“There! Clearing thirty meters ahead. Yeah, right there. It’s small, but possible. Careful, it declines on the left. It’s gonna be tight.”
“I need to get closer. Tell me when.”
“Ten meters…nine…mark…shut it down!”
“Done. Okay, lowering pitch. Where the fuck is the other bird?” Makar felt his teeth grinding at the intricate dance he was about to conduct while waiting for a hail of bullets to destroy his chances.
“I don’t see it. Do it. RPMs optimal. How’s your angle?”
“It’s good. I got it. Slowing descent. Okay, here we go…executing flare.” Gently, he pulled the nose up and prayed the tail was out of the tree line and not too close to the ground. His gut flipped at Keely’s panicked voice.
“Why are we tilting backward? Oh, shit!”
His belly calmed at Baruch’s even tone, despite his mate’s excited energy pinging around the cabin.
“It’s okay, baby. He has to get the main blades to spin faster. This is the only way to make that happen. This is physics at its finest. You’re good, Makar. Tails low, but you got room.”
Relief shot through his veins upon hearing the main rotor kick in. “There it is…there it is…I can feel it. Okay, dead stop…dead stop. I’m bringing it down.” Slowly, the nose lowered, and the bird leveled out. He knew he was grimacing, but couldn’t correct his features. The helicopter had touched smoothly, but was continuing to roll forward. He prayed to Dii that his manhandling of the brakes would keep the blades from clipping the wall of trees directly ahead. Seconds later the bumpy ride ceased, mere meters from the thick woods. He huffed out a trembling breath at Baruch’s reverent words.
“Gods damn, that was pretty.”
“Geezus.”
They both immediately looked back at Keely. Makar tried to keep his voice at an even keel.
“You okay?”
Keely stared at him for a few beats, her lashes fluttering as she tried to steady herself. Eventually, she peeled her fingers from the armrests. The beginnings of a smile and her hushed words relieved his tension.
“You did a fantastic job, Makar. Both of you. We’re not dead. Thank you.”
Makar got swept up in her beautiful green eyes as she continued to stare at him, as if she were seeing him for the first time in her life. He inwardly cursed the inability to read her thoughts. Baruch jumped from the pilot seat and snagged their attention.
“That was just step one of not dying, sweetness. Let’s get the hell out of here before the other bird shows up. I want to be deep in those woods before they figure out where we decided to park. It may not be able to land here, but they can still shoot at us.”
Keely immediately unbuckled, leaped up from the seat, and looked around the cabin. “You got a pouch? We need the water bottles, and my purse isn’t big enough.”
Baruch threw her a pleased smile and reached under the copilot seat. He tossed her a black duffel, sans all of the manuals now scattered about the floor. They both grinned as they watched her stuff her purse inside and then fumble with the latch on the cabinet holding the water bottles Sotarios had brought. She loaded the pouch and then hesitated before reaching back in and pulling out a handful of power bars and peanut packages. Keely’s grin was ferocious when she glanced over her shoulder.
“I’m going to kiss the hell out of whoever put these in here.” She snorted and turned back to the cabinet when they both raised their hand.
Makar glanced to his mate. “Make another attempt at the base site, and I’ll see if we have any weapons on board. Keely, check the lower cabinets. I believe we have a first-aid kit.”
“Found it.”
“Baruch?”
“Nothing. Still no response. Find any weapons?”
“Nope.”
“Let’s go.” Baruch yanked the door open, and Makar’s quick curse mingled with his own.
“I know. I hear them.”
Keely sounded frantic. “What?”
Looking over, he saw her eyes wide with concern.
“The other transport. They’re close.” Before Baruch could assist her out of the cabin, Keely scrambled to the doorway.
“I don’t hear anything, but I believe you.” She slung the pouch strap over her shoulder, plopped her ass on the floor, and rolled out of the door. They both heard her grunt as she hit the ground. Within seconds, she lit out across the field.
* * * *
Baruch shook his head and chuckled before following after his little minx. “Well, damn. I’m having flashes of the laundromat. Our girl’s fast, amici.” He chuckled upon hearing Makar’s deep growl reverberating from his chest as he loped beside him.
“Well, at least she’s using the tall grass as cover and taking the quickest route to the tree line. Crap! Where’d she go? Her head just popped out of sight.”
“Hell, if I know. She was right…well, shit!” Leaping over Keely’s prone body, Baruch knocked Makar to the side before he could step on her. Scrambling over to her curled form, he watched her face twisting in agony while coddling her left ankle. Makar crawled up next to them and popped him lightly on the arm with her shoe. The dangling heel explained everything. Reaching over, his mate quickly removed the pouch from her shoulder and stood up.
“Hurry, it’s closing in.”
Scooping her up from the ground, Baruch hauled ass to the tree cover just as the pursuing helicopter flew over the landing site. Their ground light stayed on the downed transport for several minutes. A spray of bullets across the tail immediately killed their chances of fixing the rotor. It hovered for several minutes before circling the enclosure. Diving under thick vegetation, Baruch plastered himself against Makar and cradled Keely close to his chest. Time slowed to a crawl as the light continued to flicker through the trees and before the drone of the craft finally drifted away. Baruch couldn’t stop his growly words if he tried.
“Damn it, Keely. The first chance I get, I’m going to spank your gods damn ass for taking off like that. Now you’ve gone and hurt yourself.” He felt the grip on his neck tighten. She pushed her forehead against his chest and hissed between clenched teeth.
“If it takes my mind off this fucking ankle, be my guest.”
Makar’s bark of laughter had him biting his lip to keep from joining him. He could feel her hot breath waft across his neck when she lifted her head and glared at Makar.
“It’s not funny.”
“I’m sorry, sweets. I couldn’t help myself. Baruch, I’m going back for the med equipment. We got the regular kit, but it looks like we’ll need the good stuff.”
“Got it. Be careful.” He was surprised when Keely huffed out a breath, laid her cheek against his chest, and spoke softly.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve waited for you, but the thought of bullets flying around my head sent me into survival mode. I completely forgot I had my heels on.”
Squeezing her gently, Baruch tapped her on the nose. “You’re forgiven. We’ll protect you, Keely. Just let us do that, okay?” Pain shot through his heart when she glanced up, and he could see a line of silvery tears tracking across her cheeks. She was trying valiantly to keep her shit together.
“I really don’t have much choice, now. I think I broke it.”
Running his hand down her calf, he winced when he encountered the rapidly swelling ankle. He felt her fingers digging into his shoulders from the light touch.
Makar, the ankle’s screwed up. Most likely broken. No protruding bones or bleeding. We can’t take the time to fix it this close to the landing zone, so bring back something to numb it until we can get her to a safe spot.
Got it.
“Hold on, sweetness. Makar’s going to bring something back to help you with the pain so we can move you out of here.”
“You doing that mind thing again?”
“Yep.”
“Comes in handy.”
“True, that.”
“You got a phone?”
“Nope.”
&nbs
p; “Well, I’d call for help, but it appears you ditched mine back at the club.”
“Sorry. I couldn’t take a chance that you’d use it before we were able to convince you not to expose us to the world.”
“Can’t say I blame you.” She paused and took a few deep breaths. “I think I know where we’re at.”
“You do?”
“Well, it’s a big guess, but I saw a large expanse of lights on our right the closer we came to Mexico, and from the direction the drug runners eventually pushed us, I’m assuming it’s Presidio since you mentioned you saw Chihuahua on the GPS. That means this huge expanse of forest is Big Bend Ranch Park. Unlike the larger park butting up against this one, it’s closed this time of year. But if we can locate any of the campgrounds, we might find a map for the way out of here. Only problem is that I haven’t a clue which way to head. If we came straight into the park, then we need to move northwest to get out…why are you looking at me like that?”
Baruch swallowed a couple of times and told her the truth. “You amaze me.”
“Why?”
“Despite all of the shit we just went through, you had the presence of mind to notice landmarks. I think you’re—”
“I got it. Give me a second, and I’ll knock the pain out for you, Keely.”
Baruch jumped at the sound of Makar’s voice, instantly pissed that he’d allowed someone to get that close without noticing. He tried to suppress his growl and pay attention to what needed to happen. Swiveling to the side, he positioned her ankle toward Makar.
“Good…uh, grip my hand if you need to, baby. He’s going to give you a shot.”
Keely gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. “Do it before I change my mind, Makar. I hate needles.”
Makar chuckled softly. “It’s already done, sweetie.”
“Oh…well, okay, then. I never felt it go…ahhh…that feels so much better. Thank you.”
Feeling her body go lax from the relief, Baruch stroked her arm while Makar wrapped the injury. Her lids began to droop, and he knew that her recent adrenaline dump was wearing off. She fell asleep moments before they heard the returning helicopter. Makar’s eyes locked on his.
“Let’s go. It sounds like they found a place to land.”
Chapter 10
Baruch dodged yet another low-hanging branch, watching closely to ensure Keely’s ankle didn’t slam up against the vegetation. Forty minutes into their trek, he was praying they were still heading northwest. Makar was trying his best to lead them on a direct path through the less dense areas, but sometimes it couldn’t be helped. Thankful that Keely was still passed out, Baruch fervently hoped the numbing agent stayed entrenched until they could get her to a safer location. Glancing down to her sleeping face, he marveled at how beautiful she was. Poor baby. She was only trying to figure out the strangeness of what she’d learned, and now she’s in a life-or-death situation. Guilt hit his gut hard, and he pulled her closer to his chest.
It’s not our fault, Baruch. You know where the blame should land.
Sorry, I didn’t realize I was projecting my thoughts.
I’m glad you did so I could set your thinking straight. We didn’t ask for this to happen. We just need to make it right.
First chance I get. Are we still heading in the right direction?
I think so. We’ll know more as soon as the sun rises. We’ve got about another hour.
I don’t know whether to be happy about that or not. We’ll be exposed.
Well, that applies to the assholes, too.
True, but I want Keely stashed somewhere safe if we have to take them on. Hey, is the brush thinning out, or am I just wishing?
No. You’re right.
Five more meters in and he saw Makar tense.
Oh, what do we have here? Hold up. I see something through the branches that doesn’t look natural. Let me get closer. Pray it’s a dwelling. Stay here.
Baruch ducked low and curled himself around Keely. I’m down and covered.
Several tense seconds marched by before Makar’s voice drifted back through his head.
It’s the other transport. They crashed on the edge of a clearing. At least we’re not walking in the opposite direction of our entry. I see one body moving around. He’s upright and smoking a cigarette. There’s no way he crawled out of that wreckage. They must’ve dropped him in. We need to pass through here, but the clearing’s too wide. It’ll take longer to skirt around.
Baruch startled when Keely stirred and grabbed his bicep. Her voice was hushed.
“What’s going on? You look serious. Where’s Makar?”
Gently placing a finger against her soft lips, he bent close to her ear. “We found the downed helicopter, and someone’s guarding it. Just stay quiet, baby. We need to assess the situation.”
He smiled and caressed her cheek when she nodded in understanding.
Keely’s awake. I’m coming closer.
Okay. Veer to your right. The vegetation’s thicker there.
Moving quietly through the trees, Baruch finally located a sufficient hiding spot to place Keely. The plant fronds draped like a protective umbrella, hiding her from all angles. She snagged his arm as he started to back out of the enclosure. He patted her on the thigh.
“Stay put, sweetness. We need to take care of this. I’ll be right back.”
Her eyes were widened in fear, but she released him and scooted back into the blackness.
Misting, he joined Makar by the wreckage. See anyone else?
None. I walked the perimeter. He’s on his own.
Okay, let’s do this.
Makar rolled his energy in front of the mercenary, absorbed a rock into his grid, and slung it about two meters away. As expected, the guy pushed away from the helicopter in alarm and allowed Baruch to slip in behind him and reform. He slung his arm around the sweaty neck and promptly cracked it before the man could realize his time was up. Makar pulled a knife from the man’s waistband and moved aside as Baruch stuffed the limp body into the mangled craft. He watched appreciatively as Makar bent the barrel of the rifle still leaning against the helicopter.
One less to consider. I don’t feel like lugging it around, anyway. For all I know, they may have trackers on them. Let’s get back to Keely before she gets too spooked.
Seconds later, Baruch pushed the fronds aside to retrieve her. “It’s okay, now. We can leave.”
“Where’s the guy?”
“He’s dead. Let me lift you. We need to get out of here.” He was surprised when she pressed her palms against his chest.
“Did he attack you?”
“No, he didn’t even know we were there. It was quick. Come on, baby. We need to keep moving.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she scooted backward.
“Why didn’t you just tie him up?”
“That wasn’t feasible.” She batted his hand away as he reached for her again. Confused, Baruch leaned back, realizing that her breath was ragged, and her eyes were darting around the enclosure.
“What’s this about, Keely?”
“You were so flippant. Do you get off on killing people? Is that it?”
Understanding slammed into Baruch’s gray matter. She was scared of them now. More so, than when they’d taken her from the alley. She thought them to be monsters. Snatching her upper arms, he pulled her close and hoped his passionate words set her straight on the reality of the situation.
“We never enjoy taking another’s life, Keely. Would you have preferred us to tie some pretty bows at his wrist so his comrades could easily release him? All you’ll get for your empathy is one more asshole that has no qualms about killing you. Gods forbid that you’re captured, my sweetness. Perhaps he’d be one among the group that participated in raping you. Would you wish him dead then? These are not worthy males, Keely.” Releasing her arms, he palmed her face, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs.
“Do you want to know why I sounded like I didn’t give a shit? This is war, Keely
. They chose to call it down upon our heads, and we’re answering. Have you ever been in a situation so untenable, that you’d do anything to survive? Well, I have, and it’s not pretty. You reach deep inside to the blackest part of your being and ensure that you’ll be the one that draws the next breath. I claim no honor for having to end that human’s life, but I’d rather it be one of them than you. The second they put you in danger, they were destined to die.”
Keely’s eyes widened, and her gaze remained steady as she worked through what he’d spewed forth. Makar’s voice ran softly through his mind.
I’m proud of you, amici. She needed to hear this…to know the lengths we’ll take to protect her.
Ah, gods, Makar. Should she look at us in disgust, it will surely render my heart to ash.
Baruch couldn’t lay a measure to the relief that washed across his senses the second her body relaxed. She leaned forward to secure her arms around his neck, and he sensed her head bobbing up and down. He scooped her from the ground and backed out of the covering. Her words came low and contrite.
“You’re right. This isn’t a normal situation. I understand now. I’m sorry that I judged you. Something happened to my…no…no excuses. I just looked at it all wrong. Please forgive me.” She had trouble with maintaining eye contact, almost as if she was embarrassed. His heart cried out for her. Makar sensed his agony and stepped forward, caressing Keely’s arm and cooing softly to her.
“Aw, no, baby. Don’t apologize. It was a misunderstanding. This situation can bring even the strongest warrior to his knees. We must trust one another, and we’ll see our way through this. Are you okay? How’s your ankle?”
Baruch felt her rib cage quickly expand and contract before she answered. She sounded much stronger.
“I’m fine. It’s still numb.” She accepted the offered water bottle and lightly sipped. “Let’s go. I need to be away from here so I can put that behind me.”
Makar nodded and patted her comfortingly on the leg. “We’ll need to get you on Baruch’s back. It’ll be easier for him to run with me across the clearing. We have to get to those trees before the sun rises.” Makar’s eyes shot to his.
Fueled by Lust: Makar and Baruch (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 9
