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She looked at the weapon with disgust. “Why do I get the lame gun?”
“Because you know how to use it. With the other ones, you’re more likely to shoot your foot.”
“This is crap. I’m making Callum train me for combat when we get back to London. If I keep getting dragged into the field, I should know how to shoot things.”
“You weren’t dragged. You volunteered,” Ryan reminded her.
Once they were kitted out, they looked at Elle.
“Wait for my signal before you reboot the security,” Joe said, as Elle climbed off the car. They were stationed at an outcrop of rocks, a couple of miles from their destination. “You should be safe here, but if there’s a problem, radio us and hide until we get back.”
“Or electrocute the baddy,” she said, making Ryan laugh.
“Okay, we’re out of here.” Joe tapped the comm unit strapped to her ear. “Don’t forget to switch it on.”
She looked so offended by his order that the men were smiling when they climbed into their vehicles.
Ten minutes later, they’d reached the spot where they had to leave their vehicles and continue on foot. When they reached the compound wall, David pointed to the blind spot.
Joe flicked his comm to speak. “We are go,” was all he said.
A few seconds later, the reply came. “Clear.”
Working as a seamless unit, the men were over the wall in seconds. David nodded at Joe and Ryan once, before he and his team blended with the darkness. The ghost team didn’t make a sound.
Keeping their weapons at the ready, Joe and Ryan ran to the side door on the old adobe house. Actual physical security was lax now that Esteban was in Cusco. It was clear from the sounds of TVs and radios playing throughout the compound that the men didn’t even consider the possibility of someone attacking.
Joe kept guard as Ryan popped the lock. They snuck into the building, checking doors for the entrance to the basement, sticking to the shadows and moving like ghosts. They found the right door on the third try and hurried down the stairs. A radio was playing. Men were muttering. Joe held up a fist, a signal to stop. Ryan guarded Joe’s back, weapon up, as Joe peeked around the corner.
He tapped Ryan’s shoulder and held up two fingers. Two men. With a few more gestures, they organised their attack. It went without a hitch. The men were too busy drinking cheap tequila and talking trash about women to notice Joe and Ryan. They were knocked out and tied up in less than a minute.
Joe signalled for Ryan to keep watch as he grabbed the key for the one remaining door. When it swung open, it revealed a large, dark cell, with a cot in one corner and a bucket in the other. There was one bare bulb, swinging overhead. And lying on the cot was Alice.
Joe placed a hand on her shoulder as he covered her mouth with his other hand. Her body went rigid. “Patricia sent us,” he whispered. “We’re here to get you out, but you can’t make a sound. Can you do that?”
She nodded, and Joe dropped his hand from her mouth. Struggling, she turned to look at him. Her hair was matted and dirty, her face was ashen, with dark circles under her eyes, and there was a bruise on her jaw. She cradled her damaged hand to her chest. It was wrapped in some equally dirty cloth, and there was blood on her clothes. Her eyes were wide with fear and hope.
“Do as you’re told and we’ll be out of here in a couple of minutes,” he whispered. “Julia and Patricia are waiting at the hotel for you.”
Her eyes became glassy and a tear ran down her cheek, but she didn’t make a sound.
“Let’s go.” Joe took her arm and led her to the door.
She was tiny, shorter than Julia, and very slight. She stumbled on the uneven floor, but Joe thought she might have stumbled even if it was perfectly flat. She was weak from lack of food and broken down by the trauma she’d experienced. He wrapped an arm around her to give her support. Once they were out of the compound, he’d carry her.
They made their way up the stairs quickly, listening intently for the slightest sound. Ryan checked the exterior.
“Status?” Joe whispered into his comm.
“Clear left.”
“Clear right.”
“You’re good to go.”
He signalled Ryan and they ran for the perimeter wall. Joe supported Alice and Ryan watched their backs. With the help of the ghost team, they lifted Alice over the wall. Once they were on the other side, Joe picked her up and broke into a sprint towards their vehicles. All the while, the men around him protected them, and the woman in his arms sobbed silent tears.
Once they made it back to Elle, who hadn’t had a chance to electrocute anyone and was annoyed about it, the medic on the Lima team saw to Alice. He gave her a shot of antibiotics and pain medication before cleaning and bandaging her hand. The whole process was done efficiently and was over in a matter of minutes.
