Page 48 of SEAL the Deal

He considered the point. “We go at first light.” He turned to Hank. “That hound of yours going to be any use?”

“He can track them, but we need to put a bullet in that mongrel of theirs.”

“Well, I’m sure between the four of you, it won’t be a problem. Travis and I will hold the fort. I’ve got two of my deputies patrolling the main road in case they try to make a run for it. They’ll hand ‘em over no questions asked.”

“They’ll have to walk out. I fixed that ranger’s truck good,” said Harold.

Carter nodded. “There are only two of them, they’ve got no comms and they don’t know this area like we do. It shouldn’t take you long to wrap them up. Get some sleep. We roll at dawn.”

“You want us to swap with Travis?” asked one of the men.

“No, that slug has been sitting on his ass all day. I’ll take over from him in a few hours.”

“And the prisoners?”

“Tomorrow they go in the river, with or without their buddies. Then we’ll harvest the crop, burn this place to the ground and get the hell out of here.”

“Why don’t we burn them with the cabin?” suggested Hank.

Carter’s lip turned up in a sinister smile. “Yeah, I like that idea. Fire will rip through this area. By the time they find the bodies we’ll be long gone.”

“That means we can shoot the nigger and the girl?” asked Ed.

He nodded. “And the mongrel. Kill all three of ‘em.”

* * *

Maria poured fresh coffee into Leonie’s cup and patted her shoulder. “It’s going to be OK.”

“We haven’t heard from them in…” She glanced up at the digital clock on the wall. “Five hours. Something has happened. We need to get a search party out there, right now.”

Ben, the ranger, looked up from his workstation. “The search party’s heading out at first light. You shouldn’t worry. The radio probably went down at Granite Hut. It can be a bit patchy. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jenny has them all there.”

“I shouldn’t worry? My kid sister’s out there along with her fiancé, their dog, Maria’s husband and the rest of their team. If something’s happened to them I won’t be able to live with myself.”

“We’re doing everything we can,” said Maria as she offered the pot of coffee to Ben.

Leonie sighed and turned her attention back to the computer monitor that showed all the incoming communications traffic. The last message from Ali at Granite Hut had been received at lunchtime.

An alarm chimed telling them that someone had opened the front door. Leonie glanced at the monitor that displayed a video feed from the reception area. She instantly recognized her sister wrapped in a jacket. There was a man with her. She leaped from her chair. “It’s Ali!”

Dashing through the office she burst into the waiting area and wrapped her sister in a hug. “Oh god, I thought I’d lost you.” She immediately noticed how cold Ali was. “Maria, we need coffee and blankets.”

She bundled Ali through to the living area at the back of the station and sat her on a bunk.

Maria appeared with a pile of blankets and piping hot coffee. “Let’s get her out of those damp clothes.”

Ali waved them away. “No, first we need to contact Commander Conner.”

Ernie’s wife frowned. “Why? What’s happened?”

“The boys have been captured by drug growers. They’re being held in a cabin in the hills.” Ali took a sip of coffee.

Leonie’s eyebrows rose. “You’re kidding me?”

She shook her head. “No, they flipped their raft. Tried to walk out and ran into a dope plantation. Rick and Jenny are still up there. We need to get them help.”

“Seriously, those boys could stir up trouble in a cemetery.” Leonie turned and bellowed through the open door, “Ben, we’ve got ourselves a situation. I’m going to need a direct line to the DEA.”

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