by Stone, Piper
Lindsey hissed. “Both of you just stop. Please. We almost died. We…” Her anguished sob yanked at my heart.
“Whoever planted the damn thing got in and out quickly,” Diego continued. The only reason we’re still alive is that an old-fashioned timer was used. If not, the second I went outside it would have been blown. That suggests either it was put together quickly or had nothing to do with the Serpent.”
At least we were thinking along the same lines.
“The reason we’re still alive is that you found the bomb,” Lindsey said with such angst in her tone.
Diego inhaled, glancing into the rearview mirror. “I got lucky.”
“I don’t believe that,” she answered then sat back in her seat. “You’re good at what you do.”
At least that meant they expected the bomb to finish us, which could mean it would take some time for anyone to find us. Unless we had a bug of some kind. There were too many obstacles. Had Lindsey been the intended target or merely a cog in the wheel? Or perhaps a way to keep someone in line?
“What did the instrument look like the bomb was housed in?” I asked, thinking about the various pieces of equipment that had been given to us.
“A black box, a window with an LED setting. Cheap hardware that you can find almost anywhere as long as you know what you’re doing.” His answer was clipped.
Reaching behind the seat, I grabbed the duffle, jerking on the zipper and reaching inside. “Like this?”
“Similar,” Diego said quietly as he stared into the rearview mirror. “But not the same. There was absolutely no sophistication from what I could tell, but I sensed immediately what it was. I’ve seen something like it while working the streets in Miami. What are you thinking, a tracker of some kind?”
“We can’t rule it out. Just think about it. I could believe that the asshole who was sent to snag us from the jungle sold out, except that our quick discovery happened not just once.” I shifted the console in my hands, looking for ways to temporarily disengage it. The remote chance that the instrument we’d brought with us had been bugged meant much bigger issues but couldn’t be ruled out.
“Hold on here, Jack. I don’t you want to try and pin this on people we’ve trusted for years.”
While I heard what he was saying, I could also tell there was a question in his voice. The ability to compromise us twice had taken significant coordination plus decent intel. While the bomb troubled me, if the Serpent was behind it, why didn’t he instruct his soldiers to take the doctor alive first? He certainly seemed to enjoy keeping her as a prized pet. There were too many red flags and we needed answers.
“I’m not pointing fingers at anyone yet, Diego, but we can no longer take any risks or trust a single person,” I said offhandedly.
“Yeah. You’re right,” he said, his breathing ragged.
Fuck this shit. “Unfortunately, the damn thing is also our only method of contacting Dante at this point, but I certainly don’t want to risk getting caught with our pants down again. Do you?” I said under my breath. If I was a blackjack player, I’d say our luck was getting ready to run out.
“It’s also the only way we’re going to know when it’s safe to get out of the country.” He shook his head, growling under his breath.
“Why not a cell phone? Why not just drive until we find an airport?” Lindsey sounded exasperated.
“It’s obviously not safe, Doctor. While there are laws in the various South American countries, they’re often not followed by scourge of the earth assholes, especially by a man like the Serpent. We can’t risk your life,” Diego stated with conviction. “We also follow certain regulations and protocols within our organization, although I wouldn’t rule out the need to purchase a burner phone.”
“Pull over,” I commanded, feeling the heat of his gaze. I wouldn’t rule it out either, although I wasn’t prepared to entertain the thought of contacting Dante. Not until we attempted to figure out what the hell was going on. “We need to check the Jeep.”
“What we need to do is get to a secure location in order to figure out how we were compromised twice,” Diego reminded me. “I agree that something smells, but I don’t want to be stuck here in the open.”
“Just pull the fuck over. This won’t take long. We’ll sweep the undercarriage.”
He shot me a nasty look before finding a location. “Let me guess. You’re some kind of expert with regards to tracking systems.”
I jumped out, giving him the same attitude back as I grabbed a flashlight from the duffle. “I know my way around them just like you do with explosives. Pull the hood.”
Diego exhaled then followed the request, also climbing out of the Jeep. “Fine. I’ll help you. I might know a thing or two about jerry-rigging a few devices of my own.”
“Why, why, why is this happening?” Lindsey asked.
“I honestly think you need to take some time and ask yourself that, Doctor. Start putting the pieces together. What happened on the night you were taken? Did you hear anything going on with your father before you left? What about this boyfriend? Did he have any reason to want you dead?” I asked before starting the search. I’d read the account as provided by the doctor in charge of the particular camp she’d been working on, but he hadn’t known for certain many of the details.
“Jesus Christ!” she snapped. “I don’t live in the same kind of world that you two obviously do.”
“Just answer the question, Lindsey. It could help to save your life,” Diego instructed.
“I was in my quarters sleeping like everyone else was. It had to be past two in the morning. Suddenly, I heard a noise and the next thing I knew a gag was placed in my mouth, my hands and feet tied, and a black hood placed over my head. Then I was dumped into the back of a vehicle. I tried to pay attention to the time as well as any sounds, but I could swear they were driving in circles.”
Diego snarled. “The jungle will do that to you.”
“They targeted you,” I stated with conviction.
“If you mean, did they take anyone else, no, they did not, at least not that I knew. But I don’t know if they’re dead or alive. While we’d heard of rogue gangs, we had security. Dr. Russell made certain that we were well protected. And what do you mean by targeting me, Jack?” she asked, rolling her fingers over the damn necklace she always wore. “Maybe you’re the one who knows more than I do.”
“Evidently, you weren’t protected well enough. As far as targeting, I read about your particular camp, doctor, and the fact that you were actually requested to join the team.” I eased under the body of the Jeep, carefully using the bright light to search for all the normal areas a tracker was used. While many of the recent designs were sophisticated, I’d kept up with the various kinds during my tenure with the Specialists.
“Is there something wrong with that?” she huffed. I could tell she was leaning over the doorframe, an edge in her tone. “It’s a wonderful program.”
“Nothing except you never applied. It takes a special person to desire to live out in the jungle for up to a year. From what I could find, you never even made inquiries about the possibility. You were asked to join the team, and from what I could tell, you were out of the country within days, not the weeks that it usually takes in order to pass certain criteria, have various immunizations and fine-tune all the paperwork. Doesn’t that seem odd to you? Any red flags here at all?”
I could almost hear her wheels turning. While it might not mean shit given the needs of the Brazilian people, every angle needed to be looked at.
“You’re such an asshole,” she managed.
“I don’t see anything, Jack. I doubt we have a bug on the vehicle,” Diego called from the other side.
Yeah, he was likely right, but I continued to look, crawling to the front bumper. I could see her pensive face, the way she chewed on her inner lip.
“I respect and trust the doctor in the program. I knew him from medical school, had attended several of his classes. It was t
he right time to find my place within the medical field and I had some friends who helped me get everything I needed quickly,” she stated in a determined fashion. “Dr. Russell didn’t sell me out. His reputation is stellar. Why would he? As you made certain to let me know, I’m just a lowly doctor.”
“You’re be surprised what men will do for money or revenge,” I managed, finally moving to a standing position. “And one thing I do know is that your father does have money.”
“My God. Now you’re accusing my father?” she demanded.
“I think we all need to calm the fuck down,” Diego snapped.
“Dr. Russell isn’t like that. Money means nothing to him. He knew what I was interested in, including repairing the hearts of children so he thought it would be a good fit. That’s it, Jack,” she continued. “One of the doctors got sick and they were hoping for a quick turnaround by finding another doctor. He made a phone call. You have no idea how dire the crisis is in the jungle. Children are dying from lack of care, malnourishment only a portion of the reason. Don’t chastise the work I hold so dearly. That makes you a bigger asshole.”
I sighed. It hadn’t been my intent to antagonize her, but there were aspects of what we were going through that contained holes.
“Stop nagging her. We need to continue on,” Diego snarked then jumped back into the Jeep. “We’ll grill her later.”
“Like hell you will,” she countered, hissing under her breath.
I held the console into the morning light, thinking about the various methods we’d used in the military to sync tracking devices with various instruments owned by our enemies. Almost anything had worked, including standard phones. While this would be somewhat more sophisticated, I had no doubt the Serpent had experts in several fields on his payroll. “The instrument is the only other possibility. I’ll need to ascertain whether or not the communications device has been tampered with. The Serpent might have the technology to sync with it. If so, they already know we’re alive. Then it’ll be a matter of time before his soldiers find us.”
“Goddamn it,” Diego railed. “Then shut it down, if for no other reason than keeping us alive. If you honestly believe the Serpent has that much technology, then why the hell…”
He didn’t finish but he didn’t have to. The operation had been rushed; neither the intel nor the equipment provided nearly what we needed in order to stay alive.
I exhaled, hearing the tone in his voice. We’d all been indoctrinated to what to do if certain circumstances occurred. I wasn’t certain this fell into one of the categories, especially since we’d be out of contact altogether. “Fine. Then we’ll shut it down and I’ll make certain we haven’t been compromised in another manner. There are ways to tell if it’s been synced.”
“Are you certain you can render the damn thing untraceable?” he asked.
“Can you find us a place to stay?” I countered. “I assure you I’ll know if we have a bug. What I won’t know for certain is whether it can be deactivated completely.”
He snorted, darting another look in my direction. “Fuck. This shit is getting deeper; however, I already have a place in mind we can hole up. You take care of your end and I’ll get us there safely. Might cost us some bucks, but I think we’ll have a place to stay at least for a few days.”
“Where the fuck are you talking about?” We had limited cash to begin with, another issue on this godforsaken adventure.
A grin crossed his face. “Trust me, Jack. I have a few tricks up my sleeve and people I can count on. Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
There was no other choice. For a while, we were going to be on our own. “You fuck this up, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”
“I assure you, the feeling is mutual,” Diego said, laughing. “And I always keep my promises, Jack.”
I could hear Lindsey’s disgusted sighs from the back. I was itching to learn more about the boyfriend, but she was far too exasperated to question now. I rubbed my fingers across my lips, trying to forget the damn kiss. This whole damn thing was muddled as shit. I felt more and more like we were being played because of who we were.
I slammed the door after getting back inside, loathing the fact we had no idea what we were facing or why. I had no doubt the Serpent would try to get Lindsey back, but the explosion was off his usual methodology. But if he was being well paid for his abduction of her, then he would stop at nothing.
With no time to waste, I pulled out my knife, praying to God I remembered what the hell I was doing. While we had passports and would eventually find a way out of the country, that would take additional time, the danger level much higher. Diego was correct in that all the main roads and airports, even bus stations would be watched, more so when they figured out that we weren’t dead. Something just didn’t feel right. Given what we’d just been through, I had to venture a guess that our chances of success were minimal.
If not zero.
“We’re staying off the main road. The roads are crap. It’s gonna be an adventure,” Diego said, trying to keep his tone light.
And he wasn’t wrong.
The terrain was bumpy as hell and as the morning turned into one scorcher of an afternoon, we were forced to make a stop for food and water. What I noticed immediately was that all eyes were on Lindsey. Her blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair complexion were completely foreign, at least in this location. Attention we didn’t need. The Serpent would certainly use eyes in the field to try to find her. I had to imagine what the reward would be.
What I enjoyed about some small towns in other countries was the vendors selling on the streets. The collage of colorful tents and huts was inviting. I almost immediately found what I was looking for. The scarf and glasses just might keep attention away until we were safe.
If that was even possible.
“Here,” I said as I walked toward her as she stood next to the Jeep, a bottle of Orange Crush in her hand.
For a few seconds her eyes lit up, as if I’d bought her a present.
Sighing, I looked away, slapping on the sunglasses I’d also purchased for myself. “When we get closer, you’re going to need to wear both. Okay?”
She opened the small bag, pulling out the items. “A disguise. Great.”
“Until we can make one that’s more permanent.” I started to walk away when she grabbed my arm.
“The least you could do is tell Diego thank you for saving our lives.”
I turned to stare at her, uncertain of what to say. “We’re trained professionals, Lindsey. That’s what we do.” As I walked away, I once again heard the same words she’d said more than once.
“I hate you.”
They were words I knew far too well, the same ones that had been said on one sizzling afternoon years ago.
The very ones that had broken my heart.
Chapter 10
Jack
“I hate you.”
The words remained filtering into my mind, slicing open the old scabs.
Night had fallen by the time we made it into Trujillo. At least Lindsey appeared to be sleeping. With no air conditioning in the Jeep, the heat had taken a toll on all of us. While the city was still lively, dozens of people walking the streets, Diego easily maneuvered through the back alleys, still keeping us away from possible watchful eyes. When he stopped in front of a local store, he kept the gear in drive.
“What are we doing here?” I demanded.
“Like I said,” Diego said through clenched teeth. “You’re going to have to learn to trust me. I’m going to cash in on a favor but not for free. That’s not fair. My friend lives a meager existence.”
“Fine. Do what you need to do,” I huffed, finally giving him a single nod. We needed to get the hell off the street. There were plenty of people who would sell us out for a good meal alone.
“Just stay here,” he stated without looking in my direction. “If possible, my buddy will provide us with a location to stay. As long as he still lives in the city, we’r
e good to go. If not, I know of a motel that should be safe for a single night. After that, I’m not sure what to tell you.”
“Who is this person?”
He hesitated; he obviously knew the man personally. I could tell by his heavy breathing. “A good man. One of the few who are left.”
Another story to tell and one we didn’t have time for.
He yanked the duffle in his direction, pulling out a wad of cash. Our resources were limited, the amount of money carefully thought out. Credit cards weren’t an option. We’d left our real identities locked in Dante’s safe in Italy, only receiving new passports and other identification but no cards, another change in protocol. There were always reasons for what Dante did, including particular instructions from the powers that be. But to leave us this unprepared wasn’t just unusual. It was life threatening, at least to less experienced operatives. We would be forced to sell or trade as necessary if we were required to stay in one location for long.
“You need all that?” I asked, keeping the weapon in my lap as I scanned the street.
“Not all of it. At minimum I can get a few provisions. Stay here,” he stated before exiting the Jeep.
I watched carefully as he entered the store, his discussion with the clerk short-lived. When a man moved from the back, I bristled. I could see little of him as he glanced over Diego’s shoulder, taking him immediately behind a curtain. The uneasiness grew tenfold.
“What is Diego doing?” Lindsey asked. I felt her hand on my shoulder, allowing tingling sensations to shift down every inch of my body.
I exhaled, studying the way he was talking to the local, including the hug the man gave Diego. “Securing us a place to stay.”
“What if they find us?”
Her question held such angst in her voice; however, I wasn’t in the mood to lie. “Then we die.”
She laughed as she rested her face against the back of the seat. “And I don’t honestly think you care. Maybe I do.”