“Ten o’clock.” Carmen pointed toward the drive in front of the house.
Zane peered through the tangle of branches. Three black SUVs rose out of the fog about fifty yards away. All faced downhill, which was standard procedure in any type of intelligence or military operation. Always be prepared to depart quickly.
He retrieved a monocular from his pants pocket and lifted it to his right eye. He adjusted the focus ring then began a systematic examination of the vehicles.
“See anything?” Carmen asked.
“Not yet. Wait…” Something moved on the left. Zane swung the monocular in that direction and adjusted the focus. Soon, the silhouettes of two men materialized in front of the lead SUV. They hadn’t been there moments before. A small orange point of light glowed near the face of one then faded. Cigarette.
“I have two tangos leaning against the hood of the front vehicle,” Zane said. “One is smoking.”
“Any others?”
“Negative.”
Zane resumed his search for Emily. If both men were at the front vehicle, then perhaps that’s where Emily was being held. He trained the monocular on each window of the SUV, looking closely for the outline of a head, anything that might indicate she was inside. There seemed to be a slight irregularity to the back seat but nothing that would confirm her presence.
He handed the monocular to Carmen. “I can’t see anyone else, but if Emily is there, I’d have to think she’s in the front vehicle.”
“I agree. Unfortunately, the only way we’re going to find out is by actually looking inside.” Carmen passed the monocular back to Zane then checked her watch. “We need to get going. They’ve been there for fifteen or twenty minutes. The house is pretty bare, so they may not be inside much longer.”
She had a point. They probably didn’t have much time. Then again, they needed to make sure they got it right the first time. If they didn’t, Emily might be killed. As for a plan, he had no doubt they could slither close and take out both men, but what would happen after that? The sound of gunfire would bring the others out of the house. And if there weren’t keys in the SUV, they’d be quickly overwhelmed.
Amanda broke the silence. “We can’t leave here without Emily.”
“We’re not going to,” Zane assured her, “but we can’t do it in a way that will get us all caught or killed. They’re keeping her alive because they believe she’s valuable to their mission, whatever that is.”
“I say we take them out and take our chances,” Carmen said. “If the cars don’t have keys, we grab Emily and take off through the woods.”
“What happens when we find her wrists and her ankles bound?” Zane asked.
“I’ll use my knife to cut her free. I doubt they’re using metal cuffs, and if I’m right, that means I can have her walking freely in ten or fifteen seconds.”
“We don’t know how she’s bound. If she’s wrapped up tight, metal cuffs or not, it’s going to take at least a minute to free her. And we may not have a minute.” Zane held her gaze. “Let’s say you’re able to get her free, and we flee into the woods. I’d give us a fifty-fifty chance at best. As you know, we always have to assume the worst. Remember Venice. I thought our chances were much better than fifty-fifty, and we ended up losing someone.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Zane regretted using them. He hadn’t meant to insinuate Carmen had somehow been at fault, yet he realized she might take it that way. The point he was trying to make was they had much worse odds here. On top of everything else, they didn’t know what sort of condition Emily was in. She might not even be able to walk.
Carmen checked her watch. “I’m just concerned about the time. If we’re going to move, it needs to be done sooner rather than later.”
“And if Emily is here, we may never have another chance like this to bring her back alive,” Amanda said.
Zane sorted through several options. He still didn’t like taking out the men without knowing if the vehicle could be driven or what sort of condition Emily was in. Then again, Amanda was correct in pointing out they might never again have such a good opportunity. In fact, he couldn’t even be sure they’d be able to find Emily again.
“What about a distraction?” Carmen asked. “Something to get them away from the vehicle.”
Carmen’s question triggered a memory of something Zane had seen earlier. It would take some time, but it just might work.
“Zane?”
“I just figured out how we’re going to get Emily back.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Give me one more,” Petr said in his native Czech tongue. He wasn’t a regular smoker, but he was tired of waiting for the others to finish inside, and cigarettes helped pass the time.
Michal pushed off the hood and walked away. “This time, you’re going to have to wait.”
“Where are you going?”
“To water the plants,” Michal said over his shoulder. “They look malnourished. Time to apply some of my special fertilizer.”
“Give me one before you leave.”
“You’ll live.”
As Petr watched, Michal continued toward a landscaped bed, eventually disappearing in the fog. Seconds later, he heard a zipper being pulled then a loud groan of satisfaction. Petr shook his head and checked his watch. He was ready to get back to the hotel. He’d taken a large poker loss the night before and was ready to recoup the euros he’d lost. He felt it. Tonight was going to be his night to win big at the table. Then again, he always felt that way.
The sound of a zipper carried across the lawn. While waiting for Michal to return, Petr walked around the side of the SUV. When he got to the back window, he saw a mass of wavy dark hair pressed against the glass. Sleeping Beauty.
Hearing footsteps, he saw Michal returning. After taking one last look at the girl, he returned to the front.
Michal set his rifle against the truck then retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, tapping the bottom until one slid out. “Here. Now quit your complaining.”
Petr took it from him, along with a lighter. After setting his rifle against the front bumper, he lit it slowly, savoring the first few puffs.
Michal lit his own then jerked a thumb toward the back of the truck. “How is our little princess?”
“Either asleep or acting like she is.”
“She’s pretty hot,” Michal said. “Maybe I should go back and make sure she’s not faking.”
Petr took another draw then laughed. “Go right ahead. I’m sure—”
A loud female voice speaking English carried up from below, cutting him off. “You idiot, it’s your fault!”
“What the hell?” Michal grabbed his rifle.
Petr tossed his cigarette aside and picked up his rifle. He stared down the hill but couldn’t see any movement. They were supposed to be alone on the mountain, and if they weren’t, it likely meant trouble.
“My fault?” a second female asked. “I told you to stop for gas in Lugano.”
“I might have if you hadn’t been playing your freaking music so loud, distracting me to no end.”
Two women appeared below. One was a tall brunette and the other a blonde.
“Just shut up,” the brunette said. She spoke in English, but her accent was not that of a native speaker.
“Hey!” Michal shouted in English, raising his rifle.
The blonde let out a little scream and stumbled backward, almost falling down.
Michal marched aggressively toward them. “Get your hands up now!”
“Please!” the brunette said. “Don’t shoot.”