Page 116 of Clive Cussler Ghost Soldier

“Done.”

“Then we have a deal.”

“There is one condition,” the Vendor said.

Plata fought the urge to swear again, just as Dragu? came running up out of the dark, a wide smile on his face. Plata glanced down at hiswrist device. The flag had been captured. He held up an index finger to silence the Romanian before he could speak.

Dragu? frowned with curiosity.

“I’m listening,” Plata said.

“You only have two hours to accomplish your task.”

“Why the rush?”

“Mendoza’s American friends are in transit and will arrive in force. I promise you, you won’t survive the encounter.”

“Then we need to hurry.”

“Indeed.”

59

Juan and Linc kept under stealthy concealment as they made their way along a coastal trail back to the armory. They were close enough to hear the pounding surf and caught glimpses of the ocean through the trees.

They chose the most logical route offering them the best cover, but it took them a while, giving Cabrillo enough time to rethink their situation. He certainly didn’t trust the Vendor to honor the agreement he had made with his band of cutthroat mercenaries, especially now that his applecart had been upended. To that end, they turned off their radios just in case the Vendor had the means to track them. Cabrillo knew that just because he had grounded Rahul’s drone fleet and cameras didn’t mean the Vendor didn’t have other means of surveillance or attack. Vigilance and caution were their best defenses.

If he and Linc wanted to survive, the safest play would have been to hole up somewhere and wait for theOregonto arrive just two hours from now. But Cabrillo was never one to put personal security above a mission, and his mission was to capture the Vendor and disrupt his operations. He still felt as if the plan to find a drone in the armory and use it to neutralize the minefields at flag number nine was their best shot at doing both.

And it was always possible theOregoncould be delayed for hours, perhaps days.

Bringing the contest to an official close might even draw the Vendor out. The arms dealer had exuded both arrogance and vanity. There was no telling what opportunity might present itself for his capture or demise if Juan and Linc saw this through to the end.

Juan halted. Something didn’t feel right. He glanced around their position. He also glanced up. The thick foliage that hid them from drones also obscured his view.

“I’ve got that tingling sensation,” Juan said.

“You mean, like when a pretty girl catches your eye?”

“More like squatting in a poison ivy patch without any toilet paper around.”

“It is kinda quiet,” Linc said. For the better part of their journey buzzing insects and colorful birdcalls had filled the air. Now it was dead silent again, save for the sound of crashing waves and hissing sand.

Cabrillo pulled out his spotting scope and edged forward. Sunlight fell on a hundred-yard patch of open trail. They needed to cross it quickly if they had any hope of avoiding detection. A thick copse of trees loomed on the other side in the shape of a crescent. The trail led straight into a green pocket of foliage.

“What do you see?” Linc whispered.

“Green. Lots of green.”

“All clear?”

Juan lowered his scope, processing. He wasn’t sure.

“Clear.”

Linc unslung his semi-auto Barrett. In a lesser man’s hands it would’ve been too big to handle without a tripod. But Linc could wield it like a regular rifle despite its enormous weight and kick, and lay down a hail of armor-piercing .50-cal gunfire that could stop a small fleet of light armored vehicles.

“Cover me.”