The Survivor (Eve Duncan #30)

Tashi nodded. “I told you that you would get him to listen.” Her lips twisted. “And just in time for Nadim to send them a greeting.”

“I have to get to Mabato.” Maya turned to the uniformed sentry. “What’s happening there, Dalben? Something about a fire? Is it the entire village?”

“We don’t think so. Just one area according to the report we got from the village chief. But they can’t get near it to put it out. Nadim set loose a team of his snipers to attack the village and they’ve been picking off anyone who shows themselves. The captain of the local island guard said that the snipers are calling out your name and using it to mock the villagers.” He pointed to the faint wisp of smoke rising to the north. “They seem to be using that fire they set as a lure.” He added grimly, “We’ve got a body count of twenty-two already.”

“Snipers again, Nadim must like them.” Cade’s gaze was fastened on the smoke as he came to stand beside them. “Typical poaching trick used to bring down animals.” His lips tightened. “Only these aren’t animals.” He turned to Dalben. “I’ll need a jeep and someone who can guide me to where they lit that damn fire.” He looked over his shoulder at Kirby. “Get weapons from the plane.”

“I’m on it.” He was running back toward the steps.

Maya shook her head. “My job, Cade. You don’t even have a team on the island yet. They won’t be here until tomorrow.”

“Your people don’t appear to be doing so well at the moment, Maya. I don’t like snipers and I’m hoping one of them might be that other asshole who was shooting at Riley at Eve’s.” He looked her in the eye. “I gave an order, and your sentry here hasn’t moved a muscle. We have an agreement, Maya.”

She hesitated and then said to Dalben. “It’s okay. Get him anything he wants… quickly.”

Dalben turned and reached for his phone as he headed at a run for the vehicles parked on the side of the runway.

“This isn’t the time for you to do this, Cade.” Maya swung back to face him. “You should wait until I can—” She stopped when she saw his expression. “I’m going with you. You won’t need a guide. I know every inch of this island.”

“You might be useful, but I could regret it. I’ll still accept it.” He glanced at Riley. “Because I know I can’t keep Riley away from that village when she might be able to help them. The first time I met her, she was in a first-aid tent bandaging a little kid while she was giving me hell. She’s been standing there and listening, and I’ve been watching the impatience growing.” He tilted his head at Riley. “Right?”

She nodded. “As long as you’re going to go see if you can get your head blown off by those snipers, I thought you might need medical attention.” She added, “And from what Dalben said, some of the islanders already need help… if they’re still alive.”

Dalben brought the jeep to a screeching halt a few yards away, and Maya headed for it. She tapped him on the shoulder. “Out!” When he quickly jumped out, she slipped into the driver’s seat. “Let’s get out of here, Cade.”

Kirby was back with two automatic rifles and gave one to Cade. “Shotgun?”

“No, I’ll ride shotgun,” Cade said as he got in the passenger seat. “You get in back with Riley and guard the rear.”

Tashi took a step closer to the jeep and put a hand on Maya’s shoulder as she was about to leave. “I will go back to the temple and tell Bailey you are coming to her soon. You’ve done well so far. Don’t disappoint me by letting one of those snipers kill you. Let this Cade take care of them. He seems to have the right idea about attending to business.”

“Like Jann Lu?” Maya asked dryly. “I admit while I was worrying about Bailey before we landed, I was thinking that Jann Lu’s methods weren’t entirely unacceptable.” She shrugged. “Though I’ll have to think about it.”

“When you come to that point, you don’t think, you just act.” Tashi stepped back. “But you won’t have to search your soul while I watch over the child. Go and do what must be done…”

“How far is it to Mabato?” Cade asked as Maya drove out of the runway area and onto a rough stone road through the jungle. “I don’t like the amount of time we’ve already had to spend just getting on the road.”

“Neither do I,” Maya said. “And it’s at least another forty minutes. I want to contact Jelsko, the village chief, and get all the info I can before we try to go after the snipers. I have to go around the back of the village the long way so we won’t be noticed. It’s driving me crazy.” Her hands clenched on the steering wheel as she gazed out the windshield. “Because I’m thinking that Nadim is probably looking up at that wisp of smoke and enjoying what his men are doing to those people. I want it to stop.”

“It hasn’t begun yet,” Cade said quietly. “And you stay at the village until Kirby and I scope out the area for any possible prisoners and decide where to position ourselves to take out as many of the snipers as possible.”

She shook her head. “I’ll have to see how many of the soldiers we sent are still able to help you. I might have to lead—”

“You stay at the village,” Cade interrupted. “Or I go back and get on that plane and that’s the end of our deal.”

“Listen to him, Maya.” Riley leaned forward from the backseat. “He knows what he’s doing. I’ve seen him in action. Do you think I’d let him go if he didn’t? Look, this is what I was afraid of when you decided that you had to involve Cade. But you wouldn’t have it any other way. So shut up and let him do what he does best. Get the hell out of his way.”

Maya stared at her for a moment. Then she looked straight ahead. “We’ll have to see what the situation is at Mabato.”

The situation at Mabato was hideous, Maya thought as she drove toward the back of the village. Bodies everywhere, weeping women and children. The island guard was nowhere in sight. Where the hell were they? She saw Jelsko, the chief, kneeling beside a young man dressed in guard fatigues. She stopped the jeep, then jumped out and ran to fall to her knees beside him. “Jelsko. What’s happening?” She looked down at the soldier. “Can I help him? Let me get—” Then she stopped as she saw what two bullets had done to the young man’s head.

“No one can help him.” Jelsko lifted his eyes and she saw the pain and tears in them. “It is my son, Calar. He was so proud when he was old enough to join the island guard. Even as a child he wanted to be a soldier and help people.” His voice broke. “He was only twenty, Maya. Why two bullets? One would have done. The second must have just been for their pleasure.”

She put her arms around him. “I share your sorrow. How can I help?”

“You cannot help my son.” He pushed her away. “But you are here. Maybe that will make them stop. Those beasts kept calling out and asking where you were and why you didn’t help us. Are you not the caretaker?”

“We will help you.” Cade and Riley were suddenly beside them. “You don’t know me, Jelsko,” Cade said, “but Maya will tell you that I’m a friend. Will you permit us to take your son inside your home while you tell us what we need to know? And Riley has medical skills that will heal your friends and neighbors.”