by Anna Hackett
“Could just be drug runners,” Seth said.
Smith grunted. “Maybe.” Then suddenly the man stiffened.
Seth frowned. “What—?”
Gunfire peppered the vegetation around them. With vicious curses, both men dived for cover.
They landed behind a fallen log. Seth came up to his knees, whipping his rifle up and staring down the sight.
Several soldiers in dark-green fatigues came out of the jungle.
Seth fired. The men ducked for cover.
Bullets slammed into the log in front of Seth, and he dropped down behind it. Smith was nearby, fiddling with his rifle, then in a smooth move, he rose on one knee and fired.
Thump.
Seth knew the sound. He’d fired a grenade. Both Smith and Seth ducked their heads down.
Boom.
Flames lit up the jungle and mud flew through the air.
At the sound of their attackers’ cries, Seth leaped up. A man staggered close, and Seth kicked the rifle out of the man’s hand. He followed through with a punch to the gut and a brutal hook to the jaw.
The man went down with a groan.
Seth raced over to check the others. “Three bodies.”
“Where’s the fourth?” Smith turned in a circle.
Suddenly, a knife flew through the air. Seth reacted, dodging to the side. He felt a slight sting on his cheek. The knife flew past him and embedded in the trunk of the tree.
The dark-haired soldier paused for a second, then swiveled and ran.
No, you fucking don’t. Seth charged after the man.
Tearing through the jungle, Seth heard the man huffing and puffing. As Seth sprinted through the trees, vines and leaves slapped his face.
Then he heard the man cry out. Seth frowned, and a second later, discovered what had startled the man. The ground was suddenly gone beneath Seth’s feet.
Shit. He rolled, tumbling down a steep embankment. He finally landed on his ass and continued the slide down. It was a hell of a bumpy ride.
He could just make out the man ahead of him, tumbling head over ass. Mud flew up around Seth’s body, and something smacked against the back of his head. A rock, maybe. But he kept sliding, and finally he somersaulted out onto flat ground.
He took a second to drag in a breath and assess his body. A few aches, but nothing was broken. He checked his CXM and blew out a breath. The rifle wasn’t damaged.
Static burst to life in his ear. “…Seth…you…re…”
“I’m here.” He thought it was Smith. “Fell down an embankment.”
Static was his only response. Dammit. He rose, and he saw the man he’d been chasing kneeling in front of him.
The man was covered in mud and rose unsteadily. He spun to face Seth and raised his fists.
Seth smiled, slinging his CXM onto his back. “You want to play? Fine.”
The man threw a few sloppy, desperate punches. Seth dodged and dodged again. He kept evading and didn’t attack. He watched the man’s face twist. He was getting angry.
Charging again, the man swung out. Seth blocked the punch.
“Had enough?” Seth asked.
The man growled, but Seth was done fucking around. He slammed one hard punch into the man’s gut, and then followed with a hard chop to the back of the man’s neck. The mercenary crumpled like a waterlogged rag, out cold.
Seth swiveled and looked back up the embankment. Shit. It would be a slippery, pain-in-the-ass climb back up.
Then, he felt a prickle on the back of his neck, and all his instincts flared to life. He stilled.
He turned slowly and scanned the jungle.
He wasn’t alone.
Careful not to tense up, he kept his gaze moving. He didn’t want to let his company know that he knew they were there.
Nothing moved, and he couldn’t see anyone.
He took a step toward the trees, when suddenly, a mud-covered figure burst out of the green and charged at him.
The person moved fast and slammed into his body. Seth tried to grab his attacker, but the slick mud made finding purchase extremely difficult.
Together, they whirled in a circle, and then Seth’s boots hit something. Fuck. He tripped, falling flat on his back on the muddy ground.
His attacker landed on his chest and straddled him.
Seth tried to move, but his attacker grabbed a large stone, raised it, and slammed it downward.
Shit. He dodged his head to the side. The rock hit the mud an inch from his ear. With a cry, his attacker raised the rock again.
He stiffened. A feminine cry.
What the hell?
Surprise made him slow, and this time, the rock glanced off Seth’s temple. He saw stars.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
That’s when his attacker froze. Seth looked up, and through the mud streaking her face, he saw startled hazel eyes.
“James?” he said.
“Lynch?” she breathed.
Holy shit. Energy flooded his veins. January was alive.
Seth surged up, grabbed the rock from her hand and tossed it away. “You’re alive.”
“You’re perceptive as always, Lynch.”
There was the snark he knew, although it was lacking its usual power. Sensations burst in his chest, and one was huge and clear—relief. She might be the biggest pain in the ass he knew, but he’d never wanted her dead.
“You’re alive,” he said again.
She made a choked noise that sounded suspiciously like a sob. Then, she shocked him by throwing her arms around him and holding on tight.
Seth wrapped his arms around her. “I’ve got you.”
Her chest hitched. “You tell anyone I hugged you and I’ll call you a liar.”
A laugh burst from him. “I won’t tell anyone that you had a moment of weakness, James. Besides, you beaned me with a rock.”
She sniffed. “I’d apologize, but I know how hard your head is.”
Seth tightened his arms and fought back another laugh.
January laughed, too, but it was a watery sound. She pulled back. “My plane crashed.”
He sighed. “Brought down. RPG.”
“What?” Her eyes went wide. “I had a student and archeologist on board. And the pilot, Carlos—”
He smoothed out his features. “No sign that anyone else survived, James. It was a miracle you made it.”
She sucked in a breath, a spasm of pain crossing her face. “They’re dead?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry.”
“Who?” Her eyes sparked with sudden fury. “Who did this?”
“We’ll find out.”
She swallowed, pressing a hand to her temple. “They were after what I was carrying, weren’t they?”
“I think that’s an accurate guess. You still got the artifact?”
She nodded. “Artifacts. There are two. I stashed them close by. There are a hell of a lot of people wandering the jungle, and the guns warned me they probably weren’t friendly.”
“Yeah, the rest of my team at the wreck site came under attack.”
January bit her bottom lip. “We need to get out of here.”
“We do. But first, let’s get the artifacts.”
She nodded and pushed off him.
Seth rose and scanned her. No injuries that he could see under all of the mud. She was compact and curvy. He was always surprised by how small she was. Her feisty personality made her seem taller.
“You were bleeding,” he said.
“Cut on my leg.” She held a leg out and he saw the tear in her pants. “I think the mud sealed it up. I might die of infection, but I’m not going to succumb to blood loss.”
She was covered in muck from head to toe. “You look good in brown, James.”
“Screw you, Lynch.” But there wasn’t much heat in her voice. “Once we’re out of here, I’m finding a shower. A hot one.”
The disturbing image of January James naked under falling water hit Seth. Shit, no. His cock twitched
. She was attractive, with her fit, curvy body, and long, thick, brown hair. But that tongue of hers could flay a man alive, and not in a good way.
“Lead the way,” he said.
She moved through the jungle easily. She was clearly used to digs in tough terrain. Damn, the woman had survived a plane crash and was still charging ahead. A will of steel. He had to admire that.
“There have been armed men everywhere,” she said. “I’ve been hiding since the crash.”
“Yeah. Could be drug runners.”
She looked up at him. “You don’t believe that.”
“Nope.”
She stopped a few times to orient herself, and Seth realized she’d marked her path with nicks on some trees. She finally stopped near a large tree, and when she crouched down, he spotted a hole in the base of the trunk. He guessed it had been home to various jungle animals in the past.
January crawled inside, and he had a perfect view of her ass. Her rounded, toned ass.
Seth sucked in a breath and looked up at the canopy. Get a grip, Lynch. She just survived a crash and a night alone in the jungle.
“Got it,” she called back.
Suddenly, noises in the trees caught his ear. Seth spun, hands clenching on his CXM. Voices. Coming closer.
Shit. He crouched. “Can we both squeeze in there?”
She blinked up at him. “It’ll be tight.”
He shoved his CXM through. “I like it tight.”
She rolled her eyes and moved back. Seth moved through the gap. His shoulders almost got stuck in the narrow opening, but he pushed through and squeezed in with her.
She hadn’t been wrong. It was a really tight fit.
“Move your knee,” she muttered.
“Move your elbow.”
They squirmed around, trying to find a comfortable position. He heard her curse, then he grabbed her hips and yanked her into his lap. Seth found his arms filled with wriggling, mud-covered female.
Hell. “Stop moving. And be quiet.”
She froze. The voices were right outside their hiding place, muttering in rapid Spanish.
“Seth—” she whispered.
He covered her mouth and pulled her closer. A worn, dark boot appeared near the opening in the tree. These guys were practically on top of them.
Seth grabbed his rifle and shifted it around January. He lifted it, all his muscles tense, and waited.
Chapter Three
With her heart in her throat, January listened to the voices outside and held her breath.
She shifted, and became very aware of the hard, muscled body beneath her.
The man definitely knew how to work her last nerve, but there was no doubting that Seth had a killer body. She moved again, and hard fingers clamped on her hip. Lips pressed to her ear.
“Hold your curvy ass still.”
She froze and stayed there, listening to the voices speaking in Spanish outside. They slowly drifted away and her shoulders relaxed. The fingers at her hip squeezed and let go.
“The artifacts are safe?” he asked.
Happy to focus on anything other than very hard thighs, she dragged her backpack closer and opened it. She’d ditched the heavy metal case after the crash.
When she looked up, she saw Seth’s face was close to hers. He had pale-blue eyes that made her think of chips of ice. She reached in and pulled out the first sphere.
His gaze dropped.
She pulled the dark covering off the top of the artifact, displaying the jade ball nestled in her palm. She reached in and pulled out the second one.
“What do they do?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t risked touching them with my bare hand. But they are similar in size to the crystal one I brought you. I didn’t want to take any risks and put my team in danger. We found them in an overgrown temple covered in vines. And when I say overgrown, I mean overgrown.”
He touched one sphere with his gloved hand, taking it in his long fingers and turning it over. “You think someone was hiding the temple?”
“Probably.”
Next, he touched the sphere’s wrapping from the backpack. It was a rough fabric and very heavy.
“You found them in this?” he asked.
She nodded. “Some sort of protective wraps. They’re really heavy, and I think they could be metallic.”
He nodded, and she carefully wrapped and packed the sphere away with the other one.
“Climb out, James.”
She pulled the backpack on, hitting him in the chin in the process. Oops. He glared at her and she smiled sweetly. Then she turned and clambered through the small opening.
“You better not be looking at my ass.”
“It’s right at eye level, James. Can hardly miss it.”
Outside, January rose and halfheartedly dusted off her trousers. Seth climbed out a lot more nimbly than she had.
Suddenly, he touched his ear. “Lachlan, that you?” He paused. “Damn, the line is terrible. Smith okay?” Another pause. “Good. Yeah, I fell down an embankment, but I found James.” His gaze flicked her way. “Yes, she’s alive and she has the artifacts. Two jade spheres.”
January leaned closer and could just make out Lachlan Hunter’s voice.
“Can he get a message to my aunt and uncle? And to my team? I left Dr. Li in charge. Let them know I’m okay?”
Seth nodded and relayed the information, “Jungle’s teeming with unfriendlies. We’re on our way back to you.” He looked at her. “Let’s move. Stay close.”
For the first time in her life, January was happy to stay close to Seth Lynch. As they set off through the trees, she eyed him. Black suited him. She couldn’t imagine a man as intense as Seth wearing color. He had a handsome face, and she thought he’d been saved from being too pretty by those scars on the one side.
He set a fast pace, but she didn’t complain. She was going home. Relief shot through her. She was incredibly sad about Robert, Tyler, and Carlos, but right now, she was too tired to process it. All she wanted was a hot shower, some food, a full night of sleep.
Her stomach rumbled loudly, and Seth glanced her way. A second later, he reached into the pockets on his vest and pulled out a granola bar. She almost moaned. She tore off the wrapper and bit into it.
When she looked up, Seth was staring at her with a strange look on his face. “What?”
He shook his head, like he was trying to clear it. “Glad you aren’t dead, James.”
“Me too,” she whispered.
He reached out, his fingers brushing her ear, then he pulled away. That small connection, after the twenty-four hours she’d had, filled her chest with something warm.
Suddenly, he stiffened. He spun and slammed into her, driving her to the ground. They landed in rotting leaves, and all the air was knocked out of her.
“What the hell?” she wheezed.
Gunfire peppered the trees behind them. January swallowed a scream and Seth’s big body covered hers.
The gunfire paused.
Seth yanked his big, dangerous-looking assault rifle off his shoulder and returned fire.
“Come on.” He pushed off her, yanked her up, and gave her a hard shove. “Run.”
January obeyed. She took off at a sprint. Vines slapped at her face and arms.
“Lachlan, we’re under attack. Lachlan?” Seth cursed softly. “No response. Brooks, you there?”
January had met the buff, tattooed and good-looking Brooks. She knew the tech guru would be back in Nevada.
“Thank God,” Seth muttered. “I can’t reach Lachlan.” He stiffened. “What do you mean, there are more bogies on the way? Dammit to hell.”
Okay, this was sounding really bad. Any warmth she’d been feeling fled. She swallowed, old feelings of helplessness trying to break free inside her.
You aren’t alone, January. Big, tough badass with a gun right here with you.
Seth scanned around, his face set in serious lines. “Up there.” He pointed to a large tree.
She nodded and gripped the lower branches. She started to pull herself up when she felt big hands on her ass. He gave her a push.
Seth followed right behind her.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“Large group of people headed this way.”
She sucked in a breath. “What now?”
“Climb. Hide. Wait for them to pass.”
Suddenly, they heard voices. January climbed a couple feet higher, then she and Seth settled onto a large branch. He pulled her close, and pressed a finger to his lips. January’s breathing was shallow, her muscles tensed. She could really do with a break right now.
Below, two men stepped into view. They were wearing fatigues and holding AK-47s. They moved cautiously, looking around intently.
Then January felt movement on their branch. She turned her head and stifled a gasp. A monkey had appeared on the branch, staring at them curiously. Ah, hell.
“Shit.” Seth’s curse was almost soundless.
The animal let out a screech.
Shit. The men looked up, and January’s chest locked.
Seth launched himself off the branch. She gasped and watched as he slammed into one man. As soon as they hit the ground, Seth leaped up and charged at the second man.
Dammit, dammit, dammit. Gunfire hit the trunk near January and she screamed. She scrambled down. She needed to get out of the tree and help Seth.
The sound of thuds and grunts filled the air. Near the bottom, she lost her grip and went flying out of the tree. She landed on her side, hitting the ground hard, pain jarring through her, but she bounced back onto her feet. She had to get to Seth.
January spun and saw Seth fighting the two men. She paused. He didn’t look like he needed any help.
His blows were hard, fast, and brutal. He moved like water, flowing with wicked power and grace.
In another few seconds, both attackers were laid out on the ground, unconscious.
Wow.
Seth’s brows drew together. “Why didn’t you stay in the tree?”
“Bullets were flying, and I thought you might need help.”
He blinked. “You were going to help me?”
“Yes.”
“How? By throwing rocks at them? Flinging some mud?”
