Page 4 of Last Chance

Sawyer and his teammates groaned.

“Save it,” Brent snapped. “A plane out of Talca, Chile was hijacked yesterday and forced to land in Pozo Rico, Mexico. From there, the hijackers took fifteen passengers out of 225 from the plane, stuffed them in a panel van, and disappeared.”

“Do we have any information to point us in the right direction?” Brody asked. “Mexico is a large country. Lots of places to disappear, including the jungles.”

“Not yet. Z and Simone are chasing down rumors on the Net. By the time the jet lands near Pozo Rico, they should have something for you.”

“Do we know who’s responsible for the hijacking?” Logan asked.

“Nothing concrete. The Pozo Rico airport officials think Vatos Locos is to blame.”

Sawyer’s hands fisted. “They’re known for human trafficking.” High-risk move, hijacking a plane. So many things could have gone wrong. Why hadn’t the op blown up in their faces?

Brent inclined his head in silent agreement. “They’ve been branching out in the past two years as well. Trafficking people for the sex trade isn’t enough money for them. They’ve begun holding people for ransom.”

But to risk reprisal from American officials and the Federales made little sense.

“Who requested we rescue the hostages?” Max asked.

“Rowan and I are asking you to mount a rescue. David Moran and his sister Janie are long-time friends of my wife’s. I know you’re exhausted, but Rowan is begging you to rescue Janie. I’m asking for a favor. You’re the closest team and time is running out before the hijackers decide to cut their losses.”

“Transportation when we land?” Brody asked.

“Two SUVs will be waiting for you. I’ll send you the coordinates of an extraction point as soon as we have a probable location of the hostages. Based on the area where Vatos Locos lives, the trek out of their territory will be long and arduous.”

Terrific. Sawyer bet they’d be walking through the jungle before they reached an evacuation point. Should be a fun journey with fifteen hostages in various states of shock and injuries. Not.

“Restock from the jet’s storage. I know it won’t be enough, but it’s all you have access to at the moment. I’ll arrange an airdrop of supplies if you need them. Also, the friend who’s loaning you his vehicles will provide as many supplies as he can put together for your use.”

“Have ransom demands been received?” Logan asked.

“Negative.”

Sawyer and his teammates exchanged grim glances. That wasn’t a good sign.

“Send the information when you get it,” Brody said. “We’ll need as much time as possible to plan, boss.”

“I’m on it. I’ve already sent you a map with the Vatos Locos’s territory marked. We’re working as fast as we can to get you more.” He dragged a hand down his face. “I owe you big for this.”

“No, sir,” Brody said. “We’re glad to help. Tell Rowan we’ve got this. We’ll get her friend out and bring her home.”

After a curt nod, Brent ended the transmission.

Brody checked his email. “Got it. I’ll put this up on screen and we’ll see what we’re facing.”

The map appeared on the wall a minute later. Sawyer grimaced. Most of the Vatos Locos’s territory included sizeable areas of jungle. Of course it did. Holy cow. If they didn’t get a hint on what direction to take, finding Janie Moran and the other hostages could take weeks. By then, it would be too late to save any of the victims. None of them wanted to face Rowan Maddox and tell her they’d failed to rescue her friend.

Max sighed. “I hate jungles. Are we ever going to rescue hostages from a cushy resort by the beach?”

Logan snorted. “Don’t think Willow would approve of you ogling beach babes in bikinis.”

His teammate grinned at the mention of his wife. “Probably not. By the way, I wouldn’t be ogling beach bunnies. Not interested in any woman except Willow.”

“How long is the Vatos Locos reach?” Jesse asked.

“All the way into the United States and Canada,” Brody said as he scanned something on his phone. “Zane is feeding us information, and so is Simone. At last count, thirty gangs in our country and Canada are affiliated with the original group in Mexico. Law enforcement estimates the membership numbers near 10,000 now.”

“No way the hijackers remained around Pozo Rico,” Sawyer murmured as he studied the map. “The city is on the far edge of their territory. They’ll want the hostages in an area where they won’t be spotted by nosy neighbors. If I kidnapped fifteen people, I’d run for the jungle and disappear.”

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