CHAPTER 23

 

 

“I THOUGHT YOU died in the explosion.”

Stefano's tone was conversational and not a little disappointed. He pointed his gun at Gabe. There was no doubt he'd gone to the dark side.

“How did you find us?” Gabe asked.

“Which time?” Stefano smiled.

“What do you mean?

“Well, there's now and then there was when you were in the cave. I'll admit, though, you eluded me when you slipped past. Anaya's men were very frustrated when they couldn't find you.”

So it was Stefano who led Anaya's men to the hiding place. It made sense, now—Anaya's men didn't strike me as being good at tracking escapees through a jungle.

Stefano watched as I came to my conclusions. He lifted the barrel of his gun and pointed it at my chest. I tensed, waiting for the pain.

“Anaya and I have worked out our problems. I convinced him I am worth more to him alive.” He glanced behind us. “Where's Marcela?”

“Dead.” Gabe's voice held a hard edge to it. Stefano's face didn't register surprise.

“Anaya had no use for her. I argued for her life.” He shrugged. “It is not an issue, now.”

“What's a Brazilian footballer doing making deals with ruthless criminals like Vincent Anaya?” I asked.

Stefano used his forearm to wipe at the sweat on his forehead. “I was employed by a private Brazilian security company that specialized in kidnapping and extortion. I had a talent for tactical planning and tracking as well as athletics. My country allowed me to pursue both careers.” He smiled. “Now, I go where the money is.” He glanced at Gabe. “I'm sorry, my friend. I know I should have told you, but I'm sure you understand my reluctance.” He nodded at the water-filled jug Gabe carried. “It appears you have found something of value.”

“I am not your friend.” Gabe choked out the words and took a step forward. Stefano swung the barrel of the gun in his direction. Gabe stopped.

Shots exploded behind us, followed by shouting and more gun fire. Stefano melted into the trees, leaving us alone in the clearing.

I grabbed Gabe by the arm. “Move!”

We took off running in the opposite direction of the gunfire. I had no idea where we were going, but moving was better than dead.

I checked to make sure Stefano hadn't followed. He was nowhere in sight. I wondered why he disappeared at the sound of gunfire. If he was working for Anaya, wouldn't he have called out to them so he wouldn't be shot? Gabe and I ran through the jungle at full throttle. Neither of us realized when the terrain changed.

Gabe went first. I followed as we tumbled with no control down, down. I covered my head with my arms and curled into a ball, hoping something other than a hard rock would stop me.

I landed with a grunt against a tree trunk and rolled over, feeling for broken bones. There were bumps and soon to be bruises, but no fractures. Gabe groaned somewhere to my left.

“You all right?” I asked.

Gabe lifted himself to a sitting position. “I think so.”

The bushes behind us rustled. I froze.

“Shh,” I whispered. “Stay low.”

Gabe sank out of sight. I slouched low enough that my head would look like a shadow in the leaves that surrounded me, but at the same time I could still see.

Whatever it was sounded like it was standing directly behind us. How did Anaya's men find us so quickly? Anger welled inside of me, trumping all common sense. Being shot like Marcela was not the way I wanted to die. If the asshole got any closer, I was going to go on the attack. I'd be killed, but at least it would be on my terms. I looked down and realized I was tearing clumps from the earth with my fists. I let go and straightened my fingers.

The gunman was almost on top of me. His breathing grew louder. My hands balled into fists and I coiled, ready to spring.

“Kate?”

I shot to my feet. Cole went into a defensive crouch and pointed his gun my direction. Once he realized it was me, he straightened in time to grab me as I fell into his arms and covered his face in kisses.

Gabe emerged from the undergrowth and came to stand next to us. I realized I should probably peel myself off of Cole before my body fused to his. Not that it would be a bad thing. I unwound myself from his torso, but stayed close. I wouldn't let him out of my sight again. Apparently he felt the same, since he still held on tight.

His eyes lasered in on mine. “Much as I would like to continue this love fest, we'd better get going. I was only able to take one of Anaya's men out. There's still two, maybe three left.” He glanced past Gabe. “Marcela?”

“Dead.”

Cole tipped his head in acknowledgement. With no time to explain, the three of us took off through the jungle at a fast clip, with Cole in the lead.

“Where are Grace and Harv?” I asked when Cole slowed to a brisk walk. Gabe kept his distance. Probably thought we needed some alone time.

“They're still on Anaya's island. We were in the compound, thought I knew where you were.” He pulled up short, shook his head. “Anaya must've known our position—cameras, something—they came right to us. I took a couple of his men down and got away. They got Harv. I went back to the compound to break him out, but he told me he could take care of himself, that getting back to you was more important. I tried arguing with him, but he wouldn't budge. I barely escaped.”

“Grace told you I was on the boat?”

Cole nodded. “I borrowed one of Anaya's cruisers and made it here as fast as I could.”

“What happened to her? We can't just leave them both there.”

“Anaya didn't get her. She disappeared into the jungle, last I saw of her. Grace has more knowledge of the island than you and me and a whole army combined. She'll be fine. I called the Coast Guard and told them Anaya's position and where he was keeping Harv. They relayed the information to the FBI and the DEA. Harv should be out of there in no time.”

“That's a lot of backing to find Gabe and Stefano. I'm impressed.”

“There may be a whole lot of people looking for the professor and the soccer player, but the main play is Anaya. Someone high up in the DEA has a hard-on for him.”

Then it hit me. All those boats and helicopters converging on Anaya's little paradise. That would make him very nervous. You didn't want to make Vincent Anaya nervous.

“Cole—” I grabbed his arm. “Anaya's got the compound hardwired with explosives. When he finds out about the armada coming his way, he'll blow the island. We have to stop them.”

Cole shook his head. “The op's in play. If they abort now, Anaya runs and they lose.” Cole checked his watch and sighed. “I gotta go back. There's a short window of time before they land.”

“Won't they circle the island, give us more time?”

“No. At least, not right away. Once I described the layout of the island and the compound, they decided to focus on the north end, where the bamboo factory and growing operations are. Word is he's got an arsenal stashed in the factory. The compound's secondary.”

“But it's not. The compound is where he's got the plants. He'd never blow the place without saving them first. He's invested too much.”

“What plants?”

“Anaya's been experimenting with a rare plant that he believes carries the key to extending life.”

“Are you serious? Any merit to the idea?” Rested, we resumed walking through the jungle.

I shrugged. “Grace seems to think so. Personally? I don't. His belief is based on a centuries-old manuscript. Anaya's frustrated because his latest crop didn't produce seeds. He has to be able to reproduce the plant in order to figure out the compounds and test it. That's why he's after the ship.”

“Explain.”

“Anaya has a theory that a Spanish shipwreck from the sixteenth century near his island carried the seeds of the mythical plant. That's why he kidnapped Gabe. Gabe has an idea of the ship's location. Apparently, it was looted by pirates, because we found a stash of artifacts on this island. Gabe's convinced we've found the ship's treasure.”

“And, if Anaya is successful and the plant really does what you say, he'll sell the stuff to the highest bidder.” Cole whistled. “People will pay anything for a cure for aging. Even if it's only a cosmetic fix.”

The idea of Anaya with that much power was sobering. “Maybe the fact that he has to save his plants will give us more time to get to Harv.”

“Us? There's not going to be an 'us' on this one, Kate.”

“I'm coming with you.”

“No, you're not. You're going to stay out of gun range. You can have this—” He indicated the Uzi slung over his shoulder. “I've got more on the boat.”

“I'm not going to lose you again.”

He stopped mid-stride and grabbed me by the shoulders. “Kate, listen to me. I understand how you feel. Grace saved your life, you feel responsible. I get it. But you need to stay back, keep yourself and Gabe safe.” His expression was so earnest, I almost agreed.

“I know how to use the gun,” Gabe said. “She doesn't have to stay if you need her help.” Score a point for Gabriel. He'd finally realized I knew what I was doing.

“No. She does,” Cole said. He turned back to me. “You tell me you don't want to lose me again.” The wrinkles around his eyes softened slightly. “Well, I don't want you anywhere near this.”

Before I could protest, a gun went off, followed by shouting behind us.

The three of us took off in a sprint.

We zigged and zagged through the trees. God, he is so much better at this than I am, I thought. I offered up a little prayer of thanks to the island gods for bringing Cole back.

Despite our evasive maneuvers, the gunfire kept getting closer. Cole chose a dense stand of century plants and motioned for us to get down. He turned, took careful aim through the foliage and waited. I peeked through the leaves underneath.

The first gunman crashed through the trees, tracking to his left. Cole dropped him with one shot. The second guy was nowhere to be seen.

My fingers twitched. I'd never wanted a gun in my hand more than at that moment.

We waited, the silence an entity of its own. The only sounds were an occasional bird screeching its annoyance at being interrupted.

Something moved to our right. Cole's head snapped toward it. He raised the gun, aimed, waited for him to show. A glossy leaf fluttered, followed by a shadow in the shape of a head. Cole squeezed the trigger. The gun's sharp retort flushed a parrot from a banana tree. There was a sharp cry, then silence as gunman number two went down.

Possibly one more to go. I wondered if Stefano was now among the dead.

We waited a while longer before Cole motioned for us to follow him.

Soon, I recognized a familiar briny odor. We were close to the beach. It was easier going once we reached the edge of the tree line. Cole's boat lay anchored in a small, protected cove. It was a sleek-looking cruiser—midnight blue with no identifying marks anywhere I could see. If you ran it without lights, you'd never be able to see the thing after dark.

“There's an area with a natural defense over there.” Cole pointed past the boat at a section of the beach surrounded by large basalt formations. He was right. It would be a great place for Gabe to hold off the gunmen while Cole and I swam for the boat.

We made our way to the rocks and Cole handed me his gun. He bent down and gave me a kiss so full of feeling that it took my breath away. I returned it with gusto, not caring if Gabe was embarrassed by the display. We stared at each other for a moment. He didn't have to say anything. I knew. If I'd been having any second thoughts about going along for the ride, I wasn't now.

He looked back the way we'd come, scanning the beach for gunmen. No one followed us.

“Stay here. If there's anybody left, it's only one more, at most. Stay alert. Shoot on sight.” Lips set in a grim line, he added, “I'll radio in your position. There should be someone here within an hour. You need to stay put.”

He turned and headed toward the boat. He'd gotten a few yards when there was a pop of gunfire. He jerked and grabbed at his right arm. A large red spot formed on his sleeve.

Anguish filled my chest as I swallowed the scream in my throat. I looked in the direction the shot came from and caught a glimpse of Stefano as he leapt between rocks several yards down the beach from us. I took aim and pulled the trigger. The volley of bullets punctured the sand. He dropped out of sight. I berated myself for using up ammo in an impotent bid to gun him down. Not at that distance.

“Gabe, take the gun. I'm going to Cole.”

Cole had made it to the rocks. His cheeks were pallid and his breath came in short bursts. He held his arm, trying to stanch the blood. I ran to him and gingerly pulled off his shirt to take a look. The wound bled like an uncorked wine bottle. The bullet appeared to have entered the underside of his right arm. I couldn't tell anything else, there was too much blood. I ripped three long strips from his shirt, saving one to use as a tourniquet. Balling up one piece, I placed it on the wound and wrapped the other around it. I tied it tight, putting pressure on both sides of the arm. Cole clenched his fist and applied more pressure. The blood loss slowed.

“Keep your arm elevated.”

He raised his hand, wincing from the effort.

I watched him closely, the fear of losing him replaced by strict vigilance. He looked at me and tried to smile. It didn't quite make it past a grimace.

“Good thing he wasn't shooting a rifle.” He nodded at his arm. “He was more than likely aiming for my head.”

I turned away and vomited into a pile of kelp.

Neither of us said a word. I wiped my hand across my mouth, made sure Cole was comfortable, and joined Gabe to watch for Stefano.