“Yes, sir.” The commander clicked the radio at his shoulder. “Duncan, report to the director with your medkit.” The commander spared a glance at the unconscious man, then looked across the room to Elyan Gould. “That was impressive flying. You kept us all alive. Thank you.”
Elyan Gould nodded once. He looked like a man who needed a stiff drink. Or several. Hallie didn’t blame him. She couldn’t imagine the panic or chaos of being inside the helicopter when it was being fired on. She and Girard had been under fire, but they’d been on the ground, not hovering in the air.
The commander left the room, pulling his helmet on as he walked, the sound of his footsteps fading as he headed to the front door.
“You train for it,” Elyan Gould said, voice low. “Simulations. Lots of them. But it’s nothing like the real thing.”
“That’s why we do the training, though,” Peredur said, tone calm and matter-of-fact. “Even if it’s not the same, it still lets your body know what’s needed before your brain has time to get in the way.”
Elyan gave a hollow laugh and scrubbed his hands over his face. He looked a bit less shaky, though. “What can I do?”
“Nothing,” the director said.
“I need to do something,” Elyan protested.
Seeing the troubled frown on the pilot’s face, Hallie straightened. “Actually, there is something. This is Jonah’s office. We haven’t had time to have a proper look around, but it’s possible there’s useful information in here.”
“That’s true,” Girard said. “So far all we’ve got is our own guesses about what’s going on. It would be useful to have confirmation.”
“And I don’t understand how Jonah has been able to operate this way. He’s got fuel for ATVs and probably generators, packaged food and bottled water, and a lot of weapons while the rest of the island is living in primitive conditions. All the houses we’ve seen have relied on water drawn from wells and the only light was from candles or lanterns,” Hallie pointed out.
“Gould, it looks like you’ve been volunteered as fact-finder,” the director said briskly.
The pilot nodded. His colour was better and Hallie could see his focus sharpening as he was given a task to do. “Any names or information I should keep an eye out for?”
“Findo Trask is the only name I know,” Hallie answered.
“Ah. Fugitive. Recently escaped from custody,” the pilot said, nodding. He looked around the papers on the desk then the rest of the room as if sizing up the task ahead of him.
Another set of boots came along the corridor and another man in tactical gear appeared at the doorway. Unlike the commander, he still wore his helmet.
“Sir. The commander asked me to report to you,” the newcomer said, after a quick look around the room.
“Duncan, yes. The co-pilot was injured. We need you to take a look at him. And keep watch here, unless the commander gives you other orders,” the director said.
“Sir.” The man pulled off his helmet and Hallie recognised the other half of their escort to the island, what seemed a long time ago. Duncan crossed the room to where the co-pilot was still unconscious and unmoving on the sofa. As he moved, Hallie saw he had what looked like a heavy backpack across his shoulders.
Peredur turned to Hallie and Girard, face grim. “While the commander and his unit are working, let’s see if we can track down this Rhodda person.”
“Sir,” Girard acknowledged. He glanced at Hallie.
“Lead the way,” she told him, lifting her chin slightly in case he had any ideas about leaving her behind. He just tipped his head in acknowledgement and headed out of the room. Hallie was not surprised when the director moved with them back into the shadows of the house.
Chapter twenty-six
Halliewasalsonotsurprised when Girard led them back to the kitchens then briefly outside before turning to the corridor that led to the lift. They were on Rhodda’s trail and the woman had been focused on getting her son, last seen down at the harbour. Even with the heavy socks that the director had provided, her feet were still cold and she could feel every bump on the hard ground as they left the house for the brief walk to the next doorway. It was now full night, the sky clear of clouds, the moon and stars providing enough light for her to see reasonably well. Whatever Rhodda had done to the floodlights behind the house must still be in effect as no artificial lights appeared to blind them.
As they approached the doorway that led to the lift, Girard stopped in his tracks, body tense. Hallie copied his movement, raising her gun to a ready position. A moment later she saw what had made him pause. There was movement ahead of them,shadows reflected on the wall. Someone was coming towards them.
Conscious of the director at her back, Hallie drew in a careful, slow breath, trying to still her nerves. She wasn’t alone facing whoever was on their way. To add to that strangeness, she also trusted the people she was with. She didn’t need to be wary of what they might do, only of whoever was approaching them.
Jonah appeared in the doorway, apparently relaxed and confident. Naturally he’d stayed underground in the harbour while he sent his men into danger. He was carrying a small lantern which provided a dim light. Enough for human eyes to see. He was followed by Rhodda, who looked tense and unhappy, with Brock bringing up the rear of the small group.
The so-called governor stepped out into the cold night air with all the assurance of someone moving around his own territory. He halted a pace from the door, eyes turning unerringly towards Hallie, Girard and Peredur. Rhodda and Brock stopped beside him and in the soft lantern light, Hallie could see that Rhodda had been crying, although her face was now blank of all expression, as if she was in total shock.
Jonah turned and ran, with a surprising turn of speed. He was heading for the ATV shed. Hallie set off after him, barely aware of the hard ground under her feet, catching up with him as he reached the open door to the shed. She managed to shift her weight, sending one foot out to trip Jonah so that he fell forward onto the concrete floor. Before he could gather himself, Hallie had one foot on his back, remembering that she had a gun now and pointing it at him.
“Stay down or I will shoot you,” she told him, slightly out of breath.
