Shielding Instinct, page 24
But Petra would quickly admit these scenarios, while possible, were probably outlandish.
She, in fact, had no idea what was going on.
Petra slowly stood and moved toward Hawkeye. “I think she’s in shock. Her brain should have had her drinking that water I set out without thought. Her skin is obviously dehydrated. She needs medical attention. I’d pick her up and take her to the SUV, but I’m worried about the brothers. If we take her, are we leaving them?”
Hawkeye crouched down, posting a knee and sitting on his heel. He pulled out the map. “We’re right about here.” He pointed to the map. “Another hundred yards, and I could come out by the sea here. If I don’t have cell reception, I have my sat phone. Do we move her with us is the question.”
“We’d be moving her farther from the shelter and supplies at the cabin as well as from your SUV if we need to transport.” Petra turned her head from left to right. “The boys might be around here somewhere.”
“Do you feel comfortable staying with her if Cooper is here to guard the situation? I can get orders.”
“I think orders would be very helpful here. So would getting some medical personnel involved. I don’t know what’s going on right now, but her body responses are not normal.”
Hawkeye slid the map into his ruck, “Let’s be clear here, Petra. Nothing about this is normal.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Hawkeye
There was a lot going on behind the scenes, and Hawkeye sure would be glad to know what the hell it was and when it all started.
Petra’s friend Tamika had to be Tamika Bradly. How many Tamikas were there in the world?
Tamika Bradly was FBI.
Petra Armstrong, FBI, was here making phone calls, flagging something she saw.
Rowan Kennedy was on the way here. FBI.
Rowan was a specialist. He wasn’t jumping on a plane racing to St Croix for anything trivial.
Petra said she wasn’t working.
Did Hawkeye believe her?
Absolutely. Yes.
The girl hugging the tree root. Now, that was a headscratcher.
No matter the finger-pointing on the map, no matter the mumbling under her breath about the number of bags, the look of shock on Petra’s face when she saw that child was genuine. The girl’s appearance was unexpected.
What had Petra seen on the map that made her want to get eyes on?
Did any of it matter?
Possibly.
Hawkeye wasn’t at all sure that leaving Petra in the woods with a child—whom she’d protect—and Cooper—whom she didn’t know how to command—was the best idea.
The choices weren’t great. Sometimes, you had to do the thing that felt right.
The wind was picking up now. The foliage thinning out. A few more steps and there it was, a glimmer of blue. He’d made it to the top of the rise.
No phone bars. But a satellite overhead.
“Reaper, it’s Hawkeye. We’ve got a situation.” It took a moment to spell it out. All of it. Our subject, Molly McBeth, was not in the cabin. Her dog had been angry and famished but was now contained in a crate. He mentioned Petra’s job, the phone calls, that Rowan was en route, that Petra seemed like she was trying to disengage, but something about the map made her want to check something out. But that was all background information. The issue was that there was a child alone in the woods in a muddy bathing suit who was conscious but non-responsive, and the possibility that there were two other children in harm’s way.
“Given the situation on the island and emergency services slammed,” Hawkeye concluded. “I’m looking for next steps.”
“Is this an FBI op?” Reaper asked. “Are we stepping on toes? Obviously, we help the girl. But are we walking into a sting and messing something up if we continue with a lost-person search?”
Hawkeye stabbed a hand onto his hip. “Those are my questions.”
“Let me work the phones and get a plan together,” Reaper said. “Hang tight. Out.”
Hawkeye sat on the boulder letting his booted feet dangle over the side. He had made it to their original destination, the wharf that Petra had pointed out on the map.
There was a single white boat tied to a cleat.
Molly McBeth docked her boat down there. But they said the name of her boat was The Salty Margarita.
That the slips were empty made sense; the island boaters were out on search and rescue.
Why the one boat?
There was no activity around the boat. No tell-tale anything other than it looked like it was in consistent use. Nothing was covered in canvas, protected against the weather.
Hawkeye lifted his field glasses to scan along the way, looking at the tidepool where Petra had clung. Seeing the rocks where Lucky had grabbed her hair to save her, seeing how she would have climbed over to find a screaming Melissa, it was tough terrain and desperate circumstances.
Her stories from yesterday were harrowing.
Had he left her in danger again today? Hawkeye thought they’d be taking a walk in the woods when he volunteered for this assignment.
Hawkeye continued to scan for anyone out and about, for anything to give him information.
But the tide was gently rolling onto the beach with a whoosh and a slosh that soothed the soul and was antithetical to his present purpose. Come on, Reaper.
As if on cue, the sat phone rang.
“Go for Hawkeye.”
“Reaper here. Okay, we have a plan. Here’s the dilemma, they have no hands available. The concern is that the child suffered internal injuries, and that’s why she’s non-responsive. We want you and Petra to take the girl back to the cabin.”
“I could get the girl to the SUV. Petra could take the girl to the hospital, and I can continue the search.” Hawkeye pushed his field glasses into his ruck. “We’re burning daylight, and the wind is pulling the scent cone for backtracking to possibly find her brothers or her whole family, for that matter.”
“We considered that,” Reaper said. “If it was a single lost person, we’d have Petra bring the child on in. But if you find one of the brothers and that brother is injured, you’d be stuck there without comms. Looking at the time statistics, you’re right at the twenty-four-hour mark where there’s a ninety-eight percent chance of survival. Each hour from here on, that drops the chance. By this time tomorrow, we’re looking at a thirty-three percent chance the boys are alive.”
“If they’re even missing.”
“Hawkeye, if it was only the girl who was missing,” Reaper said, “we’d have a police report and frantic parents. No one’s heard anything about a single missing child. As soon as Cerberus gets back from their mission, they’ll join in the search. The authorities have posted that the Johnson family still has two missing adults and two missing children. Do you think Petra is willing to help?”
“I can almost guarantee it. Hey, there’s a single boat here where Molly McBeth ties up her boat. This craft is seaworthy. The name is Chill Out. Do you want to document that in case it turns out to be interesting?”
“Documented,” Reaper said. “Call in if this plan isn’t a go. The nurse is en route with three volunteers to help with the extraction. She hikes that area and is familiar with it. You can consult with her if you have any questions about the terrain. She’s bringing two of our wilderness medic bags. One for her to use as she stabilizes the child, one for you and Petra as you continue the search.”
“The girl is covered in mud,” Hawkeye stood and pulled the ruck strap over his shoulder. “Should we clean her up?”
“She might be part of a crime scene,” Reaper said. “The hospital will need to do forensics on her, DNA under her fingernails, for example. Touch her as little as possible.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Petra
Sitting in the lost woman’s cabin, the relief Petra felt when Cooper sat up and perked his ears was immense.
Whether this was Molly coming home safely or the nurse who volunteered to come package the child—yes, as long as it was one or the other—that was great.
But then her mind flashed with other possibilities, and Petra found herself scooping up the child, fast asleep, cocooned in one of Molly’s blankets, and dashing to the bathroom.
“Petra?” Hawkeye had jumped to his feet.
“Someone’s coming. I don’t know friend or foe. I’ll hide with the child until you figure it out.”
“I figured it out. The woman is in scrubs, and they’re carrying Iniquus wilderness medical cases.”
When Petra came out of the bathroom, Hawkeye was standing angled at the window like a soldier. Could have been habit, might also be that she’d spooked him.
He caught her eye. “Good call to grab and go. Better safe than sorry.”
The nurse came in, “Oh, she’s tiny.” She called over her shoulder. “If she doesn’t have broken bones, I don’t think we need the gurney, guys. Let’s just take turns holding her if she’s asleep. Can you sit down for a minute?” she asked Petra. “I want to do a quick physical and take a history.”
“No history. We found her. Called it in. You showed up.” Petra said. She was agitated because the boys were still missing. An enormous internal pressure swelled her veins, trying to force her into the woods with Cooper to start the search.
The nurse sent her a look of curiosity. But seemed to make an internal decision when Hawkeye didn’t offer anything of any kind. After listening to the child’s heart and checking her temperature, searching for bruises, bites, or other telltale signs, the nurse stood and signaled one of the men to pick up the child. “Thanks for making the find and calling it in,” she said, and they all filed out.
“I was rude,” Petra whispered.
Hawkeye hooked an arm around her and pulled her to his chest, kissing her hair. “Yeah, I’m worried about the boys, too. I’m all packed up. How about you use the bathroom, and we’ll leave?”
That was two hours ago.
Now, the sun was starting to sink.
The sky was filling with bats.
Cooper was a machine. With his pink tongue hanging long, Hawkeye had to physically stop Cooper from searching to sit and rest and try a sip of water.
She didn’t know what happened with the search once it got dark, but as the light dimmed, so did Petra’s ability to tell where her body was in space. With the shadows and dark spots, Petra was tripping more frequently.
Soon, she’d be a liability.
Her plan was that if she fell, that would be her clue that her time of being a help was over. She’d just walk toward the sound of the sea, find a beach, and walk until there was a way to get back to the hotel. Nothing was but so far on this tiny island.
It was important that her disabilities did nothing to interrupt Hawkeye and Cooper’s finding the boys.
But now, something was different.
Petra had to remind herself to breathe. They were close; she could feel it in her body.
Hawkeye said his ears got messed up during his time in the military. He probably couldn’t hear the changes in the sounds of Cooper’s travel patterns. From what Petra heard, she would surmise they were homing in on something.
When Cooper changed again, moving slower, feeling things out, Petra reached out and grabbed Hawkeye’s arm.
When Hawkeye stopped, she stood on her toes to whisper in his ear. “Cooper found something he doesn’t like. Do you want to recall him silently and let him take you in quietly until we know what we’re dealing with?”
“Are you psychic?” he whispered with a bewildered look.
“Not in the least,” Petra said. “I’m listening to him.”
Within minutes, Petra, Hawkeye, and Cooper were crouched outside a hillside house.
Hawkeye was surveilling the situation with his field glasses. He lifted to speak into her ear. “I see three adults. A fighting-age male is brandishing a gun. An adult couple is tied to a column. Two young boys are playing with a ball in the yard.”
“Well, shit,” Petra whispered, then stuck a finger in the air as Cooper perked his ears. “There’s a car coming,” she said.
An off-road vehicle with the fabric top folded down popped over the ruts and roots and found its way to a stop.
Petra and Hawkeye moved closer. They inserted the earbuds for Hawkeye’s parabolic ear, so they could hear what was said.
The guy with the gun came out and leaned onto the hood. “What’s happening down there?” the house guy asked,
“It couldn’t be better. Lots of boats are missing, people. It’s a mess. Also, there’ve been people over at Molly’s house.”
“Her boat didn’t come in yesterday,” house guy said. “Was it supposed to?”
The car guy reached for a bag and dragged it to him. “The letter on the table said she was out for a day cruise. I bagged up everything that was edible. She likes the vegan crap, so it wasn’t much.”
“Do we go?” house guy asked. “Do we not go?”
“I called the Prokhorovs for instructions. The issues all over the Caribbean make this so much easier. But since Molly’s missing, this area is going to get attention. I told them our boat was the only one in the slip, and people might wonder why it’s not out helping. They said to wait until ten or eleven o’clock and head out as planned. The Coast Guard and searches will be happening north of us.”
Prokhorovs? Wow. Well, now Petra knew why Rowan and two other members of his joint task force were headed to the island.
“Are we going to do it?” house guy asked.
“Get this guy’s money? Hell to the yeah, I am. You do what you want. But if you help, we get half in your Bitcoin account, half in mine. Get down to Panama, sell the boat. Go off in the world.”
“But if we have the money, why are we putting up with the family?” house guy asked. “We get the money and move on.”
Car guy was twirling his keychain on his finger. “Because you’re an idiot. What’s happening down there?” He lifted his chin toward the boys kicking the ball.
“Parents are still tied. I let the kids run around in the yard for a bit. They’re kids.”
“So first, what happens if we go and we don’t take them?” car guy asked. “They’re here, and they tell the cops about us. We’re fugitives instead of them being the fugitives. Right now, they’re not breaking any new laws. Second, the Prokhorov family paid us to do a job.”
“So?” house guy asked.
“So, the Prokhorovs can’t let someone off the hook, even a small fish like us. If they let us off the hook, everyone thinks they can come and go as they like. We deposit the family as we said we’d do. We never said we’d deposit them as anything other than healthy. I never said a word about depositing them as wealthy. That’s a separate transaction, as far as I’m concerned.” Car guy stopped talking for a moment. “Hey, I’m only counting two kids.”
“What?” house guy asked.
“There are three kids. I’m only counting two.” Car guy motioned toward the yard.
“The house guy looked into the vehicle and held very still. “I thought you had the girl.”
“What do you mean you thought I had the girl?” car guy yelled. “I told you to watch the family.”
“But you were gone. The girl was gone,” house guy whined. “I don’t know what gets your freak on, man. You want the girl? Take the girl. Not my thing, but you do you.”
There was a smack. “Are you telling me you don’t know where the girl is?”
“Ow shit, don’t do that.” House guy was rubbing his arm. “I don’t know where the girl is.”
The car guy ran to the house.
Hawkeye leaned to her ear and whispered, “Do you know who the Prokhorovs are?”
“Yes,” Petra said. “They’re not my monkeys and certainly not my circus.”
He caught her eye. “It’s Rowan’s circus, though?”
Petra shook her head. “I can’t speak to that.”
“Got it. And you saw something that tied this family to the Prokhorovs and sent up a bat signal?” Hawkeye asked.
“I did no such thing. This is all very much different than what I had imagined.” She held up a hand to signal that she was listening. It was harder to hear with the men inside, but the parabolic ear—that Hawkeye carried on searches to help him locate people who were calling out—was, in fact, very helpful.
“Where’s the girl? Where’s the girl?”
They heard fist to flesh and Jenny crying out.
“She’s a child. I have no idea. Children get things in their minds.”
The next bit was garbled. The men talked over each other, sometimes screaming at the parents, sometimes hissing softly. “We’re so deep into the trees that a child has no chance of finding her way out. If you helped her to escape, you only sent her to a painful death from dehydration, hunger, and animals. If you think it’s a good idea to try to get another child out, they’ll die just as badly.”
Then the car guy was yelling at the dad about finding a wifi signal at dark. They would be transferring his Bitcoin monies to the men’s Bitcoin wallets.
“But how will my family live? That’s all we have.” Herb sobbed.
“Yes, well, at least you will live, right?” the car guy said. “Then we’ll take the boat and get you to Panama. Your mule will take you to Columbia from there.”
“With no money, we won’t survive. Leave a little in pity for the children.” Jenny was begging.
Hawkeye signaled to Cooper to keep quiet, and the three backed deeper into the foliage.
“What’s the play Petra?”
“We use the sat phone to call Rowan and dump this onto his plate.”
It was a quick relay of information and GPS pins, then the three—Petra, Hawkeye, and Cooper—were right back in their spot, watching and listening, waiting for the FBI team to show up.
It felt like a very long time.
The house was eerily quiet. Nothing was coming over the parabolic ear.
In the last of the daylight, the kidnappers were back by their vehicle.
