Chapter Ten #2
Guessing that he wanted to talk to Jake without her listening in, she stepped back from the cot. “I’ll see if we’re still secure.”
She left the room without looking back at the trio.
Whatever Will wanted to discuss with Jake, she hoped the problem wasn’t as bad as she feared.
The children wouldn’t be able to keep up on a fast-paced run out of the rainforest, which meant the operatives had to carry them as well as aid their parents.
Rayne checked the back door first to be sure it was still locked. Check. Next, she walked to the front of the building, ignoring the guard’s body as she tested the doorknob and found it secure as well. Following a sweep through the other rooms, she returned to the children’s room.
When she walked in, Will seemed more at ease. Thank goodness. Hopefully, Will and Jenna would consider her and Jake their protectors.
Jake turned as she approached the cot. “I need to look at Jenna’s ankle, then we can tell the others we’re ready.”
“Hurry. Seth is right. Something is going on out there. The whole place is lit up with people scurrying everywhere.”
The medic circled to the other side of the cot and crouched beside Jenna. “Hi, I’m Jake. Will said you hurt your ankle. Will you let me look at it for a minute?”
After a glance at her brother, Jenna nodded.
“Which foot, Jenna?”
She pointed to her right one.
“I’m going to roll up your pant leg so I can see better, all right?”
When Jenna agreed, Jake said, “Got your flashlight handy, Rayne? I need more light.”
She reached into a pocket of her vest, grabbed her penlight, and aimed the beam at the girl’s ankle. It looked like a mini-football.
After a cursory examination of her foot, Jake unzipped his mike bag and grabbed a vacuum splint.
“What’s that?” Will asked.
“It’s called a vacuum splint. This will hold Jenna’s ankle steady so she can’t accidentally make her foot injury worse.
It should also reduce her pain.” He showed Jenna the contraption and explained in simple terms how the splint worked.
“What do you say, Jenna? Will you let me use this to protect your ankle?”
The girl looked back at her brother.
“Let him do it,” Will urged. “The splint will help.”
Jenna glanced at Jake and nodded.
Without waiting, the medic splinted Jenna’s ankle, then tapped his comm device. “Children are secure and ready to go.”
“Copy,” Seth murmured. “Hold position until I give you the go.”
“Roger that.”
“Will, are you able to walk or run until we’re outside the compound?”
The boy nodded.
“Jenna, will you allow Rayne to carry you?”
The girl looked at Rayne for a beat, then nodded. “Where are you going?” she asked.
“I’ll be in front of you, Will and Rayne. The bad guys don’t want us to leave. My friends and I will have you out of here and back home before you know it.”
“What about Mommy and Daddy?” she whispered. “They have to come too.”
“Our friends are working on freeing them. They’ll meet us in the rainforest.”
Through the comm device, Seth said, “Jake, two minutes.”
“Copy that.” He smiled at the children. “Almost time to go. Rayne, you and the kids stay behind me. We’re leaving soon.”
Knowing the pep talk was for Will and Jenna’s benefit, she nodded and bent to scoop Jenna in her arms. “Put your arms around my neck. Try not to squeeze too tight.” She winked. “I still need to breathe.”
The girl giggled.
Jake extended his hand to Will and helped the boy to his feet, steadying him when he swayed. “Whoa there, buddy. You okay?”
“Dizzy. The bad men didn’t bring us food today.”
Rayne and Jake exchanged grim glances before the medic said, “As soon as we’re away from the compound, we’ll give you something to eat.” He tilted his head a bit. “In fact, I think I have something the two of you might like.”
Jake dug into his mike bag, pulled out two suckers, and handed one to each of the children. “Try these. A quick hit of sugar will give you energy for a short time. We’ll feed you something more filling when you’re safe.”
Will and Jenna tore off the wrappers and shoved the candy into their mouths, the white sticks protruding from between their lips the only evidence of the treats.
Rayne grinned. “Better have more suckers on hand for the rest of us, Jake.”
“My mother didn’t raise a fool. I always keep a stash for my teammates. Suckers work for adults and kids.”
Jake walked to the door and peered up the hall, then motioned for the others to follow him. They made their way to the back door and stopped.
“What are we waiting for?” Will asked.
“For our team leader to tell us it’s safe to leave the building.” Jake crouched and turned his head so the children could see the comm device in his ear. “I can hear my teammates talking through this. If I tap it, they can hear me talk.”
“Cool!”
He chuckled. “Yeah, it is cool unless you’re trying to sleep, then it’s annoying to have someone talking in your ear all the time.”
That brought giggles from the brother and sister.
Seth’s voice sounded through their comm devices. “Team 2, go.”
Jake tapped his earpiece. “Copy that.” He smiled at Will and Jenna. “Time to go. You ready?”
They nodded.
The medic turned away from the children before palming his Sig. “Will, you and Jenna remain silent until I tell you it’s safe to talk.”
“Yes, sir.”
He glanced at Rayne, an eyebrow raised.
She nodded. She was ready.
Jake opened the door wide enough to peer into the darkness. “Moving out,” he murmured.
“Copy,” Teagan said. “You’re clear for now, but you need to get going. Activity in the compound is picking up.”
They left the air-conditioned building and stepped into the warm, muggy night. Jenna didn’t move as Rayne followed in Jake’s footsteps. Will stumbled on the uneven ground.
“Will, grab the back of my vest,” she whispered. “That will help your balance.”
“Sorry,” he whispered back and grabbed onto her vest. “I’ll try harder.”
“You’re doing great, buddy.”
Jake led the group to the lone large tree between the building and the wall. Seconds later, an armed guard rounded the corner and rushed along the back of the structure.
Oh, man. This wasn’t good. If the guard looked behind him, he’d see them for sure. Soon, a second man followed on the heels of the first one.
Jake’s expression grew grim.
If those men went inside the building and discovered their dead comrades, they would raise alarms all over the compound. While she believed in her teammates’ capabilities, 50 heavily armed cartel members to 9 operatives was pretty long odds.
The first guard went inside the building while the second one continued around the structure.
Looked like the decision had been taken out of their hands. They didn’t have a choice now. They couldn’t allow the guards to alert the others to their presence. Jake whispered, “Stay with the kids. I’ll take care of the guy inside.”
Which left her with the guard outside if he reappeared. Chances were good that he would retrace his steps. Someone must have tried to contact the two guards assigned to the children and, when he couldn’t raise them, sent more soldiers to check things out.
Jake covered the distance between the tree and the back door in seconds, paused at the door, then slipped inside.
Rayne set Jenna on the ground at the base of the tree and grabbed one of her knives. She’d use the Sig as a last resort. Gunfire would draw too much attention when they wanted to slip out of the compound without detection, if possible. “Will, sit next to Jenna and try not to move.”
“Where are you going?” he asked, panic in his eyes.
“Nowhere if I can help it. I have to be ready in case Jake needs help.”
Will dropped next to Jenna and wrapped his arms around her.
A minute later, the second guard reappeared and headed for the back door.
With no choice, Rayne ran after him. The guard was within a few feet of the door when Jake stepped into the doorway. He lunged to the side as the guard aimed his gun at the medic.
Rayne threw her knife. The blade sank deep into the guard’s neck. He stiffened, then slumped to the ground with a soft thud. He didn’t move.
Jake appeared in the doorway again. “Thanks.”
She gave a curt nod and jogged back to the children. “You guys all right?”
“Is he dead?” Will asked.
How was she supposed to handle this? She couldn’t lie to the children. They’d seen everything so lying would be pointless. Besides, she’d learned over the years that dealing in truth was much better than telling lies and having to remember what you said. “I think so.”
“Good.” Will’s hands fisted. “He was mean to Mom.”
Through their earpieces, they heard Seth say, “Team 1, go.”
“Copy,” Grant murmured.
Rayne’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. At least she knew he was safe for the moment.
Jake signaled for them to move out. Instead of going to their entry point, he hurried along the base of the concrete wall toward even deeper shadow until he reached a place along the top of the wall where a thick tree branch grew over the barrier.
He stopped under the tree branch. “Will, are you good at climbing trees?”
The boy shook his head, wide eyes filled with fear. “I’m afraid of heights.”
Rayne estimated the height to the tree branch. An easy leap from the ground for her. “Jake, you go first. Will might feel better having you with him. When he’s safe on the ground, I’ll hand Jenna to you.”
“What about you?”
“I’ve got this. Go.”
The medic got a running start and leaped, grabbing the tree branch. He hauled himself up, then lowered his mike bag to the other side of the wall.
Rayne set Jenna down again, wrapped her arms around Will’s lower legs and lifted him up to Jake, who reached down and grasped the boy’s upper arms. Once Will was on the ground on the other side, Rayne repeated the process with Jenna.
This time, Jake climbed down from the tree with Jenna draped across his back, her arms encircling his neck.
Rayne backed up a few feet and sprinted toward the tree branch. She used her powerful legs to leap into the air and grasp the branch. Clambering onto the limb, she scooted to the tree trunk and lowered herself enough to make a quiet leap to the ground.
Resettling her Go bag on her back, Rayne took Jenna from Jake. He picked up Will, and they ran over the three hundred yards separating them from the treeline.
Halfway to the safety of the trees, someone shouted behind them and fired off three rounds. Bullets struck the ground near their feet, throwing dirt and debris into the air.
Jenna buried her face in Rayne’s neck.
Jake tapped his comm device. “Team 2 under fire.”
“Copy,” Seth said. “Grant, go.”
A second later, an explosion on the other side of the compound lit up the night. All around the camp, gunfire sounded and men shouted.
Behind Rayne, Jake, and the children, the shooter continued to pepper the ground with bullets. At least the cartel member knew enough not to hurt the kids. She and Jake, though, were fair game.
Finally, they reached the treeline and plunged into the rainforest. Rayne and her partner continued to run, heading for the rendezvous point to join the rest of the team. Another volley of gunfire followed them into the thick cover of trees and foliage.
Rayne hissed as a sudden streak of fire tore across her right biceps.
Jake glanced over his shoulder. “Rayne?”
“I’m fine. Keep going.”
Jenna raised her head to stare at Rayne. “You have an owie?”
“A small one. Jake will give me a Band-Aid when we board the jet.”
Behind them, another explosion rocked the night, lighting the sky.
“What’s that?” Jenna asked.
She thought about how to explain the explosions, then opted for the simplest truth. “A friend of mine made some small bombs to keep the bad men busy.”
“Where are Mommy and Daddy?”
“They’ll meet us soon.”
“Are you sure?”
“My friend, who made the bombs, is with your parents. He’ll get them out, Jenna. Grant always does what he says.”
The little girl relaxed against her again. “Okay.”
Through the comm device, Grant said, “Team 1 under fire.”
“Teagan,” Seth snapped.
“On it.”
The sound of rifle shots added to the general chaos in the compound. “Go, Grant,” Teagan said.
Jake continued to jog with Will in his arms. Holding Jenna, Rayne was slower than she wanted. She didn’t want to slow down Jake and Will.
Increasing her speed, Rayne gained ground on Jake only to skid to a sudden stop when a cartel soldier stepped into her path with a wide grin and a pistol.