But the big rugger wasn't done. Sean held the gun by the barrel, but a swift snap of Jack's boot sent the weapon tumbling through the air and onto the ground a dozen feet away. Sean watched the gun for a second. As he turned his attention back to the massive man, his cheek took the brunt of a heavy fist.
Chapter 36
Twenty feet away, Reece grappled with the last guard. He held the barrel as the man squeezed the trigger. The weapon boomed like thunder. Leaves shook on the nearby trees. Dirt exploded on the ground with every bullet strike. Finally the weapon went silent as the two men spun around in a deadly dance.
Reece immediately recognized the gun was no longer a threat. He let go of the weapon and grabbed the guard by the shirt, yanked him forward, and planted his forehead directly into the man's nose.
The man's hand let go of the rifle. It clacked on the ground at Reece's feet. Reece repeated the move, using his strength to pull the guard at him again. This time, the disoriented guard regained his wits enough to lower his head. The two heads came together like rams' horns atop a mountain.
Reece's grip on the man's shirt loosened, and he staggered backward a few steps until he lost his balance and dropped to his butt.
The guard looked up with blank eyes. Dark crimson blood trickled from his nostrils as he wavered in place for a second. Then he toppled over sideways, unconscious before he hit the ground.
The punch Sean took nearly knocked him out of the trench. His lower back barged into the side. Jack rushed him, but Sean was quicker and rolled out onto the ground above.
Jack jumped after him.
Sean snapped his foot out to kick Jack in the face. The attacker snatched Sean's shoe and twisted it to the right, spinning Sean in midair and sending him to the ground.
Again, Sean rolled out of the way as Jack leaped from the ditch and onto the surface. He stomped at Sean's head and missed, then tried again with the same result. Sean tumbled to safety and pushed up to his feet once more.
He sniffled and narrowed his eyes, holding his fists out in a fighting stance with his body twisted slightly. This is the man who is responsible for her death. Take your revenge.
Jack charged. Sean stepped forward. Jack jumped into the air, leading with his boot. Sean ducked to the side and chopped the bridge of his right hand squarely into Jack's midsection.
The counter was a good one. But not good enough.
Jack landed on his feet and whirled around, whipping another kick into the middle of Sean's back. Sean grunted from the dull surge of pain. He reacted with a jab. Jack blocked the punch and swung a roundhouse into Sean's jaw, knocking him sideways a couple of feet.
The world spun in Sean's eyes. He put out both hands to steady his balance. Another fist smashed into his jaw and sent him stumbling backward.
Sean was losing, and he didn't know if he could win. The big former athlete almost seemed as if the blows Sean delivered had no effect. His body was weak from lack of food and water. No, he told himself. It can't end here. Not like this.
As Jack stalked toward his prey, Sean's blurry mind drifted back to a thought he'd had a moment before. Could he beat the big former athlete? That's right. Jack's career ended because of a bad knee injury.
Just feet away from where Sean wavered, Jack pulled a big knife out of his belt and held it out menacingly.
"Time for you to join your sheila," he said with a sinister grin on his face.
He flipped the grip around in his hand and raised the weapon over his shoulder.
Sean clenched every muscle in his body to make the world steady again, and as Jack brought the tip of the blade down at the American's neck, Sean sidestepped, lifted his foot, and jammed his heel down into the side of Jack's knee.
The joint gave way under the force of Sean's weight. Jack buckled and fell to the ground amid a series of howls. He grabbed at the wounded appendage with both hands, his face contorted in agony.
Sean kept his balance enough to bend down and pick up the knife. He looked at it for a second and then stared down at the big man. Tommy and Reece watched from the other side of the clearing as Sean crouched behind Jack and pulled him up onto his backside. The American wrapped his arm around the man's neck and pressed the edge of the blade against the skin. A thin cut opened, oozing droplets of blood.
"Do it," Jack said. "It won't bring her back."
"No," Sean said. "It won't."
He jerked the knife to his right and shoved the man back to the ground.
For a moment, Reece and Tommy thought Sean had slit the man's throat. Then they heard Jack laughing as Sean walked away, back toward the giant stone slab. He tossed the knife into the woods and sighed.
"You don't have the guts, do you, Wyatt? You're just a coward!" Jack clawed at the ground and noticed the pistol he'd lost just moments before. He reached out to the weapon. His fingers dragged across the grip before a nail caught the edge of the magazine and pulled it closer. Jack sat up and raised the pistol, aiming straight at Sean's back.
Tommy saw the threat, and his eyes lit up with fear. "Sssssean!" he shouted.
Sean stopped, though he didn't turn around. He didn't need to. He could feel the gun pointed at him. For a moment, he wondered when the gunshot was coming. Instead, a low thump came from behind. It was followed by a thud on the ground.
Sean slowly twisted his head and looked back over his shoulder. Jack was facedown in the dirt. His body twitched for a few seconds and then became completely still. The knife Sean had tossed into the woods protruded from the back of his neck.
An apparition stood twenty feet behind him.
Adriana smiled.
For a long moment Sean didn't know if his imagination was running wild on him or if what he saw was real. Tears filled his eyes, and he nearly dropped to the ground.
"I…"
"Thought I was dead?" She walked slowly toward him. Her ponytail bobbed with every step.
"How? I couldn't find you in the river."
Reece and Tommy struggled to their feet and stared with unbelieving eyes as Adriana approached Sean.
She stopped close to him.
He reached out and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tighter than he'd ever squeezed anything in his life.
"Easy," she said. "Bullet wound, remember?"
"Oh yeah," he said, sniffling. "Sorry."
"It's okay."
He shook his head. "I don't understand. I saw you get shot. You fell in the water."
"I know," she said. "The bullet went right through. I was lucky. Don't get me wrong, I had to get the wound closed. And I should probably see a doctor pretty soon. But I'll be okay."
"Where did you go? I looked all over the river."
"Yes," she nodded, "I'm sorry about that. When I fell back into the water, I thought I was going to die. It only took me a few seconds before I realized the wound wasn't as bad as I suspected. If he'd been using a bigger-caliber bullet, I might not be standing here. I went under the surface and swam back to the waterfall. I hid there and waited.
"It was a trick to plug the wounds. I had to tear off part of my sports bra. Getting the blood to stop in the back was harder due to the angle, but I managed. Will be a while before I use this arm much."
Tommy and Reece had joined them and listened to her tale.
"You three disappeared, so I waited for the shooter and the others to come down. That one over there," she motioned at Jack, "killed the sniper. When they left, I followed them, tracking them all the way here. I had a little help with the wound from some friends. They burned it shut for me, which by the way, is excruciating."