“No, just Indiana Jones.” It would have been an incredibly dangerous act at any time, but after Sasha’s warning it could have had lethal consequences for Gilroy. “Korgan should never have told you to do it.”
“It was a mutual decision.” He shook his head. “No, it was really mine. I would have done it no matter what Korgan said. I made Sasha a promise. I had to keep it.” He was gazing restlessly at the munitions shed. “Are you finished with me? I need to report in and then do a final check on the helicopter before it’s time for us to start out for Masenak’s camp. It all may come down to split-second timing.”
“I’m done with you.” She took a step back and then said haltingly, “Thank you, Gilroy.”
“No problem. I may see you later at the trucks. It depends on what Korgan decides about Baldwin. Either I lead the goat that lures Masenak to the slaughter, or I join your team to help get those students out of that tent.” He was turning away. “It’s all about the timing…”
“You keep saying that,” she called after him. “What timing? And what was the time on the message you left for Sasha?”
He only answered the last question before he disappeared into the munitions shed. “One forty-five A.M.”
* * *
One forty-five A.M.
Sasha took a deep breath as she looked down at the single line of script on the notepaper on her pillow.
One forty-five. And it was now nine fifteen. In a little more than four hours, the attack was going to happen.
She was starting to shake. Lord, she was scared. The responsibility was terrifying. If she did anything wrong, if she gave anything away, someone could die. She could die.
But she had known it was coming. She had been the one who had made sure it would come. So stop being a coward and just face it. Try to pretend it was like the first time she’d ridden Chaos, when she knew he still hated her and was going to try to kill her. She had ended up in the dirt, but he hadn’t stomped on her. She might end up in the dirt again, but she wouldn’t be alone as she had been that day. Gilroy had kept his promise today, and she would have Alisa and Margaret. That meant she would have someone else to help pick her up and get back on her feet if the going got too rough.
But in the end the responsibility was her own and she had to accept it. She put on her jacket and slipped the signal jammer in the pocket. She left her tent and headed for the prisoner tents. She wanted to be there to rouse the girls quickly when the time came. Perhaps even warn some of them ahead of time if she thought it safe. It was unusual for Sasha to go back at night, but she could always pretend she was concerned about Jeanne. It wasn’t really pretense. The child had been hurt physically as well as mentally, and Sasha was afraid of infection.
But if all went well, Jeanne might get the help she needed before the night was over. Only a little longer…
One forty-five A.M.
* * *
Border Base Camp
11:25 P.M.
“It looks like a military staging area for a major invasion,” Margaret said dryly to Alisa as she glanced from the teams getting their final orders before they got ready to move into the jungle to the two waiting trucks. “Which it probably will be.”
“Which it has to be,” Alisa said tensely. “We don’t have any choice. We won’t get a second chance if we screw up.” She moistened her lips. “And Sasha and those students won’t have a chance in hell to survive.”
“Then don’t screw it up,” Korgan said. Alisa turned to see him coming out of the munitions shed a few feet away from where they were standing. “And stop complaining. I’m giving you the best shot I can, and it should work. It’s all a question of timing. All you have to do is keep to the plan.”
“I’m not complaining, I’m commenting.” She was on edge, and that remark had suddenly sparked her anger. “And you wouldn’t be barking at me if you weren’t worried that something might go wrong. Yes, you’ve done a good job, but nothing is ever totally without fault. Neither of us expects it to be.” She took a step closer to him and said fiercely, “And I know it’s a question of timing. You’ve drilled it into all of us all day. You’re sending Margaret to show the sharpshooters and the team you’ve designated to take out the sentries their exact locations, but they can’t make a move before your drones attack at the camp. Our two trucks with another team will approach from the west, park in the jungle a mile from the main camp, and wait for the big boom. But we’ll have to wait, too. Because you’re timing the drones to hit Masenak’s troops at exactly one forty-five.” She threw up her hands. “Boom! Presto. No more army. Fire and death raining down from the sky. Smoke to cover us when we go to the prisoner tent to get those girls and take them to the trucks. Then the sharpshooters surrounding the camp will hopefully give us cover fire for the few soldiers left in the camp after your bomb does its work.”
“Not hopefully,” he said sharply. “They know their job and they’ll do it.” He turned to Margaret. “Any complaints from you?”
She shook her head. “Just about your bad temper. But Alisa’s right, you’re only on edge because you know you’re not perfect, and it bugs the hell out of you.” She chuckled. “What a terrible burden when everyone on earth believes you can’t be anything but flawless.” She shrugged. “Though I imagine you might have come pretty close with this plan. It will be clean and unexpected.”
“Thank you,” he said dryly. “I can only try to please you, Margaret.”
“Then you shouldn’t have been an ass to Alisa. She didn’t need that bullshit tonight and you know it.” She turned to Alisa and gave her a quick hug. “I have to go join my team. It’s time for us to start that hike through the jungle. I don’t have the luxury of hopping a ride in a truck to Masenak’s camp like you. I’ll see you and Sasha back here later.”
“Yeah, later. Take care.”
Margaret smiled over her shoulder. “Always. You, too.”
Alisa felt a ripple of trepidation as she watched her friend move toward the forest. Margaret was supposed to be guide, not warrior, but roles and situations changed constantly. Margaret wouldn’t hesitate if she thought Sasha needed her.
“She was telling you the truth.” Korgan’s gaze was on her face. “There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to bring Sasha back here tonight.” He paused. “Margaret was right, I’m on edge, but not because I doubt myself. I never said I was perfect, but I’ve done the best I can down to the last detail. It’s a damn good best. Those students are going to be on Gilroy’s helicopter out of here by dawn tomorrow. I promise you.”
“That’s good. That’s all I wanted,” she said wearily. Then she made a face. “No, I also wanted you not to growl at me when I dared to say there might be problems tonight. You were acting like the ass she called you.”
“Yes, I was,” he said immediately.
“That was almost too easy.” She hesitated. “And I’m worried about Masenak. He could give Sasha trouble after those drones takes out his troops unless you stop him before he can make a move. What about using one of the sharpshooters?”
“Excellent thought, but I prefer to get him away from the camp entirely and not rely on even the finest marksman. It’s already arranged.”
“How?”
“Thanks to Gilroy, Masenak will get a call from the soldiers guarding his helicopter site. They’ll tell him that Baldwin wandered into their camp drunk as a skunk and wanting to talk to him. That should bring him running.”
“And then?”
“And then you leave Masenak to me,” he said softly. “There might have to be a third drone launched in his direction to make sure he’s no longer a problem.”
She was silent. “You didn’t want to do that. You wanted to use him to trap Reardon.”
“I told you I’d make a decision. I’ve made it. The timing is running too close. I promised you that I’d get those students out. I might not be able to extract them unless I get rid of Masenak at the beginning of the operation. I’ll take him down n
ow and find a way to get Reardon later.” He turned away as Vogel came out of the munitions shed but then abruptly swung back to her. “You don’t have to go in that truck tonight. Vogel’s team are experts, and he has plenty of men. He doesn’t need you.”
She stared at him in bewilderment. “But I need to go,” she said quietly. “Sasha…”
“Why did I even try?” He was cursing softly as he turned back toward Vogel. “Then at least stay in the truck, dammit.”
* * *
Prisoner Tent
1:25 A.M.
“Burning the midnight oil?” Masenak asked mockingly as he strolled down the aisle to where Sasha was kneeling beside Jeanne Palsan. “Tell me, are you going to take care of my horses as well as you do these sluts?” He gazed at Jeanne critically. “Frankly, I think she’s a lost cause. Does she have a fever?”
“Why do you think I’m here so late? She has a temperature and I’m trying to bathe her and bring it down.” She put a cool cloth on Jeanne’s forehead. “I asked the guards for more medicine, but they said they’d have to ask you. I’m asking you now. She’ll die and you won’t be able to get any ransom for her at all if she doesn’t get antibiotics.”
“I’ll think about it.” He shrugged. “After I used her in the event, she might not be worth nearly as much as before. Her parents might consider her damaged goods.”
Sasha had to grit her teeth to keep from lashing out at him. “You could be surprised. Not everyone regards victims as disposable.” The clock was ticking. She had to get him out of this tent in the next few minutes. “I don’t believe you came here tonight to tell me to stop treating Jeanne. Particularly if you think she’s not worth your while to save. Why are you here?”
“Actually, it was purely selfish. I care nothing about your little friend, but I don’t want you to become overtired caring for her. I want you to get a good night’s sleep.” He smiled. “Because tomorrow morning we’re going to go to the mountains, and I’ll let you do something of which I do heartily approve.” His eyes were glittering with excitement. “I received the video from my trainer. Your Chaos may make my future very profitable. I can just imagine that son of a bitch Reardon choking with rage when I take that race.”
That name again. “Reardon? I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“You will very soon. In fact, the bastard may try to steal you from me if you perform well.” He looked down impatiently at Jeanne. “So get out of here and go get some sleep. She’s not worth bothering about. After you leave tomorrow, there won’t be anyone but the guards to look out for her anyway.”
“All the more reason for me to spend a little more time with her. I might be able to break the fever. Let me just spend another hour or so.”
“I told you she wasn’t worth—” His phone was ringing. He looked down at it impatiently. “It’s Sergeant Rosaro at the helicopter pad.” He pressed the ACCESS button. “What the hell is wrong, Rosaro?” He listened. Then he began cursing, low and vehemently. “That stupid asshole. I can’t believe it. I’m going to break his neck. I’ll be right there.” He cut the connection and turned to leave. “Baldwin just showed up at the camp helicopter pad stinking drunk and telling everyone he has to see me. After I find out what he’s been up to, I’m going make him sorry he ever caused me all this trouble.”
“I told you he was either drunk or eaten by a python. I would have preferred the snake.” She added quickly, “Can I stay one more hour with Jeanne?”
“I don’t give a shit.” He was striding out of the prisoner tent; his attention was clearly focused only on Baldwin. “I might feed him to that python myself…”
Sasha gave a profound sigh of relief. That had been incredibly close. It was one thirty-five. Ten minutes to go until—
“That scared me,” Natasia whispered. “It’s going to be all right, isn’t it? It’s still going to happen.”
“I was scared, too,” Sasha said. “Eight minutes. It will happen in eight minutes.” She reached over and broke the chain link binding Natasia to the post. Easy, brittle…It was like snapping a pretzel. “Don’t do anything until you hear the explosion. Then you can start making sure the girls are loose and ready for the team to get them out of here. I’ll go to the back of the tent and start in the last row and work forward.” She frowned as she glanced at Jeanne. “You’re in charge of getting Jeanne out of here. She’s not going to know what’s going on. Call me if you need me.”
“I won’t need you.” Natasia’s cheeks were flushed. “We’re really getting out of here, Sasha?”
“We really are.” She felt like crossing her fingers as she said the words. It seemed to be too good to be true after all that had gone before. “Just get those girls in both tents loose and keep them quiet for the next seven minutes.”
* * *
Masenak’s Helicopter Pad
1:43 A.M.
“I’m here.” Baldwin’s voice was slurred as he saw Masenak stalking toward where he was sitting by the fire. “Are you glad to see me? It was all your fault I left, you know. Everything is always your fault. You treat me with no respect.”
“I treat you better than you deserve,” Masenak said grimly. His gaze raked Baldwin from head to boots. “You’re filthy and you stink, and you’ve caused me more trouble than you’re worth.” He turned to Sergeant Rosaro, standing next to him. “He’s in good shape? No sign of damage or abuse?”
“No bruises. He seems fine. Except he’s so drunk he’s having trouble standing up. He came weaving into our camp calling your name and saying he’d made you pay, but now he was ready to forgive you.”
And that was humiliating in itself, Masenak thought angrily. Dangling their relationship before his men and making him seem weak. Rosaro wasn’t even meeting his eyes now. “Forgive me?” he hissed. “I’ll roast that bastard over a fire like a—”
The earth shook and threw Masenak to the ground!
He was stunned for an instant and then he saw the flames billowing from the infantry quarters of the main camp. Before he recovered, another explosion hit the camp!
Attack. He was being attacked! A bomb of some sort. A drone? CIA? It didn’t matter. He’d kill them all. He’d show them they couldn’t do this to him.
He was reaching for his detonator as he jumped to his feet. He pressed the remote explosives switch.
Nothing. He pressed it again.
Nothing.
He didn’t understand. This shouldn’t have happened. The attack on the main camp had come out of nowhere and been too smooth, too focused.
And someone had known about the remote detonator and taken care of deactivating it. That meant they might know about the helicopter and where he was at this very moment.
Son of a bitch, he could be the next target! He had to get the hell out of here.
He started to run.
* * *
1:48 A.M.
Another explosion!
Sasha had thought there were only going to be the two, but she wasn’t about to question it. It was only important that by pressing that signal jammer she had kept this prisoner tent from going up in flames.
But the girls were screaming and starting to move around. It might be only a moment before the guards ran in here and saw that she’d managed to free them.
She stiffened as the door to the guardroom flew open.
But it was Alisa who stood in the doorway, her gaze wildly searching the crowd of students. “Sasha!”
“Here!” She was pushing her way through the girls to get to her. “I thought you might be the guards.” Now she could see that Alisa was surrounded by a dozen or so men dressed in the same camouflage she wore. They were already streaming forward and starting to shepherd the students out of the tent. “What happened to the guards?”
“What do you think happened to them? We were on the attack at that back entrance sixty seconds after that bomb hit.” She was gazing frantically at Sasha’s face. “Are you all right?” She didn’t wait for an answer. �
��Yes, I can see you are.” She gestured toward the students. “We’ve got it under control. There are two trucks parked in the jungle a couple minutes west of here that will take you all to the border. Now get out of this tent. It could catch fire any minute from sparks from that blast. Korgan’s drones hit his target right on the nose, but there’s a wind and it’s blowing in this direction.”
“I can help.”
“You’ve already done your job. I want you in that first truck out of here.” As she saw Sasha open her lips to argue, she said impatiently. “If you want to help, go to the trucks and do a count to make sure we haven’t missed anyone. You’re the only one who can do that.”
Now wasn’t the time to argue. Alisa was right: She was familiar with all the students and could identify them. The last thing Sasha wanted was to leave even one of those girls behind. She turned and ran for the trucks.
The air was full of smoke, and she could hear the flames crackling and the screams of the soldiers from the area where the drone had dropped the bomb. Don’t think of them, she told herself. Think only of what had been done to those girls.
Then she pushed through the brush and reached the trucks. The enclosed back of the first truck was almost completely occupied, and she brushed aside the soldier who was trying to help her into it. “No.” Do what she had been sent here to do, she told herself. She looked carefully at the faces of the girls. Remember every one…
Then she ran to the rear of the second truck. Only half full, but there were still students streaming from the prisoner tent. She could see Alisa and her team moving quickly, efficiently, guiding the last of the students toward the trucks. As they came toward her Sasha’s gaze scanned the new arrivals’ faces to identify them. Laurel. Kela. Solange. Natasia. Christine—
She suddenly stopped short
Natasia.
Natasia was at the head of the pack coming toward her, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
But where was Jeanne?
Sasha ran toward Natasia and grabbed her arm. “Where’s Jeanne? I told you to bring her.”
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