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They split up in opposite directions. The sliding door Brock had used earlier slipped open with ease. Jordan moved inside cautiously. Her heart missed a beat as she encountered a large body lying face down in a pool of blood in the hallway next to the staircase.
“Not my guy,” she sighed with relief at the unrecognizable face. Her trained eyes searched the large open area where she met up with Paxton and Knox. “There! The scrambler.” She jumped onto the bar counter and smashed the unit secured high against the wall with the butt of her rifle. It shattered into pieces.
“Cruz? You there?”
“I hear you.”
“Got the scrambler. I found a body at the side entrance and… shit… two more in the den,” she said as Knox pointed to the body in FBI gear spread out on the floor next to a large one that was out on the porch earlier.
“This one is still alive,” Paxton said as she checked his vitals. His eyes fluttered open as she pressed her hands over the bullet wound. It had scraped past the Kevlar vest to embed itself into his clavicle. “Just relax, help is on the way.”
“Am-bush,” he stuttered. “They were waiting for us.” He pointed to the corner. “Behind the bronze statue. St-aircase.”
“We’ve got it. Here,” Jordan pressed a towel against the wound and placed his hand over it. “Keep pressure on the wound.” She looked around, desperate to charge down the staircase to find Brock. “Cruz, make sure Hostage Rescue is en route. We’ve got wounded.”
“Already done. Any sign of the rest of the team?”
“You were right. They disappeared into an underground tunnel.”
“G-go,” the man said. “There were lots of bullets fired when the team went into that tunnel. You h-have to go and check. I’ll be fine.”
The three women didn’t need further incentive as they stepped inside the tunnel.
“Jesus!” Jordan exclaimed as the beam of her torch tore through the darkness to encounter the narrow passage littered with bodies. “Tanner!”
“Hey, kitties,” His voice was weak but he offered a smile as they reached him. “Fucking bastards got me in the leg. Got hit twice.” He looked around. “Two of Bill’s team are wounded and they look bad. At least I took out one of theirs.”
Jordan’s expression was grim as she wrapped more combat gauze around Tanner’s leg.
“What the hell happened?”
“Luca Boneiro stabbed his brother in the back, that’s what fucking happened. They were waiting for us. If not for Brock entering from the side and warning us the moment we came through the front door, we all would've been dead. He took out the two who were waiting for us. Another one escaped with the Boneiros but he’s wounded. I don’t think he’d get far. Not with two fuming beasts on their tails. I’ve never seen Jared and Brock that jacked up.”
“Fadhil and Abu? Were they here?” Jordan’s face was tormented with rage at the thought of being set up. She gritted her teeth in an effort to remain calm; her hunched form exuded an animosity that was like acid— burning, slicing, potent. Her face bloomed red with suppressed rage. It took all her willpower not to snap mentally.
Breathe.
“Yeah. They had just disappeared into the tunnel when we got here.” Tanner grabbed her hand as she started to rise. “Remember the strategy we used around Fadhil and Abu? My gut tells me Fadhil is looking out for himself. He’s going to make a run for it on his own, Jordan. Find the motherfucker and stop him. If he manages to get out of the States, he’s gone. We won’t find him again.”
“Cruz, anything from the drones? There’s no sound coming from this tunnel, which tells me they’re already out.” Jordan's gaze followed the white beam of the light. The silence was oppressive.
“I’m scanning the images now. Got them! They must have split up. Marco Boneiro, Abu, and another man are to the south of the cabin, approximately two miles out. Yes! Brock and Jared are on their tails.”
“What about Fadhil?” The air was so brittle it could snap, and if it didn’t, Jordan felt she just might as she waited for his response. “Cruz! Find the motherfucker!”
“We have another problem. Luca… I don’t recall seeing him,” Tanner looked towards the entrance. “Be careful. He might still be hiding in the house.”
“It’s no use to go charging blindly down the tunnels. Come, let’s get you out of here.” Knox and Paxton helped Tanner to his feet.
“Cruz, split the team that's on the way to intercept Boneiro and Abu in case Brock and Jared don’t catch up with them. There’s no way those cocksuckers are escaping... and fucking find me Fadhil, damn it!”
Jordan and Knox systematically searched the cabin looking for Luca Boneiro while Paxton found sheets to use as bandages after using combat gauze to stop the bleeding for the two wounded men.
“We can’t find any hidden panels or doors anywhere else in this house. Maybe Luca was already ahead of the rest in the tunnel and you just didn’t see him,” Jordan said as they returned to the den.
“Jordan, we just spotted Fadhil on a four-wheeler. I think he’s making his way towards Oyster Point Channel ten miles east of the cabin,” Cruz sounded grim. “No sign of Luca Boneiro.”
“He just made the biggest mistake of his life. Jared won’t stop until he finds him. He was prepared to offer him an exit. Now, he’s woken up the beast.” Tanner moaned as he shifted on the sofa to look at Jordan. “We were right about Fadhil, Jordan. He must have a boat waiting for him. He’s heading out to the Pacific.”
