Chapter Thirty-six
Javier
Her eyes got so big and wet that I would’ve cried if I’d had time. Her lips trembled with a shaky smile. Everyone went silent inside the rattling van. Every person on board heard my declaration. Hell, even Bozeman, our unflappable second in command, craned his neck and glanced at me, his lips slack.
Well, then. Let them know. Time wasn’t a commodity I had to spare. I wasn’t checking out without making it clear to Missy that I was madly and completely in love with her.
Bozeman yelled, “Here they come!”
“I got tangos at three o’clock.” Ferranti lifted his rifle and loosened his rounds on something I couldn’t see. He shouted. “Motorcycles!”
“I’m on the niners,” I called out. “ATVs.”
My vision was blurry and my grip was weak, but I stilled my breath against the agony scorching my veins. I lowered the window, propped my carbine against my left shoulder, and steadied it on the windowsill. Aiming ahead of a pair of speeding ATVs, I loosened my rounds. The first one took out the driver of ATV number one. The second one got the passenger shooting at us. Good to know that I was still good for something.
My sight flickered and the van spun around me. I angled my weapon and tapped on my trigger, sending a stream of rounds toward the second ATV. I missed. The vehicle kept racing toward us. Dammit . I couldn’t see my targets clearly, but I could feel the enemy rounds plunking into the van.
I returned my eye to the scope and watched a turd pick up the weapon that could take us out in one shot. “RPG, live,” I shouted.
“You got it, Goof?” King asked, scrambling for his weapon.
“You bet.”
A bout of weakness loosened my fingers. The carbine almost slipped from my hand, but Missy caught it. She braced on her knees and held it up for me. I put my eye to the scope, my finger to the trigger, and aimed at the ATV’s gas tank even as I spotted the RPG locking on us.
Boom. The ATV went up in flames without a second to spare.
King whooped from his place in the back seat. “Good shot, Goof.”
I grinned at Missy. “You and me, baby.”
She managed a crooked smile.
“Report,” Dagger called out.
“Three and nine are clear for now,” Bozeman replied. “Cooper’s keeping the turds behind us at a distance.”
Break time. I closed my eyes. I couldn’t believe how tired I felt. Sweat poured down my face and soaked my shirt. I felt as if I’d swallowed three dozen of the hottest chili peppers on the planet. As if I was being burned alive from the inside out.
“Hang on, Javi.” Missy’s cool hand squeezed my good hand.
“Ambush ahead,” Bozeman announced, and I forced my eyes to open. “Barricade.”
“Where’s Allen?” Dash demanded.
“He’s engaged, protecting our parallel flanks at the moment,” Bozeman reported. “The rest of his men are securing the hospital.”
Ah, yeah. The hospital. I’d almost forgotten that it was our destination.
“The police?” Dash asked.
“Also engaged,” Bozeman said.
All we had was each other. Bekker and his fuckers had managed to make a stand. If Bekker got his hands on Missy, she was gonna die a miserable death. I felt like shit, but I forced the old brain to work.
“Omega,” I said as loud as I could. “We need to go back. It’s the only escape route available to us, and the only surprise move we have left. They know I got bit. They know we’re going to the hospital. They’re waiting to mow us down. The tangos won’t be expecting a U-turn from us.”
“Don’t turn around,” Missy shouted over the rattling van’s racket. “We need to get Javier to the hospital.”
In the rearview mirror, Dagger’s stare met mine. We both knew what was at stake. We knew our probabilities of getting to the hospital alive were low at the moment. We also understood that Missy and Thena’s safety was our priority.
“I don’t need antivenom to send Bekker to hell,” I informed Omega.
“The hell you don’t,” Dagger muttered angrily.
The pain. Fuck . The carbine fell out of my hand. Missy took it from my lap and set it on the floor. With Thena’s help, they slid me down to the floor and sat me up with my back against the seat. I felt faint, much weaker than before. The air didn’t reach the bottom of my lungs.
Missy’s face came in and out of focus before me. “How are you doing?”
“Peachy.” My lame attempt at a thumbs up didn’t work.
“Dash!” Missy’s shout came from some distant place. “He’s running out of time!”
“We’re gonna get him there,” came Omega’s brisk reply. “Hang on, Guzman. Bozeman, ETA?”
“Twelve minutes to the hospital if we can get through.”
“We’ll get through,” Dagger pledged to the screech of brakes. “Bozeman, take control of the surveillance drone overhead. King, you’re up!”
“Hang on, bro.” He patted my shoulder before he slid open the side door.
I opened my eyes to see King outside the van. He and Ferranti dragged a trio of large black boxes from under the seats and began to tinker with them. Fingering his tablet at top speed, King activated one of the boxes.
A green light blinked on. Bogie wheels expanded from the bottom of the box. It elongated upward by almost four feet. Four arm-like metal appendages whirred out of the sides. I scrubbed my hazy eyes. Two of the extensions looked like machine guns. The other two looked like RPG launchers. King hit another icon on his tablet, and with a clank , the RPGs loaded.
“What the fuck?” I rasped.
“Shiny new toys, fresh from BB’s labs,” King explained while fingering the controls.
“We flew them down with us.” Ferranti looked down on his own controller and activated the second box.
“Do you know how to drive those things?” I asked.
“We’ve been training during our time off.” King tapped a series of icons and muttered, “Fingers crossed.”
So the land drones hadn’t been tested in battle yet. Tracker Team was pulling a Hail Mary on my account.
“Armed,” King called out.
“Ready,” Ferranti reported.
“Engage,” Dash returned.
King and Ferranti fingered their respective controls. The bogie wheels turned and the land drones began rolling down the road, gaining speed as they went.
“I’m launching this one on automation mode,” K-man announced. “Here we go.”
Small blades popped out of the top of the third drone and gained speed right before it took flight. I blinked several times when a frame expanded from the side. I spotted a compliment of grenades attached to the mechanism.
“The new age.” An indolent grin curved my lips before I closed my eyes against the pain. “The time of the good old-fashioned warrior is coming to an end.”
“Don’t say that,” Missy begged in my ear. “Please?”
When Missy said please, I couldn’t deny her anything, but I had to admit, as the door slammed shut and the vehicle sped forward, it was getting harder to please her.
“Watch the show.” It was Bozeman’s voice and it came from very near.
I forced my eyes open and blinked until I could make out the images on the divided screen. The integrated cameras offered a view of the land drones, speeding toward the barricade. One of the air drones flew high above, giving an overview of the battlefield. The newer version flew fast over the terrain and went into a dive, swooping down on the barricade at top speed. Shots echoed in the distance. Mercs pointed. A particular face looked up and snatched my attention.
“That’s him,” I growled. “That’s Bekker!”
Rat-at-tat. Rat-at-tat. Boom, boom, boom .
Dark clouds of smoke obscured the screen.
“Omega,” I called out. “We gotta get the fucker. This is our chance!”
“Dash, you keep going,” Missy shouted over me. “We have to get Javi to the hospital.”
“Priority one,” Dagger barked. “Hospital.”
“Negative,” I shot back. “Priority one is the women and the team’s safety. Priority two is to get this asshole. Bekker’s busy with the drones. He won’t be expecting me. Let me have a go at the fucker.”
“Are you mad?” Missy hissed. “It would be suicide. You’re in no condition to fight!”
“Omega, listen to me,” I said as loud and evenly as I could manage. “Turns out the new age is not yet here. We’re gonna need a good old-fashioned warrior to pull this one off.”
“What the fuck are you babbling about?” Dagger demanded.
“Hear me out,” I said. “Missy and Thena will only be safe if we cut off the head of the NWO. Bekker’s got the intel we need. If we take him out of the fight, his mercs will run. We’ll never get a better shot at him.”
“He’s not wrong,” Bozeman ventured.
Dagger clung to the wheel. His blank expression told me he was processing.
“Ferranti, give me more Tylenol.” It was about the only pain med we had on hand that would not trank me or further liquefy my blood. “Highest dose you got.”
I grabbed Bozeman’s tablet, and glancing at our navigation coordinates, assessed the terrain ahead and made the calculations in my head.
“Looking at the topo, I’ve got a small window in about four mikes.” I stuffed several pain relief tablets in my mouth, crushed them with my teeth, and swallowed despite the bitter taste. “A cluster of trees cover the road from drone and satellite surveillance. No bogeys at the location.”
“What are you saying?” Dash asked.
“A flanking maneuver. Drop me off on silent comms so they don’t know I’m coming. I’ll circle around and snatch the turd on the other side before he even knows I’m there. You all turn around. If Bekker’s out of the game, his mercs will scram. I get Bekker and hand him over to Allen, who’ll get him to you. Meanwhile, you get a window to get to the tarmac, fly out, and get Missy and Thena to Astor House.”
Omega acknowledged my recommendation with a nod. He knew my reasoning was sound, but he kept driving toward the barricade.
It wasn’t as if I wanted to die. Best case scenario for me was that I had less venom in me than expected and more time to live. But if we couldn’t get to the hospital at all, I was dead anyway. Better to go out fighting, knowing my woman was safe and my team was out of harm’s way, instead of sitting on my ass and watching the people I loved put their lives at risk because of me.
It wasn’t a hard decision. Phoenix Astor had died for me. Time to pay back the old debt. If I was gonna die, I’d do it for Missy, for Thena, for my friends.
Bozeman’s screen showed a pitched battle between the aerial drone and the mercs. The land drones were not far out from their target now.
“Yours is a terrible plan,” Missy snapped. “Worse idea ever. I’m not allowing it.”
“It’s not a bad plan.” Bozeman’s agreement shocked the hell out of me. It also drew Missy’s rage in the form of a glower that could’ve peeled the skin off him.
“You can’t let him do this,” Missy spat, her face almost as red as her hair. “You can’t send him out there. He’ll die if he tries.”
“It’s an excellent plan,” King called out from the back of the van. “Let me have a go at it, boss.”
“No, negative.” I craned my neck to scold K-man with a glare. “Me. I’m the one.”
“King, what about your land drone?” Omega asked, ignoring me.
“I just switched it to image-based automated.” Bracing on the seats, King moved forward.
“Bekker’s mine, K-man,” I warned. “He’s a tough motherfucker. I know how he fights.”
“Goof.” King crouched next to me and met my eyes. “Your plan’s brilliant, but you’re the wrong volunteer.”
Shit .
King wasn’t wrong about my subpar condition. On the other hand, I didn’t want him to risk his life for a turd that was my responsibility. I tried to push off the floor, but my legs buckled.
“Don’t move, you dense blockhead.” Missy held me down and King raised his eyebrows, giving me his annoying “you see?” look. “Listen to Kai,” Missy said. “He’s talking reason.”
“We’re a team,” King reminded me. “Let me do this, bro. Let me do it for you.”
He knocked his head toward Missy. I understood what he meant. I understood very well.
“I can use some additional target practice,” Cooper commentated from his place at the back of the van. “I’ll give K-man an assist.”
“You clowns will need a babysitter.” Ferranti ejected his carbine’s mag and clicked in a new one. “I’m up for a little face-to-face with those sorry asses. I can set my drone on auto as well. Let’s give those BB drones a chance to show us what they can do.”
It blew my mind that the guys were willing to do this for me, to risk their lives to try to save mine while at the same time protecting the woman I loved.
“Good to see the kids are all grown up.” Bozeman actually smiled at me, a miracle in itself. “I’m happy to take them to the park, boss.”
“Can’t leave the women unprotected,” I countered. “Their safety is foremost.”
“I concur,” Dagger said, and the others nodded.
“Is anyone listening to me?” Missy piped up. “Antivenom. That’s the priority. Thena, please help. Say something.”
“Javier, I’m not letting you out of this van until we get to the hospital.” Kneeling on the floor next to me, Thena turned to Omega. “I can handle a weapon. I’ve been training with Cooper. I can be useful. Don’t be an overprotective alpha-fool. I can deploy one more weapon to put on the board and get us to the antivenom while the guys do their thing.”
Omega screwed his face and kept driving at top speed, but I could tell by the gleam in his eye that he saw the same opportunities I’d identified and a way to achieve several objectives with one play. We could protect the women, snatch Bekker, and neutralize his mercs.
“Forget the hospital,” I said. “Drop me off and make the U-turn.”
Dagger’s nostrils flared with an exhale. The guys started to argue the points.
“All right, listen up, people,” Omega shouted, putting an end to all debate. “We’re a team. We work together. This is not a suicide mission, and we don’t leave anyone behind.”
“You’re not leaving me behind,” I clarified. “I’m volunteering.”
“Cut through the shit,” he barked. “You’re not combat ready, Guzman. That’s a fact.”
“I can buy you enough time to—”
“Enough!” He slammed a hand on the wheel. “This is what’s gonna happen.”
When Dagger took command, everyone listened, and that included me, even though I did roll my eyes at him and got away with it, but only because I was bitten.
“Two teams,” he said. “King, Ferranti, and Cooper will deploy when I give you the go. As Guzman proposed, you’ll circle around the battle, come at Bekker from the rear flank, and bring him in alive if possible. You got that?”
“Got it, boss.” King and the others got to work, making their preparations.
“Bozeman, you’re with me,” Dagger said. “I’m gonna need a navigator and a frontal gunner to break through. Thena, you’ll remain low and cover the back. Find a helmet. Wear it. Don’t any of you fucking dare die on me. That’s an order, people. Guzman, we’re gonna get you to the hospital rain or shine.”
I started to argue. “But—”
“No arguments!” Dagger cut me off. “All of you, prepare to deploy in…”
“Two mikes,” I called out since I’d been tracking our progress on Bozeman’s tablet.
Omega gave a curt nod. “Two mikes it is.”
The men set their mission watches. King and Cooper checked their weapons and stuffed their vests with additional ammo. I reached for my carbine, and under Missy’s vigilant stare, took slow breaths. It was probably a moot point given that I was primed for battle and adrenaline flushed through my veins along with the venom, but if it made Missy feel better, then it was worth the try.
Bozeman dug out a helmet and an extra weapon and handed them to Thena.
“Be kind to my backup carbine,” he advised. “She’s the love of my life.”
“My dear Micah.” Thena shook her head and flashed a sad smile. “If this thing is the love of your life, then you don’t know what love is.” She squeezed Missy’s shoulder right before she donned the helmet and moved to the back of the van.
“Help me up.” I braced on my weapon, pushed off the floor, and with Missy’s help, parked my ass on the seat.
“You need to stop moving so much,” Missy warned. “And keep your hand—”
“Below the level of my heart.” I managed a grin. “Got it.”
Bozeman collected his tablet from me, took his position in the front passenger seat, and reaching for his weapon, called out. “Thirty seconds to download.”
Ferranti and Cooper lined up behind King, who braced at the door.
“You ain’t got time to take a stroll, surfer boy,” I reminded him. “You only got whatever time the drones give you, and they’re protos, so we don’t know what that is. Hoof it hard and watch your six.”
King smirked. “Me and the guys will be surfing the topo at high speed, bro.”
“Fifteen seconds,” Bozeman called out.
“Don’t forget,” I cautioned my teammates. “Bekker’s a dirty fighter. He hides a knife in his sleeve. Watch for tricks. He’s a mean son of a bitch.”
“Don’t you worry about us, Daddy Javi,” Cooper teased.
“We’re gonna bring you Bekker on a silver platter,” Ferranti promised.
“And when we do,” King added, “you better be waiting for us to give the turd hell.”
“Yeah,” Cooper agreed. “We ain’t doing all the work for nothing, you hear?”
I dipped my chin. “I hear.”
“Everyone, brace,” Dagger ordered. “Ready?”
Missy was still kneeling on the floor. I hooked my legs around her, and pulling her against me, anchored her securely.
“Three, two, one,” Bozeman counted out loud. “Go!”
The van screeched to a hard stop right beneath the trees as I’d proposed. King slid the door open, jumped out, and made a run for the jungle. Ferranti and Cooper followed and disappeared behind him. Thena slid the door shut. Omega put the pedal to the metal.
Now came the hard part.