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The insertion into the Congo was by HAHO—high-altitude, high-opening jump—from a good twenty-seven thousand feet air to ground level. Entry wasn’t going to be a picnic. It never was when they went into a jungle, in the dark, in unfriendly territory. The glide would take them nearly forty miles, using their compass and land features map for their directional reference.

The Congo rainforest was the second largest in the world. The forest was spread over six countries. The trees were taller than in other rainforests because the elephants, gorillas and other animals limited the density of smaller trees, which could be found in other rainforests throughout the world. That was both good and bad for the team.

The fact that Bridget was in the Congo was shocking to everyone. It was the last place anyone thought Whitney would take her, which was probably why she was there. They had monitored General Pillar’s secure line, and he had warned his good friend Whitney that the GhostWalkers had threatened him and he was resigning his position for health reasons. That warning was enough to get Whitney moving, as he often did when he felt threatened. Not one GhostWalker had ever considered that he would establish a laboratory in the Congo.

That warning was also enough to get the general killed. A week after the meeting with him and two days after he warned Whitney, Pillar was dead. His death appeared to be suicide, but as the GhostWalkers had a satellite in the air monitoring his house specifically, they were able to see the assassin enter and leave the house. The assassin was a supersoldier, a man who supposedly had been killed in action several years earlier. It was clear he was part of Whitney’s army.

The GhostWalkers were loaded down with a list of claymore mines, C-4, blasting caps, time-delay igniters and forty feet of det cord explosive. They had ten minutes of fuse time, frag grenades, and red, green and white smoke grenades. They each had three hundred and thirty-five rifle rounds and three magazine pistols, and the snipers were bringing several rounds for the SVDs. They each carried two extra battery sets for the radios issued to them. They also carried a UV water purification device and a trauma kit. All pretty standard.

It was also very standard that if they were compromised, they would be on their own. Normally, they were sent out on a mission. Even then, the government would deny all knowledge of their existence. This mission was not approved by their government, nor did anyone know about it. The GhostWalker teams had initiated, planned and were carrying out this covert operation on their own.

GhostWalker Teams One and Four were parachuting into the Congo to retrieve Bridget and destroy the laboratory. If possible, they would locate and kill Whitney. GhostWalker Team Two was their extraction team. They would be flying a CV-22 Osprey, a tilt-rotor aircraft designed for low-level penetration into hostile enemy territory day or night. The Osprey would be accompanied by two AH-6 gunships for cover. The light craft carried formidable artillery.

The third team was their backup in case of an emergency. They were ready to engage in battle, work to retrieve or supply any possible support needed. Every single GhostWalker was on board, ready to help.

Joe gave the order at 02:00. “Suit up. We’re thirty minutes out. Check oxygen. Double-check one another’s gear.” Gino checked Joe’s gear.

Joe signaled the men at 02:20. “Final in-oxygen check. Five minutes, we depressurize.”

Diego glanced at his brother. As always, he wasn’t comfortable with having Rubin accompany them on such a dangerous mission. Just the jump alone could be disastrous. A high-altitude jump in the dark into a dense rainforest was extremely dicey.

He knew Rubin was uncomfortable with the others protecting him. Before, Diego hadn’t cared that his brother didn’t like it. He had encouraged those on the team to protect Rubin. Now, he had a taste of his own medicine. He was the man who set up to guard the backs of his team. He should have jumped first and set the specialty night strobe for the others. The moment he indicated he would make the HAHO jump first, Joe, Ezekiel and Rubin simultaneously and adamantly said no.

Joe gave him his cold, piercing stare when he would have protested the decision. There had been instant silence among the team members seated around the oval table where they were planning the mission. He had been with those men for several years, Mordichai and Malichai even longer. Now they were looking at him with a mixture of alarm and speculation. Diego hadn’t liked it at all. He’d always managed to fade into the background while remaining in plain sight. He knew that was going to be impossible. Joe, Rubin and Ezekiel hadn’t told the others he was capable of performing psychic surgery, but they weren’t going to allow him to put himself in harm’s way when someone else could assume that role.

He’d ventured a quiet argument that Bridget was going to be his sister-in-law and that none of them would be there if it weren’t for his decisions, but Joe kept his stone face and Ezekiel leveled his icy gaze at him. That only brought more undue attention. He was grateful his brother didn’t rub it in his face that he was now in the same boat with him. Most of his team members had no idea why Joe had nixed the obvious choice to protect them, but they didn’t weigh in on the decision.

“One minute…thirty seconds. First jumper in the door,” Joe said.

Mordichai stood at the door with Diego directly behind him. That strange alarm he had was building and building.

“Go!”

Mordichai dove before Diego had a chance to assess the blaring alarm. It was overwhelming.

Something’s wrong, Joe. I have to follow him right now. I need clearance for the jump.

Diego didn’t look at Joe; instead, he stepped up to the door and stared out into the night. It was dark, just a sliver of a moon, so small there might as well not have been a moon. The wind whipped at him, clawing at him in an attempt to drag him from the plane. The engines roared. Adrenaline rushed through his veins. Usually, on a jump like this one, fear was familiar, but now that fear was for Mordichai, not himself.

You certain?

Absolutely, no time to waste. The feeling was growing in strength, and it was all he could do not to hurl himself out into the night after the man he considered a brother.

The temperature at this elevation was around minus fifteen. The vicious cold snapped and bit, and the wind stung every exposed part of his skin. He could smell the jet fuel as the plane traveled close to a hundred and fifty knots.

Joe double-checked his gear. Diego took a deep breath, grateful his friend knew him so well and didn’t question that feeling that had saved them so many times.

“Go.”

At the command, Diego dove without hesitation. The wind hit hard, jerking and tugging, pulling at him. He fought to control two hundred pounds of gear. The rucksack hung between his legs was a hindrance to his movement. Then the roar of the engines ceased and he was free-falling. In that moment, as he soared alone through the dark sky, the feeling was euphoric. Exhilarating. He loved the jump. The sky was a place of absolute peace.

Diego pulled his chute abruptly, putting on the brakes. His speed went from one hundred and twenty miles an hour to about twenty. The force jerked his body hard. The wind rushed by. His helmet muffled all sound, leaving him soaring in a peaceful, dreamlike world. In those moments, there was freedom. Euphoria. Contentment. He dropped through a dark world in silence, basking in the cocoon of peace.

Still, in the back of his mind, he was aware he was suspended by a sheet of silk in a commercial air traffic space. There was always the possibility of splattering like a squashed bug on a passing jet. That knowledge didn’t deter his happiness when flying in and out of the clouds as the dark enfolded him.

Fog surrounded him just as he caught sight of the ground rushing at him with alarming speed. The jungle spread out in front of him, a macabre grayish-green sea. There was no strobe to guide him down, and jumping without a clear destination was always dangerous. He’d followed Mordichai quickly, and perhaps his fellow GhostWalker hadn’t had time to set up the strobe, but the urgency in his gut told Diego something else had stopped him.

The trees and grass were various shades of green, even with the gray veil of fog, allowing him to judge where he needed to set down. He flared his chute thirty feet out, slowing down. When he landed, there was the familiar light jolt, and without hesitation he reeled his chute in fast. The others would be on their way down. His first course of action was to find Mordichai and determine what the problem was—because there was one. The sense of urgency was overwhelming.

Diego blocked out everything but the night itself, allowing the animal in him to move to the forefront. He found it somewhat ironic that he’d spent years learning to suppress what was now his natural nature, but in times of an emergency, when he was needed to find his brethren, he used every bit of his energy to bring forth every animal trait that could benefit him.

At once, he could see clearly into the foggy interior of the rainforest. The wind brought him scents and sounds of small rodents and reptiles scurrying in the debris on the forest floor. Immediately, he pinpointed Mordichai’s location. Near him were two other individuals murmuring to each other as they warmed themselves on a small heat device. Mordichai was located in the tree above them and he wasn’t moving.

Coming to you. He sent the telepathic call to his brother. Ezekiel had taken Rubin and Diego in and raised them along with his younger brothers, Malichai and Mordichai. Long ago, they’d established telepathic communication.

There was no answer. Nothing at all. The silence ratcheted up Diego’s sense of alarm and urgency tenfold. He knew Mordichai was alive, but there was no response, not even a stirring in his mind.

He moved through the trees in silence, utilizing the cat in him, moving with fluid stealth, the hairs on his body acting like radar, allowing him to recognize what was around him and how close it was. He smelled the enemy before he came up on them. He had to remove them before the rest of his team came looking for Mordichai.

By now all the men in his unit would have made the jump, even without the night strobe to guide them that only the GhostWalkers would have been able to see. If these men were roving guards for Whitney’s compound, they couldn’t be allowed to radio to warn those inside they were coming.

He caught Mordichai’s scent. The cat in him snarled, lifting lips, exposing teeth. The image was strong in his mind as he took to the arboreal highway, leaping into the trees and landing softly on a branch. He began to run. It was suddenly more imperative to get to Mordichai than to take out the two guards.

Beneath him, as he flashed by, he noted the men warming drinks over the small device they were using for heat. They were both big men with a lot of bulky muscles, particularly around their necks and shoulders, making their necks appear wide but very short. That raised an immediate alarm. He identified them as supersoldiers, men who had failed the psych evaluations but whom Whitney had accepted into his program.

Those men wanted to be souped up and gladly “died” on some mission in order to become what they considered superior to every other soldier. Sadly, they didn’t realize their lives would be very short. Whitney treated the men as disposable because they didn’t meet his strict regulations. He needed a private army, and creating them allowed him to continue with his experiments.

Nearly all of Whitney’s supersoldiers had far too much bulk, their bodies distorted. As they continued mutating, in quite a few cases, so did their bodies. Whatever Whitney was trying for lately, most of the time it didn’t work for long. That hadn’t deterred him from continuing with his experiments.

The forest, even at night, was a vast, seemingly endless wall, undulating with colors of green, emerald, moss, teal, lime, fern and so many others. Liana, a rainforest creeper, fell to the ground from great heights like dangling ropes. It was a beautiful, alluring world, and one Diego, with his numerous animal traits—especially his cat traits—appreciated.

He leapt from branch to branch until he was beside the tree directly above the heads of the two soldiers. Mordichai was hanging from his chute in the canopy of that tree. Fortunately, the tree was an afrormosia, one of the largest canopy-topping trees in the rainforest. The fire-resistant bark glowed silver in the night or in shade. During the day, the trunk appeared auburn.

The lower part of the tree was bare of branches, making it impossible for Diego to simply continue as he had been doing. That sense of urgency grew, and he knew Mordichai was in trouble. He quickly removed his boots and socks to free his feet. He had enough leopard DNA in him to go up the side of the trunk. He would have to do so silently without alerting the soldiers on the ground.

Two of Whitney’s supersoldiers , he reported to the others. Going after Mordichai now. He’s caught in the canopy of an afrormosia.

As he approached his fellow GhostWalker, he saw instantly what the problem was. Blood wasn’t getting to his brain properly.

His chute is pressed across his neck and chest. Bad positioning. I can see his toes are barely on the branch, keeping complete pressure off his chest and neck, but it’s dicey. He’s not really responding.

Even as he informed the others of the dire situation, he was supporting Mordichai and cutting through the straps. Mordichai was nearly unconscious. He’d slowed his heart and lungs, but the strap pressed tight, cutting off his blood supply.

You with me, brother? You can’t make a sound. Enemy close.

There was a tentative stirring in his mind. Knew you’d come for me. Mordichai sounded weak. Exhaustion flooded Diego’s mind. Just had to hold out. Faint humor followed the words. You took your sweet time. My toes didn’t want to stretch that far. They were cramping like mad.

You did a good job staying alive. Zeke would have followed you to hell and pulled you back. You never would have heard the end of it.

He reined in the chute. They were very high up in the canopy. There was too much foliage for the soldiers below to see them, even if they caught a sound or two. Those sounds wouldn’t be easily identifiable, but he would prefer there was no warning whatsoever, especially with his other team members close.

Diego was thankful for the strength given to him by his animal DNA. He had to support Mordichai to keep him from falling. In the end, he lowered him to sit on the branch and hang on to the trunk while Diego dealt with the errant chute.

Status on Mordichai , Ezekiel snapped. He sounded calm, but Diego knew him. There was an underlying note that could spell disaster if his brother was in a very bad way.

Hanging in there , Diego assured. He’ll rest while I take care of the two soldiers below the tree. I have to get rid of them to bring Mordichai down.

Doing great, Zeke , Mordichai reassured. Just thought I’d take a little snooze while the rest of you set up our fallback.

He sounded stronger. Diego dropped a hand on his shoulder and allowed the well of healing energy to rise. He did his best to keep the heat on the cool side so he wasn’t giving away the fact that he had any talent, but Mordichai was his brother, and it seemed the more he used his ability, the more adept he became at it.

Mordichai stirred, looking up at him, speculation in his gaze, but he didn’t say anything.

Joe gave the coordinates for the place they had chosen as their base. Setting up for a run. If you need help, now’s the time to say so.

I can take care of these two souped-up soldiers , Diego said. Too many of us may tip one of them off. I don’t know their talents as of yet. He didn’t intend to stick around long enough to find out either. He intended to kill them both before either could become suspicious and use their radios to warn the compound.

Need help with Mordichai?

Diego sent Mordichai a quick grin. He’ll be carrying me out of here.

Don’t take all day , Joe ordered. We’re on a tight schedule.

The rainforest was hot and very humid. Made up of several layers, the emergent level was anywhere from seventy to two hundred and fifty feet high. Diego and Mordichai were concealed in the canopy where most of the birds and wildlife resided. They had to stay very still and move slowly when they did move in order to keep from startling any of the birds or monkeys.

There were no flowers winding their way up the trunk of the afrormosa to the light. No moss or lichen hanging over the branches or crawling up the bark. The tree did have ropes of tough vines hanging in tangled twists or dropping straight down from the branches in the canopy. None were long enough to reach the forest floor.

You okay for me to leave you? They couldn’t linger in the canopy. Their mission required them to act that night. If they waited too long, they would have to abort.

I’m good. Just catching my breath. Whatever you did helped me quite a bit.

Even though they were talking telepathically, Diego knew the others on their team were looped in. He frowned at Mordichai and gave a slight shake of his head, indicating they weren’t discussing anything to do with his healing ability any further.

Abruptly, Diego turned away from his foster brother, and leaving his pack wedged in the crook of the trunk and two branches, he shifted around to the back of the tree, away from the soldiers, and began his descent.

In the surrounding trees, monkeys watched as he silently descended. The steady drone of crickets and cicadas filled the night. Tree frogs called back and forth, and various other species chimed in to make the night a cacophony of jarring noise. Diego kept his energy low so that he didn’t appear to be a predator on the hunt. That would send the animals into a chaotic and noisy frenzy.

As Diego descended into the inky blackness, his night vision adjusted. He could see easily with the sight of the leopard. The hair on his body allowed him to assess exactly where his enemies were. Leopards were stealthy creatures, and the DNA allowed him to move with that same fluidity in silence. He made his way down the trunk of the tree and stood quietly directly behind the two men. He blended into the night so that even if they turned their heads, it would be very difficult for either of the men to spot him.

It wasn’t difficult to pick up what they were saying, both grousing at having to spend the night in the jungle. It wasn’t what they’d signed up for. One did the complaining while the other listened.

“Don’t know why we’re always the ones on roving patrol when the big man shows up, Peyton,” the one with dark hair cut very close to his scalp said.

The other soldier, Peyton, shrugged. “We got the short straw this time, Bertram. He never stays long. Things will go back to normal in a couple of days.”

Bertram scowled as he extended his hands over the small heating device between them. “This entire assignment sucks. I thought we’d end up in the States or Europe. He’s got those women locked up, and they all need servicing.” He smirked. “I’ve been waiting for that assignment. We’re just rotting out here.”

“You get plenty of women. You spend half your time raiding the locals.”

“Not the kind of fun I’m looking for,” Bertram said.

“I put in for both the States and Europe at any of his labs,” Peyton said. “Just like you. I know they give us shit assignments before he determines that we’re going to be loyal to him. That’s what he’s looking for, Bertram. You talk too much. You can’t talk about him or anything going on in the labs.”

“Who the hell do I talk to?”

“Everyone. You complain constantly, and when you complain, you talk about Whitney and the experiments taking place. You talk about handling dead bodies and how they look like mutated insects. You just can’t keep your mouth shut.”

“Who the hell is going to tell anyone else? We’re all in the same boat, and everyone here knows what’s happening in the laboratory.”

“And every single one of the guards here wants the same thing we do. They want a different assignment. They’re going to repeat everything negative they can about you, me and one another. It isn’t like they’re loyal to us. The minute Whitney arrived, you can bet he had a full report on every guard. He probably had it long before he arrived.”

“That sucks.”

Peyton shrugged and moved several feet away, turning his back on his fellow soldier to relieve himself.

Bertram swore under his breath, crouched down and once more held out his hands to the small glowing heater.

Diego didn’t wait. He came up behind Bertram like a ghost, absolutely silent. One hand went around the soldier’s head, palm slamming over his mouth while his blade severed the spinal cord at the back of the neck. He eased the body to the ground and immediately crossed the short distance to the second soldier.

Leopards were efficient predators, making Diego one as well. He’d honed his skills in the Appalachian Mountains and perfected them thousands of times working in the field in various terrains. He had his human brain to plan for any contingency. He was able to keep his energy low rather than projecting the energy of a predator.

Ordinarily, when a leopard was on the hunt, the monkeys and other wildlife noticed and went into a frenzy. By keeping his energy low, Diego wasn’t detected. Even so, Peyton began to slowly turn his head toward Diego, looking over his shoulder. Diego was on him before he could react, slamming the knife into the base of his skull, dropping him to the ground. He ensured both men were dead before going up the tree to get Mordichai.

Enemy down, bringing our brother home.

Feeling fully recovered. Diego is getting me out of this tree, but I’m not sure how.

I’m carrying your ass , Diego informed him, as well as the others. Recommend if you’re going to be playing around with your chute, you lay off Nonny’s food.

Yeah, that’s not going to happen. And just for the record, Malichai eats far more than I do.

That’s called deflecting , Ezekiel chimed in. There was relief in his voice. It was clear his younger brother was feeling a lot better.

Diego hefted Mordichai onto his back. Hang on. I’m climbing down now and won’t be able to hold on to you this way. It’s faster going down.

Yeah, I’m hanging on but closing my eyes. Just to say, Diego, you’re totally insane.

Diego found himself laughing. Leila had given that gift to him, the ability to genuinely laugh when he’d forgotten how. If he considered what he was doing, going down a bare tree trunk with a full-grown man on his back, Mordichai was most likely right.

Once on the ground, Diego left Mordichai to rest while he retrieved his gear from where he’d stored it in the jungle. It didn’t take long for them to join the others in preparation for their attack on Whitney’s laboratory. The battle plan was already being discussed.

“It’s imperative, before we engage in battle, that we know where Bridget is and if there are any other innocents in that lab. We’re taking it down. That means if Bridget isn’t the only woman held there, we will have to rescue others, and we’ll need to know how many,” Joe reminded. “Trap has the ability to see through walls. You take the south and west sides and sweep the entire building from that direction, Trap. Wyatt, you’re Trap’s partner. Relay everything to the rest of us.”

“Ian has the ability to see through buildings as well,” Ryland reported. He flashed a small smile when most of the others on the team turned to stare at Ian McGillicuddy. “He’ll take the north and east sides, sending to all of us the information so we’ll know if there are other hostages and where they are. Diego, you’re his backup.”

Ian shrugged and exchanged a long look with Trap. “No problem,” he agreed.

“Each of you has your assignment and where to set up,” Joe continued. “Hold position until Trap and Ian report. If ever we were going to prove GhostWalkers own the night, now’s the time.”

“We know Whitney is present. He’s our secondary mission. We secure Bridget and any other captives, and then we take out Whitney if it is at all possible,” Ezekiel added. “Malichai and Gino, you’re together making the try for Whitney. If nothing else, take down his house when the all clear comes.”

“Nico and Mordichai are sitting back on the north side, covering all of us,” Ryland said. “On the south, it will be Rubin and Tucker. They’ll have our backs in that direction.”

“Zeke, Ryland and Kadan will take the dorms with the soldiers,” Joe said.

“Kyle and Gator are the resident bomb experts. You’re on the vehicles and maintenance buildings. Set them to blow on clearance,” Ezekiel said. “You’ll be able to utilize their mortar shells and any explosives they have.”

“Once inside, Sam and Jeff, you’re on the communication room,” Joe said. “Every means of communication must be down. Wire the shit out of that room and everything around it. When it blows, I don’t want so much as a stick left intact.”

Sam and Jeff exchanged a quick smirk.

“The rest of you know your partners and the entry points to breach the lab. Be ready to get into the laboratory when we’re given the information from Trap and Ian. No one makes a move until then,” Ryland said. “When we do go in, every enemy goes down. The buildings are flattened, so they can’t use them again. All equipment, computers, anything with Whitney’s data, goes. Everything has to come down.”

“Let’s do this, gentlemen,” Joe said. “If anyone gets in trouble, give us a heads-up and your backup will pull you out.”

Moving through the oppressive jungle in single file to keep from disturbing wildlife or tripping any alarms the laboratory had set took time. The compound, as with most of the camps they encountered, was set in rows, with the troop barracks the first three long buildings to the north of the actual laboratory.

The command center with communications was located in the center of the laboratory. Those working as lead scientists were housed in the right wing, and their assistants had dorm rooms in the left wing, with the communications in the center between them. Vehicle and maintenance buildings were on the north side. Whitney’s apartment was approximately forty feet from the laboratory on the east side.

They had the positioning of the buildings but needed to know where Bridget was and what shape she was in before they attacked. They also needed to know if there were any other innocents inside before they made their move.

Nico and Mordichai broke off from the others to make their way through the jungle to the taller trees to the north of them. Rubin and Tucker did the same, circling to the south. They would split up and find the trees that would allow them to cover the teams’ retreat with Bridget.

The remainder of the GhostWalkers, in their designated two-man teams, sprinted silently through the thick vegetation to work their way in close, to be ready for the go signal.

Kyle and Gator crouched low to the ground, blending in with the night, running toward their destination, the vehicles and maintenance buildings. With his night vision, Diego was able to see Kyle roll under a large tank while Gator went for the roof of one of the buildings.

Diego and Ian made their way to the north wall of the laboratory. There were two guards patrolling. Diego disposed of both, allowing Ian to get right up to the outside wall. Despite Whitney being in residence, the compound wasn’t on high alert. Clearly, no one expected an attack. That gave the GhostWalkers a decided advantage.

Charges set , Kyle said, in vehicles and maintenance buildings. Gator is on the lab roof. I’m hitting the foundation.

Charges set on all three dorms , Ryland reported. Ready to breach.

Diego’s job was to guard Ian’s back as he used his gift to see through the walls of the laboratory to find Bridget and send images to the waiting team members. Once they knew where she was, Joe would give the order to take down the entire compound.

Whitney’s not home. His apartment is wired to blow sky-high , Malichai reported.

He’s in the laboratory, north side. Last room. Bridget is with him . Ian’s voice was tight. He sent the images of the various rooms, most empty. There’s a guard at the door and another man in with them. He appears to be a tech. Guards at every entrance door.

Trap gave the same data. Guards on the entrances and exits. Otherwise, the building appeared to be mostly empty. It was easy to see the Congo lab was run on a skeleton crew.

Ian’s entire demeanor changed, the telepathic connection he shared with every team member became tinged with crimson red. He had been sharing images and data with the others just as Trap was, his manner calm, and suddenly, he was in a stone-cold fury. Didn’t find anyone else innocent on this side. Going in. He’s hurting her.

Diego had been facing the jungle, guarding Ian’s back as he walked up and down the length of the building. He swung around, feeling Ian’s outrage. Matching it. Before his fury could manifest in ground-shaking ways, Ian had taken off and was already entering the building through a side door.

Ian’s in. Going after him , Diego declared.

Drop thermite and get to the lab , Joe ordered.

Swearing under his breath, Diego went through the closest door. He knew a guard was on the other side from the images Ian had sent them all. He went in hot, cutting arteries as he swept through, sprinting down the hall toward the room where Whitney held Bridget. As Diego flashed past the door Ian had entered through, he caught sight of a guard on the floor in a pool of blood where Ian had dropped him.

In comms room , Sam reported. Guards down, techs down, setting charges.

Engaging with remaining soldiers in barracks. Barracks wired , Kadan said.

Even as he ran down the hall, Diego registered the various teams checking in. The door to the laboratory was wide open, and he somersaulted in. Ian had the guard on the floor, and the two men fought viciously.

Time slowed down. Seemed to tunnel. Gun in his fist, Whitney turned toward Ian and the guard in macabre slow motion. Diego used blurring speed, inserted his body between Ian and Whitney as he whipped out the KA-BAR knife he kept between his shoulder blades. Using the strength of a fully grown tiger, he slashed the honed blade through skin, muscle, and bone, nearly severing Whitney’s arm. Blood shot into the air and poured from the wound. The gun hit the floor and skittered toward the table Bridget was strapped to.

The thermite triggered throughout the compound. Explosions killed numerous guards as the charges on the vehicles and in the munitions dump detonated simultaneously. Explosions rocked Whitney’s apartment, reducing it to nothing but splinters on the ground, with orange and red flames igniting everywhere.

At the same time, the explosives planted on all three of the guard’s dormitories ignited, lighting up the surrounding jungle and shaking the earth. The world turned orange and red as flames shot into the sky and raced through the shattered remains of buildings.

Inside the laboratory was instant hell as the charges in the communications center tore the building apart and lifted the roof. The walls blew outward, and fire raged in every corner. The force of the explosion threw Diego against the steel legs of the table Bridget was strapped to. Beams from the ceiling rained down along with drywall and boards, all on fire. Ian flung his body over Bridget’s as Diego staggered to his feet, looking for Whitney. The heavy beams, debris, flames and smoke made it impossible to see much. Already, the air was clogged with deadly smoke.

Diego used the knife he still gripped in his fist to slice through the straps holding Bridget prisoner. “Taking you home to Leila, kid,” he announced softly, fearing she might be so disoriented she would fight. They didn’t have time for that.

Bridget nodded and didn’t protest, even though it appeared to hurt her when Ian shifted her weight onto his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Diego tossed the blanket from her gurney over the lowest mound of flames and both men leapt through the fierce red and orange wall to the fiery outside.

“Do you need medical?” Joe demanded as they made it to the rendezvous point.

Ian gently lowered Bridget but kept his arm around her. “Do you?” he asked.

Bridget gave them a wan smile. “I need my sister.”

“Then let’s get the hell out of here,” Joe declared.