She launched her body right into them.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
With no functioning comms and no real clothes or shoes, the journey back to their camp took longer than it should have. They barely rested, conscious that an unknown but very real ticking time bomb now lay in Chinese hands, aware that with every passing minute the fate of the world hung in the balance. They were some way ahead now, and possessed everything they needed to find Atlantis first.
The night was dark, but an almost full moon and a million shimmering stars helped light their path.
They came over a rise, vegetation in their way, and stared down the slopes of the crater to the wide lake below. The whispering wind tussled and fought with the unyielding branches all around. Because of his relatively high vantage point, Bodie had eyes on the Chinese camp, and then the Moroccans’, and then their own as the entire vista came into view.
They were fighting on the banks of the lake.
The Chinese had attacked, it appeared, from the water, their small dinghies lying forlornly there now, drifting close to the edge. Bodie could see chaos had overtaken the camp, with soldiers involved in fierce firefights, dodging equipment and using the natural cover of the undergrowth. The scene was illuminated by several small conflagrations, and most combatants exchanged bullets from behind whatever cover they could find. Bodie saw Cross and Gunn leaping in the firelight, but there was no sign of Heidi. Their camp was under siege, but maybe, just maybe, the three of them could turn the tide of battle.
The ground dropped off sharply below. Bodie hastened down with the women. They veered toward the camp, thankful when they passed below the lip of the crater and were no longer outlined against the sky.
As they arrived at the outskirts of the camp, the battle raged around them. Bodie counted five Chinese soldiers, most likely what remained of their force after they lost two in the underwater cavern. He saw two SEALs lying motionless, the rest holding the Chinese at bay. A figure was pinned down behind a twisting clump of brush close to the water. Bodie guessed this was Heidi or Lucie. He slowed as he hit the beach, coming in behind the Chinese positions. Ducking low, he crept along, one foot in the water, the other in the sand. He stopped and raised his hand.
“Slowly.”
Cassidy placed the only gun they had retained after the cave firefight into his palm. They knew it was down to the last three bullets. Bodie saw this as a real chance of getting rid of the Chinese, who had been a heavy, life-threatening noose around the necks of the relic hunters. Taking care, he crept closer and closer, letting the noise of the battle mask any sounds he might make. Not once did a stray bullet come close; he was at a right angle to their position. When he reached optimum range, he settled and took stock.
Three Chinese were dug in between the curve of the bank and their camp, all hidden behind fallen logs and the trunk of a tree. A fourth hid cleverly in the shallows of the lake, using the slope for protection. Bodie slunk in closer, took a deep breath, and made sure he knew where the nearest cover was.
The area around Heidi suddenly began to blaze as flames cavorted and leapt between branches. The fifth enemy soldier kept her pinned down with gunfire. Bodie lined him up first and squeezed off a shot. The slug took him in the shoulder blade, sent him flying. Bodie switched aim smoothly, taking down the man behind the tree. The third and fourth were already changing positions. One moved too far and was immediately picked off by a SEAL, which left just two.
Bodie dived for cover. Bullets punished the undergrowth all around. Head down, he lay beside Cassidy and Jemma until more shouts went up.
“Look out!”
“Left, bud, on your left.”
The three of them bobbed up. Bodie swore. The Bratva, it seemed, had taken the opportunity to attack, sensing easy prey. Maybe they were intent on just killing him, or maybe they had decided to join in the hunt for Atlantis. Bodie wouldn’t put it past them. Criminals were opportunists, just like everyone else.
Bodie decided to hold on to the almost-empty gun in case he could find more rounds. He saw a Chinese soldier walking out of the water, but then another appeared out of the blackness behind the first, giving Bodie pause because he hadn’t even sensed the man was there.
The Bratva waded in among them. Bodie counted six running through the crackling conflagration that was their campsite. Three SEALs were also present. Bodie ducked beneath a burning, collapsing branch to head-butt a large man, making him stagger backward. Fires raged all around, crackling and smoking high into the shadow-struck night. Bodie dodged another burning bush, turned, and shoved his adversary into the flames. The man’s uniform caught fire, and he screamed and ran through a clearing. Up ahead, he saw Heidi crawling along the ground, keeping her head down.
Chaos crackled and spat and screamed all around. The SEALs engaged the Bratva, shifting from cover to cover, firing their weapons, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat, and the two remaining Chinese soon joined in. The camp was still in chaos. Cross elbowed a soldier before Gunn managed to push him down into a tangle of brush. Cassidy leapt atop him as he tried to sit back up. Gunn hadn’t seen her coming and greeted her with incredulity, losing focus, and then had to jump free as a Bratva fighter tried to grab him beneath the arms. Jemma searched for a weapon. Bodie slid in beside Heidi and lifted her face.
“You okay? Injured?”
Her eyes cleared. “No, no, just the smoke.”
She coughed. He dragged her away from the flames. The bald Bratva fighter with the spindly arms ran past him, followed by Yasmine, neither giving him a second glance. How did they find this place? Heidi grabbed his arm and pulled herself upright.
“Have you seen Lucie?” she asked.
Bodie frowned. “Shit, no. Where was the last—”
Bodie had ridden the odds too long. A Bratva body-slammed him, knocking him to the ground. The exertions of the last few hours had depleted his strength. As he tried to repel a second attack, he realized his capacity to fight was now dangerously reduced.
Raising an arm, he struggled to find the energy needed to fight effectively. His opponent kicked him in the ribs and then leapt, coming down hard with an elbow. Bodie managed to scramble clear and saw Heidi approach his attacker from behind, a boulder in hand. The rock crashed against his skull, made his legs fold. Heidi helped Bodie up and the two went in search of Lucie.
Cassidy was assisting Cross, peeling an opponent from the older man’s back, forcing hands from around his throat, and sending his attacker spinning into a tree. He cracked his skull against the thick trunk, and collapsed to the ground. Burning debris from a spreading fire fell around him. Cassidy couldn’t just leave him to burn alive, even if he was an enemy. She moved in to pull him clear, but he struggled against her as she tried to assist. She smothered the flames on his clothes, checked he was okay, and then punched him in the face.
“I think he would thank you,” said a female voice at her side. “Maybe.”
She fell into a defensive position. Yasmine and the bald man were there. Cross stumbled forward but tripped over a branch and went face first into the earth. The three regarded him for a moment, shaking their heads.
“Why can’t you see what’s right in front of your eyes?” Yasmine asked cryptically. “We don’t want to kill you. We’re trying to help you, even now. You are a damn fool, Eli Cross.” She couldn’t stop the small, genuine smile from creeping across her face.
“Couldn’t agree more.” Cassidy lunged first as she read the bald man’s body language, a quick feint that told her he was about to strike. He leapt an instant later, catching a punch to the chin. Cassidy circled him as Yasmine stepped away from the encounter.