a wild card. Hopefully she’d had enough training to remember to assess with her eyes before she made any noise and alerted the enemy.
Brady moved stealthily through the underbrush and overhangs of the trees. He kept a watchful eye on Elena and Archer’s progress toward her, but his main focus was on the two armed men up ahead. He felt the clock ticking down in his mind, and he wanted to rush, but patience was the key. Rushing an op was how the good guys ended up dead.
He signaled for Audrey to stop, and they took cover behind a vine-covered tree. Archer was circling back behind Elena, and he wanted to give him plenty of time to get in position. Timing was going to be everything.
Elena stood stiffly, her back straight and her chin jutted with stubborn pride. She was stronger than she gave herself credit for, and it was everything he could do not to rush to her and take her in his arms. He noticed her wrists were bound in front of her, and her clothes were dirty and scuffed from what was probably the altercation when they disarmed her. But for the most part, she looked unharmed. Pissed. But unharmed.
Their window was closing tighter. His gaze went back to the two Hispanic men dressed in jeans and tat
tered fieldhand shirts guarding her. One had a shotgun, and the other had a machete. The goal was to take them both down without a shot being fired. The last thing they wanted was to draw more attention to themselves.
He made eye contact with Archer, and Archer gave the nod that he was in position.
“No gunfire,” he whispered to Audrey.
She drew her KA-BAR and nodded. And then he held up three fingers so both Audrey and Archer could see them, and counted down the signal to go.
Brady trusted Archer to keep Elena safe, and he and Audrey rushed forward to intercept the two tangoes. Charging toward the one with the shotgun, leaving Audrey with the other, he immediately grabbed his wrist and punched out with his other arm, hitting the man in his elbow. There was a sickening crunch and the shotgun dropped to the ground. Brady slapped his hand over the man’s mouth before he could scream and then jerked his head to the side, breaking his neck.
He looked over in time to see Audrey dodge a vicious swipe of the machete, but the man left himself wide open and she kicked him in the balls, bringing him to his knees. She jerked his head back and sliced his throat and then let him fall to the ground.
“Clear,” Audrey said. “No sign of others.”
Brady was already heading toward Elena. Her gaze never left his, and there was an intensity in the way she looked at him, as if they were connected by an invisible string. Archer released her restraints and as soon as she was free, she ran toward Brady and jumped in his arms.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, her words tumbling out. “I should’ve listened. I was just so scared, and I’m not good at trusting other people.”
“No kidding,” he said, raising a brow. She felt good in his arms. She was small, petite, but he felt the strength in her muscles. “I keep thinking someday you’ll learn.”
“Because you love me,” she said, repeating his earlier declaration.
He was going to answer her, but she silenced him when she placed her hands on either side of his cheeks and leaned up to kiss him. It was the first time she’d taken the initiative. The first time that sweet mouth had taken his in a kiss that rocked him to his core. She was tentative, her lips soft and searching, but then she grew bolder and he felt the tip of her tongue trace his lips. Before long they were both panting for breath.
“We should probably take this back to the resort,” he said, his lungs heaving. “Things are about to get a little embarrassing the second you move from in front of my body.”
“Don’t worry, Lieutenant Hottie,” Willa said. “Things are already plenty embarrassing. I think I’m going to hang up now.”
Chapter Twelve
“There’s a checkpoint about two miles ahead,” Archer said over the phone a little while later.
They’d trekked back to the golf carts and the sedan that had been left by the side of the road, deciding it was best to split up for the time being.
“Audrey and I will go through first and get a feel for it. We’ll signal you once we’re clear.”
“10-4,” Brady said. “We’ll hang back.”
“What kind of checkpoint? Do you think they’re looking for us?”
“We can’t know for sure,” he said. “Checkpoints are pretty typical. It’s a great way to check out who to rob. The best thing we can do is to act like tourists who got too far away from the resort. The cartel gets a kickback from the resort, and when tourism goes down because of crime, they don’t get as big of a percentage. The only thing we know for sure is that the four of us are the only people we can trust until the cavalry arrives.”
“So, shoot first and ask questions later?” she asked.
“Pretty much,” he said. “I’m assuming that’s what you did with the body we found back where the cars were parked.”
“Nope, not me,” she said. “They got in a fight over who would present me to El Toro. I’m guessing that’s the new cartel leader. Apparently, there’s a bounty for me and the third guy was making noises about claiming all of it instead of splitting it three ways. So they shot him.
“I know I said it before, but I’m so sorry. I’m not afraid anymore. I’ve done nothing but put distance between me and everyone who’s ever cared about me. Despite telling myself I was strong and that I was better off alone, I was letting the cartel dictate my life, even though I’d put a couple of thousand miles between us. All I can say is thank you for your patience. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’ve got faith in the team, and that we’ll do whatever we can to save Marguerite.”
Brady reached over and squeezed her hand. “Baby,” he said, “I’ve always known you had the strength. From the second I saw you lying in that hospital bed fighting to survive, I knew you had the determination to come through it stronger than ever. I’ve never lost faith in you.”
“I know that,” she said softly. “And it makes me love you all the more because of it.”
“Hell, you’re going to have me sobbing like a baby if you keep that up,” he said. But while his eyes were damp, his smile could’ve lit the world, and he squeezed her hand before letting it go.
“When will the cavalry arrive?” she asked.
“Declan and Shane are still in the air. It’s thirteen-thirty hours now, so I expect boots on the ground at the resort in a few hours.”
She rolled her eyes. “Y’all drive me crazy. Why can’t you just say that it’s one-thirty?” Even though she was guilty of the same thing.
He grinned, realizing that she was trying to banter with him. “Because military time is the only time. How are you supposed to know if it’s morning or night otherwise?”
Brady’s cell rang and he put it on speaker.
“We got through,” Archer said. “But give me fifteen minutes, and I’ll hop out and circle back on foot so I can cover you. Looks like they’re just scoping potential victims. Nothing serious. They did a half-assed search of the car, but I think they were too afraid of Audrey to do much more than that. She growled at one of them.”
“Dial it back, Pinocchio,” Audrey said. “The only person growling was you when that guy was checking me out.”
“Oh, right,” Archer said. “Maybe it was me. Now I’m going to have to pull the car over and reclaim my territory. Scratch the fifteen, Brady. Better give me eighteen minutes instead.”
Audrey and Elena both laughed at the silly byplay, and Elena felt a lightness to her spirt that she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
“Roger that,” Brady said, smiling.
They waited the allotted amount of time before approaching the checkpoint to present their passports. The guards were dressed in oversized uniforms and had machine guns slung over their shoulders. They were young, barely men, and Elena could see how they’d be intimidated by Archer and Audrey.
“Destination?” one of the guards demanded, taking their passports.
“Xpujil,” Brady said.
“Reason?”
“We got passes from the resort to see the temples,” he said. “We’re celebrating our anniversary, so the resort kicked in a few extras for us.”
“It was so nice of them,” Elena gushed. “We can’t wait to tell all our friends to come here. Everyone has been so friendly.”
Brady wanted to laugh as the guards fell under Elena’s spell. She was a beautiful woman, and all she had to do was bat those long eyelashes and smile and the men were passing them through the checkpoint. Brady all of a sudden understood Archer’s need to reclaim his territory.
Brady pulled over after he’d cleared the bend in the highway, and Archer hopped in the back.
“Looking a little flushed, my friend,” Brady said, eyeing Archer.
“Give me a little credit, man. I don’t do my best work in three minutes, so I gave her a rain check. But it’s hot as hell in the direct sun. Audrey is going to meet us at the site.”
The drive was smooth as they made their way south, the sun glaring down intensely and beating off the windshield.
“I seriously can’t bel
ieve these golf carts,” Elena said. “They’re like golf carts on steroids, and we’re going sixty miles an hour without the wind kicking our asses. Who makes these things? I want one.”
“Audrey has some Mossad contacts that owed us some favors,” Archer said. “These aren’t exactly available on the open market. Speaking of Audrey, this is our rendezvous point.” He checked his GPS and then scanned the area.
Brady slowed down and caught a movement from the corner of his eye. Before he had time to react, he saw Audrey speeding ahead of him.
Archer grinned. “She’ll meet us at the next stop.”
Once they turned right onto Mexican Highway 186, the road wasn’t as smooth and there was more opportunity for ambush. The terrain changed from desert sun to forests to narrow mountain passes and one-lane dirt roads.
They pulled into what was billed as a resort. It looked like a roach-infested hole in the wall, barely standing on the west side of Xpujil. Brady pulled the golf cart around to the rear of the dilapidated structure. The town was small and condensed into a handful of streets that seemed to crisscross at intersections each block. They didn’t see a stoplight, so they doubted electricity was a common convenience.
“This is the tallest building here,” Brady explained. “The third floor allows us to see everything. Well, not that there’s much to see.”
“It’s almost sixteen hundred hours, so we’re already late. No need rushing into this. Let’s get set up and assess the situation. I’m curious whether they know we’re in Xpujil or maybe at a closer location. This is still about seventy-five miles out from the Mayan temple.”
Archer gathered his gear and gave a small salute as he disappeared behind a nearby building to meet Audrey.
Elena grabbed Brady’s arm. She felt her heart swelling with sadness.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s becoming too real to be back here. I’ve been so concerned about Marguerite, I haven’t given myself a chance to think how I’d feel seeing it all again.”
Brady wrapped his arms around her and held on. She understood the reality that awaited her was much more pressing than the serenity she found in his arms. She’d come to save a life, not fall in love, but as she allowed herself to open up, she realized maybe she came for both.