Chapter 2 #2
“Copy. Three, Four, status?”
“South edge secure. No sign of hostiles,” Boone reported. “Just more jungle.”
Liam sighed. His ear felt empty without Raven’s voice guiding him through terrain, reading heat signatures, marking potential traps.
She’d been his constant for the past several years.
Her voice, a safety net. But now? He hated the silence.
Raven was his team’s lifeline. The woman who could walk them out of hell with nothing but a satellite feed and her intuition.
He kept expecting her to cut in and say, Charlie One, you’ve got movement at your six.
And that nagging void in his comms fueled the sense that this mission wasn’t what it seemed.
“Copy. Charlie Mike.” In that moment, he vowed they’d continue mission until they found the missing woman, no matter the obstacles.
The team moved in silence, sweeping through the edge of the Sierra Oscura foothills where the intel had led them.
Liam had been on dozens of rescues, and this one felt off from the start.
The girl—allegedly a contractor’s daughter—had vanished from a resort in Bahía Sombra.
Witnesses saw her walk to the parking lot and never return.
According to the information relayed to his team, her belongings remained in her room.
The story should’ve ended with a ransom note. A message. Something.
And the location? It reeked of misdirection. After twenty-four hours, he’d made the executive decision to expand the search from the oceanside town where Agent Scott had directed them to the jungle nearby, without informing his government contact.
A root snapped beneath Liam’s boot. He paused and scanned the foliage. Movement caught the corner of his eye, or maybe his paranoia had gotten the best of him. At this point, he didn’t know.
His satellite phone vibrated in his pocket. He inspected his surroundings one more time and answered it. “McKnight.”
“Liam, this is Special Agent Scott.”
He listened to the agent’s news. “I understand.” He hung up and switched to his comms. “HQ reported the package was killed in a car accident. We have orders to abort mission.”
The air thickened, like the jungle had sucked out the oxygen. Or maybe it was his doubt. His gut clenched.
“Charlie One, what are your orders?” Dax asked.
Leave it to his men not to assume his intentions.
“It’s too clean. Too convenient.” He’d lay odds the eyewitness account of the woman in the parking lot was a ruse.
“The call came as soon as we diverted to the jungle,” Boone confirmed Liam’s own suspicions.
He mulled over the last two days. “Charlie Team, hold position. We're continuing sweep based on gut.”
Rafe didn’t question it. Just gave a quiet grunt. “Copy that.”
Dax, Boone, and Xander’s acknowledgments came next.
They pressed on, deeper into the jungle. The ground sloped, giving way to a narrow stretch of flat terrain. The canopy thinned, allowing faint rays of sunlight to filter through the leaves.
“Charlie One, Charlie Five. I have boot prints.”
“Copy. Hold position.” Liam veered to his right to inspect Xander’s find.
Xander pointed to the impressions in the dirt.
Liam crouched and ran his fingers over the tracks. A day old. Maybe less. He scanned the vegetation. Broken branches caught his eye. “Signs of life.”
“I agree.” Xander stood next to him, his rifle across his midsection, ready if needed.
“Fan out. Stay alert,” Liam ordered.
“Your gut speaking to you?” Dax asked.
“Like bad sushi.”
“Charlie Team, lock it down.” Rafe’s command held no room for questions.
The team pulled in close and moved with precision as one through the dense foliage.
He appreciated his second in command’s faith in his instincts. Liam methodically swept the area as he moved deeper into the jungle.
A deserted camp came into view. He raised a closed fist. The team stopped. Minutes ticked by. No movement, but he didn’t trust first impressions. Nothing about this mission rang true. He squinted at the space between two ancient tree trunks in the distance.
A hut—crudely built and camouflaged by vines. Not visible from any path. Exactly the kind of place someone wouldn’t want found.
With a two-fingered motion, he gave orders.
Weapons raised, they spread out. Boone moved left. Dax flanked right. Rafe took rear. Liam advanced center, with Xander stacked behind him. Every nerve in his body fired at once.
Liam approached the wooden and thatch structure, while the others stood watch on the perimeter.
No movement. No sounds.
So far so good.
He signaled Xander to stand guard at the door and moved in. The door creaked as he eased it open, weapon raised.
A woman sat slumped against the far wall. Bruised. Dirty. Her wrists bound and tethered to a pole in the middle of the hut. Her head lolled forward. He stepped inside. The door swung shut behind him.
She lifted her head slowly, but the dim lighting from the cracks in the hut obscured her face. “Liam?”
He froze. His heart slammed against his ribs. He’d know that voice anywhere. The one that had saved his hide more than once. He rushed to her side and dropped to one knee. “Raven?”
She nodded. Tears tracked a path through the grime on her face. “You came.”
His jaw tightened as he secured his weapon and removed the blade from his tactical pants. “We were sent in after a defense contractor’s daughter. My contact called and told us the target died in a car accident. But something kept me from pulling out.”
“I prayed you’d find me.”
“Are you the contractor’s—”
“No. They set me up. I’m not sure why.” She whimpered when he cut the rope from her wrists. Her raw skin had deeper cuts on it than a rope would leave. She cradled her wrists against her body.
“We’ll get those cleaned up, but I want you far away from this place as soon as possible. Can you walk?”
“I think so.”
He helped her to her feet. She stumbled and cried out.
“Charlie One, report.” Xander had no doubt heard her through the flimsy door.
He keyed his comms. “I found Raven. She’s badly injured.”
“Raven? How do you know?” Leave it to Boone to ask.
“Because she recognized me. And her voice is unmistakable.”
“Copy that.”
“Yes, guys. It’s me.” Raven knew his comms were hot.
“Holy cow, that is her.” Xander’s shock would have been amusing if the circumstances were different.
Liam guided her toward the door. The closer he got, the more tense she became. “It’s okay. We’ll get you out of here.”
“It’s not that. I—”
Chaos erupted. Gunfire exploded through the trees.
“We have company,” Dax informed the team.
“I’m sorry I can’t be gentle.” Liam scooped her into his arms and tried to ignore her cries of pain. “Charlie Two, lay down cover fire. Charlie Five, give the go-ahead. Charlie Three and Four, move to flank and don’t let them near us.”
He waited for Xander to tell him to move. When the go-ahead came, Liam exited the hut with his precious cargo and protected Raven the best he could.
Bullets hit the ground, kicking up dirt beside them.
Rafe's rifle cracked in rapid bursts, and Xander barked directions.
He followed Charlie Five into the trees and away from the men trying to kill them.
Raven shivered in his arms.
He glanced down at her face. Bruised, battered, but alive. They found her. Now they had to survive long enough to get out of this horrid place and back home to the States. He wanted her safe, and he wanted answers.
Until then, he’d protect Raven with everything in him and pray they survived whatever twisted mission the government had sent them on.