Snatched

by Michael Arches

  How hard can it be? She bent low, wrapped one of Maggie’s arms around her neck, and held on tight with her good right hand. Then, she tried to straighten up.

  She managed to pull Maggie up to a sitting position in the cart, but she couldn’t raise her butt off the ground.

  Trying once more, Athena made a maximum effort and groaned as she lifted.

  No use.

  Instead, she laid Maggie down and pulled Jackie up. Athena would have to find someone else to help lift Maggie.

  “Let’s get you out first,” Athena said to Jackie, who seemed too out of it to respond.

  Athena managed to get Jackie up farther, but not onto her shoulders. What now?

  “You ladies look like you could use a little help,” a familiar voice said from close behind her.

  Athena shrieked and wondered whether she was hallucinating. She spun around. Beau stood behind her with two big men wearing some kind of uniforms covered with debris from the fire.

  “Beau! I can’t believe it. How’d you get here?”

  “You two can chat about that later,” the biggest man said. “I’m Jack. I’ll get the large woman. Hiram, can you take the shorter one?”

  “Sure,” the second cop said.

  Beau grabbed Athena’s strong right hand. “Lean on me. Let’s go.”

  But first, she had to be sure her friends were in good hands. She watched as the biggest deputy lifted Maggie onto his shoulders and strode toward the wall of fire like he was invincible. Hiram did the same with Jackie, who gained her senses long enough to give Athena a grin.

  She reminded herself that the road ahead was made of dirt and rock. It couldn’t burn. It just looked like a solid wall of flame, an illusion.

  She took a deep breath, tightened her grip on Beau’s shoulder, and they followed the others into hell.

  -o-o-o-

  UT 95, South of Homestead House

  Leo’s stomach stopped gurgling once they made it to the state highway. From there, it was an easy drive east to Monticello’s airport. They’d made it out of the compound in time just ahead of the fire, so the hard part was over. He tried not to think about the women he’d abandoned. The fortunes of war.

  He drove the truck east, no faster than the speed limit, and he had to slow down considerably for every curve. The truck hadn’t been designed to carry this much weight. Pregnant women were damned heavy.

  A warm feeling spread inside him. They’d escaped the compound before the Feds arrived. He’d noticed the helicopter flying overhead to Homestead House. Another close call. Best of all, they could actually breathe the air along the highway without choking.

  Leo turned north on US 191, heading to the airport on the north side of Monticello. A moment later, sirens wailed ahead in the distance. A line of five cop cars with flashing lights topped the rise in front of them, speeding right at them. But they flew past without slowing.

  In a mirror, he watched as they turned right onto UT 95, the road he’d just left behind.

  Leo grinned at the guards sitting next to him. “Time to begin working on our Spanish, si?”

  All three of them laughed.

  -o-o-o-

  South of Homestead House

  The heat inside the tunnel of flames was so intense Athena had to close her good eye most of the time. The inferno roared too loud to talk over. And it was damned hard to stay upright. It didn’t help that her left foot often landed somewhere different than she expected.

  Luckily, Beau held on to her tightly around the waist and caught her each time she stumbled.

  By some miracle, the guys ahead remained upright and moved onward, despite their heavy burdens. On the bus ride into the compound, the narrow, rocky gap had seemed only about a hundred feet long, but that had to be wrong. The six remained surrounded by flames for what seemed like an hour.

  Burning embers kept landing on Athena’s head and clothing. She felt the sting as the little fires started on her and worried that her hair would light up, but the sweat on her body had evaporated and left behind a thin shell of baked-on ash and soot. It acted like a fire retardant.

  She was running short of breath. Couldn’t breathe inside the tunnel, the air was too poisonous, but couldn’t keep moving for much longer without oxygen. Her legs began to wobble.

  And her mind shrieked—she needed fresh air. Nothing else mattered.

  She cracked open her good eye to see if it was safe to fill her lungs. No, but up ahead, a clear patch existed among the dark gray clouds of smoke.

  She lumbered toward it, pulling Beau along, but then her legs collapsed and her mind began to cloud.

  Beau half-dragged her to the clear air. Then they both sucked in deep, wheezing breaths, over and over. Without his help, she would’ve passed out within sight of their goal.

  Beau stood next to her grinning. A few feet ahead, the deputies still carried their burdens. Like giant robots, they didn’t seem to need to breathe.

  Just beyond them, two men jumped out of a tan camouflaged helicopter with stationary rotors. One of them wore a deputy’s uniform, and the other, a suit and tie.

  The new cop said, “Thank God you made it. I had my doubts. Let’s get those ladies into the chopper.”

  Both back doors on the flying machine had been slid open. The men, God bless them, hurried forward, and the pilot laid Maggie and Jackie on pads in the cargo area and strapped them down. He told Athena, “Sit in the seat next to me and put on a helmet.”

  Six men sat in the seats between Athena and the cargo area.

  The pilot started his machine, and the rotors threw up a blinding cloud of dust, ash, and burning embers. Using the microphone in headphones built into the helmet, the pilot reminded them to strap in tight with their seatbelts.

  Seconds later, they broke out of the clouds above them and began zooming to the hospital in Monticello. Everyone introduced themselves to Athena, and she thanked them from the bottom of her heart for saving herself, Maggie, and Jackie.

  They’d made it out alive, against all odds. She said a prayer thanking God for their deliverance.

  It wasn’t long before Athena’s mind turned to the next problem—finding that son of a bitch Leo and his gang. Fortunately, the helicopter was a true war machine. It came equipped with a fifty-caliber machine gun. Hiram called it Betsy. He sat behind it and swore he knew how to use it. Athena couldn’t help but grin as she thought of swooping down Leo like in those war movies.

  The most direct route to Monticello’s hospital was northeast, but another forest fire blocked the way. Instead, Dusty had to fly east past the mountains, then he swung north.

  Athena couldn’t help but admire his skill in maneuvering through strong, gusty winds. One mistake on his part, and it’d be game over for all of them.

  When Athena remembered the five women who’d run off ahead of her, she asked about them.

  “Before we landed at Homestead House,” Dusty said, “I got a radio call. A Forest Service fire crew had picked the women up right where I waited for you. The women told the fire guys about you three and said that one was too badly injured to walk. If it’s any consolation, they felt really bad about abandoning you. But not bad enough to go back and help, of course. Selfish jackasses.” He snickered. “Anyway, they also gave the fire guys a description of Leonid Ivanov’s truck.”

  “We put a BOLO out on that truck right away,” Yang said from behind her. “No results so far.”

  Chapter 28

  Memorial Hospital, Monticello

  Dusty landed, and several ER nurses waited to offload Maggie and Jackie. That took only a few seconds.

  As soon as they left, Athena said to no one in particular, “We have to find that rat bastard Leo and his truck. It’s packed with about sixty women and girls, mostly pregnant.”

  Yang said, “Dozens of law enforcement personnel are searching.”

  Athena tamped down her frustration. They were doing their best.


  “We can join the search now, too,” Moore said.

  “The airport might be their destination,” Athena said, “if it can handle bigger planes.”

  The sheriff nodded. “Yeah, I agree. Couldn’t understand before how they could expect to transport dozens of pregnant women for very long while they’re standing upright.” He turned to Dusty. “You have enough fuel to search?”

  “Over half—wait, radio call’s coming in. It’s Darrell. He says he almost got hit by a truck that smashed past his roadblock. He’s okay, but rattled.”

  “Good Lord!” Moore said. “He’s my officer just south of town. The suspects are danged close. Let’s find them.”

  They tried to take off without Athena, but she climbed in her seat and put her helmet back on. “Remember, I’m the only one who actually knows these assholes. You might need my help.”

  The sheriff shrugged and looked at Yang. “I’m taking my two guys. If you don’t want her along, speak up.”

  Yang said, “Henry, she’s right. We might need her.”

  Dusty grinned at her, started the engine, and took off. He first went vertical to find the truck.

  “Also, I should’ve told you earlier,” Athena said, “Leo’s boss is someone named Hugo Langer. He might be moving the whole operation to Nicaragua.”

  Dusty radioed that information into his dispatcher and asked him to pass it along to one of the FBI agents.

  They flew above US 191 north of town and quickly spotted a white truck. Athena confirmed it was the right one, thanks to the ventilation holes in the tailgate.

  The truck had almost reached the airport, which was only a few miles north of town. The airport consisted of one long runway oriented roughly north-south. A medium-sized jet sat with an open door at the northern end of the runway pointed south. Santiago’s BMW was parked close by.

  No time to waste. Athena said, “I think we should disable that jet before it can take off.”

  Moore said, “Hiram, can you shoot out its front tires? We don’t want to hurt anybody. Heck, we don’t know who’s in that plane or why they’re here.”

  Hiram chuckled. “Not a problem. Dusty, take me in close on a parallel track.”

  Leo’s truck was just turning off the highway onto the airport’s long access road.

  The chopper headed for the jet, coming in fast and low. Dusty stayed far enough away to give Hiram a good shooting angle.

  The jet’s door closed, and it started moving forward. Whoever was inside obviously didn’t want to stick around. Too bad, Santiago.

  Before the plane picked up much speed, Hiram let loose a burst of gunfire that boomed inside the chopper.

  Bullets ricocheted off the asphalt in front of the jet, and the front wheel assembly shattered. A loud screech occurred as the plane’s nose dropped and skidded to a halt on the runway.

  “Fine shooting, Hiram,” the sheriff yelled. “Now, you best take out the SUV to make sure nobody tries to take off in it.”

  With only a few shots, Hiram chewed up the Beemer’s front and.

  “Good ‘nuff,” Moore said. “Dusty, how about you swing around and pace the truck. Hiram, when you get a good, clear shot, put a few rounds in the engine. Be damned careful not to hit the cargo area.”

  “Easy as pie,” Hiram said.

  The pilot did a quick aerial U-turn and flew parallel to the truck.

  Athena turned her head to check the jet. Luckily, nobody was trying to get out yet. Santiago had to be inside and probably wasn’t alone. She could have a dozen heavily-armed cartel thugs with her. Can’t let her get away again.

  Leo tried to evade the chopper, but the road was narrow with nowhere to turn around.

  Hiram let loose another burst. The truck’s hood flew up, and chunks of the engine scattered in every direction. The vehicle screeched to a halt.

  “That oughta do it,” the sheriff said. “Dusty, put us down about fifty yards out from the truck and position us so Hiram can let loose again if somebody gets cute.”

  The pilot followed the sheriff’s orders.

  “Care to play, Stephen?” Moore asked.

  The top Feeb yelled, “Leonid Ivanov, you and your crew, exit the cab slowly. Hands held high.”

  Leo and the other two assholes in the cab followed his instructions.

  Everyone but Dusty exited the chopper.

  The cops arrested the three thugs, placing them face down on the asphalt with their hands cuffed behind their backs and feet tied together.

  One of the deputies stayed with the prisoners while the other cops and Athena dashed to the back of the truck.

  Before they opened it, Athena said, “Be careful. They’re packed in tight. Some folks could fall and get hurt.”

  Yang nodded at her then said, “Let’s extend the ramp and raise the tailgate slowly. People can hold onto it if needed to maintain their balance.”

  They opened the back slowly, but even with that extra care, one woman fell into Yang’s arms.

  All the women and girls in the truck began talking at once.

  With a booming voice, Moore said, “Welcome to Monticello, ladies. You’re safe now. Everybody, please remain calm while we help you out.”

  The guards who’d been stowed in the back were also arrested and placed on the asphalt with Leo.

  -o-o-o-

  When a victim made it to solid ground, Athena comforted her. Many faces were stained with tears, and some had vomited. They told her about the horrible experience they’d endured, being driven around in the dark like cattle without knowing what would happen to them next.

  Two cop cars and three ambulances arrived. Athena was particularly happy to see the EMTs because she was no nurse. Didn’t even have food or water to hand out, much less medicine. Thankfully, the pros took care of the women and girls.

  To gather her wits, Athena sat alone in the middle of the road. Her work was done, but every minute or two, she glanced over at the plane to make sure nobody tried to sneak away.

  Athena had finally begun to relax when Cici sat next to her with a big-ass grin on her face. “Hot damn, girl! We did it. Saved everybody.”

  Her mood was infectious, and Athena giggled. “Yeah, we did, didn’t we? Thank God, you found that password, or I’d be dead by now and you’d be on your way to fucking Nicaragua.”

  Cici laughed like that was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. Then, she said, “I hate to break it to you, but you’ve looked better—white from head to toe then rolled around in ashes. What happened after they locked me and the others in that damned truck?”

  Athena told her without embellishing. Cici’s eyes and mouth opened wide and round.

  “Super holy shit!” she said. “You barely made it out alive. We gotta celebrate.”

  “We should. As soon as we get back to town and I’ve had a chance to check in on Maggie and Jackie.”

  With a mischievous grin, Cici said, “Let’s smuggle in some beer.”

  But she was still a kid, and Maggie and Athena were pregnant. “Nope, no booze for anybody.”

  Cici pouted.

  Athena went on the offensive. “How old are you, anyway?”

  “Twenty-one,” she said with the most innocent face Athena had ever seen. The girl was destined to be an actress or a lawyer.

  “Bullshit. Don’t lie to me. I can find out.”

  The girl pouted again. “Okay, eighteen…almost. Less than a month.”

  That brought tears to Athena’s good eye, and her throat tightened. “You’re so young.”

  Cici’s cheeks flushed red. “No more tears. Our nightmare’s over, girlfriend. The past is only a memory, and I choose to forget. Laissez les bons temps rouler.”

  That phrase reminded Athena of Beau and all he’d done to save them. She choked up again.

  But another glance over at the jet chilled her out. It sat silent, nothing apparently happening. But Athena knew that couldn’t be true. One of
the country’s most dangerous criminals was scheming only two hundred yards away.

  She said to Cici, “Listen, I have a few loose ends to tie up, but we’ll celebrate today. I promise.”

  Cici nodded and strolled back to the other women.

  Chapter 29

  Athena looked for Beau. All the cops had been scurrying around. Athena noticed him and waved him over.

  “I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier how much I appreciate your help, beginning with when I first laid one eye on you at the Durango airport.”

  Without thinking, she kissed him square on the lips.

  He gave her a quick hug and kissed her back then broke from the clench. “We can do that later, more private like.”

  She remembered how many people surrounded them, including the people on the plane. “Listen, I have to talk to you about Dominique Santiago. She and I have an ugly history.”

  “We know,” Beau said. “At least, Yang and I do. We found out who you are when we analyzed some of your blood at the La Plata compound.”

  That simplified things…and complicated them. “So, you know why I damned sure don’t want her to get away again.”

  “Yeah. Let’s chat to Yang and Moore.”

  They walked together to the FBI boss first. He was standing by himself and talking on the phone. When he saw them approaching, he motioned for them to stay back.

  A moment later, he hung up and walked over to them. “What a great day, and it isn’t over yet! Something on your minds?”

  “We’re worried about Santiago and whoever else is in that jet,” Beau said. “They are smart, and Athena and I expect them to make a break for it before every cop in Utah shows up.”

  “Funny you should mention her. The lady has powerful friends in DC. I was speaking to some deputy assistant attorney general who wants us to hold off on making any moves against the plane. I made no promises, and it’s really up to Moore. Technically, this is his turf.”

  They found him talking to one of his crime scene guys collecting evidence in the truck’s cab.

  Yang explained the potential law enforcement complications related to the jet’s occupants.