Shadow Tyrants (Oregon Files 13)

The German guard with the headset nodded and said, “Come in, zero-six. I repeat, come in, zero-six.” They used only call signs over communications channels.

Yudin glanced at the monitor showing the feed from the camera above the outside door. There was no sign of them.

Static buzzed from the overhead speakers. After a pause, the German said, “No response.”

“Yes, I know.”

Lyla Dhawan had been trouble before, but a single guard could handle her. There must have been a problem with the guard’s radio.

“Send someone to find out where they are and bring them back. Immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

Before the German could summon another guard, the speakers crackled.

To Yudin’s surprise and annoyance, it was his prisoner’s voice. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to listen.

“To anyone who can hear this,” she said, “my name is Lyla Dhawan and I’m being held captive on an island. I don’t know the name of the island, so please respond and home in on this signal to find me.”

Yudin didn’t know how she got the radio away from her guard, but his carelessness meant he was not going to get off this island. It was unlikely that any vessels were close enough to pick up her SOS, but he wasn’t going to take any risks this close to getting away from Jhootha Island for good.

“Can you triangulate the signal?” Yudin asked.

“No, sir. But I know they were going to the beach on the northeast side of the island.”

“Then take four guards with you right now and bring them both back here.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you!”

The German stood and went over to a rack holding an array of assault rifles. He motioned to four guards who’d been listening to the exchange to join him. “Rules of Engagement?”

Yudin didn’t really care what happened to Lyla Dhawan at this point. “You have permission to kill her, but make sure you bring the body back inside . . . Move!”

The guards snatched weapons off the rack and ran.

TWENTY-THREE

Juan knelt beside MacD, who lay behind a bush, his eye glued to the scope of his crossbow. Eddie and Linc were to their right with their hands on a nylon rope. Raven and Lyla crouched to the left, concealed by the foliage as well. All of them were out of sight of the door to the island facility’s shed. Smoke curled up at the far end of the path that led to the beach. Linc and Eddie had set the fire to get the exiting guards, once they saw it, moving faster.

Lyla raised the radio to speak again, but Juan waved her to stop when he saw the personnel door flung open. A phalanx of five guards ran out, weapons at the ready. The lead guard noticed the smoke immediately and yelled for the others to follow him, which they did at a sprint.

The spring-loaded door slowly began to close as they pounded down the path.

A barbed titanium bolt was nocked in MacD’s crossbow. The end of the bolt was lashed to the rope.

The door would shut in seconds, but Juan waited until the guards exited the clearing and were out of earshot.

He whispered, “Now.”

MacD fired, and the bolt shot through the clearing and embedded itself in the edge of the door with a sharp thump. The guards were running so hard that they didn’t hear it.

While MacD reloaded with the new bolt that Juan handed him, Eddie and Linc rapidly reeled in the rope until it was taut, holding the door ajar just before it latched.

With a practiced hand, MacD cocked the crossbow again and laid down the new bolt.

He aimed at the camera above the door and fired.