Brothers in Arms (13 page)

At least it was a trail to follow.

He made his way up the first flight of stairs unopposed and, apparently, undetected. Jonah moved swiftly and silently. Bloody handprints decorated the handrail. Some prints were so coated in blood it ran down the railing in dark, tacky rivulets. He’d seen no wounds on Kellan that would cause that much bleeding. He took dark satisfaction in the fact Kellan had inflicted severe damage on his captors.

Jonah reached the landing of the first floor. He glanced at the door that opened into the hallway. There were no traces of blood on the handle. There were no smudges on the jamb, where Kellan might have held on in his struggle. Jonah glanced down, his eyes tracking to the stairs leading to the second floor. A line of blood droplets, heavily distorted by the concrete, was on the stairs leading to the second floor. He started up the stairwell, following the trail of bloody stains and splatter.

The second landing door told a story. A bloody hand had turned the handle. One set of hands had gripped the doorjamb in a struggle. Jonah opened the door carefully and stepped through. The hallway was quiet. The fluorescent lights above hummed and buzzed menacingly. Bulbs flickered, casting shadows on the walls like torchlight in a tomb.

Jonah froze and pressed himself against the wall when an apartment door opened. Adrenaline spiked higher in his veins. He steadied his breathing and gripped his knife tighter. No one came through the door. Jonah waited. A young man slowly stuck his head into the hallway, looking away from Jonah. When he turned and saw Jonah, he moved fast. He stepped into the hallway and leveled an M16 in his direction. Jonah yanked the gun from the man’s hands with a sharp tug on the barrel. He spun behind the hostile and smoothly slid the blade of his Ka-Bar along the man’s throat. Jonah lowered the body quietly to the floor. He softly closed the apartment door.

A pristine M16 in the hands of an Iraqi looked wrong. Jonah headed farther into the lion’s den.

Several doors down, there were more bloody handprints. They were smudged on the handle and the door itself. There were none on the doorjamb, and the blood trail continued down the hallway.

Three doors down, Jonah saw blood smears on a wall and jamb. He eased closer to the door. There were no sounds of combat. Slowly, Jonah turned the door handle. It swung open easily, and he pushed it until it hit the wall with a soft thud. The room was sparsely furnished and clear of any inhabitants. Jonah smelled rotted food, gun oil, and sweat. He stepped in farther. There was a second room just off of the first. Jonah spotted a ladder. It led up to a jagged hole in the ceiling that opened into the apartment above. Carefully, he moved closer.

The rungs of the ladder bore handprints. They had to belong to Kellan’s attackers. There was no way his captors had lifted a struggling Kellan up that ladder and through the hole, but
someone
had climbed up there, so Jonah had to eliminate any possible threat before it could sneak up behind him. Slipping his Ka-Bar into its sheath, he carefully stepped up a few rungs on the ladder. Voices carried through the opening.

“He didn’t just bust your nose, he smashed it.” Jonah was astonished to hear unaccented English.

“He caught me with an elbow the first time, but that second time was a deliberate punch.”

“Godammit. I can’t get the bleeding to stop.”

“I need a damn hospital.”

“As soon as they’ve scared this guy enough, we’re outta here.”

“He doesn’t scare easily. We might just have to take him out.”

He’d heard enough. Jonah wished he could kill the fucking treasonous bastards. He had to find Kellan first.

Jonah silently climbed down the ladder and headed for the door, taking his Ka-Bar back out of its sheath. Slipping into the hallway again, he heard shouting. His comm and his Kevlar helmet made it hard to track the faint sounds, so he took them off. Crashing sounds, as if items were being knocked to the ground, came from farther down the corridor.

More bloody handprints.

More importantly, the blood trail on the tiled floor stopped at this door. From behind it, shouts of pain and anger grew louder. Swear words were shouted in English. Jonah heard the dull thud of flesh on flesh. He knew a beating when he heard one. He was out of time.

The flimsy door and lock assembly gave way easily under the force of Jonah’s booted kick. The door slammed back against the wall, and the combined surprise of the sound and his sudden appearance caused Kellan’s captors to freeze. Three hostiles, all hooded. Two were trying to restrain Kellan in a chair; the third stood in front of him.

Jonah shot the third one with his Beretta. Seconds later, a single, burly attacker collided with Jonah from the front and carried him to the floor. His opponent scrambled against him, gripping Jonah’s blouse and hooking his leg to try to reverse their positions. Jonah stayed low, elbowing the man’s jaw. The combatant stunned, Jonah pressed his forearm hard to his windpipe. Sharp pain shot through Jonah’s rib cage. He grunted, already catching his breath when his attacker landed a second, lucky blow. Jonah pulled back his knee and slammed it against his opponent. He kicked again, hearing a loud grunt. He kicked a third time, earning a sharp yell.

Jonah’s jaw stung when his attacker clipped him with a fist. The blow lacked force. Jonah slipped to his opponent’s back and wrapped his legs around his waist. He slung an elbow around the combatant’s neck in a rear neck and choke. His attacker’s futile blows finally ceased. Now he only clutched and tugged at Jonah’s arm around his throat. He ignored the small stinging bites of his attacker’s fingernails where they clawed into his flesh. Sweat dripped down Jonah’s face. He was breathing in quick, short breaths. Jonah pressed his other hand to the back of his assailant’s head, further cutting off his ability to breathe. He felt the man finally go limp.

Jonah released his grip. The guy would be out long enough to secure him and see to Kellan.

He came to his hands and knees in time to see Kellan kneeling on the back of the third abductor. He’d overturned his chair and engaged the third captor, despite his restraints. His still-bound hands were locked around the man’s throat. Kellan used the duct tape to choke his captor. One final hard pull and the attacker fell limp beneath Kellan’s knees.

Jonah braced a foot to stand. Fresh adrenaline roared through him when Kellan shouted, “Jonah, behind you!”

It was all the warning Jonah needed to draw his Ka-Bar from where he’d sheathed it. He turned his head slightly and saw movement in his peripheral vision. Jonah shifted his grip on the knife and plunged it, backhanded, into his attacker’s gut. As he rose to his full height, Jonah pulled the knife out. His stunned opponent didn’t move as Jonah spun into position behind him, pulled his head back to bare his throat, and dragged the blade of the knife cleanly through his neck. The man was dead before he hit the floor.

Jonah stepped over the corpse and knelt next to Kellan. He sliced through the tape that bound Kellan’s wrists and legs. He sheathed his Ka-Bar and reached for Kellan. Jonah’s hands moved over him, seemingly of their own volition, searching for wounds and injuries.

“Are you all right?” Jonah ignored the tremor in his own voice. He really had come too fucking close to losing Kellan for good.

“Yes,” Kellan answered, voice strong. “Most of the blood is theirs.” He tore at the strands of tape that had once bound him.

“Good,” Jonah said on a harsh exhalation. “’Cause you sure left a long fucking trail of it.” Despite Kellan’s reassurances, Jonah couldn’t stop touching him. Each caress of Kellan’s wrist, each stroke along his bruised stomach, reassured Jonah he was alive.

“I broke noses and teeth when I could, gouged eyes and bit ears when I couldn’t.”

“I counted on it. I counted on you keeping yourself alive long enough for me to find you.” Jonah ran his hands up and down Kellan’s arms, trying to hide the way they shook.

“I heard you,” Kellan said. He gripped Jonah’s coat with a tight fist. “I heard you telling me to fight. I knew you’d find me.”

Jonah vaguely remembered his shout at the retreating Range Rover. What he remembered clearly was the fear and dread. Jonah cradled Kellan’s head in both hands. “Yeah, well, I just got you back. I wasn’t about to lose you.”

Kellan leaned in and pressed their foreheads together. They stayed like that for a long moment, eyes closed and breath mingling. Reality rolled back over Jonah like a cold Pacific wave. He stood quickly, swallowed hard several times, and pulled plastic cuffs from a pouch on his trousers. He handed several to Kellan.

“I came across one of the guys whose nose you shattered. Their intent was to scare you off the investigation, but I think they planned to go a little further.” Jonah spoke as he secured the wrists and ankles of the man he’d choked into submission. He tugged off the mask. “Fuck. They’re American, Kellan.”

“Yeah, I noticed they all spoke English with an American accent.” Kellan grunted as he secured the abductor he’d subdued. He removed the mask. “Ah, hell.”

All had western features, pale skin, and light hair.

“Sent by one of the Big Three to make you back off and go home?” Jonah asked.

“Or sent, at their behest, by someone in our own government,” Kellan said grimly. He was still kneeling next to the body of the captor he had just restrained.

Jonah dropped to a knee beside him. “I heard the guy with the shattered nose say they were probably going to kill you to stop you.”

“I wouldn’t be the first, but I was
not
going to be the easiest,” Kellan said through clenched teeth, his voice rough with rage.

Jonah reached out to run his thumb along the side of Kellan’s neck, drawing as much comfort from the act as he gave. “Nothing about you is easy, Kellan.”

Kellan smiled wanly. He drew a deep breath. “You came for me.”

“Of course I came for you. I’ll always come for you.”

Kellan placed a hand over the one Jonah had pressed to his neck. “I’m grateful you made it in one piece.”

“I’m really glad you were here when I arrived.”

They were silent for a long moment, Jonah’s fingers twined with Kellan’s. Reluctantly, Jonah let his hand fall away. He cleared his throat. “This building’s not secured, Captain. We need to get the fuck out of here. Deshazo should at least have the perimeter secured by now.” He stood and held out his hand to help Kellan to his feet.

Jonah removed the spare Beretta from his vest. He fished a full magazine from a pocket in his trousers and slid it in. He handed the weapon, butt first, to Kellan.

Kellan checked the gun, chambered a round, and nodded to Jonah he was ready. Jonah retrieved his rifle and reattached it to his battle sling. With Kellan behind him, he stepped out into the corridor.

Jonah picked up his comm headset and his Kevlar from the floor of the hallway and strapped them both on. He keyed his mic. “Deshazo, it’s Carver, how copy?”

“Solid, Jonah. What’s your status?”

“The package is secure, and we’re en route to your location.” Jonah led the way down the corridor, making sure to keep Kellan at his back and very close by.

“Outstanding,”
Eric replied. “I’ve been on the comms with your commanding officer. I’ve advised him of our location and he’s monitoring from his Humvee.”

“Roger that. Thanks, Eric. Predator, Hitman-Two-One,” Jonah hailed Captain Hoegerl.

“Hitman-Two-One, this is Predator,” the captain answered immediately. “What’s the package’s condition?”

“Relatively unharmed, but he can use some medical attention for minor injuries,” Jonah answered as they slowly made their way down the stairwell, weapons ready.

“I’m fine, Jonah,” Kellan snapped from behind him.

Jonah ignored him.

“Roger that. I’m en route to your location with Doc Pauling,”
Predator replied. “He’ll escort the two of you back to firm base while the rest of us secure the building.”

Jonah pushed open the door to the ground floor and keyed his mic again. “There were casualties at the site of the RPG attack. Has their status been updated?”

“That’s affirmative. Several teams have already secured that location, and all injuries are minor. Doc Bertel will escort them back to firm base.”

Jonah was relieved to hear Lucena was okay. “Copy that, sir. We’ll be waiting for you. Hitman-Two-One out.”

They slowly, cautiously exited the building. He saw no signs of enemy combatants, only Marines and security contractors.

“Everyone okay here?” he asked as he reached Eric’s side.

“We’re fine. The fight seems to have gone right out of them,” Eric advised. “Your Fed over there is a hell of shot.” Eric nodded in Milagros’ direction, where she sat hunched over an AK-47, looking for something to shoot.

“From you, that is high praise indeed,” she responded, and Jonah could hear the smile in her voice. “Glad you’re okay, Kellan.”

“Thanks, Mila,” Kellan called from his place at Jonah’s side, his back pressed against the wall they were utilizing as cover.

“Glad to see you’re okay,” Eric added.

Several Humvees and gun trucks roared around the corner and slid to a stop in front of the building. They formed a wide dispersion. Heavily armed Marines exited the vehicles in an impressive display of power and aggression. Hoegerl immediately strode toward Jonah, Doc Pauling on his heels.

“Good work, Gunnery Sergeant,” the captain said by way of greeting.

“Thank you, sir,” Jonah replied. He’d had no choice. He’d had to rescue Kellan—or die trying.

“Captain Reynolds, I’m pleased you seem all right,” Hoegerl said to Kellan, shaking his hand. “Pauling here will check you out and make sure all is well.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Kellan replied, sounding tired. “But I really am fine.”

“Kellan,” Jonah said, more harshly than he’d intended. There was a pause as all eyes turned toward him. “You were dragged forcibly from a vehicle following an RPG attack, bound and then beaten. Let the corpsman check you out.”

“Fine,” Kellan said, although he still seemed stiff and resistant. He wouldn’t look Jonah in the face.

Kellan let himself be led to one of the Humvees. Jonah kept a very close eye on him as he recounted the events of the past hour. “I’d like to get in there and start looking around,” Milagros said to Hoegerl.