Chapter Twelve #2
This one, however, was keeping pace with his buddy. She’d have to be careful or risk drawing the attention of both men. Changing her grip on the Ka-Bar, Rayne moved closer to her next target.
She skirted the thick bushes the soldiers forced their way through. If she hadn’t known Grant and the others were being trailed by the enemy, that would have done it. Whoever trained these guys needed a refresher course in tracking the enemy.
She closed the gap between her and her target and plunged the steel blade into the base of the soldier’s skull. He stiffened and crumpled. Rayne caught him as he sank to the ground.
The remaining soldier said in Spanish, “They can’t be far ahead of us. The old man looked like he wasn’t in good shape. Do you see or hear anything?”
Great. She slid the Ka-Bar back into its sheath and activated her other wrist sheath to drop a small knife onto her palm.
The man slowed and glanced over his shoulder. He stopped abruptly and spun. His eyes widened. “Who are you? Where did you come from?”
“I think I took a wrong turn. I’m lost. Can you help me?” Rayne kept inching closer, rapidly closing the distance between them.
The soldier’s brows knitted, then he glanced over Rayne’s shoulder. His expression hardened as he fumbled for his weapon.
Out of time. She tightened her grip on her knife and slashed the soldier’s neck with the wicked blade. Blood sprayed. Rayne stepped back as the man grabbed his neck to stop the flood of red. Wouldn’t help. She’d cut his carotid arteries.
Rayne gave the soldier a wide birth as she retraced her steps to rejoin Grant and the others.
Once she was out of sight of the soldier, she slid her Go bag from her back and grabbed a pack of wipes.
Although she couldn’t do anything about the blood on her clothes, cleaning her face, neck, and hands would make her feel cleaner until she could take a shower on board the jet and change her clothes.
After shoving the soiled wipes into a plastic bag to throw away later, Rayne shrugged into her Go bag and set off at a fast clip while staying alert for more soldiers. Twenty minutes later, she caught up with Grant and the others.
He glanced over his shoulder, his gaze skimming over her. “You good?”
“Yep.”
“How many were on our trail?”
“Three.”
He gave a curt nod. “Take the lead.”
Rayne hurried past the trio of men and resumed the journey to the SUVs. If they were lucky, the operatives wouldn’t encounter more resistance.
An hour later, they reached the treeline where the vehicles were parked and the White family and Fortress operatives waited. Grant and Trevor helped Gerald White to the lead SUV and into the backseat.
When they moved aside, Jake Davenport crouched beside the vehicle and asked the billionaire a few questions.
After assessing his patient, he grabbed a bottle of water and added a packet of electrolytes to the liquid and shook it.
“Drink this. You’ll feel better. If you feel like eating, we’ll feed you on the jet. ” The medic glanced at Seth and nodded.
“Load up. We need to make tracks.” Seth opened the passenger door for Teagan, then slipped behind the wheel.
Jake slid into the backseat beside his patient.
The rest of the operatives split up between the remaining SUVs.
They kept the White family together in the vehicle with Iona and Elias.
Soon, the caravan sped toward the airstrip.
“How many bogies did you have to take out?” Andre asked as he drove behind Iona, bringing up the rear of the caravan.
“Eight.” Grant twisted in the seat to watch out the back window.
“You see something?”
“Maybe. Keep the pace steady.”
“I’ll do my best. The government isn’t spending much on road maintenance. If I don’t slow down in places, we’ll lose our fillings.”
Rayne smiled. Andre wasn’t wrong. The potholes in these roads were deep enough to blow tires.
Grant growled. “Got company.”
Rayne twisted in her seat. Although the headlights were turned off or didn’t work, three jeeps were chasing them, closing the gap fast.
Andre tapped his comm device. “We have company back here. Three jeeps are closing in fast.”
“Take them out. If you need help, let us know.”
“Copy that.”
Grant and Rayne grabbed their Go bags and crawled over the backseat to the cargo area where Grant kicked out the back window.
“Rifles?” Rayne asked.
“Last resort. I have a few explosives left, and we have grenades. Let’s try those first.” He opened his bag. “Get your grenade launcher. You take the left. I’ll take the right.”
Rayne unzipped her bag, pocketed four grenades, and grabbed her grenade launcher. After climbing back over the seat and lowering the left side window, she balanced on the window frame. “A nice, smooth ride, please, Andre,” she called out.
“Copy that. Just get it done, will you?”
She looked over the roof of the SUV at Grant. When he was set, he nodded. Focusing on her target, Rayne gently squeezed the trigger. A split second later, the left Jeep exploded followed by the right Jeep.
The middle vehicle used evasive maneuvers to avoid a similar fate.
“Get ready,” Grant called.
Rayne readied the launcher and zeroed in on the remaining Jeep. “Ready.”
“Aim in front of the Jeep on the right side. Fire when ready.”
Five seconds later, she squeezed the trigger again. An enormous explosion ripped through the asphalt, spraying dirt and debris into the air. The driver jerked the wheel to the left.
Grant fired. The Jeep exploded into a ball of flames.
“Yes!” Seth said. “Great job. Now get back inside the SUV and let’s get out of here.”
“Copy that.” She and Grant lowered themselves back into the vehicle and raised the windows.
They completed the rest of the journey to the airstrip without further trouble and soon the three SUVs parked at the edge of the tarmac.
The operatives bailed from the vehicles with their Go bags.
Members of Echo helped the Whites and the bodyguard into the jet while Artemis provided cover for their teammates.
Once their principals were inside the jet, Iona signaled Artemis. Rayne and the others ran up the jet’s stairs as the engines powered up. As soon as Elias and Andre secured the door, the jet rolled down the airstrip.
The operatives hurried to their seats and fastened their safety belts as the jet picked up speed, racing down the airstrip. Seconds later, the aircraft lifted off the ground.
“Perfect timing,” Grant murmured. He inclined his head toward the window. “More cartel soldiers just arrived on the tarmac.”
“They were determined to capture their hostages again.”
“Makes me wonder why. They should have cut their losses and been done with it.”
“Money?”
“Perhaps.”
They fell silent until the jet reached the correct altitude and they could unfasten their safety belts.
Jake scooped Mrs. White into his arms and walked toward the bedroom at the back of the jet.
“Jake, would it be all right if I took a quick shower while you check Mrs. White?” Rayne motioned to her uniform. “I need to change clothes in the worst way.”
“No problem.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t mind getting dirty on missions. Wearing someone else’s blood was another matter altogether. Rayne glanced at Grant. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“I’ll have food waiting for you.”
She grabbed her Go bag and followed Jake and Mrs. White to the back bedroom.
While the medic situated his patient on the bed, Rayne slipped into the bathroom.
After turning on the water, she stripped off the soiled clothes and stepped into the stream of hot water with a soft groan.
Despite the temptation to linger, she soaped up and rinsed off quickly.
Jake might need access to the bathroom as he treated his patient’s wounds.
Rayne dried off and dressed in a fresh black t-shirt and cargo pants. She walked into the bedroom. “Need anything, Jake?”
He paused in hooking up an IV. “Two bottles of water would be great.”
“What about food? I’ll be happy to bring both of you a meal.”
Jake glanced at Tara. “What about it, Tara? Do you want to eat something?”
She nodded. “I’m hungry but I don’t know if food will stay down.”
“I’ll find you something.” Rayne returned to the cabin and put her Go bag in the overhead compartment.
Grant walked toward her with two plates in his hands, one piled high with sandwiches and chips.
She smiled. That plate must be Grant’s. “What did you make us?”
“Roasted chicken sandwiches. I didn’t know how hungry you were. If you need more, I’ll be happy to go back to the galley and put together another round of sandwiches.”
Of course he would. Man, Grant must have a hollow leg. She didn’t know where he put all that food. “I need plates for Jake and Tara along with bottles of water.”
He handed Rayne the plates. “Take these to them. I’ll bring water to the bedroom, then make plates for us.”
She brushed his lips with hers. “Thanks.” Pivoting, she retraced her steps to the bedroom and eased the door open with her hip. “Roasted chicken sandwiches and chips. Grant’s bringing water.”
“Thanks, Rayne.” Jake took the plates from her and handed the plate with one sandwich to Tara. “Eat what you can. Start with the sandwich. If you feel sick, stop. Don’t be surprised if you can’t eat much. You haven’t been eating your normal amount of food for a while.”
A knock sounded on the door frame, and Grant stepped inside the room with a water bottle in each hand. He gave them to Jake.
“Thank you for everything,” Tara said. “Especially for risking your lives to save us. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t arrived when you did.”
“We’re glad we were available to help.”
“I can’t believe what you accomplished with so few people on your team.”
Rayne reached over and squeezed Tara’s hand gently. “It’s what we’re trained to do.” She stood. “We’ll go so you can eat. If you need us for anything, have Jake come get us.”
Back in the cabin, she and Grant went to the galley and made more sandwiches for themselves and joined the others still eating at the conference table.
Sean and his children huddled together in seats near the back of the jet, blankets draped over them.
Gerald White and his bodyguard still sat at the conference table, sipping coffee.
The operatives kept the conversation to neutral topics, aware of the children nearby. When everyone finished their meals, Grant picked up the empty plates and tossed them in a garbage can, then headed back to the bedroom. He returned a moment later with empty plates and water bottles.
Seth motioned for Grant to join them again. When he dropped back into his chair, Seth said, “The boss wants to talk to us.”
Rayne’s stomach knotted. “Is that good news or bad news?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Might as well get it over with,” Elias muttered. “I don’t want to spend potential sleep time staring at the ceiling, wondering what’s going on.”
“Same,” Andre said. “Besides, it’s never good policy to keep the boss waiting.” He grimaced. “Maddox has devious ways of making you pay.”
“Truth,” Seth said. “So, let’s find out what’s going on.” He glanced at Riley and nodded.
A moment later, a grim-faced Maddox appeared on the wall screen. “Sit rep, then we need to talk.”
Oh, man. Rayne exchanged glances with Grant. More trouble was brewing.