“We’re good. Clear skies this morning, which means we need to keep under cover and move fast.”
“They mobilized troops from an army base about sixty klicks east of you, so they’ll be on the ground and in the air today. It looks like they’ve set up a perimeter forty miles west and northwest of the crash site. You’re going to have to get through that. Also, the area you’re heading into was the site of the Arakan Campaign in the last world war. You’ll need to watch for unexploded ordinance and other hazards.”
“Copy that.”
“You should know that Myanmar has accused the US of sending operatives into the country to interfere with their government. They’re not going to cooperate. Everyone you meet will think you’re the enemy, so avoid locals. You’ve got a major river coming up. They’re going to use that as a choke point. There are only three bridges that cross it, and you can expect those to be under guard.”
Shit.
“Is the river swimmable?”
“You’ll have to judge that for yourself. You’ve got rain forecast for the afternoon. We’re working on some possibilities for an exfil, but nothing has come together yet.”
In other words, they were still on their own.
“Stay sharp, O’Neal. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
“Roger that.”
Connor climbed back up the ladder, found her ready to go. He shared what Tower had told him and knew the news must be overwhelming for her. “If you feel like you’re getting a blister or you start feeling sick or dehydrated, I need to know. Otherwise, we stick to the tree cover and move fast.”
There was fear on her face but also determination. “Got it.”
He drew her into his arms. “I’m sorry, Shanti. I’ll do my best to get you home.”
“I know you will.” There was that trust again—pure and complete. “Just don’t do anything stupid and heroic.”
“Okay.” He grinned, ran a thumb over her cheek.
And because he couldn’t stop himself, he kissed her. “Let’s go.”
Shanti followedConnor through a dense forest of teak and bamboo, the terrain getting steeper, the air stifling. Helicopters flew in a grid pattern to the south, their rotors buzzing like giant insects, the ghostly howls of gibbons, manic chatter of macaques, and the calls of birds filling the air.
Connor set a punishing pace, moving quickly up the mountainside, his gaze searching the landscape around them for danger. While he was clearly in his element, she struggled along behind him, sweaty, hungry, and thirsty. She didn’t want to hold him back—or be the reason they didn’t make it back alive.
Six more days.
The thought overwhelmed her—until she reminded herself how lucky she was to be alive and free right now.
She could do this. She had no choice but to do this.
Her stomach growled, her junk-food breakfast long since digested. She’d heard him say he had five of those MREs. Spread over seven days, that meant one half of an MRE each per day. Those extra ten pounds she never seemed to lose were history.
It’s the Run-for-Your-Life Diet.
Gnarled tree roots, liana vines, and ferns tried to trip her, while mosquitoes buzzed in the shadows. If she hadn’t been wearing mosquito repellent and the long-sleeved jacket Connor had loaned her, they would probably have eaten her alive by now.
Something slithered past her foot, making her jump.
A lizard.
Connor glanced back, stopped. “You okay?”
She nodded, kept going until she reached him, then stopped and tried to catch her breath. “A lizard. I thought it was a snake.”
“Let’s take a quick break.”
Shanti wanted to sink to the ground but thought the better of it. She took her water bottle out of her handbag—the damned thing weighed a ton—and took a few sips, mindful of the need to make it last.