It seemed an eternity before Sam stepped forward, reaching for her hand. “Let’s get out of here.” They stepped out of the office. Sam glanced to his right, then stopped short.
One of the guards was standing outside the open back door, his back to them. Sam led her in the opposite direction. Keeping to the wall, they reached the front door, which stood ajar.
Sam looked out, then drew Remi toward him. “Stay low. Wait for my signal.”
She looked to her left, just able to make out Dimitris and Zoe near the trees, hidden behind the shrubs by the road.
“Now.”
Remi ducked as she ran. A moment later, Sam followed.
They heard the flatbed truck’s engine starting up. One of the guards was driving the vehicle away from the loading dock.
“That’s the pallet I was telling you about,” Dimitris whispered. “On the back of the truck.”
It stopped in the middle of the complex grounds. The driver got out, leaving the door open, the headlights on, and the engine running. He jogged to the loading dock, where the second guard stood, both men keeping watch down the road to the port. They were eventually joined by the third guard, who came in from the back.
Remi stared at the twin beams of light aimed down the middle of the road. The moment they stepped out, they’d be caught. They’d never get to the dock without being seen unless they found a way across the road to the ruins. From there, it was at least a quarter of a mile to the water, but they’d have trees for cover.
“This is my fault,” Dimitris said. “I’m the one who insisted on going back in the office.”
“No one’s placing blame,” Sam told him. “Let’s figure out how to get out of here.”
Dimitris nodded at the unattended truck. “What if we stole that? I think I can get into it without anyone seeing. We can drive that out to the dock before they ever catch us.”
Remi eyed the twenty yards of open space between them and the truck. “There’s got to be a better way.”
Dimitris looked at Zoe. “I love you.”
Before they could stop him, he darted out toward the opposite corner of the warehouse.
Sam grabbed Zoe’s arm, stopping her from following. As he held her back, Remi glanced at the truck—left so temptingly on its own.
That was when she noticed the red light flashing beneath the pallet.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Sam saw the flashing light beneath the pallet at about the same time as Remi. It occurred to him that the guards had a twofold purpose in their placement of the truck. The headlights facing down the road ensured that Dimitris couldn’t escape without being seen. Leaving an unattended running truck—with the door open—just about guaranteed that Dimitris would try to use it to escape.
It was a trap set for a single person. And had Dimitris been there on his own, it might have worked.
Then again, it might still work, if Sam wasn’t able to stop him.
“Sam,” Remi said. “Do something.”
The IED could be in any one of those boxes, but it was the detonator that was the key. “Which detonator was missing when we walked in?”
“What?”
“There were four types in his photo. But only three when we walked in. One of those is now wired to that pallet.”
He glanced at Dimitris, edging from the corner of the warehouse toward the flatbed—a good twenty yards away. “Dimitris!” he called out. “Stop!”
His warning had the exact opposite effect. The young man ran faster, his attention solely on the truck.
Hoping that he was guessing correctly, Sam aimed his gun at the blinking light beneath the pallet—which left a lot of room for error at this distance.
“Blue lettering!” Remi said. “The one that’s missing from the photo.”
At the last second, he shot out the tire. The sidewall burst, the weight of the cab shifting onto the rim. The blast of intense heat from the near simultaneous explosion hit Sam in the face as the pallet and all its contents launched upward and out in a flash of light. Dimitris was hurled back, slamming to the ground as flaming debris pelted down around him and on top of the truck.
Zoe screamed, burying her head in Remi’s shoulder, while Remi stared in horror. “Is he—?”
Sam tossed his backpack at Remi’s feet. “Wait here.”
He ran out, dropping to the ground next to Dimitris, relieved to see him conscious, though somewhat stunned. “What happened?” Dimitris asked.
“They set you up. The load was rigged.” He reached down with one hand, helping Dimitris to his feet. “Let’s get out of here.”
They heard a loud click as two halogen lamps on posts flooded the area with light. Sam pulled Dimitris back to the office building, then around the corner as the bunker door opened. One of the guards stepped out, aiming a mini Uzi. “Get back,” Sam shouted to Remi.
The gun roared. A deafening rat-a-tat echoed between the buildings. A volley of shots hit the corner of the building and the gravel in front of them. The gunman ducked behind the flatbed. Sam gripped his Smith & Wesson, aimed at the blinding lights, and shot both in quick succession. Sparks rained down, then faded into the dark. A second burst of gunfire peppered the ground several feet to Sam’s left. He edged out, fired at the muzzle flash, heard a grunt, then the clatter of the Uzi as it fell to the ground.
One down.
Sam motioned for Dimitris to move to the trees where Remi and Zoe were hiding. He followed, walking backward, his weapon aimed at the bunker where the two remaining guards were holed up. So far, neither had emerged. Sam had a feeling that they were waiting for him to make the first move.
With only two bullets left, and a good quarter mile to the boat dock, he wasn’t about to take the chance. They still needed to get across to the ruins and thicker trees. With the truck headlights—although now somewhat askew—glaring down the road, they’d never make it past without drawing fire.
Sam looked over at Dimitris, who was holding Zoe in his arms, the young woman sobbing quietly. Unfortunately, the young man’s misguided attempt to save them had actually set them back. Not only did Kyril’s men now know Dimitris wasn’t alone, they knew exactly where they were positioned.
Time was running out. “I’ll stay here and hold them off while the three of you cross over. Get to the dock. I’ll be right behind you.”
Remi put her hand on his shoulder. “Sam . . . ?”
He reached up with his left hand, grasped her fingers. As intelligent as she was, there was no doubt she realized the position they were in. All he could do at this point was hope to hold them off long enough so that the three of them could—hopefully—make it to the ruins. As he let go, about to tell them to get ready, his foot hit his backpack. Ironic, he thought. Here he was with a block of C-4, a detonator, and a remote, but no batteries to set it off.
But he did have a rope.
Simple, but effective.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Remi, her stomach twisting in knots, listened while Sam quickly outlined what he needed them to do. She glanced across the road at the ruins, the moonlight painting the old stones and treetops a soft blue. “Questions?” he asked her.
A million, she wanted to say. First and foremost, how was it that he knew how to do what he did? How was it that he had skills that were beyond those any ordinary man possessed? But all that came out of her mouth was “No.”
“Try not to look at the headlights,” Sam said to her and Zoe. “It’ll ruin your night vision. Once you get to the ruins, use those backpacks to make as much noise as you can. Just keep the trees between you and them.” He picked up one end of the rope coiled at his feet, handing it to Dimitris. “Keep this on the ground as you cross. If anything goes wrong, get them to the boat.”
Dimitris looked at Zoe, a myriad of emotions flitting across his face. He’d done exactly what Sam
had warned against—going it alone—and now they were paying the price. Just when Remi worried that he was going to stand there and beg forgiveness, he took Zoe’s hand in his and nodded. “Got it.”
Remi, holding Sam’s backpack by its straps, started to follow Dimitris and Zoe, then stopped. She turned to Sam, pulled his face to hers, and kissed him quickly. “Be careful.”
He nodded, searching her eyes. “You too.”
She took a deep breath, trying to slow her thudding heart. There were so many ways this plan could go wrong, and it seemed each one of them was rushing through her mind. As much as she didn’t want to leave him, she let go, moving next to Dimitris and Zoe. “Ready.”
They poised themselves at the edge of the road, waiting for Sam’s signal. He stepped out, closer to the warehouse. “Hey! Over here!” he shouted, drawing the guards’ attention. He fired once.
The three of them burst from the trees, Dimitris dragging the rope through the gravel as Sam fired his last shot. They dove into the ruins on the other side just as the guards returned fire.
Safe for the moment, she, Zoe, and Dimitris crouched behind one of the crumbling walls. Dimitris positioned himself in the doorway and gripped the rope, then nodded. Remi crawled to the edge of the ruins, looking across the road at Sam.
When she gave him a thumbs-up, he pulled the trigger several times on his empty gun, the distinct click, click, click audible in the quiet of the night. “Run!” he shouted. “I’m out of bullets!”
And just in case the gunmen didn’t understand English, Dimitris yelled out in Greek, “Hurry! To the dock! He’s out of bullets!”
Remi and Zoe ran into the woods. They darted from tree to tree, hitting their backpacks on any shrubs they passed. The automatic gunfire sent the adrenaline racing through Remi’s veins as she pressed herself against the trunk. But after a few shots, silence descended. The gunmen made no move to pursue them.
Looking over at Zoe, Remi nodded. They ran again, dragging their packs through the shrubs, then ducked behind the next tree, and then the next. Several seconds passed. The only sound was the wind riffling through the leaves on the branches above. If the gunmen didn’t make a move, Sam would be trapped on the other side. Remi edged around the thick trunk, looking back at the compound, seeing the ruins between her and the guards. Apparently they’d played it a bit too safe. Not only could Remi not see the gunmen, they definitely couldn’t see her or Zoe, who was leaning against the tree to her right, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
“We need to find a way to make them follow us,” Remi said.
“How?” Zoe asked between breaths.
Remi eyed the tree and shrubs near the road to her left, the area lit up by the flatbed’s headlights. To get to it, she’d be opening herself up as a target. “It might be Sam’s only chance.”
Zoe saw the direction of her gaze. “Remi, no.”
She wasn’t about to leave him trapped. There had to be a better way to draw the guards out. Gripping Sam’s backpack, she thought about the odds as she glanced across the road, where Sam waited. And then it hit her.
“I have an idea.”
Untying her scarf from her head, she knotted it to the top of the backpack, then heaved the whole thing toward the bush lit up in the beam of the truck’s headlight. As the backpack fell into the branches, the ends of her scarf floated up. Gunfire erupted, the shots ripping through the bush at the decoy.
Remi, her heart in her throat, pressed herself against the trunk. The guards ran out, their heavy footfalls crunching on the gravel.
“Now!” Sam shouted.
She heard the grunts as the two guards tripped over the rope and flew forward.
Sam raced out from one side, Dimitris the other. Sam slammed his booted foot into the ribs of the closest man, grabbed his weapon and aimed it at the other guard. “Drop your gun.”
Dimitris repeated his words in Greek.
The second guard released his pistol. Dimitris picked it up, backing away.
“You can come out,” Sam called.
Remi and Zoe ventured forward. When Remi reached Sam’s side, he handed her the loaded weapon. “If they move, shoot.”
Not sure she could ever pull the trigger, she took a deep breath, hoping no one would notice her hand shaking as she held the gun. She pointed it at the man closest to her, while Dimitris covered the other.
One of the men laughed, saying something in Greek.
Dimitris translated for Sam. “He says we’ll never escape. They’re already on their way.”
“Appreciate the warning,” Sam said. He gathered the rope, using it to tie both men back-to-back. With Dimitris’s help, he dragged them to their feet, led them to the lightpost, and wrapped the remainder of the rope around their waists and the pole, knotting it securely. When he was sure they weren’t going anywhere, he picked up the Uzi from the dead guard, realized it was empty, and dropped it. “Let’s go,” he said.
Dimitris ran back to the truck to pick up a dented tin that had landed a couple of feet from the cab. “It’s empty!” He tossed it aside.
“We’ve got the C-4,” Sam said. “If we’re lucky, they can match it to the explosion on the ship.”
When they reached the dock, there was no sign of Nikos. Now that the immediate danger was over, and the adrenaline had fled Remi’s body, her hands started shaking and nausea threatened. She’d never seen anyone killed before. Try as she might, she couldn’t shake the echo of gunshots from her head. She turned toward Sam in a panic, when suddenly Zoe pointed to the south. “There,” she said.
Remi looked, relieved to see the Asteri motoring across the moonlit waters toward them.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Nikos took off full speed the moment the four boarded the Asteri. Relief flooded his face as he looked back at his son and Zoe. Once they’d put considerable distance between them and the port, Nikos engaged the autopilot. “What were you thinking?” he said, grabbing Dimitris by his shoulders. His face crumpled as he pulled his son close. “What if something happened to you? What would I do?”
“I’m sorry,” Dimitris said, his voice filled with emotion.
“It was me,” Zoe said. “I’m the one who got us into this.”
“No,” Dimitris said. “I should’ve stopped you.”
“The good news,” Sam said, “is that we may have the evidence we need to tie Kyril to the murder of the Interpol agents.”
“What sort of evidence?”
“I’ll explain on the way. Let’s go get the Star Catcher and get out of here. The more miles we put between us and them, the better.”
* * *
—
They found the RIB boat exactly where Dimitris had left it, moored behind an outcropping of rock in the narrow, cliff-edged inlet. Coming from the east, the boat was effectively hidden in the dark. Nikos maneuvered the Asteri next to the smaller vessel, then shifted to neutral. Dimitris climbed down the ladder, stepping into the boat. When he started up the engine, it sputtered and died.
“What’s wrong?” Nikos asked.
Dimitris tried again, with the same result. “Just give me a minute. I’ll get it running.”
Nikos grabbed a small flashlight from the cabin. Turning it on, he aimed the beam at the Star Catcher so Dimitris could work on the engine.
It was taking far too long. Sam, thinking about the guard’s parting remarks—that someone was on their way—took his binoculars, jumped out of the boat onto the rocks, and climbed up to the top of the cliff. A light breeze swept in off the water, the wind rustling the leaves of the nearby olive trees. He moved to the edge, looking out over the Aegean, his gaze following the coastline on the left, trying to see the port. The moonlight glistened off a wake across the water farther out. It took a few seconds before he saw the boat that was causing it, particularly because he couldn’t see any
lights. There was no mistaking the sleek dark outline of the Omega 41.
Maybe he should have killed the two guards when he had a chance. The moment Kyril’s men landed and found the pair, he knew they’d come looking.
Tracing his steps down the hill to the water, he saw Dimitris was still trying to start the Star Catcher. Had there been only one boat hidden in the small cove, they might escape notice if the Omega passed by. With two vessels, they had no hope. “Big problem. Kyril’s boat is heading toward the port. It won’t be long until they start searching for us.”
Dimitris looked up as the engine sputtered. “I’ve almost got it.”
“With the boat they’re in, I’m not sure it’s going to matter,” Sam said. They had less than five minutes to come up with a solid plan. He took a good look around, checking to see if they could somehow make room for the Asteri behind the outcropping of rock. The inlet was far too narrow to fit both boats, and they’d never be able to sink the much smaller and nearly indestructible RIB boat in time. “If we only had the one vessel, they’d probably pass us right by.”
Remi leaned over the railing of the Asteri, watching Dimitris work. “Can’t we just let the Star Catcher drift away?”
“If they find it empty, they’ll still come searching for us. We need to make them think we got away so they leave.”
Nikos, still holding the flashlight for Dimitris, looked over at Sam. “What if I draw them off with the Star Catcher, like you did before?”
“If I thought there was any chance—” His gaze landed on Remi’s suitcases lined up outside the cabin. “You don’t have anything with a hood packed in there, do you?” he asked her.
“No.”
Dimitris looked up as the engine started. “We have a couple of raincoats on board.”
“I’ll get them,” Nikos said.
“Sorry, Remi,” Sam said. “But we’ll need your clothes to stuff into them. Make it look like a couple of people.”
“You don’t think they’ll figure out they’re dummies?”
Wrath of Poseidon Page 18
