Page 12 of Sawyer’s Mistake

The larger Remur cocked his head again in that birdlike gesture. He signaled to his subordinates, who once again approached her and Sawyer, wearily this time.

“Don’t be scared, Saoirse …” Jake whispered to her, just before a giant fist exploded against his temple. She saw him fall unconscious, his weight fully supported by his wrists, but had no time to worry about him, for another huge fist was coming towards her at breathtaking speed. The pain was no less brutal for all that it was expected. She felt her brain jar from side to side against her skull, then a bright pain that was the brightest white imaginable, followed by complete darkness.

Chapter 6

Gabriel

Eva strode out of the warehouse, smiling wide. Her long blond hair was loosely tied back, slightly disheveled, and her hazel eyes shone. Storme looked at the object cradled in her hand, wondering what had put that look of happiness in her eyes.

“Check this out, Storme!” she shouted. She sounded like she’d come straight from California. It was impossible to tell from her accent that she’d lived in Norway since her early teens.

She waved the red object at him. Before he had a chance to react, Prado ran over to intercept her.

“¡Una manzana!” the Spaniard shouted.

Eva rewarded the man’s excitement with an even wider grin. “Yes!”

Eva raised her T-shirt and rubbed the apple’s skin gently with the fabric. A flash of toned stomach peeked out. Storme felt his blood migrate south and hoped the bulge wasn’t too obvious.

“It’s an apple,” he confirmed, purposefully keeping his face blank.

Eva chuckled. “Wow, don’t get too excited about this, Storme.”

He barked out a laugh. “I’m happy you’re happy. You, an apple, a garden … it certainly gives me ideas.”

She grinned and took a large bite from the apple. “Hold on to that thought till tonight, Storme,” she whispered, loud enough for his team to hear. He ignored the chuckles behind him.

Jens Kopf walked out of the warehouse behind her, carrying a heavy crate filled to the brim with apples in his arms. “There’s enough for everyone!” he boomed, smiling wide. He set the crate down in front of them and crouched to grab a few apples. They looked tiny in his huge hand.

He tossed one at Prado, who took it gratefully, and one at Zander, who rubbed it in his hands before biting into it as well.

Even Meir, the most stoic member of the team, walked over to grab an apple from the crate and bit into it, looking happier than he’s ever seen him. Stormed stared in surprise.

“What?” he said, through a mouthful of apple. “I like apples, ok?”

“Didn’t know you all shared this love for fruit,” Storme said, smiling. “We’ll keep an eye out for apple trees along the way.” He looked at his watch. It was already ten a.m., and they’d had no news from Sawyer and Saoirse. The smile died in his mouth, but he kept his expression neutral, not wanting to worry the team.

“Where the hell are they?” he muttered.

Zander was the first one to reply, calm as always. The tall, dark, Danish Special Forces medic was always cool under pressure. “Maybe they found something and decided to investigate.”

Eva shook her head. “No way. Sawyer would never risk Saoirse. He would have brought her back first,” she insisted.

Storme raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner.

“Oh come on, guys, you’re telling me you haven’t noticed the way he looks at her?”

Meir nodded, his look knowing. Not much escaped the Israeli ex-intelligence officer, so if both he and Eva thought something was up, there probably was. Storme frowned. Jake Sawyer was his best friend. Was it possible he was interested in Saoirse but hadn’t said anything?

Storme shook his head, determined to ask Jake when he found him. He spread out the yellowed paper map on the hood of the vehicle.

His finger touched the point Sawyer’s last transmission had come from. “They left the main road here. Where did they go?”

“Sawyer’s last message said they would be taking the road bordering the city of Cambrai. There are a few other towns nearby, though,” Meir said.

Storme looked at his watch again.

“Something must have happened to them in one of these places. We’re going to find them and bring them back.”