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Clay’s phone buzzes.
He glances at it and clenches his jaw.
“On my count,” Clay whispers.
Down the hill, there seems to be an argument between the bandits. They’re pointing their guns and shouting.
One of the bandits shift to the left. He’s holding a gun to someone’s head.
I cover my mouth to quiet my gasp.
That must be the hostage.
The bandits look like they’re on edge. How is Clay going to get him out alive?
A low, buzzing sound fills my ears. The trees above me whip back and forth. Leaves dance in the air and zip on the wind like butterflies.
I hold my braids back with one hand and look up to see two massive helicopters flying overhead.
“Now!” Clay roars.
I hear faint popping sounds. A minute later, the A-team files through the compound from the back entrance. They must have overpowered the bandits patrolling there.
“Come on,” Clay says.
Heart about to burst, I climb into the vehicle with him. He slams his foot on the gas and we tear down the hill, heading straight for the gate.
Which is fully made of iron.
And isn’t open.
“Clay?”
He puts his cell phone to his ear. “I’m not filming a freaking action scene, Andre. Don’t wait until the last possible second.”
I hear a faint ‘but it’s more dramatic that way’from the phone and then see the gate swing wide.
“Your IT guy can do that?” I gasp.
From the phone I hear, “Tell her I can pick her up at eight to show her what else I can do.”
Clay’s eyes get as hard as marbles. It’s the first time I’ve seen him lose his cool since the mission started. “If you want to keep your neck, I suggest you never repeat those words again.”
A weak ‘yes sir’ is cut off when Clay angrily ends the call. He pulls the car to an abrupt stop at the gate, leans into the backseat and pulls out a megaphone.
“Stay here,” he says firmly.
I nod.
“Island.”
“Yes, I promise.”
He gives me a long look and then steps out of the car to negotiate for the hostage. With the scary-looking helicopters above, the guards surrounding them on all sides, and the police sirens ringing in the distance, the burglars sink to their knees in surrender.
An ambulance arrives soon after and the police secure the area. I watch from the safety of the car and let out a little exhale when I hear that the gate operator isn’t too badly hurt.
Clay comes back to the car with a guy named Stevano, a new recruit who he ‘trusts to take me home without putting his eyes or hands where they don’t belong’, but I decline the offer.