Cherry Adair - T-flac 03 (38 page)

"Your resurrected playmate wishes to know where her sister is,
amigo
." Montero's arm almost cut off her air and the heat didn't waver. "If I am dead, she will never know. Drop your weapon, or I will take out her eye." She could see the image of the cobra on the tip of the metal rod.

Stalemate.

Delanie stared straight ahead. Kyle knew what he was doing. When he wanted her to do something he'd let her know; in the meantime she'd do her best not to pass out, scream, or choke while he thought about it.

"I don't give a rat's ass what she wants." Kyle's voice carried over the sound of gunfire and helicopters overhead. "I've come for
you, amigo
, and I've waited a long, long time."

Montero laughed. "You believe I will go with you? A lamb to the slaughter?"

"Hear that?" Kyle pointed the barrel of his gun directly at her chest, indicating the sounds outside with a tilt of his head. "That's
adios
to the rest of your new cartel and goodbye to selling off the smallpox. I destroyed the virus before the meeting yesterday. Let her go, Montero."

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"You think I won't burn her?"

"I know if you do, you'll be dead half a second later."

"Will my death matter, when your woman has no eye? I want a helicopter with a pilot and safe passage to San Cristobal."

She didn't believe Kyle would actually do what Ramon wanted, so she was horrified when he tossed his gun aside.

"Don't—"

But Kyle's eyes were fixed on the man behind her. "He won't shoot me yet," he said blandly, not in the least perturbed. "He needs both of us to get out of here. Isn't that right, you little chicken turd?"

Montero dragged her closer to the doors, glancing at the men swarming all over the patio. Heat lay like a blazing strip across her cheek. Another fraction of an inch, and that iron would fry her skin. God. She
hated
this.

"You'd better warn your men it's you," Kyle said grimly as Montero opened the door. Not that he gave a shit if one of the soldiers hit Montero, but he sure as hell would object to either himself or Delanie catching a bullet.

Christ. How the hell had the bastard found her? Not that it mattered. He'd been purposefully trying not to look at her terrified face. He could feel the scream hovering behind her lips, a scream he recalled chillingly from Isabella's house. Eyes enormous in her pale face, she looked at him just before Montero motioned him to walk outside first.

A strafe of gunfire lit up the still water of the swimming pool, shooting up pellets of water. An enormous explosion rocked the walls. Thick plumes of black smoke billowed into the bleached blue of the dawn sky.

"There goes your new drug lab," Kyle taunted. Smoke hung thick in the air as he stepped outside. His eyes scanned the area for his own men. They were well concealed, but everywhere. By full light he knew there would be nothing left of the factory but rubble. He saw it in his mind's eye. Destruction of apocalyptic proportions.

"I will build another," Montero said with all confidence, and then shouted out in Spanish for the men to stand clear. He dragged Delanie beside him, presumably so both factions held their fire.

Kyle observed the branding iron, still hot enough to do Delanie serious damage as Montero rested his arm on her shoulder. Without warning, Delanie dropped like a rock, slipping out of Montero's hold and coming down hard on the brick in a tumbling roll. She immediately scrabbled like a crab out of his reach.

Montero swore.

"Atta girl!" Kyle shouted, as a sudden blast of light indicated a shot from beyond the chain-link fence.

Montero howled with pain as a bullet ripped through his upper arm. He dropped the branding iron with a clatter, then hunkered down, doubled over, whimpering like a child.

Out of his peripheral vision Kyle saw Delanie glance over her shoulder at him. Her eyes widened. Kyle
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shifted a fraction of a second too late. The blow to the back of his head dropped him to his knees.

«^»

"Don't you dare pass out," Delanie ordered.

Kyle opened his eyes to see her crouched beside him, looking worried. He hadn't seen her move. He frowned. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he felt a rush of relief that she was all right.

He helped her stand, felt her heart pound against his chest. The smell of cordite filled the air. Over the sound of the choppers he heard the repeated stutter of machine-gun fire.

As if reading his thoughts she said swiftly, "Bruno boinked you on the head then took off with Ramon."

She grinned, eyes sparkling. "I used those Bangkok rules of yours. Good move, huh?"

"Very." He rubbed the back of his head where a hefty lump had already formed. His arm hurt like hell.

Stifling a hiss of pain he glanced down to see shiny black on his sleeve. Yeah, just as he'd thought, the bullet marked for Montero had nicked him, too.

"You've been shot!"

"Law of averages. Did he burn you?" He searched her chalky face in the shifting light.

She shuddered. "No. Can we go now?"

"Hell, yeah." He raised a hand, cautioning her to silence as he paused to listen.

A metallic click. A scrape. The sound of a jammed, then cleared, breech.

He was ready when a soldier appeared around the end of the building, almost stumbling over them. Kyle flung himself sideways, drawing the man away from Delanie. He slammed into the soldier, bringing up the Beretta and squeezing off a round. The guy flew backward, firing as he fell; bullets sprayed a line into the stucco of the house.

An explosion rent the air, rocking the ground where they stood. Smoke billowed black across the faint apricot glow of the early morning sky.

The viral chem lab.
Yes
!

Flickers of light came from the deep shadows behind them. They were going to get shot if one of the goons got lucky.

"We've got a target-rich environment out there." Kyle thrust his gun into her hands. "My people know who you are. If anyone gets in your way,
anyone
, point and shoot."

He raced back into the library and picked up his SIG from where he'd thrown it earlier.

He checked his ammunition clip. It was ready for use. Hell,
he
was ready for use. He strode outside
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again. "We're going to have to run like hell to reach the fence. Forget trying the gate. It'll be locked. Go diagonally across the patio, behind the pergola. We'll be in shadow there. Ready?"

"Hey!" He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. Her eyes were wide. "Don't look back, just run flat out until we hit the fence."

He jerked her into motion. Their long legs syncopated as they flew, feet barely touching the ground.

Their boots slammed down on the brick of the patio, picking up speed. Breath sawing, hearts pumping…

out into the middle of the patio, beyond the pool. The open stretch seemed like miles instead of yards.

The flare of light from the explosion illuminated her face. They were closing in on the fence. Movement in the darkness straight ahead warned him they were being tracked. He jerked her aside, his hand on the back of her shirt, putting himself in front of her. "Down. Get
down
."

She immediately crouched low, but they kept moving. His eyes scanned the dark shapes several hundred yards ahead before he hauled her upright, running flat out. Two, no three, of his people, on the other side of the fence.

"Go-go-go!" Kyle shouted.

He appreciated the sudden burst of covering fire as he and Delanie hit the chain-link fence at a dead run.

He put his hands on her butt, propelling her up and over, then hied his own ass after her.

He came down beside her in a crouch. She was flat on her back, face flushed with exertion. Leaves and debris clung to her hair as she lay there, her breathing rasping in and out as she looked up at the early morning sky.

Kyle knelt beside her, having waved off the guys who'd covered their butts. Hands on his thighs he sucked in air as he waited for her to regroup.

"God." Her voice was definitely shaky, but she sat up smiling. "That was awesome."

He bent down and nuzzled his face against her sweat-dampened neck as he chuckled. "You are certifiably nuts, you know that?"

"Where'd he go, do you think?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. He could have taken her right there. With bullets practically whizzing overhead, percussion grenades exploding, and choppers filling the sky.
I love you
, he thought, stunned by the sheer intensity of the emotion all over again as he looked at her shining face.

He pressed her back to the spongy earth, cutting off whatever she'd been about to say next, and kissed her hard. Her mouth was pliant, hot and welcoming, and just as urgent. She shuddered, and he tasted her moan into his mouth.

Automatic fire erupted and he let go of her, lifting his head. For a moment they stared at each other, breathing hard. Her eyes were dilated, her lips still glistening from the moisture of their kiss.

"Bet he's gone to the bomb shelter," she said shakily, finishing what she'd been about to say before he kissed her.

"You're probably right." He stood and pulled her to her feet. "Guess it's no use asking you to stay out of
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the way while I look for him?"

"Hey, if you can't beat 'em—" She lifted one eyebrow and he grinned, reluctantly amused. Christ. She was having the time of her life. He shook his head. Damn if she didn't do the unexpected every time.

"Stay alert, and keep that thing ready to use."

Her heart pounded in excitement, half fascinated terror, half the sensation of an exhilarating roller coaster ride. Her fingers curled around the Uzi he'd given her as they slipped deeper into the jungle. The hail of gunfire, followed by a series of loud booms followed them into the dense jungle.

"Come on, Wright. Move it," Delanie said over her shoulder, her long legs moving swiftly. Foliage whipped back as she forged ahead. Slashes of lime-green sunlight arrowed through leaves and foliage as the sun rose over the jungle canopy. The vegetation had been flattened by dozens of running footsteps coming and going; consequently, travel time was cut considerably because they had no need to hack a path through the undergrowth. The air reeked of gunpowder, smoke, and fear.

Out of sight, the loud
whop-whop
of the evac choppers grew louder as they lifted into the sky, carrying the first batch of prisoners bound for San Cristobal.

They'd have to pass through the pond clearing to get to the shelter. Delanie saw the break in the trees ahead, then heard a grunt behind her.

"Delanie," Kyle shouted, "Run!"

Before she could turn, someone jumped out of the thick undergrowth, knocking her flat on her face. Her gun flew one way, she another. Hell.

Just out of sight, she heard Kyle wrestling with his own set of problems. A short volley of shots from that direction had the monkeys shrieking from the treetops. She didn't have the opportunity to find out who'd been shot.

A booted foot connected with her ribs as she spat out vegetation.

Holy Hannah. That
hurt
. Before she could flip over, the man was on her, twisting her arm up high. He pressed her face to the jungle floor with his boot, laughing as he forced her arm even higher. Delanie bent her knee, bringing her heel up sharply behind her. Right between his legs. Bull's-eye.

Montero screeched like a wounded animal.

She jumped to her feet.

The macho drug lord was grabbing his balls with both hands, tears in his eyes, lips drawn back in a rictus of agony.

He recovered too fast and came at her again. Eyes manic, swearing vilely in Spanish. His head battering into her stomach. She staggered, grabbed him by the hair, and slammed her knee into his chin.

Montero dropped to his knees, grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her down. They tumbled down a small incline, legs and arms tangled. The sharp, sweet fragrance of the orchids around the piranha pond filled her senses with a pungent warning as they crushed the flowers beneath their thrashing bodies.

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He had her by the hair, his fingers gouging her scalp as he pulled. She reciprocated, pulling his hair with all her might. Both refused to let go. Her breath came in fast uneven gasps as she struggled to draw in the thick wet air.

She fought him like a wild thing, using every weapon at her disposal. She bit what she could reach, pummeled his head and shoulders with her fists, and kicked whatever came her way. He reciprocated, and they rolled on the damp ground twined together like vines.

She managed to gouge his cheek with her nails.

He thudded his elbow into her stomach.

Air whooshed out of her lungs.

He smiled.

She kneed him. Missed by a mile, but had the satisfaction of hearing a growl of pain. "Not… so…

damn… brave now, huh? No… branding irons, no guns. Just nice tidy hand-to-hand. The way I like it."

If BS could kill, he'd be stone dead.

Montero hit back.

She sank her teeth into his dirty white shirt and bit his shoulder. Hard.

He yelped, his hands going for her throat, his lips drawn back in a snarl. "I should have let my mother have you sooner." His fingers tightened. Black spots flickered in her vision.

She twisted her head to bite his wrist, and tasted blood. That earned a backhanded slap.

Go for the nose
. Delanie shot out her hand, palm up. Montero's head snapped back from the blow. He let go of her throat to clutch his face. Blood spurted between his fingers.

Bracing her feet apart, Delanie kept her focus. She kicked Montero's leg out from under him as he tried to stand. He fell, screaming invectives, his face scarlet, blood streaming from his broken, swelling nose.