Mercy and Mayhem Men of Mercy(18)

Riser finished bandaging Marley's arm. "You need something to weigh down the end to throw it up that high," she said, getting to her feet. "Looks like it's about forty feet in the air."

Riser leaned down and picked up a rock about the size of his palm. "Will this work?"

Marley hefted the weight, testing it, and offered it back to Riser. "It's perfect."

Riser tossed the rock and Jared caught it with one hand.

All this transpired in a matter of seconds. Mack didn't like it that his men were turning to her for answers. But he didn't have time to dwell on her or his aggravation, which he didn't fully understand. The faster they got back to safety, the sooner he could unload her and the burden she represented and get back to finding Mr. J. "Make it quick. The rebels couldn't have missed that explosion. They're probably heading this way now to check it out."

"Roger." Jared quickly tied the circle knot while Hoyt tied the other end around the rock. Those two worked on the same wavelength; they didn't require words to get shit done efficiently.

Hoyt pulled back his arm and threw the rock, nailing his target on the first try. The rope wrapped around the branch a few feet from Ethan, closer to where the branch widened at the trunk of the tree, providing them with a more steady hold. Jared fastened the knot to the ring on his harness, which was still wrapped around his chest from the parachute jump, slid the knot above his head, and pulled his feet off the ground. Hoyt hefted the spare rope over his brother's shoulder as he started to rise.

Although the Crowe brothers were the smallest on his team, they each topped six feet, making the task of lifting their own weight in the air a difficult feat. Jared managed to make it look easy. He kept pulling himself higher, the rope anchoring to itself each time there was tension on it. He got to his destination with speed and dexterity, swung a leg up and over the branch, and then quickly began making Ethan's harness.

The sound of a rifle firing in the distance blasted through the jungle. Mack turned toward the sound. "Guerrillas."

"Jared, move a little faster." After that kind of crash, the team was in no position to effectively fend off an attack. The guerrillas of the Congo were notoriously deadly fighters. They'd become that way over time, honing their skills by fighting off poachers and logging companies seeking to cut down their habitat for profit. And Mack did not want to get into a tangle with them today. Especially with Marley here. His men's resources would be used more to protect her than to kill the guerrillas. They needed to get out of here and reassess. Jared quickly finished the harness and eased it down to Ethan, who managed to maneuver himself into it.



       
         
       
        

"Ready," Ethan called out a moment later.

Another round of shots blasted in the distance. "Get your asses down here, now!"

Without him having to tell them, the rest of his team got up and geared up, checking their weapons and readying themselves to bug out. Ethan cut the parachute cord tangled around him, and a large black bag flew from his body and crashed onto the ground. "Oh, shit."

"Is that what I think it is?" Mack ground out. He could hear the rebel trucks speeding through the jungle. Guerillas hadn't zeroed in on their exact location yet, but it was only a matter of time, and Ethan had just dropped one very precious piece of equipment.

"Sorry, boss, didn't mean to do that." They rappelled down the tree, and as soon as their feet hit the ground, Jared coiled the rope and quickly slung it over his shoulders.

Ethan gazed at the black bag and said, "I think we can safely say that our comm system is screwed."

"Safely say? How about guarantee?" Their chance at radioing in to apprise headquarters of their situation had just exploded on the ground, the smashed contents held together by a black tactical bag. But some of it could be salvageable, and he didn't have time to stand here and chastise his guy for a rookie mistake. "Grab the bag, maybe you can piece enough of it together for us to radio in."

Ethan did as commanded and within a few seconds everyone was secured and ready to go. Marley stood next to Riser with a frown on her face. He could tell she was scared-any sane person would be scared right now-but watching out for her slowed them down, which only pissed him off more.

"You stay with me. Hunter, take the lead. Jared, Hoyt, bring up the rear. If they mow our asses down, I want to pick them off. Fall in."

Marley kept her mouth shut and did as he ordered. Maybe she was finally starting to grasp the precarious position they were in. No matter how well-trained or deadly his special operators were, if over a hundred guerillas showed up with AKs and machetes, they wouldn't be able to protect her. More likely, none of them would survive. "Move out. Keep silent. If we get separated, find your way to the nearest evac point on the route."