Her Wild Hero

“Nothing yet,” Landon told him. “But that shifter led us here for a reason. If we’re careful, we’ll be able to work ourselves into a good position to see what’s going on down there. Once we figure out where Declan and Kendra are, we’ll pull back and come up with a plan to get them.”


Tate’s mouth tightened, but he nodded. “Okay. Man, you have no idea how hard it is for me to say this, but direct assaults and hostage rescue aren’t what my team is trained to handle. So I’m going to trust you to make this happen, Landon. I know I’ve been bitching at you since you hit the ground, but I’m counting on you to get Declan and Kendra out of there alive.”

“If they’re still alive, we’ll get them out,” Landon promised.

“They’re alive,” Tate said firmly.

Angelo hoped so.

Landon waited for Ivy and the rest of the guys to gather around, then started laying out the team assignments and how each of them would approach the compound. He hadn’t gotten more than ten words out of his mouth when the sound of automatic weapons filled the valley. A split second later, a loud roar echoed in the jungle.

“What the hell was that?” Carter asked.

Tate grinned. “Declan.”

“Are you sure?” Landon asked. “I’ve never heard him roar that loud before.”

Tate craned his neck, trying to see down into the valley. “Me either. But I know his roar anywhere. And there’s only one thing I can think of that’d piss him off enough to make that kind of noise.”

“Kendra’s in trouble,” Ivy said.

“Yup.” Tate looked at Landon. “What now?”

Landon sighed. “So much for a plan.”

Angelo couldn’t help smiling. His former captain hated planning on the fly, but nobody did it better.

“We keep it simple,” Landon said. “Angelo, you have Tanner, Butler, Carter, Derek, and Ivy with you. Get your team to that rock wall on the left side of the compound and hit them hard and fast. Make it noisy, too. I want you to draw everyone in that compound over to where you are. I’ll come in with Tate, Brent, Gavin, and Clayne from your right. I’ll delay until you’re fully engaged, then come in and hit them from behind while they’re focused on you. If we’re lucky, we’ll pick up Declan and Kendra as we’re moving through the compound. Watch your sectors of fire along your right flank—that’s where we’ll be coming from. ID your targets. We don’t know if there are any other friendlies in there besides Declan and Kendra. Radio silence until contact.” He looked around. “Any questions?”

Angelo shook his head. Around him, everyone else did the same.

“All right then,” Landon said. “Let’s go get Declan and Kendra.”

As they started running down the narrow cliff trail, Angelo saw Landon quickly reach out and touch hands with Ivy. Just one touch, then his wife was sprinting ahead of them down the slope at a pace most of the others couldn’t match.

Landon threw a meaningful glance Angelo’s way. That simple look said everything his former captain couldn’t put into words in front of the other men. I put Ivy on your team because you’re going to need her, but you’d better keep her safe.

Angelo gave him a nod, then sprinted down the slope to catch up with Ivy. He, Ivy, and the guys with them would bear the brunt of the hybrid’s initial onslaught, which meant they’d have to hold their own until Landon figured out how to hit the bastards from behind. People who’d never led troops into a fight wouldn’t understand it, but Landon was sending his best friend and his wife in at the tip of the spear because he knew they were the best assets he had to get the job done. Soldiers understood those kinds of calls and would die for a leader who was willing to make them. Angelo would sacrifice himself before he let something happen to his best friend’s wife.

***

Kendra’s scent was getting stronger. She was scared. He could almost taste her fear in the air. Declan growled low in his throat as he ran down the path toward the buildings nestled in the valley below.

He’d been running at full speed for the past hour through the rugged, mist-covered terrain that made up this part of the Talamanca Mountains, and yet he wasn’t tired. He was too damn furious to be tired. And his temper had only gotten worse when he’d found her helmet and NVGs a while back. She would have only given them up if she was tied up, hurt, or unconscious. The thought that those assholes had done any of those things to her filled him with so much rage, he could barely see straight.

The path flattened out at the base of the slope, but he was still carrying all the momentum from running down the hill as he came through the partially closed gate at the entrance to the compound. Three hybrids came out from the nearest building, their heads cocked to the side as if they’d heard the sound of his boots thumping down the path. Their eyes went wide when they finally saw him.