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Ellie took a breath, her heart constricted. “He’s abandoned his plan to take over the government to save his own ass. I’m not surprised he’s willing to kill more people to get what he wants.” She waved her hand. “I suggest we bypass everything and just send in troops. I know that’s not the preferred way to handle things, but we have no outlet for a diplomatic solution. The only surviving member of the government has gone off the rails. I don’t see another way out.”
“Ma’am, the ambassador is calling.”
“Put him through,” Ellie said. “Ambassador?”
“Ellie, thank you for arranging Petty Officer Reeves’s evacuation and the return of the SEAL contingency, but we’re seeing a mass of people gathering at the gates. Some of them want help. They’re pleading for water and basic medical care. We fear we’re going to be overrun.”
“Are there hostile people in that group?”
“There appears to be a gang buildup of Les Justes members. Their leader is Diego Solomon. We got the information from our Haitian police officers who are still with us. Brave souls. I suspect it’s all about their families who have been showing up and being admitted into the compound. Also, we are running out of supplies. People are suffering. What is the holdup on aid?”
She looked at the president and he nodded. “Clay, Laguerre is the only surviving member of the government. He’s refusing permission for us to land in Haiti. Except for the airport, we can’t breach that edict. He’s suspected that we know about the president’s death and that he was behind it. He’s taken your daughter hostage along with Petty Officer Maddox, Corporal Cassidy, the first lady and her son, and the guard from the palace.”
“Maddy…” His voice was hoarse, almost a whisper. “What does he want?”
“Ten million and safe passage off the island.”
“That self-serving bastard.” The line hummed in the silence between them. “May I make a suggestion?”
“Of course,” Ellie said. “We would welcome it.”
“We are an embassy under siege and that gives you the right to defend it against being overrun. Send in FAST to secure the compound, along with water and medical supplies, releasing our SEALs to go after Laguerre. We can’t give in to his threats, his depraved indifference to his suffering population, and his blatant criminal activities. I say take him out and in the power vacuum, we administer to these people in his stead.”
She sat still for a moment, rolling the idea around in her head. FAST was an acronym for Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team, an elite Marine unit that deployed across the world to serve as extra elite security at US government installations. When an embassy was threatened, and they needed a shot of highly trained Marines with a whole lot of guts and guns, FAST was called on to fulfill that immediate need. In fact, they had such a force sitting in Guantanamo Bay and could be there in under two hours. It was an appropriate response to the crisis.
“Ma’am,” the communications aide said, but she waved him off and turned to the president.
“What do you think, sir? I agree with Clay.”
“I think it’s decisive and our only response in?—”
“Ma’am!” the communications aide interrupted rudely. Ellie turned to him and glared. “What is it?”
“I have a cabinet member on the line, Mr. Willam Pierre. He goes by Wilky. He says his demise was reported prematurely. He made it out of the palace before it collapsed, but he was rushed to one of the hospitals in the area and has now recovered enough to contact us. He wants to know what is the hold up with our aid.”
Ellie smiled for the first time in twenty-four hours. “That’s great news. Put him through.” She turned to the president. “We just got ourselves a well-needed break. I say we go forward with the FAST deployment and send the SEALs after Laguerre now that we have permission to stabilize the country and render aid.” She leaned back in her chair. “The only wrinkle is that Laguerre gave us an hour. I can stall for time, and tell him we’re getting the money as, realistically, it takes time to pull together that much cash. I’ll get him to extend the timeframe to another two hours. The USNS Comfort is about six hours from shore. I can release the Red Cross and USAID who are sitting on the tarmac at the airport. We can get these poor people the help they need.”
* * *
“That is excellent news, Ellie. I will talk with Lieutenant Penn. Thank you for all your help in this crisis.”
That sounded like good news to Tex. He waited while the ambassador disconnected the call. His blood ran hot when he heard about the kidnappings, Shark among the people in jeopardy. The ambassador laid out the plan.
“Ellie is going to negotiate for two more hours while we get prepared to receive FAST and get you guys out on that chopper. Ellie is laying the groundwork, telling Laguerre that there will be a chopper flying in, fully fueled and with the cash on board. But in reality, it’ll be a surprise party with you and your team instead.”
Tex nodded and shouted for Bondo. When he showed up, he gave the orders for them to prepare for a hostage rescue. Bondo nodded and jogged out. “Sir, is there any update on Twister?”
“He’s landed in Guantanamo,” he said grimly. “His blood loss was severe, and it was touch and go there for a bit, but they got him into surgery immediately. They’re operating on him now.”
“So, he’s not out of the woods?”
The ambassador squeezed Tex’s shoulder. “He was in the beginning of organ failure. I don’t have any more information at present, but as soon as I hear anything, you’ll be the first to know.”
Tex closed his eyes. He knew that reversing full organ failure wasn’t possible and most people died as a result, even if they received treatment. But he had to stay positive that they got Twister to the hospital in time for him to recover fully. He had Ellie to thank for that and his men for stepping up and running Twister through the streets of a dangerous Port-au-Prince. Forty-five minutes later, while he and the guys were getting their gear together, the ambassador reported that Ellie had used her formidable negotiating skills to strong-arm Laguerre into waiting another hour and fifteen minutes for the payoff. He was on the hook, and the mission was a go.
Two brothers fighting for their lives, innocent people caught up in a governmental conspiracy that went all the way to the top of the Haitian hierarchy, even an infant in the mix. He and his team were made for such situations, and they would be successful, no matter what.
The ambassador hesitated before he left the room to coordinate efforts now that aid had been released and they were going to get the FAST Marines for security. “I understand that this kind of mission is fraught with danger and the possibility of the loss of hostages.” He swallowed hard and looked away, gathering his composure. “But Maddy is the light of our life and our only child.” He cleared his throat as he blinked rapidly. “Please save her, Michael.”
