Drake Sisters 04 - Dangerous Tides

His reputation for brutality was widespread, and few would be willing to oppose him.

    Jack finished his last task without haste before beginning to crawl backward toward the jungle. He angled his entry away from the well-used trail and into the thicker foliage. The smell of the returning soldiers hit him hard. They were sweating from the suffocating heat in the interior. He forced himself to maintain his slow pace, making certain not to draw the eyes of a sentry to him as he slipped under the creeper vines and broad-leaf plants surrounding the camp.

    He lay for a moment, his face in the muck, and let himself breathe before pushing to his feet and running in a crouch back toward the taller trees. He could hear the soldiers' breath blasting out of their lungs as they hurried back to their camp, their angry leader berating them every step of the way.

    Jack stood for a moment under the chosen tree, breathing his way through the pain, gathering his strength before crouching and leaping up to the nearest broad branch. He worked his way from branch to branch until he was in the thickest of the branches, sitting comfortably, his brother's rifle cradled in his arms while he waited. The night was comforting, the familiar shadows home.

    The first group of rebels came into sight in a semi-loose formation, eyes wary as they tried to pierce the veil of darkness for any enemies. Two Jeeps had gone out with the group, taking the muddy torn-up road that curved away from the forest and then looped back in for miles into the interior. The Jeeps were coming toward camp, motors whining and mud splattering around them. The main body of soldiers came through the trees, still spread out, guns at ready, nervous as hell.

    Jack fitted the scope to his brother's rifle and calmly loaded the shells in.

    The blast was loud in the quiet of the night, sending a fireball into the sky. It rained metal and shrapnel, sending debris slamming into the camp and embedding metal into trees. The screams of dying men mingled with the cries of birds and monkeys as the world around them exploded into orange-red flames.
    The lead Jeep hit the wire right at the entrance to the camp, tripping the claymore and blowing everything Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    around it into pieces. The soldiers hit the ground, covering their heads as fragments rained from the sky.

    Jack kept his eye to the scope. Biyoya was in the second Jeep, and the driver instantly veered away from the fireball, nearly spilling the passengers as the vehicle careened wildly through the trees. Biyoya leapt out, ducking into the foliage and screaming at the soldiers to fan out and look for Jack.

    Using the chaos of explosions and screaming men as cover, Jack squeezed the trigger, taking out one of the soldiers on the edge of the forest. Switching targets, he rapidly fired three more times. Four shots, four kills. Not wanting the soldiers to spot where he was firing from, Jack immediately caught hold of the vine and went down head first on the opposite side of the tree from the soldiers, crawling hand over hand until he could flip to the ground. He landed softly on the balls of his feet, fading into the overgrown ferns and dropping to his belly, where he could slither along the almost-invisible game trail through the brush that brought him up behind Biyoya's personal guard.

    Jack rose up, a silent phantom, blade in hand. He went in fast and hard, making certain the guard couldn't give away his presence with a single sound. Jack slipped back into the foliage, his skin and clothes blending with his surroundings.

    Biyoya turned to say something to his guard and let out a shocked yell, leaping back away from the dead man, ducking around his Jeep. He shouted to his soldiers and they sprayed the jungle with bullets, lighting up the night with the flashing muzzles. Leaves and branches fell like hail raining from above, and several soldiers went down, caught in the crossfire. Biyoya had to shout several times to reestablish control. He ordered another sweep through the surrounding forest.

    The soldiers looked at one another, obviously not happy with the command, but they obeyed with reluctance, once again shoulder to shoulder, walking through the trees. Jack was already back in his tree, leaning his weary body against the thick trunk.

    He slumped down, but kept his eye to the scope in hopes of getting a clear shot at Biyoya. He tried to keep any