Cade pushed his way through the dense foliage toward the guard shack. Speaking of the phone call, he said, “Twenty-five minutes? Shit.” When he saw the open gate, he could only assume Jana had made it through. Though his heart was pounding, he crept closer to the shack. He became emboldened when he did not see anyone sitting inside. He peered into the tiny outpost. Blood was splattered along the walls. His heart pounded harder. He edged around the rear of the building and his eyes landed upon a set of black boots. Those boots were attached to a dead man, and Cade averted his eyes. He looked over his shoulder to ensure he could see no one.
If what Ames said is true, he thought to himself, this hillside is going to be laid flat in a few minutes. He grabbed the man by the arm and was starting to drag when his phone buzzed again. It scared him so badly he flattened to the ground. He looked at the phone.
“Stone, what the hell do you want?” he said as he looked in all directions.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Are you watching me? I don’t have time for a social call. I’ve got to move this body out of view. If anyone sees it, the game is up.”
“That body is nothing compared to the three lying around the front door of the estate. Don’t bother with it. Grab his automatic weapon and get back in where you can’t be seen.”
“Don’t tell me what to do. I’ve been in the field before. I know what I’m doing.”
“So glad to be working with another operator,” Stone jabbed. Their rivalry lived on.
Cade pulled the automatic weapon’s strap from the man’s shoulder but when he saw the dark blood coating the back of the strap, he leaned over and gagged.
Stone watched in the distance. To him it appeared Cade was about to be sick. “It’s blood, Cade. He’s dead. Sometimes it happens. But I’m glad to see you can handle it.”
Cade straightened. “Very funny, asswipe. It was the brain matter I wasn’t too happy about.”
“Look like rotted cottage cheese?”
“God,” Cade said, “that’s awful,” he said as he fought back nausea.
But then Stone said, “Wait a minute. I’m hearing something.” Stone paused, then said into the phone. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“It sounds like an engine. It sounds like several engines.” Stone raised binoculars and scanned the road in the distance. “Cade! We’ve got incoming. Get that security gate closed and get out of there!”