his shoulder.
Melina.
That woman did things to him that no other woman had ever begun to do to him. And he wasn’t talking about the sex. Although she was clearly in a league of her own on that score. He was by no means a Casanova, but he’d bedded his share of women over the years, and not one of them completely blew him away like Mel. She got inside his head. Hell, inside his
No doubt about it. She was an extraordinary woman. He’d ask her to marry him in a minute if he had any intention of staying alive for more than the next few days. But as it was, he didn’t harbor any illusions on that score.
A guy named Huayar was the crime boss in this region, and he was infamous for never letting anyone live who’d seen his face. The guy was heavily guarded, smart and vicious. And his men were well equipped, well trained and as casually cruel as their boss. Even if there wasn’t already a noose with his name on it, going up against Huayar and his men solo like this-he didn’t stand a chance of getting out alive. The trick was going to be to give Melina and her family enough of a head start so the guys from H.O.T. Watch could rescue them before Huayar’s men caught them.
Jennifer Blackfoot and company might be very good at what they did, but there was no way she was convincing the Peruvian government to let her insert a full-blown Spec Ops team into the Andes. But, a search-and-rescue team…he could see her pulling off that one. After all, the team would, indeed, have to find and extract the Montez family.
The big problem would be the equipment the H.O.T. Watch team would be allowed to bring with them. In the unlikely event that they were given a green light for a full-scale military operation, they’d roll in with gun ships and choppers, predator drones and missiles, and Huayar and his men would be blasted back to the last ice age. But if the H.O.T. Watch guys had to come in as an S &R team, they’d only be allowed the weapons and ammunition they could carry on their backs. Taking on Huayar and his men in a straight-up fight would be a much dicier proposition.
And by himself, with four civilians dragging him down, the only real weapons he had were his brains…and his life. Huayar wouldn’t expect him to be willing to die, and that was his lone ace in the hole. Huayar was no stranger to American soldiers. He would assume that John had a healthy desire to live and would predict John’s actions based on that assumption. He’d get one chance to surprise Huayar. He only hoped it would be enough.
Melina shifted against him, murmuring in her sleep. What was she dreaming about? The two of them and the love they’d made last night, maybe? She smiled against his shoulder and then settled back into slumber.
Unfortunately, it was time for them to get going. They still had a long march today to reach the rendezvous point by sunset. Despite his big words about getting there whenever they got there, he wanted to get to Huayar’s camp as quickly as possible so he had time to scope out the area, and do a little surveillance before he and Melina made contact with the bandit.
He leaned down to kiss her smooth brow. “Morning, sweetheart.”
“Mmm.” She protested sleepily and snuggled closer against his shoulder. He knew the feeling. He’d love to lie here with her for a week or so, just resting and absorbing her into him. But the clock was ticking.
Always his enemy, but even more so now, time was slipping away from him. For the past eight months, each moment had been a dragging eternity. But now that the end was approaching, it was flying through his fingers like windblown sand. A moment’s regret for what he must do stabbed him. If only things could be different-
He cut off the thought sharply, before it could take root inside his brain. His path was set, dammit. Now his job was simply to walk it. No use questioning it at this late juncture.
Melina sat up beside him, stretching lazily, nude and beautiful. Her skin was a delicious golden-caramel color he couldn’t get enough of. She leaned forward, peeking out the end of the tent. “Looks like we’re in for a warm day.”
“It’ll be sticky, too. Dress lightly, but keep out a jacket. It’ll cool off once we head back up into the mountains.”
She groaned in anticipation of an uphill trek.
He commented, “At least we’re burning through our supplies and lightening the load.”
Her gaze clouded at the reminder that they were nearing the end of their journey.
“The green dot on the map is where we left the Land Rover. There’s enough food in my pack for you and your family to walk out to the car. You’ll need to collect water after the first day or so and use the water purification tablets on it. Oh, and remind me to show you how my satellite phone works. If you get in trouble, you can use it to call in help.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him, frowning. “Why won’t you use it to call in help for us?”
“Odds are good I won’t make it out of this, Mel. It’ll be up to you and your family to get yourselves out of here.”
She burst out, “Don’t say that! God, it makes me crazy when you talk like that!”
He pressed his lips together. It was the truth whether she liked it or not.
Wordlessly, he disabled the trip wires. They crawled outside, dressed, and ate in strained silence. He’d like to comfort her, to tell her it would be all right. He appreciated her concern, he really did. But she knew as well as he did that planning for anything other than his death on this op would be a lie.
She picked up her pack and slung it over her shoulders, still giving him the silent treatment. He didn’t bug her. After all, he’d earned it. He shouldered his own pack and headed out. The remainder of the morning was an easy walk. But then they turned east and started the long trek up and out of the valley. The going was indeed rough, with both steep slopes and heavy undergrowth to contend with. The altitude was starting to get to him, and it surely had to be getting to Melina. But she never uttered a word of complaint. He had to give her credit. She was one tough lady. Not many civilians, male or female, could endure the hardships of an expedition like this, let alone maintain a decent attitude about it. Of course, in comparison to what awaited her if she handed herself over to Huayar, the discomfort of a hike through the woods was small potatoes. And Melina seemed to know that.
In mid-afternoon, he called a halt for them to eat and rest. Over yet another tasteless mush of reconstituted calories-this time optimistically labeled tuna noodle delight-he broke the long silence between them. “What do you know about Geraldo Huayar?”
Worry clouded her gaze. “It’s not possible to be near the drug world and not be aware of him.”
“Do you know anything about how he operates?”
She shrugged. “I assume he’s about like any other drug lord. He controls a large farming, manufacturing and distribution network and maintains his position at the top of the heap by a combination of violence and coercion.”
“That’s not a bad start. But there are a few more things you need to know about him. He’s obsessed with people not knowing what he looks like. He probably travels in normal society occasionally and wants the anonymity. Some people speculate that he may have a family squirreled away somewhere that he likes to visit now and again.”
Melina continued to eat, studying him quietly as he spoke.
“Huayar’s also a sadist. He enjoys causing pain. He generally tortures hookers to death in the course of having sex with him, and he often conducts his own beatings and interrogations of people who owe him money or cross him. He’s a particular fan of cutting off body parts.”
She flinched at that one.
“You don’t ever want to cross the guy, but it’s also vital not to show fear to him. He reacts to it like a hyena. It drives him into a violent frenzy. Show him fear and he’ll eat you alive.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” she asked curiously.
He shrugged. “Just in case.”
“In case what?”
He looked up at her candidly. “In case things don’t go well and you end up spending some time with him before my friends can get there and rescue you.”
“Your friends?”
He gestured at the phone lying on the fallen log beside him. “My people know you and your family are out here. Not only are you American citizens, but you’re also innocent victims of kidnapping and extortion. They’ll come get
