Shiva by Carolyn McCray

believed he had.
    This had to be quick , or it was going to get ugly.
    He took the few moments he had left to scan the jungle around Brandt. Talli had retreated north, deeper into the jungle, securing Brandt ’ s exit. Other men were scattered amongst the huge old forest trees, creating a fan pattern.
    It looked like they still had surprise on their side.
    Not too bad for a plan put together while running up a mountain.
    Davidson brought his attention back to Brandt. The thermal feed was flattening out, distorting distances. It couldn ’ t be helped , though , a s the satellite was passing out of range soon , and the f a rther along the horizon it sank, the more distorted the image. Not ideal, but better than nothing. They only had about four minutes left of coverage , but they should only need a fraction of that.
    Otherwise , they were in big trouble.
    Well, bigger trouble than Brandt being kidnapped and Rebecca lost in the forest.
    He had to trust Levont , though , just as Brandt was trusting him.
    Settling back into his shooting form, Davidson adjusted his chin, relaxed his jaw , and steadied his breathing. He didn ’ t need to look at his watch any longer. He knew the countdown as well as if he had a metronome inside his skull.
    Targeting the guard who lagged a few feet behind the front man, Davidson prepared his shot. Five more seconds.
    They each ticked off in his head.
    The man suddenly jerked Brandt forward, nearly level with him. Only inches separated the two.
    Steady , Davidson admonished himself , y ou can see which is which .
    Then his glasses went blank.
    Nothing but static.
    Davidson did the only thing he could.
    Shoot and pray he hit his target.
    * * *
    The bullet zinged past Brandt, hitting the guard in the ear. The man howled, grabbing at the wound, not understanding what had just happened.
    Davidson had missed.
    Christ A ll M ighty , Davidson had missed.
    A cry went up behind them. One of the bodies must have been discovered. The guard brought up his weapon. Brandt had nothing but his own body as a weapon. Make that his forehead.
    Brandt slammed his head into the guards , dazing them both. It was enough of a window for Brandt to throw his foot out, landing it squarely on the guard ’ s knee. The guy dropped to the ground. That wasn ’ t enough. Brandt grabbed the chain, wrapped it around the man ’ s neck , and jerked him up just in time for the guy to take several bullets meant for Brandt.
    Bullets ripped through the foliage, although none hit their mark. What the fuck was wrong with Davidson?
    And now the others were honing in on his position. Still constrained by the zip ties on his wrists, Brandt grabbed hold of the now dead guard ’ s gun. He didn ’ t have time to aim . H e only had time to squeeze the trigger, sending a spray of lead from the automatic weapon. Lady Luck must have forgiven Brandt , because one of those bullets hit the guy square in the belly.
    Then Talli was there, charging forward, laying down cover fire.
    Brandt pulled the chain off the guard ’ s neck, taking his leash back.
    Sprinting , Talli and he dove into the thick of the forest. Bullets chased them, digging into the mossy ground on all sides.
    “ What ’ s wrong with Davidson? ” Brandt growled as a shot tore through his tuxedo pant leg.
    “ We lost satellite feed, ” Talli answered, puffing as he ran. “ He ’ s shooting blind. ”
    Well, that would explain it. Brandt could also assume that losing the feed had not been a part of the plan. Which might mean they were screwed. Especially as Talli and he hit a part of the mountainside that was nearly vertical. The mercenaries would catch up in no time.
    Then an SUV burst from the trees, sailing over several lichen - encrusted logs, landing hard on the soft forest floor.
    Doors flew open as Lopez yelled, “ Elephant! ”
    Not understanding the code word, Brandt hauled ass to the car, throwing himself into the backseat as the corporal hit the gas, spinning the rear