Maya quietly went to Tim’s room. They were going to find her devices before she had time to remove them. Would Tim put two and two together? It was a chance she couldn’t take.
She had to think fast. If Cain called her back to the base, she had two choices. Either she could leave Tim and die or resign from the team and stay, hoping Tim would never discover her deceit. Of course, Cain would be forced to order her elimination. Cain’s world was black and white. He couldn’t afford to see gray. Too many lives depended on him stopping Godfrey. Besides, could she live with an arms dealer?
In a nutshell, she was fucked.
She put money in her pocket and climbed through the window.
It was morning when she arrived at the dive center in Puerto Viejo. She had precious little time. Tim would be looking for her. After dodging the guards in the San José residence garden, she’d run to a busy commercial area and took a taxi to the coast. At least she was feeling in top shape, thanks to the bite Tim had given her just before Ilano gatecrashed their party.
Unlocking the door, Maya entered the cabin. She didn’t risk staying inside where she could easily be found. She grabbed the tablet and the duffle bag with her equipment and made her way through the garden to the lodge. It was quiet. There were few guests. She quickly identified an empty tree house. She climbed the ladder, pulled it up, and picked the lock. Once she was inside, she closed the blinds and sat down at the kitchen table with the tablet.
The transcript of the previous evening’s phone call Tim had made in the lounge confirmed that the arms were leaving Puerto Viejo from the warehouse by trawler that afternoon. Maya pressed on the button that would connect her to Joss.
Joss’s face appeared a second later on her screen, his mercury-colored eyes assessing her with concern. Clelia stood behind him with her hand resting on his shoulder. A kimono stretched over her round belly.
“Hey, firestarter,” Maya said. “Looking good.”
Clelia placed a hand on her stomach. “Getting big. Where are you?”
“I’m back in Puerto Viejo. Tim doesn’t know I’m here, but he’s probably hot on my tail.”
“What’s the mission status?” Joss asked.
“The next shipment is leaving today.”
“Right,” he said. “You know what to do.”
“When it’s done, what are my orders?”
“Cain’s here,” Joss said.
Cain appeared behind Clelia and Joss. The red birthmark on his cheek seemed less pronounced with his new tan. His skin had a healthy glow, and his handsome features looked relaxed.
“Hi, boss,” she said. “Returning from a holiday?”
Cain smiled. “A working holiday.”
She hid her turmoil as best as she could by trying to act as she usually did—aloof. If Cain or Joss suspected something was wrong, they’d not trust her to see this operation through. She’d never failed before. She owed them this much. She owed Darren this.
“Tim suspects sabotage,” she said. “Ilano warned him. I had to leave San José without being able to retrieve my bugs.”
“Can they be traced back to us?” Joss asked.
“Of course not,” she replied, “but Tim may make a logical deduction.”
Cain tapped a finger on his chin. “Your cover is gone. This will be our last opportunity.”
“Last opportunity for what?” Maya asked.
“To destroy the arms syndicate. Joss has taken out the Mexican base. With the tracking you did on that number, we managed to pinpoint their location.”
“How were they taken out?”
“Explosives,” Joss said. “Bono did a fly-over this morning.”
“What about Ilano?”
“I need him alive to lead me to Godfrey.” Cain leaned closer to the screen. “I’m sending Joss and Lann to Mozambique. The only link left is Tim Fardel.”
Maya’s heart stopped beating. She hoped this wasn’t going where she thought it was. Tim wasn’t all bad. Deep down, he was a great guy who donated money to orphanages and who took care of people like Felicity and her son.
“What about Tim?” she asked.
Cain’s tone held a warning. “He’s an arms smuggler, Maya, working for Ilano. Ilano serves Godfrey.”
She had nothing to say to that. She knew the evidence against Tim. She had collected most of it. “What are your orders?”
“Eliminate the ambassador. We don’t need him any longer.”
In that moment, she knew she couldn’t do it. She could never harm him. Like Joss had protected Clelia, she’d protect Tim with her life. It didn’t matter what he’d done, she’d sacrifice her life for his. The more she thought about it, the more she realized there wasn’t another way. She was going to betray her oath, but not before she’d executed the order to get rid of the arms. Then she’d find a way to get Tim away safely, before Cain or Ilano could get to him. Tim would know about her betrayal, and he’d never forgive her. He’d probably never want to see her again, or he’d kill her, which was just as well. Without him, she was dead anyway.