Chapter 15

 

“Bloody hell,” Callum barked when Ryan walked into the ballroom just after dawn. “What are you doing out of hospital?”

“I’m doing my job, old man.” Ryan wasn’t in the mood for dealing with Callum. His shoulder was killing him, but he refused to take anything stronger than ibuprofen, because it made his head feel fuzzy.

Callum folded his arms over one of his regulation grey Henleys, his self-imposed uniform since getting a medical discharge from the SAS. “What job are you going to do, son? This is a search and rescue operation—with a side serving of arse kicking for any kidnappers we find. You’re in a sling and you’re supposed to be on intravenous antibiotics.”

“Still am.” Ryan held up his free arm to show Callum the cannula still in it. “I brought the antibiotics with me. I’ll hook them up to the vent later. I know I can’t go out in the field, but there’s nothing to stop me helping out here. Is there?”

Callum glared at him, but Ryan was more interested in the fact there was a buffet table set up near the bar. He headed for it and grabbed a plate, piling it high with everything in sight before going back to take a seat at the table.

“Nice to see your appetite isn’t affected,” Callum said.

“Takes a helluva lot more than a broken shoulder to put me off my food.” Ryan looked around. “Is there any coffee?”

“Here, doofus.” Megan set a mug on the table in front of him before plopping into the vacant seat on his right. “How long until you’re fixed?”

Callum snorted. “Never.”

Again, Ryan ignored him. “Six weeks, give or take.”

“You’re right-handed.” Megan helped herself to one of the mini-pastries from his plate.

Ryan smacked her hand. “Get your own. I can still shoot better than you using my left hand.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You might have to prove that.”

“Okay, enough of this crap!” Callum called the meeting to order with his usual lack of charm.

Lake’s lips twitched in his version of a smile. “Rachel, what happened to the men we detained?”

Rachel had changed into a black trouser suit and crisp white shirt, with black-widow stiletto heels to match. Ryan glanced around the table, noting that everyone else was in jeans and T-shirts. Guess a designer suit was Rachel’s idea of casual. He shrugged then clenched his teeth as a wave of pain washed over him.

“You okay?” Elle whispered to him. “You turned grey.”

“Forgot not to shrug.” He squeezed the words out as the pain passed.

She winced and gave him a sympathetic smile.

Meanwhile, Rachel had consulted her phone. Whether it was to check on notes she’d made or take a selfie, Ryan wasn’t sure.

“For those who managed to get broken and miss some of the action,” she said to Ryan, “the police chief insisted in taking the men we apprehended into custody.” She tossed her head, sending her poker-straight, dark brown hair over her shoulder. “That meant Callum didn’t get a chance to talk to the men, which means we have nothing. They clammed up as soon as they went into custody. They now have lawyers and are eating a gourmet breakfast in the local jail.” Her eyes went hard. “And I do mean gourmet. It was ordered from a local five-star hotel.”

Eyebrows went up around the room. Dimitri let out a low whistle. “Looks like you were right, De la Cruz. The gang have the local police in their pocket.”

Ryan shook his head in disgust. “We won’t get anything out of them now.”

“No.” Lake was about as pleased as everyone else in the room. “We don’t even know how many kidnappers are still out there.”

“I saw two head into the jungle,” Ryan said around a mouthful of food. His plate was empty already. He turned to Elle and gave her his best charming smile. “Elle, honey, would you top up my plate? I didn’t get anything to eat in the hospital and I’m starving here.”

“You’re always starving.” She rolled her eyes and took his plate. “Maybe if you’d stayed in long enough for the meals to come around, you wouldn’t be so desperate to eat right now.”

“Thanks, Ellie.” He used the name David had written on her note and earned a glare.

“Ryan,” Callum snapped. “Focus on something other than your stomach for a minute. What else did you see?”

Ryan became deadly serious. “Two men. One was checking tracks on the clearing floor. He pointed into the jungle. I got the impression he was telling the other guy which way Belinda and Beast had run. The other guy seemed to be in charge. He was the one who triggered the explosives with his cell phone.”

“What did the guy with the cell phone look like?” De la Cruz was perched on the bar. One glance at the man would lead you to assume he was perfectly relaxed. It was deceptive. Ryan had used that trick himself on more than one occasion. He’d bet, if pressed, that De la Cruz could tell them where everyone was positioned, what weapons they were carrying and what the biggest threat in the room was. It was Lake. It was always Lake. He might not have been the biggest—or most gregarious—of the team, but he was by far the deadliest.

“He was average height. Overgrown black hair. He had jeans and a blue shirt on. He was thin, but not hungry thin, mean thin. Long nose. Scar on his throat.” Ryan closed his eyes, bringing up the images of the man he’d seen for only a few seconds. “The scar was horizontal. Maybe somebody tried to cut his throat sometime?” He opened his eyes. “That’s all I’ve got.”

De la Cruz wasn’t pleased. “It’s enough. The guy is Angel Martinez. One of two brothers who run the baby cartel. He’s mean as they come. Smart, too.”

“Will he hunt Belinda and Beast?” Lake said.

“Yeah.” De la Cruz gave Lake a dark look. “He won’t stop until he has them. And they’ll suffer when he does.”

A ripple went around the room. Beast and Belinda were running in the jungle, unprepared, ill-equipped, and with no idea where they were or which way to head. Martinez, on the other hand, knew the jungle and was used to negotiating it. He had all the advantages over the pair. And he had a head start on the team when it came to searching for them.

“Can you pinpoint where Martinez and his man headed into the jungle?” Lake said.

Ryan nodded as Elle put another fully loaded plate in front of him. “I think so.”

“Elle?” Lake said.

“On it.” She tapped at her laptop, and the aerial image of the kidnappers’ encampment appeared on the screen—taken before the place had blown sky high.

De la Cruz and Lake came to stand behind Elle and Ryan. Ryan studied the image. The dirt track into the camp was on one side of the clearing, and he was sure the Martinez men had gone into the jungle on the opposite side.

“There.” He pointed.

“Elle, can you zoom out?” De la Cruz said.

A few keystrokes and the camp became small dots, as the vast green of the Amazon rainforest filled the screen. A red snaking line cut through the green, marking one of the many tributaries of the Amazon River. This river was called Madre de Dios—Mother of God. There were large yellow patches beside the river in one area, and Ryan wondered if they were massive sandbanks.

De la Cruz leaned forward, between Ryan and Elle, pointing at the screen. “That isn’t good.”

“What isn’t?” Callum said. “Elle, do your bloody magic and project the image for us all to see.”

“It isn’t magic, Mr Dinosaur, it’s a tiny projector you can buy on the internet.” She pointed the cube at one of the walls and tapped a command into her laptop. The wall filled with the aerial image of the jungle.

De la Cruz walked over and pointed at the yellow patches Ryan had noticed. “See those? That’s the damage caused when miners dig into the riverbank looking for gold. It pollutes the water, poisons the fish and erodes the rainforest.” His demeanour was grim. “It’s also illegal. These miners are dangerous. They don’t want to get caught, and they don’t take kindly to anyone showing an interest in their business. They’re violent, often deadly—especially with strangers.”

“Surely, if we can see where the mines are located, the authorities can too,” Megan said. “Why don’t they go in and shut the operation down? Maybe they have already. How do we know those mines aren’t abandoned?”

“Elle,” De la Cruz said, “zoom out until we can see most of the Madre de Dios River.”

The screen shifted and the red lines of the river shot off in all directions, curving and winding through the green. There were a lot of yellow patches dotted along the river. Far too many for any authorities to police. “See how big the operation is? If they shut down one mining site, another pops up. Then they wait a few days and go back to the first. These guys don’t care about the damage they’re doing. They want the money and they’re not afraid to kill to make it.”

“Surely the locals want rid of them if they’re causing that much damage to the environment?” Megan said.

“Who do you think works for the mining companies?” De la Cruz said. “The local villagers are in a tight spot. If they don’t work for the companies, they’re in danger from them, because they see too much. If they do work for them, they get much-needed money coming into the local economy. Many of these people live subsistence lives. The money is tempting. They want a better standard of living, just like the rest of us.”

“Okay,” Callum said. “What happens if Belinda and Beast walk in on the mining operation?”

De la Cruz ran his fingers through his hair. “Hard to say. But a lot of the mines in this area are run by the Martinez family.”

“That isn’t good,” Elle muttered.

“Elle, go back to the search area, will you?” De la Cruz said, and the image on the wall immediately changed. “Here’s the camp.” He pointed to the small clearing. “Here are the river mining operations.” He pointed again. “This is the direction Beast and Belinda went in.” He drew an invisible line with his hand. “If they stay on that line and don’t wander off, they’re heading straight for the mines. I’d say it’s at least two, three days’ walk to get there. Maybe more, seeing as they aren’t used to the forest.”

“They managed to exit on the side of the camp that was furthest from the river,” Dimitri said. “It’s like they were trying to make it hard for us.”

“At least they will eventually hit the river,” Megan said. “It goes two-thirds of the way around the camp.”

“That’s a typical setup for the Martinez gang,” De la Cruz said. “They like to make camp in the horseshoe bends of the river. It means they have fast access to transport in several different directions, if they need it. There is another option. If Belinda and Beast got turned around entirely, then they’re headed away from the river and deeper into the jungle.”

The atmosphere in the room turned thick. No one needed to say what would happen if Beast and Belinda kept walking into the rainforest. The chances of finding them in countless acres of jungle were slim to none.

“Search options?” Lake said.

De la Cruz rubbed a hand over his face, suddenly looking weary. “There’s very little chance of finding them from the air. You can’t see through the canopy. Our best bet is that they find a small clearing and somehow signal when a helicopter goes overhead.”

“Searching from the river is out,” Callum said.

De la Cruz nodded. “If you take a boat up past the mining sites, they will most likely fire first and ask questions later. You could do it. But it’s risky.”

“Then we go in on foot,” Lake said.

“It’s the only option,” De la Cruz agreed. “Especially if they’re being hunted by Martinez. Won’t be easy, though. In jungle that dense, you could pass within a couple of feet of someone and not know they’re there.” He looked around at the Benson Security team, all of whom had the same sombre expressions. “We’d could use more people if we’re going in on foot.”

“Which means more targets for Martinez,” Megan said. “I don’t want to be a target. I’ve done that. It wasn’t any fun.”

Dimitri smiled and stroked his wife’s golden hair. “Nobody’s gonna be a target, baby.”

“How else will we find them if we don’t go play hide-and-seek with the baddies in the jungle?” Megan asked with a pout.

Lake shared a look with his two partners. They seemed to be able to speak telepathically. Lake gave a short nod before turning back to the rest of the team. “We’ll split into teams. Rodrigo in the chopper, scouring for signs from the air. Callum on the river. You can focus on the stretch of river leading up to the mining operation, but keep your distance from it. We don’t want the Martinez brothers to get wind that we’re there.”

Callum nodded grimly.

“Two teams in the jungle,” Lake said as he looked over at Grunt, who was standing, arms folded and frowning. “You staying here or coming?”

Grunt didn’t want to leave his pregnant wife unprotected, and with Ryan in a sling and Elle’s notoriously bad aim, they would be if Grunt left.

“Do you have jungle experience, big man?” Violet asked.

Grunt grunted.

Violet nodded. Apparently, she spoke Grunt. “Then I’ll stay here. You go. I don’t have jungle experience, but I can guard everyone who stays here.”

Grunt studied her for a moment before looking at Lake, who read the unasked question in his frown. “Ex-police. Commendations. Expert marksman. Mean as hell. She’ll get the job done.”

“No one will get past me to anyone here,” Violet said.

“Eh, hello?” Ryan called. “Remember me? I may be injured, but I’m not dead. I can fight and shoot left-handed.”

“If he isn’t using it to eat,” Elle said, and Ryan gave her a dirty look.

“Okay. I’ll go,” Grunt said to Lake, and then looked at Violet, who was about a quarter of his size. “If anything happens to Claire, you pay.”

“Fair enough.” Violet shrugged, not in the least intimidated by the man mountain.

“Right, meet out at the helicopter pad in an hour,” Lake said. “Elle, mark a grid of the area and coordinate the search from here. Use our GPS signals to maintain search parameters. That way there won’t be any duplication of areas searched. Dimitri, Grunt, you’re jungle team one. Harvard and I will be jungle two. Megan, you’re on air lookout with Rodrigo. Ryan, Violet and Elle are coordination and cover back here at base. Rachel…”

She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him, as though daring him to give her a job.

Lake’s lips twitched. “You’re liaison with local law enforcement. Keep them off our back. We can’t trust them, and I don’t want them anywhere near this search.”

“Consider it done.” She inclined her head as though she were a queen deigning to listen to a commoner.

“Any questions?” Lake looked at each of them, but there was silence. “Good. Gather your gear. Make sure each team has a satphone and plenty of water on them. We meet in an hour.”

The team dispersed, hurrying to get ready for a long day searching the Amazon forest.

“I have a couple of questions,” Ryan said to Elle, who was busy overlaying an aerial map of the search area with a grid outlining its coordinates. “Did Grunt tell Joe about the kidnapping?”

“Yeah,” Elle said. “Joe decided to keep the news from Julia for a while longer.”

“At least it was his call and not one of the bosses’.” Although Ryan wouldn’t like being in Joe’s shoes if the final news he had to give his new wife was bad.

“What’s the other question?” Elle said.

“I don’t suppose anyone asked for me while I was in the hospital?”

She cast him a sideways glance. “You mean like the million people here who all love and worry about you?”

“Apart from them.” He waved a hand. “Never mind.” He pushed back his chair. “I’m going to my cabin. I need to get changed and get my weapons out of the safe.”

“Mm-mm,” Elle said with a knowing smile. “Make sure all you get while you’re in there is your weapons. We’ve no time for you to get anything else.”

With a smile, Ryan hurried out of the ballroom and straight for his cabin, where he hoped Esperanza had made herself at home and was, somehow, miraculously, still waiting for him. Or had at least left a note telling him how to get in contact. Because he very much wanted contact with her. Full body contact.