CHAPTER SEVEN
“Fuck.” Draven jerked back, but as he was holding his M-16, the weapon came with him, bringing the snake who was using it as a launchpad closer to him. He dropped the weapon and flung out his arm to push Indy out of the way, much like his momma used to when he was in the car next to her and she had to brake hard.
The snake launched itself up the muzzle of his weapon, aiming for his face with its mouth open. “Jesus.”
Indy screamed and ran, almost getting squished by the guys as they raced in with their weapons at ready position.
The snake’s momentum was interrupted by him dropping the weapon, and rather than getting him right on the nose, as Indy had warned him might happen, it latched onto the ariel of the radio sticking out of the pocket of his flak jacket.
“What the hell?” Braddock made it to him first. It was a tight squeeze with all of them in this small space. “Kilkenny, why the fuck are you playing with a damn snake?”
“I’m not,” he protested. “It jumped me.”
“Hey, One, you better get your ass in here, because I’m not catching this snake, and I can’t shoot it or I’ll blow Kilkenny’s shoulder off.” He smirked at Draven. “I’m guessing the big boss might lose his shit at the medical bills if I do that.”
“Quit fucking around,” Kristof replied. “We need to move, because TOC has movement coming in from the north and we have to move our asses, stat.”
“Shit.” Braddock scowled at Draven. “I hate you so much right now, dude. Because if there’s one thing I hate more than spiders, it’s fucking snakes.” He blew out a breath and shuddered as if he was picking up his balls and stuffing them inside his big girl panties, and wrapped his fingers around the back of the snake’s neck, just below his head. “Let go, asshole, and you can go back to minding your own business just as soon as we’re outta here.”
“We have to grab something from the hole he came out of.”
“What fucking hole?” Braddock shook the snake, trying to get him to open his mouth and let go of the radio without getting bitten.
“The one behind you.”
“I’m not looking now, jackass.” Braddock pulled hard on the snake as its body wrapped around his arm. “Is this fucking thing poisonous?”
“Yeah.”
“No,” Indy called at the same time. “Your TOC said it gives a nasty bite but won’t kill you.”
Jeez, could she not have let me fuck with him just a little bit?
“Thank you, Ma’am,” Braddock replied. “I’d hate to have to kill him if he’s not going to kill me.”
“I thought you hated snakes?”
“I do.” Braddock finally got the snake to release its bite. “But it’s not his fault you stuck your hand into his bed and fondled his ass. I’d want to bite your face off if you did that to me, too.”
“First, ew.” Draven pushed himself as far away from Braddock as the cave allowed. “Second, I didn’t touch him with my hand, I used my weapo—”
“Then, for once, I totally understand a snake’s position.” Braddock moved toward the entrance to the cave. “I’ll get rid of this, then we have to remove these tangos.” He called over his shoulder, “You have about five minutes to get your shit together before we move.”
He’d been afraid of that. “Indy, get in here and get your stuff.” He shone the light into the fissure the snake had been in. If there was another one here, then Indy’s daddy could just get his butt on a damn plane and get the papers himself. Because he wasn’t dealing with any more freaking snakes.
“Is it there?”
“You mean you made me disturb the fucking snake’s nap and you aren’t even sure it’s the right damn hole?” He fisted the fingers on his free hand closed.
Do not lose your shit.
Do not lose your shit today or you will strangle her.
“I’m pulling your leg.” Her hands landed on his waist as she scooted past him to go get her rucksack. “It’s in there.”
“If it’s not, I’m telling you now, I’m going to be pissed as fuck.”
“What’s new?” she asked. “You’ve spent half of your life pissed at me. If it changed today, I’d be asking what aliens abducted you and how much me and Lizz need to pay to get real you back.”
If he rolled his eyes any harder, he was pretty sure he’d be seeing the inside of his brain. “I’m starting to understand the boss more and more.” He cautiously pushed his hand into the fissure and breathed a sigh of relief when his fingers brushed off papers and not a snake. As much as he wanted to snatch them up and yank them out, he forced himself to keep moving slowly in case the reptile Braddock had taken outside to find a new home for had a friend or mate who was pissed at his removal.
“Did you get them?”
“Yes, Indy, I have them.”
“Thank you.” She held out her hand as if waiting for him to pass them over.
He opened the bottom of his flak jacket and pushed the papers behind the bulletproof plate where he kept his emergency medical kit. “They are safer here.” If she thought he was handing them over until they were somewhere safe, she was sadly mistaken. “If a bullet goes into your pack, they’ll be destroyed.”
“It’s Kevlar.” She dropped her hand and thankfully didn’t make an issue out of him keeping the papers and followed him out of the cave.
Looks like she trusts me not to be a nosey bastard.
A quick glance around the clearing showed him the guys were ready to move. Since they’d arrived, dusk had fallen. Here under the canopy of the jungle, he knew it would soon be almost full dark. If they were lucky enough, moonlight would penetrate the treetops, so they could use their night vision rather than the lights attached to the rig on their helmets.
“Ready?” Kristof asked.
He raised one eyebrow in Indy’s direction and when she nodded, he swiped at his pants with his hands, sending dust and cobwebs flying. “Yeah. We’re ready to blow this awesome joint.” He scanned Charlie team, looking for any indication the movement Kristof had mentioned earlier was going to be a problem, and blew out a sigh of relief when the other man shook his head. When Kristof gave the hand signal to move out, Draven positioned Indy between his front and Archer Knox, aka Charlie Three’s back. In this position, she was in the center of the team, the safest position they had. Just as they had on the way in, Kristof and Braddock took point position, scrambling up the embankment first and out of the clearing in front of the cave system.
Draven silently urged Indy to follow Archer while behind him the others took swing position, carefully erasing any sign they’d been there.
Hopefully it would be enough, because those dead bodies you all left in your wake are going to be a dead—no pun intended—giveaway that something happened here.
When Indy stumbled over something in the darkness, Draven immediately steadied her with his hands. “You okay?”
“Yes, thanks.”
He had to have imagined the shudder which he felt rack through her, or maybe she found him so repulsive that she did it on autopilot. He wasn’t sure why that pissed him off. But it did so much that he clamped down on the inside of his cheek to keep from asking her about it. The last thing he wanted her to feel about him was repulsion.
She’s not a kid anymore.
She’s still Lizz’s best friend.
You’re adults—
He lost his train of thought when this time it was his boot which got stuck in a vine and he stumbled, almost landing on top of her.
“I’m not sure why you are Tier Two and we’re Tier Three.” Lucian Wolf, aka Charlie Six, grabbed him by the neck of his flak jacket, almost choking him as he hauled him to his feet. “Even Kayce doesn’t fall over his own damn feet when he’s out with us. And he spends most of his time back at HQ, in the fucking kitchen.”
“Fuck you, just fuck you.” There wasn’t a single snowball’s chance in hell that he was admitting to Luc that he’d been watching Indy’s butt rather than paying attention to where he was going.
Never gonna happen.
He wasn’t entirely sure if he meant the telling Luc, or deciding Indy was now old enough that jail wasn’t automatically in his future, should her daddy take offense to their dating…
Well, considering who her daddy is… jail may still be on the table.
When he stumbled again, he gave himself a mental slap upside the head. There would be time for all the fantasies in the world when he had Indy safely out of Africa and back home in the US. He ignored Luc’s chuckling behind him. That asshole had a punch coming if he kept it up.
Be grateful you aren’t out here with Bravo. They’d never let you get away with a couple of snickers and whispered shit throwing.
He was grateful after the teasing he’d given both Rexar and Kentucky when they’d been trying to get their heads out of their asses when it came to the women they loved. Both would have rubbed their hands together in glee and made sure Indy heard every single teasing word which came out of their mouths. Small mercies and all that jazz… he’d take it.
She’s yours then?
Hah.
Nope.
He already had an inkling that he was lying to himself. He just wasn’t ready to admit it to himself. He also wasn’t ready to filet open his head and lay it bare on the ground for her to stomp all over it.
He was so deep in his own thoughts that he almost missed when Kristof raised his closed fist in a silent order for them all to stop. They crouched down, and Indy dropped with them without instruction, telling him she’d at least done some training with a field team, probably Ground Branch. He’d have to remember to thank the former SEALs he knew who currently worked for the three letter agencies spec ops team.
“I have movement up ahead,” Kristof whispered over comms. “Possibly tangos, or the movement TOC mentioned earlier.”
As one, they silently melted into the undergrowth, taking themselves off the path they’d been following. If this was someone looking for the men they’d taken out when looking for Indy, then this could be a problem, a big fuck off problem which could potentially end in yet another firefight. He didn’t want that to happen. At least she was wearing the bulletproof vest…
Shit.
No, she’s not.
Because with all the drama over the snake and getting the papers he’d forgotten to take it out of his ruck and put it on her.
You are a fucking idiot, Kilkenny. A two-bit dumbass who should have installed your damn brain cells.
He silently berated himself. He knew better than to forget important things like putting the bullet stopper on his principle.
Quit thinking of her like Lizz’s friend, he ordered himself.
She is a principle. A VIP. One you must protect at all costs.
Hah. If anyone, even himself, thought he wouldn’t fight harder and longer for Indy than he would for a VIP, then they were whacked in the head. Indy laid her hand on his arm, and he glanced down at her. She cocked her head to one side, raised an eyebrow, and mouthed, what’s happening?
He shook his head. I don’t know. He nodded in the direction of the path and made a walking signal with his fingers. Her eyebrows furrowed for a split second before she figured it out and nodded in reply. He grinned as she pulled her fingers across her lips as if she was zipping them shut and tossed an imaginary key over her left shoulder. He mouthed, good girl , and she lowered her head before turning back to watch where they had entered the trees a few seconds ago.
He turned his head to the side which didn’t have his comms unit in his ear and listened, straining to hear any movement from the path. Whoever was out there was good. He couldn’t pick up on any sounds. That knowledge didn’t tell him anything. A local out hunting would probably know the path well enough to avoid anything which may alert their prey to their presence. Tangos who worked or patrolled in the area would be similar, in his opinion. He barely caught the sound of something scraping off a stone, probably a boot, before silence reigned once more. This was the bit which made him crazy, and he resisted the urge to fidget. He could confirm for anyone who wanted to know that hurry up and wait still officially sucked. But he didn’t dare move a muscle. Hell, he was hardly breathing. The first one to make a move died. With Indy in their midst, that was not an option. Period.