Kil slung his backpack across his powerful shoulders. “You heard what Francisco said. We’ll be there before nightfall. Let’s move out.”
They started up the trail, Kil in the lead, Harper, then Chase. Three men and a woman against an entire rebel army. Harper thought of her brother and Pia and just kept putting one foot in front of the other.
They reached the farthest edge of the rebel camp at dusk. Bran had joined them on the trail a couple of miles back, satisfied with a spot he had found that was large enough for a chopper landing. It was far enough away from the rebel camp the chopper wouldn’t be seen, close enough for them to reach with what might be injured civilians in tow.
Chase prayed that wouldn’t be the case, that they would find Michael and Pia alive and well enough to travel. They would know the answer later tonight.
The plan was for Chase to stay with Harper while Bran and Kil reconned the area around the camp and located the targets—if they were actually there. If they were, they would lay out a rescue operation, grab the hostages and get the hell out of Dodge.
He almost smiled at how easily he slid back into military thinking. Almost. Smiling wasn’t easy, sitting in the jungle next to Harper, listening for the sound of enemy soldiers on the move.
So far nothing. Before the guys had set out, they’d all filled up on MREs, meatballs in marinara for Bran and Kil, shredded barbecued beef for Chase, chicken and noodles for Harper. Though he could tell Harper hadn’t been enthusiastic, she had finished the meal without complaint.
In the small clearing, darkness surrounded them. He could feel the warmth of her slender body close beside him, but tonight he was more concerned with her safety than taking her to bed.
Well, mostly.
They hadn’t spoken for hours. He hadn’t expected the silence to be as easy between them as it was. Aside from the chirp of bugs and the rustle of nocturnal creatures, the only sound was the babble of water running along a stream coming down from the peak.
A soft birdcall came from the woods, and he felt Harper stiffen. Chase cupped his hands around his mouth and returned the sound, a Texas birdcall he and his brother had used to communicate as kids when they were out at the ranch. He hoped to hell none of the rebels were ornithologists.
Brandon appeared like a ghost out of the deep green foliage, full camo, his face covered with black greasepaint. Kil popped out, looking much the same. Apparently not satisfied that their present position was safe, Bran grabbed the pack he’d left behind, indicated they should all do the same and motioned for them to follow.
Chase and Harper grabbed their gear and moved out, following the men half a mile back down the trail the way they had come to an area they deemed safe.
“Found them,” Bran said softly as he dropped his pack on the ground. A sound of relief slipped from Harper’s throat.
“Condition?” Chase asked.
“Mobile. They’re sleeping in a private tent, which is good. Lots of soldiers in camp, which is bad.”
“How many?” Chase asked.
“Counted forty. Could be a few more sentries around.”
He’d hoped for better odds.
“Can we get them out tonight?” Harper asked anxiously.
“Negative,” Kil said. “With that many men, we definitely need the chopper for extract. Which means we’ll need a day to do more recon and set things up.”
“It’s late,” Bran said. “We’re far enough away to get some sleep. Tomorrow we observe the camp, study their schedules, learn their timelines. We got some of that info tonight, but we’ll finalize plans tomorrow. Go in late tomorrow night.”
“Sounds good,” Chase said.
Bran’s gaze zeroed in on him. “It’s going to take all of us to get them out of there.”
Chase’s head came up, a thread of tension slipping through him. “You aren’t talking about Harper?”
“We’re going to need a diversion. The three of us are going to have our hands full. Distracting them has to be her job.”
Chase just shook his head. “No way.”
“Sorry, man,” Kil said. “No other choice. She brought us here. She wants her brother out, she’ll have to help.”
“Of course I’ll help,” Harper said.
“No,” Chase said flatly. “She could wind up getting killed.”
