Sam needed privacy to work his skills. Sending her off to find the enemy was a calculated risk. Could he kill both snipers in the trees before she was spotted? He didn't waste time, taking the closest tree, the one at three o'clock. The man was up high, about thirty feet, sitting in the crotch of the tree, his rifle resting on the branch snaking out to provide both cover as well as support.
Trees were extremely dangerous when using teleportation. Too many sharp edges and the potential for missing smaller, unseen twigs made the idea terrifying, but his enemy was sitting up in that tree with a sniper rifle, hunting him and Azami. He wasn't about to let that go. In any case, the foot soldiers had told him nothing about this particular attack. He wanted to find a way to follow the thread back to the snake's head and he had to do it before Azami got hurt.
It was difficult not to think of her as a soldier. She was too well trained and it was easy to see her as a warrior rather than someone he needed to protect. She felt capable. She felt, gut-deep, like a partner. Still, he had to get into both trees and take out the snipers if they were to hold out until help came.
He studied the tree carefully, taking great care to find the perfect place to insert his body without damaging it and still get to the sniper before the man could alert the others--or kill him. He watched as the wind blew through the leaves and shifted the branches subtly. It was fortunate that the crotch of the tree was fairly bare of snapped-off branches, lessening the chances of making a mistake. He didn't want to end up with a stake stuck through his leg--or any other part of his anatomy.
He picked his retreat, a spot closer to the other sniper, one that should afford him a good enough view to scope out an entry point. Unfortunately, the space was free of cover and he'd have only a moment to slip into the brush before the sniper would spot him. To ensure his chances, he would have to cause a small distraction, buying him just enough time to vanish.
Sam made the jump fast, a blinding, blurring speed that took less time than his thinking process had. His body hit the vee of the tree perfectly, but the momentum nearly threw him off the other side. Something bit hard at his calf and dug into his back, but he dismissed the pain and caught the sniper's head by his hair, jerking it back as the knife bit deep into the throat. He shoved the body from the tree as he made the jump back to his retreat point, hoping the other sniper would look up at the movement of the body and give him those few seconds he needed.
He found himself a little disoriented, but he managed to slip into the brush and lie flat, his heart racing as he checked to make certain he was still all in one piece. Blood seeped from a stab wound on his calf where a broken branch had jabbed him. He couldn't get his hand to his back without disturbing the brush around him to test for blood, but it hurt like a son of a bitch, so he didn't need evidence that trees were not the place to try teleportation. Still--he was going to do it again.
He studied the sniper through the foliage. Dark hair, dark skin, yet not black, the man definitely knew the business end of a rifle. Sam found having enhanced vision was very helpful in just these situations. The sniper was much higher up in the tree, the branches thick and plentiful, making the tree easy to climb but much harder to teleport into. It would take seconds to actually make the jump and kill the sniper, but the hazards were far greater. He sighed. He was going to take a hit with this one.
Sam teleported through those close branches to the spot he'd chosen directly behind the sniper, another thick branch with smaller limbs sprouting in all directions. The sniper was speaking softly into his radio. The language shocked Sam. Farsi. What the hell did that mean? What would an Iranian sharpshooter be doing in the Lolo National Forest? How did soldiers from a foreign country make entry into the United States with the weapons they had?
As his feet found purchase on the branch, his weight sent a shiver through the tree, enough that the sniper turned his head while he was still talking. His eyes went wide with shock and he broke off abruptly. Sam lunged forward, kicking hard, driving his foot into the man's chest, sending him tumbling out of the tree as he tried to swing his rifle around.
The man fell, his mouth wide-open but no sound emerging. The rifle fell with him, but not before Sam caught a good glimpse of it. There was no doubt in his mind that the rifle was a Dragunov sniper rifle, produced in Iran as the Nakhjir sniper rifle. He needed that evidence. He materialized beside the body and snatched up the rifle, projecting himself back to his chosen retreat spot before sliding into the brush once again. Bullets hit all around him, zipping into the brush from several directions.
"Surrender," a voice barked out. The command was issued in English, but heavily accented.
Sam scuttled like a crab, his body hugging the ground as he slipped through the small animal trail into heavier brush. Bullets pounded the dirt, spat splinters from the bark on the trees, whipped through leaves, and hummed past his ears. One burned his back and another skimmed his arm, slicing hot and painful, taking a strip of flesh. But he found the depression he'd been looking for and scooted into it, burrowing deep.
The volley of shots ceased as if someone had given an order. "You will die if you don't surrender," the voice warned again.
When Sam made no sound, the hail of bullets seemed to increase their fury.
Where the hell was the cavalry? Azami? Are you clear? He was going to have to chance surrendering, because he was definitely going to take a bullet if this kept up.
I'm coming around behind them, taking them out one by one. Are you hit?
He loved how calm her voice was. She could have been strolling through the park. Not yet. I'm going to give myself up. Hopefully they won't shoot me. Stay out of sight. I'll escape as soon as I'm able.
They might kill you.
He liked the protest in her voice. True, but I don't think so. I think they'll want information. They've come a long way for something. If they take me with them, I'm leaving a rifle here. Take it to Ryland, and for God's sake, don't get caught.
That's not going to happen. Go ahead and surrender, but if they kill you, I'll be following them all the way back to their base, and I don't take prisoners. You know they're after my brother, not you.
Sam was counting on whoever these people were wanting her brother or at least information about him--that and they would know his team would be coming down that mountain any moment after them and they'd want to wrap this up fast and get the hell out of Dodge.
"Stop shooting," he called. "I'm giving myself up."
CHAPTER 4
Sam pushed the rifle slowly into deeper brush, careful not to rustle any leaves. He waited until the guns were once again quiet. "I'm standing up now. No one get crazy on me."
His heart drummed out the time in his chest. This was the single moment no one ever wanted to live in. Life or death? There were at least seven to ten of the enemy, not including the second Jeep full of mercenaries. Any one of them could get trigger happy and his life would end in a hail of bullets. He really didn't want to go out that way. Taking a deep breath, he let it out and slowly stood, both hands raised high. His gaze moved fast over the entire area, noting positions of the enemy. There weren't as many as he'd first thought--or Azami was making the most of her time.
Do you need me to create a distraction? I can lead some of them off you.
No, don't do anything yet. When I need you, I'll give you the signal, but don't let them know you're close--not yet.
"Link your fingers behind your head and walk forward," the man in charge ordered.
Sam had six semiautomatics centered on him. He did what he was told. The occupants of the Jeep were worrisome, and now that they had him, they were going to move fast to keep his team from raining fire down on them. He and Azami had bought a few minutes, but not enough to get his team down the mountain.
The brush was thick and he swore as he deliberately walked through it, swallowing more precious minutes and making a show of stumbling. He didn't want to look like a threat to any of them. He couldn't quite look l
ike a whipped pup, but he tried to project that image. He was about to reveal secrets to Azami, and there would be questions he didn't want to answer, but if he was going to get out of this alive and keep her safe, he had no other choice. She'd be watching him this time and she'd see what he could do. This time, the battle was more like a pool game, all about the angles.
One of the men made a comment, laughing a little at his discomfort, the words in his own language. Not so tough. They lied to us about these men, he interpreted.
"Shut up," the commander growled, clearly not wanting them to speak anything but English.
He was more cautious than the others and absolutely the biggest threat--which meant the commander had to go first. Sam chose each target carefully. He could take out five of them for certain, but his energy would be sapped quickly after that. He'd have to be in almost continuous motion, taking only a second for each kill. His body wouldn't have time to catch up to the speed he was moving. He wouldn't feel whole, the sensation of his body tearing apart strong, but he simply had no other viable choice.
Azami, when I give you the word, can you take the two soldiers hanging back in the trees, nearly out of my sight? Can you see them?
No problem.
There it was--that supreme confidence he found sexy as hell in the middle of a firefight. Who knew he was such a fucking pervert that a woman in battle could turn him on with just her soft voice filling his mind with assurance that she could take out the two soldiers. Purring. She purred, the sound of her voice vibrating through his entire body.
Time slowed down like it always did for him when he needed it to. The wind rustled the leaves in the trees and lighter branches swayed gently. The sky overhead was pale blue, a few wispy clouds floating. A perfect day. He noted the faint crackle of leaves as mice scurried away from the intruders. Somewhere a hawk screamed. Life continued with or without Sam Johnson.
The commander signaled the closest man forward. It was now or never. Sam sent Azami the order. Take them.
He ran straight at the commander, his fingers gripping the handle of his knife. He crossed thirty feet with blurring speed, so that the commander blinked and Sam stood in front of him, already drawing the blade across his throat. Sam ran for the soldier twenty feet from the commander, banked off a tree and plunged the knife through his throat, twisted and was sprinting toward the third soldier. Racing up the trunk of a tree, slingshotting off, somersaulting in the air, he landed behind the third soldier, cutting his throat as his feet touched ground. Another burst of speed took him directly to the fourth soldier.
He slashed in a figure eight, cutting arteries, feeling the effects of repeated teleportation, his body beginning to shake with overload. He put on another burst of energy, racing from the fourth soldier to the fifth. He zipped around trees, to come up behind the soldier.
The entire thing had taken seconds only, but the fifth soldier had caught the fall of his companions and whirled around in a circle, his finger steady on the trigger. Sam had to turn with him, staying behind the man, praying Azami was clear of the stream of bullets as they cut through leaves and trees and mowed down branches. His body shuddered, legs suddenly rubber. Sam plunged the knife deep into the soldier's kidney, knowing he was going to go down. He had to take the soldier with him to keep him off Azami.
The gunfire would draw the Jeep filled with mercenaries, and he was terribly weak. He might not be able to protect the woman. Get out of here. Make your way back to your brother. The team is on the way, in the air now. I can feel them getting closer.
He twisted the knife free and plunged it a second time, determined to take the soldier down with him. His knees gave out and he went down hard, retaining possession of the knife. The semiautomatic continued firing as the soldier sprawled over Sam, the sound deafening.
I don't need protection.
There was just a bit of haughtiness in the soft voice filling his mind. She poured warmth and confidence into him. The gun went silent, but he felt the vibration under him, indicating the Jeep was racing toward the battle. Sam summoned strength and shoved the dying soldier off him. The man rolled, his dark eyes staring at Sam in a kind of a shock. They'd been a far superior force in numbers, but one GhostWalker and a woman had destroyed them.
You get your men?
Of course.
Sam pushed down the smile that little haughty note brought out and rolled to get his hands under him. He groaned at the sudden crashing pain and tried to push himself onto his hands and knees. This was more than weakness from teleporting too much. The distances had been relatively short and his body felt nearly settled. He'd taken a couple of deep wounds from the stabbing broken branches in the trees, but really . . . in front of Azami?
"It isn't going to happen," he muttered. "You're a fuckin' GhostWalker. Get on your feet and move, soldier."
He felt a surge of psychic energy, a strong wash surrounding him, and instinctively he twisted, looking for the threat. Azami materialized on his left side, reaching down to slide her arm around his waist. Shock waves rocked him. There was no way she could use teleportation, yet she'd been a great distance from him. How had she managed to cross that space in under a second? As far as he knew, he was the only one in the world who could do such a thing--and yet, she had. He recognized the burst of power, the alarming buildup of energy and the way her body shimmered for a moment, nearly transparent until all molecules caught up with her speed.
He found himself looking into those dark, mysterious eyes. For one moment, he felt as if he was falling forward and he caught himself. He was not about to lean on anyone, let alone a woman. "Who the hell are you?" Because she was no ordinary woman, and more and more his radar told him he was dealing with a fellow GhostWalker. And if that was so, and she hadn't identified herself as such, if she was lying about who she was, they had a major problem.
He did not want to kill this woman. Everything in him rebelled against the idea, yet that nagging suspicion refused to go away. He held his breath. The wind seemed to cease.
"I'm the woman who happens to be saving your butt right now. Keep walking. We're about to have more company. If you go down again, you won't be getting back up."
Hell. He knew he'd been hit, it just hadn't registered in his brain yet. He'd been moving too fast, but someone had fired repeatedly and a bullet had clipped him--somewhere. He was used to the aftermath of teleporting, the sheer exhaustion and the pain as bones and tissue realigned, as if somehow, they hadn't all quite found their rightful places back in his body. He accepted the help from her, not wanting to fall on his face in front of her.
Her waist was very small. His hand was so big, he was almost afraid to put it on her--afraid anywhere he touched would be inappropriate. Fucking hell. He should be thinking about guns and bullets and self-preservation, not how perfectly her body felt against his.
They hobbled away from that scene of death and chaos, back into deeper woods. Azami didn't go far. She set him down beside a large tree. He could feel the earth trembling.
"The others are close. My team's about five minutes out." He blew out his breath and assessed the damage. "I can handle this. Seriously, woman, you're driving me crazy." She was too, but not in the way she should be. He should want her hiding in the bunker with her brothers, Kadan and Nico protecting her, but no, she was here, in danger, and all he could think about was how good she smelled. And how very glad he was that Kadan and Nico had wives they adored.
Azami laughed softly. "I seem to have that effect on men--driving them crazy. Apparently my behavior is not normal."
"You're damned attractive and you're distracting me." The words were out before he could censor them, shocking him and judging by her face, shocking her.
"I think you're a little delirious."
The teasing note in her voice slipped inside his guard and warmed him. Damn it all, she wasn't who she claimed to be and he was responsible for the safety of his team and for Lily's baby. The woman was overpowering his good sense with shee
r sex appeal. He turned his head toward the sound of the engine drawing near, more to distract himself than for any other reason. He'd known all along that Jeep was close.
Overhead they could hear an approaching helicopter, the sound of the blades growing loud. Azami sent him another smile and made a move to rise from behind the brush. Alarm rushed over him and Sam caught her wrist, yanking her back to safety. She didn't resist, or even look annoyed. She simply looked down at the fingers shackling her and then back up to him, raising an eyebrow.
Damn, she was calm. He liked that. He also liked that her fingers had settled around the hilt of her knife. His curved around hers, holding her hand still. "You don't trust me."
"I don't know you. But I see you lack trust in me as well."
He flashed a wan grin. "I don't know you either." He indicated above the canopy with his chin. "They aren't ours."
Thorn glanced at the sky, her heart thudding hard in her chest. Two helicopters? That was some serious firepower. Mercenaries and Iranians. What was going on? Someone wanted either Sam Johnson or her--very badly.
Ropes dropped from the helicopter hovering some distance away, and several men began fast-roping down. She assessed the damage to Sam. He'd been shot. It looked like a through and through, but the bullet had entered on his right side and come out the back. He'd lost a lot of blood. It was only his training and iron will that kept the pain at bay and the soldier from passing out.
It was impossible for a woman like Thorn not to admire Sam as he pushed himself up, sliding his weapon forward and going to ground without so much as wincing. The back of his shirt was covered in blood and there was more on his calf. "Stay still," she advised. "And take a breath."
She didn't give him time to think about it, as she pulled a thin, rather large rectangle-shaped bandage from her pack. Shoving up his shirt, she slapped it over the wound. He gasped and turned his head to look at her over his shoulder, suspicion in his eyes. She ignored it and reached for the front of his shirt.
Samurai Game Page 7