by Amy McKinley
“We need to find somewhere we can sleep the next few hours.”
“My aunt’s home. If no one sees us go in, it should be okay, at least for a little while.”
Chris nodded. “Tomorrow, we’ll wait and see what they do. I’ll find a way to contact my team. Then, we’ll go after Juan Carlos at his home.”
Chapter 30
Chris
Safe in Mari’s aunt’s apartment above the store, she and Chris listened to the sounds in the street below. Chaos had ensued shortly after the first farm detonation, but he suspected the one that caused the most upheaval was the hit at the harbor. Chris grinned as Mari sank down beside him, their backs resting against a single bed.
“Did you find what you wanted?” He tugged her braid before dropping his arm around her shoulders.
She rested her head against him. “Yes.” In her hand, she clutched a few pictures. “These were really the only things I’d hoped to keep.” She swept her hand around the small, one-room living space. “Everything else is just stuff.”
With a squeeze to her shoulders, he brushed a kiss on top of her head before peering out the small crack between the cloths, draped over the window and shielding them from sight. They had a second-floor view of the street if he angled his line of sight just right. And he did, getting up to look down on the activity happening below. “We can’t stay here too long.”
“Why? They don’t know we’re in here. I’m sure the guerrillas and possibly a cartel member or two reported that I was in the Darien Gap. Especially since they were Juan Carlos’s chosen ones. They wouldn’t expect me to return.”
The cartel swarmed the streets and searched the shops around them, no doubt for evidence of who participated in the raids. He and Mari wouldn’t have much time until they were discovered. Narrowing his eyes, he looked at who else was down there. The military walked between the cartel members, turning a blind eye to the injustice that occurred. “I would.”
“You would what?”
“I would check here. Overlooking any avenue isn’t smart.” They could spare five more minutes. Then, they needed to move out. He scanned the rooftops, checking for anyone lying in wait.
“Chis, I need to tell you something.” She cleared her throat. “I’m not your—”
“Well, shit.” He chuckled. His team was here.
“What?” Agitation and fear lined her rising voice, and he turned with a grin.
Flat on the rooftop across from them, Hawk lay with his sniper rifle. He moved the curtain a tad, waiting until he felt the full weight of Hawk’s focus looking back at him. The moment was enough that he knew things would go their way. In a flurry of hand gestures, they signaled to meet in twenty minutes.
The noise in the street slowly died down, and he pulled his pack close. “Put your pictures and anything else you know you’ll want inside.” He frowned as she wrung her hands together. “I’m sorry, babe. What’d you want to tell me?”
She shook her head. “Can’t we rest here a little longer?”
Chris turned and really looked at her. There was a slight tremor in her hands as she unwound her hair and picked up the brush at her side. In slow, even strokes, she worked through the long strands.
Taking the brush from her hand, he separated a section of her hair as he settled her between his legs. With Hawk—and probably a few others on their team—watching over them, his worry eased, at least for the time being. He took his time and combed through her hair until it felt like silk between his fingers. When he finished, she leaned fully against him, tilting her face up to his.
“Thank you.”
“What’s bothering you?” He brushed a few strands from her cheek, his gaze crawling over her somber features as he cupped the side of her face.
“I need to give you something.” She shifted and put space between them so they now faced one another. Her hand dipped into the pocket of her pants. “I’ve had these since Hannah and I pulled you from the tree. Instead of showing them to you while you were struggling to remember, I kept them.”
Her hand uncurled, and in her palm were his dog tags. So that’s where those went. She dropped them into his hand then curled hers around his, so that the military tags were between them. It was an unusual thing for her to be afraid to keep from him.
“Why?”
“I was scared you’d remember everything, especially since your division is on them. I worried that if I gave them to you, you’d become someone else. You’d turn against me, too. I know it was wrong, but I needed your protection to escape.”
“I’m still the same person, and I would have helped you.” He pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her. “This doesn’t change anything for me.” He slipped his dog tags around his neck and tucked them beneath this T-shirt. They could have helped to jog his memory from the onset, but then he wouldn’t have played along with her little lie. Maybe it was a good thing she’d held them. “I understand why you’d be concerned, but it’s different in the States. There is way more good than bad in the armed forces. We’re there to protect the people in our country. It’s our job.” Chris tweaked her nose. “The corruption here is nothing like the structure in the States. But just like in life, there are good and bad people. You’ll need to judge them on their actions, trust your gut, and not immediately assume the worst just because someone is in the military or on the police force.”
She worried her lower lip, her eyes misting. “You’re not upset?”
The timid sound of her voice made him stroke her face and brush a kiss across her forehead. “No, babe. Nothing’s changed between us.” He dropped his gaze to her mouth before he covered her lips with his own. Passion exploded between them as he deepened the kiss. Tangling his tongue with hers, he enjoyed her for as long as he could. His team waited. Their time was dwindling, and they needed to move out immediately.
Breaking their kiss, he dropped his forehead to hers. “We need to go. You sure you got everything you want?”
She nodded against him.
“There’s a high possibility we’re not coming back here. Take another sweep just to be sure.”
With a shake of her head, she picked up her backpack. “No, I’m positive. We didn’t have much. Just memories and the shop.” Quick fingers braided her hair once more.
Her bag was much fuller with a select few articles of clothing her aunt had made. His heart broke for her, because he understood that she had lost everything once already and was afraid she would soon lose him, too. That wouldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let it.
They needed to go. One last check below showed the streets relatively clear. Blood mixed with the dirt below from a few random and unnecessary killings, but the majority of the cartel and police were gone. Mari’s state of anxiety only increased because of it.
They waited a few more minutes while the sun inched toward the horizon. The faint sounds of someone crying carried through the stagnant air as they snuck out the back door of the shop. She pulled ahead of him a half step as he looked to the shadows, knowing one of his team would be there.
Movement drew his eye, and a smile split his face. The relief at seeing who stood before him robbed him of words, and Trevor’s expression read the same.
He felt air displace by his side, and he swore. Shit, I should have warned her. He watched in horror as the blade headed straight for Trevor. And missed. Jerking to the side, Trevor narrowly avoided a knife in his throat.
Chris whirled around and wrapped his arms around Mari. “He’s my brother. It’s okay.” Her body trembled, and when he leaned back he could see that her features were pulled tight with fear, which quickly morphed into anger.
Her fist pounded into his chest. “You knew? Did you know he’d be here, and you didn’t warn me?” Panic flickered in her eyes at what she’d almost done.
Chapter 31
Chris
Relief and overwhelming happiness flooded Chris at being reunited with Liam, Hawk, and Trev, who had all been on his team. Crowded
in Aunt Linda’s apartment, they stayed out of sight. For a while, they would be safe. He trusted them with his life, but the tense body pressed to his side let him know Mari was very uncomfortable with the turn of events. There were things that would need to be discussed and planned before they could move out.
Mari’s agitated wringing of her hands brought his focus back to her. “Babe, these guys are my brothers, my team.” He nodded to each one as he introduced her. “You’ve already acquainted yourself with Trev.” Her face flamed, and Trev chuckled. “The big bastard is Hawk. He’s a sharpshooter. And that’s Liam.” He waved at Liam, who leaned against the doorframe.
Chris sensed her worry, and he knew where it stemmed from. They knew more about him than she did. Her discomfort was palpable. Dropping his arm lower around Mari, he tugged her closer. “And this gorgeous woman is Mari.”
Hawk chuckled. “You sure you want to be with him, sweetheart?” His lips twitched. “He’s a moody bastard. I, on the other hand, could rock your world.”
Mari whipped out a knife and repeatedly flipped it in the air and caught it. “Not interested.”
Chris’s friends burst out laughing, and Hawk shook his head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mari. I was just messing with you. You’ll fit right in with us.” With a wink at her, he dropped his joking manner, and his features turned serious as he zeroed in on Chris. “Where’ve you been, and what the hell’s going on?”
Chris groaned, giving Mari a gentle squeeze before he launched into how he’d woken in a freaking tree without any memory of how he’d got there—or any recollection of his past, for that matter—how Mari saved him, and what had happened as they made their way back. “We have two loose ends. I can’t leave here until they’re taken care of.”
“What are they?” Liam’s Irish accent thickened as his gaze sharpened on Chris.
“Hannah is still here. We were sent to rescue the Secretary of Defense, Henry, his security, and her. I’m assuming you got Henry out?” At their nods, anger climbed his spine. “I’m pretty sure she’s a spy. There is no other way to explain why she’s here.”
“Jack is on that,” Trev volunteered. “Rich came through with some surveillance pictures. She was in them, along with a partial view of your face by the side of a building.”
Thank fuck that Rich Stevens, their CIA contact, had sent his brothers when he did. We’ll need all the manpower we can get to do what will come next. With Jack, their military brother, on Hannah’s trail, he set her from his mind. Jack would get to the bottom of Hannah’s deception. He met Liam’s gaze, as he knew this was personal for him, too. “Juan Carlos is after Mari. That’s the reason he pulled the majority of his efforts from retrieving Liv.”
Fury sparked to life in Liam’s green eyes. The threat of the cartel wasn’t new to him. Liv’s former husband was Alejandro, or Alex, Juan Carlos’s other son. “It’s decided, then. We’re ending this now.”
Chris grinned. He knew he could count on them. Mari’s body was rigid next to him, and he pressed a kiss to her temple. “This will be over soon, and we’ll all fly back to the States. No more trekking through the Darien Gap to cross the border.” He didn’t miss the shiver that coursed through her. She flashed him a smile before returning her watchful gaze to his buddies.
Yeah, we have a few things to talk about. All in good time.
Hawk peered out the window, periodically keeping watch on the activity in the street below.
“How long have you guys been here?” Chris asked.
“About five days,” Trev replied, his gaze darting back and forth from Chris to Mari. “We’ve been on Hannah’s trail, hoping she’d lead us to you, but Jack took over, and we split up, thinking it’d be better to fan out.”
Liam pushed away from the doorframe. “What’s the plan for Juan Carlos?” The steely determination to his features matched Chris’s.
“We took care of several of the coca farm operations.”
Trev laughed. “Yeah, we caught that when cartel guys were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Damn.” He shook his head. “It was a good sign. We assumed it was you. We heard one of the explosions from here. The harbor.”
“That was the first one. I’m sure that seriously pissed them off.” Chris dropped his arm and laced his fingers with Mari’s. “We need to survey Juan Carlos’s home, figure out the best way to shake him out of there, and take out as many of the members of the organization as possible.”
Liam grinned. “Let’s get started, then.” He angled his wrist and checked his watch. “We should get a move on. I’ll message Jack and let him know, so if he can join us, he will.”
Chris stood and tugged Mari along with him. They made their way over to a corner of the room, as much out of hearing distance as possible. He faced her and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You doing okay?”
She nodded, but he didn’t miss the caged panic that swam through her pretty brown eyes. “You have more of your memory back?” At his nod, she clasped her shaking hands together. “Then you—”
“Mari.” Yeah, we need to have that discussion, but another one takes priority. With his team there, he needed to make sure she would be onboard with them and avoid flinging knives into their necks. “About my team. You understand not all those in authority are on the take.”
“This is what I know, Chris. Intimately. The cartels are law here.” Her voice shook, rising in volume.
“I agree with you. Juan Carlos has to die, babe. But you need to understand that people in authority there are just that—they’re people. There are good ones, and a few bad. The evil ones are not the majority.”
The stubborn set to her lips drew a small smile from him. “We’re not where you come from. This is Colombia. And here, money talks, and the ones that have it are the cartels.”
“Look, I don’t disagree with you about how things are here. Even though not everyone in power is bad, it’s impossible for that to be the case. I just ask that you keep an open mind about my team—please don’t kill them—and for when we’re in the States, okay?”
A tremor wracked Mari. She looked at him, her lower lip trembling. “You’re taking me with you?”
“Fuck yeah, I am.”
Chapter 32
Chris
In the dark of the night, Chris snuck into the Ramirez compound, while Hawk provided coverage in a large tree, should Chris need it. He set explosive charges and was back with the rest of his team in no time at all. Another day had passed. It was midnight, and they would strike soon. The moon cast enough light for them to move about.
Mari didn’t know where Juan Carlos’s bedroom was, but Chris guessed it would be on the ground floor. Good, it’ll be easier to escape should the need arise.
Refusing to be excluded, Mari was in on the plan with them. She had wicked aim with a knife, so he wasn’t terribly worried for the time being. He knew that would change when the cartel guys came at them and got too close to her. Then, he would be on shaky ground.
Soon, all hell would break loose.
Liam took off toward the east side of the house. Chris and Mari moved to the west, Hawk remained in a tree that granted him a view of most of the house and property, and Trev took the front on a path for the door.
They sprinted to get into position before too many people saw them. Hawk took down seven, from what Chris could tell, as they neared the house. The consistent sound of gunfire and a few yells from the cartel guys sounded an alarm to the rest, who were inside.
Trev’s gun was going off like crazy, and so was Liam’s. Chris had shot four men, and Mari, three. There were more by the front of the house.
Chris slammed against the side of the house on one side of a window. Lights were turning on inside. On the other side of the window frame, he met Mari’s eyes. Smashing the butt of his gun through the bars encasing the window, he broke the glass and tossed in tear gas. He planned to flush as many of them out as he could.
Explosions fil
led the night as the bombs he’d set went off in consecutive order. Angry voices shouted, screams permeated the air, and machine guns spewed bullets. They returned fire. Trev had brought a barrage of weapons.
Mari let knives fly before she changed her gun’s magazine. Chris averted his eyes and focused back on the fight. They needed to get inside. Juan Carlos had to have an alternate escape route.
They held their positions, firing at the guards who swarmed from around the corner and in front of them. An explosion shook the ground, and the house shuddered from its blast. Chris grinned at Mari’s smirk. Trev set more explosives at the door and signaled for how much time they’d have as he put enough distance between the bomb and himself. It was where Chris and Mari would enter—the area would be relatively clear.
The next explosion was deafening, and debris rained down around them.
Trev took his position at the entrance once more as Chris and Mari slipped through. Hawk eliminated any cartel members as they appeared. Trev and Liam handled the rest. The back of the house wasn’t secure, which had bothered all of them when they devised their strategy. Liam planned to head to the back after tossing tear gas through every window he passed.
It was time. Gas mask in place, Chris picked his way across the rubble left over from the explosion at the front entrance, keeping Mari in his peripheral vision as they searched inside. Then came the part he didn’t like—he went in one direction and she in another. They had to find the escape route Juan Carlos took. They couldn’t let him get away.
The pop of bullets being fired echoed throughout the house. He was drenched in sweat. Fuck, I hate having her in this. He and his brothers had turned her into a walking weapon with the ammo, extra guns, grenades, and knives they’d strapped to her body. None of them wanted to see any harm to come to her, especially since they’d seen how much she meant to him. And she did.
