by Connie Mann
Regina couldn’t tell what Brooks said in response, but above her, Raul’s face darkened. “You have the boy?” he demanded. Seconds later Raul disconnected and replaced the phone in his shirt pocket. “Get her up,” he said to Jax.
Jax pulled her roughly to her feet and then propelled her out of the trees and onto the catwalk behind Raul. He set a punishing pace. As Regina hurried to keep up, she looked down once, then quickly averted her gaze.
On the Brazilian side of the falls, the walkways hugged the side of the mountain, well away from the heart of the waterfalls. Here, on the Argentine side, the catwalks were suspended a mere foot or two directly above the rushing water.
Directly under her feet, the earth fell away in an eighty-foot drop of white, churning water, crashing to the rocks below. The farther they walked, the louder the noise became. In one spot, water splashed up onto the walkway, and Regina almost lost her footing. Jax grabbed her as she fell against the guardrail and pulled her upright, shoving her ahead of him.
After that, Regina focused her gaze on the walkway, desperately ignoring the foaming water that churned beneath it. The catwalk was made of narrow slabs of concrete and as Raul stepped forward, the back end of the slab popped up under her feet. It took all her concentration to keep up with him without tripping over the bouncing slabs. The feel of them rising and falling beneath her feet, coupled with the roar of the water and the feel of Jax’s hand at her back, had spots dancing before her eyes. Her breath came in shallow pants, and she knew if she didn’t stop soon, she was going to be sick. Sweat poured down her back and the constant mist plastered her hair against her head.
Raul stopped suddenly, and Regina stumbled right into his back. Jax immediately yanked her backward, further disorienting her. “Put her up against the rail,” Raul commanded.
Jax did, and Regina found herself leaning stomach-first over the railing, facing another section of the trail. Because Foz do Iguaçu was actually a series of waterfalls, the catwalks followed the natural contours of the converging rivers. At this particular junction, a visitor could look across to a section of the trail he’d already traversed. Regina kept her eyes forward, instead of downward. That way lay terror.
Raul again pulled out his cell phone and dialed. “Show yourself,” he barked.
Across the expanse of furious water, Brooks appeared at the opposite guardrail, Eduardo cradled in his arms, wrapped securely in a blanket.
Regina tried to read his expression, but she was too far away to see anything but the grim set of his jaw and the determination in his stance. Suddenly Raul stepped up next to her and held his cell phone to her ear. She saw Brooks put his phone to his ear as well.
“Reggie? Are you okay?” Brooks had to shout to be heard above the pounding water.
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“Did Jax hurt you?”
“No, he didn’t.” She shook her head for emphasis, needing to reassure him.
“Positive?”
“I’m okay, really. How are you and Eduardo?”
“We’re both just fine. Don’t worry.” Then he lowered his voice, and she had to strain to hear him. “Just keep your head down. Everything’s going to be okay. Trust me.”
“Be careful.”
Whatever else Brooks said was lost as Raul jerked the phone back. “Bring the child here.”
Raul apparently wasn’t pleased with whatever Brooks said, because he slammed the phone shut, cursing fluently. Then he turned to Jax. “We’re meeting at the picnic area we passed earlier.”
Jax frowned, arms crossed over his powerful chest. “I don’t like it. It’s too far out in the open.”
“You don’t have to like it. Just get moving.”
Jax gave a mock salute and herded Regina in that direction.
Brooks hurried along the path as quickly as he could, given the bundle he carried and the hole in his side. With the ease of long practice, he relegated the pain to a distant corner of his mind. His only focus now was on his mission.
Without a sound, he darted off the path and cut through the jungle. The element of surprise would be essential here. Once he reached the picnic area, he scanned the boiling clouds overhead, grateful the sky had grown darker since he’d made the call. That was what he’d counted on. The few picnickers were hurriedly packing up their food and heading for shelter.
He set the blanket-wrapped bundle next to him and checked to be sure his gun, ammo, and both knives were ready. Anger at his long-time friend’s betrayal made his movements harsh, jerky. There would be no margin for error. Raul had frustration and wounded pride on his side, fueled by his failure yesterday. He also had Jax.
On the plus side, Brooks knew exactly how the other man would react. But Jax could say the same about him, so he’d have to be careful. I’m gonna need an edge, God.
The patch of grass and wooden tables had emptied by the time the first drops of rain began to fall. Brooks grabbed the kid and ducked behind a stand of trees. He wouldn’t make any mistakes this time. Couldn’t. One corner of his mouth curved up. To his way of thinking, two against one were pretty good odds. And he had a few surprises up his sleeve, just in case. He settled in to wait.
Brooks heard them before he saw them. Interesting that they were so confident they made no effort to silence their arrival. Raul and Jax marched into the clearing, Regina between them. Each man held her with one hand and a gun in the other.
“Stop right there,” Brooks called.
All three of them turned toward the sound of his voice. “Bring the boy out here,” Raul demanded.
“Not until you untie Regina and back up to the tree line. When she’s standing in the middle of the clearing, I’ll bring Eduardo out.”
“I want him out here now!” Raul shouted.
Brooks realized the other man’s control was slipping fast. He had to act quickly. “Then do what I said,” he returned calmly.
Raul nodded to Jax, who used a knife to slice the ropes around her wrists. Brooks’s eyes narrowed as Regina rubbed her hands together to restore circulation. The swelling and bruising were easily visible, even from here. One more thing Jax would have to answer for. His expression darkened even more as Jax shoved her roughly forward. His friend’s list of sins kept getting longer.
Regina walked slowly toward the middle of the clearing, looking right at him. The trust in her eyes stabbed Brooks in the heart, while the bruise on her cheek ignited his temper. She was counting on him to protect her. He planned to do much more than that. These men would pay for what they’d done to her. Brooks sent her an encouraging nod, and a smile lit her face like the sun after a storm.
“We’ve fulfilled our part. Now keep yours,” Raul shouted.
Brooks ignored him and waited until Regina was close enough to momentarily block the two men’s view of them. With his hands he signaled her to duck at his command. She nodded her understanding, and he gave her a reassuring smile. Then he lifted the baby from where it lay next to him and walked toward her, his own gun aimed at Raul.
The smile on her face faded and changed to a look of horror as she eyed the bundle he carried. Trust me, he mouthed, but he saw her lip begin to quiver. As he came even with her, he said the words aloud, but low enough that only she could hear them. “Trust me. Keep backing slowly toward the trees—and duck as soon as the bullets start flying.”
She only stared blankly at him.
“Promise,” he insisted.
He didn’t start moving again until she nodded her understanding. Then he walked to the middle of the clearing and stopped.
“Set the boy down and back away.”
Brooks did as he’d been told, then began backing slowly toward Regina, his eyes darting back and forth between the two men, reading their expressions. By watching their eyes, he’d know what they were planning. Behind him, he could hear Regina inching her way to safety so he slowed even further to give her time to get behind the trees. That’s my girl. Keep going; don’t stop.
Raul marched over to the baby, gun pointed at Brooks. Brooks tensed, his finger poised on the trigger and took several steps backward. Raul yanked the blanket away from the baby’s face. His howl echoed in the little clearing, then he fired his gun right at the baby’s middle. Bits of plastic and fluffy blue blanket flew into the air. Regina’s shriek drew Raul’s attention.
Even as Raul’s gun came up, Brooks was in motion, diving for the other man’s legs. Just before he took him down, Brooks heard the shot and Regina’s muffled cry. Oh, no. It was not, by God, going to end like this.
Raul fought with everything he had, but he was no match for Brooks’s rage. It didn’t take Brooks long to pin the older man under him. He slammed Raul’s hand against the ground until he got the gun from his grip. When he looked up, Jax was drawing a bead on Regina. Without hesitation, Brooks fired, knocking the gun away. Jax yelped and cradled his hand.
Under him, Raul bucked and tried to push him off, but Brooks simply grabbed the man’s newly casted arm and shoved it against his throat, pushing down harder and harder. Looking into the other man’s face, something snapped inside him.
Violence pounded through his system until his vision narrowed to the face before him. This weak and cowardly excuse for a man had killed an innocent woman, terrified a child, and mistreated the woman Brooks cared about. He wouldn’t get off easy. Sliding quietly into unconsciousness was far too little punishment for what he’d done.
Fueled by adrenaline and indignation, he reached back and smashed a fist into Raul’s nose. Once. Twice. “That’s for Irene, you slimy lizard.”
Blood spurted and Raul howled in pain. Brooks pulled his fist back and hit him again, this time in the jaw. “And that’s for the way you scared Regina to death.” Bone cracked with a familiar snap.
“Please,” Raul begged, blood pouring out of his nose. “I’m your uncle.”
It was exactly the wrong thing to say. It simply added more fuel to the inferno of Brooks’s anger. He hauled off and slugged the man again, in the mouth this time. “Then that’s for trying to kill my brother.”
Raul moaned and turned his head to the side. He spit out two teeth. Brooks didn’t care; all he saw was the man responsible for it all. He raised his fist.
Again. Again. Again.
Hands around Raul’s head, Brooks prepared to snap his neck and finish him off. He hesitated as his mind registered that Raul had stopped fighting.
The haze cleared as he wiped sweat from his face with a bloody hand, then checked the other man’s pulse. An odd mix of relief and disgust filled him as his fingers found it, weak and thready, but there. The scumbag didn’t deserve to live.
“Might as well finish him off,” Jax drawled from behind them. “You know you want to. And he certainly has it coming.”
Brooks raised his head and eyed the blond man standing before him. Brooks didn’t know him.
He and Jax had both killed in the line of duty, but never an enemy who was no longer an immediate threat. He’d lost control for a minute, but he’d stopped short of killing Raul. When had Jax changed? Or was he seeing his friend’s true nature for the first time?
Brooks eyed the blood dripping from Jax’s right hand and the gun his friend held steady in his left. Both of them had deadly skill with either hand.
Without so much as a flicker of warning, Jax calmly fired his gun, killing Raul instantly.
Brooks jumped to his feet, and Jax smiled. “Figured that would get you up. Now, you know the drill. Gun down on the ground and slide it over to me. Then both knives.”
Against his will, Brooks momentarily cut his eyes toward the trees where Regina had fallen.
“Don’t worry about her, friend. I’ll make sure her death is quick.” When he reached over to scoop up Brooks’s gun, he added, “ ’Course I plan to enjoy that luscious bod of hers again first.” Evil glinted in his smile.
Brooks fisted his hands at his sides as the trees took a slow spin. Pain hazed his vision and threatened to cut off his breath. He shook his head. He had to stay alert, because he still had a job to do. Based on what Jax just said, Regina was still alive. He focused on that. God? Are you getting all this?
“Why’d you do it?” Brooks asked as he pulled his knife out of his boot. The question was a stalling tactic, but he also wanted to know. How did a good guy turn bad?
Jax shrugged. “This little scene? Money. Why else?”
“Raul paid you to help him do what? Track us?”
“Among other things. Let’s go. Get the other knife. I have a date.”
“What other things?” Brooks asked, ignoring the implications of that last statement. He reached for his back sheath.
“Explosives. Tracking info.” He waited a beat. “An ambush.”
It took a moment for his words to sink in. At first, Brooks thought he’d misunderstood, then everything inside him went still.
“You were responsible for the ambush.” His mind darted back and forth, trying to absorb this. Then it flashed back to the sight of those two broken bodies, mother and son, their lives draining into the dirt. Innocent victims. Behind that thought came images of all the men he’d lost, friends to both him and Jax. He squeezed his eyes shut. “That was for money, too?”
“Of course.” Jax shrugged negligently, but then grimaced. “You weren’t supposed to live to tell about that little incident.”
Only the gun trained directly at his heart—and the knowledge that Regina was still alive—kept Brooks from ripping Jax’s throat out. He had other priorities. Besides, some men weren’t worth killing.
“Let’s you and me take a little walk. Seems you’re so distraught over your girlfriend’s death, you’re planning a dive off the catwalk.”
Brooks snorted. “Nobody will believe that.”
Jax quirked a brow. “Won’t they? Given the way you’ve been acting lately, even your mother will buy it.”
“And there won’t be any bullet holes to explain.”
“Exactly. Now walk.” Jax pointed with his gun, and Brooks slowly set off in that direction.
As they walked, Brooks kept his ears tuned to the sound he waited for, but by the time they reached a secluded section of the catwalk, he hadn’t heard anything.
“Climb up,” Jax instructed. “Wait. Take your shoes off. Goes to intent.”
As Brooks bent and grabbed his boot heel, Jax commented, “You and I could have made a fortune together. We’re a good team—except for your unfortunate code of honor.” He snorted and gestured with the gun.
“You and I are nothing alike,” Brooks spat as he pulled off the boot. “Nothing.” He pulled off his other boot and flung it at Jax. The boot caught his friend off guard and sent the gun flying. It sailed over the railing.
Jax recovered quickly, and in the blink of an eye they were locked in hand-to-hand combat. They’d trained together, practiced together for so many years they were evenly matched. Brooks’s wounded side hampered his movements, but so did Jax’s injured hand.
Brooks kicked at Jax’s hand; the other man blocked it with his arm. Jax sent a powerful punch toward Brooks’s injured side; Brooks spun away. Back and forth, bouncing off trees, ricocheting against the railing, neither man gave an inch and went directly for his opponent’s weak spots.
After his encounter with Raul, Brooks’ strength was almost gone. He had to make his move now, especially since Jax didn’t appear nearly as winded.
With one mighty lunge, he grabbed Jax and forced him back against a tree. He shoved his arm across the other man’s windpipe, trying to hold it there until he lost consciousness.
Jax’s eyes were almost closed when he somehow found a last burst of energy. He thrust himself away from the tree with enough force to throw Brooks slightly off balance and hurl both of them back toward the railing. Just before impact, Brooks spun sideways.
After that everything seemed to move in slow motion, each movement captured like separate images in a digital slide show. Jax’s momentum carried him into t
he railing. He was moving so fast his legs flipped up and over his head, propelling him over the edge.
Panic widened Jax’s eyes as he fell over, heading toward the eighty-foot drop, feet first. Without conscious thought, Brooks reached out a hand as the other man went by, grabbing Jax by the wrist. He braced himself against the railing, and the impact when he stopped Jax’s fall almost yanked his shoulder from its socket.
Brooks looked down at Jax, dangling by one arm, then at the boiling cauldron of water below.
“Just. Let. Go.” Jax spit the words.
“No.” Bracing his feet more securely, Brooks reached out with his other hand, but he couldn’t grasp Jax’s other wrist. The one he had hold of was the injured one.
Jax hung there, kicking his legs, and Brooks’ grip slipped slightly. “Hold still,” he hissed.
“Let go,” Jax repeated. “You know I would, in your place.”
“That’s how you and I are different,” Brooks grunted. “I don’t betray my friends.”
They stayed that way for what seemed like hours, staring at each other. Brooks’s arm ached, but he refused to let go. He tried to re-adjust his grip, but when he looked down again, he saw what Jax intended a split second too late.
Even as he shouted, “No!” Jax kicked his legs far out over the water and used his momentum to break Brooks’s grip on his wrist. Without a sound, he disappeared into the foaming water.
Brooks leaned over the rail, searching for a glimpse of the other man, but it was as if he’d never been. He saw nothing but rushing, pulsing water shooting down toward the next level of falls.
Brooks turned away, then mustered his last reserves of strength and headed back to the picnic area. He was still several hundred yards away when he heard the welcome blades of the chopper. Bursting through the clearing, he saw Regina being loaded onto a stretcher.
“How is she?” he shouted to Francisco Lopez, running up alongside the stretcher. His heart pounded as he looked at her. She lay still, unmoving, her eyes closed, her skin a pasty white. Had he been too late? Please, God. No.