Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“Higher? Like to the top?” she asked, peering upward. It looked impossibly farther than she’d ever be able to climb.
“Concentrate on each move, Sadie. Don’t think about how far you have to climb. One hand and one foot shift at a time.”
“I’ll try.” Sadie could already feel herself tiring. She was using muscles she was sure she’d never used before.
“I’ll help you. It’ll be okay, Sadie. I didn’t just find you to lose you now.”
She nodded, trying to be brave. “Just show me how.”
“Team! A white van without license plates just plowed past me without stopping,” Hawking’s voice blared through the intercom.
Immediately, Magnus looked up at the screens to one side of him and located the vehicle as it sped through one zone after another. “I’ve got it, Hawking. Its trajectory seems to be the cliff face. Rocco and Sadie are rock climbing.”
He sent out the location he expected they were headed to all the men as he tried to contact Rocco. There was no answer. “Rocco must not be wearing his earpiece,” Magnus growled and tried calling. Rocco had obviously left his phone on the ground with his pack.
Locating each team member, he watched Hawking, Phoenix, and Caesar converge on the area around the van as Kestrel ran for the helicopter. “High alert. Major weaponry in front of you.”
“Someone needs to remind them New Zealand has a ban against guns,” Kestrel grumbled.
The brief silence that followed attested to the team’s knowledge that the bad guys didn’t follow the laws and would find a way to get what they wanted. “That sounded less stupid when I thought it,” Kestrel muttered.
Magnus ignored Kestrel’s statement and updated the team. “Rocco has Sadie tucked behind a jutting rock formation, and they’re heading up. One of the bad guys has taken Rocco’s spare harness from his pack, and he’s heading up behind them. He’ll have to climb up and shift over as well behind the rock barrier to shoot up toward them.”
“We’ll keep him from getting there,” Phoenix promised. “I’m almost there.”
“I’m pulling up in the air,” Kestrel reported.
“Anyone armed?” Magnus asked.
“I’m there, Magnus,” Phoenix said. “I don’t have a gun, but I’ve got several knives. I’ll shift to the right to pick off the guy on the bluff.”
“Dammit. I only have a stunner,” Hawking reported. “I’ll work on taking out the guys on the ground.”
“I brought the spearguns I was cleaning,” Caesar reported.
“I’ve got you all on screen. Hawking, watch for Caesar coming from the right. Phoenix, you’ll need to circle the van to get to the climber. Try to get close enough to slash a tire. Kestrel, cause a distraction in ten seconds,” Magnus requested.
“On it,” Kestrel answered, knowing that each team member counted with him as he ticked off the seconds before swooping down.
Magnus leaned forward, wishing he was there to help but knowing he was more valuable directing the team. He watched carefully, switching from the aerial view he could get from the copter to the security cameras placed in two trees.
Something crashed into the top of the van, making a dent. Magnus saw a flash of the Danger Bluff logo and recognized the smashed item as it bounced. Limited to what he could toss out of the window, Kestrel had dropped his metal water bottle.
“Good job,” Magnus complimented him, knowing that Kestrel still heard him but was too busy to answer. He could see the men react and knew the impact had sent a reverberating sound through the area. Magnus had one last view of the men shooting upward before Kestrel zigzagged the copter out of range. That pass showed Magnus a glimpse of Phoenix slipping out of the shrubbery. They all relied on Phoenix to stab a knife into a tire and twist it to open the slit for the air to gush out.
In rapid succession, the cameras pointed toward the ground went black. The spray of bullets had taken out all his “eyes.” Magnus slumped back in his chair. He could hear the spray of bullets and the exerted breath of the team. No one spoke aloud. His only view was of dots moving on the screen in front of him as the team shifted. It was up to the guys on the ground now.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I don’t think I can climb any higher, Rocco,” Sadie admitted as she tried to rest against the stone wall.
“You’ve got this, Little girl. I’m right here with you.”
Rocco moved lower, making her panic. “Don’t leave me!”
“I’d never do that,” he promised and shifted into position so her bottom rested on his shoulder.
Sadie could feel him taking some of her weight to ease the strain on her arms and legs. Not wanting to hurt him but too tired to boost herself off his support, she whispered, “Rocco, no!”
“I’ve got you, Little girl. There’s a spot for us to rest above you.”