Chapter 3
By the time Dobby and his team reached the village, another aftershock had hit and people were streaming up the road towards the mountain. He crouched low behind a tree and frowned. Why was everyone leaving? There would be damage all over the island, and potential landslides the higher they went.
His eyes widened as comprehension hit him and then he swore ripely under his breath.
“What is it?” Hawk asked.
“Radar, get on the comms and find out if we should expect a tsunami.” Depending on where the epicentre of the quake was, they may have hours or minutes.
Radar took a knee to set up the long-range equipment while Dobby scanned the people leaving the village.
From his intel, Vance’s ex had a place nearby, but she was likely part of the exodus heading into the hills.
“They’re estimating an hour,” Radar said.
Could they get in, rescue Vance and get back to the zod before the tsunami hit? Maybe.
“Do we need to move the zod?” Joker asked.
Should he split his team? They were already down a team member and they might have to separate to search for Vance if he wasn’t in the house on the cliff. “It’s tied in place.” Finding Vance and getting him to safety was the priority. They’d work out how to get off the island afterwards.
The road out of town was empty, and he gestured for the team to move across and into the jungle at the edge of the settlement.
His gut clenched. Was he making the right decision? Normally they would have planned for all contingencies, but there hadn’t been time.
He focused on the mission. The village had very few people left in it. Few people to notice them sneak in.
But the way this mission was going, someone loyal to the kidnapper would spot them and know exactly who they were.
“Axle and Radar, procure transport,” Dobby said.
They would need to move fast when they got Vance in order to avoid the tsunami.
“Joker, stay here and monitor those leaving town. Maybe you’ll get lucky and spot Vance and his kidnappers fleeing, or the ex-fiancée.
” He scanned the area. “Get the drone up and find out how bad the damage in town is and what roads we can use. Hawk, you and I will search for the woman.”
His men nodded and got to work. With Hawk by his side, Dobby slipped from the jungle to the nearest building and worked his way into town.
Chaos. So many buildings had collapsed and people were frantically searching for loved ones. A child, no more than three or four, stood by the remains of a house crying with dirt streaked across her face.
Hawk tapped him on the shoulder and pointed towards the square where a petite white woman was frantically shifting debris from a house while a young boy stood next to her.
The woman wore pyjama shorts, a pale tank top and sneakers, with her dark hair tied back in a ponytail.
She should be leaving, not lifting things which were too heavy for her.
He picked up the child, unable to just leave her there, and her arms wrapped around his neck. His heart clenched as he moved closer to the ex, and she turned to say something to the boy. Dobby saw her face and his breath caught.
The photo hadn’t done her any justice. Fierce beauty.
Determination in her eyes. Stunning.
Mila Watkins. English teacher, the Major-General’s daughter, and Vance’s ex.
He nodded to Hawk and together they approached, keeping to the shadows of the buildings.
“Fajar, it’s too heavy,” she said. “We need more help.”
“Jangan pergi,” a voice cried from under the rubble.
Mila answered in rapid Indonesian.
He assessed the situation. Someone was trapped behind the debris which might be blocking a door.
“We helping?” Hawk murmured.
“Yeah.”
They strode over. “Where do you need us?” he asked Mila, handing her the child.
She started, her eyes wide as she quickly scanned him, taking in his dark fatigues. Questions crossed her face, but she said, “If we can move this panel, it should leave enough space for Fajar’s family to get out.”
He nodded and took the opposite side from Hawk.
Together they shifted the heavy panel away from the house.
Before they had even put it down, people were crawling out of the space.
He and Hawk crouched behind the panel. The fewer people who saw them the better.
A woman swept the small boy into her arms, while a man spoke rapidly to Mila.
She handed him the child and the man tugged Mila, gesturing to the mountain.
Mila responded, pointing to a moped across the square and the father herded his family away. Mila turned her attention to them. “What are Australian Special Forces doing here?”
He suppressed a smile at her no-nonsense tone. “Mila Watkins?”
She nodded once, her expression wary. “Did my mother send you?”
He shook his head. “We were hoping you might know who kidnapped Vance Bradley.”
“Vance has been kidnapped?” She frowned. “When? I saw him… yesterday.”
Dobby scowled. “What time?”
“Midday. He turned up unexpectedly.” Her laugh was full of derision. “Now Agus knows who I am. He took my phone and laptop so I couldn’t contact anyone.”
This wasn’t making any sense. “Vance was with Agus—the smuggler?”
She nodded. “I think he’s staying with him.”
Dobby swore. “We thought Agus was the one who’d kidnapped him. Is there anyone else here who could have done it? Did Vance seem worried about anything?”
She pursed her plump lips. “It’s possible that with all of Vance’s bragging about money, Agus decided to seize the opportunity.” She hurried down the street towards a sobbing woman trying to clear debris from her house.
Dobby and Hawk followed her, but the man they’d rescued reached the sobbing woman first and he and his wife helped her lift the roof. She darted inside and brought out a crying baby.
Dobby grabbed Mila’s hand to stop her moving. “His parents were sent a ransom video. Showed Vance tied and gagged to a chair in a bedroom.”
Mila’s frowned deepened. “What kind of room? Do you have a copy of the video?”
Dobby shook his head. “Nice room, pale walls, four-poster queen-sized bed.”
“Only place around here with rooms like that is Agus’s place.”
“You went there yesterday?” Hawk asked.
“Yeah. Vance was fine.” She scanned the area. “He was sharing far too much information with Agus. I told Vance Agus was dangerous, but he laughed at me.”
Dobby glanced towards the ocean but couldn’t see it from here. “How high is the cliff Agus’s house is on?”
“About ten metres.”
Hawk turned to him. “Would the tsunami miss them?”
A good question and one he didn’t have an answer for. “Does Agus have much security?”
“I noticed four men with guns and two Belgian shepherds, but I didn’t notice any cameras.”
Impressive. Not everyone would notice.
“What about the layout of the house?” Hawk asked.
“I didn’t see much. They took me through the front entrance and into a lounge room on the right where I spoke with Agus and Vance. There was another door to the left and stairs leading to the next level. Straight ahead was another door outside to the back of the property.”
Dobby appreciated she understood what information to provide. “How many storeys?”
“Three.”
“Thank you.” He turned to Hawk. “Let’s check if the others have found transport.” Not that the roads were necessarily clear. Hopefully Joker could tell them. “You need to come with us,” Dobby said to Mila. “We’ll get you off the island.”
He couldn’t leave her here when she could be in danger, not only because of Agus but also the tsunami.
“I can’t yet. I need to make sure everyone is out.”
“You’ve done your bit. You need to come now. The tsunami will hit in less than an hour.”
She nodded. “Where’s the extraction point? I’ll meet you there. I have a moped.” She pointed to the bike not far away.
No. Splitting up would not go well. “We have to wing it with the tsunami.”
She hesitated. “Someone might need me.”
“They’ll need a lot more help than you can give. We’ll get you safe and you can come back with the relief effort.” She wasn’t his responsibility, but it was more difficult than he’d like to walk away.
“Where’s the rendezvous?”
She could be involved with Agus… but his gut told him she wasn’t. “If we beat the tsunami, you need to be at the intersection to the road up to the mountains. If we’re not there, head up the road until you’re safe. We’ll find you.”
“I’ll be there.” She hurried towards some shouts in the distance.
“Impressive,” Hawk said as they jogged back to where Joker waited.
“Yeah.” He glanced back as she disappeared around some rubble.
They moved around the building and found Axle and Radar returning. “There are no vehicles in the village,” Axle said. “A couple of mopeds, but not enough.”
Shit. “Maybe Agus has one.”
“Did you find the ex?” Radar asked.
“Yeah. Target should be in the house on the cliff if they haven’t evacuated.” They moved into the jungle where Joker waited.
“Any eyes on the target?” Dobby asked.
Joker nodded. “He’s in the clifftop house.”
“How—”
Joker gestured him over. “I used the drone to scope the house on the cliff. There are three locals in an office on the ground floor arguing and Vance is on the third floor pacing the bedroom.”
Pacing? He should be tied up at least. “Any other people in the house?”
“Not that I can see. A car took people to a luxury yacht tied to the jetty. Looked like women and children. I didn’t see any men. The captain took it out to sea.”
If they made it to deep water they would be safe from the tsunami. Smart. So why hadn’t Agus taken Vance?
Maybe he wasn’t sure they’d make it.
“They’ve lost power,” Joker added.
“Generator?” Radar asked.
“Doesn’t look like it,” Joker replied. The drone hovered in front of a top-floor window but at a distance so no one would hear.
Vance used his phone for light and paced the room, occasionally checking the door handle which was locked.
Dobby frowned. “He’s got a phone.”
“We’ve got his number,” Radar said. “Do we call?”