Ruthless Game (GhostWalkers, #9)(58)

The M2 .50 caliber, able to tear a vehicle apart, seemed ideal. “Keep it steady. I don’t really want to waste a lot of ammo on these morons. Do they not see the weapons?” Even as he asked the question, he fired a series of three rounds, hitting the roof, the back of the truck, and launching one through the windshield.

The truck explosion was spectacular. He grinned at her. “And that’s how it’s done, sweetheart.”

She laughed and shook her head. “My man is crazy.”

He felt the shift in his heart. A warm glow in his belly. He liked being her man. He grinned at her and gave her a small salute.

The Humvee was approaching the entrance to the canyon. There was only one real way down, consisting of a narrow slope that ran down over boulders and shrubs. The Humvee would have no problems, and that had to be where Whitney’s men would be waiting, if they were there.

“You know you can’t take us down there,” he cautioned. “They’ll have mines.”

“Great minds think alike,” she said, although she didn’t sway from her course.

Kane studied the walls of the canyon, looking for signs of activity. His gut was telling him they were heading straight for a trap. Twice he looked at her grim face, but he said nothing.

“Be ready,” she ordered. “We need a direction. Left or right?”

At the same time they both answered the question. “Right.”

Their eyes met. “Left.”

Two seconds later, just before they would have gone down the slope into the canyon, she cut hard to the left and ran parallel with the canyon. “If we both have the same answer, Whitney may have known that’s what we’d do.”

“Or he guessed we’d do just what we did,” he pointed out, laughing. “We could play this game all night.”

“Fire already,” she ordered.

Kane sprang into action, understanding her intention, but his mouth went dry. He knew the capabilities of the vehicle, but not of the driver. She planned on him opening up a path for them and taking them in. The Humvee was top-heavy with the mounted weapons in place. He didn’t want the whole damn thing to flip over. Nevertheless, he fired several shots to blow the boulders and trees out of their way, clearing a rough trail for them to take.

Instead of trying to go straight down, Rose angled the vehicle to take the incline at a slight slant. The moment he realized what she wanted, he was able to clear her line of travel much more easily.

Three of the cartel vehicles followed the Humvee. One of the trucks chose the easy path and drove right into the minefield Whitney’s men had set. The blast, although not designed to destroy, took out the unprotected undercarriage of the truck. The truck popped into the air and came down on its side. One man was flung from the back and landed hard, not moving. The one strapped to the roof hung facedown and made a slight effort to move. The driver and passenger both were still alive, one screaming relentlessly.

Three of Whitney’s men popped up with automatic weapons, firing indiscriminately, hosing down all four men. Instantly, Kane zoomed in on their positions. With the distance he had on the weapon, he was able to fire into their nest without difficulty. The third shooter returned fire from the safety of his blind, so Kane swung his attention onto him and sent a couple of presents his way. The explosions rocked the earth and silenced the weapons.

“Kane!”

Rose’s voice turned his attention back to their chosen path. He came around immediately to center his weapon ahead of them, blazing a trail down an impossibly steep incline. Boulders and large shrubs gave way to trees and thick undergrowth. She took it slowly, aware that the remaining vehicles chasing them, although four-wheel drive, were much lighter and ill-equipped to traverse such a difficult route. It wouldn’t do much good to soften the trail up with heavy weapon fire. They’d committed to the sharp drop, and they had to trust the vehicle to take them down into the depths of the canyon.

Several grenades struck the ground around them, blowing part of the land away just feet from the Humvee. The Hummer shook with the force of the explosions and careened violently, sliding for a heart-stopping moment before the tires gripped solid ground again. A flurry of activity in the narrow valley below revealed a small force of men waiting for them. They’d disrupted Whitney’s plans, startling his men. The barricades hastily put in place to stop them had been bypassed by taking the steep route. Whitney’s men rushed to regroup and cut them off.

The Humvee hit the bottom, bouncing hard into the nearly dry creek bed, and jolted over the heavy rocks, away from Whitney’s soldiers. The sound of machine guns was loud and mini explosions erupted all around them, so that for a time the world was gray and black with the debris and smoke surrounding them.

Behind them, one of the cartel’s trucks rolled, smashing everything in its path. Small saplings splintered and cracked. The truck uprooted shrubs and plants, sending them, along with smaller rocks, tumbling down the slope, creating a mini avalanche. The rolling truck landed hard, upside down, wheels spinning nearly on top of the Hummer.

The boom resounded through the narrow gorge. Sebastian woke with a cry, and Kane put a calming hand on the boy.

“Is he all right?” Rose demanded, staring straight ahead, trying to maneuver through the rocks and boulders in the creek bed.

“He’s fine, just a little shaken up, aren’t you, buddy?” Kane crooned.