Page 5 of Heat Force
“That’s right.” She frowned, swinging back again. Did he have a problem with that? She might not have a lot of field experience, but she was a qualified veterinarian from one of the best colleges in New York state. Lexi braced herself as they went flying over some exposed roots. There’d been no question that she’d go to college, although her parent’s had been startled at her subject choice.
“I’m not paying a goddamn fortune so you can work on a farm,”her father had complained when she’d announced it.
Luckily, her mother had intervened. “It’s unique, dear. It’ll make her more interesting, and there’s a lot of money in ranching. She might be able to find a husband that way.”
As it turned out, Charles was the furthest thing from a rancher, unfortunately. He was a politician with grand aspirations. She was just a means to an end for him. Her father was his way in. He’d never loved her, despite what he’d said. She just hadn’t seen it.
Lexi shook her head at the memory. She saw it now, though. Crystal clear.
Thankfully, Hawk fell silent after that, because it was impossible to hear anything over the metallic whine of the engine. Leaves the size of frying pans slapped into the sides of the vehicle and low-lying branches scraped across the roof. The Jeep creaked and groaned but kept going at a steady pace.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was just shy of forty-five minutes, Edmond slowed to a halt and killed theengine. After the roar, the sudden silence was deafening. Lexi let her ears adjust to the rhythm of the jungle—the chirrup of insects, the rustling of leaves, and the occasional bird song.
“Are we there?” Hawk leaned forward to peer through the windshield. Ahead was an impenetrable wall of dense foliage.
“No, but we’ve run out of road. It’s on foot from here.”
Climbing out, she went around to the back and opened the door. Grabbing a medical backpack, she hauled it onto her back, while Philipe took the other, and picked up the gurney. “I’ll take that,” Hawk offered.
At his surprised look, Hawk added, “I’m not carrying anything.”
Lexi masked a grin. Fine. Let him struggle with that. The jungle was hard enough to trek through without having your hands full.
She turned to Edmond, who had removed a semi-automatic rifle from behind his seat and slung it over his shoulder. “Ready?”
He nodded, securing the dart gun into a side compartment of his well-worn pack, the tranquilizer darts nestled beside it.
“Is that an SA58?” Hawk asked, studying the weapon on his back.
Lexi frowned. He knew guns? The smooth-talking, corporate New Yorker looked like the last person on earth to know weapons.
Edmond patted the stock of the rifle and replied in French, words she didn’t understand. Hawk nodded, and pursed his lips, clearly impressed
Lexi narrowed her gaze, their mysterious benefactor was full of surprises.
“Let’s go.” She glanced at the gathering clouds. It looked like rain. Not surprising out here, where it rained most afternoons. Sudden, drenching downpours that didn’t last long but oftentook you by surprise. She’d gotten used to them now, along with the humidity and the bugs.
Edmond gave a gruff nod and set off down a barely discernable track that led deeper into the jungle. Lexi followed, keeping a sharp eye out for hostiles—both human and animal. The foliage clawed at her legs, and she was glad for the cargo pants. The first time she’d done this, she’d been cut to shreds.
Hawk followed behind her, carrying the gurney, while Philipe brought up the rear.
They weren’t even ten minutes into their walk when a loud, booming explosion overhead made them halt.
“Was that thunder?” Hawk asked, incredulous. He looked upwards, surveying the darkening sky.
“Yeah.”
Everything out here was louder, bigger, or more extreme than anywhere else. The jungle seemed to pause, as if drawing a breath.
Any moment now.
Lexi pulled up the hood of her rain jacket and seconds later, the heavens opened.
CHAPTER 3
They kept going, despite the downpour.
Hawk didn’t mind the rain. In fact, in this heat, he relished it. It reminded him of his days in the SEALs—trudging through jungle training, sweat dripping down his back, boots squelching through the mud. That had been a long time ago—it felt like a lifetime now.