Kidnap and Ransom

Flores didn’t answer. It seemed off, that Sock could find T-shirts and tacos but hadn’t managed to get his hands on the cell phone they really needed. But then, this whole operation had been screwy. None of them had discussed it yet, but clearly someone had set them up. That raid had gone too wrong too fast, like the Zetas knew they were coming. The question was, who told them? A member of the team, or someone higher up in the organization?

Flores furtively eyed Sock. Riley and Decker seemed okay, and Kaplan was just plain unlucky, first the broken ribs, now this. But Sock had been exhibiting odd behavior from day one.

Sock went to the doorway again and eased it open an inch to peer out.

“Shit.” He yanked his head back.

“What?” Flores asked.

“We got company,” Sock said grimly, pulling a handgun out of the waistband of his jeans shorts.

Before Flores could ask where the hell he’d gotten another gun, the door blew inward. Something hit the floor, then rolled toward them. He instinctively threw himself over Kaplan as the grenade came to a stop a few feet away.

“See? Nobody here,” Syd said as they pulled on to the shoulder at the side of the highway.

Kelly didn’t respond. Jake was driving, Maltz was beside her in the backseat. This time Syd had insisted on riding with them. “I know where we’re going,” she’d tossed over her shoulder, jumping in the front seat beside Jake.

It galled the hell out of Kelly, but she didn’t say anything.

A steady stream of cars whipped past. Kelly realized she had yet to see a single police car, despite all their driving around the city.

“How do you know this is the spot?” Jake asked.

“GPS,” Syd said. “Plus those.” She pointed at a set of skid marks that started in the middle of the road and zoomed off the shoulder past them into the desert.

It was a desolate stretch of road, dusty scrub brush and trash running a few hundred yards to a line of dying trees. The building on the far end looked abandoned. Past the trees, Kelly discerned the bleats and rumbles of the city. To her left the terrain climbed sharply, barren foothills hunching out of the gritty soil.

They got out of the car. Kane had pulled up behind them in the second vehicle. He, Jagerson, Fribush and Maltz followed Syd as she marched off into the brush. They spread out, examining the ground in formation. Kelly picked her way behind them, avoiding a soiled diaper and empty fast-food containers. The van’s tracks in the dirt were marred by the wheels of other vehicles and footprints: probably from emergency units that had responded to the crash.

“You okay?” Jake asked, coming up beside her.

“I’m fine,” she lied. The constant sitting around in cars was wreaking havoc on her leg. It had stiffened up to the point that every step was torture, but she wasn’t about to admit that to anyone.

“You’re awfully quiet.”

“There hasn’t been much to say,” Kelly retorted. “What with torturing storekeepers and leaving kidnap victims with their captors.”

Jake grabbed her elbow, stopping her. “Why did you want to come?”

“You know why.”

“I don’t,” he said, shaking his head. “I know you want to prove you can still do your job. But this isn’t your job. This is my job. And clearly you hate it.”

“It’s not what I expected,” she finally said.

“Outside U.S. borders things go down a little differently. Whether you like it or not, that’s just how it is. If I want to save my brother and whoever else is with him, I’ve got to respect that.”

“I know,” Kelly said. “It’s just—”

“Got something over here!” Syd was waving her arms a dozen yards from the tree line.

Jake took off at a trot. Kelly struggled to keep up, running a few steps alongside him before falling back. When she finally reached them, her face was flushed from the effort.

“Blood trail,” Syd said. “They did a pretty good job covering it in the immediate vicinity of the crash, but it was probably still dark, they missed some spots.”

“Where does it go?” Jake asked.

“More over here!” Fribush yelled from the tree line.

“So they went back to the city. Interesting choice,” Syd said.

“They probably thought it would be easier to hide there until they got in touch with Tyr,” Jake mused.

“Maybe they’ve already been picked up,” Kelly said. “Is there any way to find out?”

“I would have gotten a call,” Syd said. “Let’s split up. You and Maltz each take a car and wait for us on the other side of these trees.” Syd bent down and gazed through them. “Looks like there’s a road a few hundred feet away, it should show up on the GPS.”

“I’ll go with you,” Kelly said. “Have Kane take the car.”

“Kelly—” Jake said.

“Your leg is bothering you,” Syd said flatly. “Unless you rest it, you’ll be useless.”

“I’m fine,” Kelly insisted.

“You’re not. And part of the deal here is that I’m in charge of the unit’s health. You injure yourself more, it makes everyone’s life harder.”

“But—”

“It’s not a request, it’s an order,” Syd said.

The rest of the team stopped and looked up at her raised voice. Kelly’s cheeks burned. She glanced at Jake, who shrugged.

“She’s right, Kel. It’s not personal, it’s just—”

“Give me the keys.” Kelly held out her hand.

He started to say something else, then shut his mouth and handed them over.

Kelly turned on her heel and marched back to the car. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t hide the limp. She fought back tears as she slid into the driver’s seat. The worst part was that they were right: she wasn’t capable enough to be here. From the look of things, she might never be able to do her job properly again. If their positions were reversed, she’d feel the same way: what was the point of having a partner who couldn’t keep up? And if she was this useless, what the hell was she going to do with the rest of her life?

There was a rap at her window. Kelly turned to find Maltz peering down at her. She wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. Great, she thought. Not only was she crying, but she was doing it in front of the only person more messed up than she was. She rolled down the window.

“Syd can be a pain in the ass.” Maltz bent over and crossed his arms on the window frame.

“She’s right,” Kelly said. “I’d hold them up.”

“Maybe.” He looked past her to where the others had vanished into the tree line. “It’s tough, huh?”