“Bodies,” Marcus said. “Wounded.”
“I don’t like that.”
“Imagine you’re the one shot.” Nelson lifted his eyebrow at me.
“I like that less.”
It was quiet another moment, then Noah turned the SUV into the space between two trees, and backed up, facing the way we came. “This is as far as we can go.”
“Good enough,” Smoke said. “We can walk from here. Looks about half a mile or so.” He turned and looked at all of us in the vehicle. “Don’t get shot. I don’t want to carry your asses back here.”
“Sir yes sir,” Nelson snapped off.
“Are you all set with the plan?”
Aubrey looked out the window and up. “We have a big, clear moon up there, so no one should turn on their flashlights. The compound is lit up on a generator, so there’s that, but I’d still rather go in there dark.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Smoke said, shaking his head about it for the umpteenth time.
“Works for us,” Marcus said. “Let’s get going.”
Quiet as a mouse, we opened the back doors on the SUV and slipped out one by one. I took up my position with Noah in the middle of the group. Our only job was to get Uriah and the kids and get the hell back here.
The FBI agents had been kind enough to find us some kevlar and I felt like this whole situation was getting more and more ridiculous.
When Aubrey had said that the compound was lit up, I figured she meant a few streetlights and the house lights, and maybe some decorative strands.
I didn’t expect Times Square-lumens of sodium lights. I didn’t expect that my sister’s assessment of the noise level was understated. And I didn’t expect the place to look so…scummy.
“Anyone else sense Obi-wan through the force here?” Marcus asked.
“You will never see a more wretched hive of scum and villainy,” Chase said.
“We must be cautious,” Nelson finished.
“Great,” I grumbled. But they weren’t wrong. This place just looked terrible. I was pretty sure the dump was just beyond the bad barn, and that the bad barn was where they were keeping the weapons.
“Remember,” Smoke said, appearing next to us. “All you need to do is find the kids, find Uriah, and get the hell out.”
Noah and I nodded. “Where do you think they are holding them?”
“Whatever shack out there doesn’t have windows,” he answered. “They don’t want them to be able to see out of them and get any ideas.” He motioned Marcus, Chase, and Aubrey to us. “Cover their asses. Stay with them. Me and the rest of the group will take care of everything else.” He pointed to the perimeter of trees. “Follow that around and get some good ideas of where they could be, text me when you find anything and let me know where you are. We’ll draw them off.”
We all gave a quick nod and moved away from Smoke as he joined the rest of the agents waiting just out of sight.
“Which building?” Marcus asked.
Aubrey pointed. “There’s a shed, by the old barn. There’s never been anything in there, and it’s always padlocked. I…” She sighed. “I tried to pretend I didn’t know what it was for, but it’s totally for holding people prisoner.”
“Then we aren’t even going to screw around looking anywhere else,” Chase said. “Let’s go.” He took off, not even trying to be quiet.
He really didn’t have to, the generator was really loud. It sounded downright unhealthy.
Since it was late, nearly two in the morning, and most of the compound seemed to be asleep on the other side, we had a clear path to the shed. I tried to remember the way we were walking so that I had some hope of getting back the way we came.
The shed that Aubrey had pointed out was dilapidated at best, but looked more like it should be condemned and pulled down. There was a little light from the corrugated plastic window, and that was it.
“Is it me, or is that generator sounding worse?” Marcus asked.
