With the sound of gunfire came pandemonium. The security guards, weapons at the ready, sprang into action and charged from all directions.
Chris and Nick hunkered down, obscured in the hiding spot, both eager for the arrival of the other two men. Eyes peeled back and searching, they both did a three-sixty sweep of the area.
“Where the hell are they?” Christian verbalized what Nick had been thinking. The probability of them getting back safe was decreasing by the second.
“How the fuck should I know?”
Their fears became reality when two men came hurtling from the jungle, followed by a swarthy hulk of a man brandishing a weapon and shouting something in Spanish.
“The shorter blond has to be Buchanan.”
“Yeah, family resemblance.” Christian was alert and primed and sprayed the area with a volley of gunfire. The hulk went down, creating the perfect opportunity for the other two to hightail it across the open expanse.
“Come on, guys,” Nick muttered under his breath, urging them on as bullets exploded around them from an unseen source.
It was as if they’d heard. Buchanan quickened his pace and sprinted away like the hounds of hell were after him. The bigger guy, who could only be Havoc, nipping at his heels. They’d almost made it back when disaster struck. The big man went sprawling face first in the dirt.
The guys had been close enough for Nick to recognize the sickening thwack of metal slamming into flesh. “God damn it.” He jumped to his feet and raced out at a crouching run to help the fallen man.
Buchanan must have heard it too and turned back. The guy who was shot was already staggering to his knees before either of them reached him.
“What’s the damage?”
“I’ve been winged, but I’ll live.” A dark wet patch appeared high on his shirt as he spoke.
The wound was bad but could have been worse, and there was no time to attend to it now.
Buchanan shoved a supporting hand under Havoc’s armpit and hauled him upright.
“Move, you two!” Nick shouted as he squeezed off a round, waited two beats and then raced after them. They burst through the vegetation mere seconds in front of him to where his brother waited.
“Keep going,” Christian yelled, discharging his weapon in a barrage of fire. Havoc took him at his word.
Buchanan slowed. “Where’s Loretta?” he shouted above the din of battle and the screams of the peasant women who were running for cover.
“Up ahead with Hawk and Beth,” Nick called, reloading his weapon and firing again. “Don’t just stand about shooting the breeze, move it, we can’t hold them off forever.”
Buchanan didn’t argue.
“You go too, bro.” Christian sprayed the area with another rapid burst of fire, taking out three tangos in the process. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“Two minutes, Chris, no more, then I want you hell and gone from here, understand? It won’t take those suckers long to regroup.”
The acrid smell of cordite thickened the air, and as the shooting stopped, the silence was almost eerie.
“Understood. Hurry and get to the bridge, and, bro, keep that ugly mug low.”
He gave Christian the thumbs-up, and then took off and didn’t slow until he caught up with the other two.
Havoc’s paw covered his shoulder blade in an attempt to stem the flow of blood oozing between his fingers as he bounded at an awkward gait through the brush.
“How bad is it?” Nick asked, trying to get a closer look at the injury.
“Not sure, he won’t slow to let me look,” Buchanan said over his shoulder.
Havoc grimaced but maintained his stride. “Time enough to fuss when we get over that goddamned bridge.”
Buchanan took the lead then, and Havoc fell in behind. Nick dropped to the rear just to be sure the big man didn’t go down.
*
Zach set a steady pace. At any other time he’d have insisted on staying behind, but his mind was on the women, and there was no room in the equation for distraction. Beth’s brother being a Marine tipped the balance.
The return journey was easier and, as expected, they caught up with the other party in no time, but he was unprepared for the sight that greeted him.
Alarmed at seeing Hawk carrying his sister, he bolted toward them. “What the hell’s happened? Has she been hit? You said she was okay,” he accused as icy fingers clawed up his spine.
“She’s weak and fevered but conscious.”
Hawk set her down but kept hold of her for support. His explanation unnecessary now as Zach assessed her condition with his own eyes.
“Hey, Sis, how are you doing?” he asked and ruffled her hair with a gentle hand as Hawk held her steady.
“Zach, I’m s-sorry.” She hiccupped and licked her lips.
Her eyelids closed and then fluttered open again. Gone was the sparkle from her baby blues, replaced by a dull and cloudy haze, causing his heart to constrict and his throat to tighten.
“It’s not your fault.”
“No…you…don’ und’stand…fo’evry…thing…fo’so much.” The words were disjointed and slurred, almost incoherent.
“Hush, it’s not important, save your strength.” Zach moved his hand to her brow, the heat being generated from her body was enough to fry eggs. She looked so small and frail against Hawk’s broad shoulders. She was paler, thinner. Hawk’s shirt swamped her. What the hell? “Why’s she wearing your shirt?” His hissed words were no less hostile than if he’d shouted them. Graphic images of Loretta being abused flew into his mind uninvited.
“Chill, man. I got there in time,” Hawk answered back, every bit as hostile as he. “I’ll fill you in later.”
He nodded and massaged the back of his neck. They’d lingered long enough, and now was not the time to get into the nitty-gritty of Loretta’s rescue.
Hawk got to his feet and hoisted Loretta onto his shoulder.
“I’ll take her from here.” Zach reached for his sister. Hawk had shouldered her long enough.
“Nah, it’s cool. I’ve got her now, and she’s comfortable.”
“But she’s my…”
“Buddy, it’s cool.”
He grunted and Hawk moved off. Then he looked at Beth standing two feet from him. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “What about you, Beth, how are you doing?” He wanted to take her into his arms, lower his mouth to her lips, caress her body, but they’d already wasted too much time.
“I’m fine, but where’s Christian?” Her voice was strained as she glanced at the jungle behind before refocusing on him.
“Watching our backs.”
Green eyes widened, she folded her arms and stared up at him with a mix of anger and disbelief. “You left my…”
He cut her off. “His choice. It’s what he’s trained to do, so let’s take advantage of it.” He grasped her hand to tug her along. Beth, it seemed, had other ideas.
When she tried to shake him free, he tightened his hold into a vice-like grip and towed her forward, but she dug in her heels.
“I am not taking one more step until I know he’s safe.”
“Fuck it, Beth, we don’t have time for this shit.” His patience had deserted him long ago. Loretta needed medical attention, and so did Havoc, and they were a long way from being safe, so he was beyond minding his manners.
She winced as if she’d been slapped. The concern for her brother was commendable, but jeopardizing their safety was foolhardy. He was about to let her have it with both barrels when support came from an unexpected source.
“As much as it irks me to agree with this Neanderthal, we really don’t have time for this. I’ll wait for Chris. You go on ahead with guttermouth,” Nick volunteered.
Zach let the insult slide as he tallied the situation. The goal was to get everyone out in one piece. Havoc’s wound was a problem, but he was holding his own. Loretta, on the other hand, was bad, real bad. Carrying her would slow them down, and with the insurgents breathing down their necks their best chance was to accept Nick’s offer to lag behind and let the brothers take care of any problems that happened along.
“Okay, Carmichael, but try not to get your head blown off.” He couldn’t resist the words of warning.
“I wasn’t asking for permission.”
“Whatever. Do you have enough ammo?”
“Yeah, plenty.”
Zach nodded to the man who he hoped would soon be his brother-in-law and wondered if they’d ever see eye to eye. As he contemplated, Beth pulled her hand free and rushed over to Havoc who had dropped to his haunches.
“Havoc, you’ve been hit.” His blood-soaked shirt was a dead giveaway.
“It’s nothing, a flesh wound; don’t worry, love, just get a wriggle on. Your brother can’t hold those bastards off forever, and he wants to give us a clear head start.”
“Here, let me help.” Zach shoved his hand under the Aussie’s good arm and it took a lot of his muscle to haul him up, Havoc was three inches taller and outweighed him by forty pounds.
“Ta, mate.”
“You good to go?”
“Always.”
Zach understood Havoc was conserving his energy by using mono words. He was also glad Hawk, with Loretta in his arms, hadn’t stopped for the powwow. Instead he’d forged ahead, disappearing from sight as the jungle swallowed them up.
Havoc, Beth, and he set off, and true to his word, Nick hung back to provide backup support to the Marine sniper. No doubt Christian would be pissed, but that was up to the brothers to sort out and not his concern.
They were making headway, but the weather was against them. A light drizzle had begun to fall, and the dark clouds gathering overhead boded ill.
It must have been about fifteen minutes later when Hawk stopped and lowered Loretta to the ground.
“Easy, sugar,” he said as she whimpered between cracked, swollen lips.
Zach whipped out his canteen, opened it and lifted it to her mouth. “Here, drink.”
The others gathered around and looked on with consternation as she pushed it away with a feeble hand.
“Just a few sips please, Loretta. It will make you feel much better.” Beth’s brows beetled as she encouraged her friend to swallow a mouthful.
That it hurt his sister’s throat to do so was evident. She grimaced and groaned and pushed at it again, a thin trickle ran down her chin and dripped onto her shirt. He passed the canteen to Beth who took a long draft before handing it back.
“I’ll take it from here, Hawk.” He replaced the canteen and bent over to lift Loretta but stopped when Hawk stepped in front and laid a hand on his shoulder.
“No, I can manage, she’s only a lightweight.”
Whoa, that paralyzed him. It was as if Hawk was the Medusa and had turned him to stone. Not because he demanded to carry Loretta again, although that, too, was odd. No, it was pure shock that held him in place. He looked at Hawk’s bare chest, unable to believe what he saw. He knuckled his eyes, but the vision didn’t clear and the words were out before he could censor them. “What the fuck is that?” He pointed at Hawk’s nipple ring.
“You blind as well as dumb, old man?”
His mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. He had no reply, and it was the kid’s biz after all, but “old man,” seriously!
Havoc cleared his throat and lifted an eyebrow but didn’t comment, what could he say?
Hawk’s attention was back on Loretta, his voice low and consoling and meant to soothe as he raised her to his shoulder with all the care and gentleness of a father lifting a child.
“Not much farther now, sugar.”
“Come on, Beth, like Hawk said, not much farther now.” He draped an arm around her shoulders. They were tight, and a pulse thrummed in her neck.
“What about my brothers?” She hugged her body, jamming her hands under her armpits as she asked the question.
He stiffened. “They’re professionals, honey. We can’t wait. You know that. Once we’ve made the crossing we can cover them from that side.”
She screwed up her face and studied her toes.
“Don’t worry, baby.”
Her head snapped up. Then she spoke and her bottom lip trembled. “I can’t help it. I’m scared. Scared for my brothers, scared for Loretta, scared for Havoc, and scared this bloody nightmare won’t ever be over.”
Of course she was scared. “Shush, honey.” With gentle hands he folded her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “I just need you to be brave a little longer. Can you do that for me?”
She gulped and gave a jerky nod.
“That’s my girl.” No wonder she was afraid. Purple and blue fanned across her face where the bruise had darkened, and her cheeks and forehead held traces of dirt, but to him she never looked more beautiful. Their fingers locked and with unspoken agreement they set off at a slow run.
The bridge was still a way off, and the weather, which began as an inconvenient drizzle, had now turned nasty. Sheets of cold rain fell from the leaden sky in a cloudburst, and their already damp clothes were drenched through in a matter of seconds.
Beth and he caught up as Hawk was re-adjusting Loretta’s weight on his shoulder. She was shaking and shivering, and this latest soaking would only exacerbate her condition. He wasn’t much of a praying man, but silently sent one up now, to no avail, as a nanosecond later gunshots rent the air; they seemed in competition with the pounding deluge.
“They’re reining us in.” Havoc stated the obvious. “Pick up the pace or we’ll be in the thick of it.”
“Move it, you guys!” Nicholas bellowed from behind, catching them up. “They’re on our tails and closing fast. You lot keep going and I’ll cover you.”
“Christian?”
“Is on his way, Beth.” Nick took up a position and squeezed off a round.
Hawk, Loretta, and Havoc were already on the move, and for once Beth didn’t argue. Zach was on her ass, and a very fine ass it was too. Just as the thought brought a grin to his face, a stray bullet ripped into the tree fern beside her.
The whoosh of it sliced the air and he yelled, “Get down.” He launched at her and she hit the ground, assisted by the impact of his weight.