Sanctuary Lost WITSEC Town Series Book 1

by Lisa Phillips

  John wanted to groan, but there was no time. “You know what? No. I love that you want to see my son. But the people who live here, their lives count the security remaining intact. Now get on the plane. We have to go.”

  Nate cracked a smile. “Man, you’re testy when your woman’s in danger.”

  A ghost of a smile crossed Ben’s lips, but he sprinted up the steps. John followed them and Ben pulled the door shut.

  John stopped beside his brother. “You really know how to fly this thing?”

  Ben lifted his dark blue eyes. “Their chopper is bigger and heavier. It won’t take long to catch up. They have to radio in regularly, so if we can find their signal we’ll know where they are.”

  John nodded.

  “You haven’t put on weight, have you?” Ben tipped his head to the side. “Because these things have a limit.”

  John shoved him toward the front of the plane. “Just get us in the air.”

  Nate had settled on the rear seats, four on either side facing in from the walls. He set his bandaged foot on the opposite seat and buckled the belt, donning bulky headphones.

  “Ready!”

  The ceiling didn’t allow John to straighten all the way, so he bent and walked to sit with his brother up front.

  John glanced at Ben and they grinned. Nate’s exuberance reminded him of Pat. His brother and his son definitely needed to spend time together before Nate went back to Florida.

  Ben got them moving, smoothly lifting the plane off the ground. They flew over Main Street on their way over town before banking right toward the mountains. Beyond the peaks stretched miles and miles of terrain which dipped and swelled. Snow dotted the whole area as they flew low, following the southerly route the military aircraft would likely take back to Mountain Home Air Force Base.

  The radio crackled and Ben reached low on the console to flip through channels of static. John glanced at his brother, who kept his attention out the window while he searched for the channel the military was using. None of them knew what Ben did for a living and it didn’t help to ask either, because he’d say they didn’t have the clearance to know. When questioned, their stoic brother simply withdrew further, barely speaking at all.

  The crackle smoothed out. “…Delta-Tango-Seven-Six. I’ve got a light on signaling low coolant. It’s dipping pretty fast. I might have to set her down, over.”

  Ben glanced in John’s direction for a second. “He’s downplaying it. He could very well have to make an emergency landing.”

  A voice on the radio replied, “Roger that, Delta-Tango-Six-Seven. Keep us apprised. Out.”

  John looked out the window. “Where’s he going to set down out here?”

  “Not sure.” Ben waved to the far side of John’s lap. “Get the map out. See if there are any flat spots, or a stretch of highway. He won’t need much to be able to set down. We’ll need more. A quarter mile is plenty if we’re going to stop without hitting a mountain and exploding into a ball of fire.”

  “Good to know.” John pulled out the map, but it was all mountains.

  Ben pointed to the center of the page. “This is where we are. We’re going south-east.”

  “There’s nothing but mountains. A river…” John looked further out. “There’s a highway to the south.” He tipped the map so Ben could see it. “You think they’re down there already?”

  “Count on it. Those things might be bulky, but they can move.”

  John folded the map so the highway was on top. It snaked across the county. There was a straight stretch just under a mile long.

  “Base, this is Delta-Tango-Six-Seven, we’re setting her down.” He rattled off a series of numbers.

  Ben glanced at the map and then pointed. “That’s where they’re headed.”

  “Requesting emergency assistance. Over.”

  John’s already tense stomach tightened further. “This can’t be a coincidence.”

  The other person on the radio confirmed help was on its way. Ben said, “It’s a leak. It could happen at any time.”

  John shook his head. “Do you really believe that?”

  “Given what Grant told us when he briefed us what’s going on… No, I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

  “Someone sabotaged the military aircraft.”

  Ben nodded, his eyes focused on the window and his jaw was tight. “Likely, yes. They want your girl, so they’re probably going to intercept the chopper on its way and extract her.”

  John pulled off his headphones and called Grant to fill him in.

  “I agree with Ben’s assessment.”

  John squeezed his free hand into a fist. “Can we get some help? We have no idea how many there will be.”

  “No can do, sorry. There’s no personnel anywhere near you except who the military sends out. They can help. And Ben is armed.”

  John glanced at his other brother. “Why is Ben armed?”

  “Let’s just say he’s worth at least three Marines, and that is no slight to the Navy.”

  “That’s not exactly helpful, either.”

  “It’s the best you’re going to get. And I only know because the President read me in. I have higher security clearance than God now.”

  “Anything else I need to know?”

  Grant said, “The connection to Sanctuary is back up. We’re hoping someone will make a move so we know who the murderer is, assuming it was a woman and not Palmer.”

  “And Pat?”

  “The First Lady sent me an email saying they had cupcakes and both she and Pat had chocolate on their faces. So he’s doing okay.”

  Some of the knot in John’s middle unraveled. “Thank you.”

  “You’ll get this done. You always do.” Grant paused. “And Ben will help.”

  “Later.” John hung up.

  Grant had faith in him. Maybe it didn’t matter if John wasn’t convinced he could pull this off. Was he enough? Andra’s life was at stake, and there was no way he was prepared to have this end with any of their deaths.

  “Base, this is Delta-Tango-Six-Seven. We’ve set down and shut down. Over.”

  “Help is on its way.”

  Ben banked the plane to the right and they topped a ridge. Empty highway stretched out in front of them.

  “Where are they?”

  Ben said, “South. Mile and a half.”

  The radio clicked on. “Base, we’re being approached by a black SUV. We may be able to catch a ride, over.”

  “Understood, Delta-Tango-Six-Seven. Help is ten minutes out.”

  John didn’t like the sound of this. Unless the SUV was a federal car, it might not spell anything good. “How long?”

  Ben pointed at the hill where the highway disappeared. “Over that hill.”

  John set the phone in his lap but didn’t put the headphones back on. Instead, he closed his eyes.

  Okay, this is weird. It was like being a kid again, saying nightly prayers. Why didn’t he do that with Pat?

  God, Andra loves You. She needs Your help right now. She won’t fight what’s going to happen, but I can’t lose her.

  He figured giving God an ultimatum wasn’t really the thing to do, so he said, Help me save her. Please.

  Strong fingers and a calloused palm touched the back of John’s neck. He looked up at his brother and Ben squeezed.

  John stuck the headset back on. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here.”

  Ben nodded. “It’s worth a lot.”

  The chopper had landed on the highway, a ways down from where the road leveled out. He checked his watch. Seven minutes until more Air Force personnel showed up to help.

  Ben hit some levers and dipped the rudder forward to lower the nose. They slowed, descending onto the highway beyond the chopper. Ben flew to the end, circled around and then landed the Cessna on the road facing the military aircraft. There was no one else in sight.

  A wrong feeling settled in John’s stomach.

  Ben shut down the plane and
John didn’t wait. He flipped the stairs down and drew his weapon as he ran to the chopper.

  The front window was smashed, a small circular hole in the center of both sides where bullets had taken out the pilot and co-pilot. He sprinted around to the side. Ben caught up to him as John approached the open door. One airman lay with his torso out of the chopper, blood on his chest. Dead.

  Three down.

  And it was empty.

  “She’s not here. She’s gone.” John sucked in a choppy breath. “We were too late.”

  Chapter 26

  Andra unclipped the helmet and slipped it off, even though she was still handcuffed. She tossed it on the floor by her feet

  Death hadn’t changed, not in all the years since she’d seen it up close the last time. It was still cold and ugly, and there was nothing honorable about it. That was a lie people told to make themselves feel better. In reality, the only people who benefited from the farce were those left behind, and it didn’t do them much good either.

  Three men, shot like nothing at all. Bang. Gone.

  Andra crossed herself and then realized what she’d done. Slipping back into old ways of doing things and old methods of thinking wasn’t going to help.

  To these people, she was the assassin who flew all over Europe, and once to Japan, for contracts—the one who lit a candle for each victim.

  The SUV which ambushed them had held four guys. Two were sitting up front now, one driving and two behind. They flanked Palmer and Andra in the middle row.

  The deputy had seemed as surprised as she was when four Hispanic guys jumped out. Likely he’d never met drug runners or mercenaries or hit men in Sanctuary. Not Venezuelan ones, anyway. Apparently Palmer had been expecting someone else—Congressman Thane probably—and not four guys who shot the three airmen in cold blood. He’d puked on the road.

  Way to show them you’re a tough guy.

  Now he was sitting beside her, looking smug. Probably figured these were just hirelings and he was on his way to get paid.

  Little did he know.

  The front passenger glanced at the driver and Andra got a full look at the scar running from the corner of his eye to his chin. “Highway goes another thirty miles before we hit town.”

  Palmer glanced between the two men with just his eyes. Andra knew he didn’t understand a word of the Spanish they were speaking. She was having trouble enough, given their accents and the slang terms they used. European Spanish had some differences to it, much like the variations in phrasing used by Americans and Brits.

  The driver said, “He’ll be there with the plane?”

  “Si. He’s on route now.”

  “And the government man?”

  “Already waiting for us.”

  “Good,” the driver chuckled. “I’m ready to get paid and have him do the dirty work. Getting this moron to come along so he can take the blame for it all was a great idea.”

  Andra stared out the window at low grass and shrubs whizzing by as the SUV roared down the highway. So they were going to kill Palmer and double-cross Thane?

  “The boss doesn’t care about any of that. All he wants is the other fed.”

  Her stomach did a backflip. John? She probably would have thrown up thinking about John being killed by these guys but there wasn’t anything in her stomach. They didn’t want her, or Palmer or Thane. Just the money.

  And their boss wanted John.

  Her head swam. John would be blown apart like the airmen, giving her a courteous smile one moment and then dead the next. Tossed aside like trash.

  “What about the girl?”

  She stiffened. They weren’t going to kill her?

  “What do you think I’m going to do with her?” The driver chuckled a low laugh. “After, if the boss isn’t going to keep her for himself, we can sell her.”

  The guy in the passenger seat turned to her. She could feel his stare. “Once she’s fixed up a bit, we should be able to get a good price.”

  Andra shifted. Her ribs hurt, but not as bad as they would had John not tightened the vest so much. She closed her eyes, trying not to let her mind run through the implications of what they were talking about.

  You’re really going to push me this far, God?

  Asking her to hold her peace and go to jail for life was one thing. Doing nothing while that happened was entirely another.

  She squeezed her eyes so hard the swollen one hurt. Don’t make me do this.

  If it came down to it, Andra might not be able to stop herself from trying to kill them before she let that happen. She couldn’t even defend herself? She’d made a promise when she became a Christian she wouldn’t kill. Period. Was she wrong to have made that promise? She couldn’t have known something like this was going to happen. Would she have to take back her word?

  And yet, this wasn’t just about her. They wanted John, probably dead or eventually they’d kill him. God must have brought her here so she could get John clear of the threat hanging over his head. If she could do the same for herself or if John managed it, then they might be even. Free to go their separate ways. She wouldn’t always feel like she owed him for saving her from Palmer and Thane.

  She could quit WITSEC, but she needed to be able to do so with a clean slate. If the threat was eliminated then she would be released from the program. That was the only way she would be able to see Helena; to live her life as a free woman for the first time in…forever.

  But John was in Sanctuary. He didn’t even know any of this was happening. Her stomach sank. John was going to try and rescue her.

  He must have figured Palmer would lead him to whoever was behind this. He was determined to set everything right so she could come back. But what was the point, unless he thought it meant they would be together.

  “No.”

  The two guys in front chuckled. “I guess she understands.”

  Palmer laughed too, though not because he knew what they thought was funny. He leaned over and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Won’t be long now.”

  He was right. It wouldn’t be long.

  John was on his way and these guys knew he was coming. The trap would spring shut, and he would be dead.

  And there was nothing Andra could do about it.

  **

  John got between Ben and the Air Force lieutenant. “This isn’t helping. We know who did this.”

  The lieutenant snarled. “So do we.”

  “It wasn’t us, it was whoever took my deputy and the prisoner. If we stand here all day, they’re going to get away. Do you want that to happen?” John didn’t wait for an answer. “No. And neither do we. So call more of your guys in to take care of your people and let us go after them.”

  The officer glanced from John to Ben.

  Ben said, “Or we can just leave. Since we have the right to do so.”

  John wasn’t sure it was exactly accurate, not that he knew what the jurisdiction of an air force officer was when their people had been killed on American soil.

  The lieutenant geared up to yell some more.

  “Enough!” Nate emerged from the plane, hopping down the steps and over to them on his boot.

  The airmen who’d flown the lieutenant in, both gaped. One turned to the other. “Dude, it’s the Dolphin’s quarterback.”

  “Nate Mason, nice to meet you.” He flashed his million dollar smile—okay, it might be good for something—and lifted his hands, placating everyone. “Let’s all take a second. Something tragic has happened, but my brothers and I—”

  The two airmen and the lieutenant all glanced between the three of them, like they were trying to see the similarities. One whispered, “This is so cool. Look, one’s a marshal.”

  Like John hadn’t already introduced himself.

  Nate said, “We really need to go after these guys. We want to get them as much as you do. The woman my brother loves is in that car, along with a man trying to frame her for a murder she didn’t commit. You see, she used to be
an—”

  John swung around. “They don’t need all the details.”

  “Okay.” The lieutenant sighed. “I’m not leaving. You can go, but I want to be briefed.” His dark eyes focused on John. “And you better get these guys.”

  John nodded.

  They sprinted back to the plane. Ben shut the door and said, “Nate, did you have to almost tell them Andra was an assassin?”

  He lifted his hands. “What? I was on a roll.”

  “Can we just go?” John went to the front and regained his seat. Ben turned them around, and John called Grant while they took off.

  “Hey brother.” Grant blew out a breath. “I’m on my way to you. I heard word through official channels about what happened. Although there was some question as to whether you guys were the killers. I explained the situation to the General and he’s mobilizing personnel, so you’ll have help. The FBI got on the line and they have two teams, including SWAT, coming up from their satellite office in Boise.”

  “I appreciate that.” Then again, it might not be a help. John prayed they wouldn’t get there until after the danger was over. He didn’t particularly want to go up against four guys, plus Palmer. Not when it was just him and Ben. Extra people meant the operation got a whole lot more complicated, and he wasn’t going to wait for anyone else’s go-ahead. “So where are we headed?”

  “Satellite image shows the men in the SUV loaded up Palmer and Ms. Caleri, and went south. There’s a mountain town a sixty-five miles away.”

  “Why would they head there? You think they’re going to stop or keep driving through?”

  “I’m thinking they’re going to try and use the airstrip just outside of town. The Kicking Corral ranch is there, and they have a small aircraft. The runway is a little short but Ben might be able to land.”

  John stared out the window. More mountains. “Will we get there ahead of them?”

  “Maybe.”

  “So they could see the plane and make a run for it. We’ll scare them off.”

  “It’s possible. But those are your choices.”

  “Got it.” John hung up. Guess he was going to have to pray again.

  **

  Andra winced, but she didn’t want the guy pulling her along to know she had cracked ribs. The driver pulled the SUV inside a barn. The farmhouse had cracked windows and a boarded up front door with a sign saying, “No Entry”.