Fatal Pursuit (The Aegis Series) (13 page)

“All right. You fried my brain. How’s that?”

He grinned and leaned down toward her mouth, stopping millimeters from kissing her. She sucked in a surprised and—oh, wow—very aroused breath. “That will do, wife. That will do.”

He moved away without touching her, and, more confused than she believed possible, Marley watched him pull the blanket in the doorway to the side, then disappear out into the sunshine.

Drawing in a shaky breath, she turned and stared at the ground where they’d slept. And felt her heart skip a beat in her chest.

Damn. She closed her eyes. Forget being in trouble with Jake. Right now she was drowning a long and torturous death. And she had no idea if she’d survive.

Jake shifted the pack on his back while he waited for Marley to say goodbye to Darla on the edge of camp.

After hugging the anthropologist, Marley stepped up next to him, her own pack slung over her shoulders. He gripped her hand and waved to Darla and the rest of the villagers, then tugged her after him into the jungle.

She waited until they were out of sight of the village, then pulled back on his grip. “You don’t have to hold my hand anymore.”

The dampness of her palm told him she was nervous. Something he found incredibly interesting. He tightened his fingers around hers, not letting her get away. “You never know who could be following. Better to be safe than sorry.”

“Safer for you,” she mumbled.

He smiled wider. She was
really
nervous. Which not only amused him, it excited him. Memories of the night before rolled through his brain as they pushed their way past vines and wide palms. She was right. If he had it to do over again, he’d never allow
that
to happen, but it had. And part of him wasn’t sorry at all. Because it hadn’t just been fan-fucking-tastic as he’d teased her, it had been freaking incredible.

When they were at least a mile from the village, he finally let go of her hand and took the lead through the jungle. At his back, she muttered, “
Ayahuasca
.”

“What?”

“That’s what they gave us last night.
Ayahuasca
.”

“I’ve heard of that.” He ducked under a low branch.

“Darla said it’s a brew created with the bark of the
Banisteriopsis caapi
vine, and that it’s used in ceremonies to promote psychedelic and ritual inebriation.”

And potency, he guessed. He’d been harder last night than he was sure he’d ever been.

Blood rushed into his groin. He drew in a breath and fought back the arousal as he used the machete in his hand to hack at the foliage in their way. “It worked.”

“They also use it in rituals to revive the mythical past of the tribe.”

“You’re sure a mini-encyclopedia this morning.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. She’d pulled her blonde hair back in a tie and changed into long cargo pants and a fitted black tank. Not exactly the conservative work attire he was used to, but it wasn’t the half-naked tribal wear she’d been sporting last night. And he was both relieved and annoyed by that fact.

She shrugged. “I just think it’s interesting. The whole mud-woman thing.”

Darla had told him that story last night. He looked ahead and hacked at a vine. “They thought you were their savior.”

Marley snorted. A sound that was not the least bit sexy but utterly adorable to him. “I’m definitely no savior.”

Maybe not in her eyes. But the guys who worked for him wouldn’t agree. She saved their asses on a daily basis from the safety of Aegis headquarters, and they all loved her for it.

He focused on the vines in front of him instead of the heat brewing again in the depths of his belly. “Luckily they realized you weren’t her.”

“Lucky for you, you mean,” she said with a hint of amusement.

She was right. If Darla hadn’t explained to the tribal leaders that Marley was just a lost tourist, they’d have tried to keep her. And from the way some of the local men were eyeing her, Jake had a feeling they wouldn’t have wanted to keep him as well.

They moved through the jungle at a slow pace. Sweat slid down Jake’s spine and dotted his forehead. Several times he had to stop to check their direction on his compass and cursed the fact his GPS still wasn’t working thanks to the thick canopy.

Several hours into their trek they stopped for water. Jake handed Marley the canteen he’d filled before they’d left the village. Marley tipped it up to her lips and took a long swallow. A bead of sweat slipped down her temple and along her cheekbone to draw his attention.

That heat he thought he’d squelched rebuilt in his belly. A heat he didn’t need on a good day, let alone out here when it was ten thousand degrees and more humid than hell.

She lowered the canteen and handed it to him. “Here. You look like you need this more than me.”

He tossed back a large sip, then glanced over the jungle. “I figure we have another hour. Maybe an hour and a half.”

“Thank God. I’m ready to be done with the jungle for the rest of my life.”

So was he. But as he capped the canteen and shoved it back in his pack, he couldn’t help but wonder if what they were walking into was better or worse than where they’d already been.

How could it be better? Last night was fucking amazing.

It was. But he was smart enough to know it was a one-time thing. Shoving that thought to the back of his head, he threw his backpack over his shoulder. “Come on.”

Marley pushed to her feet and followed, and, to her credit, didn’t grumble once.

She had to want to, though. If she was half as sore as he was, just walking had to hurt.

Fuck. Do not go there. And for God’s sake, do
not
think about fucking.

Marley grasped his arm at the sleeve and drew him to a stop. “Shh.”

Annoyed by her touch, by the way it lit up his skin, by the way he wanted it in other, more sensitive places, he turned and frowned at her. “What?”

“Listen,” she whispered.

He stilled, looked out over the jungle, and realized what she’d heard.

Voices. Several. Speaking Spanish. Close. Coming from somewhere to his right. He’d been so wrapped up in thoughts of her he hadn’t noticed.

“Shit.”

Marley held up a finger to her lips, then let go of him and pushed through the brush
toward
the voices.

“Marley,” he whispered. But she didn’t stop. In seconds he couldn’t see her anymore. His adrenaline inched up. Goddammit, where the hell was she going?

As quietly as he could, he followed. The voices grew louder. He pushed a palm frond out of his way, then drew up sharply so he didn’t knock Marley to the ground where she’d stopped.

She turned and held her finger to her lips again, then pointed through the brush. “Sh. They’re right there.”

Yeah, no shit. He could hear they were close. He just didn’t know who
they
were. Spying wasn’t at the top of his list right now. The last time he’d done that, he’d nearly wound up as lunch.

She grasped his forearm and pulled him to the ground beside her. With no choice, he knelt close and drew in a sharp breath of that flowery scent mixed with sweet feminine perspiration. A combination that knocked his arousal right back to the forefront and sent flashes of their night together rushing through his brain.

She moved the brush a tiny bit so they could see into a small clearing. And then all sexy thoughts fled, because what he saw was a hundred times worse than the natives he’d tangled with last night.

“Fuck me,” he whispered.

Marley elbowed him in his side to get him to shut up. Jake peered through the vines toward the six paramilitary soldiers clearly taking a break from their hike to drink and eat and shoot the shit.

The one on the right spoke rapidly in Spanish. One seated on a log nodded and responded. Marley glanced around the jungle as she listened, and when Jake could no longer take it, he whispered, “What the hell are they saying?”

“They’re talking about Gray.”

His eyes widened. “Your boyfriend?”

“Ex. Quiet, I can’t hear.”

Her brow dropped as she listened to the conversation, and something dark passed over her eyes.

“What?”

“They’re looking for him. It sounds like he’s been on the run about six days. They’re frustrated they haven’t found him yet.”

“We’re close to Bruhia. They had to have checked there already.”

“They have.” She shifted against the ground, and a twig snapped. “Their orders are to kill him on sight, and anyone he’s with. They—”

Four heads turned their direction. At Jake’s side, Marley opened her mouth in what he knew was about to be a gasp. Slapping his hand over her mouth, he tugged her deeper into the brush as soundlessly as possible. Her hands rushed to grasp his arm, and her feet shuffled in the dirt. Shoving her behind him, Jake pulled his Glock from the holster at his thigh and went still as stone.

Two paramilitary soldiers headed straight for them, guns drawn, faces somber. Marley tensed at Jake’s back. Everything in Jake’s mind slowed to the moment. To the two men approaching, to the four left in camp, visualizing where they were, how many guns they had, planning how he was going to take them down and get Marley out of here safely.

The first soldier reached the brush where he and Marley had just been and swept it aside. He stepped through the vines and reached out to move the brush directly in front of them. Marley held her breath at Jake’s back. Jake locked his gaze on what little of the soldier’s face he could see through the foliage and lifted his weapon.

A shout echoed from somewhere off to their right. The soldier’s head jerked in that direction, then he yelled something in return. Tense seconds passed before he turned from where Jake and Marley were hiding and moved back toward the others.

Marley exhaled a long breath. Jake didn’t take time to do the same. He grasped her by the arm and shoved her into the brush. “Move. Fast.”

They picked up their pace. Neither one spoke. He let Marley take the lead, pushing her from behind and looking back to see if they were being followed. Sweat slid down his temples and dampened his hair. The back of her tank top was completely drenched from her own perspiration. Jake turned to look back again, but Marley’s scream drew him to a bone-chilling stop.

A
Colombian man decked out in camouflage from head to toe stepped out of the brush, directly in Marley’s path. She screamed and jerked back. Before she could react, Jake swept past her, captured the guy by the arm and swung him around, then wrapped his arm across the man’s throat and squeezed.

The man’s eyes grew wide. His face turned red. In a matter of seconds, he was limp in Jake’s arms. Jake laid him on the ground, took the guy’s gun from his holster, and reached for Marley’s hand. “Come on.”

Wide-eyed, she stepped over the body and pushed her legs forward to keep up. “Did you kill him?”

“No. Just knocked him out.”

By using the sleeper hold. Mick Hedley had taught her that one in the gym.

She pulled back on Jake’s hand, drawing him to a stop in the middle of the jungle. “Wait. We can’t just leave him.”

He eyed her like she’d lost her mind, then turned and tugged her after him again. “The hell we can’t.”

She tried to pull back, but he held her hand too tightly. “Jake, he’s going to wake up and tell them we were here. They’re hunting an American. Two more show up in the same area. You don’t think that’s at all fishy? They’ll come looking for us. They had machine guns.”

“I know full well what they have. And by the time he wakes, we’ll be long gone.”

“So aren’t you going to do anything to stop him? You’re supposed to be one of those guys.”

He pushed vines and palm fronds out of their way and pulled her behind him. “What guys?”

“Those SEAL guys. The ones who can stop a world war with their bare hands.”

“Sorry to ruin your doe-eyed impression of SEALs, but in this situation we run. We don’t hang around, and we sure as hell don’t do something stupid.”

“We could tie him up.”

“We don’t have time before those other soldiers come looking for him.”

He was right. But they still couldn’t just leave the guy. Something in her gut said that was just trouble waiting to happen. “There has to be something else we can do.”

He whirled on her so fast she stumbled back, but his hand captured her upper arm so she didn’t fall. “Don’t even think it.”

“But—”

“No buts. Forget the fact he’s bigger and stronger than you and the tiny reality that you don’t have combat training. You’re not getting near that guy. It stays with you, Marley.” The shadows lurking in his dark eyes were new and startling, and they lit off a wave of unease all through her belly. “It keeps you up at night. It doesn’t matter if it’s done in self-defense or to save someone else, when you kill another person, it haunts you for the rest of your life. You’re not doing it.”

He thought she wanted to kill the guy. Her eyes widened, and her stomach rolled. She was just about to tell him that wasn’t what she meant when she realized it didn’t matter. He was trying to protect her. From something similar in his past. Something he’d lived through that had shaped him into the controlling, domineering man he
’d become
. She wanted to ask just what that was, what had happened to him, but he cut her off before she could get the words out.

“Screw these soldiers and screw your ex.” Letting go of her arm, he squeezed her hand in a death grip, turned, and dragged her behind him again. “We’re getting you back to the States where you’re safe.”

Marley’s mouth closed, and her questions died on her tongue. She didn’t have to read between the lines to know what he really meant was
where she belonged
. Shock reverberated all through her, followed by a wave of disappointment. Even after everything they’d already been through on this trip, he still thought she couldn’t hold her own.

She bit into her lip to keep from arguing and instead let him pull her through the jungle. What would it take to prove to him she was tough? That she was more than just a secretary? Would he ever see her as anything more? Or would she forever be stuck in this role—standing on the fringes, waiting for someone to view her as capable, waiting for
him
to see the real her?

She didn’t have an answer. All she knew for certain was that she couldn’t keep going like this. Not after last night. And sooner or later she had to make sure he understood that.

“Dumb fucking idiot,” Jake muttered as he stood behind a beat-up truck on a side street in Bruhia and swiped the sweat out of his eyes.

The town, situated in a clearing in the middle of the jungle, was nothing but a handful of dirt streets, rows of dilapidated shacks, three cantinas, and one small store. Lingering out in the open like they were now, they stood out like big red here-we-are beacons, and all he wanted to do was to get out of this hellhole as fast as they could.

“He didn’t give you any indication where he’d be?”

“No.” Marley crossed her arms over her chest at his side. “Just said he’d be easy to find.”

She was still upset about their moment in the jungle. He could tell from the rigid line of her shoulders and the way she wouldn’t look his way. Yes, her logic made sense, but he wasn’t about to let her do something she’d eventually regret. He lived with that shit daily and knew how it changed a person.

“He’s American. He should be obvious to spot. Unless he’s hiding. And if he’s hiding, then you
know
that means he’s into some nasty shit down here.”

She didn’t answer, and drawing in a calming breath that did shit to cool him down, he glanced over the dirt road, not quite sure why he’d grown more agitated the closer they drew to this town.

No, that was a lie. He knew why. Because her ex was somewhere in this hellhole. The ex she’d dropped everything for and raced to South America to help. As much as she wanted to believe the guy was on the up-and-up, something in Jake’s gut said not a chance. And after last night, just knowing she was still so adamant about helping her ex-lover set off an irritating vibration in the center of his chest that he just couldn’t shake.

He couldn’t tell her any of that, though. And, luckily, his gaze caught on the men walking into town before he could think of a sane answer. Adrenaline surging, he grasped Marley around the waist and pushed her against the side of the truck, out of view.

“What are you—?”

“Shh. We have company.”

She twisted to look toward the men decked out in camouflage, holding semiautomatic weapons, parading into town, the same ones they’d run across in the jungle. Against his chest, her heart rate shot up. “I told you.”

He dragged her back from the truck and into the doorway of a cement building. Reaching back, he found the knob, then silently rejoiced when the handle turned. After pulling Marley in after him, he shut the door.

Darkness surrounded them, only a sliver of light coming from around the door and one small window covered by a tarp. But the way Marley pulled back from his touch told Jake loud and clear that the arousal she’d felt last night was long gone.

Good. Great. He didn’t care. She could be as mad as she liked so long as she stayed alive.

The room was small, dark, and dirty. He glanced around, realizing it must have been used as a storage area for some kind of business at one time. Boxes of wiring sat against the wall. Broken, empty shelves lined the other side of the room. Shovels and rakes sat upright in the corner. Dropping to the ground, Jake tugged off his pack, rummaged around inside until he found his sat phone, then pulled it out. The light blinked green.

Relief rushed through him. He punched in the number and hit Dial.

“What are you doing?” Marley whispered at his back.

Jake lifted the phone to his ear. “Calling Tony. You saw the airstrip on the end of town. It’s rough, but he can make it. That guy could land in sand if he had to.”

“Wait. You weren’t willing to risk your plane before on that landing strip, but you’re willing to risk it now?”

“Hell yeah, I’m risking it. In case you haven’t noticed, this town’s about to be overrun by guerrillas looking for your boyfriend. We’re not getting out by foot or car or train. The air’s our only option.”

“We’re not leaving, Jake. We haven’t found Gray yet. You wouldn’t leave a man behind, and neither will I.”

Jake pushed to his feet.
Come on, Tony. Pick up already
. “He’s not my man.”

“No, he’s mine.”

Jake’s gaze snapped to her in the darkness. Her man? Now McKnight was
her man
? After last night, she had the balls to say that to him?

Tony’s voice echoed in his ears. “I was starting to worry, Ryder. Another hour and I was going to take to the air and go look for you.”

Jake looked quickly away and tried to ignore the sudden pounding in his ears. “We’re fine, but we’ve got heat. The airstrip in Bruhia is going to be rough. How long ’til you can get here?”

“Hold on.” Tony spoke in muffled words to someone else, and from the conversation, Jake knew he was at the airport, getting the down low about the conditions in Bruhia from the tower. “It’s not far, Jake,” he said louder. “But I can’t land the jet there. The runway’s too short.”

“Shit.”

“The guys here can get me a chopper. It’ll take me a little longer to get there. If you’ve got heat, though, I’ll need you at the airstrip. The Black Eagles are the dominant paramilitary group running that region. I’m being told they’re famous for shutting down all air traffic in and out of Bruhia on a moment’s notice.”

“Black Eagles, huh?” Jake looked back at Marley. He couldn’t see much more than the outline of her silhouette, but he knew she was listening to every word. His day had just gone from shitty to totally fucked. “They’re associated with the Calindo Cartel, aren’t they?”

“And the Muñoz Cartel. And the Rojas Cartel. Drug trafficking, extortion, racketeering, murder, and kidnappings are only a few of their most notable endeavors. And they do not like Americans. Not a group you want to cross.”

“Yeah, tell me something I don’t already know.” And if they were looking for McKnight, it meant the fucker was definitely into something he wasn’t sharing.

“We’ll meet you at the airstrip in forty-five minutes, Tony.”

“Got it. Stay safe, Ryder.”

“You too, Hughes.”

“Forty-five minutes?” Marley asked when he ended the call. “That gives us plenty of time.”

“To play hide-and-seek with your ex? Not happening.” Jake knelt and shoved the sat phone back into his pack. “We’re heading for the airstrip so there are no mistakes.”

Marley drew in a sharp breath. She was fuming. He didn’t have to look to know there was steam coming out of her ears, but dammit, he was just trying to keep her safe. Why couldn’t see she that? This wasn’t a game anymore. It had gotten way too real way too fast, and he wanted her out of it.

“Okay, listen,” Marley said. “I realize this is the last place you want to be—”

“Got that right.” He flipped the top closed on his pack.

“I also know this is my business not yours and that you don’t have to be here. But I can’t leave without searching for Gray. I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t at least try.” When he didn’t answer, she said, “Dammit, Jake. Would you stop what you’re doing and look at me?”

He didn’t want to stop, he wanted to leave. But he pushed to his feet and faced her like she wanted because he knew there was no way he was getting her out of here until she had her say. “Your intentions were good, Marley, but it doesn’t change the fact there are people out there who want us dead and that the safest thing for us to do is to get to that airstrip before the Black Eagles shut down the entire area.”

“I know,” she said calmly. “I know, and you’re right. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from you over the years, it’s that duty—your word—matters. You’ve never left anyone behind that you’ve gone after. I’ve watched you risk your life for people you don’t even know, all because you gave your word to a relative that you’d do your best. You were willing to do it for Eve before you even knew she wasn’t a traitor, and you’d do it for anyone at Aegis without a second thought. I’m not asking for special treatment here, Jake. I’m not even asking you to change your plans. All I’m asking is to use those forty-five minutes to look before we have to rendezvous with Tony. Because I did exactly what you’ve done your whole life. I gave Gray my word, and I can’t break it.”