"Roger that.”
We darted into the jungle and made our way around toward the east beach. I grabbed the case from where I stashed it, and we hustled through the underbrush as fast as we could. Paisley had a tough time, but adrenaline kept her going. She hadn't had much to eat over the last week and was rail-thin. She didn't have much weight to lose to begin with.
With the machete, I hacked through branches and leaves, trying to be quiet about it. With the chaos back at the compound, they wouldn't hear us.
Branches and leaves clawed and sliced as we scraped through.
We made it to the ridge and started our descent down the slope. I told Paisley to be careful. It would be easy to turn an ankle, especially in a hurry. The last thing I needed was for her to fall and break a leg.
"Give me a status update," I said to JD.
"I'm almost at the rendezvous point.”
A few moments later, we both emerged on the east beach. Inky waves crashed against the shore, and the moonlight glowed overhead.
Antonio was nowhere to be found.
52
With a tight jaw, I scanned the horizon, looking for Antonio and his boat.
He was nowhere to be found.
Dread twisted my stomach.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed his cell number. We had good service out here, which was surprising.
It rang a few times. Someone picked up. It wasn't Antonio. "It seems you’re in a bit of a predicament."
There was no mistaking the kidnapper’s voice.
My stomach twisted.
"I suppose I have you to thank for the destruction of the lab?”
I saidnothing.
"There was a considerable dollar value associated with that facility. If you were trying to get on my good side, you have failed miserably.” He paused. "There's no way off this island, unless you want to swim 50 miles. I realize Antonio might not be that important to you, but even if you could get off this island, would you really leave him to die?”
It was about that time the goons caught up with us. They emerged from the jungle and surrounded us with assault rifles.
"I’ll offer you a deal,” the voice said. “Give me the prototype, and I will let you all go.”
I scoffed. There was no way he would let us go.
"The cost of the facility pales in comparison to the dollar value associated with the prototype. It's worth billions of dollars. What do you say? Do we have a deal?”
At this point, we didn't have much choice.
We surrendered our weapons, and the goons took the case and marched us back through the jungle. We climbed up the ridge and reached the main compound. The blaze still smoldered, the caustic stench still infusing the air with noxious chemicals. The thugs marched us past the burnt-out shell of a warehouse, past the storage shed, to the main house.
One of them opened the door, and we followed him into the foyer. He led us to the living room.
The American greeted us with a smile. His brown-haired companion wasn't so enthused.
"Gentlemen, please come in. Make yourselves at home," the American said. "So glad you could join us. You've made the right decision. I really hate that it has come to this, but it is what it is.”
It finally clicked, and I remembered where I’d seen him before.
