Page 18 of Tempest

CHAPTER SIX

Saturday—Two Weeks Later

Juniper Prairie Wilderness, Florida

Ryan sat in the open door of the helo as they headed North toward the Juniper Prairie Wilderness area in the Ocala National Forest. Lucky from the SAI Chicago office put together the intel that led them to this site. A young woman had been abducted from her college several days ago and the team had every reason to believe that the kidnappers had brought her here.

They’d picked up a ping on a phone that belonged to one of the suspected abductors and it located him north of the Juniper Springs recreation area. Harris and Trevor were on the ground making their way toward the location where they thought the girl was being held. The terrain was densely packed with trees and vegetation, and Grady flew the helo low, so Ryan swept the area through his binoculars.

“Hostile running south east toward the pines,” Harris barked into his mic.

Ryan located the man. “Hostile down,” he said into his coms. Staring through his scope, he spotted another one making a run for the grove of trees. “Swing one click northwest and I’m going to nail that son of a bitch,” Ryan instructed Grady.

Slowly, with more precision than Ryan thought Grady had, he swung the Bell helicopter around, and Ryan set his feet on the rails and let a breath out. The bullet he shot went flying into the guy’s knee, and he was fairly confident that the asshole was never going to walk again without a lot of pain.

“I’ll lets the Feds know where to pick up the body,” Grady said into his mic. “They’re still thirty minutes out.”

“Target acquired, I repeat, target acquired,” Trevor barked into his mic. “Grady, find a place to land. She’s been beaten badly and God knows what else.”

“Clear,” Harris said into his mic. “Area clear. Let the Feds know. One body down. Three no longer active.”

Ryan remained vigilant as he continued to sweep the area. The last thing they needed was the kidnappers to have backup coming in hot.

“Landing on the north side of recreation area. Travel west three clicks and listen for the lullaby of my rotors,” Grady said, as he piloted the helo to a landing spot.

“Let Joel know we need a bus at the hangar in Miami. This girl’s in bad shape,” Trevor said.

“On your six, brother,” Harris confirmed.

No more than fifteen minutes passed, and Ryan spotted Trevor humping it across the dry terrain. Grady had found a spot to land that was well away from the recreation area. But probably not far enough away from the horses. Ryan could hear them kicking up a fuss at the sound of the rotors thumping loudly. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he moved out of the way so they could load the girl. Sitting back on his haunches, he accepted the weight of the young woman and carefully laid her on the seat.

Trevor climbed in and Harris followed. “Clear,” Ryan called into his mic. “Going to keep watch until we clear the area.” He moved into position at the open door of the helo, slid his rifle around and swept the surrounding area through his scope. Didn’t need any last-minute surprises. There was a parking lot about two clicks east that faced the pool and equestrian center; he figured that’s where the kidnappers had parked.

As Grady lifted them into the sky, four cars flew into the parking area that Ryan had just been studying and a half dozen federal agents descended on the area.

“It’s all yours, gentlemen,” Grady said into his mic. He saluted one of the men before he turned the helo around and headed for Miami.

“Is the bus on the ground?” Harris asked, as he pulled out his medical bag.

“Confirmed. Joel has an ambulance and the parents waiting on the ground in Miami,” Grady said.

“I’ll clean her up before we land,” Harris said quietly as he pulled out his supplies.

Ryan glanced over and winced. The poor woman was bruised and bloodied and didn’t appear to be conscious. Luckily, they’d gotten to her in time. They soon cleared the wilderness area, and Ryan slid back and closed the door.

The team was bringing her home and he felt a moment’s peace. If he got to do this on a semiregular basis, then retiring from the Teams was going to be okay. The group of men here in Florida were true operators, and he was starting to feel like he was part of them.

Before too long, they were circling the small Kendall-Tamiami airfield, and Grady landed them outside the SAI hangar. As the helo gently touched down, Joel jogged toward them with his head lowered. Trevor slid the doors open and waited for the paramedics to approach. Carefully, they lifted her onto the gurney and rolled her away from the helo and the parents joined them.

Ryan jumped out with Trevor and Harris following. They stood together and watched the mother climb into the ambulance while the father got in his car to follow.

Grady shut down the engines and the rotors slowly came to a halt. The sudden quiet was jarring, as

the men gathered their gear and then walked toward the hangar to join Joel.

Standing together, they watched the ambulance clear the gates of the airport. “Good day,” Joel said firmly. “The young woman is twenty-one years old, and because of what the team was able to accomplish, she will live to see her next birthday.”

“She has a hell of a road to recovery,” Harris murmured. “Those sons of bitches brutalized her.”

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