Page 136 of Last Chance
He tapped the section, and the map magnified. “One of the Vatos Locos compounds is here. The only way to get to the area is on this road.” Logan pointed. “Since we heard about a Vatos Locos VIP coming to Hartman, I’ve been monitoring chatter on the dark web. Much of it is centered on the Chestnut Springs area. They took Janie to that compound, Sawyer. How long she’ll remain there or remain alive is anyone’s guess.”
“Gear up,” Brody said. “I have a call to make.” He walked outside.
Max said, “I’ll get your Go Bag. Save your strength and save your argument. You’ll need every second of recovery time, and it still won’t be enough.”
Instead of wasting time arguing, he told Max where the Go bags were. His friend returned a minute later with Go bags plus Jesse’s mike bag. “Pack heavy.”
Sawyer donned his gear, starting with his bullet-resistant vest. Layer by layer, he added more weapons and slipped his communication device into his ear.
Brody returned. “We’re set. Maddox is rerouting a helicopter to the airport. Another team is meeting us at the rendezvous coordinates.”
“Who?” Sawyer asked.
“Artemis.”
The knots in his gut eased slightly. Nice. Those women were lethal.
Brody took less than two minutes to suit up. “Let’s roll. Max, drive Sawyer’s SUV. Jesse, ride with them.” He held up a hand when Sawyer opened his mouth to protest. “Save it. No one wants a concussed driver on the road.”
“Fine.” It wasn’t, but what choice did he have? His primary goal was to reach Janie before Hernandez or one of his cronies hurt her. He tossed Max his keys.
The team loaded up in two SUVs and headed for the Hartman Airport. Ten minutes after they arrived, a helicopter landed on the pad close to their vehicles.
The rotors continued to spin as they ran to the helo and boarded. Once they were strapped in, the pilot lifted off and headed for Chestnut Springs.
“How long will we be in the air?” Sawyer asked the pilot.
“About 40 minutes.” Jake Sikorsky glanced over his shoulder. “Maybe less if we have a good tailwind. The boss told me your girlfriend was kidnapped. I’m sorry, buddy.”
“Me, too.”
“I’ll do what I can to cut down on the flight time.”
Sawyer lapsed into silence, running through various scenarios in his head. None of them were good. If anything happened to Janie, he would take out as many of the gang as he could. He didn’t care about the boss’s orders to stay under the radar while on US soil. Nothing mattered but Janie. He didn’t want to live without her.
Twenty-five minutes into the flight, Brody checked his phone and glanced at Sawyer. “Artemis is on site. Everything is quiet.”
Wouldn’t stay that way when they discovered the Fortress teams. “Have they seen Janie?”
A slight head shake. “They’ve split up and are watching every part of the compound. If Hernandez moves Janie now, Artemis will see it. They’ll do what they can to protect her.”
Sawyer’s hands clenched around his rifle and willed the helo to fly faster.
Soon, the pilot said, “We’ll reach the landing zone in two minutes.”
“Copy that.” Brody turned to the rest of the team. “Check your comm devices.” When everyone had checked in, he called Zane. “We’re one minute out. Join the loop.”
A minute later, Zane said through their earpieces, “Artemis is looped in as well. Maddox also has Durango on standby in the area if you need them.”
“Copy that,” Brody said.
“Copy,” a female voice murmured.
“Iona, have you seen the Reyes cousins?” Brody asked.
“Affirmative. No sign of either woman.”
“Janie is the priority, not Maria,” Sawyer said. He refused to apologize when Brody glared at him for breaking protocol. Too many people speaking on the comm loop would create confusion.