Bare Witness (14 page)

“What now?” Nigel asked.

“We wait for a signal from Emile. We don’t want to move on the house unless we can be certain that Piper won’t be harmed.” She took out her night-vision goggles and put them on. She glanced at Nigel, and saw him fumbling with his.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you nervous?”

“No. But being so close to Piper…all I want is to storm in there and get her. I need to hold her and make sure she’s safe.”

“Soon,” Justine said. She drew Nigel back into the shadows as a unit of two guards started making the rounds. “Charity?”

“I’m here,” she said. She was monitoring the comings and goings at the compound from a little ways up the mountain.

“Do you see anything?”

“No. The guard unit is almost on your position. Once they pass, you can move toward the house. Go in silently.”

She motioned to Nigel to keep quiet while they waited for the guard unit to pass. Once the men were out of their line of sight, they both stood up and moved quickly toward the house closest to them. They kept low, and Justine was once again impressed with Nigel’s skills.

The man knew how to stay alive, and she realized he was a survivor like she was. She thought about what he’d said in the car on the drive over to Cusco, about being left behind by his mother. That incident had clearly shaped him into the man he was today.

“Hold your position,” Charity said. “You’ve got company moving toward you.”

“Pair?” Justine asked, pulling her knife from her chest sheath.

“Single.”

“Stay put, Nigel. I’m going to drop back so I can surprise whoever it is.”

He nodded and stayed where he was while she moved back into the shadows. She realized how at home she was in the shadows. This was the world where she knew what to do. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t cook now, because she did know how to save lives, how to protect the innocent and make sure the wicked went straight to hell.

Okay, enough with the melodrama, she thought.

She heard the footsteps and saw the heavy shadow move past her. She attacked, taking the man down and putting her knife against his jugular.

“It’s me, Emile.”

“Emile, why didn’t you signal?”

“I’m being watched. They’ve moved the girl. Get off me. We have no time to lose.”

She got up, and Emile got to his feet next to her. Nigel had his gun leveled at both of them.

Justine nodded at him, proud of the way he had known what to do without her telling him.

“We have no time to lose. The girl is being held in the basement of the second house over there. Follow me,” Emile said.

They stayed to the shadows, following Emile. Justine drew her gun, keeping it at the ready. She wasn’t too sure that Emile wasn’t leading them into a trap. It was nice to know that being with Nigel wasn’t making her lose her edge. She still didn’t trust anyone.

But she realized she was just starting to trust Nigel, and that thought was a little scary, but comforting.

“I
n there, and then down to the basement,” Emile said. Nigel was halfway through the door before he remembered what Justine had warned him about. This could be a trap. He pulled up and scanned the room before entering, letting his gun lead the way. He stepped through the doorway once he ascertained the room was clear, and then he walked across the floor. There were no sounds in the house, and it was dark. He would have thought the place was abandoned.

“Can you get a thermal image of the house?” Justine asked.

“I’m working on it. The computer is giving me fits…” Charity said. “I think it’s because of the humidity.”

“Emile is back outside,” Charity said. “Keep me posted on your whereabouts.”

“I will.”

She motioned to Nigel that she’d go first. She opened the door Emile had indicated, and saw that it did indeed lead to a basement. She had no idea how many stairs there were, and she wasn’t going to turn on the light. Couldn’t chance alerting whoever was at the bottom that they were coming. She didn’t like the way this entire setup felt.

But turning back wasn’t an option.

“Wait here,” she said to Nigel.

“Why?”

“I need to make sure this isn’t a trap. Keep your gun drawn and watch my back.”

“I…will do,” he said.

She knew he wanted to be the one to go down into the basement and find Piper, but she had no idea what they’d be facing. Justine made her way carefully down the stairs, keeping her gun drawn with the safety off. She went down until she felt the concrete floor beneath her feet, and then started making a perimeter around the room. She went less than five feet before she encountered something on the floor. A body.

She dropped to one knee and felt around the body. Searching for the head and a pulse. Instead, she found congealed blood on a cold lifeless body.

“I’ve got a dead body in here—not Piper.”

“I’m coming down,” Nigel said.

“No. Stay there. I don’t think Piper is here. Charity, did you see where Emile went?”

“Yes. Back to the main building.”

Piper pulled out a small penlight and flicked it on, keeping her weapon at the ready to fire. She scanned the room and found it empty except for the body, which she now saw was Constance.

“Constance is dead. Piper’s not down here.” She scanned the room further just in case she’d missed something.

She felt impotent at finding Constance too late. Where the hell was Piper, and why had Emile led them here? “Is there anything unusual outside, Charity?”

“Not that I can tell. There are about eight men in the building next to where you are.”

“I’m coming up behind you, Nigel.”

“We can’t leave Constance here,” he said.

“We will come back for her,” Justine said. “Our focus is on Piper.”

“You’re right,” Nigel said. “Where to next?”

“Charity?”

“I’d head to the right. There are two images in the building next to you. It’s hard to tell if they are adult or child because they are seated,” Charity said.

“Check on Piper’s GPS, Charity,” Justine said.

“The signal is still here. I’m monitoring it, and will let you know if there is movement.”

“To the right then?” Nigel asked.

“Yes. To the right. We’ll go low again like we did before, and stay alert.”

“I will.”

Justine led the way, with Nigel right on her back. She kicked opened the door to the next building and scanned the room with her gun, then entered. There was one man in the corner who dropped a book and then reached for his gun. He pulled it and fired, hitting the frame of the doorway, and a sliver of wood caught her on her left cheek. She felt the sting as she lifted her gun and returned fire. She heard Nigel step inside and close the door behind him.

Justine hit the man and he fell to the floor. She moved quickly to bind his hands and feet with flex cuffs. She trusted Nigel at her back.

“There’s one more person in the building, moving toward your position.”

“I’ve got them,” Nigel said.

Justine finished securing the guard she’d taken out. “Where is the girl being held?”

The man stared up at her blankly, so she repeated her question in Spanish.

“I will tell you nothing.”

Justine drew back her hand and hit the man with the butt of the gun. “Are you sure?”

Blood dripped from his nose and his upper lip was swollen. “Yes.”

She hit him again, this time to knock him out. She got to her feet as another guard entered the room. Nigel stepped up behind the man and put his gun to the back of the man’s head. “Drop your weapons.”

The man did as ordered. “Get on your knees, hands behind your head.”

Once the man was secure, Justine asked him where the girl was and again got no response. Nigel surprised her by grabbing the man by the back of his head and putting the barrel of his weapon on the man’s chin.

“Tell me where the girl is being kept or you will die.”

Nigel was tired and frustrated, and at this point he didn’t care what he had to do. If they didn’t find Piper soon, he was going to give in to the berserk rage that was boiling up inside of him, and lay waste to this entire complex.

He was more than angry that that stupid git Marshall had concocted a plan like this, threatening Piper, all because the man hadn’t been promoted. He should have made the connection sooner, Nigel thought.

But he hadn’t, and there was nothing more he could about it now.

“I don’t know where the child is. She was next door, but this evening she was moved.”

“Why?”

“Do I look like someone who the boss discusses his plans with?”

Nigel drew back his hand and hit the man hard. His knuckles ached a little afterward, but it felt good. They stuffed a rag Justine had found in the kitchen in the captive’s mouth.

“You’ve got three units moving toward your position. You are clear to go out the back door if you move fast.”

“We’re out,” Justine said. Nigel was on her heels as they stepped outside. The night air was heavy with humidity and the smell of jungle vegetation.

“I’m pissed as hell,” Nigel said.

“We all are. It sounds like Emile was being watched,” Justine said.

“How much firepower do you have on you, Justine?” Charity asked.

“Just two semiautomatics and three replacement clips. Why?”

“There are too many people in the other building for just the two of you to clear it. I think your best bet is to clear out.”

“I’m not leaving without Piper,” Nigel said.

“Wait a minute. Something’s going on. They are mobilizing,” Charity said.

Justine turned and saw two men covering a third man, who was carrying a bundle wrapped in a blanket—a bundle that looked a lot like Piper. As the men ran toward the Jeep, Justine drew her gun and took out the first guard. The second one returned fire and she took a hit in her upper thigh. It burned like hell, but she kept moving. She wasn’t as fast as she’d been earlier. Nigel was right on her trail and opened fire. His shots weren’t as accurate as they had been earlier, and she put that down to worry about hitting his daughter. Justine hit the man carrying the bundle right between the eyes and watched him collapse. He dropped the bundle.

Nigel ran forward, heedless of what was going on around them. But when he got there, he found the blankets were empty, save for Piper’s stuffed bunny. No wonder the GPS was staying still—the bunny was here, but Piper was gone.

“Fuck.”

“No kid?” Charity asked.

“Just the bunny with the GPS.”

“Okay, let’s think,” Charity said.

“I’m going to find the security headquarters. We can’t just kill the remaining guards. Someone has to know something,” Justine said.

Nigel picked up the small stuffed animal and cradled it in his arms for a second before tucking it under his shirt, where he could keep his hands free.

“What’s next?”

“We need to find someone who will talk. And I want Emile,” Justine said.

Anna’s voice came on their comm-link. “Emile is with the girl. Sorry for the double-cross. It was a test.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s alive, as near as Emile could tell. That was all he could give me.”

“Why did he—”

“Not now, Nigel. We’ll have time to get our questions answered later.”

Justine knew they had to keep moving. She directed Nigel out of the compound and away from the six men who were still searching for them. She heard the sound of a Jeep starting.

“Move it, Nigel. We need to be in the car as soon as possible.”

He ran beside her and in a few moments they were both safely back in the Humvee. Her leg hurt like a mother.

“Anna, are you still there?” Justine asked as she reached into the backseat to grab her medical kit.

“Yes.”

“Did Emile indicate where they are going?” Justine asked. “Nigel, can you help me with this?”

“Out of the city and into the jungle,” Anna said.

“Yes,” Nigel said. “Give me the medical pack and I’ll take care of it.”

“What’s wrong? Who’s hurt?” Charity asked.

“Justine. Her leg is bleeding.”

“It’s a bullet wound, but it went straight through. I just need to patch the entrance and exit wounds and then I’ll wrap it,” Justine said.

“Does he have a GPS signal we can track?” Justine asked Anna.

“Yes. I’m patching it through to your BlackBerry. Wait for Charity. You’ll need the extra manpower.”

“Where is he headed?” Nigel asked as he worked on her leg. He was gentler than she would have been. He cut away the fabric around the wound and cleaned the area before he bandaged it. He wrapped the leg tightly in an Ace bandage.

“It looks like the new Baron plant. I’m on route to intercept,” Anna said.

“I’ll call the security team that’s there and alert them,” Charity said.

“We might have a better chance of catching them in the jungle if you can get them to abandon their car,” Justine said. “Thanks, Nigel. I’m good as new now.”

The wound was just a surface one and not too deep. Nigel dabbed at her face with the antiseptic. “The jungle isn’t very kind to open wounds.”

He bandaged her forehead and then kissed her. “I think you’re all patched up now.”

“Thanks, Nigel,” Anna said.

“No problem. About them ditching the vehicle…I don’t think it’ll be that hard. They’ve had flooding rains in recent weeks,” Nigel said. “That’s part of why we were behind schedule.”

“Were your workers even striking?”

“Yes. Some local was protesting and the workers stayed away.”

“Do you think it was Marshall?” Justine asked him.

Nigel shrugged.

“How does he have the money to do all this?” Charity asked.

“He got a very nice severance package when he left Baron,” Nigel said.

“And his grandfather owns most of the land around here,” Anna added. “I think he has influence over the people here because he can threaten their lifestyle.”

They were moving again, following a blinking signal on the GPS map. Justine suspected that Nigel had to be frustrated by how close they’d come to finding his daughter.

Nigel didn’t say much as the women talked about plans. He just held Piper’s bunny in one hand and his gun in the other. This was what his life had come down to. And he realized that even though he’d believed he’d left the past behind, his life hadn’t really changed.

His cell phone rang and he removed his earpiece to answer it. “This is Nigel Carter.”

“It’s Derrick. Did you get the list I sent to you this morning?”

“Yes, thank you. It was very helpful. Do have any contact information for Marshall Fermann?”

“Yes. He’s on linkedin.com with me as one of my connections.”

Nigel was familiar with the social website. A lot of companies, including his own, used the site to recruit and search for talent.

“Should I tell him you are trying to get in touch with him?” Derrick asked.

“Yes. I’d like to talk to him if I can.”

“How are things going in Peru? Is the compound as bad off as we suspected?”

It was the first time Derrick had asked a question about the company and their business without sounding scared or unsure. So maybe that was why Nigel decided not to tell him anything that was going on. “Everything is fine here. The security team is top rate.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear.”

Derrick hung up a few minutes later.

“How certain are we that Marshall is the man behind this?”

“Why?”

“Because Derrick didn’t sound like himself just now.”

“What was different?”

“The questions he asked.”

“How is that different?”

“The man never asks questions and always sounds like he’s afraid of his own shadow, but today he didn’t.”

“Anna, run a check on Derrick Baron. See if he has any contacts here, okay?”

Nigel put his earpiece back in and heard Anna say that she was on it.

He was glad to know the team was working to get Piper back, but he needed her here now. He needed results, and to be honest, he knew that the women were doing all they could to get the work done.

Justine didn’t go back to the safe house, just kept the Humvee moving, following that flashing GPS beacon. He knew she was as frustrated as he was.

“What about Constance?”

“Sam is taking care of her. Her body will be retrieved and returned to the States.”

Nigel was sad to think of Piper’s nanny dead. He and Constance had been on the same wavelength as far as the care of Piper had been concerned, and she had been a funny woman. A little dry in her sense of humor, but he’d liked her. And he would miss her.

“How far is it to your factory?”

“Not too much farther. But the road is supposedly impassable once we leave the city,” Nigel said.

“Charity?”

“Yes.”

“Can you get a satellite image of the road up ahead? Are we going to be able to drive to the factory?”

“Just a second,” Charity said.

“I’m sorry, Nigel. I wish we had—

“Don’t apologize. The fact that he’s one step ahead of us isn’t something we can control. We will get him and Piper—that’s all that matters.”

But deep inside he was almost afraid to believe that they would get her back. Her bunny was mangled and Constance was dead, and his little girl was all alone.