Payne shrugged. It seemed like everyone was trying to kill him. “Actually, you’re the lucky one. If you’d killed me, you’d have to fly coach on the way home.”
“Good point. How’d the boat mission go?”
“Just like you planned. I took out the remaining guards without any problems and got the boatload of slaves off the island.”
“That’s great, isn’t it?” Jones studied Payne’s face and could tell he wasn’t happy. “What’s wrong? We just saved several lives. You should be thrilled.”
“Not only did we save several lives, but we knew one of the survivors.”
Jones’s eyes widened with surprise. “Ariane was on the boat?”
Payne shook his head. “The Posse kidnapped her entire family. Her brother-in-law, Robbie, was one of the captives on board.”
“What?” He had met Ariane’s family on several occasions. “Was Tonya on the boat, too?”
“No. They still have her somewhere, and if you remember, she’s pregnant.” Payne paused as he thought about the situation. He knew Tonya was very close to her due date. “That is, if all this trauma hasn’t brought on childbirth.”
Jones could tell his buddy was hurting—it might be a future nephew or niece that he was talking about—so he tried to get Payne’s mind back on the mission. “What did you learn about the others?”
“Not much, but something strange is going on. That boat was filled with families. Moms, dads, kids. These weren’t strangers picked at random. These groups were chosen on purpose.”
“But why?”
“I don’t know.”
“And where were they taking them?”
“I don’t know that, either.”
Jones forced a chuckle. “Shit, you don’t know too much, do you?”
“I guess not,” Payne admitted. “But I do know this. If ten of the captives were on the verge of leaving this place, then there’s a good chance that the second group will be leaving shortly.”
“If that happens, our odds of finding them goes down significantly.”
“You got that right.” Payne checked the ammo in his Glock. “So tell me, Mr. Jones, you’re the brilliant military strategist. What do you recommend we do?”
“That’s easy. Let’s go save some people.”
HOLMES and Greene were ready to enter Ariane’s room when Jackson’s voice emerged from Holmes’s radio. They had left Jackson five minutes before, and he was already calling.
“What the hell do you want now?” Holmes barked.
“Well, hello to you, too!” Jackson replied. “Sorry to disturb you, but we just heard a bunch of gunshots by the western dock.”
“Damn!” Greene cursed. “They’re going after the boat!” In the back of his mind, he was glad that he’d left his babysitting job when he did. He didn’t want to face Payne and Jones until the odds were more in his favor. “We have to stop these guys before they ruin everything.”
“How do we do that?” Holmes demanded. He had the most military experience of any of them, but he was clueless when it came to Payne and Jones. They were playing in a different league. “You know these guys better than I do. Do they have any flaws that we can exploit?”
Without speaking, Greene pointed to the door in front of him. As far as he knew, their only weakness lay inside the room.
Holmes considered the information, then pushed the button on his radio. “Harris, we’re coming out with the two girls. In the meantime, gather up all the guards and arm them with the best weapons we have. As soon as I get outside, we’re gonna storm the dock.”
“You got it!” Jackson’s voice was a mixture of excitement and concern. “I’ll see ya soon.”
Greene raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Do you think an all-out attack is gonna work on these guys? Won’t they see us coming a mile away?”
“Definitely, but that’s exactly what I want. I’ll have our guys make as much noise as possible, and I guarantee that Payne and Jones will try to slip through a crack and come to the house.” Holmes pointed to the door. “If she means as much to them as you say, they’re just killing time until we leave the home front open. As soon as we make a move, they’ll seize the opportunity.”
Greene nodded in agreement. The plan made perfect sense. “So, while the guards are in the weeds, what are we gonna do with her?”
Holmes grinned sadistically. “We’ll use her to set a trap of our own.”
CHAPTER 49
JUST as Holmes had expected, Payne and Jones could hear the guards approaching, but it wasn’t because of their military training. All it took was a good set of ears, for the African guards