Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
F ive days! She’d been missing for a total of five days!
Nick Andreakos recalled every second of the conversation with his head of security and the interminable phone calls that had followed, even now, forty-eight hours later. The longest forty-eight hours of his life, during which every subsequent report received from Jameson, his head of security, had brought worse news.
He raked a hand through his hair, his shoulders tense as he braced himself against the reinforced steel door of the cargo plane he’d hitched a ride on to keep from being thrown by the turbulence.
He looked around at the other occupants of the plane—seven men in all. Highly trained, highly expensive mercenaries. Men he wouldn’t normally interact with in his role as CEO of Andreakos Shipping, a conglomerate that spanned the globe and held a market position that made financial analysts drool.
These men wouldn’t hesitate to cut a man in half. They were the best of the best and exactly what he wanted. He would gladly pay ten, hell, twenty, times their going rate, if they guaranteed him success on this mission.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes to fight off the tension headache pounding his temples.
“I know you think you’re superhuman, but going without sleep before a mission like this is just asking for trouble.”
Nick didn’t open his eyes. He knew Alexandros, the cousin who was more like a brother to him, would be glaring at him with the same pained expression he’d used on Nick since they were kids.
“Yes, and I’m guessing all the sleep you got is the reason why you’re looking fresh-faced and perky right now?” he snarked.
Fact was, neither of them had slept in two days, not since Nick had made his phone call and Alex had cancelled his plans and hopped on his jet from Athens to London.
Nick glanced over at Alex. Like him, Alex had Greek American parentage, and they’d both served in the U.S. Marine Corps. For as long as he could remember, Alex had been there for him. Not that he wasn’t a pain in the ass when he chose to be.
Like now…
“You forget I’m not vested in this gig. I’m merely coming along for the exercise. Sitting behind a desk day in and day out plays havoc with my six-pack,” Alex said.
Despite his lazy ribbing, Alex’s foot tapped impatiently on the bare metal floor. In fact, the only time either of them had sat down for longer than five minutes on this mission had been on the flight from London to Morocco, where they’d rendezvoused with the hired men. Sitting down made Nick feel like he was wasting precious time.
So he stood.
And he paced.
And he cursed Belle Winkworth-Jones Andreakos.
What on earth had possessed her to fling herself into the middle of a war zone thousands of miles from home? Granted, the unrest in Nawaka had only been minor when she’d first arrived there six weeks ago. But she could easily have returned home once the conflict escalated. Why the hell hadn’t she?
“Oh and stop with all that pacing before you wear a hole in the plane. You’ll get your chance to interrogate her about all the things she’s done wrong when we bring her home,” Alex offered.
“I’m beginning to regret calling you. All you’ve done since you got to London is attempt to piss me off. Guess what? You’re succeeding.” The fact that Alex had guessed the reason for his angst rubbed him the wrong way.
Alex stood, too, his restless energy echoing Nick’s. “What did Wallace say when you called him?”
During the telephone conversation two days ago, his former commanding officer had brought him up to speed on clashes in the country neighbouring where Belle had gone missing.
“Apparently, the skirmishes spilled into Nawaka only in the past three weeks.” Not surprisingly, Nawaka’s rich mineral deposits had finally proved too much temptation for the greedy few who wanted to exploit the country’s resources, and with the continued war and raging famine in that region, the porous borders had been very easy for the rebels to breach. “But the guy we’re dealing with, Mwana, has been in control of the area for the last five years. In the past year, he’s made inroads toward securing more and more of the country. Word is he also has a solid following.”
Alex cursed. “ Theos, I hate that word— following . It’s a short step down from the word cult. And it almost always means you’re bound to do a crazy dance with one or two followers who’re bordering on fanaticism. Wallace say anything else?”
Nick shook his head. “His area of expertise is now Southeast Asia. He told me if Belle had gotten herself captured in Manila, he’d have been our man.”
Alex smirked and shook his head.
Still friends with General Timothy Wallace ten years after retiring his U.S. Marine uniform, Nick had thought of no one better to turn to, and the older man had come through for him. Within six hours, he’d assembled the men now aboard the plane and found a spare seat on a military jet to transport Nick to the American airbase in Morocco.
Frustration had gnawed at him when he’d been forced to hang around while the mercenaries strategized, counter-strategized, and waited for intelligence to come in from Nawaka. Knowing they were right had not made the wait any easier. And knowing he had to rely on others because his own military skills were hopelessly rusty after ten years’ disuse angered him even more.
He scanned the plane again, thinking how different this was from the way he normally travelled. The Andreakos private jets he and Alex owned, with their state-of-the-art systems and luxurious interiors, were a far cry from this shelled-out cargo plane with jump seats and guardrails lined up on the sides. But since they needed to call as little attention to themselves as possible, he had to settle for this mode of transport.
Wrenching himself from his thoughts, he glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time and willed the lazy hand sweeping its face to move faster. With a start, he noted the date—Friday the thirteenth.
No, he didn’t believe in stupid clichés and silly superstitions.
Still, he could do nothing to stop the chill creeping down his spine. He tore his gaze away and focused on John Allen, the leader of the group, as he approached.
“We’ll be landing in thirty minutes, sir. Transportation is already in place.” Allen was built like a Sherman tank, with bulging muscles testifying to an addiction to weightlifting.
“Fine. Have you gone over the details again with your men?” “No need, Mr. Andreakos. They know what they’re doing.”
“Good.” Nick raised an eyebrow as the ex-special forces soldier hesitated. “Is there anything else?” Allen had expressed reservations about Nick’s presence on the plane, and he still sensed the other man’s diffidence.
When Allen shook his head, Nick turned away from him and shrugged on the Kevlar jacket he’d left on his seat. Strapping on the belt containing his handgun, he checked the GPS device in his breast pocket.
“For chrissakes, man, sit down. Before I make you,” Alex bit out. “We’ll find her. We’ll bring her home. And you can take delight in tearing strips off her. Or doing whatever it is that you two do when you’re pissed off with each other.”
Gritting his teeth, Nick sat down. After he secured his seat belt, he tilted his head back and rested it against the hard metal. Closing his eyes, he felt the fear he’d been holding back engulf him, his imagination throwing up scenarios that chilled him to the bone. What if he was too late? What if she was?—
No . With steel will inherited from his Greek forebears, he cast the images aside and replaced them with positive thoughts.
What would his wife say when she saw him again for the first time in six months?
“No. I will not sleep with you.” Belle shook her head for emphasis. “You’ll put me in here with the rest.” She hoped her assertive tone would convey her determination not to succumb to Mwana’s despicable demand.
She watched his vivid scar dance in the dim light of the cave as a smile lifted his mouth.
“I’m not sure you understand. I don’t wish you harm. I only wish to keep you safe, Mrs. Andreakos.”
Cold dread invaded Belle’s bones. He’d found out who she really was.
“Yes, I know your real identity,” he confirmed, his voice markedly chillier than it had been this afternoon. “Which makes you all the more…interesting.”
“I assure you, it doesn’t.”
“I beg to differ. I’m sure the world—and certainly I —would love to know what the wife of a billionaire is doing in a place like this.”
“Nick Andreakos and I, we…we’re no longer married.” She squashed her guilt at the white lie and curbed the shaft of pain at the words. Calm…she needed to remain calm. “So if you’re thinking of trading me in for ransom, you’re wasting your time.”
Interest sparked across his face, altering his expression from dangerously formidable to merely terrifying. “You’re no longer married?”
She didn’t want to tell an outright lie, so she shrugged. “N-not all marriages work out.”
“Even if you’re no longer married, I’m sure you will fetch a handsome fee. And you’re still useful to me in different ways.”
“How? I’m just a teacher.”
“No, you’re far more than that.” His eyes narrowed on her face. “But I’m yet to determine whether the benefit of having you around outweighs the risks.”
She breathed through her fear and eased her face into a relaxed smile. “Is that why you’ve relocated us to the caves instead of the camp? Surely you don’t believe that I or any of the missionaries have done anything wrong? We’re only trying to help your people.”
He drew closer, bringing his large, imposing body into her personal space. She forced herself to remain still.
“That’s just it. Nobody asked for your help. You Westerners think you can go anywhere you want and take over people’s lives. Force your will on others regardless of their feelings,” he said in a tone which was soft yet intensely unnerving.
“I didn’t— I don’t. I thought I had something to offer the children,” she said.
“And what prompted your magnanimity? What made you come here in the first place? Was it out of pity or, more likely, a sense of superiority?”
“I just wanted to make a difference, go somewhere I was needed.”
One brow spiked. “Ah, the common ailment of the Western world. You woke up one day, looked around and decided Africa was the right place to come and find yourself, yes?”
“I didn’t make the decision on a whim, if that’s what you’re implying. And I don’t know why you’re condemning Westerners. Aren’t you one yourself?”
He folded strong arms across his chest. “Don’t let the colour of my fair skin deceive you, my dear. Nawaka is my home—its blood-red soil flows through my veins, and I will defend her with my last breath. Can you say the same about your intentions for my country?”
The vehemence in his voice made her hesitate. In that moment, Belle knew her very safety could be balanced on the knife-edge of her response. “I know I can’t claim the birthright or devotion you feel for this place, but that doesn’t mean I take my position here lightly. All any of us were trying to do was help?—”
“No one’s asked for your help.” Again he interrupted, his harsh tone echoing eerily in the cave. “You take time out of your schedules when you feel like an exotic holiday, interfere in other people’s lives, and then when things get too uncomfortable, you jump on your planes and disappear. Perhaps it’s time to send a clear message once and for all.” His words unnerved her, as did every step he took closer.
Fear and bile rose in equal measures, but she held her ground. “I swear to you, that wasn’t what I intended when I came here. I just wanted to help any way I could. And if you mean what you say about Nawaka being your home, then you should know that kidnapping us will only send the wrong message.”
His smile changed to one of speculation. “So you care about what happens to my people?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then accept my hospitality. Prove it by staying here,” he said, his gaze holding the implacable challenge.
No! The silent scream threatened to burst from her chest, and she barely managed to hold it in. “What good will I do from here?” Her voice emerged shaky.
“We live in an era of astounding technology, Belle. Don’t let your surroundings fool you.”
Sheer terror threatened to immobilize her. She’d already seen his satellite phone and the powerful weapons his soldiers wielded. God only knew what other pieces of software and hardware he had at his disposal.
If Charles Mwana decided to keep her—all of them—here indefinitely, chances were they would never be found.
Belle couldn’t let that happen. Father Tom, for one, despite having lived in and served in harsh environments like these, would never make it.
“Or perhaps everything you say about wanting to help my people is a lie. In which case, you’re of no use to me.” With a careless shrug, he turned away again.
“Stop!” She swallowed hard, her insides churning with terror. She’d seen the way he watched her. And she wasn’t na?ve enough to think the offer to take his bed was a completely altruistic one born out of the need to keep her safe. “I’ll stay for a while and help you with whatever you need help with. But I’ll do it on one condition.” She balled her fists to stop their shaking. “You let the others go.”
He gave a soft laugh. “Just like a Westerner. Even in a hopeless predicament, you think you can throw about ultimatums. But I’m tempted by your offer.” His gaze dropped to her lips, his gaze darkening when it rose to capture hers. “Very tempted.”
His face relaxed, and his lips curled into a smug smile of satisfaction. Reaching out, he traced a rough knuckle down her cheek. A bubble of terror grew deep inside her at the anticipatory gleam in his eyes.
“You caught and held my attention from the first moment I saw you. In another time, another place, this would’ve gone down differently, but destiny has placed us here, so this is how it has to be, you understand?” he murmured softly.
She didn’t, not really, but she nodded anyway, as she slid down the slippery slope toward hopeless despair. A sudden thought teased her brain, and she grasped it with both hands. Would her condition buy her time? What if it backfired? It would be a calculated risk, but it might just pay off. She took a deep breath.
“Th…there’s something you should know.”
His smile disappeared, replaced once again by a deadly stare.
“What is it?”
“It— It’s my time of the m-month.” Incomprehension clouded his face.
She felt her face redden. “My period. I started my period last night,” she stated baldly.
When she’d felt the familiar cramping just after they started their nightly trek yesterday, she’d inwardly raged at Mother Nature for compounding her predicament with yet another situation she was unprepared for. The handkerchief-sized scarf she’d worn to protect her head from the fierce sun saved her from total humiliation. Now she gladly welcomed the cramps and discomfort. It might just save her from the rebel leader’s repulsive attentions.
Ancient Nawakan tradition prohibited men from touching women during their monthly cycle. From their conversation this afternoon, it seemed Mwana had assimilated every aspect of being a Nawakan. Dared she hope he had adopted all of its traditions as well? She mentally crossed desperate fingers, almost afraid to blink as his expression darkened.
He captured her chin in his hands, proving that he didn’t believe in the no-touching rule at the very least. “I hope you’re not trying to play me for a fool, Belle.”
She stopped breathing. “I-I’m not. I promise.” She deliberately softened her voice and relaxed her body.
For an eternity he stared at her. Finally, he said, “I could ask you to prove what you’ve just told me, yet I am choosing to believe you. But understand this. Break my trust, and things will not end well for you.”
Relief swept through her. “I understand.”
His gaze dropped to her lips once more. Belle tugged her chin away and spoke before he could put the clear intention in his eyes to action. “What about releasing my colleagues?”
“The ransom demand has already been set in motion with the Dutch couple’s family. I will make my decision about the priest in the morning. As for you, if you’re being truthful about your reasons for coming to Nawaka, about your respect for my country and my people, then you will be given a chance to prove it.”
A scream rose in her throat. She quashed it. She would not break down, would not give him the satisfaction. She almost laughed at the twisted irony of her thought.
Heart hammering, she folded her arms to hide their trembling. “I meant every word.”
For several heartbeats he regarded her, then took another step back.
“Good. You’ve bought yourself a few days’ respite with your colleagues.” His gaze drifted to the bed. “I’ll ask you to make good on your promises before long, so rest while you can.” With that, he turned on his heel and left the cave.
Shaking with relief and a letdown of adrenaline, she sank to the rough ground, her breath coming in ragged heaves as silent, grateful tears filled her eyes.
She was in the same position an hour later, staring unseeingly into the gloom, when he returned, followed by two soldiers who marched Edda, Hendrik, and Father Tom into the cave.
One look at her face, and Edda burst into hopeless tears.
Twenty-Four Hours Later
Belle stared at the chessboard in front of her, fighting to keep terror from taking over.
“Your move,” Mwana said, his tone as cordial as it had been since his return to the cave with the other captives yesterday.
Since then, Mwana had treated them more like roughly housed guests than captives, but a knife-sharp instinct warned her it was all a carefully balanced act that rested solely on her cooperation. Cooperation that had included being separated from the others and accommodated in yet another hollowed-out space in the dark cave.
And chess games like this one, interspersed with long, endless conversation.
At his raised eyebrow, she moved her bishop.
His brow rose higher. “A curious move. If you hadn’t won two out of our last six games, I’d think you were in a hurry to sacrifice this game.”
Her fist clenched. “Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. I believe that’s one of your tenets.”
His very genuine smile lightened his usually flat eyes. “I’m flattered you’ve been paying attention to my ramblings, Belle.”
“Of course I paid attention. I told you, Nawaka is a special place to me. And your plans for it— I find them…interesting.” Horrific was a more accurate term. In the last day he’d offhandedly named several prominent, unworthy government members he planned to get rid of in order to secure his rise to power. That he’d chosen to share such information with her made fear pound through her heart with every breath.
In one smooth move, he took her bishop and brought the game one step closer to completion. She hid her relief.
“So you agree with me that Nawakans need to control their destiny and choose their path wisely, even if it means a quantitative sacrifice of a few?”
“I agree with Nawakans choosing their destiny, but perhaps the sacrifice you speak of isn’t necessary.”
He shook his head. “Our oppressors must be dealt with in such a way that neither they nor their descendants will ever be in a position to sully Nawaka’s sacred heritage.”
Belle swallowed carefully around the need to scream.
Her skin tingled unpleasantly with the knowledge that this monster was waiting for her agreement, for her approval .
“I can’t really speak to that. I think the Nawaka I’ve come to know is special the way it is.”
He leaned forward and ran one finger down her cheek. She locked her muscles in an effort not to recoil.
“If you really think that, then I look forward to showing you
Nawaka’s true potential once I am in power.”
“When— When do you intend all this to happen?”
He sat back with a satisfied smile. “Soon. I have a few more manoeuvres to perform first.” His focus shifted from the board to her face. “Although some of them will be achieved sooner than I thought. You love Nawaka as much as I do, don’t you?”
The warmth and caring of the people she’d come to know before she was captured rose to her mind. Some of them were people Mwana planned to slaughter. “Yes, I do.” Her voice shook.
“Good, Belle, very good. We can achieve incredible things together, you and me. I was worried that your marriage would prove a hindrance, but since that is no longer an issue…” He laughed and shook his head. “I’m getting ahead of myself. Unexpectedly, we have more time now. That is enough for me.”
Ice numbed her from head to toe as he continued. “The last pieces of the game are almost in place for the final battle.” He smiled with chilling relish. “And we will be victorious, Belle. I count on it. Another game?” He indicated the chessboard. “I might even consider letting you win again.”
She shook her head. “No. Would you mind if I went to bed?”
His disappointment gave way to a smile a moment later, his expression turning hungry as hooded eyes raked over her. “Of course not.” He held out his hand. Unable to refuse without incurring offense, she let him help her up.
Silently she walked beside him to the cavern adjoining his and stopped several feet from the makeshift bed. A quick glance at his face showed a deepened hunger that made her heart slam against her ribs in sick apprehension.
“I look forward to the day when I will join you on that bed, Belle.”
The sound she made in her throat was unintelligible. But he smiled as if he understood, bid her goodnight, and left.
She sank onto the bed, her breath coming out in gulping pants. With every strange sound her nerves frayed more. With every second that passed, she slid closer to black despair because she could no longer hide from the knowledge that Charles Mwana very much wanted to keep her as his personal prize…indefinitely.
1:34 A.M. THE SAME NIGHT
Nick’s teeth jarred as the second-hand jeep struck yet another ditch in the severely potholed dirt road that led into the rebels’ territory.
A whole day had passed since they’d landed in this godforsaken place.
A day wasted while several appropriate hands had been greased in an attempt to ascertain the most up-to-date information on the whereabouts of Belle and the other three hostages.
So far all they’d managed to find out was that the rebel leader and his men were holed up in the jungle near the Congo-Nawakan border, waiting for Theos knew what.
Nick suppressed the dread rising inside him and forced himself to focus. Beside him, Alex braced his hand against the dashboard as the jeep bounced again.
Like him, his cousin had done three tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Having Alex by his side eased his gut’s churning. Not by a whole lot, but…it helped.
His com crackled through his earpiece. Gritting his teeth, he listened as Allen spoke to his men over the radio.
“We’re approaching the coordinates, gentlemen. Time to ditch these babies and head in on foot. We don’t want any surprises. And remember—radio silence in T-minus five. Allen out.”
They located a wide, shallow ditch and hid the jeeps, covering them with tarpaulins and large branches from a mahogany tree.
At Allen’s low, terse command, they melted into the jungle. Nick stayed abreast with Alex, his senses sharpening and heightening as covert skills he’d presumed dormant swiftly rose to the fore. Adrenaline flooded his veins and coated his mouth. His gaze swept and tracked their immediate surroundings for any potential threat. Relief followed swiftly, and his grip tightened on his assault rifle.
His training hadn’t completely deserted him.
The smell of damp earth and rotting vegetation attacked his nostrils. Hanging leaves from low branches whipped at his face, but he ignored their sting, his focus locked dead ahead as they moved at a crouched trot deeper into the jungle.
After almost an hour, they stopped and spread out. Nick indicated for Alex to stay with him as the other men headed off in a semi-circle, donning their night-vision goggles and melting into the trees.
After adjusting his, he moved forward, stopping several moments later. A dozen yards ahead, two figures stood to one side of what looked like a small clearing. Outlined in shadowy green silhouette, one of them lifted a hand every few seconds to his lips. At the intermittent glow flaring from the soldier’s hand, Nick realized one of the rebels was having a cigarette break. Good. Their guard was down.
Crouching low, he trained his gun on the soldier and sighted him in his scope. A quick sideways glance and Alex nodded at his signal. They fired almost simultaneously, their silencers barely causing a sound in the night air as the two rebel soldiers crumpled to their deaths.
Two of Allen’s men materialized from the gloom and tugged the bodies out of view several feet into the bushes.
Sweat broke out on Nick’s brow. Two down. The problem was the rest of the rebels were inside the cave. And at this time of the night, even if half of them were asleep, Nick’s band of mercenaries would in all likelihood be outnumbered.
Taking steady breaths, he crept closer to the clearing, Alex beside him, their guns poised and steady at shoulder level. In near-complete silence, one man extracted a minute video camera mounted on the end of a flexible fibre-optic cable. He fed it through a small fissure, while another man observed the feedback on a small screen.
After a few minutes, the men moved back and communicated their findings through hand signals.
Nick held his breath as Allen spoke. “We have a total of sixteen bodies inside, five up and moving around. Most of them are grouped at the front. I’m guessing those are the soldiers. Three are isolated in the far corner, and I think those are the hostages. There are lights in there, so we won’t need these,” he said, indicating the night vision goggles.
They split into two groups, advancing cautiously toward the entrance of the cave. Nick clenched his jaw to stem the fear and adrenaline. Not fear for himself, but for her. His wayward wife.
“Easy now. We’re almost there,” Alex whispered and clasped his shoulder in brief reassurance.
Nick nodded, exhaled in a slow breath, and rapped lightly on the wooden barrier with his gun.
There was a gruff response from within. Beside him, Allen answered with the guttural broken French Nick had heard the locals use.
They flattened themselves against the rock face as the soldier removed the barrier and stuck his head out of the cave. Nick yanked him out, slammed his elbow into the rebel’s neck, and silenced him before he could utter a word.
With a hissed warning, Allen pulled the pin from the small device in his hand and lobbed it inside the cave.
Belle jerked from the troubled sleep she’d fallen into as a loud, piercing sound shattered the silence of the cave. The harsh strobe flashes of light that lit up the dark cavern a second later completely blinded her, even after she shut her eyes against the painful intrusion. After several seconds of intermittent bursts, they stopped. Heart thundering, ears ringing, she lurched from her bed and wondered if she was dreaming.
Edda’s terror-struck face from a several feet away told her she was still enmeshed in the nightmare.
Dizzy and momentarily blinded by the flashes, she stumbled forward. What was happening? Had she given herself away somehow? Had Mwana decided they weren’t worth keeping after all and blasted the cave, burying them alive? Curiously though, the walls of the cave remained intact. She blinked a few times to dispel the blindness. Nothing happened.
Something brushed against her, and she bit back a scream.
Were they being rescued? Her spirits soared, then plummeted.
Who would rescue them? Only Liz knew her whereabouts, and her best friend wouldn’t give it up that easily. Besides, Belle wasn’t due to make her weekly phone call to Liz until Monday, so she wouldn’t guess Belle might be in trouble until after she failed to make the call.
As for Father Tom, having lived and run the mission in Nawaka for the last seventeen years, he wouldn’t be missed back in his native Scotland. And if somehow Edda and Hendrik didn’t make it out, then…who knew?
The Nawakan government had enough on its plate dealing with the very real dual threat of its gold and diamond mines being looted and bracing for Charles Mwana’s inevitable takeover to mount rescue operations of kidnapped foreigners.
Rescue was not an option.
The only other conclusion she could reach was that another rebel faction had caught wind of the Mwana’s bounty and intended to claim it. One rebel group often seized another’s hostages if they could profit from it. Sometimes rebels within the same group rose up against each other. Was that what was happening here? Had Mwana’s subordinates staged a coup?
If so, she and the other hostages had to take advantage of the gunfight.
“Father, I think we should make a run for it. This may be our only chance.” God, she prayed she was right, and they did have a chance.
He gave a nervous chuckle. “I’m with you, lass, but unfortunately, these old eyes cannot see a thing at the moment. I think I’ve gone blind.”
She stopped herself from telling him she was suffering the same predicament, although she could just about make out shadowy images. She fumbled for his hand and grasped it tight. “It’s all right, Father. Just hold onto me, and I’ll guide you. Keep
your head down. Hendrik, Edda, are you okay?” “Yes,” Hendrik responded.
She took a deep breath and edged forward, her hand clamped around Father Tom’s. They’d travelled only a few feet when a bullet slapped the cave wall beside her. Small rocks struck her cheek, and she cried out. Fear strangling her, she crouched down beside Father Tom, eyes shut.
“We have to keep moving,” Hendrik urged from behind her.
She opened her eyes and thankfully, most of her vision had been restored. But what little she saw stilled her heart. Since whoever was attacking the rebels was doing so from outside the cave and the guerrillas were defending themselves from inside, there’d be no way to escape without being caught in the crossfire.
Another bullet whizzed past her and struck a kerosene lantern on the far side of the cave, knocking it over so it shattered. It ignited, sending a huge plume of acrid smoke billowing up toward the craggy ceiling of the cave.
Their situation had just worsened a hundred-fold.
If the bullets didn’t get them, the smoke and fire would. There was enough bedding, ammunition, and lamps to set the place ablaze in minutes.
Abruptly, the gunfire ceased.
“Come on,” she whispered desperately to Father Tom. “We need to go, now!”
She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the entrance of the cave, trying not to let the sight of bloodied bodies paralyze her. She focused on the discarded guns instead. If they could arm themselves, they’d increase their chances of escape considerably.
As she reached for the nearest rifle, she heard the crunch of feet approaching.
Another burst of gunfire. Then silence.
Through the smoky light, she saw a figure, tall and male, enter the cave, followed by two equally formidable-looking men. In silence, the trio advanced toward them. Her throat closed up, fear completely seizing her. She turned to Father Tom, gripped his hand in hers, and tried to shield him with her body.
Someone crouched behind her.
She squeezed her eyes shut, terror flooding through her. This is it. This is it .
Then a deep, masculine voice purred in her ear, “Hello, Tinkerbelle.”