Page 17 of The Hijack

There was likely to be communications equipment or something else that might help us. I’d driven several boats in my life, as well as trucks and planes. I was well versed in all methods of travel and trusted my ability to work something out.

Checking the navigation equipment, I located our position immediately. Just as I’d suspected, we were north of Papua New Guinea, headed toward Marshall Islands. That was as good a destination as any, although I wondered if we might be able to score an evacuation enroute.

“Hey!” I yelled up to my traveling companion.

He arrived a moment later, ready to please.

“Does Lukas have the capacity to pick us up?” I asked.

“I’m not sure.” Linc hesitated. “He owns a helicopter, if that’s what you’re asking.”

I glanced down at the ship-to-shore radio, knowing that it would be limited in its range. I needed to find someone close by who had the chops to rescue us. Lukas was an option, but there were others who might be better suited to the task.

I considered calling Z, but the last I’d heard from her, she was at home in New York. Theo was another natural choice, but I had no way of knowing where he was or if he was still alive. I realized with frustration that my list of personal contacts was short. It came from spending all my time on the job and being too focused on revenge to build up any assets.

I decided to call Jasmine. She also worked for the CIA, but I felt like I knew her well enough to trust her. Maybe it was a mistake. I couldn’t be sure, but I needed to make a move or risk drifting aimlessly. I wanted to hit the ground running, to get back into the game and find out what had happened to my lover. Every moment wasted was a potential lifetime in terms of rescuing someone who meant the world to me. I’d lost one boyfriend already; I wasn’t going to lose another.

I had Jasmine’s direct line memorized. Lifting the boat’s phone from its cradle, I dialed out, waiting breathlessly for her to respond. Without meaning to, I caught Linc’s eye. I could tell from his reaction that he knew what I was thinking. I might as well have crossed my fingers in the air or gotten down on my knees in a prayer position. I was simply hoping for the best.

“Hello?” Jasmine answered tepidly.

“Jasmine?” I asked.

“Clark?” she responded, recognizing my voice even though she didn’t recognize the number. “Clark, is that you?”

“It’s me,” I confirmed.

“I thought you were dead,” Jasmine swore, her voice warming to the conversation. “All the intel said you were killed in the Alps.”

“I was there,” I replied. “But I wasn’t killed. I was kidnapped and taken to Papua New Guinea.”

“By who?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I answered, holding back the information about New Dawn. I didn’t know enough about the group to be sure that they were behind my abduction, and I couldn’t tell whether they had infiltrated the government yet. It seemed likely that they were involved somehow. It was too big of a coincidence to find a boat stocked with all the spy necessities just miles away from the camp where I was being held. But I needed more information before I divulged any of my suspicions. “Can you get me out of here?”

“Can you make it to the Marshall Islands?” Jasmine asked. “I can get you a charter back to the States from there.”

I speared Linc with a calculating glance. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to return to America, but it might have its advantages. What was most important to me was tracking down Theo. Maybe I could use the equipment at Abernathy’s estate to learn more about New Dawn and what was really going on. At least I could touch base with Z and get a real night’s sleep. But I highly doubted that Theo was there.

If he had been captured, he had most likely been taken to a similarly remote location as I had been. Maybe he was even there on that island we had just abandoned. The thought churned my stomach, and made me want to race back to the jungle, but I held firm.

“Roger that,” I said.

I turned to Linc. He’d remained quiet through the whole conversation with Jasmine. I had to credit him for having good spy instincts. Unless we were talking to someone who we both knew and trusted, it was always the safest bet to play your cards close to the vest. Revealing himself would gain us nothing, and might tip the scales in our enemy’s favor. I wasn’t sure if I trusted Linc, but the more time we spent together, the more respect I had for him.

“Do you have any information about the MI6 agent I was working with?” I asked Jasmine. I didn’t want to reveal the extent of my relationship with Theo, but if she had heard anything, I needed to prepare myself.

“Theo Wells?” Jasmine asked.

“That’s the one,” I confirmed.

“He’s been reported killed, just like you,” Jasmine said, dashing my hopes against the rocks. “Not only that, but you’re assumed to be responsible for the killing of three MI6 agents and one CIA agent.”

I swallowed hard, glancing at Linc. His eyes went wide, and I shook my head. “I didn’t kill anyone who wasn’t an official target.”

“Be careful,” Jasmine suggested. “There are a lot of people who don’t want to see you resurface.”

Her cautionary statement meant two things to me. She was putting herself out there as an ally, risking her career by talking to someone who had been disinherited. At the same time, she was warning me against trusting anyone, including herself.