Page 2 of Maddox

That meant we’d need to stay hidden for a day, maybe two.

The concept didn’t make me very happy, but I knew how the monsters worked.

I moved through the jungle, keeping low, homing in on every sound. I’d studied the satellite photos, paying close attention to the thermal imaging and the activities during various hours of the day and night. It would seem they were creatures of habit even after all these years. If my calculations were correct, this was the perfect time to strike. Fewer soldiers were on duty.

There was nothing like the cloak of darkness to create an aura of protection. Only I knew better. One false move and I’d be swimming with the alligators or worse. A flicker of light through the maze of trees drew my attention.

Torches.

Yeah, I was in the right place.

The place had always reminded me of an episode ofSurvivor.

I moved to the edge of the trees, hunkering down and doing nothing more than watching. As expected, there were four soldiers guarding the prisoners. From what I’d seen on the imaging, there were at least ten people being held. There hadn’t been an adequate way of determining if they were all women, although it was assumed from the reports I’d been privy to that that’s what I was dealing with.

Only I wasn’t here for all ten. I was only here for one.

One goddamn reporter who’d ignored every warning, heading into one of the most dangerous places on Earth. Was I irritated? Fuck, yes. Why did people do stupid things?

I shifted forward, swinging the AK-47 back and forth. After eradicating the soldiers, I’d have less than five minutes to perform the extraction.

As expected, the fuckers decided to take a smoke break, standing in front of the building of choice where the prisoners were being held. The bastards were nothing if not keeping to a tight schedule. That much I admired about their loyalty to the most brutal man on Earth. The rest was reprehensible. I’d had firsthand experience dealing with the aftermath of an El Salvadoran massacre.

And I’d enjoyed a five-star stay for weeks at the glorious compound enjoying the finest cuisine of worms and stale bread. A snicker formed on my lips.

Fuck the assholes.

I moved forward, taking a deep breath. When I was in position, I couldn’t help myself.

“Hey, boys. Got a smoke?” My deep voice carried exactly the distance I’d calculated. The surprise was exactly what I was hoping for.

They were startled, losing all sense of their training.

I sprayed a round of ammunition, gunning four of the men down.

My training kicked in and the next slight crack forced me to turn to the left.

Pop! Pop!

The last of the soldiers was down.

I didn’t waste any time lamenting over their deaths, racing toward the building where the prisoners were being housed. I threw the grappling hook toward the block windowsill, the teeth digging in. Within five seconds, I’d cleared the window, staring down at the interior. The goggles allowed me to count the number of hostages, but I couldn’t tell a damn thing about who they were or their conditions. I dragged the goggles off my face, the strap holding them in place, and grabbed the flashlight, peering inside. The beam highlighted several figures hunched over.

Well, fuck. It was the worst case possible.

They were all women.

My guess was at least a few had been purposely kidnapped to serve Alfaro’s world building desires.

And from the looks of their conditions, they’d been beaten or worse.

I slithered through the opening, dropping down. When I swung the beam around the space again, an unwanted emotion grabbed at my chest. There was utter terror in their haunted eyes, strangled moans of anguish pushing past their cracked lips.

Except for one.

The woman pushed her way through the others, facing me with utter hatred in her expression.

“Who the fuck are you?” she demanded, taking several shallow breaths. Her fists were clenched and instead of cowering, shetook determined steps toward me, taking a fighter’s stance, rocking from foot to foot.

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