Shadow Tyrants (Oregon Files 13)

Juan paused when he heard something on his headset. He was keeping it active knowing that Linc or Eddie had tossed his comm unit away before being apprehended. It was the sound of approaching vehicles.

“Quiet,” he said, and pointed at his headset. Everyone else put their own on.

The vehicles stopped, and they heard several people get out.

“So what do you want to show us?” Xavier Carlton said, his voice faint.

“Over here,” Linc said.

The footsteps came closer to the microphone. As they walked, Eddie said, “Where are we flying to?”

“You’ll find out when we get there,” Natalie Taylor said.

In just those few phrases, Eddie and Linc had conveyed valuable information through the mic that they knew was still active and out of sight. Both of them were still alive and in good condition. Carlton and Taylor were with them. And they were going to be flying somewhere today.

The footsteps stopped.

“He was in this trailer,” Linc said.

“Doing what?” Taylor asked.

“I didn’t stop to ask in the middle of our gun battle.”

“He was doing something to my cars?” Carlton said.

“What cars?” Eddie said.

“Open it up and search the cars from top to bottom,” Taylor said.

“If Torkan damaged either of them,” Carlton said, “I’ll kill him myself.”

“Nice cars,” Linc said. “Cadillac Eldorado, right?”

“It’s a 1959 Biarritz convertible,” Carlton said proudly.

“I like the color. Green suits it. And the other one looks like a Bugatti Veyron.”

“Chiron.”

“Are those traveling with you today?” Eddie asked.

“Why?” Carlton said.

“Here’s why,” Taylor said. Juan wished he could see what they were looking at.

“Looks like a bomb,” Eddie said as if he’d heard Juan’s plea.

“We found it near the Cadillac’s gas tank.”

After another thirty seconds, Linc said, “Two bombs.”

“This was mounted on the Bugatti,” Taylor said. “It looks like it has a pressure sensor.”

“So it was meant to go off when we were in the air?” Carlton growled in anger.

“Told you we weren’t with Torkan,” Linc said. “Would we have led you to those if we were?”

“You make a good point. But we still don’t know who you are. Natalie will find out. Take them back to the ship.”