Slayers (Jake Hawkins Book 1) (19 page)

*

“
We have a slight problem,
”
Link said, grimacing.
“
Jake
’
s still a missing person. He
’
ll be arrested as soon as he steps foot inside an airport. And we can
’
t go unarmed. We need to get guns over there. I think it
’
s safe to say a commercial flight is out of the question.
”

“
This
…
is too much.
”
Crank collectively summed up how the entire team felt about the situation.

Suddenly, Sam
’
s eyes grew wide.
“
I know what to do, boys. Anyone remember Daniel McCloud?
”

Huge grins spread across each man
’
s face in turn.

“
Genius, brother, genius,
”
Crank said, clapping him across the back.

“
Who
’
s Daniel McCloud?
”
Jake said.

“
Dan
’
s an old buddy of ours,
”
Thorn said, smiling too.
“
Back from Delta Force days. Sam saved his life on an undercover mission in Somalia. Shot up a whole group of mercenaries that had taken him hostage. After that, Dan promised he owed Sam his life, and if we ever needed him, to just give him a call. Sometime after we left, Dan retired from active service and started a career in military intelligence. Now he
’
s high up in the Department of Defense, over in the USA. He
’
ll be able to pull some strings. Australia usually listens to their big brother.
”

Jake smiled too. Finally, something was going in their favour.

“
Everyone start gearing up right now,
”
Felix said.
“
I want survival gear and as many guns as we can carry downstairs in ten minutes. Sam, make the call. From now on, every second counts.
”

Jake rocked back in his seat. The atmosphere had shifted, and with it the invisible vice gripping his gut tightened. He was exhausted, still reeling from the hive.

Things were unravelling so fast that he barely had time to draw breath.

*

They dispersed through the house. Jake headed to his room and began stuffing clothes into a weatherproof hiking pack in the back of his closet, lying amongst cold weather gear and survival kits. It seemed Wolfe had been prepared for every scenario. He left behind the designer stuff, opting instead for lightweight clothes that would be most suited for the Amazon
’
s climate. As he packed, he mulled over what lay ahead.

There was a knock at the door.

“
Can I come in?
”

It was Felix. Jake waved him in with one hand, zipping his bag shut with the other. He had packed what he considered essentials. Unnecessary weight would simply be a burden.

“
Listen, I
’
m sorry for my outburst,
”
Felix said, sitting down on the bed.
“
Everyone in this house is equal, and you know that. Don
’
t let a tirade affect how you think we feel about you.
”

“
Don
’
t worry, I understand,
”
Jake said.
“
Emotions are high right now.
”

“
You do have a say in what we decide to do about Wolfe. More than you know
…”
He trailed off.

“
You
’
ve been in the Amazon Rainforest before,
”
Jake said.

“
That I have.
”

“
What
’
s it like?
”

“
Brutal. You
’
re not going to enjoy it. You
’
ll be sweating non-stop. We
’
ll be hiking long hours. It
’
s going to be uncomfortable. And that
’
s not even mentioning the whole slayer situation.
”

“
Sounds like hell.
”

Felix chuckled slyly.
“
It
’
s probably going to be worse than that.
”

The two Hummer H3
’
s shot down the freeway, side by side. The six of them had split up into two groups. Sam drove one of the brutish vehicles, with Felix in the passenger seat and Jake in the back. Crank, Thorn and Link occupied the other truck.

Sam had organised with Daniel McCloud to have a private plane on the runway of Melbourne Airport within the hour. Sam hadn
’
t told them how he had managed to arrange this so quickly, or who was flying them to Iquitos, but he had promised to explain along the way.

Felix was intrigued.

“
Fill me in, Sam,
”
he said, as Jake listened from the back seat.

“
Dan
’
s daughter is flying us. She
’
s right here in Melbourne. Visiting friends with her mother
–
Dan
’
s ex-wife. It
’
s our lucky day.
”

“
Using Dan
’
s Gulfstream?
”
Felix said.

“
You got it.
”

Jake raised his eyebrows. He knew what a Gulfstream was.
“
How does a Delta Force soldier manage to acquire a private jet?
”

“
An Arab prince gave him one,
”
Sam said.

“
No way.
”

“
I couldn't believe it myself,
”
Sam said.
“
Back in the old days he saved a wealthy sheikh from a kidnapping. The dude said he could have anything he wanted. In the movies, the heroes always turn down an offer of reward but Dan is, well, Dan. He was about to retire from active service and he wanted a jet. The sheikh bought him a Gulfstream V.
”

“
You guys would have been jealous.
”

“
We would have been,
”
Felix said.
“
Unfortunately we
’
d left the service by then. There were larger priorities than jealousy.
”

“
Well, thank god this worked out,
”
Jake said.
“
At least we can bypass airport security.
”

Sam chuckled.
“
We
’
d want to be able to.
”

The boot was packed to the roof with a complete arsenal of weaponry, loaded into compact Samsonite cases. There were six Snowdogs, one for each man, along with an array of grenades, pistols and machetes for hacking through the Amazonian undergrowth.

It was late, but Jake wasn
’
t tired. He watched the buildings flash by on either side with a newfound curiosity. If things went wrong in Peru, this might be the last time he ever saw Australia.

“
Are you sure we
’
re able to get away with this?
”
he said.
“
I mean, flying into another country with no questions whatsoever.
”

“
Dan pulled some strings,
”
Felix said matter-of-factly.

Jake remained unsure. Even though he had never been overseas himself, everything about the situation felt off. There had been little time over the past two months to stop and draw breath. He found himself doubting how well he knew the men around him. They were friendly, and compassionate, but there was a cold bluntness to their tone when things turned serious.

“
What did he do?
”
Jake asked.

“
That
’
s confidential, brother,
”
Sam said.
“
But when Dan says he
’
s going to do something, he does it. Besides, he owes me his life. He wouldn
’
t let us down.
”

“
The Department of Defense can usually get whatever the hell they want,
”
Felix said.

The Hummers pulled off the freeway into the airport turnoff. Sam led them past the usual departures drop off points, to a guarded route leading directly to the runways. A supervising officer glanced briefly at Sam.

Then he waved them through onto the tarmac.

“
Whoever Dan is,
”
Jake said,
“
he knows what he
’
s doing.
”

Sam planted his foot down and the Hummer picked up speed. They were heading for a cluster of private planes in the distance.

“
There
’
s our ride,
”
Felix said, pointing through the windshield to a sizeable private jet. It was standing alone on the runway. The boarding steps were in the process of descending. There was a girl standing in the entranceway.

“
Dan
’
s daughter,
”
Sam said upon seeing her.

Jake stared intently. She looked around his age.

“
She
’
s seventeen now,
”
Felix said.

“
Jesus. Time flies.
”

“
Are we sure about this?
”
Jake asked.
“
A seventeen year old flying a private jet?
”

Sam glanced back.
“
Dan said to trust her. He
’
s a selfless guy, but he wouldn
’
t sacrifice his own daughter for our sake. If he
’
s taking responsibility for putting her in the cockpit, then we
’
re going to be fine, brother.
”

Sam pulled the Hummer over by the stairs. The three of them got out.

“
Zoe!
”
Sam called out.

“
That
’
s me,
”
the girl said gently, extending a hand.

“
You don
’
t recognise me?
”
Sam said.

Zoe cocked her head.
“
No, sorry. Dad told me I had to fly a group of people to Iquitos, no questions.
”

“
You were too young when I last saw you,
”
Sam said.
“
Your dad and I go way back. Don
’
t be scared. We
’
re not here to hurt you.
”

“
I know.
”

Jake was taken aback. He hadn
’
t expected Zoe to be this attractive. Up close, he noted her long, auburn hair and piercing blue eyes. She was dressed casually in a long-sleeved shirt and tracksuit pants, but even through the loose-fitting clothing he could see her curves.

He couldn
’
t stop staring at her eyes. They were stunning.

She introduced herself to Felix, and then in turn to Jake. As they shook hands, he thought her gaze lingered on him just a fraction too long. Maybe she had recognised they were about the same age.

“
I
’
m Zoe,
”
she said with the hint of a smile.

“
Hi. Jake.
”

“
How old are you?
”
she asked.
“
You
’
re not as old as the rest of these guys, are you?
”

She beckoned over Jake
’
s shoulder. He turned to see the other three men piling out of the second Hummer.

“
No, I
’
m only sixteen.
”

“
Huh,
”
she said with nonchalance.
“
Well, load up the plane with, um, whatever you
’
re carrying. I
’
ll be
–
uh
–
I
’
ll be in the cockpit.
”

She gave a forced smile, then spun on her heel and began climbing the stairs. Jake couldn
’
t be sure, but he swore that her eyes gave him a quick cast-over before she turned. She disappeared into the cabin.

As soon as she was out of sight, Sam elbowed him lightly in the ribs.
“
She was checking you out.
”

“
Do you think?
”
Jake said. He hadn
’
t intended to be so forward.

“
Oh, don
’
t even consider it, my man. If Dan found out anything was going on, slayers would be the least of your concerns.
”

With that, Sam tossed a Samsonite case over his shoulder and headed off up the stairs, chuckling.