His Darkest Hunger (Jaguar Warriors 1)

It was approximately two and a half hours until their landing in Belize City, a place he’d not been to in decades. Ironic, that his enemy now made their home in the very jungles he’d once run through as a youngster.

Jaxon pushed that thought aside and concentrated on the task at hand. He needed to know where they were headed. His team had pinpointed three locations, but Libby had indicated back at the cabin that none of them were the right ones.

He cleared his throat, then spoke. “We’ll be landing in a couple of hours. I need to know where we’re headed. I need numbers, how many civilians, targets, etcetera. And I need to know the exact location of the DaCosta residence.”

He looked at the long fingers stretched out on her lap. The nails were short, and he was surprised that he’d forgotten how graceful they were. As if they belonged to a musician and not a trained assassin.

Her voice was soft, and he strained his ears in an effort to hear her.

“We’ll need to go to San Ignacio. It’s southwest of Belize City. From there we’ll take the Pine Ridge Road south into the Cayo district. There are some ruins there, in Caracol. They’re old and there are people excavating. The DaCostas have a compound to the east, high up into the jungle. It will take the better part of a full day’s hike to reach it. It’s deep in the heart of the Maya Mountains.”

Libby stopped fidgeting and met his eyes fully. “You’ll need a lot of firepower. There are no civilians.”

“Thank you. That’s good.”

Silence hung heavy, and it ate at him, the slowly widening space between them. All he wanted to do was close it.

“Libby, we need to talk about a lot of things. I think—”

“Don’t think, Jaxon. I can’t do this right now, with you.” Jaxon felt her sadness and kept quiet as she went on. “I have a lot to figure out, and right now, most of what is on my mind has nothing to do with you. I need you to give me some space, and let me do what I need to do.” She raised her eyebrows to him. “Are we clear?”

Libby closed her eyes and rested her head against the headrest, effectively dismissing him. Jaxon took a second to absorb the information, then left her alone with her thoughts as he made his way back to Declan and Ana.

“Declan, call ahead to your contact and let him know we need a base set up near a place called Caracol. There are some Mayan ruins there, should be easy enough to find. It needs to stay under the radar. We’ll rendezvous there before heading into the jungle. Tell him to get his hands on as much firepower as possible. We’ll be landing in a couple of hours and I want to be at the base by early evening.”

“You do know that we’re most likely walking into a trap?” Ana replied. “I mean, they seem to know our every move. Maybe we need to take some time and think on this a bit before rushing headlong into the jungle on intel she’s fed us.” She spoke quietly, but everyone heard her. “I just feel like we’re playing into their hands.”

Jaxon’s face was tense. “Don’t think that hasn’t crossed any of our minds. But the fact remains that Belize is where we need to start. We need to proceed with caution and be smart.” He lowered his voice and looked directly at Ana. “And I need to know that everyone on board is here to fight. Because if not, now’s the time to speak up.”

Ana was quiet for a few moments, then piped up. “Don’t worry about me. I have my own reasons to want to see every single DaCosta dead. But are you sure it’s a good idea to take her along?” She kept her tone neutral, but clearly thought of Libby as a hindrance on the mission.

“Nope. Don’t think it’s a good idea at all.”

He ignored her snort and turned toward the porthole of the plane. The sun was shining brilliantly, and he squinted out at the blanket of clouds that dotted the landscape. His gut was nervous, and a cold pressure was pressing into his chest. His heart began to beat heavily.

The jungle called to both his jaguar and the humanity that lived inside of him, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that stuck in his throat.

He didn’t have a good feeling about this one.

Not at all.

Chapter 17

They landed amid heat, haze, and a strong breeze that blew across the tarmac, fresh off the Caribbean Sea. The air was thick with moisture, and Jaxon felt it heavy against his cheek as he deplaned. It called to something primal, deep inside his soul, and his spirit lifted even as the coming mission weighed on him. He quickly scanned the area surrounding the plane, and his nostrils flared as he scented the air.

Nothing seemed out of place, and he proceeded, acutely aware of Libby following a few paces behind. Her heart rate had elevated and he sensed the turmoil that rava

ged her psyche. He knew that it had to be hard for her to return to this place.

This paradise that hid so many dark dangers.

He cleared all thoughts from his mind save one, and proceeded toward the small building that housed customs. He couldn’t afford for his focus to be compromised. His thoughts were centered on the DaCostas and what he would do to them when he had them in his sights.

They were waved through customs, and Jaxon shook his head at how easily a few dollars in the right palms eased their way into the country. Ana drew her share of looks as she walked through the small building, swathed from head to toe in a thick cotton weave with a sun repellant charm courtesy of Declan.

So much for flying under the radar.

Their contact met them outside the airport. John was a tall man, lanky, with strong features that hinted at his Indian heritage. He leaned nonchalantly against a large, older model cargo van that had seen better days, but it blended in perfectly with the odd assortment of battered vehicles parked along the curb.