Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
“I need to grab my contact’s phone.” Mya spun in the opposite direction, but Sydney quickly hooked her by the arm and swung her back around.
“Hell no. You can’t save anyone if you’re dead,” Sydney bit out. “And also,” she began, pulling Mya along, “the cartel most likely tracked your contact here using his phone. We don’t need to lead those assholes right to us.”
Sydney tossed a quick look over her shoulder to see Oliver and Beckett running closely behind them, acting like human shields.
“That way.” Sydney pointed to a narrow outdoor hallway between two buildings that would provide some cover and prevent the ATVs from following.
They could gain some ground before showing themselves near the jungle, luring the men away from innocent bystanders. The archaeological ruins and other tourist sites were north of their hotel, so they’d have to do their best to avoid any heavily populated areas like those as well.
“Turn your phone off,” Sydney instructed Mya while running alongside her, grateful they’d both worn flat shoes instead of wedges to lunch. “They don’t know who you are yet, but if they manage to track your contact’s messages back to you, then?—”
“I’m so sorry,” Mya rushed out as they entered the open-air hallway, passing the empty fitness center on their left.
Word of the active shooter situation traveled fast.
“Just stay alive today, and we’ll be good.” Sydney grabbed hold of Mya’s arm and came to an abrupt halt, then slowly poked her head beyond the cover of the hallway to ensure it was clear.
Beckett sidestepped Sydney and announced in a tone that brooked no argument, “Stay here, I’ll check.” He kept his back to the white stucco wall and peeked around the corner.
“Will the police come?” Mya asked, and honestly, Sydney had no answer for her.
“Let’s just assume we’re on our own for now,” she responded, her eyes landing on a row of what looked like archery targets in the distance.
“It’s clear from what I can tell, but I hear engines out there somewhere.” Beckett faced her, and she reached for his arm on instinct. His gaze briefly cut to her hand before moving up to her face.
“I need a weapon,” she said after swallowing, unsure why her heart was playing some weird game with her right now. Pitter-freaking-pattering because of how he was looking at her? At a time like this. Really? Pissed at herself, she let go of his arm and shook her head to focus. “I can grab a bow from over there.” She pointed toward the archery center. From the looks of it, golf clubs had been abandoned on the ground when guests fled the scene after hearing shots fired.
She started to exit the hallway, but Beckett snatched her wrist, taking her breath right along with him. “Let me check again,” he said in a steady voice, and she didn’t resist.
Maintaining his grip on both his Glock and her, he edged out beneath the exposed overhang. “We’re good. I’ll lead. Oliver, you stay behind them.”
Human shields again? She didn’t argue, but he would need to let go of her at some point.
An uneasy look crossed Beckett’s face, a flicker of fear flashing briefly in his eyes. Was he worried she might die out there? Hell no. Leaving her son motherless was not an option. He doesn’t know me , she reminded herself and slowly pulled her wrist from his embrace.
With that, he wordlessly took off as planned, and she hung close behind.
This should work. She snatched a discarded learner-level recurve bow from the ground near the archery target. There was a quiver full of arrows nearby as well. A right-handed one, at least. “Let’s go.” She slung the quiver’s leather strap across her body and to her back, then gripped the bow and began running again.
“We have company,” Beckett warned as they neared the thick bank of trees parallel to the dirt pathway meant for horses and ATVs.
Sydney pivoted to the left, catching sight of an armed tango waiting near the edge of the woods, less than half a football field away.
The man began waving, and she twisted to see the three all-terrain vehicles tearing up the driving range a hundred yards back. Looked like they’d recovered the vehicle that crashed into the tree and found another driver.
“Move!” Oliver yelled as if Sydney had any intentions of chilling for a quick sunbath.
They continued their zig-zagged style of running to dodge incoming fire from both directions, but Beckett stopped a few seconds later, taking Sydney by surprise. He dropped to one knee, pivoted, and took down the asshole on guard by the woods.
“Nice shot,” she said, probably too low for him to hear. They’d successfully made it to the jungle, and the bad guys were officially taking the bait and leaving the hotel grounds. “Don’t head north. Too many tourist spots that way,” Sydney alerted them at the memory of their travels in the jungle yesterday.
They shifted off the designated pathway and took a sharp turn, whacking tree branches out of the way as they ran. It was obvious by the thick vegetation that this area wasn’t meant for tourists—there was a minefield of obstacles in their way as they worked to put distance between themselves and the thugs behind them.
A few minutes later and deeper into the woods, Beckett stopped running. “Time to move quietly now,” he suggested, and Sydney agreed.
They were too noisy at a high-speed pace, and in danger of getting hurt by Mother Nature in the process. It’d be feather-light and cautious steps from that point on, so they could pick off the men one by one.
“Re-enacting Hunger Games was not on the hotel’s activities list,” Mya surprised Sydney with a joke. Then again, the way Mya leaned forward, clutching her side and trying to breathe, she might not have been kidding.
The last thing she wanted was for her friend, who lacked military training, to be in any situation even remotely close to the Hunger Games books her son loved reading.
Sydney motioned to Mya to rest her back against one of the reddish trees behind her. “Catch your breath for a second before we continue.” The break would give them a moment to think and plan. To listen to the jungle and see how close they were to the enemies. But then . . . “Shit. The security cameras,” she remembered. “If they send someone back to the hotel to check the cameras, it won’t matter if we kill everyone out here—the cartel will figure out who we are anyway.”
“What about calling in Gray’s sister to help? She handles the same kind of stuff you do for us,” Oliver proposed, and she started to phone Gray with her Apple watch before he finished talking.
Sydney lifted her wrist near her mouth and cupped her hand behind her watch to prevent Gray’s voice from carrying when he answered the call.
Gray’s sister, Natasha, worked for the CIA. She also worked with her husband’s “off-the-books” SEAL Team that ran ops for the President. She wasn’t sure if Beckett knew the truth about what A.J. did for a living as part of that same team.
Sydney closed her eyes and continued to listen to their surroundings while waiting for the call to connect.
There was still the faint sound of an engine in the distance, but she had to assume most men coming after them were now on foot. At the moment, she only heard birds singing nearby. Possibly squirrels jumping between trees or a spider monkey spying on them.
“Sydney, everything good? I take it you spoke to Oliver and Beckett?” Gray finally answered.
“We have a situation,” she whispered. “I need your sister to delete all hotel security footage for the entire resort starting yesterday morning. And have her change our names on the hotel booking database. I can’t explain, but we’re dealing with the cartel, and we need an assist.”
“Fuck, okay,” was all the response she needed.
“Gotta go.” Sydney slapped a hand over her watch and ended the call before he could ask any questions. A fallen tree branch or the crunch of leaves nearby meant they wouldn’t be alone for long. Someone was out there. Possibly waiting for backup or to carry out a surprise attack. “I’ve got this,” Sydney mouthed to Beckett, realizing he’d visually tracked the sound as well.
As she crossed in front of Beckett, he circled a hand around her waist, stopping her to issue a quick order, “Be careful.”
Sydney nodded as he released her, but the feel of his touch lingered on her side. She focused on the gray-barked trees in her line of sight, searching for her target. She turned sideways and relaxed her shoulders, notching an arrow onto the bow and raising it.
The bow wasn’t the right size for her frame, but she’d have to make do. Loosening her grip so it wasn’t too tight, she sent the arrow flying as soon as the man moved into her line of sight.
Without missing a beat, she rushed in his direction, knowing the arrow wouldn’t be a kill shot regardless of where it struck him.
The man dropped his weapon in surprise as the arrow pierced his right shoulder. Before he could make sense of what was happening, she hooked her leg around his and brought him to the ground. Flipping him beneath her, she grabbed the knife she spied strapped to his leg, and finished him off in one fast, clean movement.
“Nice shot.” She overheard Beckett repeat what she’d said to him earlier, but when she twisted around to look his way, it was Mya’s look of shock that stole her attention.
“Holy shit, Syd,” Mya cried, a hand over her mouth.
She didn’t have time to calm her friend over the dead body. She removed the man’s rifle and offered it to Mya. “You think you can use this? It’s easier to shoot than a pistol. But heavy.”
Oliver stepped forward, shaking his head. “No, I’ll take that. She doesn’t need to kill anyone.”
“Unfortunately, she might need to, but okay, take it.” Sydney slid the bloody knife back into the leather sheath and handed it to Beckett. “Come on. Where there’s one, there will be more.”
They began moving again, navigating the woods at a slower pace, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. They didn’t get far before Beckett halted them, throwing an arm straight across Sydney’s chest so abruptly that her steps faltered.
She followed his pointed finger up a few inches from their heads to see a red snake twisted around the branch, its tongue flicking curiously. Beady black eyes right on her.
“Yeah, let’s not survive these assholes only to get eaten by the jungle,” Oliver said while shifting Mya behind him.
“Or attacked by a Mayan ghost,” Beckett muttered. She had no idea where that thought had come from, nor had she expected a joke from him, but?—
“It’s a red coffee snake,” he interrupted her thoughts. “Larger than normal. Looks like a coral snake but not venomous. If we back up, it’ll leave us alone.”
“ Looks like a coral snake?” Mya whispered. “Or is a coral snake?”
“I grew up on a ranch, and no, we don’t have these snakes there. But my father made me memorize nearly every damn snake known to this side of the hemisphere.” Beckett’s arm still stretched across Sydney’s chest as if that would somehow halt the snake from darting down. “We’ll be good. Just back up slowly. It may not be able to kill you, but it can still leave a mean bite.”
“Roger that,” Oliver remarked.
Beckett slowly lowered his arm only to hook it around Sydney’s waist again, this time in a protective manner.
“We’re clear, thank God,” Mya rasped once they were far enough away from the snake.
“Hold on,” Sydney said before they started moving once more, noticing a text flashing on her Apple watch. She read the message quickly, then faced the others. “Natasha’s fast. She must have already watched the security cameras and saw what happened because Gray’s instructing us to find somewhere to hide and wait.”
“Wait for an extraction? They can’t get to us in time,” Oliver commented, scanning the terrain, 9mm still in hand. The rifle hung across his chest.
“No, Gray said Carter has contacts here. He called in a favor. But he said Carter’s friends were already aware of our situation and en route. They’re here somewhere.” She did a three-sixty, feeling a chill creep up her spine.
“Weird,” Mya said while copying Sydney’s moves.
“Gray will ping my watch to get a location when it’s safe, and he said these guys will escort us back to the hotel,” Sydney added after reading Gray’s next text.
Gray: Confirm transmission.
Sydney: Copy .
“Carter sure as hell has a lot of contacts all over the place,” Beckett said as she looked up from her watch. “Lucky for us, I guess.”
Before Sydney had a chance to respond, she twisted around to follow where Beckett’s gaze had jumped, narrowly missing a bullet before he tackled her to the ground.
Three more shots followed, and Beckett remained on top of her a few seconds longer. He had his forearms on each side of her, and he lifted the weight of his crushing chest from hers so she could breathe before twisting to the side in one fast movement. Once on his back, he took two shots, and Oliver announced, “Tango down. But there’s probably more guys on the way.”
Beckett shifted into a crouched position and offered Sydney his hand to help her up.
“Thank you,” she murmured, a bit stunned she’d overlooked that shooter.
“Uh, yeah, we’re going to need to pick up the pace and run,” Oliver stated the obvious when shots rang out again, and they started in a new direction, heading east.
Beckett cleared the way for her by staying in the lead, which was helpful and not necessary. She could handle herself.
“I think I know where we can hide,” she announced when an idea hit her. Cenotes . There are a few thousand smaller ones, so we have to come across one of those sinkholes soon. Without losing speed, she switched her watch to waterproof mode so she didn’t destroy her line of communication with Falcon.
“Please tell me it doesn’t involve a hole in the ground,” Mya said while trying to keep up with Sydney’s pace.
“You gotta face your fears at some point, right?” It was their best option. “We can hide underground. And if it’s possible, use the rivers down there to swim to a new location and find dry ground while we wait for another text from Gray,” she explained once the shooting had ceased, which meant they’d placed enough distance between themselves and the gunmen.
“There, you see that?” She pointed toward a slight clearing in the woods up ahead. “I think that’s one of the cenotes.”
“Yeah, I think so,” Beckett confirmed after jogging ahead of the rest of them.
She came up alongside him and peered down the hole. It was more like a jagged dirt circle in the ground. Wide enough for two adults to squeeze in at the same time. Nothing nearly as big or touristy as the ones she and Mya had viewed yesterday.
Beckett crouched to get a better look and tossed a small rock into the opening. A faint splash followed a second later. “There’s water there. Maybe a thirty-foot drop.”
Sydney turned and held her hand open, inviting Mya to jump with her. “The water will cushion our fall. You’ve got this.”
Mya stared at Sydney’s palm and took a hesitant step backward. “And if they follow us down into the hole?” Panicky brown eyes met hers a beat later.
Jumping into this pit frightened her more than the men chasing them. Only Mya.
“Then we pick them off one by one as they drop in. We’ll have the advantage,” Oliver calmly said.
“I can’t.” Mya started to back up even more. Sydney shot Oliver a quick look, a silent message of what she needed him to do.
Oliver gave her a slight, barely noticeable nod, then tucked his gun into his waistband, and shifted the sling of the rifle so the weapon went to his back.
Their weapons would suffer water damage if submerged for too long and more than likely shoot like shit or misfire, but it was a chance they’d have to take.
“I’m sorry,” Oliver said just before grabbing hold of Mya. One arm around her waist and a hand over her mouth, having the foresight to muffle her screams, he forced her into the hole with him.
“You ready?” she asked Beckett. He extended his palm, offering to hold her hand while they jumped.
And for whatever reason, she took it. She let him take the lead once again.
Guess I’m getting my way after all. I wanted to swim down here , she thought with a shake of her head, right before they jumped.