A wall of humidity hit Levi like a ton of bricks as he got out of the aircraft. He could feel the sticky air coat his body like a second skin he couldn't wait to peel off.
He could do heat. Heat was fine. But humidity was a completely different story, especially when it made taking in each breath a struggle.
The members of his team disappeared silently into the jungle around them, knowing exactly where they needed to be.
Somehow, this massive airplane had managed to land on the world's smallest runway, a feat that would have Levi's asshole clenching in fear if he had any idea what was going on. Thankfully, they kept the idiots like him in the back so they didn't scream bloody murder when it looked like they were crashing into the jungle.
Yet another reason why he was happy he didn't go into the Air Force like his father wanted him to.
"I'm going," grunted Dom, coming to a stop beside Levi once all of the other men were long gone. This had been a normal part of their routine since the moment they started working together.
Levi had always assumed that he was going to disappear like all the others, but now he knew differently.
"Watch your back," he grunted, looking at the man.
Dom smirked for a moment, and before Levi could blink, a massive black jaguar was standing in Dom's spot.
The animal stretched, its front paws forward as its nails came out from the softest paws possible. Levi could hear small pops as the cat's spine loosened up from the stretch.
"Feel better?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. If he had never known what he knew now, he would have been terrified of an animal that size. However, a month with Natalia had changed all that.
The cat let out a sound that was part sneeze, part cough, and 100% a laugh.
"Yeah, yeah," he grunted. "Laugh it up. But if I see so much as one hairball in my shoes, I know who I am going after."
Once again, the animal laughed before sprinting into the cover of the trees and disappearing.
"Was that Dom?" asked Greyson, his eyes following Levi's.
"Yup," nodded Levi as he checked his weapon. "No wonder the man is one of the best at getting information. No one would think to look at a cat or a dog as a possible spy."
"To each their own," replied Greyson, patting Levi on his shoulder. "You are one of the best snipers I have ever seen. And now that Jackson has up and left, everyone is going to be looking at you to watch their backs."
"At least we don't have to worry about where my loyalties lie," sneered the man. He had trusted Jackson with the lives of him and his men, and yet, he was working for General Richards that whole time. Thank God Richard hadn't ordered their deaths, or Levi would have never seen it coming.
"I've never doubted you since the moment you walked into my office demanding a job," chuckled Greyson, once again hitting Levi's shoulder. "Now, let's go kill a bunch of bad guys and then think about how everyone is going to react to us retiring at the same time."
Levi shook his head but didn't disagree. Besides, if he ever missed the action, he was sure that Sasha could find something for him to do to keep him entertained.
-----
Trying to get through the Amazon rainforest quietly was nothing short of a test of patience and perseverance.
Snakes slithered around their feet as mosquitoes celebrated the living blood bags that were offering themselves up as a sacrifice.
A large cat sounded in the distance, his haunting roar issuing a challenge to the interlopers for daring to step foot into its territory. However, a much larger cat issued a challenge of its own, making Levi smile.
No matter what shape Dom was in, he would always have their back.
A branch snapped off to the left of Levi and Greyson, and the two found themselves staring into the beautiful eyes of a jaguar…
And it was definitely not Dom.
This one might have been half of his size, with the more common marking of golden yellow and tan fur covered in black rosebud.
It froze as it looked at them, eyeing its potential meal. But without warning, a large black shadow dropped from the trees above them, acting as a shield.
The yellow jaguar let out a curious chirp; its head tilted to the side as if it was trying to figure out why this cat was willing to protect the humans.
Dom's cat let out a low growl that seemed to shake the very earth beneath their feet, warning the other cat away. It bowed its head before disappearing into the cover of the trees.
"Maybe it wasn't just the cartel that managed to kill most of the other teams," grunted Greyson as Dom dipped his head under the man's hand as if looking for a pat.
"Let's just get this over and done with," grunted Levi, not willing to be in this blasted forest a moment longer than necessary.
But once again, he wondered just how many times Dom had saved him or a member of the team when they didn't even know death was approaching.
-----
It took maybe three hours in order to find the cartel compound hidden deep in the rainforest.
A space had been cleared to allow for what appeared to be a small indigenous village to be built in the middle of the clearing. But while the houses appeared to be traditional, the people coming in and out of them were clearly not.
The team crouched down in the shrubberies in front of a compound that was guarded better than Fort Knox.
"Where is Dom?" whispered Derek, looking around. "He is okay?"
"He's fine. He is around and watching our backs," replied Levi, his voice so low that it was almost impossible for the others around to hear him.
But that didn't stop the guards over a hundred feet away from turning their attention in their direction.
"Fuck," grunted one of the other men, noticing the same thing. "How?"
The guard's eyes flashed red for a second, and all of a sudden, Levi had a bad feeling about this mission.
"Run!" he screamed, jumping to his feet to lay down cover fire so his men could disappear into the depths of the forest.
But it was too late. The vampires guarding the perimeter of the cartel rushed forward and descended on the men.