Code Name: Ghost (A Warrior's Challenge 1) (22 page)

She tore herself from his grasp and headed
for their table. Goddammit, why did she always think he didn’t like
her? The first layer of cards that held the rest of the house caved
in. He swept his hand through his hair as he watched her jostle her
way through the crowd, his heart turning cold.

When she reached the table, she yanked a
bottle from Mace’s hand and literally gulped it down. Either he
joined them or he hit the road, but if he joined them he was
worried she’d hit him over the head with that bottle she clutched
in her fingers. Then again, he deserved it.

* * * *

She ignored the Commander when he sat down
next to her. The guys darted quick looks at both of them, but
didn’t break their conversations.

“Kayla, you gotta try this crab,” Mace said,
plopping two halves on her plate.

She considered cracking the shell over the
Commander’s head. What an arrogant son of a bitch. If he thought
she was pining away for him, guess again. Taking another shot of
tequila leveled her nerves, and to prove everything was “status
normal”, she drew the bucket toward the Commander. “Have some,
sir.” She put extra emphasis on the sir. “It’s good.”

He nodded and picked one out. They filled
their bellies, and she ate until bursting. The rest of the team’s
bantering pushed most of her unease away, until the Commander’s
fingers softly clutched her shoulder.

His lips grazed her ear when he said, “I’m
truly sorry, Kayla. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

She turned her head so they were nose to
nose. “I’m not kissing you,” she declared sharply.

“I know. It’s me who wants to kiss you.” His
expression twisted with chagrin. “I keep telling myself to stop.
I’ll only hurt you, Kayla, don’t give in to me.” He brushed her
cheek lightly before backing away and giving her an apologetic
look.

She felt a quick tug on her heart and her
pant leg, and she swiveled around to see two little faces peering
up at her from under the table.

“
Señora
,” they whispered, looking
around them worriedly.

The Commander saw them and grinned. “They’re
probably looking for a college fund.”

“Hey, guys, what’s up?”

“
Señora
, you must leave,” the little
one said in a hushed tone.

They looked so serious. “Why?” she asked,
bending over.

“El Serpiente,” the plump one blurted. “They
know you are here. The SEALs, they want to kill them. Bad
blood.”

“What?” A slice of fear rolled through her
stomach. She didn’t see any threat or sense any.

“Go now, before it’s too late. They’re
dangerous.”

The boys scampered into the night, and she
eased herself up, scanning the bar quickly.

“What did they say?” the Commander asked.
“Do they want fifties this time?”

She ignored him and continued to skim every
face, taking note of the exits. There were two, plus the balcony
they sat on. The jump was only five feet to the ground if they had
to go that way.

“Kayla, what’s wrong?” Mace asked, catching
her attention.

“Guys—guys,” she hissed louder, leaning over
she punched Tinman in the shoulder. One by one the team looked at
her, conversations stopping. “Who is El Serpiente?” Eyes grew wary
around the table, and the smiles dropped instantly from their
faces.

“They’re from Columbia, Kayla. It’s a
cartel. They run drugs mostly. Panama, places like that. Why?” Mace
asked, grabbing her arm.

“We have to leave,” she said, spotting four
men standing by the bar staring at them, and they definitely were
not
tourists. One was dressed in a business suit, with his
long hair pulled back in a ponytail, while the others had blazers
and jeans. They reminded her of Miami Vice from the eighties.

“Kayla-girl, they’re in Columbia, they’re
not here,” Fox said, lowering his voice.

“They’re here, and they know we are.”

“What?” Thane growled. “Is that what the
boys said?”

“Jesus Christ, are you sure?” Tinman asked.
“If they are we’re in a deep load of shit. The guy who runs the
operation got away, but we neutralized his brother.”

The Commander followed her gaze to the four
men at the bar who watched them intently. “Yeah, we’re in shit,” he
said, looking down. “That’s Faron at the bar. Don’t turn around,
men.”

“Is anyone armed?” Mace asked.

“No, nothing but our brains and fast feet, I
think,” Fox said. “Options?”

“We have to get Kayla outta here,” Mace said
tightly, darting a look at Thane.

“They’ve probably got the exits already
blocked. We don’t know how many we’re dealing with,” Thane said,
reaching for her hand. “Kayla, you’re going to stay behind me every
step of the way, you understand?”

“No doubt he’s already made friends. We’re
going to have to move fast,” Cobbs added tightly.

She nodded. This was no exercise and they
were in big trouble by the looks of all of them. She cranked her
head around. “We can’t get to the cars, right?”

“Doubt it,” Mace said, looking behind them.
“Water is always a good way to go.”

“I can’t swim,” she confessed. A few hundred
yards away a bridge crossed a long inlet that burrowed itself into
the village with a large marina sitting below it.

“At all? You jumped into the ocean from the
patrol boat,” the Commander said with astonishment.

“I can dog paddle, but I can’t swim like you
guys.”

“A little is good enough. All right, we’re
going for the bridge,” the Commander ordered. “As soon as we make a
move, it’s on.” He palmed her cheek. “Don’t leave my side unless I
tell you, Kayla. And if I tell you to, you do it.” His eyes darted
around. “Let’s move.”

The team stood up at the same time, and the
men at the bar didn’t waste a single second, crashing through the
crowd. Weapons appeared in their hands, and bullets began firing
past the people on the dance floor. Chaos erupted with people
screaming, some running, others hitting the deck.

Her long skirt hindered her from straddling
the railing. She hitched it up and swung her legs over. The team
jumped immediately, but she hesitated.

“Kayla, jump!” the Commander yelled up at
her.

Mace stood beside him and their eyes met.
“Kayla, come on. What are you doing?”

She would slow them down by trying to
protect her. Someone could be killed. “Go without me.”

The Commander’s face contorted into a mask
of rage, but fear marbled it. “Now,” he roared at her.

She jumped and he caught her in his
arms.

Running fast, they dodged around small
buildings and worked their way across uneven ground, the Commander
holding her hand and Mace remaining close by her side. Serpiente’s
men were right behind them and they made a hard right between two
stucco structures. The team hammered themselves against the wall.
The warm stone scratched her back when the Commander yanked her
behind him as El Serpiente’s men skidded around the corner.

Grunts and blows of fists connecting with
muscle met her ears, but the Commander’s large frame blocked her
from seeing anything. A bullet ricocheted above her head hurtling a
chunk of stone sharply at her shoulder, and she dropped to her
haunches. Muzzle fire caught her eye in the darkness and then four
of El Serpiente’s men lay on the ground dead.

Fingers dug into her arm, and tore her away
from the wall. “Commander,” she gasped, feeling the sharp stucco
gouge her skin. A sweaty hand closed around her throat, and yanked
her backwards. Thrusting hard, she rammed her elbow into a belly,
then gripped the fingers digging into her flesh. Sweat broke out on
her skin, and her sight began to dim.
Not now, no, not now.
She recognized the early signs.
Breathe
.
Oh, God,
breathe.

Thane spun around, his foot kicking the
weapon from the man’s hand.

Thick fingers squeezed tight, cutting off
her air, and she clawed at them. “Back off or I’ll snap her neck,”
the guy growled.

The Commander’s arm shot up. A flash of blue
sparked, and her captor’s hand released her as he fell backward.
Swinging around, she stared down at the neat hole between his
glazed eyes.

“Let’s go,” the Commander ordered, grabbing
her, thrusting her ahead of him.

She tripped, and he pulled her to her
feet.

They sprinted toward the bridge. Men
shouting in Spanish and the sound of screeching tires paralleled
them on the road. They were running out of buildings to hide
behind. To get to the bridge and the marina access sitting just
before it meant they’d be in the open. The Commander made a
movement with his hand, and his team responded slowing down and
splitting into two lines.

They stopped behind the last building.
“Commander, I’ll take Nathan, Fox and Clay, and draw the fire.”
Cobbs said.

“What?” she blurted. “No.”

“You’re going to have to run your ass off.”
The Commander scanned the darkness, and handed him his weapon.
We’ve got two, you’ve got two.”

Cobbs cracked the magazine checking for
rounds. Her stomach clenched. Fear thrust at her bravery, and poked
at her adrenaline with a sharp stick.

“We’ll take Kayla and meet you down on the
docks.”

“Let’s do it,” Fox said, sounding stone cold
sober.

The men sprinted into the darkness, swerving
to the right before she lost sight of them.

The Commander’s hand squeezed her shoulder.
“Don’t stop, no matter what, Kayla. You keep running no matter who
goes down.”

He clutched her hand and they bolted for the
bridge, Mace shielding her on the other side. Tony and Caleb fell
in behind them.

Reaching the railing, she peered over, her
chest heaving from exertion. They all whirled around when vehicles
launched themselves onto the bridge from both ends, Cobbs’ group
running just ahead of the trucks from the south end.

“Only one way out,” Cobbs yelled, and they
launched themselves over the edge of the bridge.

“That has to be a seventy friggin’ foot
drop!” When the first bullet twanged off the girder near her head,
she swung her legs over the railing and caught the ledge on the
other side with her toes. “This is the last time I’m going on a
date with you bloody bastards.”

Mace and Thane swung over the railing on
either side of her, Caleb and Tony had already jumped.

“Cross your ankles, Kayla, and keep your
arms tucked in,” Thane ordered.

The three of them jumped at the same time.
It took far too long to hit the water. The coolness startled her
senses as she knifed through it. She opened her arms and legs in a
scissor motion to stop her descent. Breaking the surface, she
gulped air at the same time fighting with her dress, snagged in her
legs.

“My skirt,” she sputtered, reaching to clear
the tangled mess. Thane grabbed at her waistband and tore it from
her then grabbed her wrist. Mace took her other hand.

“Don’t kick, Kayla,” Mace whispered to her.
“Quiet.”

They slid her through the sea like they were
towing a log. Lights beamed down onto the water, and bullets cut
through the surface with deadly little spurts. Reaching the rocks
lying against the shore, slimy green plankton oozed between her
toes as she scrambled up the sharp boulders trying to avoid the
barnacles with the Commander’s help. The dock stood a good five
feet above them. The rest of the team hoisted themselves quickly
over the edge and lay on their bellies, keeping out of the beams of
light dancing all around.

“Grab her.” Thane clutched her hips and
lifted her above his head. Mace snagged her around the waist and
pulled her into his arms. With one easy heave, Thane was on the
pier.

Several fingers spurred out from the dock.
All of them filled with vessels of every shape and size. Two
vehicles, their headlights jumping with the bumpy descent swerved
sharply down to the marina.

The team quickly surrounded her and they ran
down the dock, everyone on guard. She stopped suddenly and Thane
nearly bowled her over, catching her before she hit the boards.
“There,” she pointed, and dodged around him down the closest
finger.

“Kayla, what the hell are you doing?” Thane
hissed.

“Get in the water,” she ordered. “But I
might need Clay.”

“What the hell is she doing?” Mace said,
chasing after her.

“Good eyes, Kayla,” Clay said, as they
reached the cigarette boat.

“We’re as good as gone,” Mace said, grabbing
one corner of the cover.

The Commander and Mace tore the cover off,
revealing a blue and orange striped hull. The interior had six
leather bucket seats. It would be tight, but they could do it. She
dove onto her hands and knees between the front seat and the
dash.

“What the hell are you doing, Kayla? Let
Clay in there,” Thane ordered, his voice strained.

El Serpiente’s men had reached the docks,
yelling at each other. At least they knew how close they were
getting.

She felt around with her hand. Nothing.
Dammit. She rolled over onto her back. The quarter moon didn’t shed
much light, but then she saw the seam of a small flush circle.
Thumbing it, the compartment popped opened. “Thank God,” she
breathed and reached for the key. She quickly scurried onto the
seat. “Let go the lines.”

Clay and Mace gave the vessel a push and
jumped in.

“The damn fuel tanks better be full,” she
muttered to herself, turning the key. The two twelve hundred
horsepower engines came to life with a throaty growl. She dropped
the throttle into reverse. El Serpiente’s men heard the engines and
came running. She backed out of the slip and gave the throttle a
gentle forward thrust. They cut down the channel to the end of the
finger, and that’s when the first bullet hit the vessel.