She didn’t hesitate. Like a colt getting its legs under it for the first time, she stumbled erratically and lunged toward the heavier growth of the jungle.
She looked back, and he raised himself enough that he could see her. Fire seared across his scalp, and he smelled the unmistakable scent of scorched hair and blood.
Rachel stared at him in horror about the time he felt the warm slide of blood down his neck.
“Go!” he barked.
He dropped down and ran his hand over the area above his right ear. It came away stained with blood. He still had most of his hair and he wasn’t missing any body parts, so it obviously wasn’t serious.
He waited only long enough for her to disappear into the greenery before he turned to find his brother.
He crawled over and Sam shot him a disgruntled look.
“Save it,” Ethan said shortly. “I’m not leaving you.”
“You should be taking care of your wife,” Sam bit out. “Not babysitting my ass.”
Another round of fire peppered the metal barrels they’d taken cover behind.
“Goddamn sons of bitches,” Sam said. “Where the f**k are Van and Garrett with all the goddamn explosives?”
An explosion shook the ground, and both men covered their heads with their arms as debris rained down all around them.
Ethan grinned. “Right there I’d say.”
Another boom rocked the area, and Ethan and Sam took advantage of the chaos to bolt from their cover. The earpiece fell from Ethan’s ear, and in front of him, Sam cursed a blue streak as they dove behind a stack of boxes.
“Cole’s been hit. Some f**king lucky ricochet. Steele’s on his way to get him. Dolphin and Renshaw are providing cover.”
“What about Rachel?” Ethan demanded. “Have Garrett and Van gotten to her yet? Where the hell is P.J.?”
He hadn’t realized he was yelling into the mic until Sam winced.
“P.J. says to tell you she’s busy saving your ass. No sign of Rachel. Van and Garrett are looking. What the hell happened to your earpiece?”
“Lost it.”
“Shit, Ethan, you’re hit. You’re bleeding like a stuck pig.”
Ethan glanced up at his brother and curled his lip. “What are you, a pu**y? Your years out of the army turned you into a girl? Since when do you worry over anything less than a missing limb?”
Sam shook his head and then gestured over his shoulder. “P.J. taken them out yet? I’m getting damn tired of lying here in the dirt.”
Ethan rose up on his elbows and swept his viewing area with his rifle. Just when one of the ass**les popped his head over a barrel, P.J. put a bullet between his eyes. Damn the woman was good.
“I’ve got to get to Rachel,” Ethan said.
Sam nodded. “On my count.”
Ethan rolled, coming up on his knees.
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three.”
The two men dove from behind the crates, and ducked and ran for the jungle.
The world around them went eerily quiet when they reached the area where P.J. was positioned. It made Ethan uneasy.
Moments later, Steele, Renshaw, and Baker staggered through the growth dragging Cole between them. Ethan glanced around to see Sam holding his hand over his ear as he listened intently to traffic. He looked up at Ethan, his expression grim.
“What?” Ethan demanded. “What the hell is going on? Where are Van, Garrett, and Rachel?”
Sam motioned for the others to gather, and the knot in Ethan’s stomach grew bigger.
“Goddamn it, Sam, talk.”
Sam motioned for quiet. “Okay, this has to be quick. Garrett and Van are looking for Rachel. They haven’t turned anything up yet. Renshaw, you and Baker get Cole and get the hell back to the chopper. The rest of you fan out. Let’s find Rachel and get the hell out of here.”
CHAPTER 4
MARLENE Kelly stepped out of the bathroom and padded across the bedroom floor toward the bed where her husband was sitting up reading. As she neared, he lowered the book and took off his glasses.
“You look worried,” he observed.
She managed a faint smile, amused by the fact that after all these years, he still had a knack for stating the obvious. He couldn’t exactly be called intuitive when she’d moped around the house the entire day.
She pulled back the covers and slid under the sheets. As she settled against the pillows, she crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. “I am worried.”
Frank turned on his side and propped his head in the palm of his hand. “About?”
“Ethan.”
He blew out his breath. “I thought we agreed that it was good that he finally joined his brothers? Does a man no good to stay locked up in that house with all her things.”
“I just worry that he wasn’t ready,” she said unhappily. “Rachel’s death affected him badly.”
“Our boys will take good care of him. You know that. Sam wouldn’t let him go out if he wasn’t confident in Ethan’s abilities.”
“You’re right, I know. I just worry. I want him to be happy again.”
Frank touched her cheek, his calloused fingers tracing the faint wrinkles at her temple. “He will be. It’ll take time.”
She frowned when she heard a sound downstairs. She sat up, Frank’s hand sliding from her skin. Then she turned to her husband. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
She huffed in exasperation. “That sound. It came from the kitchen.”