Page 7

7

B ellamy kept one car distance from Cooper and Rusty. They were vehicle one. He and Octavia were vehicle two. He glanced in the rearview. Blake and Ethan were in vehicle three. If Eric hadn’t landed in-country, they would have only taken one, but if anything hinky happened, they needed to be able to separate.

Divide and conquer.

His job was to protect Octavia. Get her to the plane.

His team’s role was to make sure that happened.

Tucker reluctantly sat in the back seat with her nose in the air, alert and ready. She would have preferred to sit up front and made that clear, trying to nudge Octavia out at least twice. But she could perform her duties from the back seat.

They were rolling down a road to an airfield where they had secured a plane through their connections with the Brotherhood Protectors.

Bellamy was amazed at the organization’s reach, although he really shouldn’t have been, considering all the men and women who comprised the elite band of brothers and sisters came from the military and various government agencies. The connections alone were mindboggling.

Tucker growled. It was low and menacing. Then she barked. Twice.

“What is it, girl?” Bellamy snagged the radio. His pup growled again, sticking her nose right up against the window. “Coop,” he said into the radio. “Something’s up.”

“Whiskey’s going nuts,” Cooper said. “I’m going to speed up a bit. Ethan and Blake, hang back some, but don’t let Bellamy and Octavia out of your sight.”

“Soda isn’t happy. Something or someone is out there,” Ethan said.

“Quiet, Tucker.” Bellamy squinted through the darkness.

Tucker hissed. She paced in the back seat, going from one side to the next. Not a good sign.

“We’ve got company,” Ethan said. “Two vehicles on our tail coming fast.”

Octavia gripped the armrests. She glanced over her shoulder. “How did Eric find us?”

“We don’t know it’s even him out there. We’re Americans traveling in the middle of the night. That would spook anyone from the police to the drug cartel.”

“Not making me feel better.”

“Wasn’t supposed to.” He probably should have lied to Octavia, but what would be the point? At any time, he expected bullets to come flying across the hood of the Hummer. If that happened, the plan was simple. His men would do their best to take out the enemy while he and Octavia sought cover until they could regroup and figure out how to get out safely. “Not to be rude or harsh, but I need you to be quiet and if or when shit starts happening, I need you to do exactly what I say. Got it?”

“Yeah. I got it.” She hugged her middle and stared straight ahead.

He’d apologize later.

Tucker pressed her front paws on the center console and snarled.

The sound of rapid fire echoed in the still night and it didn’t just come from behind. Nope. It came at them from the front too.

“Bell, the turnoff for our ride is on the right. Take it,” Cooper said. “Get to the plane. We’ll be there right after we deal with these assholes.”

“Don’t make me come back for you.” Bellamy dropped the radio, punched the gas, and took the corner a little too hard. The tires did their best to grip the mud covering the semi-paved road .

Tucker whined as she skidded across the back seat.

“Sorry, girl,” Bellamy said before glancing over at Octavia. “You okay?”

“Peachy.” Which was Octavia speak for you’re in the doghouse tonight. Probably for the rest of his life, but that he expected. Having sex didn’t make up for anything. She needed him to give her a connection. To help her re-center her past life and he was all too happy to give it to her in part because it helped him too.

The rapid fire of machine guns echoed in his ears, but he couldn’t concern himself with that right now. He’d get Octavia on that plane. He’d wait about five seconds and then check on his men. And that wouldn’t be by radio. As long as there was someone with a gun to protect O, he’d be back on the road to help Cooper and the rest of the gang. They were his brothers. And a sister. They were family. He wouldn’t leave them hanging.

Blake’s husband would kill him if he didn’t bring her back in one piece.

They had a little munchkin back at home and that kiddo needed a mommy.

The longer he drove, the more he worried he’d taken the wrong road. The brush grew thicker. Denser. The road was all but nonexistent. It was a combination of mud and gravel. Granted, he’d been told that the airstrip was off the beaten path and used mostly by mercenaries, black ops, or groups like the Brotherhood Protectors.

The headlights flickered through the trees, showing a clearing. In the distance, he made out what appeared to be a plane.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Gunfire, while still faint, was too close for comfort.

“Coop, Rusty, Ethan, Blake, come in,” Bellamy called into the radio.

“A little busy, man,” Rusty’s voice echoed across the airwaves. “Suspect we’ll be done with these idiots in ten.”

Bellamy scanned the area. Something didn’t look right. He didn’t expect there to be a tower. Or for things to be well lit. But he did expect the plane to be fired up and ready.

It wasn’t.

Tucker agreed. She tucked her tail between her legs and a low rumble left her snout.

“Open the glove box,” he said.

“Why?”

“There’s a handgun in there. I want you armed, just in case.” He slowed the Hummer as he approached the airstrip. “Coop? Anyone? Talk to me.” The lack of gunshots sounding in the night was either music to Bellamy’s ear or a death wish.

“Tying up a few loose ends,” Rusty said.

“No sign of Eric, though,” Cooper’s voice sounded through the radio. “Don’t think we have time to question these guys.”

“Are they locals?” Bellamy asked.

“Yup,” Ethan replied. “But they certainly understand us and I understood enough to know they were looking for a blond girl.”

“Fuck,” Bellamy muttered as he slammed on the brakes. “We might have a problem here.”

“What kind of problem?” Ethan asked.

Bellamy yanked his rifle from the back seat, flung open the door, and raced around the hood. “Stay behind me.” Gripping the handle of the rear door, he released Tucker, giving her the command to check for danger.

God, he hoped nothing happened to that dog.

He loved her like she was his child.

In a way, she was because it was highly unlikely he was ever having kids.

He swallowed. What a strange time to think about the fact he hadn’t used a condom. He blinked, shoving that aside. A question he’d ask Octavia later.

Among other things.

“Bell? Answer me, goddammit,” Ethan said.

Bellamy sucked in a deep breath. He lifted his rifle and put his eye to the scope. He’d answer Ethan as soon as he got a chance to check out his surroundings.

“Bell, Coop doesn’t like it when you go radio silent,” Ethan said calmly. “He’s going nuts and driving like a madman. What’s going on?”

Bellamy scanned the length of the plane. Tucker raced around the aircraft, sniffing the ground, zigzagging back and forth.

Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, except everything was pitch-black and no one was there to greet them.

The pilot should have beat them there and fired up the engines. Bellamy had spoken to Waylen minutes before they’d gotten in the Hummer. Everything had been set up right down to the new pickup hour and Waylen wouldn’t have given him the go if things weren’t in place.

He lifted his gaze and the air in his lungs flew out like a bird taking flight just as Tucker planted her butt near the stairs.

Inching closer, he lowered his weapon.

Tucker whined.

“I know, sweet girl. I know.”

A gurgling sound came from the man sprawled out halfway down the steps.

“Take this.” He shoved the rifle at Octavia. “If anyone other than my team comes down that road, you start shooting. Got it?” He held her by the shoulders.

She nodded but didn’t say a single word.

He hated it when she got this quiet. It was never a good sign. Either she was pissed as hell at him or scared to death.

Both made sense right now.

He ripped off his shirt and dropped to his knees in front of the injured pilot. “Hey, man. I’m Bellamy.” Blood trickled from the man’s mouth. His breath sounds were shallow. Bellamy did a quick assessment and found two bullet holes in his chest. But that wasn’t the worst of his problems. Those might actually be survivable. It was the stab wounds in his gut that disturbed Bellamy.

It wasn’t just any knife wound. It was jagged, and there were multiple points of entry. It reminded him of the scar on Octavia’s midsection.

That didn’t help his mood.

Bellamy did his best to put pressure on the ones he thought needed it the most.

“Hang tight. My team should be here any minute.” He snagged his radio.

The man gripped Bellamy’s shirt. “Whoever hit me was looking for the girl. I told them you and your team were at a location about five miles from here with new intel. Not sure if they believed me, but they left me for dead.”

“Bellamy? We’ve got company,” Octavia called. “Your dog’s just sitting here, staring at the headlights.”

“She knows the vehicles we came in. That’s a good sign. Don’t shoot. Not yet anyway.” He glanced over his shoulder and studied Tucker’s demeanor. He lifted the radio. “Team Charlie, please tell me that’s you.”

The headlights went off and on, signaling it was his men. “Fire up that plane,” Cooper said. “We took care of those boys, but I’m sure there will be more coming our way soon enough.”

“Our pilot’s been injured, so that’s a problem.” Bellamy let out a long breath. He could do a lot of things. Drive a boat. Race a car. But flying a plane was not one of them. He also didn’t know how to help this man, but he certainly wasn’t going to leave him behind to die.

“Blake says she can fly us out,” Ethan said just as the two Hummers slammed to a stop. “Says she can fly just about anything.”

Tucker continued to sit in her spot. The other three dogs joined her, as if they were the overwatchers. It was a proud moment for Bellamy. All the dogs did exactly what they were trained to do. Not one mistake. Not a single mishap. Nothing like what happened five years ago.

That was something.

“Help me get this man back on the plane,” Bellamy shouted. He leaned closer. “What’s your name?”

“Eddy. Eddy Baker.” He closed his eyes. “Not that I believe I’m going to make it, but there’s a full combat medic kit on board. ”

“We’ll do our best.” Bellamy lifted his upper body while Rusty took his legs. They hoisted him up the stairs and into the plane.

Blake raced past them and made her way into the cockpit. “Was there a flight plan listed anywhere?”

“Yeah,” Eddy managed. “Once you hit five thousand feet, contact Hank Patterson at the Montana branch. He’ll have everything.”

“All right. Who wants to be my copilot?” Blake turned and stared at everyone. “Bueller? Anyone?”

“I’ll do it.” Rusty made his way into the cockpit. “I don’t know much, so you’ll have to instruct me every step of the way.”

“Just do what I tell you and we’ll be fine,” Blake said.

The plane wasn’t very big. Nor was it anything special.

Ethan wrangled the dogs, getting them situated. They were not a fan of flying, but they knew the drill.

Octavia found the medical bag, opened it, and began handing Bellamy things, as if he knew what to do. They all had basic first aid training. They’d all been patched up in the field before. Hell, he could stitch up someone if he had to.

But this went well beyond his pay grade.

“It sounds like he might have a collapsed lung,” Octavia said. “We should get him to a hospital as soon as possible.”

“Once I get in the air, I’ll radio the Brotherhood Protectors,” Blake said.

“Doing it now.” Bellamy pulled out his cell. He wasn’t letting a man die on his watch. Not when he knew his name.

It rang once.

“Bellamy. What’s wrong?” Waylen Brown asked.

“Eddy, our pilot, is mortally wounded. Blake is firing up the jet now, but we need to get him to a hospital. We need a new flight plan. Hell, we need a new evac plan, period. But if we don’t get this man medical attention soon, he’s going to die.”

“Get in the air and I’ll coordinate with Hank. Eddy’s his guy,” Waylen said.

“He doesn’t have much time. We’ve got IV fluids, but he’s lost way too much blood.” Bellamy wiped his brow. He’d lost a lot of men over the years, but it didn’t make this any easier.

“Let me see if I can find a military base in a semi-friendly location where you can touch down and take off without too many questions. Just get that plane up in the air. I’ll be in touch.” The line went dead.

The lights inside the plane came on and the engines roared to life.

Octavia focused her energy on Eddy and barked out a few orders at Bellamy and Cooper. They did whatever she told them in hopes to save this man’s life.

Rusty was busy dealing with Blake and going over the checklist while Ethan closed up the plane.

The dogs settled in a corner, cuddling up with each other.

No matter what happened, it was going to be a long flight home.