Ambush Read Free Page A

the tall stone wall didn’t have a single patch of ivy or
vines on it.
    The tourism bureau must have recently cleared it. They were
trying to encourage visitors to the sprawling Becán ruins, one of the largest
intact Mayan complexes in Mexico, but having the Zetas in their backyard was
not helping their tourism cause. Nor Brandt’s.
    If they tried to get around the ancient barrier, their backs
would be against the wall. They would be trapped, with very little
maneuverability. There was no other option. They were going to have to go over
it.
    Damn it.
    Svengurd must have figured that out on his own, and he tied
the boy’s wrists together, then slung the barely conscious kid like a cape over
his shoulders. The boy’s feet dangled barely past Svengurd’s rear.
    The point man was tall, but could he really scale the stone
wall with the added weight?
    Guess they were going to find out.
    * * *
    Svengurd tested his finger hold between two stones. The rock
was cool to the touch, and smooth. Almost too smooth, but his fingers felt
solid. Next, he braced his feet against the base of the wall. With more effort
than he had hoped, Svengurd scaled the first row of rocks.
    The boy’s weight tugged him down, but Svengurd fought
gravity, finding another good spot for his foot. Another heave and they were a
good four feet up the wall. Only another four to go.
    Beneath him, Brandt got the two CIA operatives climbing, as
well. Their hands slick with sweat, they struggled to even get off the ground.
Brandt lent his shoulder to the effort, making sure the two were on their way.
Vanderwalt, however, backed away from Brandt, shaking his head.
    Svengurd couldn’t linger to watch the argument unfold. His
best course of action was to scale the wall, get the boy secured on the other
side, and then come back to help Brandt get the injured Brit up.
    The boy stirred.
    “Stay still,” Svengurd encouraged, making it up another
foot. The higher they climbed, the more difficult the ascent became. His
muscles protested against the straight vertical rock face.
    He ignored the tension in his quads. Not much further.
    A bullet pinged against the stone, gouging out a mark. He
looked over his shoulder to find two guards bursting from the trees, shooting
away. Brandt returned fire, forcing the men to retreat a few steps, but anyone
climbing was vulnerable, as even the wild shots sent chunks of stone flying.
    Svengurd encouraged his muscles to hurry the climb, but a
stray bullet hit the wall next to his foot, dislodging the tiny ledge he had
been perched upon. His feet flailed against the stone as he tried to find a
purchase. Hanging on by his fingertips, there was no way to swing his gun around
in time. The worst was that he would not be shot in the back… it would be the
boy. The child would pay the price for Svengurd’s lacking.
    He could see the ledge. Just another foot and he would be
there. But with sweat dripping down his arms, slicking his already precarious
hold, the ledge might was as well be the Skanderna .
    Another shot chipped a piece of rock nearly into his eye.
    Brandt was doing his best to provide cover fire, but one of
the gunmen hid behind a large tree. It would only be a matter of moments before
a fatal shot found them.
    Then a growl drowned out even the gunfire as the perfectly
gold–and–black camouflaged jaguar leapt from the branches, knocking the man to
his knees. She swiped his back with her huge claws, leaving bloody gouges. The
other gunman couldn’t turn in time as she launched at him.
    His scream was cut off by a bite to the neck.
    Green eyes found Svengurd’s. He could see why the Mayans had
worshipped such creatures. Then the jaguar was gone, melting back into the
forest.
    He didn’t have any time to thank her or even be relieved, as
shouts carried through the forest. The rest of the Los Zetas guards were
rapidly approaching. Gathering his strength, Svengurd pushed off with his legs
and hauled his and the boy’s body