Shadow Tyrants (Oregon Files 13)

“You’re not locking the door, are you?” Lyla nervously asked.

“No,” he said, handing her his flashlight. “But you’ll be safer with the door closed if we encounter any of the guards.”

Having the flashlight seemed to soothe her. “Thanks for saving us.”

Eddie sm

iled and said, “Thank me when we’re on board the ship.” Then he closed the door.

He hated leaving the Chairman and Raven, but he had his orders. He’d used the last of their glue to seal the door behind them. Now they needed to get out of there quickly.

He ran to the front of the shed, stood next to the button for opening the large door, and looked at MacD. “You ready?”

MacD minimized his profile as much as he could in the glass-enclosed tractor cab. He nodded and drawled, “Let’s see what this baby can do.”

Eddie punched the button, and the door began to rise. Light streamed into the shed. He sprinted to the tractor and climbed up to the cab’s roof, then jumped across to the container.

Linc was lying at the back of the container. Eddie flattened himself at the front end and aimed his P90 submachine gun at the rising door.

As soon as it was all the way up, MacD gunned the engine. Eddie braced himself as the tractor lurched forward, jerking the trailer with it.

When the tractor was outside, several rifle rounds peppered the left window of the cab. MacD ducked to avoid the shots.

Eddie swiveled around and saw the returning guards running down the path from the beach. Both he and Linc poured fire onto the path, and the guards scattered into the jungle.

“You okay, MacD?” Eddie called out when the shooting stopped.

“Ah’m all right,” MacD replied. “But next time, one of you gets to drive.”

With the container only half full, the tractor could make good speed, at least faster than a man could sprint. They motored down the wide path toward the pier.

Eddie joined Linc at the back of the container.

“Unless they cloned Usain Bolt,” Linc said, “it looks like we’re in the clear.”

As he said that, the guards in the distance behind them reached the shed. But instead of making a futile attempt to run after the tractor-trailer, they went inside, disappearing into the shadows.

“They gave up pretty easily,” Eddie said.

“Are they getting reinforcements?”

“Maybe. But by the time they reach us, we’ll have the Oregon to provide cover.”

For a moment, there was no movement at the shed. Then three small vehicles raced out.

“Where did those come from?” Linc asked.

“They must have been on the other side of the second container,” Eddie said. Then he called on his mic.

“MacD, gun it,” he said. “We’ve got three ATVs coming our way.”

* * *

—

Juan and Raven leapfrogged back toward the opposite end of the corridor, each providing the other cover fire as they ran from door to door.

Juan called the Oregon in between submachine gun bursts. “Max, we’re going to need a quick evac.”