Delta Recon (SEAL Team Phantom Series, Book 2) (3 page)

“Damn, I’m out of the frying pan, or whatever the hell the metaphor was,” she mumbled as she looked inside her bag for something to clean her wounds. Antibacterial hand sanitizer and tissues, but nothing to bandage. “Why couldn’t I have been a boy scout?”

After cleaning the wounds, she ripped a few strips off her shirt and wrapped them around her feet. Feeling like she’d accomplished all she could, Jaqui looked around her surroundings. The buzz of insects, chirping of birds, and other natural sounds surrounded her. Not once while she’d been held had she thought what it would be like outside the concrete walls. Thinking of all the indigenous creatures that would make a meal of her, she kept her back to the tree and waited.

Time crept by at a snail’s pace. She drank sparingly from one of the bottles of water, wishing she had something to eat. “Rescue will be here in no time, and then you can get a big juicy steak back at the hotel.” She kept her voice low, yet needed to hear something other than the oppressive silence.

Her back to one of the towering trees, she scooted down, allowing her ass to rest on her heels, the gun held loosely in her hands. Damn, why had they zeroed in on her? How many days had she been held hostage? She knew for sure it had been at least three nights. Seventy-two hours was plenty of time for a SEAL team to come up with a rescue plan, she was sure. God, she prayed they were enroute even now.

Aches she had forgotten about began to let themselves be known, her face hurt, her entire body felt as if it went three rounds with Conor McGregor. Only not in a good way.

Tiredness flooded her, making it hard to keep her eyes open. For the first time in days, the ability to sleep without the fear of what would happen to her, made it almost impossible to stay awake. Not even the oppressing heat, or the fact her clothes clung to her like a second skin made sleeping impossible.

It was the sound of the quiet that brought her to wakefulness. Darkness descended, making the already eerie forest even more so. Jaqui pushed to her feet, wishing she’d used the daylight hours to find a way out instead of assuming a team would come and rescue her. Now, with the silence, another danger was lurking. When she’d researched before coming on the mission, the main things had been about the Carnival itself and the city. Images of predatory animals flashed into her mind. Cats. She was sure it was large jungle cats of some sort, but couldn’t put a name to which breed. Her eyes shot up to the towering trees as the realization that felines could climb, and would more than likely stalk their prey from above as well as from the ground.

The gun she felt secure in holding hours ago, didn’t seem to hold much merit if a leopard or jaguar should appear. “Son of a bitch,” she swore when she bit down on her bruised lip.

Taking a step away from the shelter of the tree, she tried to see through the foliage, hoping light from the moon would filter through. With the silence, she finally heard what sounded like running water. Knowing there were no waterfalls where she’d been, made anxiety twist her stomach in knots. If what she was thinking was true, she was no longer in Cartagena, and could be miles if not a country away from where she’d been. Hell, for all she knew, she could be in the Middle freaking East. Jaqui switched the gun to her left hand and used her right to steady herself, feeling her own heartbeat reminded herself she was alive. Water usually meant a couple things. One, she would be able to refill the water bottle she’d emptied if the water was fresh, and two,

the forest would open up enough for her to catch her bearings. On the downside, it also meant animals would also be near it.

Again, she wished exhaustion wouldn’t have claimed her during the daylight, but unable to turn back time, she squared her shoulders. She was a good shot, and she hadn’t survived this long only to succumb to a big cat.

Using her newfound reserve, Jaqui headed toward the sound of water. The closer she got, the louder it became, making her aware she wasn’t near a small waterfall, but a huge one. As she broke through the clearing, the moon was already on the downside with the sun looking to make its appearance. For the first time in days her hope rose, until the sound of an animalistic growl split the air. The sound had the hairs on her arms rising. Jaqui looked at the area around the rushing waterfall, and back toward the trees.

“Stay calm. Surely there is other prey out there.” Jaqui snorted, then pressed her battered lips together. Keeping close to the water, she made her way up, hoping she could get a better look from above. Her head jerked from side to side, trying to watch where she placed her feet as she climbed, yet keeping her eyes trained on where she was, sure she was being stalked. The last thing she wanted to do was shoot one of the local animals. However, survival was high on the agenda. If for nothing else, she planned to be able to throw it at Tay’s...she shut her mind down, not wanting to think of him. The SEAL wanted nothing to do with her, and that was fine. She’d lost enough of herself because of her stupid infatuation with the man, she wouldn’t lose anymore.

She was shocked at how out of breath she became by the time she’d reached the top. The fact she hadn’t seen or heard anymore from the animal made her relax. She lifted her hand, the rushing water was almost deafening as it cascaded over the top. If she had been on vacation with friends, and a tour guide, this place would have been a must see sight. As it was, she felt more alone than ever. Why her locator hadn’t brought in the troops made tears sting.

A large flat rock caught her attention, and with the last of her strength she climbed until she was on top. The short white shorts and cute top she’d put on for the first day of the Carnival mocked her. No longer resembling anything close to what she’d been wearing, the white was more shades of brown, and the top had no shape with the strips cut out. If someone was to come upon her, she was sure they’d think she was an escapee from somewhere. She wasn’t even sure if her hair would ever be tameable, or if she’d have to chop it off. Why she was thinking these things, she had no clue. Exhaustion was the only thing that came to mind.

Once the sun was up, she planned to figure out the correct direction and make plans. Uncapping a bottle from her bag, she drank deeply. She wasn’t paying attention, or she’d have noticed the silent wraith creeping up on her. Her first warning she wasn’t alone was the eerie feeling of being watched, or stalked.

Slowly, she glanced up and over her shoulder, seeing the large creature not five feet away. If her memory served her correctly, it could easily clear that distance. With an economy of movements, she reached into the bag, keeping her eyes locked with the cat. The gun felt good in her palm, but she feared if she pulled it out too quickly, he’d be on her. Yet, if she waited he’d be on her.

She finally understood what they meant when people said time stood still. In the moment before her hand came clear of the bag, she had the safety off and her other arm up, ready to help steady for the shot. The scream from the jaguar scared her, almost making her scream herself. She wanted to tell the gorgeous beast to go away, but reasoning with an animal would be a waste of time. Jaqui paused, waiting for the subtle shift in his body. Just as the bunching of its muscles flexed, she pulled the trigger. A terrifying scream ripped from the jaguar, but he still leaped at her. She fired again, and again.

Falling over backward, the heavy weight of the animal bore down on her. Jaqui screamed, and screamed some more as she pulled the trigger. The animal’s huge head was inches from biting her, and then it dropped, half on, half off her. Its deadly claws looked vicious even in death.

Jaqui tried to scramble out from under the animal, its blood covering her, along with everything else, was enough to make her lose control and scream until she was hoarse. She didn’t care that others would hear her, if there were more in the area, only knew she was too tired to care.

The rising sun no longer held a promise of rescue, or safety. Her body began to shake uncontrollably, yet she couldn’t seem to get her legs out. The jaguar’s large head mocked her as she lay there, shaking, screaming until her throat hurt, until her limbs went numb. Finally, she released her hold on the gun, letting it drop beside her. “I’m done,” her voice came out scratchy, barely above a whisper.

****

T
ay swore in several languages when they’d heard the echo of gunfire. The tracker Jaqui had pressed had been found, yet no sign of the woman. Now, as they raced through the forest toward the ominous sound of shots, he prayed. He prayed like he hadn’t since he couldn’t remember when. Even with the night vision goggles, he worried about what they couldn’t see. The thought that little Jaqui Wallace was stranded with nothing but her wits had him freaking the fuck out, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. If the last thing he did on this earth was save the tiny blonde beauty, then he’d die a happy man. If one hair on her gorgeous head has been hurt, he swore he’d make each and every person responsible wish they were already dead.

He leapt over some fallen trees, leading the team even though it was Kai’s place. They all knew he had feelings for the Navy’s computer specialist. What he didn’t understand was why she was allowed to come out on a mission with his SEAL team. No way in hell was she trained for the things they might encounter. He grunted as his legs ate up the distance where they were sure the shots had come from. He wouldn’t allow himself to think she wasn’t still alive. The gunfire had sounded as if it’d come from one gun, not several.

“Yo, Tay. Slow your roll man. Check this out.” Kai pointed at some markings on a tree at the base of the forest where it opened to a huge waterfall. “Looks like some sort of large jungle cat, man. Keep your eyes open.”

Tay nodded, his eyes looking up and down along the water’s edge. Surely she hadn’t jumped in to escape the animal chasing her?

“We split up. Half go up, half go down.” Kai checked his gear. “Tay and I’ll go up. If you see anything give three clicks on the radio.”

He already began searching as he went up. The first sign of footprints had him nearly dropping to his knees in relief. “Kai, check it out. She went up.”

Picking up his pace, he moved quickly upward, eyes and ears open for any sign of Jaqui. Just as he was about to reach the top, his heart nearly stopped. A huge jaguar lay sprawled on top of what appeared to be a woman with long hair. He couldn’t tell the color of the locks, yet something in his gut told him it was his Jaqui. Blood coated both beast and woman, yet neither moved.

“What the hell, Tay,” Kai growled, almost bumping into him from behind.

His body moved on autopilot, moving closer to the two on the ground. He heard Kai swearing, heard his order to stand down, but Tay wasn’t listening. The closer he got, his mind went back to the weekend he’d spent with Jaqui.

Tay stared at the vision in front of him, unable to believe she was agreeing to spend the weekend with his sorry hide. Jaqui Wallace was everything his mama would want in a wife, a forever kind of girl for her son. She was exactly what he should be running from, instead of renting a suite for the weekend.

Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, its long thick mass gave him fantasies of things a good boy shouldn’t be having about the girl next door. But, the look she gave him wasn’t one he’d ever seen on any of the neighbors back home. In fact, he was sure not a man alive could resist her sweet temptation wrapped in a tiny package.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked. They were inside the elevator and as he moved to cover her lips with his, the doors opened.

Shaking his head, he reached for her hand with his free one, gripping the handle to her overnight case in the other, he led the way down the hall toward their room. Damn, butterflies took up residence in his stomach. At thirty, Tay was amazed at the reaction.

“Wanna do the honors.” He tilted his head toward the key card slot. A blush rose on her tan complexion. At twenty-six it was an endearing thing to see. He wanted to test her, see what she looked like naked and if that blush would cover her entire body. He’d bet his last dollar it did.

After a failed attempt, they both seemed to hold their breaths until the little green light indicated the door was unlocked. Walking inside, the room wasn’t too large, but it was much nicer than the average hotel room. Not wanting to rush things, he left the bags near the couch, then turned to look into the eyes of the woman who’d captivated him from the first time he’d seen her. Having just returned from a mission, he’d wanted to relax on the beach. With his team’s home being in Hawaii, he couldn’t wait to shed his fatigues, and hit the beach. He had no clue how he’d missed seeing her on the Navy base, but as he paddled out to catch a wave, his eyes landed on the tiny female racing alongside him. He’d have thought she was trying to impress him, except she’d paid no attention to him, and caught the first wave. Lust at first sight was what he’d called it.

Now, he stared at her in the yellow sundress, and wondered why he was so nervous. “Do you want to go out and grab some dinner?” He asked hoping to set them both at ease.

She shook her head.

“Want to order room service, or take a walk and see what catches our eye?”

Again she shook her head, then did something he’d never forget. Raising her hands, she slipped the strap of the dress off one shoulder, then the other. Her small, but perfect breasts stopped it from falling until she hooked her thumbs in the material. With her eyes locked on his, she shimmied, taking the yellow fabric all the way till it passed her hips, then let it drop to the floor unheeded.

“Have mercy.” He swallowed, and erased the few feet separating them. She wore a pair of yellow bikini panties, and a white strapless bra with yellow lace to match the panties.

He lifted his hand, tracing the edge of the lace. “Fuck, you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. You make the sun pale in comparison.”

A dimple appeared in her right cheek as she smiled. “Nice line, soldier.”

“Don’t do that. You have to know you’re gorgeous.” He wrapped one arm around her back, cupping the back of her head in his palm, he stared into her eyes. “Yeah, I’ve given lots of women a line of BS, but not you. I won’t lie to you, or promise anything I can’t deliver.”