Cold Day In Hell (26 page)

Marcus crawled over. "Don't beat yourself up. The slimy bastard had us all fooled."

Marcus's shirt was in tatters. Remnants of cloth and skin were dark and smelled like blood. "You're not going to bleed to death on me are you?"

"Don't have time. I'm too busy figuring out how to save your sorry ass."

"Good idea."

"I'm worried about you both," Ana said. "I couldn't see how badly Marcus is cut, but the blood is seeping not running. They must've dragged him on his stomach. He is covered with dirt and grit. You, they hauled out of the van by the heels."

Ty turned his attention to his friend. "How about it? If she's worried about your wound, I'm worried."

"I've cut myself worse while shaving." Marcus ended the analysis of his condition.    

"What can you see outside?" Ty ignored his headache and crawled to look out a window the size of a large dinner plate. Marcus had to move against the wall to let him pass.

"Not much. You can't call that a window," Marcus said. "It's more of an airhole."

Two guards, dressed in the same kind of clothing the guards at Ortega's house wore, stood sentinel about half the distance of a football field away. Cigarettes hung from their lips, rifles were cradled in their arms, and their attention was directed at a road. Ty scanned the area the best he could with the limited visibility.

"Has to be more than two men keeping an eye on us." Ty checked the time and waited. "There's a guard patrolling the perimeter. I'm betting he's not alone."

Twenty minutes passed, and a second guard came into view. He paused and spoke to the two sentries at the opening before moving on. The next appearance was made by the original man on patrol, giving Ty the information he needed.

"We've got the men at the gate and two walking the perimeter. Means there's at least four more. Probably sleeping in one of the huts." He scooted back and motioned for Marcus to join him.

"Take a look. These up front couldn't care less about us."

"They take turns walking back here to check on us."

"Do they open the door?"

"No," Ana said. "He'll shine a flashlight through the airhole."

"Right now they're awful interested in the road," Marcus said.

"That's what I thought." Ty shifted his gaze Ana's direction. "Has anybody mentioned Ortega's ETA?"

"Jack said when the boss got here, the partying would start. The men who pushed me in here didn't mention him, at least not where I could hear."

"Ortega's letting us sweat." Marcus swiped a drop off the end of his nose. "Literally."

"We'll put up less of a fight if we're dehydrated and weak." Ty wished he had a better idea of Marcus's condition.

"I thought he was with the old woman driving the van carrying you two," Ana said. "But she and a young man got out and watched the guards drag you from the van. Then they shoved you in here with me."

Ty replayed the disaster at Ortega's house through his memory. "Jack is why things have been so damn easy. Everything we accomplished was by design. Rescuing your parents was easy because Ortega wanted it to be. All roads led to here." Ty's guts knotted just thinking about the son of a bitch. "Are Jack and the boy still here?"

"The kid drove off in Jack's rental car," Ana said. "Jack followed the old woman inside that hut sitting next to the road."

"You hear what they were saying?" Ty asked.

"He wanted his money and the car, but she insisted he stay."

"Maybe the bitch cut him, too," Marcus hissed. He tilted his head and leaned closer to the small opening. "Best I can see there are three huts. Wonder what Ortega uses this place for?"

"I'm guessing it's not for fun," Ana said. Her tone had a hint of panic under it.

Ty had to get her out of here. The heat in this sweatbox would take its toll. Ana and Marcus needed liquids and nourishment worse than he did.

That he'd led them into this trap ate away at the lining of his stomach. Pushing his anger deep under the surface got harder and harder. He had to stay in control. Revenge could wait. Safety for Ana and Marcus was his focus.

"We're not sticking around to provide the entertainment. If Ortega's not here, the guards will be easier to take." He pressed the light on his watch. They had to make their move before daylight. "Let's take a look at the door. Kicking it open would draw attention, but the two of us can push on one side and maybe break the hinges loose."

"They're on the inside." Ana pointed at the door.

"What? Nobody is that stupid." Marcus crawled over to inspect. His chuckle relieved some of the tension in Ty's neck. "I can't get a good grip, so it's gonna be slow going."

"I tried while you two were out." Ana crawled closer.

"Sometimes it takes a hammer to beat them out." Ty didn't want her jammed into that tight corner. If he could keep her close to the airhole, she'd be stronger when the time came to run.

Marcus let out a low grunt. "Damn pins are in tight."

"Ana." Ty pulled her attention off helping Marcus. "I need you to stay close to the opening. See if you can hear what the guards are saying and keep an eye out for movement of any kind."

The less she moved around the better. The small hole seemed to shrink. The mumbles from the guards held her attention while he considered their escape. Could she physically take another trek through the jungle? Could Marcus? Taking a vehicle was the optimum solution, but the risk was too great. Hell, that would wake the whole camp.

No. The fight ended tonight.

Marcus muttered a few cuss words.

"Shh," Ana whispered.

Ty pushed his face next to hers and watched the guards move closer. The actions were casual, and their speech was calm.

"
Prisa, todo el mundo
está
a dormido
."

Ty appreciated knowing everyone else was asleep, but why did the younger guy have to hurry? What the hell was happening?

The older of the two returned to his post, and the other disappeared into one of the huts. He was in and out in seconds. The joint they lit was the best thing that had happened today. Stoned, they'd be much slower to react, making them easier targets.

Ana's clothes were wet and stuck to her body, which was good news to Ty. As long as she was sweating, he'd worry less.

Marcus uttered a soft grunt and rolled two hinge pens across the dirt floor.

"Perfect timing." Ty picked one up and noticed blood. "Our guards are getting stoned. We'll give them a few more minutes. We're going to take out as many as we can tonight. We'll gather water, weapons, and food. Anything you can carry to keep you alive. Then you two are out of here."

"No, we're not leaving you," Ana protested.

"Stay and you're more of a hindrance to me than a help." He had to make her understand. "You can help by accepting that and moving out quietly. We have to get all that done without disturbing the main building."

"I don't like it," she said.

"Please just follow Marcus's instructions." Couldn't she see he was doing his best to keep her alive? "With a little luck, we'll be out of this godforsaken country soon."

She sucked in a breath. "You can't blame the entire country for our situation."

"The hell you say." He'd blame who he damned well pleased.

"What if everyone blamed America as a country for everything that went wrong?" She tossed the words at him like hand grenades.

  "Everybody does blame us. We catch the heat for everything that happens or doesn't happen. We either caused it or should fix it."

"That's ridiculous."

 "Really? It'll be a cold day in hell when you change my mind about Colombia." He clamped his mouth shut. Why lash out at Ana? Damn, he was letting the tension get to him. He pulled deep from his training and cleared his head.

"You children stop bickering. One of you give me an update on the guards." Marcus changed the subject back to the problem at hand. His arched eyebrow showed his impatience.

"They're sitting with their backs to us, swapping the joint back and forth." Ty tried to judge Marcus's condition. "You up to this?"

Marcus shot a scowl his direction.

"Sorry I asked." Ty motioned for Marcus to scoot over. With nothing to lean back against, and shoulder to shoulder, four feet against the door, they pressed outward. No hard kicks were made, just a slow, steady push. The door had a mind of its own and refused to budge.

"Hold up." Marcus moved, turning his back to Ty's and planting his feet against the sod wall. "Now push."

That gave Ty the leverage he needed, and he put everything he had into the door. Muscles and tendons burned, but the hinges separated and inched outward. Stuck in the corner, he hated being blind to what was going on outside, but he trusted Ana. She'd warn him if either of the guards picked up on what was happening.

Air rushed inside through the first open sliver. Moving at a snail's pace, he pushed outward far enough for a body to exit.

He faced Ana, hoping she could see the seriousness of the situation. "Stay right behind me until one of us gets our hands on some weapons."

When she nodded in a response, Ty crawled outside. He remained still for a second, getting his bearings. He rose, ignoring that every muscle in his body screamed from being crammed underground.

Ana's hand rested on his back, Marcus appeared next to him, nodded once and moved in unison with him.

Neither guard realized what was happening behind them. They leaned back, sleepy-eyed, and stared down the road. Death came quickly. No fight. No pain. The broken necks were silent and fatal.

Ty and Marcus propped the bodies upright. They didn't look too lively, but from a distance they might fool a casual observer.

Ty stepped onto the dirt road, trying to get an idea how far the checkpoint was from camp. Deciding it was enough not to worry about, he signaled Ana and Marcus to follow.

They waited out of sight for the first perimeter guard to pass. It was imperative to get to him before he noticed his friends propped up and already dead. Ty didn't have time to worry about Ana's reaction to the brutality as he quietly snapped the guard's neck and dragged him out of sight. The clock was ticking, and the second guard's arrival seemed to take forever. Marcus dispatched him, added his body with the first, and rejoined Ty.

They moved to the middle hut and opened the door. The stench of body odor, cigarettes, and alcohol poured out into the environment. Ty turned to Ana. "Wait here," he mouthed. Then he stepped inside.

He counted four beds. Rifles, pistols, and knives were laid out neatly next to each man. He didn't see anything odd about taking better care of your weapons than your body.

Ty turned and held up two fingers, indicating which guards he'd take. He picked up a couple of knives and stepped between the beds.

The words "with extreme prejudice" had been used in regards to Ortega. Tonight they circled through his mind. He'd agreed to this job. Now he'd finish it. He nodded at Marcus, and the four men died within seconds.

A noise from outside snapped them to attention. Both he and Marcus spun, prepared to fight, only to find Ana coming through the doorway. She wordlessly gathered weapons, water canteens, and a couple of machetes. Silently, she waved a sat phone and then tucked it into her waistband. Damn, she proved herself again and again.

Outside, Ty rested his hands on her shoulders. "I need you to go with Marcus."

Marcus stood next to the heavy foliage, waiting for her. This was the right thing to do. Ending this situation today made perfect sense. If he didn't make it back, at least he'd die knowing Marcus had taken her to safety.

"Go." He mouthed the word.

She shook her head. Fury filled her eyes. She wanted to stay and fight. He kissed her forehead, picked her up, tossed her over his shoulder firefighter-style, and hauled her to the edge of the jungle. He made eye contact with Marcus and pointed at the sky, which was quickly changing to daylight.

"The river is south. Stay true, and you'll get there," he whispered. "Use the sat phone to call Nate. He'll get you out of here. I'll contact him when it's over."

He set Ana on her feet and cupped her swollen cheek in his palm for a second. Then he turned and walked away, knowing Marcus already had her moving.

Ty walked straight to the van she'd said had brought him and Marcus to the camp. It was conveniently parked next to the hut housing the woman and Jack, and the gas cap was located on the off side. Nice. Ty had big plans for later.

A generator powered a small air conditioner and accounted for the guards' lax attitudes. Nobody inside was coming out in this heat to check on them, giving him the time needed to lay out a few surprises.

Ty ripped off the bottom of his shirt and then poked it down into the gas tank.

Chapter Twenty-Two

She'd been here before, only now Marcus held her hand and was dragging her into the jungle. Ana stumbled forward, incredulous that they'd left Ty behind. Would Marcus listen to an argument?

The sun broke through the canopy a few minutes after they'd entered the jungle. The area came alive with noise. Marcus had waited until they were out of earshot before using the machete. As a result, his arms were covered with scratches and scrapes from forging ahead without a path. He'd protected her with his body.

Were all the men of Lost and Found both asses and heroes?  

A cat roared in the distance, the rumble floating through the foliage, silencing the chattering. An answering call sent chills racing across her sweaty skin. "We're close to water." She turned in a circle, trying to get her bearings. With the sun came thirsty animals, which could be helpful or hurtful.

Marcus swatted away flying insects drawn to the blood on his shirt. Was he in pain? His clenched teeth and the twitching nerves in his jaw made her think so.  

Ana pointed at a break in the overgrowth. "Let's risk it and take the path created by animals that live here. We'll get to the water faster."