Cold Day In Hell

by Jerrie Alexander

  Ty's gaze seemed locked on the fiery sky. She wasn't sure he was listening.

  "After I came home, I lobbied for stronger laws. Searched the government ranks to find official support. I had to find someone who was not on the take or scared to stand up to the cartels."

  "They probably don't exist."

  "Not so." Damn him. "I found somebody I could trust, but he seemed more interested in letting your government blow up Ortega's manufacturing site. It's like putting a Band-Aid on an open wound."

  Her adopted family's citizens group was more dedicated to using the government to wipe out the drug trafficking than the government.

  She refused to waste anymore of her breath on Ty. He actually appeared bored. He brushed his large hand in front of his face as if he could shoo away the hordes of flying insects that lived and ate in the jungle.

  "Let's move. They'll be looking for us soon."

  He turned away from the multiple blazes, slid his goggles into place, and walked into the darkness, blending in with his surroundings. Panic hit her. Without him and his ability to see where they were going, she'd be lost. And soon after, she'd be dead. She hurried the direction in which he'd disappeared and plowed face-first into him.

  Was this a lesson? Like she didn't know how much she needed him to survive out here.

  He gripped her hand. "Grab hold."

  She wound her fingers through his a second time. A strange current raced up her arm. Okay, so he wasn't going to leave her behind. "Ortega was expected at the compound. You could've waited to blow things to kingdom come."

  "I didn't come to kill him."

  "I'm aware of that." Damn, all Ty could see was his mission. "But neither my government nor yours would've cared if Ortega had died during the explosions."

  "You're wasting your strength arguing."

  Ana threw on the brakes, jammed her feet into the ground and did her best to stop the big man. Didn't work. All she accomplished was nicks and scratches from the fronds he'd been blocking with his body.

  "I have to know he's dead," she exclaimed, hoping her seriousness made it through Ty's thick skull.

  "And risk getting you killed? Not on my watch."

  "We have to go back. Be there if he shows up. He could be on his way now."

  "No. We don't. Besides, if he's smart, he won't show up until he's sure it's safe." His tone sounded final, but Ana continued her efforts to slow him down. Her mind splintered. She'd given her word.

  He whirled, pulled his machete from behind his head, and then blew out a sigh. "Don't make me carry you. I promise it will be a bumpy ride."

  Ana stood inches from his chest. So close his breath ruffled her hair. She couldn't see him clearly, which made him even more menacing. Strong hands wrapped around her waist and tightened. She stiffened and stood rigid. With seemingly zero effort, he lifted her off the ground.

  "Choose."

  "I'll walk," she bit out in anger. "But you don't understand." Somehow, she had to get through to him. He put her down and stepped back.

  "After I get you somewhere safe, you can tell me all about it." He turned, leaving her seconds to latch onto his backpack, before he stepped into the really thick growth.

  Her friend in the government had let her read the report on Ty. An unmarried, ex-Army Ranger, who'd spent time in Afghanistan, which meant he probably understood the desert a lot better than the jungle. Did he know some predators hunted this time of night?

  Swack. The blade of his machete stilled the sounds of the night for a couple of seconds as it lopped off some obstacle she couldn't see.

  "Are you sure you know where you're going?" she asked.

  "We're not lost if that's what you're asking. There's a small cave ahead. Dug it out to make it larger. We'll rest there until daylight."

  "A cave? A predator could've moved in there."

  She heard him sigh again. Heavier and louder this time. Without responding, he pressed on through the heat and humidity. The deeper they went, the thicker the air became. Ana could feel the rain coming. Soon the nightly shower would hit.

  Her muscles burned, sweat soaked her skin, rolled past her collarbone, and soaked into her bra. The perspiration attracted every biting bug in the area. A swarm gathered around her head. She knew enough to keep her lips clamped together or she'd wind up with more than a few insects in her mouth.

  Ty seemed unfazed by the heat, the distant roar of a big cat, and the constant chatter of unseen tree dwellers. Humans were disrupting their habitat, and it made them nervous. Lord only knew what was slithering around under their feet. Yet he pushed on.

  Did he know that as long as there was noise everything was fine? When a predator was close and on the prowl, everything went silent.

  He wasn't much of a conversationalist, but it seemed he'd made up his mind about her. Nothing she said was worth hearing.

  He stopped abruptly. Again, Ana plowed into his back. The impact didn't budge him an inch.

  "A warning would be nice."

  "Sorry. Taillights aren't standard issue. Hold still."

  The air had thickened with each meter they'd walked. Stifling, making breathing an effort. They were about to get wet. The first drop of rain fell just as a hand cupped the back of her head. She jumped, startled by his touch. She didn't know him. Didn't know if she could trust him. Didn't know why the urge to lean into him was so strong.

  "What are you doing?"

  He blew out another heavy sigh. An exasperated-sounding one. "Hold still," he repeated as if each word took great effort.

  She opened her mouth to call him out for his patronizing tone of voice. He silenced her by placing the goggles over her eyes. Instantly, albeit not as good as sunlight, she could see her surroundings.

  "Wow. I need a pair of these."

  "It's not Technicolor, but you'll know what you're getting into."

  Ty stepped forward and, holding his hands out in front of him, moved a few fronds. Ana scanned the inside of what had to be the cave he'd referred to earlier.

  "Are you sure it's safe to stop and rest?" She prayed he'd say yes because exhaustion had her moving on sheer will. The space wasn't large, but it was big enough to hide them and provide protection from the coming downpour. The rainy season, when rivers and lakes flooded, was over, but daily showers were the norm. Although the air would be even more hot and humid inside his hideaway, they'd be out of the rainstorm.

  "I'm sure."

  She bent down and crawled inside just as a few droplets landed, quieting the exterior sounds.

  "Take a quick look around. I'll need the goggles back." He entered after her. "Not a Best Western, but it will have to do."

  Ana crawled onto a pile of leaves in the corner. She pulled her knees to her chest in an effort to find a comfortable spot on the makeshift bed. With no air circulation, the heat seemed to double from that outside. She wouldn't complain. The shelter might be overly warm, but it was dry.

  She finally got a good look at the man who'd saved her from going up in flames. He'd squatted directly in front of her. His broad shoulders and thick body filled the space. No wonder he hadn't budged when she'd run into him.

  He extended his hand in her direction, palm up. She reluctantly relinquished her ability to see in the dark. Blackness engulfed her. She sensed him move away. Panic seared its way up her chest, lodging in the tendons of her neck.

  "Wait." She hated how she sounded more like a squeaky mouse than human. "Are you leaving?"

  "Just long enough to make sure no one else is on our tail."

  "You'll hurry back?" A rustling sound came from beside her. The silence seemed to go on forever. She swallowed hard. He made perfect sense, but the idea of being alone in the dark, blind, sent icy chills through her veins.

  "Sure thing. I have a couple of things that might make you more comfortable."

  "You'll leave me the gun?"

  "That's one of them."

  The cave filled with a soft glow. He pushed the NVGs up on his fo
rehead and set a small lantern next to her.

  Even smeared with the sweat and grit from the jungle, his face was striking. Her heart rate jumped. Chocolate-brown eyes set off his caramel skin, sharp nose and jaw you could park a Jeep on. Hell, if he wasn't always so stern, he'd be beautiful. She laughed at the thought. American and always pissed, he probably wouldn't react well to such a feminine compliment.

  "Better?" He removed the gun from his holster and rested the cool grip in her hand.

  "Much. Thank you." Her fingers wrapped around the grip of the gun. She studied the pistol for a second, nodding a look of approval. "Beretta 9 mil. Fires fifteen rounds not counting the one in the chamber."

  "Okay, so you know guns. Just don't shoot me with the damn thing when I get back."

  He pulled on the goggles and backed out into the rain, piling six-foot fronds over the entrance. Suddenly, the small cave felt like a grave. Her arms prickled with sweat, and imaginary creatures scurried across her skin. Thankful for the light, she shook the paranoia out of her head, reminding herself she'd been in worse situations.

  Ty appeared to be of mixed blood, too. Castillo indicated a Latino heritage like hers, although he was a little darker than her mother or father.

  Her chest pinched when she thought of her parents. She closed her eyes, and faded images of her mother and father slowly filled her mind. Eighteen years had passed, dimming her memory of their faces. She'd sworn to never forget, but time was a thief as much as Ortega was a killer.

  Nothing would ever dim the horror of her loss. She trailed her hand across the scar on her midriff and to the larger one on the inside of her thigh. They were constant reminders of what she'd lost.

  If she had her way, she'd extract that eye for an eye. She needed to be the one who pulled the trigger. Until the man who killed her parents was dead, they couldn't rest in peace.

  Chapter Two

  Ty returned to the cave, satisfied the rain had obliterated their trail. He stopped a few feet outside. "Remember I said not to shoot me."

  "It's tempting, but I'll restrain myself."

  He crawled inside, knowing she'd probably become frightened in his absence. He recognized the sound of nerves laced with humor. "That's damn good of you."

  "What took you so long?"

  "I tried to find a spot clear enough to use the satellite phone."

  "No luck?"

  Ana sat in the exact spot he'd left her. The Beretta was aimed at the ground but still clutched in her small hands. Big brown eyes welcomed him. Jesus, she was pretty. Her long dark brown hair, which she'd piled high in a knot, shimmered in the dim light.

  "None. The rain washed away all evidence we might've left behind. Doesn't mean they're not still searching for us." He'd always thought the Beretta to be a regular-sized weapon. In her hand, it looked like a cannon. She offered it to him. "Keep it."

  "Thanks." She smiled, and he changed his mind.

  Not pretty. She was beautiful.

  "Get ready, because we're about to get up, close and personal." There was no way to avoid physical contact in a space this small.

  Dripping wet, he crawled inside and maneuvered around so he faced the opening. He shouldered off his pack, leaned back against the sod wall and semi-relaxed for the first time in days. This op had taken much longer than planned, and the chances of it being a bust increased with each sunrise.

  He stretched out. She removed her boots and did the same. Their legs touched at the thigh, sending a bolt of electricity though the material of his pants and straight to his groin. A hint of citrus drifted off her. Had to be the bug spray. Or that thick shock of wavy hair.

  "You're soaking," she commented. "You stash any dry clothes in here?"

  "I'm fine. You hungry? I have a little food. Nothing fancy."

  "Starving."

  He dragged his pack over and dug through his small stash of food. Ana tucked her feet under her.

  "You should get out of those wet boots."

  "I've been through worse." Dry feet might sound good, but not out here and not with her to protect. "Before you put those back on, I'd suggest you shake them out. Just in case any night visitors crawl inside."

  He opened an MRE and handed it to her. She accepted the offering without comment. "It's nourishment. You'll need it. We've got a couple of days of rough terrain ahead of us."

  "I'm not sorry for trying to get to Ortega. But I apologize for not meeting you with the weapons and explosives. I put you in a difficult position."

  She sounded semi-sincere. For some odd reason, he wanted to believe her. "I worked through it."

  "Where are we going?"

  "To the river. We'll be picked up there and flown to a private airstrip." Turning back to her, he caught her studying him. It was a look of curiosity. Well, he was curious, too. What had motivated her to go off the grid? The intel the Colombian government sent the FBI had stated she'd meet Ty with supplies. They neglected to mention she was a loose cannon. Maybe they'd omitted more than a few facts.

  "Then back to Bogota?"

  "For debriefing." He scooped a bite of potted meat into his mouth. "Earlier you wanted to explain why you nearly botched this mission? I'm all ears."

  She lifted her chin as if preparing for a right cross. "Where to start," she said, more to herself than him.

  "At the beginning."

  Her dark eyelashes shaded her expression for a second before her gaze met his head-on. The fiery spark he was getting used to had faded, replaced by a sadness that made his heart clench.

  "My name is Ana Maria Vega Cisneros. But you already know that, don't you?"

  Her accent had thickened. His sister's favorite movie popped into his mind, and he smiled. Guilt wiped it off. "Sorry. That had nothing to do with you."

  "What then? You find my name funny?" Ana's eyes narrowed.

  "Not at all. It's a great name. We were talking about you."

  "Tell me why you smiled."

  "It's a silly line from an old movie. My sister watched it so many times I can quote some of the scenes."

  "Which ones?"

  Crap. Why did women always want to dig around in a man's head? He scrubbed his hand across his eyes and tried to remember the exact phrase. "My name is something Montoya. You killed my father—"

  "Prepare to die," she finished the sentence.

  Ty heard hate in her tone, the deep-down guttural kind that makes people do stupid things. The line resonated with her. "You know that movie?"

  "I love American movies. The Princess Bride is one of my favorites. Ironically, Montoya's problem pretty much sums up my story."

  Glad she'd shifted the subject back to herself, Ty let her statement set for a minute as the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. "Ortega killed your father, so you've sworn to kill him?"

  "Let's just say my dealings with Manuel Ortega are personal."

  Ty watched as her lips thinned, making the bruise more prominent. She might be small, but she was packing around a lot of hate.

  "Then tell me who hit you."

  "The guard outside my door. I fought when he forced me into the room."

  Ana rolled over on her side, turning her back to Ty. He didn't push for more information for a couple of reasons. One, her past wasn't any of his business. Two, she might decide to dig around in his psyche again. So he turned down the lantern and tried to get comfortable in the cramped space.

  The hot, stuffy cave offered no circulation, which was probably why she wiggled and squirmed. All that movement was hard for his body to ignore. He rolled a few feet and pushed a couple of palm fronds away from the entrance. The breeze was thick with moisture, but within minutes, her body stilled. He'd made the right decision even if it meant he'd have to stay more alert.

  He'd rest when he got home.

  "I have to know if Ortega's dead." Her voice came soft in the darkness. "If he's not, I have to kill him."

  "If you're asking me to take you back, it's out of the question." Ty felt a pan
g of sympathy for her. She was obsessed with Ortega to the point of being irrational.

  "Think about it. If Ortega isn't dead, he will eventually go see what's left of the compound. You watched the place for days and nobody saw you. We can do it again."

  "Not. We have a three-day window to reach the river. If we're late, we're screwed."

  "Do people call you Tyrell or Ty?"

  He paused at such an odd question. "Depends on who you're talking to. Friends from college have hung on to Tyrell, but the military shortened it to Ty. Why?"

  "I'm not calling you Tyrell. It's too long a name for someone with such a short temper."

  "You haven't seen my temper." The darkness provided cover for the smile that tugged at his mouth. "Yet."

  "You just don't get it."

  The rain slowed to a drizzle, and her breathing leveled out. He did "get it." Only he'd never had the opportunity to seek revenge for his sister's death. Dallas police had long since classified her murder as a cold case.

  He wasn’t taking any chances on a woman being killed on his watch. Not while he had a breath left in his body.

  ****

  Ana's eyelids opened with a start. During the night, she must've decided she needed a pillow because her head was resting on Ty's still-damp chest. His lungs rose and fell under her cheek. His breath fluttered across the top of her head with each exhale. Normally, the idea of waking up this close to a gorgeous man would please her. Not today.

  Regardless of the three-day window to get to the river, she had to make sure Ortega wasn't walking around unharmed. The cartel would cut a new road, because he'd insist on seeing the damage to assess the possibility of rebuilding once the area was secure. Ty's refusal to negotiate proved his priorities were light-years away from hers.

  She wasn't stupid. She had to think this through. Even if it were possible to find her way back, going alone was suicidal. No doubt, if he had an inkling she was considering taking off, he’d throw her over his shoulder again and haul her wherever he intended to go.

  A feeling of heavy weight pressed down on her shoulders.

  Half expecting Ty to stir, she scooted off his firm shoulder inch-by-inch, and lay motionless for a few minutes, studying his profile. Her brain locked up, refusing to process facts. As hard as she tried, she couldn't put a name on the American TV star Ty reminded her of, but the image of the hunk from Criminal Minds was clear in her mind.