Sworn to Protect

by Susanne Matthews

“Shall we?” Todd asked leading the way with Julia at his back.

  Neil and Nancy followed as the silent procession made its way deeper underground.

  They’d been walking no more than twenty minutes when the smell changed from the dry mustiness of an old room to the dank, rotting aroma of a swamp.

  “Yuck,” Nancy said looking up. “We must be under the lake. Look at the gross stuff growing on the ceiling.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste and pinched it closed with her left hand, the right one firmly around his neck.

  “It’s just moss mixed with spider webs. We’re about a third of the way,” Todd said. “Not the most pleasant smell, I know, but it won’t last long. Neil, watch your footing. It’s slimy in places and—”

  A roaring boom, louder than anything Neil had ever heard on this side of the ocean, as if it were coming from the earth itself, silenced him. The ground shook, sending dirt, bugs, and spores down on their heads. Nancy screeched and buried her face in his chest. It was all Neil could do to stay upright as the floor rolled beneath him.

  “Was that thunder?” she asked, the trembling in her voice betraying her fear as did the wetness on her cheeks. She was trying not to cry, but as terrified as she now was, it was a losing battle.

  Todd looked at Neil who shook his head vigorously.

  “Must’ve been a lightning strike nearby,” Todd said before Neil could speak.

  Julia and Dan looked at one another, but neither disputed Todd’s words.

  Neil knew exactly what that bang had been—an explosion—he’d lived through enough of them in Afghanistan to recognize one. He hoped Tony, Chuck, Ewan, and Fred were well out of its range.

  Instead of arguing, he shifted Nancy in his arms. The last thing she needed to know at the moment was that someone had probably launched a rocket into the house where she’d been hidden. That had been a close call—too close.

  “It looks like that storm’s right on top of us,” Todd said, unable to hide the concern in his voice. “Let’s pick up the pace in case this thing does flood.”

  “Agreed,” Dan piped up. “Julia and I may be Navy, but swimming out of here doesn’t appeal to me, and I doubt it does to her.”

  Neil frowned, realizing instinctively that it wasn’t water either man was afraid of. The air in the tunnel wasn’t the best as it was, and the entrance to the tunnel wasn’t airtight. No doubt, the bomb had started a fire and the carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, gases produced in a house fire, would easily enter the tunnel. Dying of smoke inhalation wasn’t on his agenda either.

  Within minutes, the scent of burning wood filled the tunnel carrying the invisible gases with it.

  “We’re going to die down here, aren’t we?” Nancy fought to put on a brave front, hiccupping now and then, and coughing when the smoke seemed thicker.

  Neil held her tightly to his chest.

  “That’s not on the agenda,” he said, dropping a kiss on her forehead. “We’ll be out of here soon.”

  At least, he hoped so because, while she was still taking antibiotics, without her spleen and considering her damaged lung, this was far more dangerous than any of them had expected.

  Finally, after what felt like hours but was less than one, Todd pushed aside a dilapidated wooden door. Smoke, much thicker here, gagged them, and made it difficult to see as they moved through the heavy, orange fog. The unmistakable roar and crackle of a massive fire drowned out the thunder. Every now and then, jagged bolts of lightning split the sky, the bright white light adding an unearthly eeriness to the red glow. The rain hadn’t started to fall, but it couldn’t be far off now.

  “This way,” Todd called, hurrying away from the tunnel entrance. “We don’t have any time to waste.”

  “Is the forest on fire?” Nancy asked, her eyes huge in her terror.

  “It’s the house,” Julia said, before anyone could stop her, her voice filled with horror. “That was an explosion and the house is on fire. The others are still in there! We have to go back.”

  Dan grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly to stop her before she gave in to the panic inside her.

  “We can’t go back, Julia. No one was in there. They left half an hour before we did. I saw them go. Now, lieutenant,” he said, infusing his voice with every bit of command skill he had, his face stern, his lips a tight line. “We’ve got a job to do and that’s to get our patient to safety. There’s nothing we can do for the others, but pray they were far enough away not to be spotted. Staying here is suicide.”

  Neil’s respect for the young officer grew. Nancy’s renewed trembling in his arms told him she’d lost control and was crying once more. There was nothing he could do about it now, but get her to safety as fast as possible.

  “They blew up the house?” she asked, barely loud enough for him to hear, her throat congested by tears and dread. “That was an explosion. They know where I am.”

  “But you aren’t there anymore, are you?” Neil said, kissing her brow in an effort to comfort her. “Right now, we need to get you out of here before the rain starts.”

  The glow of the fire and the dissipating smoke as they moved farther into the trees made it easier to see without the use of flashlights that might give their position away.

  He followed Todd and Julia, moving even more cautiously as the undergrowth snagged at his pants. Dan held his position at the rear.

  “Hurry,” Todd called. “We need to be long gone before they go in looking for bodies, but judging by the way that fire is burning, there wouldn’t be anything left of us even if we’d been inside. I have a feeling we’ll all be going into the program after this.”

  Neil chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “Maybe you can set yourself up near Meredith. She’d keep you from being bored.”

  “And you can always open a restaurant,” Nancy added, trying to joke, despite her fright. “You’re a terrific cook.”

  Walking under these conditions was far harder than it had been in the tunnel. Vines, roots, and weeds crisscrossed the path, ready to ensnare the unwary hiker. Julia fell twice, and Dan moved ahead of them to help her. While Neil stumbled once, he quickly regained his footing. He breathed a sigh of relief when the dilapidated house Todd had mentioned rose out of the smoke ahead of them.

  Those walking ahead stopped so abruptly that Neil almost crashed into them, barely holding onto Nancy in the process.

  “Stay here while I check things out. Dan, you’re with me,” Todd said.

  Neil gently rocked Nancy in his arms as the seconds turned to minutes. What could be taking so long? Had they known about Todd’s escape route, too? In some ways he felt like the World War II POW’s must have felt after they’d escaped through the tunnels. The enemy was out there, watching and waiting, ready to catch them at any time, and if they did, they would show no mercy. The glow on the horizon behind them proved it.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Todd materialized out of the smoke, and Neil started, clutching Nancy to him.

  “Relax,” his partner said, reaching out to pat his shoulder. “Everything looks good. The car’s in the garage on the left. The driveway’s overgrown but passable. I’ve got a map to show you. Once you get to the road, you’ll turn right. It’ll take you to Highway 10. When they realize we weren’t in the house, they’ll be looking for you along that route so you need to get off it as soon as possible.”

  Neil nodded. Under no circumstances could they follow their original itinerary. Whoever had blown up this safe house and attacked the other could easily have had access to the pre-arranged plans since they’d been formulated in Baltimore where the leak had to originate.

  “Let me get the women settled inside the car,” Neil said, “and we can talk.”

  He carried Nancy to the SUV. As he did, Dan stood up. Most likely, he’d been checking the undercarriage for a bomb or a tracking device.

  “It’s clean,” Dan said, brushing dirt off his jeans.

  Todd nodded and exhaled.

  Nei
l hoped Nancy wouldn’t understand what he meant. Julia, more in control of herself than she’d been but still shaking, opened the vehicle door.

  “I’m sorry I lost it back there. This is my first mission. I never expected … From now on, I’ll be fine. Let me get her buckled in.”

  Neil deposited Nancy on the seat and smiled down at her. Her eyes were swollen from the smoke and crying, and in her pallor, the freckles on her face, her fairy kisses as he’d once called them, stood out. She was trying to be brave, and he couldn’t be more proud of her if he tried.

  “I told you we’d get through there safely.”

  She nodded, and smiled weakly. “In the future, if I ever complain about life being boring, just remind me of this.”

  He grinned. “I’ll do my best not to bore you. You were very brave.” He kissed her softly, pleased by her shy response, but pulled away to let Julia get in beside her.

  The woman held a small oxygen cylinder with a built in mask.

  “Where did you get that?” he asked.

  “From the medical kit Dan packed.” She shrugged. “It’s like the guns, right?”

  Neil nodded and closed the door. “Smart move to bring that oxygen along,” he said to Dan, moving them both to stand beside Todd, well away from the back seat of the vehicle where they wouldn’t be overheard.

  “I thought it might come in handy.” He shrugged. “Julia’s going to give her something to relax her, too,” Dan said. “Not enough to knock her out in case something happens between now and wherever were going, but enough to let her sleep comfortably. She’s not in a lot of pain at the moment, but who knows how hard several hours sitting in the car will be for her. I’m more worried about her breathing right now. Even minor smoke inhalation could do a number on her weakened lungs.”

  “I know.” Neil rubbed the back of his neck. “I just hope to hell we’ve done the right thing.”

  He thought of Nancy’s comment back at the house. Nine out of ten times, running was the wrong thing to do. He felt a lot like a bird flushed out of the brush by a good dog, and it wasn’t a sensation he enjoyed. He was about to say so when another explosion rocked the earth bringing him to his knees. He turned to see the light on the horizon behind them glow even brighter. Why launch a second rocket into a destroyed building?

  Someone didn’t just want them dead, they wanted them eradicated from the face of the Earth and anything they might’ve had with them.

  “What the hell?” Taking a deep breath, he turned to Todd. “I guess this means we’re going really dark. What’s the plan?”

  Todd pulled out a map and spread it across the car’s hood. They’d done this before, they would do it again, but this time the stakes were higher than ever.

  Neil stood next to Todd as he outlined the plans. Dan, his attention split between the flames shooting skyward in the distance and what Todd was saying, cast worried glances toward the car.

  “How do we keep in touch?” he asked. “I mean if Nancy needs other meds for her chest or someone else gets sick ... we all breathed in a lot more smoke and crap down there than was good for us.”

  Todd pointed to the open roadmap on the car hood and nodded. “It pays to be overly cautious, so if there’s something you need, let me know now, and I’ll see it’s waiting for you before the day is out. I put this plan into place as soon as I got here. Neil and I have done this before and we have both regular and emergency contacts established. I’ll know where you are every step of the way.”

  Neil nodded. “And this time, you’ll have to really keep that information to yourself. You can never be too careful in this business, and you know it. So, I take it this is Plan C?”

  “Yeah. It’s going to ruffle a few feathers when they figure it out, but a man’s got to play the hand he’s dealt. There wasn’t a whole hell of a lot of time to put things in place even if the preliminary plans were made. Lake City is just a few miles south of Highway 10 on Highway 75,” Todd said, indicating the route on the map. “I have a burner phone, one without GPS in it, and I’ll make a call and have another vehicle waiting for you there. Your contact will have the rest of the route for you.”

  He handed Neil three brand new cell phones.

  “There’s twenty bucks of prepaid minutes on each of them. I picked them up out in LA before we flew to Baltimore, so I know they’re clean. I was going to give them to my brother’s girls. Keep them turned off unless you’re calling in, and don’t use the same one all the time. I put a charger in your bag. Call in at 6:00 PM EST. Once your allocation is all used up, ditch the phone and get a new one rather than buy more minutes for these.”

  “Where will I meet the car?” Neil asked, pocketing two of the phones and handing the third to Dan.

  “There’s a gas station on the outskirts of town. It’s called Jeter’s. Ask for Lou. The password will be the same as the one we used in Anchorage.”

  Neil chuckled. “Okay. It would be pretty hard for that one to be used accidentally. Will Lou have the contact number?”

  “Yes—automated drop box. Leave me a message, and I’ll do the same. Unlock code for the box is ‘twins’. Don’t contact anyone else, not even Anderson, until I give you the word. Lou will tell you where to go.”

  “Got it. This isn’t my first rodeo,” Neil said, although it was the first time he wasn’t the one in charge.

  He reached over and gave Todd a bear hug.

  “Are you sure we can’t drop you somewhere?”

  “No. I’ve got a motorbike stashed here.” He checked the phone he held for messages and visibly relaxed. “That was Mac,” he said, shoving the device into his pocket. “They’re safe, but Meredith must be terrified. I’m on my way to them as soon as you’re off. If they suspect the women know something, they’ll be on their radar, too. I can’t let anything happen to them.” He shook his head, his eyebrows creased so deeply, they looked like one. “This would be a whole lot easier if we knew who we were running from.”

  “What about Julia and me?” Dan asked, his mouth taut in concern.

  “Right now, you need to stay with Nancy and Neil. As soon as I know more, there’ll be a message in the drop box for you. Don’t worry, I’ll let your wife know you’re fine.”

  “Thanks, Todd,” Neil said, knowing he might never see his old friend and partner again. “Be careful. Watch your back. Whoever these guys are, they could be anywhere. Don’t trust anyone.”

  “Ditto. This isn’t over—not by a long shot.”

  Todd shook Neil’s outstretched hand and moved away from the SUV.

  Dan got in on the passenger side while Neil walked around to the driver’s door. Nancy was in the back seat behind him, sitting quietly next to Julia, her seat belt buckled, and her oxygen mask held in place by a wide elastic band. Her eyes were wide open, her fear easy to see, so whatever she’d been given hadn’t kicked in yet.

  “Okay, boys and girls,” he said, suddenly wondering if the ignition wasn’t rigged to blow. “We’re off.”

  Neil turned the key, exhaling when everything worked properly. Maneuvering slowly along the path, he did his best to steer around roots, rocks, and broken branches, the snares that earlier had pulled at their feet and now sought to impede the tires. The glow of the fire and the occasional flash of lightning were enough to show him the way. When he reached the main road, sweat beaded on his forehead and he had a death grip on the steering wheel. Veering right toward Lake City, he didn’t use the SUV’s primary lights until he was a good ten miles farther down the road. He wouldn’t feel safe until they left Florida far behind.

  Driving quickly but carefully, he stayed slightly under the speed limit, not wanting to attract any undue attention. The rain had started as soon as he’d pulled onto Highway 10. Traffic was light, and he checked the rearview mirror constantly, worried they might pick up a tail. He’d kept the front windows open a crack until all the smoke had cleared from the vehicle. At the moment, he’d give his eyeteeth for a cup of strong coffee.

&n
bsp; Nancy, now off the oxygen, conversed quietly with Julia, the nurse doing her best to keep her distracted. She hadn’t fallen asleep despite the mild sedative Julia had given her.

  Dan, riding shotgun, stared out the windshield, his eyes alert for night hazards, which in this part of the state included white-tailed deer and their four-legged hunters, Florida panthers. Hitting either one could be disastrous. He sure as hell hoped the weather would keep them in their dens tonight.

  After what seemed like an eternity, the Lake City exit came into view, and Neil left the highway, turning south onto Route 75. Less than fifteen minutes later, the neon sign announcing Jeter’s Gas and Sundry came into sight.

  The place looked deserted, but he wouldn’t take any chances.

  “Wait here.”

  Exiting the vehicle, he walked over to the office. The small bell over the door tinkled and a middle-aged, Creole woman, her hair fluffed into an afro, entered the office from what was obviously her living room, the sofa and television set visible through the open doorway. She wore an oversized gray sweatshirt with the Florida Panthers’ logo on it and jeans. Her feet were shoved into fluffy pink slippers.

  “Evening,” he said. He’d pulled on a nylon jacket to hide his gun. “Looking for Lou. Is he around?”

  The woman grinned, showing off a huge gap between her front teeth. “Ain’t no ‘he’ here, boy. I’m Lou. What can I do for you?”

  Neil nodded at the woman who could probably play center on any football team. “Sorry about that,” he said, “I’m just not use to this much snow. What have you got? Ten feet of it?”

  The woman nodded, “More like fifteen.”

  She held out her hand and he shook it.

  “Been a coon’s age since I saw that much white stuff. You must be Neil. Been expecting you. I have a van around back all gassed and ready, and a message. ‘The peaches are safe, but head for the hills. Mama’s waiting for you.’ I figure you know what it all means.” She handed him a set of keys. “Paperwork’s in the glove compartment along with some other stuff you need.”