"We can't leave without my two daughters!" cried a very distraught woman just as Steve gave the order for the helicopter to take off. Steve motioned for the pilot to continue before he turned to face the hysterical mother.
"We searched the compound. We have everyone. There's no one left. They must be on the other chopper," yelled Steve over the drone of the rotating blades.
"No! We sent them with Maria when we heard that the cartel was preparing to attack the compound. She promised to hide them until it was safe. I was afraid they'd be taken captive, tortured, raped, and murdered."
"Where were they being taken?" demanded Steve as he quickly considered the situation.
"Maria lives in the village about two miles south of the compound. She had a small house on the hill by a sharp turn in the road. I know who you are! You can't leave my daughters behind to be slaughtered by these bastards!" insisted the sobbing woman.
Steve quickly spoke to the pilot and returned to where the woman sat with eight other Americans from the conference, along with several injured Rangers that were being attended by his men.
"I'm going to be dropped off in the jungle half a mile or so from the village. I'll find your daughters and get them out safely," assured Steve.
"By yourself? You have lots of men. Take them with you! You've got to save my girls!" insisted the frightened woman.
"The U.S. can't have a force on the ground here in Colombia. I can't ask anyone else to do this. It falls on me. I'll promise you this. I won't return without your girls," guaranteed Steve as he readied his equipment so that he could rappel from the chopper as it hovered over an opening in the jungle.
"Steve, be careful," croaked Jason as he watched his friend prepare to leave the helicopter. "Good luck!"
"You just take care of that wife of yours, and your baby," replied Steve just before he disappeared from sight.
Steve raced for the shelter of dense undergrowth as soon as he hit the ground. Once he was certain that his presence had gone undetected, he began working his way toward the village where the two girls were supposed to be hidden.
As he neared the small village, it became quite obvious that the cartel forces were in disarray and striking out blindly after suffering defeat at the hands of the SEALs. Trucks loaded with armed men raced up and down the road. They would frequently fire their weapons, usually into the air, but occasionally into structures near the highway.
Several trucks were parked along the street in the village. The cartel thugs were looting small stores, and destroying what they could not use. Steve observed the situation with disgust before he turned his attention to the house near the sharp curve in the road. One of the cartel trucks was parked alongside the structure. That worried Steve.
Fearing he had no time for caution, Steve hurried across the narrow road and quickly concealed himself in the dense plant life. A very short time later, he was near the home on the curve and able to observe a small yard in the rear, where two girls were held captive. Two men held each girl while the apparent leader took his time squeezing and molesting the older girl.
From the protests the girls made, Steve easily identified them as Americans. They were older than he had expected, but he had little doubt that they were the sisters he sought. Lying near the home was a lifeless body of a middle aged woman.
He considered his options as the men continued to torment the girls. Gunfire, while pretty common, was likely to alert others that something was happening in the back of the home. Steve made his decision just as the leader ripped the older girl's shirt from her body and then quickly slashed her bra and tossed it aside.
The men were so intent on watching the topless teen squirm that they failed to notice Steve silently approach. It was the last mistake they ever made. Steve used his big knife to end the abuse of the girls. Less than thirty seconds later, the five men lay dead.
"Girls, I'm an American! I'm here to help you. Will you trust me?" asked Steve as gently as possible.
"Who wouldn't trust Steve Hammer?" retorted the older girl as she wrapped her arms around Steve and sobbed quietly. "I knew you'd come! I even told Sam that they'd send in SEALs, and you'd be one of them."
"You know me? I guess I can understand that, but why'd you think I'd show up here to help you?" questioned a surprised Steve.
"Jason Hunter's one of your best friends. Everybody knows that Steve Hammer takes care of his friends. Is Jason with you?" asked the older sister.
"No, I'm alone. We've got to find a safer place right now," insisted Steve as he withdrew from the girl's embrace and quickly searched the bodies of the dead men. He came away with two handguns and a semiautomatic rifle. He slung the rifle over his back, next to the one he had already been carrying with him and tucked the handguns into his waistband.
Checking the area carefully to see if he had been noticed, and finding no indication that he had, Steve made a quick scan of the contents of the cartel truck that was parked next to the building. He couldn't help but smile when he found a satchel of hand grenades behind the seat. They appeared to be rather old, but he knew that they would be quite helpful if things got hot. He grabbed the bag and gently lifted it from the floor of the vehicle.
"Follow me, girls. We've got to get away from here before we're discovered," insisted Steve as he led the sisters into the dense undergrowth. They had only gone a couple hundred feet when the older girl suddenly stopped. Steve swung around to see what her problem was.
"My tits are getting all scratched up. I need a shirt or something," complained the girl.
