“Almost there,” he murmurs, watching his instruments.
I check that my earpiece is secure. Evlynne and I can communicate telepathically, but Gray needs the comm. Earlier, Adrienne called our security detail a “formality,” but it feels pretty damn serious to me.
“Get ready to move,” he tells us.
The plane dips suddenly, and my stomach lurches. I tighten my grip on the sides of my seat, bracing myself. The ground comes up fast, a flat stretch of dried, brown grass. The belly of the plane grazes the treetops, scratching at the metal like fingernails. Then we level out and, seconds later, touch down with a soft jolt.
Gray wastes no time flicking switches. “Transponder’s off. I think we’re good.”
Evlynne slides the back door open, reaching for her own pack. “Let’s go,” she barks at me.
I sling the rifle case over my shoulder and check that my sidearm and two knives are securely sheathed. Then I hop out and study our surroundings. The air smells different here, the scent of salt, tropical blooms, and earth filling my nostrils. And the humidity is intense. I’m sweating and we haven’t even taken one step yet. I eye the thin stretch of trees, which grow thicker farther out. There’s so much green. It’s gorgeous.
Gray stops me before I can go, his fingertips stroking my cheek.
“Radio at the first sign of trouble,” he says softly.
“I will.”
I’m tempted to kiss him, but I can’t with Evlynne’s angry eyes on us.
I feel Adrienne’s energy signature in my head. She’s our silent contact, since she can’t use an earpiece.
“Darlington, report.”
“We’re here. Getting in position now. What’s your ETA?”
“Twenty minutes.”
Out loud, I report, “Adrienne and her team are twenty minutes out.”
Gray nods. “Keep your comms on.”
“Are you two still eye-fucking each other, or can we go now?” Evlynne’s voice is snide.
I follow her toward the tree line. She takes the lead, rifle up, scanning the area. I rely on my handgun. My sniper rifle is too cumbersome for a jungle trek.
We move through the trees. According to our maps, the jungle ends in less than a mile, a sharp veer to higher ground. The spot offers a perfect vantage point overlooking the airfield. It’s just past the port of entry—and from what I’ve heard, entry is rarely granted. I remember Betima telling us that her father was a fisherman who’d gotten caught in a storm once. When the Tierran navy found him, they wouldn’t even let him and his men step foot on land. They forced them to stay in the port until the Uprising was able to provide a pickup for them.
It’s even more humid in the jungle, and I’m soaked in sweat by the time we reach the break in the trees. This oppressive humidity is obnoxious. I feel like I’m swaddled in a damp blanket, my ponytail sticking to my neck, my forehead beading with sweat.
Rather than Adrienne, it’s Saint who checks in.“Touching down in five.”
That gives us plenty of time to set up. I assemble my rifle, snapping the scope into place. The range on this thing is phenomenal. The airfield is a mile below us. Easy. I could probably hit a target twice that far with this weapon.
My only concern is that we don’t have much cover here. To anyone glancing toward us from below, we’re well hidden behind the craggy shelf. But anyone deciding to take a stroll in the trees behind us could stumble out of the jungle and come across us. This needs to be fast.
Tension fills my chest as we wait for the Uprising aircraft. Finally, I see it cutting through the clear sky, the sleek gray chopper that collected Xavier and me after we emerged from the Blacklands. Henley is piloting, and Saint is covering Adrienne. The Tierra Fe commandermade it clear she was only allowed to bring one escort, hence our stealthy security detail in the hills.
“We’re in position,” Evlynne reports to Gray.
“Once our bird lands, I’m switching the jammer back on, in case we need to make a hasty escape.”
I scan the area. The shadows of the thick jungle, the waves lapping against the wooden pillars of the port. The ocean fascinates me, probably because I grew up on a ranch with acres of land and no salt water in sight. Uncle Jim took me to see the ocean once, and I was enchanted by it.
Seeing it again now catches my breath the same way it did the first time. The water is a vivid turquoise in shallower stretches and a dark blue-gray in the deeper parts. The coastline is breathtaking, with jagged cliffs rising from the sea and waves crashing against the shore in a never-ending ebb and flow that’s almost hypnotic.
I breathe in the scent of salt and brine. The air smells earthier now, mingling with the salty breeze off the ocean and the balmier one off the mountain.
