Free Morgan's Mercenaries: Heart of Stone by Lindsay McKenna

to the left now, to followthe fleeing Kamov. In her headset, she could hear Dallas and her copilot talking excitedly back and forth to one another as they engaged the other Kamov. It sounded like they had everything under control.
    “We’re going after this son of a bitch,” Maya muttered to Jess. “Hang on.”
    The Kamov pilot knew it. In a split second, the gunship suddenly moved skyward in an awesome display of power and agility. It was trying to do an inside loop over Maya’s Apache so that it would come down behind her “six” or the rear of her machine and put a rocket into her. The Kamov turned a bloodred color as it arced high into the dawn sky, the twin blades a blur as it rose swiftly and then turned over. Maya knew that few helicopter pilots in the world could accomplish an inside loop. But she was one of them. Gripping the controls, she pushed the power on the Apache to the redline. The engines howled. The machine shuddered like a frothing monster, chasing after its quarry. It shot up well above where the Kamov was making its own maneuver. With a deft twist of her hands and feet, Maya brought the Apache into a tight inside loop. All the while she kept her eyes pinned on the Kamov below her.
    Within seconds, the Apache was shrieking into a somersault, the pressure pounding against her body. Breathing hard, Maya felt the sweat coursing down the sides of her face beneath her helmet. The Apache was handling well, the gravity rising as she kept the loop tight.
    “I’m going to make that bastard’s day,” she said through gritted teeth. Snapping the Apache out of the loop, she ended up behind the Kamov.
    “Jess?” It wasn’t truly a question; it was an order.Her copilot knew what to do: arm a missile and fire at the Kamov.
    “I’m on it. Firing one, two…”
    Eyes gleaming, Maya watched as rockets on either side of the Apache lit up and sped off toward the Kamov, which was now diving for the cloud cover. They were wild shots, but Maya wanted to let the pilot know that she’d pursue him. It was a ruse, of course, because her first duty was to the three unarmed helicopters.
    The Kamov dove into the clouds and raced away. The rockets missed their intended target because of the Kamov’s rapid response.
    “I think he’s gone,” Jess said, studying the radar.
    Maya blew out a breath of air. Looking above her, she rapidly climbed to gain altitude.
    “Black Jaguar Two. What’s your status? Over.”
    Dallas came on moments later, her voice tight. “Black Jaguar One, we just routed the second Kamov. He’s heading back north. And you? Over.”
    “Same here. Let’s catch up with our unarmed children. Over.”
    Dallas’s laugh was tense and explosive. “Yeah, roger that, One. Out.”
    Turning the Apache back toward base, Maya didn’t for a moment think that the game with the Kamovs was over, but she kept a sharp lookout as they flew homewards. Adrenaline was making her feel shaky now. It was a common reaction after combat. Wiping her face, Maya saw that the bloodred ribbon along the horizon had turned a deep pink color. Now it looked more beautiful than deadly.
    “You think our boys peed their pants yet, Captain?”
    Maya chuckled over Jess’s comment. “Well, if they haven’t, they probably thought about it.”
    “Helluva welcome to the killing fields,” Dallas intoned.
    “Yeah, well, it will put them on warning that this is a hot area and they can expect this anytime, day or night.”
    “Probably killed York to have to run. You know how aggressive he is in the air,” Dallas said.
    Maya laughed fully. “He probably feels like a coward about now. And gee, he had to leave it to four women to protect his behind. That is probably eating at him more than anything.”
    Jess giggled. “Can you imagine his horror that he’s still alive and flying and that we didn’t drop the ball?”
    “Yeah, what’s he gonna do,” Dallas said, “when he has to stare us in the face and admit we saved his