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The guy hit Easy right in his side, but he didn’t make a sound, didn’t let go, and didn’t let up. The guy kicked and squirmed until Easy body slammed him hard into a tree and stunned him enough to wrestle him to the ground. He slashed at the man’s middle and jerked the blade. Then he twisted the guy’s neck as she’d seen him do before. The sound was unmistakable. She heard the snap loud and clear.
His head down, he stood there breathing hard as he leaned heavily into the tree, his hand going to his side as his face contorted in agony. Then he collapsed to one knee. Concern overruled her common sense. She moved out of hiding and ran to him. “Easy,” she said, reaching him and helping him to stand.
His head snapped up and he said, “I told you to go north.” His intimidating gaze fixed on her, his voice gruff. “Dammit, Jack.”
Jack’s vision suddenly blurred. With her chest full of feelings for him, she said in the same gruff voice, “If you think I was stubborn about not leaving a pair of fucking shoes behind, you haven’t seen anything when it comes to you.”
“Dammit, Jack.” His voice dropped down to a whisper and there was nothing curt in his voice now, just tenderness.
“Get water and those pills out of my pack,” he said, using the tree to get to his feet. She located both and handed them to him.
He downed the pill and finished the water. Then looked around to get his bearings. He looked like hell. His face was haggard, his expression rigid with pain, shadows under his eyes. Sweat poured off him, dampening his T-shirt beneath the tactical vest, his hair soaked.
He straightened, and although he didn’t show one iota of pain, she knew he was hurting. “Let’s get moving.”
This time they ran, cutting through the jungle when they had to. The vegetation was so thick.
Off in the distance, she heard a sound that chilled her down to her bone marrow. The bray of a dog, a bloodhound.
“Oh, fuck,” Easy said, his head flashing toward the sound. “There’s no way to avoid that dog or outrun him short of getting into a car and driving away as fast as possible.”
“I don’t see any cabs to hail or roads for that matter.”
“Run, Jack, and don’t stop.”
She tried to hold onto hope, but it sank as the sound of the animal got closer and closer. Unless the SEALs came storming in right now, it would only be a matter of time before Ramos caught them.
* * *
Shark hadn’t thoughtthat Ramos was smart enough to call in a dog, but it was genius. They could run them to ground, quickly and efficiently. When he pulled the jacket of a posh pink suit out of a plastic bag, Shark knew it belonged to Jack. The dog had sniffed it, then the ground, and then brayed as he caught the scent.
They weren’t far from the site of the explosion they’d seen from the air. The chopper had landed briefly while the man with the dog, ten guys including Shark and Juan, and Ramos hopped off.
He looked at his watch. Tex and the team should be here already, but the rendezvous point was a mile north from here. Gauging by the excited sound of the dog, they weren’t going to make it.
Shark dropped back and pressed the button on his comm. “Tex, do you read?” There was static in his ear. He tried again, but again got static.
“Go for Tex.”
“It’s good to hear your voice, LT. Ramos is running Easy and Crazy Choos down with a bloodhound.” He heard barking and a single gunshot.
“Coordinates?”
Shark rattled them off as he started running toward a clearing. This was cutting it close. As he burst into the opening between the trees, he saw Easy being held by two men, and Ramos had Jack by the back of the head, his hand buried in her hair.
“I’ll kill you, Ramos, if you don’t let her go,” Easy said, all his attention focused on El Helicoide’s warden, leveling a stare so chilling, Shark felt the bite. Ramos’s smile faltered, then slipped.
“You are in no position to make threats.” His gaze flicked to the SEBIN assassin. “Tovar, show him what happens to someone who takes what’s mine.”
* * *
The soundsof a fist connecting to flesh made Jack dig in her heels. Ramos was pulling her away from the circle of men, away from Easy, who was being held by two of his thugs. He was helpless. They were going to kill him, beat him to death. She struggled and he pulled hard on her hair. She braced both feet and stomped on his instep, then elbowed him in the ribs. She pulled away from him.
“He’s going to die because of you.”
She couldn’t help herself. She punched him, knocking his head to the side. When he turned back to her, she let loose with a fist to the nose. He went backward, stumbling and nearly falling, but kept his ground. She was already running hard and headed back to Easy, but his footsteps were fast behind her. Then he was on her, crushing her into the wet ground. She tried shoving him off and wrestling for a moment. His laughter infuriated her, and she bit his arm. He howled and whipped out his knife, pushing it in her face so close that if she moved, he’d slice her cheek.
“I know what you want,” she said, lowering her voice into a husky tone. “I’ll give it to you. Just give him a fair fight. It doesn’t matter who wins. I’ll still comply.” She played him for all she was worth. She knew he wanted her to willingly have sex with him. This was a way to stall him, keep him off her until a miracle happened.
