The other two men in the Jeep got out, yelling at each other.
Demetrius sprinted for the trees and thick, lush growth. Two miles was a lot of ground to hide in if he had to.
A bullet blew off a chunk of a palm tree as he passed.
He ducked and veered to his left.
A downed tree lying over a rock ahead offered what he was looking for.
Demetrius dove behind the cover and went to his knees. He used the knife to slice off the restraint.
“Where’d he go?” That was the passenger.
“I just saw him.” The driver had a harder tone.
“We need to call for backup.”
“No! Do not do that. We’re going to find him and take care of this ourselves.”
Demetrius put his back up against the rock and blew out a breath. He closed his eyes and listened to them tromp through the foliage.
Any moment now they’d come into view.
“We should split up,” the passenger said.
“No. We stick together.”
Demetrius turned his head and hefted the knife in his hand, feeling its weight, finding the point of balance.
“I fucking hate it out here.” The passenger stepped into view, back to Demetrius.
Now.
Demetrius hurled the knife and ducked.
A chunk of the tree behind him splintered into bits.
He sprinted forward, putting distance between him and the only other man standing.
Demetrius had survived too damn much to give up now. He was going to make it off this rock and he was going to get his babies back. It didn’t matter how many people he had to kill to get there, he would make it home to them. And then—he’d take down that shady motherfucker who dragged him into this mess.
…
Sunday. Lighthouse Cay, Caribbean.
Lillian held tight to the bars and strained to look through the window in her neighbor’s cell.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
Again, she was ignored. Shunned by the others.
Something was wrong. She couldn’t put her finger on what or why, it was just a gut sensation. She might have ignored it had the others not gotten restless.
How long since she’d last spied Demetrius?
Where was he? Had something happened?
He was the closest thing to an ally she had right now. Lillian wasn’t a fool. She knew this relationship was based on need. Plain and simple. Demetrius wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if it furthered his agenda.
She wrapped her arms around herself. With the sun gone and the wind picking up, it was cooler. What worried her most was the pitch-blackness of the night. There was hardly any moonlight and even the stars seemed dim. As though they knew something bad was coming
Her stomach growled.
The guards had given them a bunch of sandwiches earlier, but one meal wasn’t enough.
Lillian paced her cell, tugging on the bars again.
The wall was solid. The bars were anchored in the concrete. The only way in or out was through the locked door. Unless she discovered a weakness in the roof she couldn’t reach, she was stuck.
The people in the cell next to her began talking, whispering back and forth.
Lillian strained to look out their window, but all she could see was the dark sky.
“What are you doing back here?” a man called out.
“Coming to relieve you.”
Lillian knew that voice. She stopped breathing, every fiber of her focused on listening.
“But—”
The man’s words were cut off, but the waves didn’t drown out the muffled sounds of distress followed by island silence.
The door to the building opened.
The people in the next cell called out to Demetrius in other languages, their hands outstretched toward them. He brushed past them and came straight to her.
“We have to go.” He fit the key in the door.
“Has something happened?”
“They tried to have me killed.”
“Shit.”
The cell door swung open. She was one step closer to freedom.
“Come on,” Demetrius said.
“What about them?” Lillian nodded at the cells full of people.
“I can’t help them.”
“Give me the keys.” She held out her hand.
Demetrius stared at her. It wasn’t a friendly look.
“Everyone deserves a fair chance. Think of them as a distraction if you like. With all of us running around they won’t pick you and I out. Besides, they’ll probably scream if we leave.”
“Fine. Be quick.” He thrust the keys at her.
Lillian went to the cell across from her and locked eyes with a man who had to be one of Jonas’s former compatriots. The ones who were so ready to blame her for everything now that their hack made them targets.
“You can hate me all you want, but we want the same thing.” She fit the key in the lock. “Let the others go, okay?”
“Come on,” Demetrius whispered from the door.
She twisted the lock until it clicked.
Lillian jogged to the door, joining Demetrius. She pressed up against the wall and peered out past Demetrius.
“Shit,” he muttered and shut the door a bit more.
“What?”
“Someone spotted the body,” he said.
One by one the cell doors opened and the people spilled out.
Lillian strained to see anything past Demetrius.
A shadow moved, getting bigger.
A hand grabbed Lillian, jerking her to face him.
The man from the cell shoved her up against the wall, his hands wrapping around her throat. “You. You’re the reason this happened.”
Demetrius whirled and drew a gun.
The people around them scattered back, out of the way.
“Let her go,” he said.
The man let go of Lillian and slowly backed up.
Demetrius grabbed her by the wrist and trained the gun on the door.
The hinges creaked. A guard filled the space, his face hidden by shadow.
For half a second the man stared at them.
Demetrius fired.
The man pitched back.
They sprinted forward before the other man was fully dead. Lillian tripped over his legs and in the sand before getting traction.
People yelled. Some screamed. The waves drowned some of it out, but not enough.
“Run to the Jeep!” Demetrius yelled.
…
Noah stared at the small pinpoints of light growing larger on the horizon.
If their coordinates were correct, that was the island where Lillian was being held.
Twenty years ago Lighthouse Cay disappeared off most commercial maps. It wasn’t a blip on the digital worldview. It might as well have ceased to exist for the last two decades.
What Noah was afraid of was that this detail indicated just how powerful and old SICA was. If they got Lillian back, if they took out those pillars holding up the organization’s infrastructure, would that make a difference?
Truth was he didn’t give two fucks about that. He liked to think that he’d just take her away from this fight, but he knew her. For now he had to worry about the next step before he could figure out how to battle the monster they were up against.
The boat motor sputtered and died.
That was the signal.
No one spoke. He tugged the knit face mask into place.
They were doing a pinch approach, one boat approaching from both sides of the narrow island where there was the most activity. To prevent the sound of the boats giving them away they’d have to allow the tide to carry them to shore.
Just another hundred yards to go.
Noah leaned forward, searching the darkened shore for signs of life.
Lillian had to still be there.
He grabbed the binoculars from the bottom of their glorified inflatable raft and peered at
the shore. Without the moon it was hard to make out more than shadows and a few shapes. They had no idea how sophisticated this base of operations might be.
“I don’t see any sizeable structures,” he said.
Irene held out her hand and he passed her the binoculars. “This might not even be the right side of the island,” she said.
“There’s some movement… Patrol at least.” She handed the binoculars back.
The minutes ticked by. The tide brought them ever closer.
This was one of those ops where they either succeeded or failed. There was no extraction plan. No escape if things didn’t work out.
“This is where we get out,” Brandon announced from the back of the boat.
Noah tightened the strap on his rifle. The water should only be hip high. He threw a leg over the side and slid into the water as the boat tipped into the trough of an incoming wave. His feet hit the sandy bottom and he bobbed with the water, letting the waves pull him forward. He grabbed a handhold on the boat and dragged the small craft along with him.
They were all here. An op of this size meant all hands on deck. As many as they could manage. It was a measure of how important Lillian was to their team. She knew their names, where the proverbial bodies were buried, every plan they’d made. Getting her back was a tactical move for everyone else.
For Noah, this was personal.
Without her, he had nothing. His job was gone. He was a wanted man. But he could handle that if he had her.
She was his heart. His new reason for living.
Noah kept his eyes trained on the shore. Bit by bit he could make out more of the layout.
The plane sat off to the right, the ramp down and a lantern shining on what looked like two men.
“Veer left,” Noah said.
They were going to hit the shore too close to the guards the way the water was taking them.
The boat shifted and they picked their way toward the shore, traversing the current. The warm water pulled at Noah’s legs and the sand slid under his feet.
So far so good.
He blew out a breath, almost ready to call the approach part of this op a success.
A single gunshot ripped through the night.
For a moment Noah stood there, numb and afraid.
Lillian…
Screams rose up from their left.
People sprinted across the sand.
“Noah, move,” Irene barked.
“We’ve reached the western shore,” Andy said through the headset. “Proceeding inland.”
Noah pushed on, dragging the boat with him though all he wanted to do was abandon it.
Figures dashed this way and that on the island. Where were they all coming from?
The waves beat at Noah’s calves. He hoisted the boat up out of the water, the others taking his lead, and together they shouldered the weight of the boat. They moved forward with haste as the situation on the island began to unravel.
“Guys, something’s not right,” Andy said.
“Drop the boat,” Noah said.
“I’ve got this. You go.” Irene waved him on. “Go get Lillian.”
Noah lifted the weapon and peered through the scope, searching for one person. Figures darted around the sand, going this way and that with no sense of order. Some were wearing body armor, while others were in plain clothes.
Two men in black body armor stopped a dozen feet away and stared at them. Noah didn’t wait for the men to realize they weren’t supposed to be there. He squeezed the trigger once then a second time. The two men hit the sand.
The people on the island were running from a set of three buildings on Noah’s left. If he was going to find Lillian, that was where he needed to begin his search. He took off, the others following close on his heels in tight formation. Their plan of sneaking onto the island and finding Lillian was no longer an option. Chaos reigned.
Noah reached the first of the three buildings closest to the shore. A man lay in the sand; the ground sustained a dark color under him. Noah pressed his back to the wood and ducked inside, but the interior was empty. Metal cells lined the inside and the doors were open. They hadn’t just been holding Lillian here. There were other prisoners.
“She’s not here,” Brandon said.
“I can see that,” Noah snapped.
“What the hell is happening?” Irene asked via the comms.
“Someone shot a guard. The cells are empty.” Noah pushed past Brandon. This felt like an escape plan and that meant Demetrius had come through for them. Wherever he was, that’s where they’d find Lillian.
“No!”
The single panicked cry sent a shiver down Noah’s spine.
He knew that voice, and it was the most beautiful and terrifying sound he’d ever heard.
Noah whirled and searched for the source.
There.
A woman dashed forward, headed for a Jeep parked forty or so yards away from the jail shack. A large black man was hot on her heels followed by guards. More armed men were headed straight for them followed by an old familiar face.
…
Lillian pumped her arms at her side. The sand churned under her feet. She felt it slide into her boots and socks. The feel of it grounded her in the moment as she ran, sucking down lungfuls of oxygen.
“Go, Lillian. Go!” Demetrius yelled.
Lillian darted a look over her shoulder in time to see Demetrius throw a punch, hitting a guard in the face. More armed men were closing in. There was no way Demetrius could fend off all those men by himself, but without a weapon she was useless.
The Jeep.
She kept going, sprinting the last of the distance to the vehicle. She threw herself at the back of the Jeep, feeling around the inside for something. A weapon. Anything that would help.
Her hand closed around a cold, metal object.
The barrel of a gun.
Lillian picked up the weapon and turned, her knees shaking. Four men walked toward her, Demetrius held between them.
This was it. They weren’t coming back from this. Demetrius’s hand was forced and they just didn’t have the resources to get off the island. That didn’t mean she was going down without a fight.
“Put the gun down, Lillian,” Hector ordered from behind the wall of men approaching from her left. The ocean breeze blew his jacket out behind him like some sort of cape.
In the distance, gunshots blasted through the calm of the night.
She flinched.
The guards were killing the other hostages. They were killing these innocent people. Because of her. Because she’d come up with this plan she thought would work, and all she’d managed to do was get people kidnapped and killed.
Except every hacker who’d been brought here believed in something greater than themselves. They’d all made the decision to fight for what they thought was right in their own way.
Lillian wasn’t done fighting. Putting down her weapon wouldn’t stop the bloodshed.
She pointed the gun at the man holding on to Demetrius and squeezed the trigger.
The weapon jumped in her hands, the barrel tilting up. She took a step back, unprepared for the amount of recoil. The man holding on to Demetrius cried out and went to a knee. Demetrius yanked away from the man and whirled, driving his elbow into the chest of the next closest man. He drew that man’s gun and pointed it at Hector, backing toward her.
Her relief at getting Demetrius free was short-lived.
They were outnumbered, outgunned, and had no way to get off the island if they didn’t take it over. But could they? If they somehow overpowered Hector and his guards, would they be able to get off the island? Or would they die here?
Hector’s backup headed across the sand toward them with haste. Fear bubbled up inside of Lillian. How were they going to get out of this? How would she ever see Noah again?
“Put your weapons down,” the man in the lead said.
That was not Hector’s backup…
…
Noah sprinted toward the Jeep. The sand slowed him down, sucking his feet down into the shore.
Two of Hector’s guards dragged the black man toward the Jeep. That had to be Demetrius. No wonder he hadn’t heard them on comms.
Lillian lifted her arms and pointed a gun at the men holding Demetrius.
A blast of muzzle fire lit up the night.
“No,” Noah said between breaths.
Those men weren’t going to back down once they’d been fired on. In their stead, Noah would fire first.
Demetrius whirled away from the guards to stand with Lillian.
Noah was finally in shooting distance. His body went cold and his vision narrowed to the scene playing out in front of him. He’d kill them all if it meant saving her life.
He lifted his rifle and aimed at the man closest to Lillian, slowing his stride to ensure his shot hit his mark. “Put your weapons down!”
“Noah?” Lillian choked out his name.
He stopped, not daring to get closer.
The men with Hector pivoted, keeping Lillian and Demetrius on one side and Noah and his team on the other. Like a well-oiled machine half went to their knees while the other half remained standing. Some aimed their weapons at Lillian and Demetrius, while the rest were trained on Noah.
“It’s over, Hector,” Irene said, coming to stand next to Noah. She hadn’t stayed with the boat. “We’ve got your island surrounded.”
Hector stared at Noah. They were both learning the truth that neither really knew each other. When it came to loyalty, Lillian had every bit of Noah’s and that meant he was all in with his rogue team of patriots.
“We have secured the plane and the three structures,” Andy said through the comms.
Irene and Brandon fanned out on either side of Noah, presenting a strong front.
“How’s this going to play out, Hector?” Noah asked.
“You don’t know what you’re doing. What’s at stake.” Hector lifted both hands. “You might take us now, but you’ll never get all of us. Believe you won the battle all you want, but this is a war no one will win.”
“Tell your men to lower their weapons,” Noah said.
“I can’t do that.” Hector took a step away from the men.
Sweat trickled down Noah’s spine. Faced off like this, someone was going to get hurt. And Lillian was right out in the open.
“Keep them talking,” Andy said in the headset.
Traitor Games Page 31