Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
V iper pushed on, thankful he was wearing gloves. The branches were sharp and scratched at his hands. Behind him, he could hear Izzy's breath coming in short, sharp gasps. She was tiring. The rain didn't help. It wasn't heavy, but it was persistent, and every now and then they'd feel it seeping into their clothing or down their necks.
He couldn't blame her for being grumpy. She'd been through hell in the last twenty-four hours. They needed to find somewhere to rest without being spotted by the kidnappers who were no doubt gaining on them. They were pros and they didn't have Izzy slowing them down. There were more of them too, so they could spread out and cover more ground. It was only a matter of time before they were sighted.
He came to a ditch covered in vegetation. If they could burrow beneath the foliage, they might be able to hide Izzy. She couldn't go on much further. Even now, their pace had slowed considerably.
"Let's lay up here," he said to Phoenix, who was rotating in a hundred and eighty degrees behind them.
Phoenix turned to look and nodded. "It's as good a place as any."
Viper lifted some of the denser branches and burrowed in. Using his knife, he sliced away any sharp branches until the hollow was comfortable enough for Izzy to crawl into.
"You want me to lie in there?" she stared at him incredulously as he re-emerged. "What if there are bugs and spiders?"
"At least they aren't armed with AK-47s," Viper said dryly.
She bit her lip. "Are you coming with me?"
He glanced at Phoenix. "Nope, we're going to keep watch."
"But what if they find you?" There was a hint of panic in her voice.
"They won't, don't worry."
"We know how to take care of ourselves," Phoenix added, with an encouraging smile.
She glanced worriedly at them, then ducked her head and slithered into the burrow. "Just be careful," came her muffled response as they layered on even more vegetation.
"Don't come out, no matter what," Viper told her. "Wait until we come for you."
He thought he heard a muffled sob before he turned away. She'd be okay there for now. At least until they'd neutralized the threat.
It was time to deal with these guys.
"I'll go left," whispered Phoenix, pointing ahead.
Viper nodded and moved right. They'd fan out and eventually come into contact with the men following them, taking them out quietly. They didn't need to discuss it; they'd done this maneuver countless times on ops, though never on the same team.
It wasn't long before Viper spotted one of their pursuers. Dressed head to toe in black with a Kevlar vest, the guy moved expertly through the undergrowth, rifle ready.
Viper waited for him to pass, then approached silently from behind. A branch cracked.
The guy stopped and spun around.
Viper froze.
The guy peered into the darkness for a long moment, then slowly began to inch forward again.
Viper mirrored his movements, closing the gap a little more each time. Then, when the guy finally stopped, Viper sprang from the shadows and stabbed him in the neck. The mercenary's hand flew up to stem the bleeding, but Viper had hit the jugular. There was no coming back from this.
Slowly, the man sank to his knees, then dropped his hands to his sides and toppled forward. He'd hardly made a sound, other than the soft gargling as the life drained out of him. He'd never even seen his attacker.
"I'll take that," murmured Viper, picking up the guy's rifle. The CIA had only given them handguns, not semi-automatics. This would come in handy.
He covered the dead man with branches and continued forward, zigzagging to cover more ground. It wasn’t long before he spotted another mercenary. This guy was big. Barrel-chested and thick-thighed, it would take more than one pounce to take him down.
He moved parallel to the merc, tracking him silently through the leaves. Despite being massive, the guy moved with a practiced grace. He was no stranger to jungle maneuvers.
He was fast too, pushing branches and foliage out of the way, but he wasn't particularly quiet. You could hear him coming a mile away. That was the downside of size.
When they were within fifty yards from where Izzy was hiding, Viper pounced. He jumped on the guy's back and tried to wrestle him to the ground. The big guy fell over, but not before he'd compressed the trigger and let out a short, but deafeningly loud, burst of fire.
Shit.
Now the rest of the tangos would come running.
He figured there was no point in being quiet now and shot the big guy in the head. He died instantly.
Viper pushed him away and got to his feet. There was blood spatter on his shirt. He had to get out of there. Even now, the jungle was being torn apart as men came crashing toward the sound of gunfire.
He knew Phoenix would come too. For the hunter always followed the hunted.
If used to their advantage, this could provide the diversion they needed to take out the pack.
He melted into the undergrowth and waited. Sure enough, three others appeared, crouching low, weapons drawn.
"Damn, Diego's down," one of them hissed in a low voice. He had a thick, rolling accent. Not Argentinian, but local. A lot of mercs working in Mexico were ex-military or cartel enforcers. They'd probably told Emily they were Argentinian as a cover, and she'd believed them. She had no reason not to.
"Was it them?" asked another.
"Yeah, I guess so. Be careful, man."
More grunts and the men spread out from Diego's position.
There was another short burst of fire from the other side and one of the men fell.
Phoenix.
Viper took out the one closest to him, then dived into the undergrowth for cover as the remaining merc opened fire. Bullets slammed into the trees above him.
More shooting and a yell as the third guy went down.
Viper popped his head up.
"Good job," he said, as Phoenix appeared out of the shadows.
"That's four down," said Viper.
"Five," Phoenix corrected. "I took one out with my knife."
One left to go.
The last kidnapper had obviously heard the commotion, but wisely kept himself hidden. Even now, he was probably tracking them.
Phoenix gave him a hand signal that meant, I'll double back. You go on.
Viper nodded.
It was so dark between the trees that anyone watching wouldn't have a clear shot unless they got up close and personal. And they wouldn't risk opening fire and giving away their position. Not when it was two against one.
So now the hunt began.
Viper set out, creeping through the undergrowth, his ears peeled.
Every now and then he thought he heard a rustle, but it could be anything. There were gangs operating in these jungles, hostile banditos armed with weapons. This was Mexico. Danger lurked around every corner.
He stopped, hunkered down and listened. The rustling continued for a while, then stopped. Definitely someone tracking him. He waited, willing them to show themselves. As soon as he got a visual, he could take them out. But the guy didn't appear. He was good. Patient. Well trained.
Then he heard a shout and his blood went cold. It was Phoenix's voice. He sprang out of hiding and surged through the bush. The remaining mercenary had Phoenix in a headlock and was reaching for his knife. He was going to slit his throat.
Not on my watch!
Viper took but a moment to aim and then shot the guy in the head. It exploded, covering Phoenix in gunk.
"Jeez!" he muttered, leaping away.
The man fell to the ground behind him.
Phoenix took a moment to compose himself. "Thanks, buddy. I thought I was a goner there for a minute."
Viper grinned, but he could see Phoenix was shaken. "Nah, far from it. I had your six."
They headed back toward the ditch where they'd hidden Izzy. "I hope she didn't hear the shots and freak out," said Phoenix.
Viper shook his head. "Nah, she's tougher than she looks."
"Get to know her quite well, did you?"
"Sort of." He avoided his friend's gaze. "You can learn a lot by watching someone."
Phoenix nodded in agreement. "You sure can."
Observation was a crucial part of their SEAL training. Watching and waiting. Waiting for that perfect moment to strike, just like a sniper lying in wait for the ideal shot.
"She seems nice," said Phoenix, unwilling to let it go.
Visions of her taunting him in the swimming pool sprang to mind.
I need a man's opinion.
"Nice isn't the word I'd use to describe her.” He resisted a smile. Feisty, independent, sexy as hell. Vulnerable too. Izzy was all those things. “She’s tough, but she’s a good person."
His instincts told him so. Every time she provoked him, every time she paraded around in front of him, he sensed the strong woman underneath. There'd been no hint of that pampered princess since they'd rescued her. She may be a social goddess, an influencer and mistress of her domain, but when things got rough, she was just another scared hostage.
They got within twenty meters of her hiding place when Phoenix held up a hand. They both crouched down into the undergrowth. Viper had heard it too. Voices, the crunching of foliage. Then a shout.
Followed closely by a scream.
He went cold.
Fuck.
"They've found her," Viper whispered urgently.
"Who's they?" hissed back Phoenix.
"I don’t know. These aren’t the guys from the ship."
Phoenix shook his head. "This must be a different crew."
That meant locals—and locals meant trouble.
Viper gestured to Phoenix that they move closer. They belly-crawled through the vegetation until they had eyes on Izzy. The rain decreased visibility further, so they had to get closer than they would have liked.
She was surrounded by at least a dozen young men holding a ragtag assortment of weapons. One in particular was shouting at her in Spanish.
"I don't understand?" she sobbed.
He threw his hands up in the air and another man took his place.
"Who are you?" His English was heavily accented but passable.
She was too terrified to answer.
The man gripped her shoulder and shook her. Viper clenched his jaw but remained still.
"I'm a tourist," she blurted out.
Good girl.
"A tourist? Here?" He laughed. "Nobody comes here on vacation."
He had a point.
"I was on a yacht, but we got attacked and came ashore. I'm lost."
He stared at her, then at the first man, who was clearly in charge. The rest stood around gaping at her through the rain that was getting heavier by the minute. It wasn't looking good.
Viper glanced at Phoenix whose expression told him he knew exactly how serious this situation was. There were too many of them to take on, they'd probably end up getting themselves killed.
In these instances, the best thing to do was to let things play out and wait for a better opportunity to rescue her.
Not great for Izzy, though. She was obviously terrified. Her eyes were huge, and she kept peering into the bushes like she expected them to come to her rescue. He wanted to, he really did, but he couldn't.
The leader barked a command and the interpreter said, "Who are you with?"
She hesitated.
Viper grimaced.
"No one. I'm alone."
The men laughed.
"Where is your man?" sneered the interpreter. "You didn't come into the jungle alone."
She looked wildly into the bushes. Phoenix lay a warning hand on his shoulder.
The leader hissed a warning and the men spun outwards, weapons drawn. They were smart. This was a territorial gang, used to defending their patch.
They may look ragged and poor, but appearances could be deceiving. Those semi-automatic rifles shot real bullets and these guys had probably been firing them since they were teenagers. Some of them didn’t know much else besides violence and war.
The leader shouted into the jungle. He had a deep, growly voice backed up by enough raw aggression to make most men shiver. Viper didn’t speak much Spanish, but the meaning was clear.
"?Salgan ahora!"
Both Viper and Phoenix lay stock-still, camouflaged by the undergrowth and the penetrating darkness. The locals had no idea they were less than five meters away.
"We know you are there," said the interpreter, taking matters into his own hands. "Come out now."
The small army surrounding Izzy gripped their assault rifles, their heads roving like satellite beacons.
The leader said something and gripped Izzy by her hair. She yelped. "No, don't hurt me. Please."
Shit.
Viper glanced at Phoenix, his expression grim.
The man kicked her in the back of her legs, forcing her to her knees. He placed the rifle against her forehead.
"Show yourself," the interpreter called out. "Or we kill your woman."