Line of Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

of vehicles and headed in every direction but the one that led to their hiding place. Long minutes passed before relative silence returned to the jungle. Luck or planning, Christian didn’t care, just breathed a sigh of relief.
    “We need that truck,” Hayden said from beside him.
    Christian’s stomach clenched at the closeness of his lover before turning his attention back to the truck. He nodded his agreement. The presence of more personnel could only mean that their mission was compromised and that extraction by original means was no longer possible. Their secondary extraction point was close to a hundred miles away. What may be a two hour drive in the States, would take several hours over a treacherous road, most of which wasn’t paved.
    “Go get it,” Ellison snapped.
    Christian nodded and Hayden stepped forward. Making their way to the edge of the jungle, he continually scanned the area. From their vantage point, he could tell that no one was in the front of the truck. He motioned to Hayden, and the pair silently crept forward. Working in tandem, they inspected the vehicle as they for bombs and other signs of sabotage before signaling for the rest of the team.
    “Nothing,” Hayden said searching the cab of the truck. “Not even keys.”
    “Hotwire it,” Christian said peering in after Hayden, the pair were careful to keep the truck between them and the compound.
    “Will it run?” the platoon leader asked coming up to them. Three more men joined them. One at the front of the truck, one at the rear, and one underneath, their weapons all trained on the surrounding area.
    Christian nodded. “We can hotwire it.”
    “Do it. I don’t want to be traipsing around the jungle with injured people and fucked up Intel,” Lieutenant Ellison said handing them a map. “Take this route.”
    “Aye.” Christian took the map and looked at the course to the airstrip that would serve as their backup exit. The road that led them toward the secondary extraction point required traveling through at least one village and possibly bringing them within sight of O Caudilho’s men.
    Aware less of Lieutenant Ellison’s presence and more of Hayden’s body pressing close to his, he focused on their escape route. There were a handful of turn offs that would lead them either further into the rainforest, south toward Rio, or east toward the coast. There was more than one way to get out of Brazil, far to the north of where the USS Nimitz was waiting.
    “What the fuck are you thinking not getting a wound checked out?” Hayden ground out. “We need a medic,” Hayden said into the mic.
    “Wound?”
    “You’re bleeding asshole. Have Tyler look at it before we move out. The last thing we need is for that to get infected. Christ.”
    The harsh undertone of Hayden’s words didn’t match the concern showing in the deep blue depths or the clenched fist after Hayden let go of his wrist, hanging onto it for a fraction longer than was necessary. Christian swore and tried not to think about what else might be showing. Relationships were for other people, not for him. Happiness was for people who didn’t have to fight to survive. Who hadn’t seen all the horrors that he had before or since he’d joined the Navy.
    Shaking his head slowly, Christian unbuttoned his shirt and carefully slid his left arm out. Now that he was paying attention to it, it started to sting. What had felt like sweat trickling down his arm, had been blood. He waited impatiently, knowing they were running out of time, as Tyler cleaned and dressed the bullet wound. A section of flesh approximately three inches long and narrower than his pinkie was missing from where a bullet had grazed along the back of his arm. Adrenaline had kept him from feeling most of the effects from the minor wound. After a smile from Tyler and an almost imperceptible growl from Hayden, he was dressed and pulling himself into the truck.
    “Let’s go. We’ve wasted enough time here!”