Justice by David Wood Page A

who started jogging down the double-track dirt trail into the darkness. Then he allowed his eyes to roam across the three captives. “As much as I’d like to go ahead and kill you, Ms. Wright wants to speak to you before I do too much damage. We’ll be going for a ride very shortly. For now, on your feet.”
    He reached for Sterling and pulled her up. She wobbled a bit, but managed to stay standing despite the bonds around her lower legs. Jamison did the same thing to Maddock, who launched himself forward at Jamison as soon as he was on his feet. Jamison easily moved out of the way, allowing him to crash face first into the ground. Maddock spit out some pieces of gravel and felt warm, sticky blood flowing across his nose as he shifted onto his side.
    “Shall we try that again, Maddock? If you do the same thing, I assure you the result will be the same.”
    He hauled Maddock back to his feet. One of his men picked up Sterling and flung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She thrashed wildly about, but a sharp blow to the kidney caused her movement to subside. Maddock and Bones were too heavy to carry in a similar fashion, but moments later, a low rumble and the flash of headlights announced the arrival of one of Jamison’s minions driving a four-wheeler. The men shoved Maddock and Bones into the back and hauled them away.
    The journey ended at a faded white Mercedes Sprinter van. The back was already open and a ramp extended from it to the ground. Jamison had come prepared. What Maddock still couldn’t figure out was how they had been found. Surely he’d have noticed if they’d been followed along the way.
    The cargo straps loosened and two pairs of hands grabbed his limbs and lifted him with a jerk. He braced himself, expecting to be tossed into the back of the Sprinter. What actually happened was worse. They folded him in half with his bound shins touching his head, and wrapped another restraint under his arms and around his ankles in a figure-eight. As they carried him up the ramp, he had no chance to generate any power. They secured him against the wall of the van with two tight straps which seemed designed to hold appliances.
    A minute later, Sterling and Bones were secured against the opposite wall in a similar manner, although she remained in a seated position unlike Maddock. The only positive he could take was that his position allowed him to see his companions. He couldn’t picture how they would escape, but he knew he needed to plan as if it would happen and maybe an opportunity would present itself. After the men had driven the four-wheeler up the ramp, parked it inside, and departed, he spoke to them in a whisper.
    “Can you get loose?”
    Sterling moved her wrists and ankles, looking for weaknesses. “Not my feet for sure. My wrists have a little play, but I’m not sure what I can do with them behind my back. I’m guessing you two are out of luck.”
    “You could say that. We got out of a lot of tight spots in SEAL training, but never bound quite like this.
    Jamison and one of his men stowed the ramp and the closed the back door of the Sprinter. With no glass between the cargo area and the front, Maddock, Bones and Sterling found themselves in near-complete darkness.
    Then the door opened again and one of Jamison’s other two men jumped up into the back. The scowl on his face and the tension in his shoulders told the story of what he thought about having to ride in the back with them. Maddock had to hand it to Jamison, though. Leaving them back here unsupervised carried too much of a risk of them getting loose, no matter how well they were secured.
    A gun appeared in the man’s hand, some sort of automatic pistol from what Maddock could see.
    “Listen you three, I ain’t allowed to kill you. But nobody said anything about roughing you up. Anyone tries anything, they get a bullet in the leg. Are we clear?”
    Almost as if by agreement, none of them responded verbally, but they all