by Dee Davis
“You okay?” Nash asked, the proximity of his voice startling her.
“I was until you scared the shit out of me,” she gasped.
“Sorry.” He smiled, his hand on her arm to steady her. “Occupational hazard. Everything look good?”
“Actually, no,” Annie said, handing him the frayed section of rope she’d cut free after Avery’s near miss. “This rope wasn’t cut by a rock. Look at the ends. They’re clean.”
“You’re sure?”
“Nash, I’ve been climbing a long time. Ropes never break. Which means one of three things can happen. They can sever after pulling across a sharp object—rock or ice. They can be chemically damaged. Or they can be cut by a knife. In the first two cases, the ends are frayed. In the last, it’s a clean break.”
“So you think it was deliberate.”
“Looks that way.” She frowned. “I checked the ropes before we left Sunderland. Everything was fine.” She waited while the weight of her words sank in. “I did a cursory check on the boat, but it was dark. I could have missed something.”
“So somewhere between Sunderland and here, someone tampered with the rope. You mention this to anyone else?”
“No.” She shook her head.
“Good. Let’s leave it that way for now. And why don’t you let me hang on to the rope. We’ll want to be sure it gets safely back to Sunderland.”
She handed him the piece of rope. “Should we be worried about the mission?”
“Not as far as the team is concerned,” he said. “If the rope had severed completely, Drake and Avery would probably both be dead. Me, too. Wouldn’t make sense for them to sabotage themselves.”
“What about Emmett?” she asked.
“No way. He’s risked his life for me on more than one occasion. If there was sabotage it had to come from somewhere else, which means we’re probably insulated for the moment.”
“Yeah, well, I say we still need to keep our eyes open.”
“Roger that.” They turned to walk back to where Avery and Drake were crouched by the equipment.
“All right, people,” Avery said, “this is it. From here on we’ll be separating into two teams. We’ll be able to communicate through the coms. But we need to keep chatter to a minimum. If everything goes as planned we’ll meet at the rendezvous in an hour. Helicopter’s scheduled to pick us up at oh-four-hundred. There’ll only be one chance, so I don’t want anyone playing cowboy.” He shot a look in Drake’s direction, but the other man just grinned. “Everyone clear?”
They nodded and Annie stuffed some extra ammo into the bag she’d slung over her shoulder and headed back to the cliff for a last look. The plan was for Drake and Annie to make their way inside and grab Kim, while Nash and Avery worked to neutralize the perimeter guards. Once Kim was secured, they’d all make their way to the rendezvous, hopefully without serious resistance.
On its face, the plan seemed simple, but Annie knew better. In any operation, there were always unknowns, things that couldn’t have been predicted and that, once they happened, completely changed the game. The seagull and the goat had been minor examples. The severed rope potentially a monumental one.
“Hey,” Nash said softly, coming up behind her. “You ready?”
She nodded, arms crossed. “It all looks so peaceful out there, like nothing bad could ever happen.”
“You having second thoughts?” he asked, his hand warm against her arm. “No one would blame you. I mean, you have a son to think about.”
“So do you,” she said, turning to face him. “And if we don’t stop Kim, he’ll never be safe. So, no, I haven’t changed my mind.”
“You’re fearless, you know that?”
“Or foolish. Either way, this is all about Adam.”
He frowned. “I guess I was kind of hoping this was about something more.”
She shivered at the thought, but knew she couldn’t go there. Not now. She had to stay focused. “I think we should concentrate on getting Kim, then when we’re sure there’ll be a future we can talk about it.”
“All right. If that’s the way you want it.” She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed. “But there’s still something I want to tell you,” he said, lowering his voice so that only she could hear. He shifted uncomfortably. “Whether you’re ready to hear it or not. I mean, what if…”
“We’re going to be fine.” She shook her head.
“I know. But I still need to say it.”
Her stomach knotted as she looked up into his eyes, a million different possibilities running through her head.
“I should have said something before,” he said, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “It’s just that I’m not exactly into baring my soul.”
“I wasn’t aware you even had one,” she teased, trying to deflect the butterflies in her stomach.
“I’m serious.” He framed her face with his hands, seeming oblivious to the fact that Drake and Avery were only a couple of feet away. “I wanted you to know that I still love you, too. I don’t think I ever stopped, even when I believed you’d betrayed me. I should have told you eight years ago. But since I can’t roll back time, for what it’s worth, I’m telling you now.”
She nodded, words completely deserting her, her heart in her throat.
“I love you, Annie.” He bent his head and kissed her—hard. And then with a nod at Avery, the two of them were off, disappearing into the shadows of the night.
“That boy’s got it bad,” Drake quipped as he shifted his gun from one shoulder to the other. “What do you say we do our part, and keep you alive.”
“Works for me.” She smiled as they headed toward the white stucco building. “What about you—you got someone waiting back at Sunderland?”
“Not a chance.” He shook his head. “I don’t do relationships.”
“Now where have I heard that before?” She frowned over at him.
“Look,” he said, “what you and Nash have is great, but that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. Some people are just meant to be on their own.”
“But don’t you ever think about having a family?” she asked.
“I’ve got one.” He smiled, his gaze meeting hers. “Half of it is right here on this island.” He held up a hand, and they dropped down behind a stand of olive trees, the leaves whispering above them in the breeze.
“Two hostiles at three o’clock,” he whispered, lifting his field glasses for a closer look.
“That’ll be the house guard.” Hannah’s intel had identified two men walking the walls of the building as well as the perimeter guards. “They should hold position for another few minutes and then separate.”
They watched as the men lit cigarettes, talked briefly, and then, as if on cue, turned and headed out in opposite directions. In just a few seconds, they’d both rounded their respective corners and disappeared from sight.
“So we’ve got like ten minutes before they’re back again,” Drake said, glancing down at his watch. “Let’s hope Hannah’s right and there really is a door back here.”
The entire building, though fortified, was a jumbled mess from centuries of remodeling, outbuildings incorporated into what had originally been the temple to form a labyrinth of rooms, courtyards, and passageways. The entrance was carefully guarded, but the back was subject only to foot patrol, which meant that it provided the best chance for access.
Hannah had managed to obtain an old blueprint dating back to the sixties. It wasn’t exactly up to date, but then neither was the monstrosity sitting atop Devil’s Horn. According to the plans, there was an old gate in the back wall. Originally intended for livestock, it led directly into a goat barn that, according to the blueprint, had long ago been incorporated into the main house.
“You ready?” he asked.
She nodded, and the two of them moved across the open field, keeping to a crouch, the moon fortunately obscured by a bank of clouds. Shadows moved with the wind in the trees, and Annie tightened her fi
ngers around her gun, keeping her eyes moving.
They stopped behind a pile of rocks about fifteen feet from the peeling stucco that marked the goat barn. As promised, the rusty iron of a gate showed black against the white wall.
“Go, Hannah,” Drake murmured as he started out from behind the rocks.
Annie held out her hand to stop him, something or someone separating from the shadows at the edge of the gate. Drake pulled back behind the rocks with a soft curse. A man stood leaning against the wall, an assault rifle slung across his shoulder.
“That’s not one of the original guards,” Annie whispered. “He’s too short.” The man, although muscular, topped out at maybe five foot seven. “You think he’s here to guard the gate? Or just sneaking a break of some kind?”
“I don’t think it matters.” Drake frowned. “Either way, he’s standing between us and the prize.”
“So how do you want to handle it?”
“We need a distraction. Got any ideas?”
“Yeah,” she said, digging in her bag for a knife. “Give me a bullet, and I need a piece of paper.”
Drake shot her a look that questioned her sanity, but he pulled a bullet out of his handgun and handed it to her. Using the knife blade, she levered off the end cap and took the folded paper he’d pulled from his wallet.
“Overdue electric bill?” she queried as she opened the paper, keeping one eye on the man by the gate.
“What can I say?” he said, shrugging. “I suck at paper-work.”
Annie carefully poured the gunpowder from the bullet into the center fold.
“I get it.” Drake grinned. “Greek fire.”
“In its most rudimentary form.” She nodded, adding some pebbles for ballast and then folding the bill until it was about the size of a small cigar. “Hopefully it’ll have enough zip to grab our man’s attention without the need for him to phone home.”
“I like the way you think,” he whispered.
She smiled, then sobered. “All right, then, I’ll give you a few minutes to move closer to our boy there, and then I’ll set this off. Once he turns to investigate, you neutralize him. And then, hopefully we’ll be home free.”
Drake moved out, circling to the guard’s right, using trees and rocks for cover. When he was in place, Annie shouldered her pack, and after laying the improvised explosive on top of a boulder, she lit the end and ran backward to a stand of olive trees.
A popping noise, like wood on a fire, broke the still night, followed by a bright flash of light. The whole thing lasted no more than three seconds, but it was enough to capture the guard’s attention. Drake moved swiftly up behind him, pulled him into a headlock, and with a simple twist, ended the threat once and for all.
Annie closed the distance between them and helped him drag the man out of sight. “Did you get his radio?” she asked as they moved back into the shadows of the wall.
“Couldn’t find one. Based on the sheepskin and the smell, I’m thinking he’s not part of the regular guard. Maybe a local. No way to know. But at least no one will be expecting him to call in.”
The gate, as expected, was locked. But they’d come prepared, and it only took Drake a few seconds to cut through the metal. Careful to keep it from squeaking, they moved inside, waiting a moment for their eyes to get used to the gloom.
“Definitely a barn,” Annie said, wrinkling her nose. “Anybody in residence?”
Drake cautiously pulled out a penlight and flipped it on, the beam cutting a path across the dusty straw-covered floor. Crates and boxes were stacked haphazardly against one wall and a feed bin full of grain took up half the adjacent wall. Opposite the bin was a row of stalls, the shining eyes of a couple of curious goats checking out the newcomers.
“Maybe our guy was the shepherd,” Drake said, moving farther into the room. “He certainly smelled the part.”
“Right,” Annie said, moving slowly in a circle as she checked out the room. “A shepherd carrying an automatic weapon.”
“These times, they are a changin’,” Drake quipped, frowning as he dropped to his knees beside the feed bin. “Check this out. Looks like Hannah’s tales of secret passages weren’t just smoke and mirrors.”
A small grated doorway had been cut into the wall, the panel rusted shut with age, but in the light from Drake’s flashlight, Annie could see rudimentary stone steps curving downward into the dark.
“Probably just a cellar. Carving tunnels in this rock would be a pretty daunting task.”
“So were the pyramids, but they still got built. Where there’s a will there’s a way. But you’re right, those steps aren’t going to take us any closer to Kim. To do that, we’ve got to go through there.” He highlighted a wooden door with his flashlight.
Signaling her to cover him, he moved forward, turned off the penlight, and began to inch the door open. As soon as he was certain it was clear, he moved into the hallway, leading with his gun. Annie followed, the two of them turning full circle back to back as they cased the area for signs of danger.
The hallway was empty.
“According to Hannah’s map,” Annie whispered, “there’s a couple of main rooms on the left.”
Drake nodded. “I’ll take the lead. You watch our backs.” The hallway stretched to the left and right, dead-ending on the right about fifteen feet away. The only door was the one leading to the barn, and a little window cut high in the wall streamed with moonlight, indicating the right path led exactly nowhere.
They moved off to the left, and Annie counted the doors as they moved, stopping when they reached the fifth one.
“This should be it,” Drake whispered, his back flat to the wall. “You ready?”
Annie nodded as she moved into place on the opposite side of the door.
Drake reached out and pushed the door handle down, the door swinging inward as they moved through the opening into the room, weapons at the ready.
For a second there was silence, the room shrouded in darkness, then the lights flashed on as shots rang out. Blinking at the sudden onslaught of light, Annie dove for the floor, hitting on a roll. Drake had managed to take out one man, but two more had rushed to fill the void, pinning him to the wall. Annie lifted her gun, finger on the trigger.
“Unless you want your friend to die, I suggest you lose the weapon,” a voice called from behind her. She dropped the Beretta and slowly turned around.
“Welcome to the Devil’s Horn, Ms. Gallagher,” Kim Sun said, his icy smile every bit as lethal as the Walther in his hand. “We’ve been expecting you.”
CHAPTER 25
Son of a bitch,” Nash said, coming to a full stop behind a group of sun-bleached rocks, Avery dropping down beside him.
“Looks like we’ve got trouble.” Avery frowned. “That sound like Kim?”
“I can’t be sure.” He shook his head. “But it’s definitely Annie. And they’re definitely in trouble.”
“Could you hear Drake?”
“No. And now there’s nothing at all.” His stomach churning, he clenched his fists as he imagined the worst.
“They’re fine, Nash. Annie and Drake can hold their own. And Kim needs them alive. At least until he figures out who else is on the island.”
“Which means we need to move. Now.”
“Agreed.”
“So how do we do it?” Nash said, determination setting in as he steeled himself against all other emotion.
“I don’t know for sure, but I’ve got an idea. Can you raise Emmett on the handset? It’s got a secure channel as well. Oh-six-eight.”
Nash adjusted his earpiece. “Emmett, you there?” Static. “Emmett?” Nothing but white noise. “Damn it.”
“Shift over a little. The rocks might be blocking transmission.”
He moved slightly to the left into the open, Avery covering his position. “Emmett, do you read me?”
“Roger that,” Emmett responded, his voice choppy with static. “That you, Nash?”
“Affir
mative. We’ve got a code yellow. I repeat, code yellow. Second team is down.” He released the button.
“I copy.”
“Look, Emmett, we need to move quickly,” Avery said. “Can you patch us through to Sunderland?”
“On it,” Emmett replied, the sound of him moving equipment accompanying his voice.
“What do you have in mind?” Nash asked.
“The only way we can help Drake and Annie is to get inside. But any attempt to use obvious entrance points will be anticipated. So I figure we’ll shoot for something a little less expected.”
“Hannah’s tunnels. But we don’t even know that they really exist.”
“Well, you better pray that they do,” Avery said. “Emmett, you got Hannah yet?”
“She’s on the line.”
“I’m here, Avery. Emmett filled me in,” Hannah said, her voice steady, but full of concern. “I’m guessing you want me to walk you through the tunnels.”
“Always said you had a quick mind.” Avery chuckled, and despite the gravity of the situation, Nash smiled.
“Where are you?” Hannah asked, cutting right down to business.
“We’re at the east end of the island about ten yards from the main guard station.”
“All right, you want to move south about twenty yards. You should see a pile of rubble. Maybe a column or something? In my rendition it’s still a building. But a small one.”
“Got it,” Nash said, already on the move. “It looks to be in use. An outbuilding of some kind. Maybe storage.”
He and Avery made their way over to the building, careful to keep low and out of sight of the front guards.
“How many outside the compound?” Hannah asked.
“Six, possibly eight. We had visual contact with the two foot patrols but missed the opportunity to get up close and personal with the men on the gate. We saw two before we had to move. But there could have been more.”
“And inside?”
