True Peril

by Veronica Forand

  Eve waited a few additional moments and then came out of hiding. Liliana’s body was in the middle of the room, a halo of blood around her head. Eve ignored the retching feeling in her gut and scurried down the hall. She opened each door. Nothing. A door at the end of the hall was locked from the outside. Eve unlatched it and peered into a dark closet.

  A bruised ankle stuck out from under a row of hanging clothing. Eve pushed away some of the clothes until light flooded the area. The gasp almost exploded from her mouth, but she held it back. No time to freak out. Just focus and keep on task. And yet, she wanted to cry out at the condition of her dear friend. Disheveled, bloody, bruised and barely conscious, Jenny swayed from side to side on the floor. Black and blue spots marked her cheek and neck. One of her eyes was swollen. Her arms crossed over her stomach, and her shirt, shredded into a jumble of rags, barely hung on to her body. Jenny struggled to rise to her feet.

  Eve kneeled next to her. “Can you move?”

  A smile almost formed on Jenny’s lips. “Yeah. I probably look worse than I feel.”

  “You look like hell.”

  “So do you. What happened?”

  “I met a wooden crate. What about you?”

  “I’m okay, a little bruised. They thought it would be fun to punch me in the face a few times.”

  “I think it would be fun to shoot them in the head. Just once each.” Eve latched her hand under Jenny’s arm and helped her to her feet. “We need to leave.”

  Jenny was barefoot. That wouldn’t get her far.

  “Wait.” Eve trotted into the master bedroom and rummaged through Liliana’s things, a silent shopping spree in search of sturdy shoes, nothing fashionable. She returned with some white sneakers.

  “They may not fit, but they’ll be better than nothing.”

  Jenny slid them onto her feet. “They’re big, but I’ll manage. Thanks.” Her voice sounded scratchy and dry, but there was no time to stop for a drink.

  The back exit would be the safest, so Eve backtracked. Jenny held Eve’s arm for balance. They ended up in the garden outside the large windows that, in better circumstances, had displayed beautiful views of the mountain. Eve needed to slow her speed so she didn’t lose the object of her quest in her own panic to rush out of the compound and run to freedom.

  Shouts came from the front of the house. Simon’s men were in trouble, but Jenny took priority. She hobbled at Eve’s side, but pushed forward without slowing. A small path led to a few shacks and sheds housing goats, llamas, and chickens. A brown dog approached them as they neared the animal pens. Its hackles were up, tail wagging low and slow, ears pulled back. Holy crap. Dogs. Eve wasn’t that great with animals, as she’d never been around too many of them. Jenny, however, seemed to straighten up and gain energy from the encounter.

  “Smile. Deep breaths and lots of smiles,” Jenny whispered.

  “Smile?”

  “Try at least to lift the corners of your mouth. Remember when we met in DC before leaving for Bogotá, and the guy in the bar challenged you to a game of pool, sporting the biggest hard-on ever. We couldn’t stop laughing whenever he mentioned how his stick at home was better than the one in the bar.”

  Eve let out a short but relaxed laugh. They’d spent the night avoiding the man, and he’d spent the evening pursuing them. “That had to be one of the most fun nights of my life.”

  “Good. Keep thinking of that, and the dog will pick up on our joy and not our fear.”

  They walked a few steps, reminiscing about the jerk. The dog approached with slow tentative steps. Jenny pulled out a few nuts from her pocket. She always had snacks on her. The dog sniffed her hand, as Eve braced for the worst, but the dog took the food and not Jenny’s fingers. He was male, super skinny, with a rope collar on him. He seemed used to being outside and scrounging for his meals.

  “Don’t reach out to pet him, just act as though he’s welcome in our company,” Jenny warned. “He doesn’t look like the warm and fuzzy type, but might accept us if we include him in our pack.”

  The dog followed them, probably hoping for more food. After a few steps, Jenny’s posture dropped again.

  “Where does it hurt?”

  Jenny stopped for a moment. “Everywhere. They were really rough throwing me in the car, and I was fighting them and…” She trailed off into some other world.

  A gunshot sounded from the front of the house. It could only be one thing.

  “You have to remain hidden for a few minutes while I take care of a few things. I need to locate my backpack and then return.”

  Jenny’s face whitened in the places it wasn’t bruised and swollen. “Don’t leave. I won’t be safe here.”

  Eve scanned the area. The fighters would search the area once they realized Jenny was gone. Unless Juan Carlos and Federico took off, and no one entered the house until morning. Either way, she needed the safest place possible. The mild clucking of the chickens pulled her attention to the shed where they laid their eggs.

  “Over there. Go into the chicken shed. No one will look for you there. The chickens may complain for a minute, but if you stop moving, they’ll ignore you.”

  “The chicken coop?”

  “Exactly. No guard will check there unless directly ordered. Go. We don’t have time to debate this.”

  Jenny limped away from her, and the dog followed. The chickens and the dog must have made a truce in the past, because they blended together without too much of a commotion.

  Eve sprinted back to the other side of the house, where she’d left her backpack under a clump of bushes. The best way to watch the events in the front of the house would be to crawl under the vegetation and remain out of sight, so she made her way there on her elbows and knees. Once she crept to a decent location, she pulled out the Ruger and prepared for the worst.

  …

  Dane worked his way through the woods. The lack of communication from the fighter he’d killed should bring a few more men into the area. Dane had to be ready for them.

  Based on his previous reconnaissance, a mini army guarded the compound. Not a huge group, but armed and willing to kill. They kept the locals at bay. Other factions didn’t care about Juan Carlos unless he stepped over the imaginary lines drawn in these areas. Dane had never gone against such large numbers on his own, but he had confidence in his ability to take down the whole base if necessary. And that confidence could end up getting the two women he most cared about killed as well. Simon was merciful compared to Dane’s brand of retaliation. And with Eve now in the crossfire, Dane may not be able to control himself before eliminating every last person who came into his line of sight.

  He heard the men approach a few minutes before their arrival. Four men ready to take down any intruder in the area. Dane, however, was ready for them. The first one died without warning from a bullet to the head. The second man scrambled for cover, but he dove in the wrong direction, making a clean shot to the chest easier than if he’d remained standing.

  The last two men sprayed bullets everywhere, a panic-induced reaction to their colleagues’ deaths. No thinking involved. Dane remained behind a boulder that would only have protected the bottom of his legs if he hadn’t tucked tight into a ball. He touched the ground near him and found a few stones. When the men took a break from their uncontrolled shooting, he tossed the stones over their heads. He waited and heard a melee of gunfire erupt from the men’s positions. Panic made people do stupid things, such as shoot their own team member. Screams of pain roared through the area until silence, like the Grim Reaper, brought home another soul. Then Dane lined up his shot calmly and eliminated the last man standing.

  He rose, cracked his neck, and continued moving to the compound. Kill or be killed. And yet he knew he’d have to relive these deaths over and over again after the mission. More deaths to add to the mountain of sins he’d never forgive himself for. In the distance, he heard a gunshot. Shit. He was moving too slowly.

  The forest finally ended after anot
her mile or so, and he could look down to see headlights facing Liam and Toby, both tied to a tree. The perfect spot for an execution. About seven men stood around laughing and drinking. Juan Carlos wasn’t part of the crowd. Neither was Eve.

  His mental to do list now included rescuing his sister, his wife, and two soldiers who wouldn’t turn back on his orders, as well as warning off Juan Carlos.

  If he could free Liam and Toby, he’d have backup. He preferred to work alone, but they’d allow him to cover more ground and could watch the house as he searched it.

  He squatted to rest and think, but his rest ended within ten seconds. One of the rebels pointed a gun at Liam’s head. The others taunted him to shoot. Dane didn’t have the best shot, but he might be able to…

  A shot rang out. Blood splattered over two fighters. Someone had blown the fighter’s arm apart. The arm holding the gun aimed at Liam. The men scattered to hide, and Liam and Toby both remained tied up and standing.

  The shot had originated near the house.

  Eve. There was no one else who could have pulled that off.

  Dane fought off the icy chill ripping through his veins, and ignored the churning in his stomach. He needed to focus on his rescue mission. She’d be fine. In fact, so far, she’d done better than the trained professionals.

  The compound erupted into chaos, with men running in Eve’s direction. Dane picked off two of the men. Several Red Hawks scrambled back and forth, unsure where to hide from the next volley of shots. One of the men, holding an assault rifle, sprayed the front of the house and another scattered ammo across the hill where Dane was hiding. Dane took aim, but the one shooting at him was gunned down before Dane squeezed the trigger.

  Eve again.

  Damn, she was a good shot.

  He took out three more guys before the area fell quiet. Many of the men ran for cover, and others dispersed into the jungle to look for him. He moved down the hill with as much stealth as he could muster while worrying about Eve. The darkness helped keep his cover. Creeping behind a truck, then behind a few sheds and a small house, he made his way to his tied-up team members. His men. He approached them from behind.

  With a quick flick of his knife, he cut them each loose. “I thought SEALs were invincible.”

  Liam half-smiled. “Fuck you, O’Brien.”

  “Maybe later. Sorry about Gunther.”

  “Yeah.” Liam didn’t say anything else.

  Dane shot a fighter who had noticed his presence behind the prisoners. Toby and Liam grabbed guns and rifles from the dead, and the threesome receded into the darkness of the trees.

  “Eve’s near the house. She needs our help.” Dane waved them around to the back of the house.

  “I thought you were by the house?”

  “I was up the hill. She saved your ass and your skull. You can thank her by getting her out of here safely.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  …

  Darkness, chaos, and general pandemonium helped Eve relocate from the side of the house into the back. She stayed behind what smelled like a compost pile filled with things she tried not to imagine. Her location, more disgusting than the chicken shed, should keep the soldiers away. A group of men marched through the back garden with flashlights, shining them toward any sound they heard.

  Don’t move. No sound.

  Her hands trembled. They tended to shake after discharging a weapon. Watching the man’s arm come apart on impact didn’t help calm her nerves. She wanted to bolt, but that would be suicide. Their guns were ready to shoot at anyone or anything. No one ventured too close to her, however, although lights fanned over her head and on each side of the pile she hid behind.

  She stayed low for several minutes after they’d left the area, and then more footsteps arrived. She made out the silhouettes of two tall men and one mid-sized guy. Dane, Liam, and Toby. Thank God, the cavalry had arrived. As much as she liked the satisfaction of saving their asses, she preferred the company. She started toward them, but Toby aimed his gun toward her, and she almost let out a terrified scream.

  “Shh.” Dane waved his hand in front of Toby’s gun and was at Eve’s side before the sound could escape. He kissed her. He always kissed amazingly well when he was worried about her, but she pulled back and winced.

  “Are you okay?” His hands roamed over her shoulders, down her back and stayed on her hips, clenching on them as though she’d disappear if he let go. She wasn’t going anywhere now that he was in her sight.

  “I might have broken my nose. I’ll be okay, but don’t go near it until we’re out of here.”

  He lifted her chin and examined her face. “Deep breaths, Mrs. O’Brien. We still have a long way to go. Did you find Jenny?”

  She nodded and led him and the other men to the chicken coop. Eve pointed to the entrance. The dog stood guard, protecting the chickens and his new friend.

  Dane rushed forward and must have handed the dog something that satisfied him, because he moved to the side and allowed Dane to pass. The O’Brien animal whisperers.

  “Jenny?” he called out.

  A shadow launched herself into Dane’s arms. Jenny seemed so tiny compared to her brother. He moved his hands around her as well, and she flinched when he touched her neck.

  “Toby.” Dane spoke quietly, but his word was still a command.

  Toby moved forward.

  Dane stepped closer to him. “As soon as you get her into a vehicle, check her for injuries. She’s flinching at my touch on her back, her neck, and one of her arms.”

  “I’m fine,” Jenny insisted.

  “Go with Liam and Toby,” Dane said. “They’re friends of mine and damn competent. I wouldn’t trust you with anyone else.”

  “What are you doing? Aren’t you coming with us?” Jenny asked.

  “I do better alone. I’m taking an indirect route out of here. These guys are headed down the mountain to be evacuated. I’ll meet up with you later. Costa Rica sounds like a good place. I hear it’s beautiful there.” He kissed Jenny on the cheek, and then turned and propelled her toward Liam. “Take care of her.”

  Liam nodded. He’d received his orders in Dane’s conversation with his sister. The three of them moved into the jungle. Liam would have a plan, Eve hoped.

  Dane clasped Eve’s arm and kissed her briefly on the lips, careful to not touch her nose. Not a world-changing kiss, more of a “Thank God, you’re alive” kiss. “Go with them. I’ll finish up here.”

  “No.”

  “Eve, this isn’t your decision.”

  “I can handle myself.”

  “I never said you couldn’t. It’s just I need to finish a few things, and prefer to work alone when I do.”

  “No.”

  “Dammit. Don’t you ever follow…”

  His voice cut off at the sound of more fighters searching the back lot. He pulled her into the chicken coop and stayed silent as the dog sniffed around his legs and crotch.

  Lights flashed across the area again and someone shouted from in front of the house, catching everyone’s attention. Juan Carlos. The fighters raced toward him. He must have realized that Jenny was gone.

  Dane and Eve waited for their movements to die down, and then they made their way back into the jungle on the same path Liam had followed. Once they travelled farther from the camp, Dane pressed Eve’s back against a tree.

  The sound of screeching tires came from about a hundred meters away. Gun shots were fired and then they heard other cars barreling after the vehicle. “Your ride left without you.”

  “I guess.”

  He dropped his forehead to hers and let out a breath. “I love you, Eve. Don’t forget that.”

  “I love you, too, but I don’t think this is the time to declare our feelings.”

  “Just in case something…”

  She placed her finger over his mouth. “Focus on the job, Mr. O’Brien. We’ll discuss our everlasting love for each other later.”

  “Right. We need to stay here
for a few minutes while they chase Liam’s car down the mountain. It should be clear soon.”

  “Okay.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

  The sound of men driving away and people shuffling around the courtyard silenced the night birds and indistinct rustling in the underbrush.

  “Where did you find Jenny?” he asked.

  “In a closet in the main house.”

  “She looks bad.”

  “They beat her up. She told me that much.”

  He paused and then said through gritted teeth. “Was she raped?”

  “I don’t know. I know they were planning it. She didn’t seem as if they had, but I’ve had only the most basic training with such things, and my first thought was to get her out of there.”

  “Were her jeans on when you found her?”

  “Yes, but her shirt was ripped.”

  “That’s good. In most cases like that, they wouldn’t take the time or effort to force her back into her jeans. For now, I’ll assume the best.” He let out a long sigh. “Is Juan Carlos in the house?”

  “He left just before I found Jenny. Federico is with him. Apparently guns and drugs go hand in hand.”

  “Federico? He has more resources than Juan Carlos. If they are together, Juan Carlos will have significant back up. Worldwide. No wonder he could find Simon’s men in Bogotá so quickly.” He held her hand as they moved to the place where she’d dropped her backpack. “This changes everything. We need to get out of here and come up with a new tactic.”

  He kissed her again. Short, sweet, and serious.

  They skirted the compounded in search of a means to escape and stumbled upon an old motorcycle tucked into the side of someone’s shack of a house. Dane pulled off a dirty T-shirt that had been draped over the back of it.

  “Can you start it?” she asked.

  “I can try.” He shifted the bike back and forth—maybe to see if there was gas in the tank?

  Motors of any kind never made any sense to Eve. Dane, however, pulled a couple of wires out and within a few seconds, the engine revved. He holstered his gun and then hopped on, holding an assault rifle in one hand. He then waved Eve over and pointed to a dead rebel.