“This is a good airport,” he whispered to his brother. “We might want to take it over at some point.”
Dax nodded. Having healed himself from his fight, he had borrowed a green long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans, and boots from Jasper’s new stash. “I sense a couple of Kurjans,” he said. “But not many.”
“We’ve scattered their forces,” Jasper said, moving quickly. They reached the edge of the forest, where they’d have to walk and reveal themselves. He waited for the car and glanced at his watch. “She should be coming any moment.”
Dax let out a short whistle. “They have a Gulfstream G280.”
Jasper studied the plane. The G280 was streamlined and aerodynamic with a slightly swept-back wing configuration and a T-tail. The polished craft appeared immaculate. “We could take the plane.”
Dax lifted his chin. “One guard.”
Jasper angled to the side to see one Kurjan walking around the barn with a long, green gun in his hands. “There have to be a couple more soldiers.” As he watched, a heavily armed Kurjan climbed down the stairs from the plane. Neither male was Wallace.
A rumble sounded down the drive, and another borrowed Peugeot 205 bumped and hitched along the road. She seemed to like that model for some reason.
“I can’t believe that thing’s still drivable,” Dax said.
“It won’t be for long,” Jasper noted, his entire body tensing. Having Leah this close to danger made him want to decapitate somebody. “Where do you suppose the women are being kept?”
Dax angled his head to the side. “Probably in the back of the plane.”
Jasper could feel a vibration coming from that vicinity. Those women were definitely enhanced and probably terrified, but Leah was his main concern now.
She pulled to a stop near the plane and waited. Smart girl. He’d given her strict instructions to stay in the vehicle and keep it running in case she needed to retreat. So far, she was doing exactly as he’d asked.
They waited for several moments, and the two guards soon flanked the vehicle.
“I don’t like this,” Jasper said.
Dax set his stance, gun out. “She’s smart. She knows what she’s doing.”
The woman was also armed.
A human-sized door to the barn opened, and Wallace walked out, rain pummeling him. He lifted his face to the sky. Jasper recognized him from mission dossiers.
“I hate that they can walk outside during the day,” Dax mused.
“Ditto,” Jasper ground out. He’d made sure they were downwind so the Kurjans couldn’t scent them. Not yet, anyway.
Wallace stood about seven feet tall and had his black hair clipped at his nape. He wore his full black Kurjan uniform with a myriad of silver medals on his chest. He motioned for Leah to exit the vehicle.
Jasper tensed. He’d given her explicit orders. She opened the door and smoothly stepped out, facing Wallace on uneven ground.
“Damn it,” Jasper muttered.
* * * *
Leah settled her stance and pulled the weapon from the back of her waist to point at Wallace. The rain beat down, matting her hair to her head, but she didn’t blink. “Where are the women?” She kept the weapon pointed at her enemy, crossing one leg over the other to step to the side and maintain balance.
He wiped rain off his face. “You’re outnumbered here.”
Actually, they were evenly matched, but this guy didn’t realize that. The wind blew hard against her toward the forest, where she felt Jasper. It surprised her that Wallace hadn’t realized Jasper and Dax were close. They’d positioned themselves perfectly. “You made me a promise.”
Wallace grinned, revealing sharpened canines. “They’re in the plane. I can’t exactly just leave them all here.”
“They can come out now.” Chills cascaded down her back. She gestured with her weapon. “You realize this is an immortal weapon, right?”
He lifted one shoulder as if he didn’t care. She wouldn’t kill him if she shot him, but she could take him out for a brief time.
