“Fine,” Dana said. “No aftereffects from the drugs.”
“That’s what Wolfe said. I’ve been checking in with him daily, and he has reported on you as well.” The doctor drew a rubber band thingy from his bag. “I just want to make sure the drugs have cleared your system and all is well. Does that work for you?”
She held out her arm, laying it on the table. “Sure.”
The doctor wrapped the rubber around her vein and tapped a few times before using a wipe to clean her arm. “This is going to pinch.” He smoothly inserted the needle and drew blood into the attached vial.
Dana looked away from the blood to keep from throwing up.
The doctor watched the vial fill. “There we go. Isn’t it nice that life has calmed down a little?”
Her mouth gaped open. Oh, the poor guy had no clue.
* * *
Wolfe hated leaving Dana, but he had to finish this game of cat and mouse with Gary. The only way to draw out the bastard was to really piss him off, and destroying the drugs he’d trafficked to Mexico was an excellent way to do that. Then they could finally end this thing.
He led Jethro to the C-130 on the airstrip and was met immediately by his military contact, Cathy Roberts, as she crossed around.
“Cathy.” He hugged her and then turned her to meet Jethro. “Professor Jethro Hanson, please meet Colonel Cathy Roberts.”
They shook hands. Cathy looked good with her black hair cut short and her back ramrod straight. “You guys ready for our training exercise?” She used her fingers to make air quotes. “It’ll take us nine hours or so to get there. You have a ride out?”
“Aff irmative,” Wolfe said.
“Well. I want to check out this bus, too.” She smiled and turned to run to the front of the plane, where another pilot waited.
Jethro’s eyebrows rose.
“What?” Wolfe asked, looking around. Oh. Cathy was a surprise? “She’s one of the best pilots I’ve ever known, and she has also commanded in various positions throughout AFSOC. She’s phenomenal, man.”
Jethro nodded, and they settled into seats across from each other, falling asleep the minute the plane rose into the air.
Wolfe awoke to darkness, cold seeping into gear that Cathy had generously provided for them. It was the good stuff, too. He’d brought his own guns and knives—ones he knew well.
Jethro stretched awake, looking as relaxed as if he was settling in for a night of football, except for his alert eyes. He glanced at his watch, nodded, and reached for the tank to breathe pure oxygen for forty-five minutes to flush the hydrogen from his body
Wolfe did the same, breathing deep.
At about forty minutes, Cathy turned and gave them the sign. Wolfe stood and suited up with Jethro’s help and then did the same for the Brit. They each had a small oxygen tank, compasses, and GPS devices. When the green light came on, he moved to the back door of the plane, which opened. He checked his gear again, gave the sign, and then jumped out.
The wind grabbed him, and he waited several seconds before pulling the rip cord. In a HAHO, a high-altitude high-opening jump, he felt in control. Cold wind batted at him, and he finished counting and aimed. An image of Dana filtered through his thoughts, but he pushed it aside, focusing only on right here and right now.
The Brit followed him.
Flimsy clouds surrounded him, and he glanced at the compass, breathing the oxygen. They were right on track. Cathy had somehow acquired good explosives for this training mission as well. He coasted down for quite a while, adjusting his course easily, eventually landing near a rocky hill and running to slow down. Then he unclipped the chute and wrapped it up as Jethro did the same, looking for a place to hide them.
Jethro stashed them behind some rocks before jogging up. “Nice jump. We’re about two miles from target.”
Wolfe ditched the oxygen. “You up to a jog?”
“Affirmative.”
Wolfe checked his pack and silent radio before reading his compass. He freed the binoculars Cathy had provided, scouting the area, looking for heat signatures. Nothing close. So he replaced them, swung his pack to his back, and started jogging up the hill, keeping alert for any sounds.
Jethro easily kept pace, and he’d been an expert on the jump. Wolfe should probably find out more about this guy when he got the chance.
They reached the top of the first hill and kept running, going for about twenty minutes until they came to another hill. This one was guarded by two guys with machine guns.
