by Rebecca Deel
Finally, they ducked behind the rocks and hustled to the cave entrance. Del stopped Ivy at the cave’s mouth, urged her to lay in deep shadow, hoping to make her cousin a smaller target. What she wouldn’t give to have Josh or Alex here. She was winging this based on reading and movies. Everybody knew how accurate those were. “Wait here.”
“What are you doing?”
“Didn’t you say something about wildlife?”
“You’re going to chase the critter out? Are you crazy?”
“Not today. Just angry. I’m doing the sniff test.” She figured if the cave didn’t smell like a wild animal or it’s last meal, the cave would serve as temporary shelter.
She approached the cave entrance, listened, didn’t hear anything. Ventured further into the darkness, breathed deep. Nothing but dirt and damp. She wanted to turn on the penlight, but couldn’t chance giving away their location.
“I think it’s okay. No bad smells or sounds.”
Her cousin climbed to her feet, hobbled toward the opening, stopped.
She dragged her cousin into the darkened cave, parked her against the wall near the entrance, and sat down beside her. Del dug the cell phone from her pocket. “Josh, we’re in a cave, just inside the entrance.” She suspected going further into the interior meant the phone connection would drop. The reception was weak where they were right now.
“You okay?” His normally cool voice sounded odd.
“I’m fine.”
Ivy felt along her arm, snatched the phone. “She’s hurt, but won’t tell me what happened.” Her cousin slapped the phone back in Del’s hand. “Maybe you’ll be honest with him since you won’t be straight with me.”
“Del? How bad, sweetheart?”
“I’m afraid to look. Something hit my arm.” As she thought about it, the pain increased by leaps. “Hope you have some aspirin.”
“We each have a full medical kit. Are you safe?”
“I did a sniff test.”
“A sniff test?”
“Deep breaths to see if another occupant had first claim. I didn’t want to fight a bear or something.” She gave a watery laugh.
“How’s Ivy?”
“Her ankle’s no worse.” Del listened to her cousin’s growing erratic breathing. “The darkness is getting to her.”
“I’ll pass the cell to Alex in a minute. Let Ivy talk to him. He can help. We’re at the edge of the forest. We’ll have to work our way around to you. It might take a while, baby. The shooter can’t see your heat signature through the cave walls. Might take a few potshots to scare you into revealing your location. You can’t make noise, no matter what you hear. I will get to you, no matter who I have to go through or what obstacles I have to overcome. You do whatever it takes to keep yourself and Ivy safe until I reach you.”
She blinked back the tears forming in her eyes. “Can I fall apart when you get here?”
“Absolutely, beautiful. We know where you are. We’re not far, baby. Hold on to that. Now, hand the phone to Ivy.”
She reached over the in pitch black, found Ivy’s hand, shoved the phone into it. “Alex.”
Del tuned out Ivy’s murmured conversation with Josh’s friend. Concentrated on feeling the area around her. Dirt, something dry, hoped like crazy it was grass or moss, not something nasty like bat or rodent droppings. Moved her fingers again. A pebble. Not big enough. She reached out a little farther, bumped her fingers against a decent sized rock. She picked it up with one hand. Shaped like a baseball. Perfect. Now to find more that size. The shooter believed them too scared to defend themselves. They might not be as lethal as Josh and Alex, but he would regret trying to hurt them. Every minute they held him off brought Josh that much closer to the cave.
She prayed they didn’t take too long. Del wanted to learn how this romance with Josh turned out. With Ivy’s whispered conversation as background noise, she searched for more ammunition.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Josh positioned the webbing for his comm headset. The team switched to a preferred channel and grabbed their gear. Weapon in hand, he signaled the others to move ahead. The former Delta unit spread out and slipped through the darkened forest in silence. No leaves or bushes rustled, no footfalls sounded as they passed through the terrain.
His NVGs picked up various heat signatures in the distance. Weapon aimed and ready, he eased toward the larger heat signatures. Closer in, the blobs turned into animals slinking through the underbrush. A raccoon wandered across his path, skittered away.
He checked Del’s location. She hadn’t moved since the last time he’d pinged her phone signal in the cave. He prayed that meant she was still safe. The shooter had taken potshots earlier, but nothing for a while. Probably searching for them. Several caves dotted the area. Locating the right one would take time. Then he’d flush them out or kill them.
Josh thought about that for a beat, suspected the killer wanted the women alive. He had NVGs. No way a spec ops soldier would miss his target that many times. Too well trained.
If he didn’t want them dead, what did he want? Information or his client wanted them. Why? Word should have leaked they couldn’t identify the shooter. What did they know that made them worth the trouble?
A light breeze stirred the leaves, cooled sweat beading on his forehead. He longed to race to Del and Ivy. The thought of Del bleeding in a cave drove him nuts, especially since he didn’t know the extent of her injury. But impatience would lead to more injuries or death. Del and Ivy stood zero chance against Reece’s shooter without at least one of his team at their side.
Checking his position, he stopped at the edge of a clearing. The hillside where Del and Ivy took shelter rose in the distance, the stream on his right. Josh crouched, keyed his microphone. “Report,” he said in a nearly toneless whisper.
Each of his team responded.
“Alex, Quinn, go. Nate, Rio, into position and hold.”
Alex, their team sniper, with his spotter, Quinn, circled around to take the high ground over the place where Del and Ivy hid. They would supply cover fire so Rio, the team medic, could aid Del and Ivy while Josh and Nate protected them from inside the cave. Between the five of them, they’d kill, capture or scare off the shooter. Josh knew, though, unless the client recalled him, Reece’s shooter would return until he accomplished his objective or was dead.
So far, only the shooter roamed the woods hunting for the women. His team had debated various options on the drive, created a plan despite their limited intel. The plan should work unless the feds messed things up.
Josh, Nate, and Rio spread out near the rocks Del had used as a shield from the shooter, waited for Alex and Quinn’s signal. He scanned the area. No sign of the shooter. Must be in one of the caves. Keying his mic, Josh asked Alex, “Del and Ivy okay?”
“Affirmative,” came the response. “Almost in position.”
He studied the hillside, spotted his teammates creeping from the hilltop to flank both sides of their target cave. His mic signaled and Alex whispered through the headset, “Go.”
Josh motioned Nate and Rio to move forward. “Tell Ivy we’re moving in.”
“Copy.”
A shot rang out. The rock to his right revealed a new gash in the side. Josh and his team dove for cover. “Where is he?” Josh demanded.
“Ten o’clock, behind some boulders.” This from Quinn.
“Lay down cover fire.”
As soon as Alex and Quinn started firing, Josh and his team ran in a zigzag pattern for the cave. They slipped inside. By prearrangement, Rio took position by the entrance with Nate until the women knew of their presence. Josh scanned the interior and found the two women huddled together to the right of the entrance. Both had something in their hands from the position of their arms. Rocks? Del had taken his warning to heart. They were prepared to defend themselves with a small arsenal of rocks.
“Del, it’s Josh. Three of us are inside the cave, baby.”
“Alex?” Ivy asked.
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“On the hillside, making all the racket. He’s keeping the shooter busy. How are you?”
“Ankle hurts a lot.”
“Can you walk?”
“The pain’s much worse since we’ve been here.” Her voice sounded tight, strained.
He walked closer and knelt by Del’s side. “Hey,” he whispered and cupped her face with his hand. Something wet dripped over his fingers. Tears. Del was crying. When she hiccuped, Josh’s heart squeezed. “Shh, baby. Hold on. We’ll get you out of here soon.”
Josh cupped the nape of her neck and tugged her gently into his arms. Her body trembled. Such sheer guts and courage. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. The last few hours had been terrifying, yet she fought panic, found shelter, and gathered rocks to use against a murderer, all while protecting her injured cousin.
“Ivy,” he said, holding Del close, rubbing her back. Couldn’t chance injuring her arm further. “One of my team members in the cave is a medic. Will you let him check your ankle? We can’t risk causing more damage.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to walk if I’d broken it,” she protested. “I must have a sprain.”
“You’d be surprised what you can do with adrenaline blocking pain. Will you let him check you?”
“Can Alex do it or you?”
He stilled his motion on Del’s back. Something in Ivy’s voice tightened his gut. An abusive relationship would make her skittish around an unknown male. Should have realized that sooner. Del had mentioned her cousin’s ex-boyfriend. How bad was the abuse? “I have rudimentary field medic knowledge, enough to patch someone together if we’re under fire and don’t have another option. I want you to have the best, Ivy, and that’s not me.”
“I’ll stay beside you,” Del murmured. “Rio’s part of Josh’s team, Ivy. He wouldn’t trust Rio with your safety unless he was honorable.”
“He’s the best,” Josh said. “I trust him at my back on the battlefield and off. If it will make you feel better, I’ll keep an eye on what he’s doing. If he makes you uncomfortable, tell him. He’ll stop immediately.”
She tilted her head a bit, her soft laughter echoing in the stone chamber. “Alex says I should let the expert take care of me. If you do it, I might limp for life.”
Josh keyed his mic. “Get back to work and stop turning the beautiful lady against me.”
A snort and another round of shots fractured the silence. “Tell Ivy to save the phone battery in case we need it.” More shots.
“Okay to end the call, Ivy?”
“I think so.”
“What about Rio checking your ankle?”
Ivy reached over, gripped Del’s hand. “Yes.”
“Excellent. Rio’s a good guy.” To an innocent, he was a good guy. He’d seen his friend in many combat situations. Though a great medic, Rio was also a fierce fighter, not information Ivy needed to learn if his friend hoped to treat her injury.
He eased Del away from him. “Let’s move you away from the entrance, baby. I need to cover with Nate while Rio checks both of you.” He wanted to see Del’s injury himself, but their safety took priority. Rio could care for their medical needs until his unit transported Del and Ivy to the nearest hospital. His jaw flexed. And they were going to the hospital, no matter how many feds littered these woods.
Josh kicked rocks and debris from the path as Ivy and Del scooted farther from the entrance. Once they were settled in a safer location, he said, “Rio.”
The medic picked his way over scattered rocks and branches.
His friend squatted in front of Ivy’s feet. “Ivy, I’m Rio. Which foot did you hurt?”
“Left.”
“I need to roll up your jeans, remove your shoe and sock, okay? I’ll try to be gentle, but it will hurt.” He turned his head in Josh’s direction. “Major, Nate, NVGs.”
Josh and Nate removed their night vision goggles and faced outside the cave. Rio would need light to check Ivy’s foot and the light would temporarily blind them if they used NVGs. A moment later, a small light flashed on. Josh and his teammate readied themselves. The light, though necessary, would show the shooter exactly where they were.
Sure enough, more shots from outside the cave followed, several coming from the man who’d pursued Del and Ivy through the dark night. Ricochets from the bullets kicked up dirt and shards of rock. Josh keyed his mic. “Have a bead on him?”
“Negative. Still in cover.”
Josh frowned. Why hadn’t the guy moved? He had to know at least one sniper was on the hillside and knew his position. He should have moved by now. Didn’t make sense. “Quinn, can you see anyone else?”
“Negative.”
“Major,” Rio said. “Looks like Ivy has a sprain, but I’d rather splint it until we’re sure.”
“Do it. Quinn, get behind the shooter. Flush him out or take him down. Watch yourself. He’s playing with us, but that might change at any time. I didn’t bring body bags on this op and I’m not carting your remains out of this forest.”
“Got it. No body bags. On the move.”
“Keep our guy busy, Alex.”
“Copy.” A series of shots rang out from the hillside.
“Major,” Rio said, “I need another pair of hands for this splint.”
“I can help with that,” Del said.
Josh glanced at her, saw determination on her face. He nodded at the medic.
“Good enough.” Rio took hold of Del’s hand and said, “Hold this right here for me.” Within a couple minutes, Ivy’s foot was stabilized in a temporary splint, her face dotted with perspiration.
“Your turn, Del.” The medic turned his light on Del. “Which arm?”
“Right.”
“Don’t look if you’re squeamish.”
Josh grinned. “Don’t look, baby.”
“Shut up. So I got a little woozy before. I’m allowed.”
Laughing, Rio eased the sleeve higher on her arm and examined the wound. His smile faded. “Congratulations, Del. You can brag to your friends about earning a bullet wound on this adventure.”
“Oh, man.” Her voice wobbled.
“How bad?” Josh asked, glanced in her direction. If the bullet was still lodged in her arm, Del might need surgery to repair the damage and clean out the wound. He never should have allowed the marshals to take her and Ivy. The injury might not have happened if he’d been with her.
“Just kissed her.” Rio reached into his medical kit for swabs to clean the blood off Del’s arm. When the astringent-laced gauze brushed against the crease in her muscle, she hissed. “Sorry, sugar. I can kiss your arm, see if that helps the pain.”
Josh sent a pointed glance at his medic. “Kissing Del is my job. I’m not sharing.”
“No designs on your lady, Major.” A wicked smile crossed Rio’s face. “Fair warning, though. If you let her slip through your fingers, I’ll spend some quality time with her.”
“You never had trouble finding a date, Cahill,” Nate said, gaze locked in the distance. “The rest of the unit weren’t so blessed.”
“Company,” Alex murmured.
Josh stiffened, searched the darkened forest in vain. Couldn’t see squat without the night vision gear. “How many and where?”
“Incoming from the forest, eastern flank. Ten or twelve. Hard to pinpoint. They’re bunched up.” Disgust rang in Alex’s tone.
Had to be feds. Military men never infiltrated an area like that. The shots must have drawn them from the house. If Jordan and his cronies were like the other feds he’d worked with in his military career, they made enough noise to spook the hardiest wildlife. Sneak up on their quarry? Only in a thunderstorm or firefight. Where was the shooter? “Quinn, target?”
“Crap. He’s on the move.”
“Alex?”
“No shot. Blended into the approaching horde.”
“Quinn, back in position. Alex, hold.”
“What now, Major?” Nate asked.
“Rio, is Iv
y ready to move?”
“Affirmative. One minute and Del will be ready to take on the next assassin.”
“You aren’t funny, either, Rio.”
“Just honest, ma’am. Wouldn’t want you after me with those rocks. Major, Ivy should be carried out. You want that duty?”
Alex chimed in over the comm gear. “Feds are almost here. Bring me down, Josh. Ivy will freak with that much testosterone in one place. I’ll carry her. I doubt she’ll allow you or the others to transport her to the vehicles.”
“You have the right touch, huh?” Josh heard the tension in his friend’s voice. Recognized Alex’s driving need to be with Ivy now that his particular skills were no longer necessary. Whether his friend realized it or not, he was softening toward the munchkin.
Much as he might like to send the feds on the run with a few well-placed shots, their shooter was in the wind. It was time to pull Alex and Quinn from the hillside. Besides, if Jordan was in a foul mood, Josh might need a couple more friendlies at his side. “You and Quinn come in. I want you inside before the feds join the party. Don’t want itchy trigger fingers when they realize a couple rifles with scopes are tracking their movements.”
“Copy that.”
“Hurry, Rio.” Josh watched the flashlights moving closer. He shook his head. Nothing like pinpointing their location for anyone interested. Jordan was lucky he and his people didn’t have bullets raining on their position. Child’s play for a trained soldier even without the lights shining like flares at an accident scene.
“Done.” The medic cleaned up the debris, stuffed the whole lot into a bag, sealed it, and shoved that into his pack. Standing, he grabbed his pack and moved it to the cave wall.
“Leave the flashlight on, directed at Ivy’s foot. Everybody but Alex stay in the shadows. No need for the feds to get a good look at your ugly mugs.”
Alex and Quinn walked into the darkened interior. “Maybe two minutes, Major,” Quinn said as he took position near the back wall of the shelter. Nate, with a signal from Josh, shifted to the opposite side. Alex moved to Ivy’s side and sat beside her. “How you doing, Ivy?”
“I’d give just about anything for a painkiller.”