back, too engaged in his view of Marly to care what Buck had to say.
“She landed the plane,” Buck said.
T-Mac added, “That’s right. We’re alive. You should be down on your knees, groveling at her feet.”
His teammates were right. What was it about Marly that got Pitbull all fired up? She was smart and sexy and knew her way around her airplane. Why couldn’t he leave her alone?
She turned, a smile on her face.
That smile hit him square in the chest like a round from a .55-caliber machine gun. He almost staggered back a few steps with the impact.
“Here comes our rescue team.” Marly pointed to a cloud of dust rising from the grass, heading straight for them.
The men gathered around Marly, like cowboys circling their wagons.
“Are you sure that’s our rescue team?” Pitbull asked.
“Who else would be out in the middle of nowhere?” Marly’s brows dipped. “Seriously, the ATC had our coordinates from the transponder. They had to have passed them on to whoever they called.”
“We’ve seen some of the welcoming committees here in Africa,” Harm said, squinting at the oncoming vehicle.
“If you’re worried, wait behind me.” Marly unzipped her flight suit to reveal a pink bra beneath and a shoulder holster. She pulled out a nine-millimeter handgun.
The team all backed up several steps, every man raising his hands.
“Whoa there, Marly,” Buck said. “Do you know how to use that thing?”
She glared at him. “Do you think I’d carry it if I didn’t?”
Buck shrugged. “Some women do.”
“I’d be a fool to fly around this country unarmed, now, wouldn’t I?” She nodded toward the vehicle now visible through the cloud of dust. “Looks like a safari wagon.”
“And it’s not empty.” Pitbull dove for his backpack, unearthed the M4A1 he’d stashed inside and quickly assembled the main parts.
“Hold your fire, Zippy,” Marly said. “They wouldn’t come out without a contingent of armed men. The animals can cause enough damage, but the poachers and warring rebels are even more dangerous. Wait and see.”
“If we wait too long, we could all be dead.” Pitbull took up a position in the shadow of the airplane and lined up his sights with the driver of the oncoming truck.
“I’m with Pitbull.” Harm reached for his backpack and pulled out a .45-caliber handgun.
The other four men did the same. Soon, everyone waiting at the plane was armed and ready for whatever was headed their way.
The big truck pulled to a lumbering stop several yards away from the plane.
A woman appeared out of the cloud of dust, wearing tall leather riding boots, khaki slacks tucked into the top of the boots and a matching khaki shirt, unbuttoned to reveal an ample amount of cleavage. She swept a wide-brimmed safari hat from her head and shook out auburn curls. “We’re here to help.”
Buck let out a long, low whistle. “Wow.”
She was followed by three dark-skinned men dressed in khaki uniforms and carrying machine guns.
Pitbull aimed for the first one, keeping all three in his peripheral vision. If any one of them made a move, he’d take them down.
“Hey, don’t shoot!” a sultry voice called out. “We’re really here to help.”
Marly shoved her pistol back into the holster beneath her flight suit and stepped forward, holding out her hand to the woman who came to a halt in front of her. “Marly Simpson. I’m the pilot. You got here fast.”
The other woman was shorter, curvier and stunningly beautiful. Next to her, Marly felt like the ugly stepsister to Cinderella. She shoved aside the thought and shook the woman’s hand.
“Talia Montclair. Nice to meet you.” She shook Marly’s hand with a firm grip and turned to the others. “I’m from All Things Wild Safari & Resort. We got a call from the local police to come pick up the passengers and crew from an aircraft since it went down closest to our operations.” She stared around at the others. “Anyone badly hurt? I’m also a trained paramedic.”
Buck lifted his hand.
Talia’s brows rose. “What’s the nature of your injury?”
He pressed the hand to his chest. “You just stole my heart.”
Talia planted her hands on her hips, her lips quirking on the corners. “Seriously, was anyone injured in the landing?”
“No.” Pitbull stepped out from the shadows and lowered his rifle. “Thanks to our pilot.” He glanced at Marly with a slight nod and then held out his hand to Talia. “Percy Taylor.”
Marly chuckled softly. Finally, the man acknowledged her skill in landing the plane. But did he have to hold Talia’s grip for so long?
“That’s his real name, but we call him Pitbull.” Buck bumped Pitbull out of the way and held out his hand to the safari representative. “Graham Buckner. But you can call me Buck.”
Talia grinned. “Percy, Graham, nice to meet you.” She faced the other four men. “I’m assuming the rest of you are Dalton, Harmon, Trace and Jake?” Her smile spread wider.
They nodded as one.
“Good.” She clapped her hands together. “My safari adventurers. And I see you couldn’t wait to get started and decided to land in the middle of our first stop for tomorrow.” She waved her hand toward the herd. “Welcome to Kenya. Like what you see so far?”
Marly’s lips thinned. For the most part, the men weren’t looking at the herds of wild animals. Instead, they were drooling over their safari guide, Talia.
Heat built in Marly’s gut. And not the good lusty kind. More the jealous, burning, I-can’t-compete-with-that kind. She glanced down at her flight suit that did little to disguise her lack of a voluptuous figure. She was too tall and lanky to be considered feminine. Not that it had bothered her. Until now.
She dared a glance at Pitbull. She was pleased to see he wasn’t looking at Talia.
Instead, his gaze was on Talia’s guards.
Talia must have noticed their regard. “Don’t let my men scare you. We have to come armed.” She nodded toward the SEALs’ weapons. “And I’m glad to see you brought your own firepower. We run into all kinds of four-and two-legged aggressors out here. It pays to be prepared.” Talia glanced toward the plane, her eyes narrowing. “Speaking of which, we might want to push the plane into the tree line.”
Marly
