Page 70 of Echoes and Oaths
Jinx gave him a flat look. "Only if I get to blow more things up next time."
"Fair."
Brando's voice returned faster now. "Okay, Jinx, that drone’s coming in low from the north. Fire the jammer in three … two … one … now."
Jinx pulled the device from his belt, flipped the cap, and pressed the trigger. A low hum vibrated the air, almost imperceptible, then it cut off just as quickly.
"Drone lost signal. They’ll think it’s an equipmentfault for the next few minutes," Brando confirmed. "Go now."
The two men raced forward, weaving through the trees, ducking under the low-slung limbs of malformed trees. Birds startled into flight from their movement shrieked above them.
"Satellite shows heat signatures converging on your six," Brando warned. "You're being tracked. Looks like three, maybe four, men. They’re fanned out, moving fast. You need to disappear."
Jinx skidded to a stop near a narrow gully and motioned for Z.
"Down here."
They dropped into the wash, hidden from the sky. Z handed Jinx a smoke grenade. He pulled the pin and tossed it up onto the trail before they moved. Thick white fog floated out, masking their trail from any visual tracking.
"That’ll buy us thirty seconds," Jinx said.
"Which is about twenty-five more than I need," Z replied, already priming a small claymore and placing it behind a log.
They moved again, cutting right through a shallow stream to break their thermal trail as much as possible. The jungle was a blur of filtered moonlight, ferns, thick roots, and hanging vines.
And then … Light.
They emerged into a clearing. The moon broke free of cover to illuminate the abandoned hydroelectric site just like Brando said. Cracked cement channels, a fallen tower, and a half-buried generator box.
"We’re here," Jinx panted.
"Bird’s inbound," Brando said in their ears. "Ninety seconds. You’ll hear her before you see her."
Jinx turned, eyes scanning the jungle. He crouched, rifle up. Z did the same on the opposite flank, laser sight sweeping the trees.
"We’ve got movement!" Z said breathlessly, finger tensing on the trigger.
The first of Esteban’s surviving men broke into the clearing. Two came from the south, one circling from the west, lean and armed to the teeth.
They fired as one. Two bodies hit the ground in rapid succession. The third fired back, bullets screaming past Jinx’s head as he dove for cover.
Then a low rumble filled the air.
Womp-womp-womp.
The sound of helicopter blades cutting through the night.
"Guardian has a visual," Brando confirmed. "Ten seconds to touchdown. Clear the pad."
A black silhouette descended through the smokelike something out of a nightmare. The aircraft was sleek, unmarked, and the rotor wash kicked up debris.
The side door slid open, and a Guardian operator leaned out, waving.
"Let’s move!" Jinx shouted.
Z tossed one last flashbang into the jungle as cover, the explosion lighting up the night. They sprinted across the clearing, climbed aboard, and the helicopter lifted before their boots were fully inside.
Below, the jungle fell away. Jinx looked down at the aftermath. The trail they’d run was flaming and broken. A scar on the country left by Esteban’s demise.
