Page 36 of Exposing Adonis

“No, but in this instance, he knows more than you, and you should listen to him.” I gently nudged her cheek with my fist. “I know you feel helpless, Cabbage, but if you listen, and do what we tell you, we’ll all get through this. Alright?”

She pouted. Literally pouted.

“Cabbage, you don’t have to prove you’re smart, and strong. I know you are. So does he. But in this instance, we’re the experts. So listen to him.” I popped a quick kiss on her forehead, before heading to the back stairwell that was barely visible at the end of the taupe-painted hall. Each classroom had an open door, and I could still see blackboards with lesson plans, written in faded chalk. Kid’s drawings were taped to the walls, alongside macaroni art and papier-maché.

Dust and dirt from the cracked open windows had settled on the ground, and my boots left a print wherever I went. The staircase was slick with the fine moon dust, and I tread carefully up the stairs, looking for booby traps and wires.

At the roof, I set up the radio, pulling out the antennae as far as it would go. The big fucking brick had been the greatest weight on my back, but it had the farthest range, and should be able to get to the lads at Alex’s Turkey villa. Maybe.

Not that I was able to fully pinpoint where we were. If we were closer to the border, we’d be all set, but having lost our car, things were a little dicier. If we were more than ten kilometers from where the guys were, then we’d be out of range.

The roof was flat, with a balustrade all the way around, as was common in many desert dwellings. Sloped roofs weren’t necessary because there was seldom any rain. I powered the radio, switched to the right frequency and spoke into the old headset. The headset still resembled old house phones that mounted in a wall. They’ve gone out of fashion since the advent of smartphones but military-grade items rarely updated with the times.

I jammed the set between my ear and shoulder.

Static came through the line. That was a good sign.

I pressed the transmission button, which cut the sound of the static, signaling for me to speak.

“Base, this Red Baron. Do you read me? Over.” I said, low and calm, enunciating every word.

No answer.

“Base, this is Red Baron. Over.” I said again, sending up a prayer that we weren’t too far out of range.

I waited. Then there was a reply.

“... Baron … Over …”

The message was coming in broken and unintelligible. We were probably just out of range. Still, it was worth a try.

“Base, this is Red Baron. We ran into some trouble and need an extraction. Break.” I let go of the transmission button and looked around, trying to think of my next words. “We’re in amadrasaabout five miles south of the border. I don’t see any road signs. It’s a pink building with an outer wall, fifty miles north of the KPLA camp. Triangulate us, if you can. Over.”

Only static responded. There’d be no way to find -

“Pu—... Putain!“ a voice responded into the static.Fu—... Fuck!

The situation was dire, but our Legionnaire’s language made me laugh. They’d gotten some kind of message, and now it was time for the backup team to work their magic, and unravel the clues I had left behind like McGuyver.

I repeated my message once again, hoping that they’d get more clues. If it was coming in broken for me, the message would be going in broken to them. So I hoped that they’d get a few words in that might lead them to us.

I leaned back on my haunches and stared at the sky as the sun inched towards the horizon. We still had a couple hours of daylight. Leo was right. We wouldn’t make it to the border until nightfall, and it was better to have shelter and set off in the morning. No one knew what the night would bring.

Until I heard the sound of a motor. I looked to the distance, and saw dust flying as five cars came barreling down the road. I plopped to my stomach, trying not to silhouette myself against the balustrade, and snuck to the wall. Staying as low as possible, I peered over it.

The cars had stopped where we’d abandoned our truck. I couldn’t see the kind of weapons they had, but they definitely had rifles slung over their backs.Fuck!They had found us.

And they were going to close in.

Chapter 16

Lea

“Icanfindthem,”Alex said, coming to his feet, the chair falling to the ground with a clatter. “I … I can find them.”

He righted the chair, so the backrest was perfectly parallel with the table before he quick-stepped away into the house. Jason followed after him, staying five paces behind. Alex returned with a small laptop, and Jason still at his heel like a good dog.

“How?” Alastair asked, his demeanor still casual, glass still in his hand, though he wasn’t drinking. “How do you propose to find them, exactly?”

---