When Evil Came to Stay, page 9
Erin didn’t turn to look at the girl, simply set about dragging out the clothes she needed. “On a mission, and I don’t know where.”
“Huh! Well, you’re looking for a connection between Colvert, Olante, and Corvino, right?” Liv’s words stopped Erin in her tracks.
“What?”
“I heard the names,” the girl muttered. Erin grabbed the boots by the bed, already shucking the lighter lofa shoe she’d been wearing as Liv continued, “You’re looking for the financial backer, right? Oh, it comes through from more than four locations, yeah?”
Now Erin stopped, spun back to stare at the girl. “What did you just say?”
“Oh, they had us girls assist in the office space. Said that training us to be useful while growing the next generation was another part of our task. I had a better head for numbers than a lot of others, so they started training me in the financial side of things. I saw some of the income strands. The ones from the World Bank were the smallest amounts, but the same person handled them.”
“Who?”
“Stollington? Sorrington? Something like that. He’s the go-between, according to some of the communications I saw, okay?”
Erin swiped her hand over her brow, her mind thinking in rapid fire. “So, you saw the name Draven Sorrington?”
“No, not a guy... Elina Sorrington or something like that was the signatory. I don’t know a Draven. It’s not a name I saw.”
Biting her lip, Erin considered the girl’s words. “Okay. Get yourself back to the medical center. They’ll be worried about where you are. I’m heading out and can’t get you back there right now. Make sure you tag either the senator or Jonah when you get back. Tell them what you told me, okay? Now go.” She ushered the girl to the door.
Liv scowled. “So that’s all the thanks I get? I’ve given up everything for you lot. I at least deserve—”
“Liv, I have a life depending on me right now.” Some of the worry and concern bled into her words because the girl blinked at her. “I’ll come see you when I get back.”
The girl left Erin staring at the half-packed bag in her hand, then she stumbled to the bathroom, found toothbrush, paste, and a hairbrush and changed into the warmer clothes she knew were necessary. If she was missing anything...well, she’d do without it. By the time she was downstairs, Erin was winded from rushing.
David was staring pointedly at his watch.
Erin climbed into the waiting vehicle, puffing. “I have a good explanation. I’ll tell you everything in the car.”
Contacting the flight prep team from the vehicle cut down the amount of time they’d have to wait. They were flying light. Only a small bag each, renewed rations in the emergency pack, and the tiny jump seat cleared for Celeste meant they’d still have more than twenty hours flight time worth of fuel in the tanks.
“So, you want to hear what I have to tell you?” The asperity in Erin’s voice washed over David.
“Yes, of course.”
“I got upstairs, and Liv was there. Waiting for me. She’d overheard some of the conversations we’d had. She said she’d spent some time in the finances of the children’s headquarters. Said she knew of Elina Sorrington or something like that, who I guess is either a sister or mother to our friend Draven. I’m just about to put a call through to Jonah to request the ID, but Liv was adamant.”
The back of David’s head itched. The information would help, but it was more than timely, it ranked up there with a huge coincidence. Something he didn’t hold with. “How did she know about Sorrington?”
“Claims she overheard us.”
His concern deepened. “She overheard us? That’s what she said?”
Erin nodded. “She was definite about that. Said she’d seen communiques with that name. I didn’t recognize it...”
“Tell Jonah only the necessary for now, Erin. Ask him to hold off on any action based on what she says. It feels off to me, and I don’t want to send them off on a wild-goose chase. We’ve had a few of them already.”
“David, I know your angry that—”
“I need time to consider what she told us, Erin. Please, just trust me?” He turned into the airfield and cut the engine, and his gaze connected with Erin’s. “Please.”
“I always trust you, David. You’ve never done me wrong, and I trust your instincts. Implicitly. The thing is I sent her to Jonah and Daniella. I’m sorry if that’s messing with what you think.”
He could tell she meant it, and it made him want to reach out to her, to tug her close and kiss her lips.
Instead he turned away and motioned for her to follow him airside, where the copter waited, several people hurrying to prepare it for their use. “Load the bags into the back. I’ll be with you in a moment.”
She gave a silent nod, and he glimpsed her following his instructions as he once again took control of the tiny craft.
“We’ve completed the pre-flight checks for you. She’s fueled and ready to go. Will you be logging a flight plan?” The earnest engineer handed over the clipboard, and David ran his eyes over the list then double-checked everything. The first thing he’d learned as a pilot was the best person to rely on to ensure the safety of your craft was yourself.
Once he climbed into the cockpit and fired the engine, Erin had finished the call she’d made from her communicator. “They checked on Eliana Sorrington and can’t find her at all on PolSearch.” She rubbed an absent finger over the bridge of her nose.
“That’s odd.” His gaze moved over the equipment while his mind considered what she’d just told him.
“It is. It’s almost as if she never existed, which is strange.”
“You said Liv saw the dockets, the signatures, right? Anyway, we need to get moving. Hold tight.” David pushed the controls, the copter rising into the air, then he dropped the nose slightly and accelerated.
“Umm, is it okay to fly like this?” Erin scrunched back in her seat, her face white.
“Yeah. I’m just accelerating more quickly than usual. It’s all good. But why don’t you talk to me? Ask me anything you want.” He hoped that by combining her natural curiosity about life and keeping her mind occupied, they’d be able to pass the time more swiftly for him. The tilt at the front of the copter—pitching the nose down—was slight but would allow them to speed up and he’d already ascertained she wasn’t a comfortable flyer.
“Okay. How long have you been flying?”
He chuckled. “I started when I was eighteen. My Uncle Ran, as you know, is an aerospace engineer. He was a flight instructor in the forces until he retired. Said he couldn’t face combat flights anymore. He went commercial at that point. Took me on as his first student. He was co-opted soon after to work on the new generation copters, but by then I was hooked. So, when Uncle Ran needed someone to test this baby, I jumped at the chance. With the political instability it’s come in useful for work.”
“Oh. You’re close, right? Your family?” Erin waved her hands.
He shrugged, his gaze scanning the horizon. “I guess. Ran is my mother’s brother. Dad was an only child, so we spent a lot of time with our cousins. Mike, Daniella, and I spent summers with them, and they’d spend winters with us.”
Now Erin went silent, and he glanced in her direction. She’d finally lost the white- knuckled grip on the bar ahead of her. Instead, she’d dragged on her dark glasses.
He let her be, knowing that the flight and the task ahead of them were big enough. He’d made some headway, and he’d take what he’d managed to achieve as a sign that he was on the right track.
CHAPTER EIGHT
At some point, Erin mused, she must have fell asleep, because as her eyes opened, they’d reached the sandy expanse and the flash of blue water extended beyond the front of the copter.
“With us again?” Amusement colored David’s tone, and she almost squeaked with embarrassment.
“Uh, how long was I out?” She pushed the glasses up over her hair, a little embarrassed that she’d slept, and caught sight of his grin.
“Not that long.”
“Okay, so where are we, and how long until we reach the location of Celeste?”
“Her position was about two nautical miles from here. She knows the area well and was able to tell us pretty closely the location and sent us some photos before her comm system went offline. I’m going to have to quick stop. It’s tricky. I’ve got to wash off the speed, hover and drop down if there are things in the way. Not my preferred landing type, but it’s all we’ll have.”
“O-kay.” The way he spoke told her more about the danger than he probably realized. “We’ll be able to take off easily?”
“Yeah.”
“Why is it different to what we did—”
He turned. “I’ll explain later. Once we’re safely back at the base, okay?”
She nodded and, now silenced, waited for him to give further instructions.
“In the box behind your seat there are binocs. Grab them out. I need you to be on the lookout for a small island in a group of five. They’re called the ‘Five Brides’. We need to find the middle one. It’s got a cave where she’s hidden the dingy and is hiding out. Once we fly over, he’ll know and send backup, so we’ll have to move quickly and be decisive.” He thrust a small communicator at her. “You’ll find her listed under ‘B’ for ‘Buffy’, so dial and tell her what to look out for.”
‘B’ for ‘Buffy.’ Erin wasn’t sure she liked how close and friendly this all sounded. And why is that, hmm? You’ve avoided him and any kind of connection studiously. Now you’re what... Jealous?
She snatched up the binocs, refusing to consider the situation any further. They flew along the coastline, keeping it on the pilot’s side as she glanced out the window.
The expanse of blue glowed like a sapphire, but no small islands caught her attention. “I can’t see anything.”
“All right then, we move further into the channel. I’ll fly back to our starting position, and you can check again.”
She nodded, realizing he needed some silence, the only sound the thudding of the blades and the engine cutting through the air. They flew swiftly, the nose once again slightly dipped, then he banked and turned the copter into a tight turn, realigning them. This time the expanse of blue on both sides increased her nausea, which she controlled with some difficulty.
“Okay, beginning the pass again.”
She raised the binocs and peered through. “Hang on, what’s that?” She pointed into the far distance at a speck of color against the shine of the water.
“Let’s go find out.”
He maneuvered, changed his heading, and powered forward, over the top of a large yacht. “Dammit!”
“What?”
“That super yacht down there? It looks like the Sun Spinner.”
“Okay. Clearly we need to find her quickly and get out of here,” Erin murmured.
They checked the small islands, counted five, and picked the central one out. She dialed ‘B’ for ‘Buffy’ and the call was answered with, “David, it took you a long time to find me.”
Erin held up the unit. “Yes, longer than I wanted. Stay in the cave until I land, then run like the hounds of hell are after you. He’s not that far away and we’re running short on time to get off the island.”
She tapped the communicator off and waited, hands clutching the bar again as he washed off speed, sand whipping around them as he hovered.
Erin knew he’d said the landing would be tricky, but he just looked cool and fresh, like he did this every day. She bit her lip and held it there, even though the tender skin stung.
They landed with a tiny thud. Sand flew into the air and Erin watched him wait until the blades stopped spinning, then he tugged off his belt and shoved the door open wide. A tiny whirlwind of blond hair with a small, lithe body, encased in a figure-hugging white and gold swimsuit, came sprinting up the hill.
He pulled his seat back, shoved the woman in, then clambered back in, closing the door and once again firing the engine. “Get your belt on, then scrunch down. We don’t want them to see you until we’re past them!”
David had the copter up, and the nose dipped again as they flew over a tiny speed boat, three people crowded inside. “Just missed them!”
Pings of sound echoed, ‘Buffy’ cowered and slapped her hands to her head, and David grimaced. “We’ve been hit. I don’t think it’s anything serious though. Erin?”
“I’m good.”
“Celeste?”
“Uhh no. Not so good really. I, um, think I’m hit.”
“Erin?”
She threw off the belt and turned in the seat, hissing at the red staining the other woman’s swimsuit. Erin dug into the emergency supplies, searching for the first aid kit, and thanked the training in field triage. “Turn toward me.”
The woman did, slowly unclasping her seatbelt with shaky hands.
Erin inspected the wound site. “I think we should be good to reach home, but I’m going to have to apply a field dressing as best I can. I’m going to start by cutting your swimsuit then will pad the wound site. It’s going to hurt, but will compress the wound and slow the bleeding.”
It was uncomfortable and slow, hanging over the seat, the way it pushed into her still healing wound site, but the woman wasn’t going to bleed out, at least not on her watch.
Celeste yowled as she shoved the packing at her, applied firm pressure. “Hold that. Hard,” Erin barked as the woman’s hands flailed ineffectively.
“It hurts.” Celeste employed a plaintive voice, and it took all Erin’s efforts to control the eye roll.
“Yeah, it does, but I need pressure on the wound, okay?”
“You don’t know how much it hurts—”
Erin smothered the words that came to her lips as David called out, “She does. She was injured just a couple of weeks ago. Nearly died from wounds like yours.”
The woman’s eyes squeezed shut. “Can you give me something for the pain?”
“No. I don’t carry those kinds of things in my kit. This is the best I can do right now.” She gave instructions, watched as the woman settled herself against the corner of the copter, and climbed back into position, which was difficult in the cramped conditions. “How quickly can we make it home?”
David’s lips thinned. “I’ll push as hard as I can. Maybe an hour? That’s from here.”
They’d already crossed the white sandy area and were quickly approaching the tree line beyond. Somewhere down there was Cam, Astrid, and Jude, who’d moved to escape this kind of situation.
“How’s the copter?”
“She’ll keep flying.”
Erin just hoped Celeste would make it that long. Her skin was taking on a decidedly pasty whiteness. It could be shock, or it could be something far worse, and she couldn’t get close enough to tell and inspect the wound site. They’d just have to hold on.
“Celeste?”
“Hmm?” It was a groan of pain and Erin frowned.
“Uh, what can you tell be about Draven Sorrington?”
“Dav? He’s a friend. I went to school with him.” Celeste shifted in the seat, and Erin reached out, trying to encourage her to stay as still as possible.
“Does he have a sister? Cousins? Anyone you know who’s named Elina?”
“Eliana? No... Not that I know of. Our families have been friends for a long time. Mama didn’t mention anyone. She’s a cousin, you know. Distant.”
Erin rubbed at her wound site, feeling the burn of memory. “Okay. You’re sure?”
“No... Not sure. Need to ask mama.” Celeste opened her eyes and Erin’s concern rose another notch at the glassiness.
“David, we’re going to need to detour. Get me to Cam’s. We need a medic now.”
“We’ll be drawing them into the area if we do that.”
“And if we don’t, we could lose her. I can’t check her pulse, but she’s glassy and pasty. It could be shock, David. We need down as quickly as we can.”
He banked, Celeste gasped, and Erin swore. Their descent this time was gradual, gentle even so that they landed with barely the insult of a nudge.
Erin threw off her belt and shoved the door open before the blades ceased spinning, adrenaline spiking as she ran to the other side. David was out, shoving his seat out of the way and lifting the woman over the seat. “Get her on the grass, I need to inspect the injury now. Then get hold of Astrid or Jude. We need the medic here.”
Throwing herself on the ground, Erin tore at the hastily applied bandages and padding.
“Shit!” It was definitely worse, with the heat surrounding the tissue, some obvious distension which was spongy to her touch. “I think she’s got some internal bleeding I missed in the cabin.”
David headed off down the road. There wasn’t much else Erin could do, so she repacked the site and kept pressure on the wound while she waited for David to return.
Upon his return, David was puffing and panting. “They’re bringing the medic. He’s going to stabilize, then we’ll try and fly out of here. The longer we’re here, the greater the danger to this community.”
“I agree.” She also remembered Cam’s words about his friend, Dougie. “I just hope Cam doesn’t see us.”
That was a faint hope as the sound of a pickup truck echoed. Erin groaned. “Head him off, will you?”
Another sound, this time a throatier pitch, told her Astrid or Jude were there. A woman in her late thirties climbed from the back of the extra cab with a big metal box in her hands.
“Let me see,” the woman bellowed, and Erin moved aside as the woman barged over. Erin stretched her aching muscles while hovering in the general vicinity.
The ‘hmm’s and ‘okay’s didn’t shed any light, but Erin could afford to be patient. For Celeste to survive, they needed the expert help this woman could offer.
The medic dug deep into her carryall and produced an IV solution and got it running, setting Astrid, David, and Jude to attaching a customized, retrofitted pallet to the running board of the copter’s skids.
“Is that the best we can do?” Erin queried.
