Page 86 of Wild Oblivion

I did a quick radio check. “Eagle Eye, do you copy?"

"Copy, Bravo One. I am in position and have eyes on the arena."

My phone buzzed with a call from Klaus.

I answered. "We're here. Where are you? Where's Giselle?"

"A van is going to pull up to the corner. You and Henrik are going to get inside. From there, you will be brought to the location."

"No deal. I need to see Giselle, alive and well."

"And I need to know that you are alone. Besides, you are not in a position to negotiate."

"How do you expect me to do that without any guarantees you’ll let any of us go?"

"What choice do you really have, Deputy Wild?" Klaus said before ending the call.

Jack’s voice crackled in my ear. "You’ve got a vehicle approaching from the north. A van."

"I see it."

The headlights beamed bright, bouncing as it barreled toward us down the empty industrial road. Lined with warehouses and loading docks, this wasn’t a heavily trafficked area at night.

The black van pulled alongside, and a masked goon slid open the cargo door.

"Don't get in that van," JD said.

“I have a plan,” I muttered.

From my pocket, I pulled out a fragmentation grenade, pulled the pin, and gripped the spoon tight.

The thug’s eyes widened.

"If everything goes smoothly, this will never go off," I said.

The thug exchanged a look with the driver, uncertain how to proceed.

“Are we going to do this?” I asked.

The driver shrugged. The door thug hopped out of the van. “I gotta pat you down for weapons.”

I chuckled. “You’re not getting my pistol, and you sure don’t want me to let go of this grenade.”

His accent was American. He hesitated a moment and shared another glance with the driver. He didn’t know what to do either. The doorman finally said. "Get in.”

I helped Henrik into the van, then followed.

"That's a bad idea," Jack said.

We took a seat on the dirty floor in the cargo area, and the thug slid the door shut. The driver dropped the car into gear and pulled away. The door thug kept his pistol aimed at us. He hadn't thought this scenario through.

"Put away the gun," I said. "We might hit a bump, and you might pull the trigger." He had poor trigger discipline. His finger was wrapped around the damn thing. "If you shoot me, it's not going to end well for anybody in this van.”

I don't think he was the brightest bulb in the box, but after a moment, he lifted his finger from the trigger, then lowered the weapon.

"How much is Klaus paying you?” I was sure he hired these thugs locally. I doubted they were time travelers from the past. “Where are you from?”

“None of your business.”