We watch, half horrified, half impressed, as Ant practically throws himself at the tailgate, climbing quickly as the old truck picks up speed.
Javier and I are still running as fast as we can when Ant kicks in the little window in the back, shimmying his tiny body into the truck’s cab. The truck, now two blocks ahead of us, immediately slows and swerves.
The sound of an approaching vehicle from behind has Javier and me spinning around, guns ready. It’s Emil, driving Gael’s baby SUV. I jump into the passenger seat, nearly conking my head as Javier scrambles in the back. Emil takes off before Javier even closes the door.
The truck in front of us is lurching forward unevenly, and we can only see flashes of flailing limbs through the small window. Ant and Gael are no doubt in an epic battle with the guy, but the blackout window tint prevents us from seeing what’s happening. We catch up to them within seconds, rapidly leaving the settlement behind as we head toward the feeder road.
“Your backpacks are there,” Emil says, gesturing next to Javier as he swerves around a guy on a horse.
The truck jerks to the right and slows again as the passenger side door opens, and Gael is shoved onto the street, bloodied and unconscious.
Ant starts climbing out after him, even as the truck rolls forward. He’s dragging a foot on the pavement when he’s snatched back, and the truck takes off again.
Emil pulls over to the side of the road and hops out. “Leave me with Gael. Go! Go get Ant!” he shouts.
Javier jumps into the driver’s seat and stomps on the gas.
“This is my fault,” he mutters, dodging a pothole and speeding so fast the small engine whines. “They know where I live because I used to sell their skunk weed and thought I was cool doing it.”
I shake my head. “Hey, there’s no time for that. Stay in the game. We just blew their biggest asset sky-high. We endangered the family by coming here. I should’ve known better.”
Javier and I share an awful look as a call comes in on his cell. It’s Emil, and Javier puts him on speaker.
“It’s not his blood. He’s conscious, but…”
Emil’s words cut off as Gael throws up his breakfast. His heaving sobs wreck me, and he’s inconsolable as he tries to put together the words to explain his fear and grief.
“Same people…going to torture him…revenge…”
Emil’s voice is strong and gentle. “Gael, mijo, you did everything you could.”
Gael’s sobbing gives way to hitching words. “They thought I was…Ant. That’s why…they grabbed me. They were…they were….telling me all the terrible things they were…going to do to me, and I realized…” Tears overwhelm him again. “Those were things they’ve already done tohim.”
Bile rises in my throat as he haltingly continues, “I knew, but I didn’t know. I didn’t understand, Erik. I—I sliced off half the driver’s hand, but he got the knife away from me. He was going to stab me, but Ant kicked in the window and then started punching him in the ribs. When the guy slowed down, Ant pushed me out of the car. He said he would die before he let them touch me.”
“Okay, y’all. Hang tight. Ant knows how to handle himself, and I’m about to call in the big guns,” I promise as I pull my phone from my back pocket, hitting the one number I know will get a response.
I nearly sob with relief when Anders’ voice comes on the line. “This is the Bat Phone.”
“Anders, it’s Erik.”
“Fuck. Where do you need us?”
“I’m in Guanajuato. They’ve taken Ant. He’s wearing the tennis shoes. Sendeveryone.”
Anders, who’s always good for a joke, has only steel in his voice. “Roger that. You got comms?”
“Yeah. Gimme a sec.”
Ant makes fun of me for being so meticulous and having a special pocket for everything, but he’ll have to eat his words when I find the case that holds our comms earbuds within a few seconds. I pinch out one of the small devices and insert it into my ear canal.
I then dig out the other earbud and shove it into Javier’s ear as he makes aTokyo Drift-style turn on the highway.
“Anders, switching now,” I say into the cell phone before hanging up. After a beat, I tap the earbud and ask, “Anders, Javier—can you hear me?”
Javier sends me a thumbs-up, and Anders answers, “Loud and clear. I’ve got Jake coordinating with Ryder on the tracking and satellite imagery. He’ll have more access.”
“Hopper. I want you to callHopper,” I choke out, murderous intent rising in my throat.
