Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

T he sun was sinking behind the mountains to their west by the time Jake and David arrived at the illusive outpost called Arriba . Breathing harder than he ever had to extract the oxygen needed to feed his heart, Jake hid himself in the shadow of a stunted tree, while David identified himself to the guard in the first stone structure and was escorted to the gate of the enclosure, ostensibly to check in on the female captive, per General Rojas’s supposed orders.

The sky was a pearly pink hue, suggesting sunset was on its way.

On their arduous hike, they had planned a strategy that hadn’t changed once Jake glimpsed the layout. David would go in alone while Jake waited. His heart raced; his palms grew damp within the tactical gloves that kept his fingers warm. Jake’s future with Lena depended on whatever happened in the next ten minutes.

David was going to slip Lena three things: Gallo’s key ring, Jake’s KA-BAR blade, and Jake’s backup pistol. In English?—which the guard hopefully didn’t know?—David was going to whisper that Jake was right outside the gate. David would apply the paste he’d brought with him to Lena’s wound and leave. The rest was up to her.

Any number of things could go wrong. The hulking jailer who’d accompanied David into the second hovel might hear Gallo’s key ring rattle or might glimpse the weapons as David passed them off. Even if the young man managed to make the transfer, the JUNGLA captives, rather than aid Lena, might subvert her efforts, though Jake couldn’t imagine why they wouldn’t take advantage of the dynamic situation and cooperate.

Oh, God . Jake sagged against the trunk of the tree he hid behind. Peering up at Arriba and the surreal color of the oyster-pink sky, he prayed, Please let this work. Just get us safely off this mountain, and I’ll take care of Lena from here on out, I promise.

Maggie had decided David wasn’t ever going to come back as he’d said he would. Feeling forgotten, growing more despondent by the hour, she had watched the feeble spindles of sunlight shooting through the cracks between the piled stone fade. Now, all she had left to anticipate were the vivid dreams brought on by her fever.

Just as she closed her eyes, surrendering to sleep, the grating of the gate outside the hovel caused her eyes to open. It was too soon for the hourly awakenings. Footsteps crunched across the ground outside, approaching the thick door. Both she and the JUNGLA captives braced themselves as Frankenstein pushed it open, admitting the glow of twilight and a slightly built figure.

“David!” Maggie dragged herself slightly more upright.

“Hola, se?ora.” With his back mostly to Frankenstein, he dropped to his knees beside her. “How do you feel this evening?”

Noting his tense tone, Maggie glanced casually at Frankenstein, who shut the door behind him. For a moment all was dark before the guard snapped on his flashlight and shone it in their direction.

From under the woolen poncho he was wearing, David produced a small wooden bowl with a cork lid. “I’ve come to put more paste on your wound.” With trembling hands, he pried the lid off, releasing the garlic-like aroma she had smelled before.

David’s nervousness was obvious. His fingers shook as he dipped them into the paste. Was he simply afraid of Frankenstein? Keeping watchful, Maggie rolled onto her left hip, exposing the site of her injury now that her slacks were so low. David shifted so the guard’s light upon her injury, a gash about an inch and a half in length, surrounded by angry red torn flesh in need of stitching. This was only her second time looking at it since Vargas had sliced her open.

With an anxious glance into her eyes, David began to dab a fresh layer of paste over the wound. Frankenstein watched his every movement, silently urging haste so he could go back to whatever he and Igor did on their own time.

When David’s left hand lowered the small bowl to the ground, Maggie followed it. Easing aside the flap of his poncho, he showed her the vest he always wore. Maggie stifled a gasp, for in place of the banana-shaped ammo usually in his pockets, the haft of a blade and the butt of a pistol stuck out. Where had David managed to get such weapons?

The vision spurred her heart into a canter. And now David was slipping his fingers into his pants pocket, retrieving what looked like a set of keys?—Gallo’s key ring?! Before they could jingle, Maggie flashed out a hand under the guise of thanking him.

“ Gracias, David.” Curling her fingers firmly around the metal components, she took the key ring from his grasp and tucked it quickly out of sight behind her. Adrenaline coursed through her bloodstream, driving off her lethargy and sharpening her senses.

David wouldn’t get away with passing off the weapons, though, not unless Maggie could distract Frankenstein from staring at them.

“Hey, Diego.” She addressed her ally chained to the opposite wall while pushing the keys farther beneath her. “What do Colombians call men who are so hideous they look like monsters?”

As Diego chuckled, Frankenstein turned his glare on that man, giving Maggie the opportunity to snatch the pistol from David’s vest and lay it by her leg out of the guard’s view.

“Let’s see. Es un malparido ,” Diego responded. Badly born .

Maggie’s pounding heart rocked her where she sat. The pistol she’d just seized was heavy and modern; it had to have come from the Venezuelans. And the blade, from what she could see of it, looked like a straight U.S. military issue.

Diego must have sensed what she was up to, for he wasn’t done insulting Frankenstein. “Es una gonorrea de persona.”

The hulking guard whipped both his flashlight and his weapon at Diego. “Oye. Cállate la boca!” Shut your mouth .

By the time the guard swung his light back at David, Maggie had relieved him of the dagger and stowed it alongside the pistol. David, in turn, picked up the wooden bowl and recorked it while Maggie willed him to stay calm. A single line of softly spoken English emerged from his lips, the first she had ever heard him speak. “Jake is waiting outside the gate.”

In the next instant, he was up on his feet and slipping out the door that Frankenstein held open for him.

Maggie’s brain seemed to glitch as the door closed behind her visitors, sucking all light from the hovel. She sat in the darkness, stunned to the core. “Jake is waiting outside the gate.” Had David just spoken those words, or had she hallucinated them? She had a raging fever, after all.

Whether real or imagined, she wasn’t going to spend any more time in this cell than she had to.

Cotton-mouthed, with her extremities tingling, Maggie waited for the sound of footsteps to fade and for the hinges on the gate to groan. When the only sound to reach her ears was that of her own labored breathing, she shared her good news with the JUNGLA in a low-pitched voice. “ Muchachos , how do you feel about getting out of here this evening?”

“What did he bring for you, se?ora?” It was Diego, who’d clearly seen her furtive actions.

“First, a key ring.” She lifted it into view, letting the few keys on it jangle before grabbing one of them and trying to insert it into the padlock at her neck. When it didn’t fit, she thumbed her way to the second key. “I think it belongs to Mondo Gallo, who chained me up. If I can get free myself, I will free you, as well. He brought us a pistol and a blade, too. Who’s the best shot?”

“Jorge.”

“Yes, I am.” Eagerness strengthened that man’s previously feeble voice.

The JUNGLA fell silent, no doubt listening intently as Maggie worked her way through the keys. The fourth one slipped neatly into her padlock, releasing it with a click . Prying the metal collar open and freeing herself was pure euphoria. Optimism soared like an eagle buoyed up by thermal updrafts.

“I’m free!” She rolled to her knees, grabbed up the pistol and the blade, and shuffled toward the men.

This was going to work. Already a plan was forming in her head. “Guide my hands to your locks.” A pair of hands groped for her, caught her wrists, and drew her closer. For a split second, terror seized Maggie. What if this all went wrong, the way her plan in Morocco had veered off course?

No. This was a different place and time. And she wasn’t alone, either. She had three seasoned soldiers to assist her. And?—if she hadn’t been hallucinating?—the love of her life was just outside the gate waiting for her.

David rushed up to Jake, forcing him to raise his NVGs. The last ten minutes had been some of the most excruciating in his life as he relied on someone else to get the job done.

“It worked.” David’s quaking voice betrayed relief. The whites of his eyes shone brightly in the dusky light. “She took everything from me. I didn’t have to do anything.”

Admiration bloomed in Jake. That’s my girl. “Then she still has her wits about her. That’s good. Now we wait.”

David looked like he could use a hug. But, with a grave nod, he moved away to crouch behind a nearby shrub. As they’d discussed on their way up from the waterfall, it would be rash for David to return to his duties as squad leader. Even if he managed to return the key ring to Gallo before that man woke up, David would be suspect number one when the captives turned up missing.

Without much persuasion, he had agreed to accompany Jake, Maggie, and possibly even the JUNGLA to the radio station. Earlier that afternoon, Jake had placed a call to the JIC using the heavy-duty sat phone Lobo had left him. After explaining his situation, he’d requested a possible extraction that night at the designated E & E site.

“This better work.” Lobo’s response echoed in Jake’s head. “I’ve taken a lot of heat for you, Jake.”

“I’m sorry. It’s going to work, just as long as the Seahawk gets here when we need it, loaded with plenty of firepower, just in case.”

As David quilted himself in his poncho and waited, Jake flipped down his goggles and looked back at the enclosure.

Viewed through his NVGs, the snow on the ground glowed a bright ghostly green. He studied the scene, seeking any hint of movement, whether in the guards’ hovel or the prisoners’. Nothing moved except the smoke curling out of the guards’ shelter and the stunted vegetation shuddering under a steady breeze. Apart from the wind whistling over the rocks, kicking up snowflakes, and rattling the barbed wire at the top of the fence, not a sound reached Jake’s ears.

Time slowed to a crawl. What were the prisoners waiting for? Knowing Lena, they had a plan in place that would work?—unless none of the keys on Gallo’s key ring freed her lock. What if David had been mistaken about that?

Please, don’t let him be mistaken.

It had to have been a full hour later when the door of the guards’ shelter swung open and out stepped the larger of the two guards?—Ugh. Why’d it have to be him ? The corona of the man’s flashlight bobbed as he crossed to the enclosure’s gate. Using a key hanging from his belt, he unbolted it and left the lock hanging open as he stepped inside. This had to be a regular nightly inspection.

Jake’s finger curled instinctively over the trigger of his M4. If only David didn’t want him killing the guards. He could expedite Lena’s escape with a double tap that would neutralize the large guard instantly, followed by his partner when that man emerged to investigate.

Still, Jake respected David’s wishes and would do his best to abide by them. Killing was no small thing. Fortunately for Jake, the rules were different for special operators, who killed to save lives. Ben Harmony, the Teams’ best sniper, had taught him that helpful truth.

Neither Lena nor the JUNGLA captives would suffer such qualms, thankfully. And surely this was when they would make their move. The enormous guard was marching into the pen. He reached the rough-hewn door and stepped through it, taking the flashlight with him.

“David.” At Jake’s whisper, the drowsing youth jerked to attention, looked up at him, then craned his neck to see over the bush he hid behind. “It’s about to happen.”

Not five seconds later, a bloodcurdling scream issued from the hovel, raising Jake’s hackles. The cry came again, only to curtail abruptly as the large guard met his untimely end.

Finally . Jake released the breath he was holding. Now the hostages could make their escape.

Frankenstein was hard to kill. It took Jorge, the JUNGLA who’d volunteered to slit the man’s throat, two attempts before the beast finally crumpled. But not before his scream rent the quiet, alerting his colleagues to trouble. As Jake would say, Mallacht air!

Maggie’s heart would not stop pounding. She rose on trembling knees, her thoughts fixed on one goal: to escape this awful place.

Fernando, their leader, waited for Jorge to wipe the blood off the KA-BAR onto his slacks before gesturing with the pistol. “ Vamos . Se?ora, stay at the rear.” He waved her to the back as they fell into a line and followed Fernando out the open door?—Jorge first, then Diego, then her.

The cold air wafting over Maggie sharpened her fever-dulled senses. Even with adrenaline ricocheting through her bloodstream, her limbs felt weighted, her movements sluggish.

Scarcely aware of the pain in her hip, she slid along the hovel’s outer wall behind the commandos as they headed single file toward the gate. Light jumped suddenly from the guards’ hovel, and they shrank back as Igor came barreling out of it with his flashlight in one hand, his handheld radio in the other.

“Raúl!” The man’s panicked cry echoed off the escarpment behind them. “Raúl!” He brought his radio to his mouth to alert the other FARC. “Aviso! Aviso!”

CRACK! Fernando felled him with a single bullet of the pistol. Was it Jake’s? Both the flashlight and the radio fell into the snow.

Jake, are you here? Maggie squashed the hope that welled in her. She’d seen him disappear into the fast-flowing water. And, looking around, there was nothing but barren tundra, covered in snow and bone-chilling wind.

“Go!” Fernando powered forward, hustling them through the open gate.

The whistle that came floating out of the tree line made Maggie’s heart cartwheel. She knew that sound! But what if it was just a product of delirium or the cry of an Andean Condor? “If you see a white man, please don’t shoot him,” she told Fernando, just in case. Her heart raced for a completely different reason . Oh, Jake, please be here.

If Jake was alive, she would do everything differently.

Their line fragmented as they dispersed, looking around, wondering, What now? There was nothing but snow and rocks, shrubs, naked branches, and clouds overhead with just a few stars peeking through. They might be free, but they were far from saved.

But then, a figure stepped out of the forest with his hands held high. The air backed up in Maggie’s lungs. Her heart lodged itself in her throat. Behind him, with less confidence, emerged a smaller man in a poncho?—David.

“Jake?” Maggie’s strangled cry was scarcely audible. How could it be him? This man wore a helmet with night-vision gear mounted on it and a uniform. His face was blackened. Perhaps it was one of his teammates. “He’s a friend. Don’t shoot!”

As the soldier drew closer, she saw that he walked with a limp. But the breadth of his shoulders and the length of his legs were so like Jake’s. Then his lips parted in a smile so familiar, so dear that Maggie’s knees almost buckled. “Jake!”

She ran at him, heedless of the pain her sudden movement engendered. Joy like nothing she had ever experienced exploded inside her, seeming to lift her off her feet as she ran toward him, arms outstretched. He’d survived that fall into the river! Impossible! Yet here he was, rescuing her like he had done two times before.

Only this time, she was never letting go.

Lena crashed into him, her grip so tight Jake marveled that she still had such strength in her. She promptly burst into tears?—the last thing she wanted to do, he knew, but she was overcome. Tears welled into his own eyes, and joy strangled his vocal cords?—until he noticed the heat smoldering through the flimsy canvas at the back of her jacket. She was burning up with fever.

“You’re all right now, Beautiful. We’re going home.”

Overcome by emotion, she nodded with her face hidden against his neck.

Looking past her, Jake met the wary expressions of the three JUNGLA commandos who should have been released days ago per the UN’s agreement with the FARC. Reed-thin and grubby, they divided speculative looks between him and the boy in the poncho, whom they doubtless recognized.

Shifting Maggie to one side, Jake thrust a gloved hand toward the eldest of the bunch. “Lieutenant Jake Carrigan, SEAL Team Six.”

The man’s grip was surprisingly strong.

“Capitán Fernando Calderón. With me are Sargentos Diego Lopez and Jorge Pe?a. I imagine this is yours?” Fernando went to hand Jake’s pistol back to him.

“Keep it. You may need it. Listen, our goal is to get to the summit as soon as possible.” He jerked a chin toward the escarpment looming over them. “My Team is flying in on a helicóptero to get us out of here.”

The men stood for a stunned moment, no doubt wondering if they were dreaming. Fernando was the first to recover, shooting a speculative glance at the steep climb ahead. “ Bueno. Let’s do this .”

Cutting a look at the captives’ feet, Jake was relieved to see they all still wore their boots. Their uniforms were made for this environment, helping them to survive as long as they had. They could make it just a few hours longer. “Is there anything you need before we start hiking? David knows the way.”

“No, we’re ready. Vamos ahora .”

Patting down his vest, Jake located his two penlights?—one his own and the other left to him by Bambino. “Here, you take this. Let’s grab the flashlight off the dead guy and his weapon, too.”

Fernando went to relay the order, but his subordinates were already heading toward the dead guard. “Wait one second,” Fernando called over his shoulder. Striding toward the guards’ shelter, he gestured for his companion to follow him.

Jake focused back on Lena, who had lifted her head from his shoulder and stood wiping her face behind the fall of her long, tangled black hair.

Catching her lightly by the chin, Jake lifted her face so he could see her expression. “Can you walk, Beautiful?”

She sniffed. “Yes.”

Her brave response made his heart swell with admiration.

“Hey, Jake?”

Even in the darkness, he could tell the words she was about to say were important. The hope that she’d realized they were meant for each other jacked up his heart rate. “Yes, Lena?”

A voice interrupted whatever she was going to tell him as it shouted from the guards’ hovel. “We found a cache of weapons!” The commandos emerged with their arms full.

Jake looked back at Lena.

“I’ll tell you later.” Her teeth chattered. “We need to get moving. Igor warned the others. They’ll be here soon enough.”

Igor? The name briefly distracted him, calling to mind Young Frankenstein . But the sight of the commandos carrying two AK-47s apiece, extra clips, a couple of pistols, and a handheld radio caught his attention. They all froze as Gallo’s voice came out of it, sounding gruff and disoriented.

“Repite, Oscar. ?Qué pasa?”

They all froze. Fernando reacted first, snatching the radio out of Jorge’s hand and responding in what Jake hoped was a good impersonation of the guard. “Falsa alarma. Todo bien aquí.”

Gallo’s silence on the other end bespoke of his suspicion. “Tell me the passphrase, then.”

Fernando looked to Jake for the answer. When Jake shrugged, Fernando answered belligerently, “Tu madre.”

Oh, boy. The insult was sure to have consequences. Now Gallo knew the jig was up. At first light, he would head to Arriba to investigate, bringing a bunch of Venezuelans with him, just in case. Their tracks in the snow would make it apparent where the fugitives went. Even so, by the time Gallo got to the summit, Jake’s party would be long gone, provided their escape-and-evasion plan worked.

“How far to the cumbre , David?”

“Er.” David assessed the escarpment and scratched his chin. “As much as an hour .”

Perfect, it would take Jake’s teammates at least two hours to arrive by helicopter once Jake called for extraction. He would do that en route. “Okay, David. Lead the way.”

Keeping Lena pinned against his side, Jake ushered her uphill, fighting to keep pace with David’s nimble stride. As the commandos fell in behind them, the radio in Fernando’s hand gave off a steady hiss of static, suggesting Gallo had wisely switched to another channel. Needing all his concentration to walk, the commando didn’t bother searching for the new channel. The wind assaulted them, whipping snow into their eyes. Even so, the JUNGLA kept up without falling behind.

Jake had hoped to stop and place his call, but his hands weren’t free. Adrenaline must have kept Lena upright earlier. Now she could scarcely walk, forcing Jake to put his arms around her and half-drag, half-carry her along with him. His own soles burned with the abuse he’d put them through these past few days.

Lena gasped for breath and shuddered with cold, but she never once complained. Casting worried glances at her, Jake was struck by her pallor. What had she been about to say before the JUNGLA cut her off? Might she finally be willing?—after all they’d been through?—to share a future with him? Or was Jake just setting himself up for disappointment?

First things first. They had to get off El Castillo. And then Lena had to heal, both physically and mentally, from what she’d been through. Guilt pricked him anew for not protecting her better. None of that was going to be easy. But surely, after everything they’d overcome, she could see they were meant to be together.