WAR: Disruption

by Vanessa Kier

  Emily’s eyes remained on his, her expression so intent, he couldn’t tear his gaze away. “I see a woman who adapts. Who has kept her sense of humor. Who knuckles down and does what she needs to do without complaint.” With her face clean, he cupped her cheeks in his palms. “I see the woman I love.”

  He took her mouth in a kiss that he intended to keep tender. But once she opened her lips and he delved inside, he couldn’t stop the kiss from turning carnal. He groaned. “God, I want—”

  Lightning flashed, turning the world outside the Hummer silver. Emily squeaked and pulled back.

  Max gave a rueful laugh and rolled his eyes to the heavens. “Okay,” he muttered. “I get the point. Stay focused.”

  “Sorry,” she murmured. “I’m a little on edge.”

  “That’s okay. Tell me more about how you found me and what you did to the water supply.”

  As she talked, Max’s respect for her grew. She’d handled herself as well as any soldier.

  “Do you think Ziegler will bring his men and try to rescue Dietrich?” she asked.

  “No. Ziegler’s dead. Dietrich killed him.”

  “What?” She swiveled her head to stare at him.

  “Yep. Shocked the hell out of me, too. But Dietrich was angry that Ziegler continued to disobey his orders. So he shot Ziegler right in front of me.”

  “Oh. Well. Good riddance. Too bad I didn’t get a chance to do it myself.”

  He laughed. “I have to agree with you on that, but did you hear what you said? You’ve become bloodthirsty, sweetheart.”

  She stuck her chin up. “He hurt you.”

  “Yes, he did. But I survived. Thanks to you.” He kissed her. “You’ve got the heart of a warrior, Em. But it’s much better that you don’t have his death on your conscience. That’s a line I hope you never have to cross. I like you just the way you are.”

  She blushed and gave an embarrassed shrug.

  “Uh-uh. Don’t ever hide from me.” He kissed her again, letting his mouth express the depth of his love and his pride in her.

  When they broke apart, she’d lost that embarrassed look. She cleared her throat. “So. Ah… Now what?”

  “Now you crawl into the back and sleep. I’ll stand guard.” He glanced at the dashboard. Almost forty minutes had passed since she’d returned from her sneak and peek. “Once the thunder stops, I’ll head out again.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to take first watch? After all, you were starved and dehydrated. Plus, you’re hurting again.”

  He cupped her cheek in his hand. “No. You’re exhausted. Have you gotten any sleep since I last saw you?”

  She shrugged and glanced away. “A little. Sleeping in a tree while it’s raining isn’t particularly restful. Besides, I was too scared.”

  He pressed a soft kiss to her temple. “Which is why you’re going to sleep now. I’ve been unconscious or otherwise lying down for most of the past day. Between the treatment from Dietrich’s doctor and you fixing me up tonight, my injuries aren’t hurting enough to distract me.”

  Emily made a strangled sound.

  “What?”

  “I couldn’t figure out why the doctor was bathing you and dressing your wounds. I thought maybe he was preparing you for some bizarre religious ritual à la Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

  “Nah. Dietrich just has odd views on hospitality. Plus—” No, better not to tell her that part.

  But Emily had caught his self-censorship and leveled a look at him. “Plus what?”

  He shrugged, but she punched him in the shoulder. “After all I’ve been through, the least I deserve is a little honesty, Max Lansing.”

  “Oh, ouch.” He mock winced and rubbed his shoulder. Carefully watching her reaction, he explained, “Dietrich was going to turn me over to his buyer.”

  Emily’s brow furrowed. “So what… That he could torture you?”

  “Er…” Sometimes he forgot how little exposure she’d had to the darker realities of this part of the world. “No. So he could sell me into the…ah…labor or sex markets.”

  “What?”

  “The rebels have been selling foreigners and prominent West African officials who oppose them into slavery. Short of death, they find the humiliation of being a slave to be a fitting punishment for not supporting their cause.”

  “That’s…”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Well, I have you now and I’m not letting Dietrich or the buyer get their hands on you.” Emily leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. “And I can take my turn at watch. You need rest in order to heal.”

  He shook his head. “You’re our driver and scout. Our food and water gatherer. You need to be sharp. As well-rested as possible.” And he needed to feel useful, if just in a small way.

  She studied him a moment, before nodding. “Okay. Thank you.” She gave him a soft kiss, then crawled into the back.

  Damn, but he loved this woman.

  THREE HOURS AFTER he’d started observation, with the rain gone and a half moon peeking out from behind the clouds, Max shifted position on the thick, low-hanging branch of a tree just off the road. Headlights appeared as pinpricks to his left, then gradually increased in size to reveal a convoy of two black Land Rovers and two black Hummers.

  As the vehicles pulled into the buyer’s camp, guards exited the tents, weapons ready. The men who climbed out of the vehicles all wore Dietrich’s black uniforms with the small black-and-white logo on their pockets. Max expected a fight, but instead, the buyer’s men greeted Dietrich’s men politely. At a gesture from one of the buyer’s men, Johann ducked into the tent holding his boss. Other guards began unloading materials from the Land Rovers. Several began erecting a new tent.

  The buyer’s men watched the proceedings for a few minutes, then retreated into their own tents, leaving only two guards to keep an eye on the newcomers.

  Max didn’t spot anything that looked like a second briefcase. Instead, Dietrich’s men transferred food, clothing, and furnishings from the vehicles. One guard set up a portable shower near the edge of the jungle and it wasn’t long before Johann and another man escorted Dietrich to the bathing area. Other men began cooking a meal.

  Max rolled his eyes. Ah… All the comforts of home.

  Two hours later, the camp had once again settled into quiet.

  Max shifted position. Damn, but this spot was uncomfortable. His butt was numb. He would have preferred to lie on his stomach, but his wounded leg couldn’t tolerate the pressure. He had a hell of a lot of respect for Emily being able to stay in a tree for hours while she’d watched Dietrich’s camp.

  He was itchy to take action. Any action.

  Yeah, okay, so patience still wasn’t one of his virtues.

  God, he couldn’t wait until his leg was healed and he could walk on his own. If you can walk again without a limp, a niggling voice warned.

  Nope. He refused to go there. Refused to give life to the doubts that whispered his wound had taken so much abuse he’d done permanent damage to his leg. Because he fully intended to hold Emily in his arms and dance with her at their wedding.

  Whoa. Wedding?

  He glanced back at the Hummer. He’d never thought about a long-term relationship, never mind marriage, before. Considering the type of work he did, it had seemed unfair to burden a woman with his extended absences and his inability to tell her where he was going or when he’d be back. Besides, Emily didn’t even know what she wanted to do with her life. But the same voice that warned him about his leg also insisted that he’d be a fool to let her go. That coming home to Emily was something worth fighting for.

  It was the first time in months he’d wanted something beyond revenge and basic survival.

  So, yeah. Wedding. Not that there was any rush, or anything. He had time to get used to the idea himself. Then to convince Emily that a life with him wouldn’t be so bad.

  That she wouldn’t have to prop him up forever.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
>
  Day Twelve

  “EMILY. EMILY, C’MON sweetheart, you’ve got to wake up.”

  Emily moaned and slapped at the hand that was shaking her shoulder. “Just fell asleep,” she mumbled. “Go ‘way.”

  “Uh, no, you’ve been asleep for hours. It’s dawn and the bad guys are awake and getting ready to head out. I need you alert and ready to follow them.”

  She opened her eyes and glared at Max. “Are you serious?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Grumbling under her breath, she sat up. She checked her watch and saw that it was six in the morning. She’d actually slept for almost ten hours. “All right, I’m up.” She slipped out of the cargo compartment. “How much time do we have?”

  Max had retreated a few hundred yards into the jungle, where she could just barely see him watching the activity through the binoculars. “Can’t say for sure. Probably at least fifteen minutes. They’re finishing up breakfast.”

  “Okay.” She did a few quick stretches and pliés to wake herself up, then popped a handful of groundnuts into her mouth and snagged one of the last two bananas. They were almost out of food again.

  While she waited for Max’s signal to start the Hummer, Emily thought about what he’d said yesterday about her strength. The warm glow from his praise still filled her, yet at the same time, a tiny part of her refused to let go of the worry. What good would being adaptable in the jungle do her once she was back in the States? Yes, she’d discovered that she had the strength to carry on despite overwhelming odds, but the only thing she’d ever wanted to do was dance professionally. Not teach. Lacking another consuming passion, she still didn’t know what she would do with her life. Maybe photography would continue to interest her once she got home, maybe not. At this point it just made her sick to her stomach that there was so much misery to document.

  She sighed. Or maybe she was feeling a bit despondent because no matter what progress she and Max made, there was always one more obstacle to overcome. More injuries. More pain. More fear.

  She rolled her eyes and squashed her pity party. She needed to focus on the job at hand. Stopping the transfer of the second weapon.

  Right. Because she and Max were such effective superheroes.

  “They’re packing up,” Max called out, just loud enough for her to hear. He stepped out from the trees. “Let’s go.”

  He looked haggard. His face was pale, with dark circles under his eyes and lines of strain showing at his eyes. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

  “Some. I dozed off and on.”

  That wasn’t nearly enough to help him heal. But he had that stubborn look in his eyes that said she’d better not comment, so all she said was, “Okay. There’s a banana and some groundnuts left.”

  She climbed behind the wheel and eased toward the road. Once the convoy of vehicles abandoned the other camp she followed, staying as usual just inside the tree line. “Are there more vehicles now than last night?”

  “Yeah. Dietrich’s men arrived a few hours after you fell asleep.”

  “Oh, no. Did they already complete the sale?”

  “Nope. As far as I can tell, they spent the night in their separate tents. I checked every hour and didn’t see any signs of activity.”

  “So, where do you think they’re going?”

  “I haven’t seen anything to indicate they have the second prototype with them. So I bet they’re going to retrieve it.”

  “Is that why we’re heading back toward Dietrich’s camp?”

  “Probably.” Max rubbed between his eyes. “If I were Dietrich, I’d have stashed it near enough to camp to be easily accessible when the buyer showed up. He likely only trusted a few people with the location, so that he could send someone to fetch it when the negotiations with the buyer were finished.”

  “Only he didn’t expect to be poisoned, then dragged out of camp by the buyer.”

  “Exactly. Unless…”

  She waited for him to continue, but he just stared out at the passing jungle. “Unless what?” she prompted.

  “Unless he plans on giving the buyer a demonstration.”

  “Well, that’s a scary thought. Do you know if the prototype can be used more than once, or is it like a bomb, only a one-shot wonder?”

  “Haven’t a clue.” Max rubbed between his eyes again. She wondered if he had a headache, or maybe even a mild concussion. “I was only told that it was experimental and could wipe out an entire population center.”

  “Would Kristoff know?”

  “Maybe.” Max picked up his phone from where it was charging on the console. “But we won’t be able to call him until we have a clearer line of sight, because this isn’t getting a strong enough signal.”

  “Oh. Right.”

  Ten minutes later, the convoy pulled into the jungle on the other side of the road.

  “Keep driving past them,” Max said. “When I tell you, cross the road and enter their side of the jungle. Then we’ll sneak in to observe.”

  Hearing the steel in Max’s voice, Emily didn’t bother protesting that he was too injured and should stay in the vehicle. Besides, he had experience with this type of situation. He’d be able to figure out a plan to stop the deal better than she could.

  Once they were in a good position on the other side of the road, Max had her park the Hummer. “Gather all your stuff, in case someone finds this vehicle and we can’t use it again.”

  She nodded and shoved the few remaining food supplies into her pack. “What about the phone?”

  Max unplugged it and clipped it to his waist. He put the charger into his pants pocket. “After we’ve scoped the situation out, I’ll find a spot to call Kris.”

  “Okay.”

  “Don’t worry, we’re just going to observe. We’ll be safe enough.”

  Emily waited until Max had turned his back to roll her eyes. He was limping and leaning heavily on his makeshift cane. Despite having a good night’s sleep, she felt sluggish and bone tired. Which meant they were prone to make mistakes. Mentally crossing her fingers for luck, she followed Max through the jungle.

  HALF AN HOUR later, Max adjusted the focus on the binoculars. He and Emily occupied observation posts on neighboring branches in a giant tree. Emily had switched out the full memory card in her camera for a new extra-capacity one. She was taking video of the activity down below, while he watched through the binoculars. Dietrich—once again his impeccably dressed self complete with trademark fedora—Johann, and one of Dietrich’s soldiers stood in a clearing. Behind them loomed a buttressed root system that must be well over six feet tall because it dwarfed Johann, the tallest man present. Three other men formed a separate group a few feet away—a man with light brown skin wearing an incongruous black suit and a bowler hat who Max figured was the buyer, and two African guards wearing jungle camouflage uniforms that marked them as the buyer’s guards. One of the guards carried a briefcase that Max assumed held the money.

  The number of visible men was far lower than what Max had observed last night at the camp. Some of the men would be guarding the vehicles, but Max suspected the rest were hiding nearby. Not knowing exactly where they were made him twitchy. That was the only reason he’d allowed Emily to share his observation tree. He didn’t want her alone in case one of the missing guards spotted her.

  With a graceful hand gesture, Dietrich motioned for Johann to duck underneath the roots. The rest of the group kept their attention warily on each other.

  It wasn’t more than a minute before Johann emerged from underneath the roots, carrying a briefcase identical to the one Emily had retrieved. He brushed off the lingering dirt and leaves and held it up for the buyer’s inspection. At the buyer’s nod, Dietrich snapped his fingers and two men walked forward from the direction of the road. One man carried a small folding table, which he set up on a small patch of relatively flat ground. The other man carried two folding chairs, which he set up on opposite sides of the table. Then Johann set the case on the table.
Dietrich strode forward and, with a dramatic flourish worthy of a stage magician, he unfastened the latches on the briefcase.

  Dietrich pulled back the briefcase’s lid to reveal several file folders and a square, metal device about the size of a large mango. The buyer leaned forward to take a look. He thumbed through the folders, turned the device around several times, then set everything back in the case.

  Had he noticed that this wasn’t the newer prototype? His expression didn’t change, but Max thought his body had stiffened slightly.

  Dietrich closed the lid and picked up the case. He indicated for the buyer to put his case on the table. Instead, the buyer nodded at his guards.

  Max tensed.

  The buyer’s guards drew their weapons as four of their comrades stepped out of the jungle. At the same time, all of Dietrich’s men pulled out their weapons, and a number of Dietrich’s men also stepped out of the jungle. The two groups of men stared at one another.

  Hello, Mexican standoff.

  The buyer said something to Dietrich. Dietrich shook his head and gave a one-shouldered shrug. The buyer shouted and took a step forward. Johann stepped between the buyer and his boss, gesturing angrily.

  Max reached out and touched Emily’s arm. Any second, someone was going to snap and start shooting. He and Emily could be hit by a stray bullet. He motioned for her to sneak down the back of the tree. Once she was safely on the ground, he followed suit. Then he led her through the jungle in the direction of the vehicles. If they could disable the vehicles and put a call to Kris through in time, the WAR team might be able to nab Dietrich, the buyer, and the weapon.