“What are you doing?” Toni reaches for me, and he slaps her hand away.
“Be quiet,” the man hisses at her. “This does not concern you.”
My hair still firmly in his grasp, he drags me behind him as he hurries toward the windows.
“Where are you taking me?” My heart is pounding so hard I’m surprised it can’t be heard echoing in the silence of the room.
“I will not tell you bitches again. Be quiet.” The venom in the words has me snapping my mouth shut. If a person could die from another’s tone alone, I’d be dead as a result.
He stops in front of a window and cracks the plantation shutters.
“Fuck.” I have no idea what he sees that sets him off, but the man is madder than a wet hen. Opening the shutter a little more, he takes a step closer to the window, dragging me with him. The resort is in utter darkness. So dark you can’t see beyond. It’s as if the world outside our window has ceased to exist.
Unexpectedly, a flash of lightning blinds me, rapidly followed by a crack of thunder so loud I have to bite back a shriek of fright. Without warning and for no apparent reason, the man drops like a stone to the floor, taking me with him. Partially trapped under him and completely clueless as to what the hell just happened, I try hard not to panic. I refuse to be one of those screaming damsels in distress, but dear lord, I’m not sure how much more my nervous system can take after the shitty day we’ve had thus far.
It’s only as immediate shock over the suddenness of the event wears off that I become aware my captor hasn’t moved since we hit the ground. I also become aware of a warm wetness against my hip, pretty much where he landed on top of me. I wriggle to the side, trying to get out from under him.
Once I manage to get my left side clear, I look down and see a massive blood stain. Where the hell does the blood come from? Am I hurt? How the hell did I get hurt and not feel it? Taking a deep breath, I order myself to calm down. To think logically. Panic will only cloud the issue and make things worse.
I close my eyes, taking a moment to center myself, calm the fear. Pandemonium has broken out behind me, and I hear the other man shouting to be heard over the noise. But I need to stay focused on getting control of my runaway emotions.
When I finally feel like I’m not coming out of my skin, I open my eyes and carefully study my immediate surroundings. I track my gaze along the man’s inert body, across the floor, and up to the window. It’s only after long moments of staring at it that it filters into my brain – there’s a hole in the glass, a spiderweb of cracks running from it.
Someone’s taken the hostage taker out, because that hole is most assuredly a bullet hole. By now, the resort manager’s hopefully alerted local authorities to the situation here, but who the hell would be shooting at him? Has the cavalry finally come to rescue us? And now that I think about it, where has Izabella disappeared to? What the hell is going on here?
21
LUCKY
Getting onto the island proved far easier than anticipated. The weather provided us the perfect cover to be here without raising an eyebrow. The guests have been led to believe we’re here to assist with the evacuation efforts. Another team has been called in to support this story, leaving us free to make our way to the vicinity of the main building.
While we recon the area, Digit does his thing with all his gizmos and gadgets to get us accurate data on the weather conditions and topography of the area. We know from a briefing with the manager exactly where Agatha and her group are being held, and during our recon, I’ve found the perfect spot to set up shop.
“Lucky, you set up?” I hear Digit ask.
“Yeah, found a good spot.” I give him all the details of my surroundings.
“Copy that. Just give me a sec.” He’s silent for a couple minutes. “All right, brother, here’s what you need to know.” He gives me my elevation, the windspeed, and all the million little factors I need to bear in mind to take the shot, given the opportunity, and I set my rifle up.
Now all we can do is wait for that opportunity and pray they give us one. Failing that, we’ll have to go in and risk someone getting hurt. The thought of that someone being Agatha has me wanting to break out in hives.
From the time Knight broke the news, I’ve been quietly going out of my mind. We couldn’t reach the island fast enough, but now that we’re here, the fear is that we might already be too late. From scouting the area, we know what we’re dealing with out here. We have no way of knowing what’s going on inside since all the shutters in the room are closed.
The last report we received from the manager was that he could hear movement and voices from inside but couldn’t say whose voices they were or if anyone was hurt. The not knowing is driving me out of my mind.
“Change of wind direction and strength, Lucky.” Digit’s quiet voice pulls me from my thoughts.
“Gotcha. Thanks, dude.” I make the adjustments.
“Intel says conditions are worsening rapidly. We’re not going to be able to wait much longer. If things keep escalating as they are, we’re gonna have to go in. I’m sorry, bro.” I hear the regret in his voice. Even as my stomach knots, I appreciate that he cares.
“Understood.”
“Evacuation’s complete. Everyone but the manager, the hostages, and the hostage takers are off the island.”
“Thanks, Digit,” Knight replies. “In that case, Lucky, if the solution presents itself, take the shot.”
“Understood,” I repeat.
