Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
LUKE LISTENED THROUGH his headphones as the events at the Ramos compound unfolded. He couldn’t help glancing sideways to check on Mack, although she remained remarkably unruffled under all the pressure.
“Nothing coming in from the local police,” she said. “Base, the birds are five minutes out.”
“Understood.”
Yes, she’d stayed far calmer than Luke. His heart rate hadn’t dropped under a hundred since the first shots were fired, although his chest swelled with pride at Mack’s performance.
She’d wanted to go to Colombia, but he’d been secretly pleased when she got bumped from the team in favour of Nate. The wait when Tia went missing had been unbearable, and he’d dreaded having to go through something similar while Mack romped through the jungle. Of course he was worried about the others too, but he wasn’t crazy in love with any of them.
The moment Emmy and her troops breached the Ramos compound had been both the most terrifying and compelling of his life, like being stuck in the middle of an action movie. He still couldn’t believe the woman who shot Hector Ramos without a qualm was the same girl who’d lived in his house for two months. Who’d curled up with him on the sofa and watched slushy movies. He sure was glad they’d never got into a serious argument.
Now the team was on their way back, minus his ex. When she’d argued with Nick over getting in the helicopter, Luke had almost yelled at her to get on board himself. Almost. What he’d learned about Emmy over the past few months stopped him. She might have been moody, temperamental, and borderline insane, but she also had moments of brilliance and never did things without a purpose. Whatever the reason she’d stayed behind, it was probably a good one.
The radio beside him came to life.
“The doctor is set up in the blue bedroom on the second floor,” a voice informed them.
Ah yes, the doctor. He pushed Emmy to the back of his mind, fears for the injured coming to the fore. Especially Dan with her gunshot wound. Luke had come to view her as a friend over the last few months, and then there was the look of fear that had come over Mack’s face when she heard the news. She’d carried on checking the satellite feed, but all her colour drained clean away.
Eduardo had seemed nonplussed but immediately arranged for a medic who wouldn’t ask any questions to be ready and waiting at his villa when the team arrived back, which would be any minute now.
Eduardo. Now he was one scary chap. His moods ranged from manic to ice-cold with a whole spectrum in between. Luke had read all sorts of things about him, and if there was a grain of truth in half of it, that man was seriously screwed in the head. How could Emmy be friends with him? Actually no, scratch that question. Nothing about Emmy surprised Luke anymore.
“Incoming,” Mack said.
The sound of the rotors gradually faded as the pilots wound them back after landing, and the airwaves got busier.
“Nick, put me down. I can walk.” That was Dan, and she sounded strong, thank goodness.
“You’ve just been shot in the leg.”
“Yeah, but I can still hop.”
“Shut up, this is faster.”
Then Nate joined in. “Nick, hurry up. We have to get back for Emmy. You’re sure she said to meet her back at the drop off point?”
“Positive. Hey, can someone get these birds refuelled?”
An inevitable argument followed about who was going back, until Nate pulled rank and nominated Nick, Logan, Seb, and Evan.
“It should be a straightforward pick-up, so four people will be enough. Too many cooks and all that.”
“When has anything Emmy’s said or done ever been straightforward?” Mack muttered from beside Luke.
“Are you sure she didn’t say why she was staying?” Nate asked.
“No indication at all.”
“Could someone have threatened her to say that?” one of the Colombians asked.
Alex’s thick Russian accent came through. “That is an absurd suggestion. There is nothing Emmy does that Emmy does not want to do.”
“Okay, okay, man. It was just an idea.”
Luke imagined the guy shrinking away as the man-mountain that was Alex turned on him. Poor chap.
“I saw her after the helicopter took off,” Carmen said. “She was running across the courtyard, shooting at the man who was shooting at you. She was on her own then.”
“What on earth possessed her to stay?” Nate voiced what everyone was thinking.
Radio silence.
Since nobody had an answer, they concentrated their efforts on getting the team prepared to go back and find out instead. As they loaded fresh magazines and re-stocked the first aid kit, the speculation began. Had Emmy spotted Diego? Did she get a lead on Carlos?
There was only one way to find out, and with Nick and Nate pushing things along, the team of four was ready to go in less than fifteen minutes.
If the pilot pushed the Huey to its top speed of a hundred and thirty-five miles an hour, the journey would take just shy of an hour. That was a long wait at the best of times, but with Emmy’s life on the line, it became unbearable. Mack paced up and down the room, unable to sit still until Luke eventually pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to keep her calm.
“Look, I haven’t known Emmy for as long as you, but even in that short time, she’s got herself out of more scrapes than most people have in a lifetime. She had, what, two people shooting at her? Compared to the Syria thing, that’s a walk in the park.”
“I know that logically. I do. But it’s hard to stay calm when she’s my friend and she’s missing.”
“Nick’s on his way to pick her up. She asked him to meet her there. Whatever she was doing, she didn’t plan on it taking long. And at least we know roughly where she is this time. Not like in Syria where she could have been anywhere in two countries and then turned up in a completely different one.”
“I suppose. How long until Nick’s team gets there?” Mack asked, even though she already knew the answer.
Luke replied anyway, looking at the clock on the screen. “Fifteen minutes.”
As there wasn’t much else he could do, he put the kettle on and made cups of tea, the British response to everything. He set them on the desk where they sat untouched while he and Mack waited for communication from the pick-up point.
When they finally heard Nick’s voice come through their earpieces, it wasn’t the news they hoped for.
“Well, we’re here, but there’s no sign of Emmy.”
“She might not have got through the jungle yet,” Nate said. “Is it safe to wait?”
“It’s quiet as a grave around here.” A pause. “Sorry, bad choice of words.”
“For heaven’s sake, Emmy, get your behind in gear,” Nate ranted, even though she had no way of hearing him.
Mack resumed her attempts to wear a hole through the carpet as Luke watched the numbers on the clock tick past. Ten minutes, then twenty.
The tension was obviously getting to Nick too. “How do people feel about us going back to the Ramos compound and looking for her there?”
“What if she’s already on her way to the pick-up point?” Nate asked, quite rightly.
“Yeah, I know, it’s a stupid idea. But it’s hard sitting here doing nothing when there’s a chance she’s bleeding to death a few miles away. What about loading up the other chopper and sending that over instead?”
“That’s the next step. Although we’re three men down now.”
“Three?”
“Marco twisted his ankle jumping out the way of some bullets. Once the adrenaline wore off, he realised it was worse than he thought. The doc reckons it’s only ligament damage, but it’s the size of a watermelon.”
“There are still ten people left.”
Mack played devil’s advocate from the next continent. “Nick, we still don’t know where Diego or Carlos are. It’s possible that someone recognised Seb or Marco at the compound and told them who it was that attacked the place. Worst case scenario is that they’re on their way to Eduardo’s right now, intent on revenge.”
“Okay, so why don’t we put a couple of people in the second helicopter? They can come to the pick-up point and the four of us here can go on to the compound.”
Luke didn’t hear the answer because Eduardo’s heavily accented voice interrupted.
“One of my team has just radioed in. There’s a red helicopter coming in low on the south side of the estate. He wants to know if he should shoot at it?” The old man sounded hopeful.
“NO!” about six people shouted back.
“Not until we know who it is,” Nate clarified.
“He will not be happy to hear that. My men here feel as if they have missed out on all the excitement today.” Eduardo grudgingly passed on the instruction, though.
Nate assumed command. “Everyone inside. Carmen, get somewhere you can get a bead on it.”
“Gotcha.”
Carmen kept everyone updated as she dug herself in behind the stone balustrade bordering Eduardo’s patio and started up a commentary. “I can see the helicopter coming over the tree line. Doesn’t look as if it’s in a hurry.”
“She’s got the best view, through her sniper’s scope,” Mack explained to Luke.
“Who’s in it?” Nate asked. “Can you see?”
“Not yet. Give me a second.”
Mack gripped Luke’s hand. All they could do was wait.
Then Carmen’s voice came back. “I think it’s Emmy. It’s someone with long hair, anyway, but she’s filthy. Okay, it’s coming closer.” A short pause. “Yes, it’s her. It’s Emmy.”
A collective sigh of relief rose from the contingent in Colombia, and Mack sagged back into Luke’s arms.
“Thank goodness,” he whispered to her. His cantankerous ex had survived once again.
“Nick, get back here,” Nate ordered over the radio.
“With pleasure.”
Carmen kept up her commentary. “She’s landing down at the end of the garden.”
Luke recalled from their research that Eduardo’s garden was more of a park, at least two hundred metres long.
“She’d better have a good explanation for this,” Nate growled. “And where in the devil’s name did she get the helicopter?”
“Hang on. She’s not alone. There’s someone with her. Actually, no, I think it’s two people. It’s hard to see. There’s glare on the windscreen. Oh.”
“What?”
“It looks like... Well...a dog, I think, sitting in the backseat.”
“Why has she brought a dog? She already has a dog. Can you see who the other people are yet? They couldn’t be holding her hostage, could they?”
“Nate! Don’t be so ridiculous. Anyway, she’s turned to the person beside her like she’s talking. The rotors are slowing. They’re getting out now. She’s out. The person in the front with her is a man, quite tall. And it’s a woman in the back. She looks pregnant, and they’re all covered in dirt.”
“Ah, we saw a pregnant woman the first time we visited the compound. Japanese looking. That must be who Emmy went back for. But what about the man?”
“He’s turning around. Uh, he’s got long hair and a beard. His clothes look really tatty. No... It can’t be...”
Carmen fell silent.
“Can’t be what? Who?”
“Well, I’d say it’s either Black or his evil twin.” There was a pause. “And from the way he just high-fived Emmy, like Black always used to, I don’t think it’s the evil twin.”
“Carmen, now isn’t the time for joking.”
“Nate, I’m not joking, I swear. Get down here and see for yourself.”
Luke heard the sound of running feet, muffled over the radio.
“Next time, we need to get a video feed as well as audio,” Mack said.
“Next time?” Luke muttered faintly.
Mack ignored him. “Guys, what’s happening? Is it really Black?”
“It sure looks that way,” Nate said, incredulity in his voice.
Luke shook his head in disbelief too. “Well, no wonder she stayed behind.”