by Rebecca Deel
“Oh, nice.” Lily strapped on the seatbelt. “Gas tank’s full too.”
“Good thing. I don’t particularly want to stop at some out of the way gas station where we’ll draw a lot of attention. I’d prefer not to have unfriendlies join the party too soon.”
“Guess it’s too much to hope this will be a simple snatch-and-run mission.”
“I’d say that’s a foregone conclusion.”
On the way to the rendezvous point, they turned onto side roads if vehicles approached, then resumed their journey. When they’d gone as far as they could by car, he steered the vehicle deep into the underbrush, parked, and camouflaged the Jeep with more brush and tree limbs. Hopefully, their ride would still be hidden when they returned. Remy and Lily grabbed their gear and headed out on foot.
At the fifteen-minute mark, Remy held up his fist, signaling Lily to stop. His partner moved up beside him, weapon in her hand. He listened, skin prickling. Birds and insects which had been cheeping and foraging for food had gone silent. Men’s voices drifted on the breeze. Branches snapped. A shout in anger. Not Durango. Those men moved like ghosts.
Remy scanned the area for a place to hide. The men could be local peasants. Worst case scenario was running into federales or members of a cartel. He didn’t want to face off with them unless they had no choice. They couldn’t afford to draw attention to their presence.
No rocks to hide behind, no large tree trunks to take shelter in, no caves. Just a lot of trees. They were very exposed here. Fabulous. He searched for the largest tree with the thickest leaves. Catching Lily’s attention, he pointed to the tree and up. Yeah, he knew it wasn’t the best cover, but most people didn’t look up when they were walking.
She grimaced and set off for the tree, her steps graceful and silent. Remy gave her a boost to the first solid branch. Seconds later, she had disappeared in the thick foliage. Perfect. He could barely see her from the ground. As long as neither of them moved, the noisy bunch approaching should pass right by them without noticing the two people taking shelter in the branches.
Remy leveraged himself up and climbed high enough to sit on a branch on the other side of the tree from Lily. If they were spotted, he didn’t want them to be easy to pick off. He drew his Sig and waited.
The voices grew louder. He caught a few words here and there as the wind shifted the sound his direction. He heard enough to convince him these weren’t local peasants. Remy glanced at Lily. From her grim expression, she’d concluded the same thing.
As the noise drew closer, he and Lily aimed their weapons in the direction of the approaching men. From the east, a group of fifteen men walked into their line of vision. Hot and sweaty, the men’s uniforms were dusty and torn in places. Some had scratches on their hands and faces. All of them were in a foul mood, cursing their superior officer for sending them on a fool’s mission to find a group of mercenaries who were thought to be in the area.
Well, guess that answered the question of whether or not Montgomery was accepted by the local authorities. Remy figured the fake doctor had promised a cut of the profits to ensure his privacy. If the scam was lucrative enough, officials wouldn’t have a problem ignoring the law or helping round up hired guns sent to derail the money train.
As the group passed by the tree where Remy and Lily were taking shelter, the officer in charge gave the command to fan out. More cursing and grumbling, but the men complied. From what Remy could see, they weren’t all that careful in searching for traces of intruders. He and Lily had been careful not to leave obvious signs of their passage, but an experienced tracker would notice.
The unit passed beneath them without glancing up into the trees. For the next half hour, the men tramped around the area. Remy scowled. They were about as subtle as a herd of rampaging elephants. The only way these bozos would stumble across Durango or any other black ops unit was by pure dumb luck. Finally convinced their quarry was nowhere close, the men continued on toward the road.
Remy had hidden the Jeep with what was handy, but that was no guarantee the men would overlook it. Based on what he’d observed of their professionalism so far, the vehicle might be there when they returned. If not, they would commandeer alternate transportation.
He waited another fifteen minutes after the group left before signaling Lily that he was going down and for her to stay where she was. If one of the men circled back, he had a better chance of taking him down than she did. He didn’t plan to tell her that, though. His mother didn’t raise any fools. His girlfriend was tough, but she was small and all the men searching for them were Remy’s size or larger. Several of them were overweight. Lily would be at a disadvantage.
He slid his Sig back into his holster, trusting Lily to keep him covered, and climbed down. Once on the ground, he scanned the area, looking for signs of the men returning. Satisfied they were on their way, he motioned Lily to join him. When she moved within range, he plucked her off the tree branch and settled her in front of him.
“Idiots,” she murmured.
“Oh, yeah. We need to move, honey. Durango should be waiting for us.”
They set off for the rendezvous point. Ten minutes out, a man stepped into the clearing, his weapon pointed at them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The man with the barrel of his Glock pointed at Remy’s chest looked hot, tired, and triumphant. His black hair was in a ragged cut as if he’d hacked at it himself with a knife or scissors, and he sported a black eye. A straggler from the group? Or were they all going to circle back? Remy raised his hands. He shifted his body to block the other man’s view of Lily and sensed movement from her before her hand tapped his back. He shifted away from her, giving them both room to maneuver. Harder to keep the gun pointed at both of them if they separated.
Black Eye’s mouth gaped when he saw Lily. Out of the corner of Remy’s eye, he saw a cloud of blond hair flowing around her shoulders. She’d pulled the band from her hair? A muscle in his jaw twitched. From the heat in Black Eye’s gaze, he had a preference for blonds.
“Oh, good,” Lily said, the tone of her voice more sultry than Remy had ever heard from her lips. “I’m so glad you found us.”
Confusion spread across the other man’s face even as his gaze traveled over her body with obvious intent. The sight made Remy’s gut clench. Black Eye was not laying a hand on his girlfriend.
Lily moved closer to Black Eye. “My husband and I are lost. We’re Americans, you see. I wanted to go to the ocean to work on my tan. We took a wrong turn a few miles back, I think.” She glided within two feet of him. “Can you give us directions to the beach?”
Before she’d finished the last word, she was in motion. A sidekick to his thigh brought the weapon off Remy as Black Eye reflexively grabbed his leg. A knee to the face broke his nose. A strike to his throat and the man was down.
Remy grabbed zip ties, cinched his hands behind his back and slapped some duct tape over his mouth.
“What are we going to do with him?” Lily asked, rubbing her hand. “We can’t just leave him here in case his buddies double back. If they see him, they’ll know we’re in the area for certain.”
“There’s a ravine just over that ridge. We’ll dump him off and hope he doesn’t get free until we’re gone.”
“Need some help?” a deep voice asked.
Remy swiveled, weapon up and aimed at the man approaching their position. He relaxed. “Nice timing, Cahill.”
The leader of Durango unit smiled. “Good work, ma’am. When you get some time, maybe you can give some pointers to my wife and her cousin.”
She grinned. “I’ll be happy to show them some tricks.”
“Lily, this is Josh Cahill. Josh, Lily Stanton, my partner.”
“Nice to meet you, Lily. Great to see you again, Remy.” Josh clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll help you cart the garbage to the ravine, then we’ll meet up with the rest of my unit.”
Between them, they dragged the unconscious man further into the
trees as Lily picked up his discarded weapon and erased traces of their passage. At the edge of the ravine, Remy and Josh laid him on the ground and rolled him over the side. Deep and dark, Black Eye wouldn’t be seen by his buddies. Eventually the man would get loose, but it was going to take him a good while. By that time, Remy hoped they would have Christine and be out of Mexico.
Josh led the way through the trees and undergrowth. “We’ve been watching the activity around Montgomery’s compound. The doc has guards at every exit of the main house and more men roaming the grounds.”
“Intervals?”
“Every ten minutes.”
“Stupid.” With the guards making rounds on a regular rotation, it would be that much easier to slip past them. It was all a matter of timing. Would have been much harder if guards didn’t have a set schedule.
“Oh, yeah. Montgomery’s never without at least one bodyguard by his side. All the men guarding him and the compound are armed. Handguns and some AK-47s. Surveillance cameras around the property. Looks as if the four outbuildings are housing the guards and some of the doctor’s staff.”
“Dogs?”
“None that we’ve seen or heard.”
“How many men are we talking about?” Lily asked.
“Rough estimate is twenty. Some trained, some not. Definitely not disciplined. They take frequent smoke breaks and flirt with the women on staff every opportunity they get.”
Remy’s skin tightened. “What about the patients? Do they interact with the patients at all?”
“Not so far, but it’s daylight. Too easy to be observed.”
“Number of patients?”
“Can’t be sure, but Alex says he’s seen five. One of them looks like she might be your principal.”
Adrenaline rolled through Remy. “The others?”
“Won’t know until we talk to them, but they may be from Mexico.”
“Ground cover?”
“Lots of it. Plenty of places to take cover.”
Lily snorted. “Arrogant.”
“With the locals cooperating, what does Montgomery have to worry about? The men on his payroll will protect him from bandits, and what passes for the authorities down here have been bought.” Josh pushed through into a clearing, held branches aside for Lily and Remy to pass. In the clearing, the other members of Durango waited.
Alex Morgan, Durango’s sniper, strode forward, hand extended to Remy. “Good to see you, Remy. I never got a chance to thank you and Lily for watching over my mother a couple weeks ago.”
He shook the other man’s hand. “How’s Ivy?”
Alex’s face lit. “She’s great. I’m so blessed to be married to her.”
“Heard you nailed her stalker ex-boyfriend.”
“Actually, Ivy did that herself. Hall is going away for a very long time.”
“Glad to hear it.” Remy turned to Lily. “Lily, this is Alex Morgan, Durango’s sniper.” He pointed at rest of the members of Durango in turn as he introduced each of them. “Rio Kincaid is a medic. Quinn Gallagher is Alex’s spotter. Nate Armstrong is the demolition expert. He’s also a professional chef. Guys, this is Lily Stanton.”
“Any changes?” Josh asked his team.
“Four of the five patients left the compound a few minutes ago,” Alex said.
At least the number of patients to worry over was down to one, Remy thought. “Christine?”
“If the blond woman I’ve been seeing through my scope is your principal, she’s the only patient left in the compound.”
“We need to make sure it’s her before we storm the castle,” Quinn said.
“Alex, take him to your blind,” Josh said. “See if Remy can make a positive ID.”
“Yes, sir.” Alex motioned to Remy and led him through another grove of trees. The sniper moved soundlessly, his rifle slung over his shoulder. They crested a rise and stopped behind a stand of rocks.
Alex signaled him to wait and climbed until he could ease his rifle and scope into the notch of a cracked rock. He slowly scanned the area in front of him, paused. A glance over his shoulder at Remy and a signal to join him.
Remy mirrored Alex’s path up the boulders, careful not to dislodge any of loose rocks on the way up. The last thing they needed was for falling rocks to attract the attention of the guards. When he reached Alex, the sniper slid to the side and motioned Remy to take position behind the scope.
“Second floor, last window on the right,” he whispered.
Gut in a knot, Remy placed his eye to the scope, scanned the structure until he located the window Alex had indicated. Minutes ticked by while he waited. He could see movement in the room, but not a person. The sun beat down on his head, his black clothing drawing the heat and making him perspire even more than before.
Finally, a woman stood within view of the window. Remy’s breath caught in his throat. Christine Wilder looked a lot thinner than he remembered her being. He wondered if this was a manifestation of the cancer or if she’d lost weight on purpose over the years they’d been apart. She’s always been conscious of her weight all through high school, determined not to be overweight like her mother.
“Well?” Alex whispered.
“It’s Christine.”
“Let’s go back and plan this op.”
They returned to the rest of their team.
“Is it her?” Lily demanded as soon as they walked into the clearing.
“Yes. She looks pretty thin.”
Rio straightened. “Do you know if that’s normal for her?”
“I haven’t seen her in more than ten years, but it looks to me like she’s lost about twenty pounds.”
“She’s here for treatment by Montgomery?”
“That’s right. She has endometrial cancer.”
Rio turned to Josh. “If she’s weak, Christine won’t be able to handle a rough trek. We’ll probably need to commandeer vehicles from Montgomery’s people.”
“I can help with that,” Lily said.
All the men turned toward her, surprise on their faces. Remy grinned. A skill set he didn’t know about? Wouldn’t surprise him in the least. His Lily was a woman of many talents, many of which he was sure she hadn’t shared with him yet.
“How?” Josh asked.
“I’m very good at boosting cars.”
Durango’s team leader grinned, his eyes twinkling. “Don’t tell me that stateside, okay?”
Lily turned to Remy, a puzzled look on her face.
“Josh is a cop, sweetness.”
Her face turned pink. “Oh.”
When Remy glanced around, he noticed varying expressions of speculation on each of Durango team’s faces. He thought back through what he’d said. A slight smile curved his lips. He didn’t regret using the endearment. All of Fortress would know soon enough that he and Lily were together. Suited him fine. Just meant he’d have fewer friends to warn off if they made a play for Lily.
“Remy, did Zane give you any new information on the way here?” Josh asked. “We’ve been out of contact for a few hours while we scouted the area.”
“Montgomery sent Christine’s husband a ransom demand. He wants five million dollars for her safe return.”
Nate whistled softly. “Greedy guy.”
“They’re not acting like she’s a hostage,” Quinn said. “From what we’ve seen, she can roam freely, as did the rest of the patients.”
Josh scowled. “The husband’s not going to pay, is he?”
“I told him not to, but he’s pretty desperate to have her back.”
“How long do you expect him to hold out?”
“Tomorrow, maybe.”
“Guess that means we rescue the lady tonight if we can.” Josh found a stick, crouched, and drew a rough sketch of the compound. “Security cameras are here, here, here, and here,” he said, marking the positions in the dirt. “The field of vision is limited because the cameras don’t move. Guards at every entrance. We’ll have to wait for nightfall to see if the gu
ard routine changes.” He glanced up at Remy. “Unless you object, I’ll plan and run this op. Durango is used to working together as a unit. Alex is my second in command. If I go down, he’ll take over. It’s best for you to go after Christine since she knows you and is more likely to trust what you tell her.”
Remy gave a short nod. “Fine. Lily goes with me.”
“Agreed. Unless we see something that tells us differently, the best time to do this will be after midnight. The guards will be tired unless they have a shift change then. If they do, we’ll go at three o’clock. Lily, the vehicles are parked at the south corner of the house. Once you and Remy have Christine, get her to one of the SUVs. We may have to go off road and a car won’t make it.”
“Roads aren’t worth squat around here anyway,” Nate muttered.
“You’ll get no argument from me on that.” Josh pulled out his cell phone. “Take a look at the house layout.”
Each of them dragged out smart phones and studied the schematics of Montgomery’s main house that Zane had sent to all of them.
“Remy, looks like your best shot at getting to Christine is to go in the east wing door, up the back stairs, and down the hall to the left. Your most vulnerable spot is in that hallway. Multiple rooms where guards could be stationed. We know most of them will be either on patrol or in one of the outbuildings, but Montgomery always has a few inside the house. We’ll watch tonight, see if we can pinpoint their locations before we breach the building.”
He turned to Nate. “Knock out the power to the whole complex. No power means no cameras to worry over and more darkness to cover our movements. Rig up a few surprises for them in case the action heats up too much.”
“Yes, sir.” He smiled. “By the time I’m finished, the four outbuildings will be gone as will the rest of the vehicles.”
Quinn’s eyebrows shot up. “You brought enough C-4 to do that?” He held up his hand before Nate answered. “Of course you did. Fireworks are your specialty, and in your world, more is definitely better.”