replied, “but I’d feel a hell ofa lot better if we could just be done with this thing. You find the weapons?”
“They’re here,” Drake answered. “Just like she said. One-stop shopping for terrorists. My guess is that di Silva’s been stockpiling for months. They’re documenting it now.”
“And, Tyler, you’ll be able to take it out?” Avery asked.
“Should be able to. But it’s going to be a hell of a blast. Which means it won’t be much of a secret. We’ll have to be ready to move when it goes.”
“You’re going to blow it all up?” Madeline asked with a frown. She’d known they were going to destroy the weapons, but she hadn’t realized that meant the ruins as well. Her heart twisted.
“We don’t have a choice.” Drake’s somber gaze met hers. “There’s no time to move them. And we can’t risk their being sold.”
She nodded. “I just think it’s sad. I mean, all of this—it’s survived for so long…” she trailed off, not sure what else to say.
“Sometimes,” he said, “we have to make sacrifices for the greater good.” The words were clipped but she could hear the note of pain in his voice. Every action had a price. And this one was costing Drake Flynn.
“Hey, Madeline,” Tyler called, frowning down at the duffel holding her equipment, “would you mind giving me some more light over here?”
“Sure.” Grateful for the distraction, Madeline nodded as she grabbed a flashlight and headed over to Tyler.
“Avery?” Drake called into his mic. “You still there?”
“Roger that.”
“Have you heard anything from Jason?”
“Yes,” Avery replied, his voice thready in Madeline’s ear. “He’s in place. But he still hasn’t been able to contact Hannah. Between the mountains and the trees there’s just too much interference. Hopefully he’ll be able to rig something. But in the meantime, we’re on our own.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem as long as it stays quiet,” Nash said as he snapped another photo.
Madeline lifted the flashlight and held it over Tyler’s shoulder, illuminating the duffel’s contents. Tyler sorted through her equipment, sighing as she pulled out several of the components.
“Is something wrong?” Drake asked, moving over to join them.
“Yeah,” Tyler sighed, lifting her gaze to meet his. “Someone’s had a go at my bag. Everything’s been tampered with. The equipment’s totally fucked. There’s no way this stuff is going to blow anything.”
CHAPTER 6
H ow the hell could the explosives have been compromised?” Avery asked, as Drake joined them at the mouth of the clearing. Madeline had been uneasy ever since they’d left the airfield, but now suddenly the weight of what she was doing hit her full force.
If Ortiz caught up with her, she was a dead woman.
She glanced around the clearing, sizing up the opportunities for escape. If things went well, she’d let them get her out of the country, and then make her move. But if things went south—and it was beginning to look as if that was going to be the case—the only choice she had was to make her escape on her own.
She owed these people nothing.
“I’ve got no idea. Tyler says she checked everything before we left. So your guess is as good as mine. Anyway, the point is that all of it’s trashed,” Drake was saying. “And if Jason can’t get through to Hannah, it’s going to be the blind leading the blind as far as knowing if di Silva is in the area.”
“I’m going to go talk with Tyler,” Avery said. “Drake, you stay here with Madeline.”
“But I…” she started, but Drake cut her off with a crooked smile.
“Not a problem. I’ll be happy to keep watch.” His gaze swept slowly from her head to her toes, leaving a trail of heat as it passed. “Over everything.”
Madeline sucked in a breath, hardly noticing as Avery walked away, her eyes locked on Drake’s, her stomach clenching in anticipation of something she wasn’t even certain she wanted
“They’re here,” Drake answered. “Just like she said. One-stop shopping for terrorists. My guess is that di Silva’s been stockpiling for months. They’re documenting it now.”
“And, Tyler, you’ll be able to take it out?” Avery asked.
“Should be able to. But it’s going to be a hell of a blast. Which means it won’t be much of a secret. We’ll have to be ready to move when it goes.”
“You’re going to blow it all up?” Madeline asked with a frown. She’d known they were going to destroy the weapons, but she hadn’t realized that meant the ruins as well. Her heart twisted.
“We don’t have a choice.” Drake’s somber gaze met hers. “There’s no time to move them. And we can’t risk their being sold.”
She nodded. “I just think it’s sad. I mean, all of this—it’s survived for so long…” she trailed off, not sure what else to say.
“Sometimes,” he said, “we have to make sacrifices for the greater good.” The words were clipped but she could hear the note of pain in his voice. Every action had a price. And this one was costing Drake Flynn.
“Hey, Madeline,” Tyler called, frowning down at the duffel holding her equipment, “would you mind giving me some more light over here?”
“Sure.” Grateful for the distraction, Madeline nodded as she grabbed a flashlight and headed over to Tyler.
“Avery?” Drake called into his mic. “You still there?”
“Roger that.”
“Have you heard anything from Jason?”
“Yes,” Avery replied, his voice thready in Madeline’s ear. “He’s in place. But he still hasn’t been able to contact Hannah. Between the mountains and the trees there’s just too much interference. Hopefully he’ll be able to rig something. But in the meantime, we’re on our own.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem as long as it stays quiet,” Nash said as he snapped another photo.
Madeline lifted the flashlight and held it over Tyler’s shoulder, illuminating the duffel’s contents. Tyler sorted through her equipment, sighing as she pulled out several of the components.
“Is something wrong?” Drake asked, moving over to join them.
“Yeah,” Tyler sighed, lifting her gaze to meet his. “Someone’s had a go at my bag. Everything’s been tampered with. The equipment’s totally fucked. There’s no way this stuff is going to blow anything.”
CHAPTER 6
H ow the hell could the explosives have been compromised?” Avery asked, as Drake joined them at the mouth of the clearing. Madeline had been uneasy ever since they’d left the airfield, but now suddenly the weight of what she was doing hit her full force.
If Ortiz caught up with her, she was a dead woman.
She glanced around the clearing, sizing up the opportunities for escape. If things went well, she’d let them get her out of the country, and then make her move. But if things went south—and it was beginning to look as if that was going to be the case—the only choice she had was to make her escape on her own.
She owed these people nothing.
“I’ve got no idea. Tyler says she checked everything before we left. So your guess is as good as mine. Anyway, the point is that all of it’s trashed,” Drake was saying. “And if Jason can’t get through to Hannah, it’s going to be the blind leading the blind as far as knowing if di Silva is in the area.”
“I’m going to go talk with Tyler,” Avery said. “Drake, you stay here with Madeline.”
“But I…” she started, but Drake cut her off with a crooked smile.
“Not a problem. I’ll be happy to keep watch.” His gaze swept slowly from her head to her toes, leaving a trail of heat as it passed. “Over everything.”
Madeline sucked in a breath, hardly noticing as Avery walked away, her eyes locked on Drake’s, her stomach clenching in anticipation of something she wasn’t even certain she wanted
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