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Chapter Twenty
Frenzied barking jerkedTravis’s gaze from the ground, where it had become easier to follow Jake’s blood trail.How the hell is that dog still on his feet?He and Coop drew their guns and rushed toward the noise. Sudden gunfire ricocheted off rocks up ahead, and both men sought what cover they could find amid the lodgepole pines. As abruptly as the commotion began, silence returned to the mountain.
A few minutes later, Travis topped a slight rise and looked out over a sandy, sagebrush-studded flat. “There.” An old shack on the far side of the clearing had to be where Brody had taken Jordan. “That’s where they are.”
Coop appeared at his elbow. “We’ve flushed the enemy from worse places.”
They made their way toward the building, skirting the open area to stay within the shadows. No sounds broke the stillness. No ribbon of smoke curled from the black stove pipe to confirm there were occupants inside. If not for Jake’s blood on the sand leading straight to the shack, Travis might have convinced himself Brody had passed by the shelter.
Coop followed closely at his back. If his friend harbored worries about whether Travis was too personally involved in the mission's outcome, he hadn’t voiced them. Trust bound them together with one purpose and created a difficult, if not impossible, force to breach. And Brody was about to suffer the consequences.
Jake broke from the rocks and trees behind the shack and padded slowly toward the building. The dog’s tongue hung from his mouth as he panted, his wheezing breath audible despite the distance separating them. The animal was obviously near collapse.
Crouched beneath a scraggly juniper, Travis and Coop took advantage of the last bit of gray light before dawn to study their target. Planks and plywood covered the windows, but as they watched, light flared briefly from the cracks and crevices in the walls, then settled into a dim glow. Brody had serendipitously found a lantern.
“I’m tired of this game of hide-and-chase. I say we break down the front door and beat the holy shit out of Brody when he tries to stop us.” Travis always preferred the direct approach.
Coop shook his head. “That’s one way to go, but only if you’re willing to accept Jordan becoming collateral damage. Something tells me you aren’t, so we need a diversion to draw him away from the door.” He shrugged off his backpack and unzipped one of the compartments. “And I’ve got just the thing.” He held out two flash grenades.
Travis grinned. “I knew there was a reason I kept you around. Let’s make some noise.” The flashbangs would produce a small explosion and a blinding light, but all he needed was for Brody to hear and investigate. “We’ll follow the tree line until we get behind the shack. Then I’ll head around the front while you pull the pin on those, one at each back corner. That should disorient Brody and give me just enough time.”
“To break down the front door and beat the shit out of him?” Coop shoved one of the grenades in his pocket and gripped the other, propping his backpack against a tree but taking his rifle.
Travis chuckled. “Now you’re talking my language.”
Staying within the trees, they hurried toward the spot where Jake had appeared behind the shack, then broke from cover and jogged to the back wall. Coop angled away toward the opposite corner while Travis continued to the front. Hugging the wooden siding, he slid along the wall until he stopped just to the left of the door. Gun in hand, he waited.
He hated this part. For a brief moment, he entertained the idea of ignoring Coop’s advice and kicking down the door. Anything was better than waiting, imagining what was happening inside, and praying Jordan was all right. Gripping his weapon tightly, he pressed against the rough lumber.
Muffled voices reached his ears, and then something slammed into the wall inside the shack. It took every ounce of determination he had to remain in place and wait for Coop to start the show. Teamwork and communication were paramount for a SEAL. Unfortunately, he had no secure means of communicating with Coop at the moment.
A soft whine pulled his gaze to the left. Jake stood at the corner not ten feet away, head low, tail wagging feebly. The dog looked from him to the side of the building and whined again.Hell,even he thinks I should be doing something.
Another hard thump inside, followed by a crash and the sound of glass breaking, wrenched his attention back to the door. He strained to listen for voices, especially Jordan’s. She had to be okay, but the silence was ominous. Along with it came the smell of kerosene, then smoke. He couldn’t wait any longer. Coop was taking too long, and it was time for plan B.
As he reached for the door, a scraping sound made Travis shrink against the building. The wooden latch lifted an instant later, and the door flew open, barely missing him. Brody stopped when his gaze landed on Travis. Surprise registered briefly, and then a smirk twisted his face as his gun hand jerked upward. Travis jumped and kicked. The gun in the other man’s hand flew against the flimsy siding.
Brody rammed his shoulder into Travis’s side, driving him to the ground. Landing on top of him, Brody tried to pry the gun from his hand. Travis fought to retain his hold on the weapon, fending off blows to his ribs and head with his left arm. Brody’s fingers closed around Travis’s wrist and slammed his hand against the ground several times.
Travis’s fingers went numb, and he clenched his fist tighter around the grip. With the subsequent impact, the gun discharged. Brody’s hold loosened slightly, and Travis threw an uppercut to the man’s chin, snapping his head back. Before Brody could recover, Travis cold-cocked him with the gun. He slumped sideways, and Travis shoved him off, kicking his way from under the dead weight of Brody’s body. Rolling to his knees, Travis noticed the blood covering Brody’s hands and the front of his shirt. Someone had stabbed him, and it hadn’t been long ago.
Travis heard Coop approaching at a run. The sound of crackling flames finally made it through his battle haze, and he noticed smoke billowed from the open door. Jumping to his feet, he ducked the heat to step inside. The back half of the shack blazed with energy typical of an accelerant. The fire roared so loudly that Travis couldn’t believe he hadn’t heard it sooner.
“Jordan!” He peered through the inferno, trying to shield his eyes from the intense heat. The fire spread quickly, consuming the dry and rotting wood. Smoke choked him, burning his lungs and eyes. He couldn’t see her, and the intense heat finally drove him outside.
Coughing and stumbling, he sprinted around the building. On the backside, he pried a board loose from a window. The flames leaped hungrily through the opening, pushing him back. Circling the blaze, Travis rushed toward the front door again.
Coop grabbed his arm. “I tried. It’s no use. She’s gone, Travis.” The sympathy in Coop’s voice was more than Travis could stand. He shrugged off his friend’s grip and stepped toward the flames. Hands raised to protect his face, he squinted through the dense smoke and flames, looking for anything—a corner where the fire hadn’t won. Jordan had to be there. It was inconceivable she was dead, burned in a fire while he was ten feet away. He couldn’t be too late. But the whole shack was burning. Pieces of the roof fell in. Flames crawled along the wall behind him, trying to cut off his escape. He couldn’t breathe, and the super-heated smoke burned his trachea. He collapsed to his knees when he felt Coop’s hand on his arm again.
Coop dragged him out of the fire. Travis couldn’t stop coughing, each spasm threatening to expel his lungs. Finally, the worst subsided, but nothing could relieve his anguish. Jordan had trusted him with her life, and he’d let her die.
All he could do was watch the shack burn.
*****
THE FLAMES REACHEDfor her, fed by a burst of oxygen as Brody swung the door wide and escaped the inferno. Jordan stumbled back, the heat searing her eyelids and the skin of her face. The sleeve of her parka singed, blackened, and caught fire. She tore off the jacket and hurled it as far as she could toward the center of the room. The flames encroached on her corner, forcing her to retreat until her back pressed against the wall. There was nowhere else to go—she was trapped.
