by J. L. Drake
Smoke and jet fuel made its way to my senses, and I searched for the source. If there were flames, we might explode before we even hit the ground, destroying any chance we had of surviving. But before I could even finish that thought, we hit the trees, sending debris everywhere. The sound was deafening. I squeezed my eyes shut until we finally stopped with a hard jerk on the forest floor.
I didn’t remember letting go of the strap as I stood up on shaky legs and did a mental check of myself. Just a cut to the calf and some pain in my ribs, but all things considered, I was fine. I shook my head clear and immediately looked for Daniel. He lay crumpled against the wall of the cabin, not moving.
“Daniel,” I hissed in pain noting a few broken ribs, “can you hear me?”
Nothing.
I knew the cartel would be hot on our trail, as they would have followed the smoke from our crash. I pushed aside some branches that had ended up inside and made my way to his side. Thank God Cole insisted we always wore our Spiritus Systems armor.
“This is going to hurt like a bitch, but we need to move.”
I carefully laid Daniel flat on his back and pulled out the handle of the armor which had a makeshift stretcher inside. I glanced around and spotted the inflatable life vests, knowing the stretcher didn’t float and the chance of being in water was high. It really was the quickest way to move without leaving a track. I hauled him to the edge. We need to get off the X. After I carefully splinted his broken leg, I jumped and eased him down as best as I could. My ribs burned like fire, so I figured they were broken, but that was the least of my problems right now. I got Daniel a safe distance away from the copter and hidden from view, then checked him over.
“Pilot?” Daniel’s voice was weak but clear enough, and I knew it was an order.
“I’m on it.” I raced back to the mangled Blackhawk and saw flames coming from the cockpit. Our pilot, Chris, had a tree branch jammed into his neck. There was no doubt he was gone. I raced around the chopper and grabbed the door gun, and I was about to grab the last gun when the sound of cheering and hooting had me taking cover away from Daniel in some brush. As I bent down to take cover, my calf burned, and blood seeped out of a rip in my pantleg.
Fuck! I didn’t have time to think before they came into view.
As the vultures came to pick the Blackhawk clean, I rubbed dirt over my face and arms and sat and waited to make my move. One had a GoPro Camera strapped to his head, and another had one on the grip of his gun. The sick fuckers recorded the crash, and I wanted to rip their eyes through their skull.
“Fuego!” a cartel yelled. Fire. “Darse prisa.” He ordered them to hurry.
I waited for most of them to step inside the chopper, and when two of them went for Chris, I pulled the pin and tossed the M15 light phosphorus grenade under the Hawk and hunkered down for the blast. A flash of heat hit the side of my body, but I was ready for it. When the dust cleared, I saw my plan had worked, and I took a half a second to mourn the loss of a friend.
“Sorry, buddy. See you on the other side.” Better this than what they would have done to him.
Panic swept over the vultures as orders were yelled into the chaos to grab any weapons from the dead and to quickly move out to the east. I gritted my teeth, knowing they knew my team’s location.
I watched a young boy, no more than twelve, scurry over to one of the dead cartel to take his weapon and clear his pockets. I had seen the dead man holding a phone earlier, reporting what was happening. After the blast, it had dropped not far from him, and I could see it on the ground. As the kid moved about, I prayed he wouldn’t see the phone.
“Come on, kid, move away,” I muttered under my breath. Luck was on my side for once, and with a sharp curse from their leader, he was told to get moving.
I stayed put until I was sure the coast was clear then army-crawled over to the dead cartel’s phone and grabbed it. As I did, I noticed the seven inside a spider web tattooed on his arm. Who the hell are you guys? I took one last look before I headed for Daniel.
“Still faking it,” I joked at Daniel’s unconscious body, needing a bit of comic relief. “Look what I’ve got.” I held the phone out toward him with a smile. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” Pushing the tiny buttons on the old flip phone, I dialed the secure line.
“Go,” someone answered.
“This is Recon John Black, ID 135241493.” I paused and gave my code word. “Clear.”
“Code word verified. Give your locations.”
I gave four locations, knowing only two would be used. I was told to get moving and meet them at dusk.
Once the line went dead, I lowered the phone and took a moment to focus on the journey ahead of me. But all that came was bitter hot rage. How the hell did they know our every move? Where were the missing North Rock men? And who the hell was behind all of this?
Nothing made sense, and that was not something Blackstone was used to. We were the untouchables, but here we were stranded on enemy ground with one soldier barely hanging on to his life and three others missing. What a Goddamn shit show!
I shook my head back on straight and tuned in to the task at hand.
“All right, Daniel, time to move.” I lifted him carefully, and the armor cradled his head while we started the hike toward our rendezvous spot.
It took me two hours, with four stops, to give Daniel a break from the pain that pulled him in and out of consciousness. It was true we were trained to block out someone else’s pain along with our own in order to get the job done. But this was something else. Seeing your second father near the edge of death tested my limits as a soldier.
“I know, sir,” I whispered, hearing him groan, hoping he could hear me to know he wasn’t alone. “Did Cole ever tell you about the time we both got trapped in that basement hole in TJ?” I grimaced at the memory as I pulled him over a stump. “I had only been on the team about six months, and we’d just arrived in TJ for a mission. Remember when we found Senator Lee in that crate in that storage room? God, I hated that guy.” I let my mouth run. “He always wanted something other than what Abby was making for dinner, and Mark always wanted to sit next to him to score extra food.” I chuckled. The senator was an ungrateful ass. “Well, anyway, that night we had to clear several houses. Cole and I entered from the back, and once we hit the kitchen, the floorboards gave out and we dropped into the basement. The hole was clearly set up for us, and of course our radios were shit, so we had to wait for the team to find us.”
I stopped to take a breather and to listen and scan my surroundings before I crossed a well-used path. I was happy when we were hidden by the undergrowth again. Quickly, I used my shoe to cover the marks from the stretcher.
“Where was I?” I thought for a moment. Sweat rolled down my face, and I swiped it away, refusing to acknowledge that my body burned hot in more than one place. I needed to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. “Oh, right, so, the way the basement hole was, we couldn’t get a footing to get out. We used our weapons like pickaxes, but nothing worked. We had no choice but to hunker down and wait.” I shuddered at the thought. “As much as we felt like we were stuck in a giant coffin, it gave me time to get to know Cole better.”
I moved a branch out of my way and dodged the hole that could have broken my ankle in half.
“Given where we were, he told me about how when he was eleven, he and Mark were playing in the woods and they fell down that old well that was just off your property. They tried everything to get out, but it was no use. The walls were as slippery as butter. Mark started to get a little panicky with the small space and all, and Cole had to assure him that you would find them. That you could track and find anyone on this Earth. Night came, and then morning, and when daylight came, a shadow loomed over their heads, and there you were with Zack and his grandfather. He said he smiled at Mark as if to say, ‘See? My dad always comes through.’”
I found myself getting a little emotional, so I waited a few beats to cle
ar my tight throat. My neck felt like it was on fire, and the back of my shoulders was bothered by the fabric of my shirt. I would kill for a couple of Tylenols right now.
“He shared a few more childhood memories, some from the early years when he joined the Army, and some recent ones. And you want to know who they all included?” I glanced over my shoulder again. “You,” I assured him. “And to be honest, sir, most of our stories include you. So,” I lowered my voice a little, as we were approaching another clearing, “you need to hang on, because we can’t have you gone. We can’t have missing holes in our stories.”
At the edge of the terrain, I lowered Daniel and did another quick evaluation on him. His hand moved to cover mine for just a beat before it fell back down.
“We got this, sir. Just stay with me.”
Though it was clear his leg was broken, and he had a concussion, I suspected without removing his gear that he also had internal injuries. I worried about his condition, but I knew we had to keep moving. I had to push my own pain aside and keep my head clear because one wrong move could get both of us killed.
“Sorry, Daniel.” I checked all around the murky landscape for another route, but the only way around would have added too much time—time we didn’t have. “Sorry, sir, but you’re going to get wet.” I inflated the life jackets and did my best to place them under him, so he’d float, and to my surprise, it worked. I struggled to keep his head above water. Some places were deeper than others, but for the most part, it was mostly waist deep. I pushed what was possibly swimming around us out of my head and focused on the horizon. The mud under my feet was like quicksand, and the effort it took to cross was exhausting. Thigh-deep sludge had my muscles burning, and they begged for water as the rest of my body begged for some calories to keep me going. Every so often, I’d allow my mind to think of her. I’d remind myself of her smell, her touch, the way her intense blue eyes saw through my bullshit and made me live in the moment rather than the past. I stumbled during one of my memories, and the stretcher tipped.
“Shit, sorry.” I regained my footing. Mind over matter, I thought to myself. Mind over matter was what was going to get us through this. That, and my training. So, I turned that side of my mind off and focused on nothing more than putting one foot in front of the other.
Once on the other side, I looked up the hillside ahead of us and took a deep breath. The climb was going to be rough on both of us.
“Almost there,” I reassured him through gritted teeth. Again, I let my mind wander where it wanted to and focused on the thought that I would be that much closer to seeing Sloane. She was the one person who had me moving forward. She made all the horrible moments seem obsolete.
Finally, we reached the top. I lowered Daniel on the ground and dropped down next to him, feeling exhausted, hot, and parched. There was still a lot to process, and my head just couldn’t go there yet. I needed to focus on keeping us under cover and alive.
“Black.” Daniel licked his dry lips and stared up at the sunset. We had been taking cover on the hillside, waiting the last thirty minutes until dusk. “Talk to me more about something,” he barely whispered. “Make it up if you have to.” He winched as he coughed.
“I bet Livi has Liam and Ethan tied to a tree somewhere.”
“Ahh.” He grinned through white lips. “That little girl has us all fooled.”
“Yeah, she’s just as bad as the rest, but it’s her cuteness that saves her.” I opened my shirt, desperate to cool off. “She is going to run that house someday. I guess she does already.”
“I bet she’s worried that you aren’t there.” He took a strained breath. “You two have been working hard on your project.”
“I wouldn’t do that for anyone else but her.”
“I know that.” He coughed and tried to keep the conversation going, but I could tell it was a struggle for him. “You’re great with her, just like you will be with your own kid someday.” His glazed eyes moved to find mine. “You know a father can’t die without knowing all his boys will be okay.” His eyes closed, and I knew he was too tired to keep them open.
“Don’t even think of dying on me, Daniel. Cole will have my hide. Besides, you’ve been through a lot more shit than this. You really want the cartel to be the reason you go out?” I waved him off. “Nah, it would have to be something more epic than that. Like tripping over Tripper or stepping on one of Liam’s Army trucks.”
“God, I fucking hate those things. Worse than Legos.”
We both laughed, but I pressed my hand against his arm as I heard chopper blades in the distance.
“I think our ride is here,” I reassured him, but when he didn’t reply, I looked down and saw his eyes were rolled back in his head as he was overtaken by a seizure.
“Shit.” I quickly rolled him on his side as I snapped my smoke flare and signaled the chopper in our direction. I fought the dizziness that gnawed at me. I swore the place was trying one last attempt to keep us there. “Hang in there just a while longer, please, Daniel,” I begged, knowing his condition was getting worse.
Chapter Twelve
Sloane
Thirteen Hours Earlier
I woke with a groggy brain and headed downstairs to look for coffee before I went to my cabin for a shower.
“Hey, Dell.” I caught him on the steps, but his mood seemed off. He wasn’t his normal chipper self. “Any chance we can go into town today?”
“Ah, I’ll have to get back to you on that.”
“Okay.” I watched as he rushed off. I wondered if he was worried about how I’d feel today.
My face did hurt like hell. I glanced at myself in the hall mirror and felt nauseated as I took in my bruised and swollen face. I found Sue and Abigail playing with Mike’s daughter, Gabriella, who just arrived today, while June was upstairs unpacking from their trip. Tabby, Mark’s newest addition, was sharing her toy.
“Oh, Sloane, you’re awake.” Sue smiled warmly at me. “Is there anything we can get you? How do you feel?” She was kind enough not to mention the obvious.
“A little sore, but I’m okay.” I noticed none of the boys were around. “Have you seen John?”
“They were shipped out with little notice around noon yesterday. They should be back sometime tonight,” Sue explained, scooping up Gabriella.
Damn, how long did I pass out for? My stomach growled, and I felt the urge to visit the kitchen. Eggs and toast sounded perfect.
A black SUV pulled up and an engine turned off. Sue looked at Abigail. “Are we expecting anyone?”
Abigail shook her head.
“Dell just raced up stairs, so it can’t be him,” I offered.
The door opened, and Frank walked in.
I’d known Frank for a long time, and I could tell something major had happened by the way he avoided eye contact with me.
“Hi, Sloane. Have you seen Sue?” His tone was all business.
“I’m in here, Frank,” Sue called from the living room.
He motioned for me to go first, and he followed. Savannah popped out of nowhere, and I joined her on the couch.
“I’m going to keep this as short as possible because I’ve had multiple phone calls and finally have pieced things together.”
He sat on the chair across from us as we all waited for the news, and we knew it couldn’t be good.
“I hate this part,” Savannah muttered under her breath, and Sue reached out to pat her shoulder.
“Sue,” Frank turned his attention to her, “it’s Daniel.” Abigail immediately removed Gabriella from Sue’s arms as her face drained of color.
“He’s injured, but alive,” Frank continued. “We are flying him to Redstone hospital for his safety. We had to change things up last minute to throw the cartel off our scent and didn’t want to send him to the North Dakota hospital.”
Sue had jumped to her feet, but Frank held up his hand, shaking his head.
“Not yet. The moment I get the call, we’ll all go together.”
Savannah leaned over and took Sue’s hand as she sank back into her chair. She looked over at Frank.
“Is anyone else injured?”
“If they are, they haven’t let me know.” He rubbed his forehead and glanced at his phone then stood as though he needed to move. “Sue, I suggest you pack a bag so you don’t have to worry about leaving the hospital and Daniel’s side.”
“Good idea,” June chimed in, picking up Tabby. “Savannah, let’s see if Davie is around to help watch the kids while Sue gets ready.”
“Frank?” I moved closer to him. “What can I do?” He walked me toward the dining room and sat me at the table then sat next to me.
“North Rock called in. They were stuck in a ravine and, since half their team is either missing or in hospital, they couldn’t hold back the cartel on their own. They called Blackstone for help.” He pulled out his phone to show me some drone photos. “We purposely checked the area before the team got to their drop point, and we could see they were clear.” He hesitated then added, “Mike and John were going to be dropped at a different point, but at the last minute, Daniel switched places with Mike.” He looked directly into my eyes and went on. “Two RPG missiles hit the Blackhawk, sending them into the jungle.”
“What?” It took me a minute to regain myself and pull out my inner lawyer. Frank had already said no one else had been seriously hurt that he knew of. I needed to hold on to that.
“John called in on a secure line. He got himself and Daniel to the pick-up point. The chopper radioed in that they both were safe and are on their way back.”
“How bad is Daniel?”
Frank scrubbed his face with his hand and sighed heavily.
“Last I heard, he was unconscious. We just don’t know yet. I had Waters, from Team Eagle Eye, assemble as much info as he could, and it’s on here.” He handed me a flash drive. “I need you to do what you do best, Sloane, and dig.” He stood and leaned on the back of the chair. “I swear to God, if this ends up on another YouTube video, I will personally round up each member of the cartel and torture them one by one.”
