JINX THE REVOLUTION

CHAPTER ONE

Jinx inched closer to the two men talking in a small jungle clearing. She planned every footstep, careful not to snap a twig or crunch a leaf. With her black clothing and painted face, she was a mere shadow melting from one tree to the next.

They were on a wide, flat cliff overlooking the river. One of the men methodically scanned the riverbank area through night vision goggles.

The location indicated they were definitely looking for her. Points to their tracker for figuring out where she’d crossed the river last night, but they’d seriously underestimated her. She would never try breaching their security in the same place twice in a row. Roger had taught her better.

Last night she’d had the element of surprise as an advantage. Tonight they were on full alert and expected her to show again. She needed to deliver a heavy dose of shock and awe to impress them enough to allow her to negotiate with the rebel leader, Agosto Bolanos.

“Hey Gage, you looking for a pretty teenager like the guards described?” the smaller man asked as he lit a cigarette.

“Hell no. Those incompetent fools.” The man with the goggles didn’t spare his friend a glance. He’d scan an area, then move a few feet and scan again. “They better be on her before her feet even hit the dirt on our side of the river, or I’m knocking some heads.”

“She’s late. Maybe all the extra patrols along the river scared her off.”

Jinx tuned out their conversation for a few moments while she concentrated on getting closer to the smaller one. His stance was relaxed, and he paid more attention to his cigarette than to his surroundings. She’d have her arm around his throat, and her handgun pressed to his temple before he even knew she was there. That should subdue his friend, Gage so she could get on her way to meet with Bolanos.

Almost there, her mind chanted with a mixture of fear and determination. Another twelve feet. Jinx eased into another step. Something about five inches off the ground caught her eye. She froze with one foot raised and squinted, wishing she’d worn night vision goggles. Her heart lurched a fresh surge of adrenaline shot through her and every nerve ending in her limbs tingled. Shifting back to the position of her last step, which she knew was safe, she bent low to check out the ground cover. A wire ran between two trees.

Another wire ran at a right angle to the first one. She couldn’t see it from here, but she’d bet money there was at least one more on the other side of the smaller man.

It was a trap, and she’d nearly fallen in!

The night after a serious security breach, where she’d gotten the drop on the patrol’s weakest link, they’d stuck his guy out here smoking and talking a blue streak so she couldn’t miss him. They might as well have put a big red target on him.

She forced herself to draw in a slow, deep breath and hold it a moment. She’d spotted it. The plan was still a go. Silently, she blew out the air while commanding herself to calm down.

“I don’t give a fuck what she looks like,” Gage said. “She’s not getting within a mile of Bolanos.”

“What about her claims and offer to trade information to us?”

“It’s bullshit, Tom. Next, you’ll be telling me you believe in Santa.”

The churning in her stomach increased with Gage’s words. Clearly, she’d have to go through him to get to Bolanos.

“You think she’s working for Commander Esteban?” Tom asked.

“Him, or whatever new mercenary he’s hired this week.”

Changing her path, Jinx carefully worked her way to a point about five feet behind where she estimated Gage would stop in another few minutes. There were no tripwires around him, or at least she hoped not because she hadn’t been able to spot any.

He was a lot taller than her, at least a couple of inches over six feet. Her best bet was to knock him down quick. She pushed back her fear, focusing on one step at a time. She’d get only one chance tonight. Unlike the competitions she was used to, if she messed this up, she wouldn’t get another opportunity to do better at another time.

Jinx pictured five-year-old Rose’s smiling face. She had to make sure the innocent girl didn’t pay for her big brother’s stupidity. Jinx owed Roger Whitmore too much to let his little girl continue to be used as a pawn in somebody else’s civil war.

She was in place. She slipped the heavy pack from her back so she could move freely. Her breathing was quick and shallow, a natural companion to the stress and fear she was experiencing. Before going any further, she forced herself to slow and deepen it as she silently gave herself a familiar pep talk.

You can do this. You’ve taken down men his size before. He’s arrogant. He will underestimate you because of your size and gender. You will have the upper hand. Now, let him come to you. Wait for the perfect moment. Wait.

She blocked out all distractions, focusing only on her target. Just a few more feet and she’d strike.

Gage stopped and lowered the goggles then slowly turned away from the view of the river to face the dense jungle foliage.

Her heart lurched. Something was wrong.

“What—” A hand gesture from Gage cut off Tom’s query.

Both men now focused on the heavy vegetation, instead of the river.

She closed her eyes to mere slits so the whites wouldn’t show. Had she made a noise? No. Did Gage sense her presence? If he used the goggles, he’d spot her quickly, and she’d lose the element of surprise. Even a couple of seconds could make a difference with a skilled adversary.

Five feet in front of her and about ten feet to her left, Gage raised the goggles. Her body screamed for quick action, but her mind urged careful evaluation. He might suspect she was out here, but he didn’t have a fix on her.

Yet.

Jinx quickly formed a new plan.

Inch by slow inch, she slid her hand into a side pocket of her pack. She was nearly undefeated in night games. Nearly, the admission set her gut to churning even harder. Over the years, she’d encountered two men whose eyes were drawn to any movement faster than a snail’s pace even in extreme darkness. Gage reminded her of them. With each thunderous beat of her heart, he drew nearer while continuing to scan the heavy vegetation through the goggles.

Her fingers closed on the extra flash attachment to the camera she was never without, and she eased it out.

At the exact moment Gage arrived at the spot in front of her, Jinx hit the flash button. He cursed and dropped the goggles. One hand went to shield his eyes, the other to the pistol holstered at his side.

Before he had a chance to fire blindly in her direction, Jinx launched herself at him. Driving her shoulder into his sternum and lashing out at his gun hand at the same time, they hit the ground and Jinx managed to stay on top.

Jerking up off him, she stepped on his forearm with one foot and kicked his gun away with the other. He brought his other arm across to knock her down. As she fell backward, he was rolling to his feet.

She jerked her arms back, caught herself and kicked out with both legs, knocking him down again. Gage hit the ground but was bouncing back up, when she stomped his knee in an attempt to slow him down. She whirled away, avoiding blows from his hands and feet and drew her handgun.

The cold black steel never made it anywhere close to his temple. He knocked it away as she got it clear of the holster. He swept her legs out from under her, but she knew how to fall and managed to hang on to the gun.

The moon was playing peek-a-boo in a cloudy sky, causing varying degrees of darkness. The whole scene had the surreal feel of an old, worn out movie on a reel. Some frames flashed by too quickly while others dragged, some in startling clarity, still others merely blurred shadows where she chose her moves instinctively instead of considering strategy.

They rolled around on the ground, jabs and kicks thrown and deflected in equal measure. Gage shackled her wrist in one large hand gaining control of her gunhand, and she punched desperately at his face. He gave a low growl of pain but didn’t loosen his grip.

Jinx managed to stand, but Gage came up with her. He pried the gun from her fingers and tossed it. A flying foot to his gut broke his hold on her and sent him to the ground. She quickly scrambled out of reach of his long legs and got her knife drawn before he got up.

“Freeze!” Tom said. “Damn! I don’t want to have to shoot you before I get a good look at you!”

“Shoot me and Bolanos won’t know which camp Esteban intends to bomb in the morning,” Jinx warned.

“You okay, Gage?” Tom sounded more amused than concerned. “This little girl was kicking your butt.”

“I got her gun away from her, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but she’s still got a knife and looks like she knows how to use it.”

“So? Have you ever seen me lose a knife fight?”

“No, but then, I’ve never seen you knocked down by a girl, either.”

“I don’t have time for this macho mercenary shit!” Jinx spoke slowly to disguise how winded she was. “Bolanos can’t afford to ignore the intel I have for trade. Take me to him.”

Tom pulled a flashlight from a holder on his belt and caught her in its bright glare.

“She’s fully grown, Tom,” Gage said. “I can attest to that.”

Jinx felt his eyes moving over her like a physical force and shuddered. She’d lost her black cap in the scuffle, and her red hair had escaped the long braid hanging down her back.

She shielded her eyes with her free hand. Just as she suspected, Gage had inched closer as they talked. “Let’s set some ground rules, boys.” She took a step back for every step Gage took toward her. “I didn’t come here to fight.”

“Could have fooled me.” Gage rubbed one hand over the side of his face.

“Gage figured if you got this far, you’d try to get the drop on me—”

“Tom, shut up.” Gage took two quick steps to his left, furthering the distance between them. Before she could release a relieved breath, he squatted and barely took his eyes off her as he scooped up something from the ground.

Her gun? Without looking at it, Gage brushed it off, then slid it into his holster. Nope, his gun. She should have remembered where both guns landed so she could be the one to retrieve them. Her eyes scanned the ground. Gage lunged toward her, forcing her to back up. He squatted again and picked up her gun.

Everything was going wrong. Last night everything down to the last detail had gone as she planned, had it made her overconfident?

Not wanting to engage him again, she could do nothing but watch as Gage divided his attention between her and checking her gun. “You forgot to take the safety off,” Gage chided scornfully, before tucking it into the back of his waistband.

“I didn’t forget. I wasn’t planning to shoot you. It was just to get your attention so you’d take me seriously.”

“I’m a pro, baby. You never had a chance of getting the drop on me.” He made a derisive sound. “Is this your first op or what? Never pull a gun unless you’re prepared to fire. Believe me, I would’ve shot you.”

The heat of embarrassment spread over her face. She was glad Tom had switched off his light so Gage couldn’t see it.

“Look, we’re getting off track here and wasting time. Okay, the safety was an error in judgment, but I still have my knife, and I am prepared to carve you up if that’s what it takes to get a meeting with Bolanos.”

He was now dangerously close. She took several quick steps back to put a few more feet between them.

“You’re forgetting Tom’s gun.” His smug tone made her want to grind her teeth. “Tom is your safety on?”

“Fuck no.”

“He doesn’t have a clear shot at this angle.” Jinx had purposefully backed up at an angle to keep Gage between her and Tom. “He will holster his gun and I’ll sheath my knife.” She used the cold, no-nonsense instructor voice she’d perfected during her years living and working at a mercenary training camp back in Louisiana. “You can take me to meet with Bolanos then you boys can get back to talking about women.”

Gage still edged forward.

Her pulse was pounding so loud in her ears, she was surprised he couldn’t hear it. “I haven’t lost a knife fight since I was fourteen,” she cautioned him.

“Get in a lot of them, do you?” His eyes flicked quickly over her form from head to toe then settled back on her face with a cocky half-grin.

He still didn’t see her as a real adversary. The screw up with the safety gave him the idea she was green and not much of a threat. Explaining it probably made it worse. She could hear Roger’s voice in her head, ‘Focus! Stop acting like a girl! There are no girls in my camp, only soldiers.’

“At least a couple of times a week some arrogant mercenary challenges me.” Not really a lie, she told herself. It was true until two years ago when Roger died, and the knife fights were carefully supervised competitions where people seldom got hurt, but Gage didn’t need to know all that.

Damn, she was getting close to the edge of the cliff. “We’re wasting time here. Don’t you think Bolanos is going to want to have time to evacuate the camp before it’s bombed?”

“How would you even know?” Gage was too close again. He could try to take the knife from her at any moment. Was she prepared to cut him? She hadn’t planned on hurting anyone, but she had come to terms with the knowledge it might be unavoidable.

“I know,” she assured him. “I thought I put enough relevant information in the note to Bolanos last night to prove I have valuable information for trade. Did he read it? Did he check it out? He’s got to realize I have something to offer.” Stop rambling, she silently commanded herself and pressed her lips together. A couple of sidesteps put another foot between her and Gage.

Tom gave a wolf whistle, “Even with your face painted and the baggy shirt, I can tell you got something to offer, Babe.”

Great, now Tom was moving, too. Why had she pointed out he didn’t have a clear shot? What was wrong with her brain? If Roger were here, he’d rip into her then have her running drills from sun up to sun down for at least a week. What was she thinking? If Roger were still alive, none of this would have happened. She’d be safely back in the states, and this rescue op would simply be another exercise instead of a life and death situation.

Taking a calculated risk to defuse the situation, she made a show of carefully putting her knife in the sheath. Jinx stiffened her spine and kept her focus on Gage. “We both know you’re just a hired gun with no real power, so stop bullshitting me and take me to somebody with the authority to make a deal.” Obviously, her hope of dealing with Bolanos himself was nothing but a pipe dream. She’d adapt her demands and start with someone in authority. Perhaps eventually, she could work up to Bolanos. She was in for a very long night.

“I don’t believe for one second you’re anything more than a distraction, trying to get us to let down our guard before the real attack,” Gage said.

No wonder he and Tom hadn’t bothered to let anyone know she’d shown up. No doubt all their patrols were still on high alert. She only wished he was right, wished some overwhelming force of troops was ready and just waiting for them to relax their guard a little bit so they could swoop in to help. She’d lost control of this situation and badly needed some kind of advantage. If he guessed how scared she truly was, all would be lost. She needed to sound more like him, cold-blooded and calculating.

“I don’t care what you believe. You’re probably not paid to think.” She let her gaze run over him in a dismissive manner. “Your job is to take orders and shoot people.” She paused to take a deep breath. “You can’t risk shooting me at this stage, so you have to take me to someone in authority so I can lay out my deal for them.”

Roger had always said to keep your opponent off balance by playing on his anger, fear or arrogance while keeping your own emotions in check. There was a break in the clouds and for a moment moonlight illuminated Gage’s angry face. Jinx cringed, had she gone too far in trying to put him in his place?

“Gage!” Someone called from the darkness. “You can interrogate her back at the compound. Bring her and come on.” A man stepped away from the trees.

Where had he come from? Had he been there all along and she’d missed spotting him? Her stomach turned up the churning sensation as she asked herself what else she might have missed.

“Commander Bolanos,” Tom said. “How long have you been here?”

Bolanos? Agosto Bolanos, head of the revolution, here on the front line? How could that be? He should be holed up somewhere in the middle of the territory he held, in a heavily fortified structure, surrounded by armed men.

“Long enough to see Gage get his butt kicked by a girl,” he answered, the humor in his tone unmistakable.

“Didn’t anybody notice me disarm her?” Gage complained over his shoulder, then his gaze drilled into hers, and his voice dropped to a steely murmur, “Guess you’re going to get to talk to the big man after all.” He gestured for her to pass by him and join the others.

“Don’t worry,” she couldn’t resist one last barb, “I’m sure Agosto won’t dock your pay, merk.”

She sensed rather than saw his hands shoot out as she passed him. He caught her around the chest and waist. Arms like steel cables held her arms pinned to her sides. When she started to kick back at his legs, he raised her off the ground so she couldn’t put as much force behind her blows. He moved one hand to grab her braid at the base of her skull and jerked her head sideways.

He dipped his head, and she felt his warm breath on her ear. “Make the slightest aggressive move towards Agosto, and I will put a bullet through your head. Comprende, sweetheart?”

Her response was swift. Jinx slammed her head into his face, then brought her knees up, braced her feet against his hips and levered her body away from him. It was enough to throw him off balance, but he didn’t let her roll away as they hit the ground together.

Again, she found herself struggling with the big man, desperate to keep him from pinning her. For every one of her actions, Gage had a counter move. For only the third time in her life, Jinx felt desperate enough to try every dirty fighting trick Roger had ever taught her.

She managed to get her knife out, but when he was unable to keep her pinned and pry it from her fingers at the same time, he sank his teeth into her hand. She loosened her grip for only a shocked second, but it was all he needed to wrench the knife from her. Unable to take it from him, she knocked it from his hand, so it went flying away from them both. At least he couldn’t use it on her.

He was wearing her down. Using all his strategic advantages, like superior upper body strength and the longer reach of his arms and legs, keeping her on the ground, where her speed and agility couldn’t be as helpful to her.

To Jinx’s horror, Gage finally managed to catch both of her wrists in one large hand and stretched them above her head. He sat low on her hips, so her legs were practically useless and bucking beneath him had little effect.

His face was close to hers as he stared down at her. A triumphant smile spread over his face and told her he knew she was tiring. She managed to raise her head enough to fasten her teeth on his shoulder. He grunted, and she bit down harder. He used his free hand to grip her jaw, applying pressure until she released him.

“I better check for concealed weapons.” He gripped the front collar of her loose black shirt and ripped it all the way to the hem. He ran his hand intrusively over her upper body.

Sheer black terror closed over Jinx’s mind.

“Gage! Enough!”

Agosto Bolanos’ command had no effect on him as he rose up slightly, continuing his invasive search over her flat stomach and slim hips. Her tight black jeans suddenly seemed a flimsy barrier. Icy fear twisted around her heart as he inched towards her thighs. She managed to squirm and shimmy enough to twist her body onto her side under him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” His hand went to the snap of her jeans. With one jerk, she’d be further exposed and vulnerable. “FYI, baby, this merk doesn’t take any crap from little girls still wet behind the ears.” His teeth nipped the area just behind her ear where her hair had gotten damp when she swam across the river.

All her senses focused on his hand. He hadn’t made any further move to unfasten her jeans. Had he changed his mind or was he just prolonging her torture?

“Gage!” Bolanos commanded. “Stop!”

“She’s probably a hired assassin, Agosto. She’s military-trained with some old-fashioned street fighter added in the mix. I don’t want her getting too close to you.”

“You’ve disarmed, and searched her. Without any weapons, how much of a threat can she be? Besides, if she tries anything I can’t handle myself,” his tone clearly suggested it was extremely unlikely, “you’ll be there to protect me.”

Gage released her hands and sat back on his heels.

She scrambled out from under him, and got shakily to her feet, then made the mistake of looking at him as she moved away and saw his arrogant smile. “Bastard!” She spit in his face.

He winked, “Later, baby. Now go play nice with the man with the real power. I’d hate to have to kill you before we get a chance for round three.”

She forced her weak knees to hold her as she drew herself up to her full five feet, eight inches and held her head at a proud angle.

“You’re Jinx?” Bolanos looked her over, his tone doubtful. “The one who left the note and pictures?”

She nodded. All her research suggested Agosto Bolanos was a highly intelligent man, who’d attended European boarding schools, and successfully fit in with the sons of the world’s most rich and powerful. Surely she could present her deal to him, and convince him releasing the American hostages was in his best interest.

She drew in a deep breath, mentally preparing to launch into negotiations.

“We’ll go back to the compound to talk,” he said.

Alright, she could use a few minutes to recover from her confrontations with Gage. “I just need to grab my pack.” She gestured to the area where she left it.

“Allow me,” Gage said with sarcastic solicitude.

It was only a short distance to where two all-terrain, open air vehicles waited. She felt wrung out and wasn’t sure how long her trembling limbs would hold up.

Bolanos said, “Gage, you and Tom ride together back to the compound. Jinx can ride with me.”

Jinx stopped between the two vehicles, not sure which one to get into.

“I’m not leaving you alone with her, Agosto. You don’t know what she’s capable of,” Gage protested.

“Apparently, I don’t know what you’re capable of either,” Agosto told him pointedly. “What the hell was that back there?”

“I’ll explain later.” Gage stared across at her.

She shifted her weight from foot to foot, uncomfortable with his scrutiny. She had tried to cover her black sports bra, and torso by tucking the shirt into her waistband, but the torn edges no longer met in the front.

Gage took the driver’s seat, and Agosto indicated Jinx should get in the back before he slid into the passenger seat.

Jinx leaned forward to speak to Agosto. He turned sideways in the seat, looking at her. “As a show of good faith, I will tell you something important. An air raid is planned for just after dawn on your camp at Malzata. They had a lot of details on the number of men, and what equipment is there, so I suspect they have a spy.”

“How did you get this information? How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“You’ll know for sure shortly after dawn. That’s all I’m saying until we start talking about the release of the American hostages. Especially the little girl, Rose Whitmore.”

“Who do you work for? CIA, State Department, Esteban?” Bolanos’ eyes narrowed on her face, the set of his mouth grim.

“None of the above.”

“Maybe she’s Frank Whitmore’s lover?” Gage put in.

“While I would like both Americans released, my main interest is in getting Rose sent home immediately. My connection to her is irrelevant. She’s a child, and she never should have been held in the first place.”

“Maybe you’re just miffed because Frank was traveling with another woman, and posing as a happy little family while spying and sabotaging some of our maneuvers against Esteban.”

“I can see you haven’t done your homework,” her voice dripped with disdain. “Frank is not Rose’s father. He’s her brother. Rose’s father, Roger Whitmore, is probably turning over in his grave right now. No way would he have ever put her in harm’s way like Frank did. And if Roger were alive, and you took her—well, you wouldn’t be alive for long.”

There was a silent question in the look Agosto gave Gage.

Gage shrugged, “She’s right about Roger. I knew him by reputation, and from what I heard from men he helped train. I didn’t find out Roger was dead until we’d identified Frank, and I tried to make contact with him.”

Jinx decided to try to reach out to the civilized man instead of the rebel. “Don Agosto, I’ve studied your actions over the past five years,” she said. “Holding a child hostage doesn’t fit your profile. Do the right thing, release her.”

“What’s your connection to Roger Whitmore?” Gage halted the vehicle, then turned around in the seat and stared at her.

“I’m not discussing it with you,” she stated flatly without looking at him.

“The hell you’re not,” Gage reached for her.

She caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and easily blocked it, knocking his hands away. She still didn’t look directly at him. She didn’t want to take a chance of him seeing her fear. Every nerve in her body screamed for her to jump out and flee.

For a moment, she concentrated on taking calming breaths until she felt she could speak without giving away her fears. “Don Agosto, if he touches me again, I’m not going to tell you where the newest Government command center is set up.” She stared steadily into Agosto’s dark eyes, willing him to take her seriously.

“She’s bluffing. There’s no way she could know that.”

“I know it the same way I know you just moved six armored tanks to Talapizon.”

“Who the hell are you?” Gage started to reach for her again, but Agosto raised his hand and shook his head.

“Just get us back to the compound. You can interrogate her there.”

Jinx sank back in the seat. She had a feeling she had better conserve her energy for the long hours ahead.

“We can’t take her anywhere yet,” Gage said.

Agosto raised a dark questioning eyebrow at him.

“She’ll need to strip, she could have a transmitter of some kind in or on her clothing,” Gage said. “I should have thought of it before we even left the river area.”