Drake Sisters 07 - Hidden Currents

weapons.â€
    â€œKil the bastards,†Aleksandr yel ed at the top of his lungs, his Russian accent very much in evidence. “We don’t give a fuck about the woman. Just kil them.â€
    The guard holding the gun to El e’s head swung the barrel toward Aleksandr and Jackson shot him between the eyes. Aleksandr squeezed the trigger and the second guard hit the floor almost simultaneously. Jonas leapt forward to El e’s side. Jackson was there before him, checking for a pulse, making certain she was breathing. For the first time, he let himself look at her, trusting Jonas and Aleksandr to keep their enemies off his back.
    She lay on the floor, broken, like a dol . Her red hair was a mass of tangles. Her face was white. Not pale, but white, and dark ugly bruises marred her soft skin, around her eyes and cheek and even her jaw. Her face was swol en and when he bent and whispered her name, the robe they’d wrapped her in gaped open. His breath caught in his throat. His heart stood stil . Bile rose, churned in his bel y and clogged his throat. Behind him, Jonas made a sound like a wounded animal.
    â€œMy God, Jackson. Look what they did to her,†Jonas’s voice choked. There were tears in his eyes and he dropped down beside the woman he had always considered a baby sister.
    Her body was crisscrossed with bloody, raw whip lashes and dark bruising. For one moment Jackson opened the robe and fol owed the trail up and down her body. There was no place that hadn’t been touched. Even lifting her was going to hurt.

    â€œWe have to go,†Aleksandr said. “Wrap her up, Jackson, let’s haul ass. We’re on tight numbers here. The women can’t sustain that storm forever. Put it away,†Aleksandr counseled, putting a hand on Jackson’s shoulder.
    It took every ounce of self-control Jackson had not to knock that hand away from him. Instead, he wrapped El e up, first in her robe and then the blanket they brought, dark like the night. He flinched picking her up, but at least she was unconscious, whatever they’d given her merciful y preventing her from feeling pain. He lifted her over his shoulder, letting her head fal down his back. He took his pistol in one hand and anchored her with the other.
    â€œLet’s move out.†He could barely choke out the words.
    They moved down the stairs, Aleksandr taking over lead position with Jackson in the middle and Jonas once more guarding their rear.
    â€œWe’ve got the package and we’re heading home,†Jonas reported into his radio.
    â€œHead for the north dock. I’m on you,†Ilya said as Abel brought the little helicopter around and back toward the vil a. Ilya switched his thermal scope for night vision. Now it was crucial to identify his targets.
    â€œComing out now,†Jonas said.
    â€œYou’re clear,†Ilya said as he squeezed off a shot and took out an enemy running toward the vil a.
    He caught glimpses of Matt bringing his team around to the north, working their way through the trees on the cliff side, trying to get into a position to give Jackson, Aleksandr and Jonas cover as they fought their way to the north dock with El e.
    Blast after blast came from the general direction of the helipad as the claymores went off. The helicopter rose in the air. Beneath it, the helipad went up in an orange-red firebal and rained down rubble.
    â€œWe’re away,†Rick informed Ilya, “heading out to sea.â€
    â€œSix bogies at twelve o’clock.†Ilya reported. He scanned the area and saw several enemies making their way up from the west side.
    â€œFour more coming from your seven o’clock.â€
    The wind was building again, a prelude for the energy Hannah would need when Rick ditched Gratsos’s helicopter at sea. Abel fought with the smal bird, trying to bring it around to put Ilya in a better position to give covering fire.
    Ilya put his scope on one of the four coming up behind Jackson’s rescue team. He took out the leader. As the man fel , he saw movement, rather felt movement almost directly below. Fitting the rifle tight against his shoulder to steady the shot, he swept the area fast, expecting a round coming at him.
    For one brief second he caught a glimpse of the man he was certain was Stavros Gratsos. The man wore a suit and his bodyguard shoved him out of the line of fire and swept his own rifle