Hot Zone by Elle Kennedy

Author:Elle Kennedy [Kennedy, Elle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elle Kennedy Inc.

Jen’s second day on assignment began right before dawn. She stumbled out of bed and put on a tank top and cargo pants. Yesterday she’d worn jeans and a long-sleeved shirt—and she definitely wasn’t repeating that mistake. She’d quickly discovered that the thick Kevlar vest she was forced to wear was not just heavy, but it trapped in the heat and turned you into a sweat monster. And the combat helmet had stuck to her head and caused beads of moisture to slide down her neck all afternoon.

She couldn’t stop yawning as she headed for the door. She needed caffeine, stat. But she’d slept well, and her phone call with Cash had definitely bolstered her spirits. She was still mad at him for acting like an overbearing ass and going to her father behind her back, but she couldn’t deny that hearing his voice brought her a lot of comfort.

“Morning.” Jamie greeted her outside the mess hall, bushy-tailed and bright-eyed despite the ungodly hour. He was clad in his camo gear, his nose and cheeks red from the early-morning air.

“Morning,” she grumbled as they went inside. “Is there a reason we’re leaving this early?”

He nodded. “The situation in San Cortés is more unstable than it was in Guera. The gang there is the one responsible for the convoy ambushes I mentioned yesterday.”

His words sparked alarm. “Are you expecting anything like that to happen?”

“It’s unlikely. The Honduran army beefed up the military presence in the area since then, but it’s safer to go earlier than later.”

“Makes sense.” Jen grabbed a croissant and a foam cup of coffee, scarfing down her breakfast and chugging caffeine as they headed out to the waiting Humvees.

It was the same routine as the day before—she put on her bulletproof vest and helmet and got in the front seat between Jamie and Ortiz, the Honduran sergeant she’d met yesterday. Shadows bathed the landscape as they left the base. This time they were accompanied by a second Humvee consisting of more local soldiers and five marines from Jamie’s unit. The extra manpower worried her, but Jamie didn’t seem concerned, so she allowed herself to relax as they set out on the long drive west.

They stopped only to pick up the Global Aid van that was carrying the medical supplies being delivered to San Cortés, and then they were back on the road, the two military vehicles protectively sandwiching the relief van.

Two hours later, the convoy slowed as it entered the small town of San Cortés. It was larger than the village she’d seen yesterday, but the surroundings were far bleaker. Graffiti covered every inch of available space on the rundown houses and crumbling stone buildings, some of which looked like they’d topple over at any second.

There was nobody on the streets—it was barely eight in the morning—but Jen saw signs of life as they neared the small marketplace on the edge of town. She spotted people hauling crates of fruit, merchants setting up their booths and getting ready for a day of selling and bartering.

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