Just then, the sound of a helicopter roared overhead. Dismayed, he glanced up to see a man with a machine gun hanging out of the door and targeting his guy on the roof.
Ramos took a couple of shots at the helicopter before coming under fire from Carlos’s men. As he ducked behind the barrels, Sloan slid into a spot next to him, breathing heavily. They managed to get a few shots off, but heavy fire pinned them down.
“We have to move,” Ramos said. “Run to the building and I’ll cover you. On three…one, two, go!”
Sloan ran hard, and Ramos rose from his position to take a few shots at the men. After she made it safely to the building, she motioned him to run while she covered him. He took another shot, then ran to the building, sliding inside as shots rang around him.
The truck engine started up, and Ramos’s heart sank. If they got too far away, they’d be out of range for his back-up plan to do any good. He ducked out to take a couple of shots, but machine gun fire from the chopper ripped into the ground in front of him, forcing him back. Helpless, he held his position, listening as the truck left the property.
The chopper stayed put for another minute, keeping them pinned down, then roared away. As soon as it was clear, Ramos ran from the building. One team member was down, and two others hurried to take stock of his injuries. He hated to think what had happened to the sniper on the roof, but at least the one in the office building had joined them unscathed.
Sloan took charge, directing someone to check on the sniper’s condition, and pulled out her phone to call for an ambulance.
Ramos ran toward the road, hoping to catch sight of the truck, but it was nowhere to be seen. He knew there wasn’t much time before they’d lose them, and he hurried back to Sloan. “I’m going after them.”
“Wait. I’m coming with you.” She shouted instructions to one of her men and caught up to him. They ran to his car and jumped inside.
As Ramos peeled out of the lot, Sloan pulled the tracker from her pocket. The chopper was long gone, but there was a chance they could catch up to the slow-moving truck.
“You have a signal?” Ramos asked.
“Yes. They’re headed north.”
Ramos turned in that direction and floored it. “There’s not much out that way except the airport and a few other airstrips. I’ll bet anything that’s where they’re headed.”
They got to the main highway and turned east before heading north again. The road joined onto a bigger highway which would take them to the main airport.
“Okay. You need to stay to the left,” Sloan instructed. “They’ve turned off the road to head west.”
“Got it.” Ramos took the next exit and followed the road. A few miles later, he spotted a hangar and a few small planes in the distance. “Is that where they are?”
“I think so. The truck must have just gotten there, because the signal’s not moving anymore. What should we do? Is that a private airstrip?”
“It could be. I’ve never been out here before. See if you can spot a bigger plane. The ones I can see are too small to carry all the weapons.”
“Maybe it hasn’t landed yet,” Sloan said.
“Don’t count on it. This was too organized for them to be waiting on a plane.” He turned toward the airstrip and caught sight of a bigger plane on the other side of the hangar. “There it is.”
“I’m calling for back-up.”
“It won’t matter,” Ramos said. “They’ll be long gone before anyone ever gets here. We need to find a way in while they’re busy loading.”
“I’m still calling.” Sloan took out her phone and made the call, while Ramos turned toward the airstrip. A group of office buildings and a car rental stood several yards behind the hangar, and Ramos pulled into the parking area. But instead of parking there, he pulled around to the back of the building and stopped.
Jumping out of the car, he grabbed his rifle, making sure he still had plenty of ammo. Sloan had left her rifle at the site, but she pulled out her handgun and nodded. They crept to the back of the hangar, then circled around the side facing away from the building where no one could see them.
An older Antonov cargo plane sat near the hangar and faced the runway. Carlos and his men were busy unloading the truck and carrying the crates to the plane. Ramos could see that the pilots were inside the cockpit. He might still have a chance to stop them once the weapons and his crate were all loaded, as long as he was close enough to be in range.
He ducked into the hangar, with Sloan following behind, and took refuge behind a parked car. Carlos supervised the men unloading the truck, gesturing at them to hurry. Ramos knew the only way to stop them was to disable the plane or get to the pilot. But, from here, it didn’t look like that would be possible. There were too many of them, and he didn’t like the odds. That meant he’d have to go with his backup plan.
“Come on,” Sloan said, slipping out from behind the car, and running in a crouch toward the truck.
“Wait,” Ramos said, swearing under his breath. Without a backward glance, she kept moving, and he knew if they were spotted, it was all over. Clenching his jaw, he followed closely behind, hoping he could stop her before she got them killed.
Sloan crouched down at the front end of the truck, and Ramos dropped down beside her. Before he could tell her to go back, one of Carlos’s men came around to open the door. The man paused, then continued toward them.
Ramos jumped up, slamming the butt of his rifle into the man’s gut, then across his jaw. As he went down, another man heard the commotion and came running.
“I’ll get Carlos,” Sloan said, and she took off around the other side of the truck.
Ramos shot the man coming toward him and rounded the end of the truck. Before he could get another shot off, a guard jumped from the truck bed in front of him, taking him by surprise. Ramos rushed into him, grabbing his wrist and twisting before he could shoot. The man yelled in pain, dropping his weapon. Ramos kept the momentum going and threw him to the ground.
Another man jumped from the back of the truck and swung his fist toward Ramos’s face. Ramos ducked as several shots rang out. Then he side-stepped his attacker and landed a one-two punch to the man’s head, dropping him to the ground.
Ramos couldn’t see Carlos anywhere, but the shots came from the other side of the hangar where Sloan had run. Two men started shooting at him, and he ducked down beside the truck for cover. He rose to fire, but the men had moved out of sight.
He stood to follow, keeping low, and made it to the edge of the truck before he caught sight of Carlos. He held Sloan with an arm around her neck in a choke hold, and had a gun pointed to her head.
“Stop, or I kill her!”
Chapter 5
“Drop your gun or she dies!”
Ramos’s mouth went dry. His chances of survival just went down the drain. If he gave up now, they were both dead, but what choice did he have?
“Do it now!” Carlos screamed.
Ramos caught Sloan’s gaze. She pressed her lips together and shook her head, signaling him not to do it. He knew she could get out of Carlos’s choke hold, but she needed a diversion so Carlos wouldn’t pull the trigger.
Deciding his surrender might give her a chance, Ramos lifted both arms up, but held onto his gun, ready to take action.
A cold, hard, gun barrel pressed against the back of his head, and Ramos’s breath caught.
“Should I kill him?”
“If anyone’s going to kill him, it will be me!” Carlos breathed heavily and stared at Ramos. He shoved Sloan into another man’s grasp and raised his gun to fire. He held it steady, but hesitated. Then he lowered it and narrowed his eyes. “But…I have a better idea. Tie them up. They’re coming with us.”
Carlos’s men didn’t waste any time. They relieved both Ramos and Sloan of all their weapons, making them remove their bullet-proof vests, which the gunmen happily took for themselves. Pulling Ramos’s hands behind his back, they roughly tied him up and shoved him ont
o the ground next to Sloan.
They quickly finished loading the cargo onto the plane, killing any hope that Sloan’s people would get there in time. Soon, Ramos and Sloan were pushed onto the floor of the plane beside the crates. As Ramos sat down, he gritted his teeth against the pain to his ribs. A few minutes later, the plane began to taxi down the runway.
“I’m sorry I got you into this,” Sloan whispered. “I should’ve known he’d double-cross us.”
“It was me he double-crossed. I guess my reputation wasn’t enough to stop him. Any idea why he didn’t kill us?”
Sloan didn’t answer, and Ramos turned his head to catch her gaze. “You might as well tell me now. It can’t get any worse.”
She shook her head and let out a breath. “I’m so sorry. I should have told you.”
Ramos sighed. That didn’t sound good. He didn’t prod, waiting patiently for Sloan to finally tell him what it was she’d been hiding all this time.
“There’s a bounty on your head. I guess Carlos decided that he might as well collect it.”
Ramos’s eyes widened. “And you didn’t think I needed to know this?”
“I didn’t think…well, maybe I thought it would help him decide to make the deal with you. Not that I ever thought he’d be able to collect. I just thought that it might be an added incentive for him to make the deal. I thought I had it all covered. I thought I could protect you, and…I never thought it would turn out this way.” She shook her head, and let out a moan of frustration. “This is all my fault.”
Ramos’s jaw clenched with anger. He should have known that he couldn’t trust her. Now look at where they were. Of course, things might have turned out differently if he’d told her about his backup plan, so that was on him. If there was a bounty on his head…it meant that they literally planned to behead him. Carlos would probably ask to do it, and his stomach churned with sick dread.
The plane leveled out, and Carlos came back to gloat, sitting on a crate in front of them. “The mighty Ramos has fallen. And now I will finally have revenge for my brother’s death. I wonder how much they’ll give me for your head?”
If he was hoping to rattle Ramos, it didn’t work, and Carlos’s mouth turned into a grimace. “I didn’t really need to keep you alive, but the money will be so much better if they can watch.” He glanced at Sloan. “So can you. Or maybe they’ll want you dead first? I don’t know how much they’ll give me for you, but when I tell them who you are, I think they will pay well.”
Sloan’s eyes widened, and Carlos smirked. “Yes…I know who you are. You even have a name…Bella Rebelde, beautiful rebel. Your head will look nice next to his, don’t you think?”
He glanced at his men, then caught her gaze. “Haven’t you been wondering where Antonio was?” At her raised brows, he smiled. “Oh…I see. You hadn’t even noticed he was missing. Well, after your little rendezvous with him yesterday, I started to get suspicious. Then, when Ramos seemed to know who you were, I thought it was time I had a little chat with Antonio. He told me all about your plans to set me up…before he died.”
With that, Carlos stood and smiled down at Sloan, enjoying the anger and pain that filled her eyes. Then he caught Ramos’s hard gaze, and the smile left his face. “You will be dead soon enough.”
Ramos didn’t blink, holding Carlos’s gaze with contempt. With a huff, Carlos shook his head and returned to the comfort of his seat.
Letting out a breath, Ramos glanced at Sloan. Her eyes had filled with tears. As they coursed down her cheeks, anger filled Ramos’s heart. He knew nothing he could say would help Sloan feel better, so he scooted close to her until their shoulders touched. She sniffed, then blinked the tears from her eyes, and leaned her head against his shoulder.
Ramos wanted to tell her about his contingency plan, but he didn’t want to get her hopes up in case he couldn’t pull it off. Still, he vowed to do everything in his power to stop Carlos, even he had to die in the process.
“Sloan,” Ramos said. “There’s something I need you to do.”
She sat up straight, and her brows drew together. “What?”
“I have a small blade in my boot, but I can’t reach it. Do you think you can try?”
“Sure.” She glanced into the plane at the men. “Let’s scoot closer to that crate so they can’t see us as well.”
The cargo plane was noisy enough that they didn’t have to worry about being quiet. Soon, Ramos had scrunched against the crate with his knees bent, and Sloan had turned, so her hands could reach his boots.
“There’s a thin blade inside the boot by my ankle. It’s right behind my anklebone.”
“Okay. I’ve got to get a little closer.”
With her hands tied behind her back, she couldn’t see what she was doing, so it took a while to find the right spot. Ramos guided her, while keeping a watch on Carlos and his men.
“Is that it?” she asked.
“Yes. It has a ridge on the end. Make sure you hold onto it tight while you pull it out.” As she leaned forward, he held his breath, hoping she wouldn’t drop it. “You’ve got about three more inches on the shaft before you reach the blade, so don’t worry about cutting yourself.”
“Good to know.”
The blade finally cleared his boot, and he sighed with relief. “It’s sharp, so turn it carefully so you don’t get cut. I’ll tell you when it’s safe to start sawing through the rope.” She turned the blade in her nimble fingers, until it was pointed in the right direction. “Good. Now you can start cutting.”
The sharp blade cut through the rope quickly, and soon she was free. As she pulled the rope from her hands, he glanced at Carlos’s men, relieved that none of them had looked their way.
He twisted to give Sloan a better angle, and pain from his ribs shot into his side like a hot iron. He managed to hold back a groan, but it was close. She quickly cut through his bonds, and he straightened, letting out a relieved breath.
“What now?” she asked.
He took the blade and put it back in his boot. “We can’t let them know we’re free until after we land, so we need to pretend we’re still tied up.” He wrapped the rope around one of his wrists and hoped it was enough to fool them. “After we land, and they’re busy unloading, we’ll make our move.”
“Okay.”
“Wait for my signal this time.”
Sloan pursed her lips, but nodded, leaving Ramos grateful that she hadn’t argued. She scooted back to her place beside him, moving her hands behind her back, and Ramos did the same.
Just then, one of Carlos’s men stood and glanced in their direction. Ramos stared back at him, his lips in a grim line and his gaze narrowed, almost daring him to come closer. The man stiffened and looked away, then sat back down, and didn’t glance toward Ramos again.
It took close to three hours before the plane began its descent, plenty of time to make it to Mexico. Ramos sat up straight and nudged Sloan, who had been resting her head on his shoulder.
“We’re landing.”
She straightened, then made sure her hands looked like they were still tied behind her back. Soon, the plane touched ground, and they taxied to a stop. Ramos wasn’t sure how many men would be waiting for Carlos, and his lips set in grim determination for what would happen next.
Even with their hands loose, they were outnumbered, and it would take a small miracle to survive. At least he’d go down fighting, much better than what Carlos had planned.
The cargo door opened, and Carlos and his men hurried toward the opening. It was full dark outside, but overhead lights from the hangar showed a truck and two cars, along with five men. At least, in the dark, he hoped no one would see that his hands weren’t bound.
Carlos glanced at Ramos and Sloan with a satisfied sneer on his face. “Get them up,” he commanded one of his men.
As the guard pulled Ramos to his feet, Ramos kept a tight hold on the rope to keep his hands together. He staggered a bit after sitting for so long, and pain raced
through his side, but he held back a groan. After the guard got Sloan to her feet, he took hold of their upper arms and led them out of the plane.
“Take them into the hangar while we unload,” Carlos said. “And don’t let them out of your sight.”
Inside the hangar, the guard motioned for them to sit on the ground in full view of the unloading process. He then stood beside them, watching the men unload the crates. Ramos kept a furtive eye on the guard, relieved to find that his attention rested on the crates, and he hardly spared them a second glance.
Ramos hoped he stayed distracted long enough to make his move, but he had to wait for the right moment. It took close to twenty minutes for the men to load up the truck. Once it was full, the men secured the door and climbed inside the cab. Several men got in one car, leaving the other one for Carlos and the man standing guard.
As the driver started the truck, Carlos glanced in their direction. The man guarding them walked the distance to Carlos’s side, and Ramos knew this was his only chance to put his plan into action. Moving fast, he reached to his foot and twisted off the heel of his boot. A small remote fell into his hand.
He replaced the heel and glanced at Sloan, then tapped in the sequence of numbers and pushed the button, hoping that it worked how his friend had promised.
All at once, a huge explosion rocked the ground. The truck rose in the air and blew apart, setting off a chain reaction of fire that exploded the weapons, sending up a massive fireball into the black sky.
Bits and pieces of debris showered down on them and the surrounding area. Both cars blew up, and Ramos grabbed Sloan to pull her deeper into the hangar, hoping it would protect them.
More explosions rocked the ground while Ramos and Sloan held their arms over their heads. Ramos glanced toward the devastation and caught sight of Carlos staggering to his feet. One of his arms dangled loosely at his side, and blood covered the side of his face.
As he stepped toward the relative safety of the hangar, the plane burst into flames, shooting fire, debris, and billowing smoke into the air. The blast with its shredding fragments knocked Carlos to the ground, and he didn’t move again.