Missing You

by Shereen Vedam

  Phoebe struck her prisoner on the back of his head with the confiscated weapon. Catching him before he fell, she silently laid him on the floor. She holstered her weapons and followed her mother to the window. Morgan ran to help Brenda when the barrel of a gun poked at Phoebe’s side, forcing her to pause with one foot over the sill.

  She froze in shock and checked over her shoulder. The one she'd struck was still down, so this man must have come from the kitchen.

  He ordered her in Tamil to back away from the window.

  Rough voices shouted and footsteps ran, drawing her attention outside.

  Her mother, too, hesitated.

  Go, Mom, Phoebe urged her on, her heart pounding in terror for her family and friends. Take Matt and get away.

  Instead, her mother dropped Matt into Morgan’s arms and ran in the opposite direction. Two men immediately gave chase. Her mother was drawing them away from Matt and Morgan. Brenda sprinted around the side of the house and fear clogged Phoebe's throat as she prayed for her mother to get away.

  "Hurry up," the man behind her shouted.

  Phoebe made a production of getting her foot back inside the house. Her goal: hide Morgan and Matt from her captor's view. She did a quick mental calculation. One man unconscious, one holding her prisoner and two after her mother. This was the warning her father or Morgan tried to give with the jay’s call. Ashoka had a third accomplice who must have just returned to the house.

  Morgan wisely stayed ducked behind the bushes with Matt, keeping them both out of sight. Would he and her dad know to get Matt out of here before the search for them began?

  WITH MATT SLUMPED IN his arms, there wasn’t a thing Morgan could do to help Phoebe. He wanted to scream in frustration as Brenda took off with two armed men chasing her. The two women he loved most were in danger and all he could do was cower in order to save the life of the man Phoebe considered her friend and partner.

  David joined him when the men went around the corner after Brenda. He looked a broken man facing his worst nightmare as he checked on Matt.

  “We have to help Phoebe and Brenda,” Morgan said in a fierce whisper.

  “Matt’s pulse is rapid and he looks like he’s lost a lot of blood,” David said. “This bandage on his leg is soaked and filthy. I have to see to his wound right now. We need to get him back to the jeep where I left the medical kit.” His voice was ragged with the horror of suggesting they leave his wife and daughter behind. “Come on, I can’t carry him alone.”

  Every step of the way, Morgan was torn and had to fight his instinct to rush back and help Phoebe as he and David half carried and dragged Matt to the jeep. Just as they got Matt inside the back seat of the jeep, someone came running down the driveway.

  "Get us out of here!" David shouted.

  Heart pounding in terror, Morgan jumped into the driver’s seat, wheels screeching, he backed the vehicle down the road, swung the jeep around and then sped away.

  In the rear-view, he saw the gunman waving his rifle in the air until Morgan drove around a corner and lost sight of him. He drove in a daze, he turned down one street after another, checking to make sure no one followed him. At a grunt from David, Morgan slowed down on the next turn, so the doctor could tend to Matt’s leg wound without being jarred.

  Had they really believed they could help Phoebe with this assignment? He glanced over his shoulder. David was bent over his patient, working swiftly and professionally. The doctor was in.

  Before they left, they hadn’t heard any shots fired. What else could they have done? Those men were armed and out-numbered them. Phoebe would want them to save Matt and get out of this city. As must Brenda, or she wouldn’t have drawn those armed men away from Morgan’s position.

  Morgan knew he had to get Matt to a hospital, but the thought of Phoebe and Brenda at the mercy of terrorists was unbearable. They needed Conroy's help but time was against them.

  “We’re not leaving Kandy,” David said, his voice hard and set.

  His patient groaned.

  “I think he’s coming around,” David said.

  Morgan concentrated on driving and let the doctor care for his patient.

  “What...happened?” Matt asked.

  “Phoebe and Brenda were captured,” David said.

  He heard Matt struggle to sit up.

  “You’re in no shape to go after them.” David gently pushed him down.

  “Must rescue,” Matt said. “Go back.”

  Morgan was onside with Matt on that plan. He glanced around trying to get his bearings.

  “You’ve lost a lot of blood,” David said. “Any delay getting you medical help could mean your life. You can barely stay conscious long enough to string a sentence together.”

  “Little girl. Doesn’t know what she’s done.”

  “What are you talking about?” Morgan asked.

  “The child. Has jewel.” He lurched up and grabbed David’s collar. “She found it. Hid it. Ashoka will kill her.”

  David pushed him back and forced him to stay still. “That’s enough. Here, have a sip of water and swallow this pill.”

  Matt did as ordered and then slumped back, as if that small action had exhausted him.

  “He can barely keep his eyes open,” David said to Morgan. “What are we going to do?”

  “Listen,” Matt gasped. “Ashoka wants husband in trouble. He planted jewel for us to find. Set him up.”

  “Why?” David asked.

  Matt didn’t reply.

  “Great,” David said. “He’s out. Probably for the best. He’s stable. I’ve given him something for the pain and patched up the wound better. If no one’s following us, let's pull over and decide what to do next.”

  Morgan agreed and brought the jeep to a stop. They were on a side road lined with shops. All were closed at this time of night. “I’m checking the GPS Phoebe had me load onto my phone.”

  “Does it show where we are?” David asked.

  “Yup. Working nicely. If Matt’s right,” he added quietly, as he scanned the map, “more than just Phoebe and Brenda need help in that house.”

  “We can’t rescue everyone, including the children,” David muttered. “Can we?”

  Morgan glanced over his shoulder. His thundering heartbeat had slowed but only a little. “What do you suppose this is all about?”

  “Love or money,” David said. “Probably both. It’s what motivates most people.”

  “You’re right,” his patient whispered. "Ashoka was in love with the wife but she rejected him. Now, he wants revenge on the husband."

  “You’re awake again,” David said, sounding pleased.

  Matt nodded. “Listen carefully, I don’t know how long I can hang on. Ashoka’s been in jail for years on terrorism charges. A few months ago, he broke out to take his revenge.”

  “How did he get involved with you and Phoebe?” Morgan asked, unable to keep quiet.

  Matt closed his eyes for so long, Morgan wondered if the agent had become unconscious again. The man looked ashen. By flashlight, he appeared sweaty and his face was wreathed in pain. He didn’t need David to tell him that if they hadn’t got Matt out of that house when they did, the agent might have died by morning.

  Phoebe’s action in trying to rescue her partner had indeed saved his life, but at what sacrifice?

  “Ashoka and his accomplices watched the embassies,” Matt said, speaking in a whispery voice. That must have taken a lot out of him.

  He was about to suggest Matt save his strength when the agent continued speaking. “He guessed the Indian Government would send someone or ask an ally to help recover the jewel. They concentrated on the Indians and Americans. By chance, Phoebe and I were spotted.”

  “How did he become your translator?” David asked.

  “Once Ashoka figured out we were after the Eye, he killed the translator Conroy assigned us and took his place. He tried to steer us to this house and implicate the husband. He was frustrated when we returned without
the jewel because he’d hidden the Eye inside that house. When I confronted Ashoka about his work that implicated the Tamil family, he ran and came here looking for the stone. He thinks the husband has it, but it was the little girl. The child found it and hid it somewhere. It’s just a matter of time before he figures that out. You must save that little girl.”

  “How do we do that?” David asked. “We’re not capable of taking on four armed men.”

  With a sigh, Matt lay back.

  “Matt?” David said, and then sighed. “He’s out again.”

  “Will he be okay?” Morgan asked, concerned.

  “I’ve done what I can for him,” David said. “He’ll be better after a few hours' rest. If we’re going back on another rescue mission, what do we do with him? Leave him in this jeep?”

  “No,” Morgan said, instantly thinking of that hawk he’d seen killing and eating the gecko on the rooftop. He badly wanted to return but was certain it wouldn't be safe to leave Matt in this jeep. “Sri Lanka seems is of wild birds and animals. The jeep has open windows. What if a predator smells his blood and finds him while we’re busy elsewhere? We need a safe place to stash him.”

  “We can’t take him to a hospital or hotel,” David said. “If anyone spots the state Matt’s in, they’d call the police.”

  “Would that be so bad?” Morgan asked. “The police might help us rescue Phoebe and Brenda.”

  “Or get that family or mine killed if they start a shootout with those terrorists,” David said.

  Morgan let out a loud sigh. He doubted Phoebe would want them getting the police involved in her espionage case. He checked the GPS map again. “There’s a spot on here that she’s highlighted with a check mark and star. Maybe it’s her safe house. Or a trusted friend’s place? It doesn’t look too far away.”

  “Let’s go,” David said.

  Five minutes outside town, the map directed Morgan off the paved road and into the jungle. The little bit of moonlight they’d enjoyed disappeared behind the foliage leaving him in a tunnel outlined solely by the jeep’s headlights.

  He glanced in the rear-view and encountered David’s worried glance. No wonder. They were in a foreign country, with a wounded man in their care and likely stuck on a one-way road to nowhere.

  The dirt track wound around the mountain. There was greenery everywhere. Occasionally, the squeal of monkeys or the growl of a predator interrupted the sound of the jeep’s wheels turning over on the muddy ground. From the distance, the rush of water vibrated Morgan’s eardrums.

  What an adventure this would have been.

  With a guide.

  In daylight.

  Tonight, it was more like a nightmare. He slapped his arm where something bit him. Probably a mosquito. The ointment he’d slathered on last night must have worn off.

  Least of his worries. Morgan wanted to turn around but the road was too narrow. If he tried, he might get the jeep stuck in one of the deep watery ditches on either side. Who would look for them if they didn’t return?

  He and David might never rescue Phoebe and Brenda. Or the innocent little girl who’d hidden the stolen jewel the Indian government and those terrorists were after.

  The rescue part had seemed improbable but getting themselves out of this jungle felt worse. Coming this way had been a colossal mistake.

  Morgan slammed on the brakes as the road abruptly ended at the base of an immense waterfall. With the headlights trained on the water, he nodded to David before getting out to check their surroundings. Where the water cascaded into a large pool, mist rose eerily in plumes. The top of the falls was so high, it was hidden from sight.

  “Now what?” David shouted above the water’s roar.

  Morgan shrugged. “Don’t know,” he mumbled, then realized David couldn’t hear him over the noisy waterfall. He shouted, “We should head back.”

  Once he spoke the words, other worries surfaced.

  “It’s probably too late,” he murmured to himself, gazing at their deserted surroundings in dejection. “We should have stayed at the house to make sure Ashoka and his men weren’t leaving. What if we return to find the entire place empty? How will we find Phoebe and Brenda then?”

  “We’ll find them,” David replied from beside him, and Morgan jumped, startled. He hadn’t heard him get out of the jeep.

  Ever since he saw that man’s shadow come up behind Phoebe, his heart had gone numb with fear and his nerves were shredded. “We definitely can’t leave Matt here,” Morgan said. “There are wild things about. I heard them on the drive over. He can’t defend himself. He’d be eaten before we returned.”

  “Morgan,” David said, “if we’d stayed near that house, we would have been caught. That wouldn’t have helped us save my wife and daughter. We did what we had to.”

  David was right about one thing. They’d made their choice, now they must live with it. Phoebe is alive. He repeated the new mantra much as he’d done the one in the hotel room waiting for her to return. He looked around, half hoping to find her behind him. They were very much alone.

  Chapter 16

  Morgan ran his flashlight along both sides of the water’s edge and noticed a faint pathway. “This might lead somewhere.”

  “Maybe,” David said. “Which way do we go?”

  To the right, the path led off into the jungle, and to the left, it wound uphill around the pool and toward the waterfall. “I’ll check over there,” Morgan said. “It seems safer and shorter. You’d better stay and watch Matt. I won’t be long.”

  This was an odd location for Phoebe to pinpoint with stars, unless it was a rendezvous spot. There certainly wasn’t a safe house nearby. Then again, what did he know about espionage?

  The path meandered around the pool and to the base of the falls, where carved steps led upward. With his flashlight as a guide, he climbed. Half way up, he was soaked and ready to call it quits, when an opening drew his attention.

  The entry was wide and led him into a cave behind the falls. Several openings led off into deeper chambers. A quick search suggested that a couple of rooms had been in recent use. Once he spotted a wooden gate leaning against the outside wall of a room, he knew he’d found the best place to leave Matt. This space even had a rolled-up mattress and carved-out stone shelves lined with canned food. Excited, he hurried back.

  In no time, Matt was asleep on the mattress with a bottle of water, an energy bar, and pain pills beside him. They shut and secured the gate in place to keep out predators. Then, Morgan and David were back on their way to the house in Kandy. David used the GPS on Morgan’s cell phone to guide them.

  The horizon was lighter when they exited the jungle. Sunrise wouldn’t be far off. It was a little after four in the morning. Soon, this busy city of farmers, shopkeepers and tourists would be awakening. With the cover of darkness gone, their last chance to take the assailants by surprise was also lost. Then again, Morgan hadn’t thought they would ever find a safe space to leave Matt and get out of that jungle before morning. Yet, here they were, with only a few mosquito bites to mar the gripping experience.

  He parked and they ransacked the jeep for drier clothing and anything else useful, but precious little surfaced. Some tape, rope, but no weapons or break-in tools. Not that they’d have known how to use the latter. There were a couple of hand-held radios but they left that behind, worried the noise might give them away.

  They approached on foot, skirting behind bushes. Morgan’s heart pounded louder than the falls. He was so scared he could barely formulate a plan. He might lose Phoebe tonight, get caught or watch his loved ones die. Then he remembered something Phoebe once said.

  Fear can be your greatest ally.

  At the time, he’d thought she was out of her mind. Now he understood. His fear had his adrenaline charging through his veins and he was ready to act quicker and more forcibly than at any other moment in his life.

  The women he loved counted on him to rescue them. No, that was untrue. They both probably hoped
he and David were miles away with Matt. Too bad. He didn’t care what they hoped for. They were going to get rescued.

  Two men carrying rifles paced the perimeter of the property. That meant the women were still here and maybe alive. He muttered a silent thank you to God and turned to David. His friend wore a grim expression but he saw relief in David’s eyes, too.

  Why were these men still here? Whatever the reason, Morgan couldn’t imagine them staying past daylight, or if they did, they would shut all the curtains and bring everyone in to allay the neighbors’ suspicions about armed guards patrolling the grounds. Probably why they also seemed wary to keep gunshots to a minimum. They didn’t want to attract the attention of the neighbors or the police.

  Neither he nor David had any weapons. To take down two trained combatants carrying guns would require confidence or foolhardiness. He tried to muster both.

  David headed for the one near the back of the house. Morgan rose up behind the one closest to him and jabbed a snapped-off branch into his back. “Drop your weapon.”

  The man didn’t comply. Morgan drove the branch into his back until he dropped the rifle. He pushed him to the ground and twisted his captive’s wrist behind his back. With a knee to keep him in place, Morgan dropped his stick and tied the man’s arms and gagged him. Then he sprinted to help David. He arrived in time to see his friend whack the second man on the back of the head with a hefty branch, and then as swiftly shine his flashlight into the man’s face and check his victim’s pulse and pupils. Always the doctor.

  “Save the bedside manner,” Morgan whispered.

  Together they approached the house. Through the kitchen window, they spotted Phoebe and Brenda tied up but alive. The remaining two terrorists were also there. One sat on a chair, a bandage around his head. He looked half asleep.

  “Likely has a concussion,” David whispered.

  The other was pacing, holding the wife to his side, taking her with him wherever he went. That was probably Ashoka. The body on the floor was probably the husband since the two children hovered beside him, crying. He was either unconscious or dead.