“I’d suffer being shipped in a crate if it meant getting out of here,” Glennon vowed with a shudder.
“What do we do if he cuts us off tomorrow?”
Demon and Steel shared a look, then glanced at Glennon. She sighed. She understood this message too.
“We head into the Darién Gap and take our chances.”
“I don’t like this plan,” Triumph grumbled.
Neither of their escorts spoke, which spoke volumes as to what they thought would happen tomorrow. All they could do was wait. And hope.
THE DISTRACTION
Triumph
At approximately four thirty a.m.,the foursome found themselves approaching the port again. Their contact had let them into his home the previous evening, then gone to his boat to ready it for departure.
However, when they arrived at the dock, Steel locked down even tighter than usual.
“You hear that?” he whispered.
They all paused in the shadowy overhang of a building along the pier. Nothing stirred.
“I don’t hear anything,” Triumph returned. “That’s weird. Shouldn’t the gulls be active already?”
“They should,” Glennon agreed. “Opportunistic creatures. Nothing scares them off. So where are they?” She grabbed her braid, the soft wisps at the end providing comfort as her stomach churned.
This portion of the wharf ran parallel to local businesses, some with boats pulled up directly to them. Their contact, Arturo, had a mini-slip off a short pier about one hundred yardsdown the way. The boat was there, but there was no movement on it. Triumph looked all around the pier and even up and down the street. “Why are there no people around? Arturo said most of the fishermen take off around this time of day, and that people should already be stirring to open up their businesses. The boats are here, but there’s no one moving around.”
“He’s here,” Steel murmured. He didn’t mean Arturo though. He meant Guillermo. “When evil invades, people and animals naturally know not to show their faces.” He turned to Glennon. “You need to get out of here. Now.”
“What about the two of you?”
“Demon and I will create a distraction. I would have him go with you, but I’ll need to cover him while he gets that ready. Do not try to help us. We’ve been doing this shit a long time and have exit strategies for all kinds of no-win scenarios. Our job is to draw all their attention to us. Yours is to get the fuck as far into the gap as you can. We’ll find you.”
Hurriedly, he delved into his backpack and pulled out a thin plastic case. Inside were strips that looked like clear tape. He pulled out four strips, gave two to Demon, and they quickly tore off the backing and attached one to Glennon’s armpit and the other under her bandage. They also applied two to Triumph.
“These are surface trackers. When activated, they last about four to five days.” Demon pressed hard on the one in Glennon’s armpit, and she felt a cool sensation tingle in the spot. “If you feel like you’ve got prickles, it means it’s active. Annoying, but at least you know it’s live. If we meet up with you within four days, you won’t need to activate the others. Activate one at a time to get the most tracking life out of them. If the two of you get separated”—he looked at Triumph—“activate one of yours. But try to stay together so you have maximum charging time.”
“Why not give us more of them then?” he asked.
“You’ve basically stuck a leaking battery into your nervous system. Right now, they’re depositing toxins into your skin. Giving you more than two is dangerous. We’re working on how to combat that, but for now, this is the best we can do.”
Steel continued, “Activating the signal lets Midas know we’ve had to separate, and we need the cavalry to come back us up. These should cover enough days for us to be found. Head into the Darién Gap. Even if you end up going in circles, don’t stand still, but try to head as true north whenever possible.” He dug a compass out of his pocket and handed it to Glennon. “Normally, when lost in the wild, you’re advised to stay put. Not this time. Whatever you do, keep moving. It’s going to take our guys a day or two to get here, but either we or they will find you.”
“All you have to do is stay alive,” Demon advised. “If you get caught, do whatever it takes to stay alive. I mean it.Whatever it takes.”
Steel nodded. “If they have me, Demon, a child, or anyone at gunpoint and they tell you to pull the trigger, you do it.” He paused. “No act is unforgivable to give in to. Do you understand?”
He felt a burning at the back of his throat and a taste of acid at the message Steel was sending.
“You think that’s a likely option?”
The cold, silver gaze of Guillermo’s half brother looked him dead in the eye. “It’s what I would do.”
Meaning he’d done it.
While executing someone was definitely something he thought Guillermo might do to enjoy the capture of his prizes, he worried more about what the man would do to Glennon. Added to that was his fear of what he’d be forced to watch Glennon endure.
