Chapter 24

The buzzing noise was all too familiar.

"Drone," Seb said, picking up speed and moving at a clip well beyond the speed limit. "Behind us and off to the side."

Vance turned and looked out the rear windshield. "It's following a tight search pattern along the road, not veering far off into the trees on either side of the road. They're looking for us. We can try to outrun it, but we'll draw attention to ourselves if the operator spots us."

It was a polite way of telling Seb to slow down.

Shadow Defense owned several unmanned aerial vehicles, and this clunker wouldn't lose their base model. Assuming it was top of the line was the better gamble. Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best. And have a backup plan. It usually worked for him.

To do that, they needed to be out of the UVA's range long enough to set things up. He'd only need a few seconds.

"I'll pull over and pop the hood," Seb said, as the trees along the road zipped past. "Thankfully for us, whoever owned the car didn't keep the exterior in the same condition as the engine. The drone's operator will take one look at the vehicle and not question a break down. We should be fine as long as we stay inside the car. They'll pick up the heat signature from the engine, but shouldn't be able to pick up our heat signatures through the steel."

When the operator failed to spot anyone walking along the road's shoulder further ahead, he'd assume a car out of the camera's range had stopped and offered the driver of the beaten-up wreck a lift. There'd be no reason to think otherwise, unless there were no cars on the road ahead. Seb hoped that wasn't the case, or Antoine's men weren't sharp enough to put it together.

Seb pulled off the shoulder when he felt they were far enough away from the drone to give him enough time to set everything up. He turned the car off, got out, and propped the hood open before racing to the trunk. It took five seconds to pull out the semi-automatic rifle he'd stashed in the duffle bag and get back into the car.

"So that's what you meant when you said you'd brought some stuff from the sailboat," Alexis said wryly, and he caught her amused smile in the rearview mirror.

"If the drone hovers, I'm playing it safe and blowing it out of the sky," Seb said, flipping the vehicle's side mirror up so he could get a partial glimpse of the sky before closing the car door. He'd have preferred better visuals, but Seb would take what he could get. The drone's steady buzz would allow him to track its path.

There would be no way of knowing how much information the drone would have recorded before he shot it down, but it would buy them time. The data would have been automatically uploaded to the Cloud. While the operator scrambled to access the file, they'd have time to disappear.

Without knowing the UVA's make and model, Seb couldn't guess at the operator's location. He'd assume closer than a mile and push the old car to its limits to keep them out of sight of Antoine's men if he had to take out the drone. They needed to make the turnoff to the safe house without being spotted by the drone's operator.

"You said you grew up around here." Seb directed his comment to the Marshal. "I hope you know the back roads, because we may have to use them if I have to shoot down the drone."

"Like the back of my hand," Vance replied, the corner of his mouth pulled up in a long, slow grin. "They won't be able to find us."

"It didn't take long for them to get the drone in the air. Antoine's men were better organized than I'd expected," Seb said, as he checked the rifle.

"It wouldn't have taken much effort, and we should assume there are other drones in the air," Vance said, his eyes on the rear windshield and the approaching drone. "Several of the Burmese python hunters the government employs live out here. I know of three guys in the area who use drones to hunt. If they thought it was the FBI asking for help to protect our country, they'd put them in the air without questioning."

"Let's hope it doesn't find us interesting," Seb said as the buzz increased in volume and the drone drew closer.

They waited silently, and Seb could see Alexis's worried expression from the rearview mirror.

The two of them weren't the only ones at risk. He was certain she knew what would happen if Antoine's men eliminated them. His employers would turn their attention to anyone who knew about the existence of the algae—Maxwell and Daphney, Leo and his family, and Shadow Defense.

Seb hoped Alexis was right about Butler and he wasn't involved with the men backing Antoine. If someone had stolen his research to create the algae, he and Overlin would be the best people to correct the error in the formula. The science was beyond Seb. He just prayed it was possible, otherwise someone had a weapon capable of causing unimaginable chaos.

The tension in the vehicle rose. Vance ran a hand over his mouth before meeting Seb's gaze. He wasn't smiling this time. He knew what was at stake. The operator could be a mile away or just beyond the rise, waiting for a slip-up on their part.

The drone passed them, sticking to its pattern. They let out a collective sigh as it continued along the highway.

"That was close. Too close," Vance said, rubbing his fingers across his forehead. "We'll wait until we're out of range and then head out."

"We need to get off the main road," Seb said, starting the vehicle.

"You better let me drive. I know the roads around here. It'll be rough and slow going in spots." Vance opened the car door and got out to exchange places with Seb.

Seb was certain he'd driven on worse terrain, but he wanted to contact Vala. Javier had done a quick background check on the Marshal, but Vala would follow it up with a deep dive. If things went south, Seb needed to know he could trust the man.

He pulled out his cell phone once they were on their way and swiped the screen.

If there were any skeletons in Marshal Westberg's closet, Vala would find them. They'd learned to avoid asking how she'd found the information she uncovered. She was no stranger to the Dark Web.

What do you have on the Marshal?

The guy is squeaky clean and well-respected. He's had a couple of dangerous assignments that earned him commendations. His file reads like someone working his way up the ladder. We may want to keep him as a contact.

Seb glanced up as Westberg signaled and noted the location of the side road. Gravel crunched under the car's tires, but the road was more dirt than gravel.

Anything stick out?

He strikes me as a rule follower, rigid. Don't expect him to flex when you need him to.

Vala wouldn't have mentioned it if she didn't think it could become an issue. Seb would keep it in mind.

What about Sofia Keller?

The ID the U.S. Marshals gave her was done quickly or they're getting sloppy. There're gaping holes in it, but no link to her real identity.

Alexis got the impression she was thinking of ditching Westberg and trying Emery Foster on for size. She's been careful not to use the name in front of him.

I'd agree with Alexis. I found nothing. See if Alexis can wheedle her real name. I got a bad feeling.

I'll ask her to push. We ran into some problems and are heading into the backcountry. When Vala got a bad feeling, Seb didn't ignore it.

You'll need to ditch the car. The owner contacted the Sheriff's Department fifteen minutes ago to report it stolen from the marina parking lot.

Will do.Seb tapped send and returned the cell phone to his pocket.

"The owner of the clunker reported the car stolen," Seb told Vance and glanced over his shoulder to the backseat. Emery had fallen asleep despite the bumpy ride, and Alexis was watching the thick vegetation on the side of the road.

"I'll have a friend return the car to the marina tomorrow. The police will think teens took it for a joy ride." Westberg's attention was focused on the road, with good reason.

The gravel had given way to a dirt track. They bounced up and down on shocks that were worn out. The car would need a wheel alignment after the trip.

Seb had heard the Everglades described as a land full of contrasts. He would agree as breaks in the thickly packed shrubs and towering cypress trees revealed Sawgrass marshes stretching into the distance. A lone alligator on the side of the road basked in the sun that would soon set. They hadn't traveled far from the main road, but the air in the car had become humid and carried the scent of decaying vegetation. It was a completely different world from the island paradise he and Alexis had experienced a day ago, but just as equally dangerous.

Vance turned off the road, and they drove further into the wetland. He glanced at Seb. "We're only a quarter of a mile from the turn onto the main road. The roads make it seem farther. They've always been bad, and I don't expect that will ever change. Folks around here drive trucks and SUVs that can handle the road. We've don't have far to go, but I need to take it slow. The clunker wasn't built for this kind of driving."

Seb had been paying attention to their route, which, until the turn, ran parallel to the main road. He'd be able to get them out without the Marshal's help, but it would be slow going at night.

"The roads would deter any tourist who wanted to get close to nature," he said as Westberg gunned the car, and it bounced out of a deep rut.

"I wouldn't advise getting close to any of the animals out here," the Marshal chuckled.

"Your boss didn't seem happy about you hiding your witness out here." The telephone call from Westberg's boss concerned Seb. Their disagreement was over more than where to hide Sofia Keller. Westberg was struggling with a direct order his boss had given him.

Westberg shrugged. "She wanted me to take Sofia to a safe house in Miami. They've found her twice. So until we can figure out how, I'm stashing her some place they'll never locate her."

Seb wasn't sure that was a good thing. He looked at the surrounding landscape. A man could never let his guard down. There was one word to describe it. Dangerous.