tortured in this place.
This man’s life had been hell.
Mai cradled his head. The man’s eyes gained focus for a second before he died. It was only after his last breath had expired that his eyes lost all semblance of pain and his haggard features at last smoothed out. In death, Mai saw, he had gained an inner peace.
Her thoughts turned back to the present. Quickly she surveyed the forest, fixed Drake’s position in her mind, and took off at a fast pace. The bodies needed hiding, and fast.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Drake almost jumped out of his skin when Mai descended on their camp. The Japanese woman was moving quickly, her every movement screaming urgency. It took but a few minutes to relay her information.
Romero and Smyth were up and ready to go. Drake grabbed his pack and said, “Lead on.” They filed into the deeper forest, following Mai. The moon offered a scant glow, the sea breeze distracted them with its urgency. When Mai stepped into a clearing and stopped, Drake quickly summed up the situation.
Of course, she was right. “Time to get off this bloody island.”
They dragged the bodies away from the clearing and into deeper undergrowth. There was nothing they could do for the poor, dead captive, so they concealed him with the guards. It did cross Drake’s mind to make it appear as though he had recovered and killed the guards himself, but on listening to Mai’s account of his debility, he quickly dismissed the idea.
It was time to fly.
They crouched among the creaking trees. It had taken some time to hide the bodies and dawn was already streaking the skies. Drake was beside Mai, their bodies touching.
“Hibiki?”
“Too early to say. We can’t risk alerting him.”
“Why else would he send the message?”
Mai breathed a heavy sigh. “He’s good, okay? That’s my instinct. He’s good.”
“Only way off this island is on that warship.”
“But somebody has to stay behind to shut this damn base down faster ’n crap through a goose. We can’t rely solely on our escape attempt or any kind of rescue.” Romero put in from behind.
“Unfortunately ,” Drake said. “I agree. Bollocks.”
“So.” Smyth sounded impatient. “You and Maggi e Q here got any plans on how to persuade the ship to leave?”
“There is only one way ,” Mai said confidently. “The person in charge of it must believe he wants to leave.”
“ Oh yeah? Where’s that from? The Art of War?”
Mai turned a steely eye on the marine. “I think we have our teams, Matt. Romero and you take the ship. Smyth and I will take the island and meet you on board.”
Drake had already guessed as much. The rising dawn amplified the fire in Mai’s gaze. Smyth might well regret his choice of words.
“Use Hibiki only if you’re convinced about him. Otherwise. . .”
“I know.”
“A simultaneous attack?”
“Yes. We’ll hit the base and go for the ship’s Captain. When we do that—” Mai paused. “You need to be on board. Just in case.”
Drake frowned. “We could help by —”
“Best if you’re on board ,” Mai said softly. “No mistakes.” She met his eyes. “Besides, it won’t be a problem. You have your work cut out finding a place to hide and then leading us to it. And we’re more than likely going to land in North Korea, if we survive the trip.”
“Piece of piss ,” Drake said quickly. “North Korea. China. Russia.” Drake counted the places off on his fingers. “Europe. Washington. Like I said—”
“A cellphone would be good too ,” Smyth said drily, but with a rare smile. Maybe he was looking forward to working with the legendary Mai Kitano. Maybe he thought she really was Maggie Q.
Drake hunkered down and rummaged around for food and water. “Right then. Let’s thrash this out. We want to be ready for tonight.”
*****
As darkness invaded the land, Drake and Romero crept among the thick trunks, staying as close to the tree line as they dared. The warship was a large, ugly
This man’s life had been hell.
Mai cradled his head. The man’s eyes gained focus for a second before he died. It was only after his last breath had expired that his eyes lost all semblance of pain and his haggard features at last smoothed out. In death, Mai saw, he had gained an inner peace.
Her thoughts turned back to the present. Quickly she surveyed the forest, fixed Drake’s position in her mind, and took off at a fast pace. The bodies needed hiding, and fast.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Drake almost jumped out of his skin when Mai descended on their camp. The Japanese woman was moving quickly, her every movement screaming urgency. It took but a few minutes to relay her information.
Romero and Smyth were up and ready to go. Drake grabbed his pack and said, “Lead on.” They filed into the deeper forest, following Mai. The moon offered a scant glow, the sea breeze distracted them with its urgency. When Mai stepped into a clearing and stopped, Drake quickly summed up the situation.
Of course, she was right. “Time to get off this bloody island.”
They dragged the bodies away from the clearing and into deeper undergrowth. There was nothing they could do for the poor, dead captive, so they concealed him with the guards. It did cross Drake’s mind to make it appear as though he had recovered and killed the guards himself, but on listening to Mai’s account of his debility, he quickly dismissed the idea.
It was time to fly.
They crouched among the creaking trees. It had taken some time to hide the bodies and dawn was already streaking the skies. Drake was beside Mai, their bodies touching.
“Hibiki?”
“Too early to say. We can’t risk alerting him.”
“Why else would he send the message?”
Mai breathed a heavy sigh. “He’s good, okay? That’s my instinct. He’s good.”
“Only way off this island is on that warship.”
“But somebody has to stay behind to shut this damn base down faster ’n crap through a goose. We can’t rely solely on our escape attempt or any kind of rescue.” Romero put in from behind.
“Unfortunately ,” Drake said. “I agree. Bollocks.”
“So.” Smyth sounded impatient. “You and Maggi e Q here got any plans on how to persuade the ship to leave?”
“There is only one way ,” Mai said confidently. “The person in charge of it must believe he wants to leave.”
“ Oh yeah? Where’s that from? The Art of War?”
Mai turned a steely eye on the marine. “I think we have our teams, Matt. Romero and you take the ship. Smyth and I will take the island and meet you on board.”
Drake had already guessed as much. The rising dawn amplified the fire in Mai’s gaze. Smyth might well regret his choice of words.
“Use Hibiki only if you’re convinced about him. Otherwise. . .”
“I know.”
“A simultaneous attack?”
“Yes. We’ll hit the base and go for the ship’s Captain. When we do that—” Mai paused. “You need to be on board. Just in case.”
Drake frowned. “We could help by —”
“Best if you’re on board ,” Mai said softly. “No mistakes.” She met his eyes. “Besides, it won’t be a problem. You have your work cut out finding a place to hide and then leading us to it. And we’re more than likely going to land in North Korea, if we survive the trip.”
“Piece of piss ,” Drake said quickly. “North Korea. China. Russia.” Drake counted the places off on his fingers. “Europe. Washington. Like I said—”
“A cellphone would be good too ,” Smyth said drily, but with a rare smile. Maybe he was looking forward to working with the legendary Mai Kitano. Maybe he thought she really was Maggie Q.
Drake hunkered down and rummaged around for food and water. “Right then. Let’s thrash this out. We want to be ready for tonight.”
*****
As darkness invaded the land, Drake and Romero crept among the thick trunks, staying as close to the tree line as they dared. The warship was a large, ugly
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