Crazy for Her(92)
With only a quick glance at where he pointed, she tapped a key on her computer. “Decourdeau. It’s where he asked to be, why?”
The man really was beyond spooky the way he seemed to sense the perfect spot. No wonder his teammates had nicknamed him The Seer. “Looks like Eli’s gone rogue. Question is, is that good or bad? Cancel the plane. We won’t be parachuting in. Get Buchanan back here to take command. I want this compound surrounded, and under no circumstances is Dani to be taken back inside. Tell him I’ll keep in touch.”
She handed him two fully charged satellite phones. He put one in his pants pocket, the other in a backpack along with several bottles of water and some protein bars.
“May God be with you, boss.”
Logan nodded, his mind already on finding Dani, and find her he would. There was no other option. He set off to search for Decourdeau. It took two hours. He’d had to evade men from the compound with the same goal as his. They wanted her back, but not nearly as much as he did. He’d kill every one of them if need be. No one but him was ever again putting his hands on her.
“Andre,” Logan hissed.
“Heard ya coming a mile away, mon ami. What took so long?”
Logan emerged from behind a pile of rocks. “Fuck you. Where is she?”
Decourdeau lifted his chin. Logan looked up at the mountain. She was up there, but where? And what was Eli up to? The sun was setting fast, but fortunately, the night was clear and the half-moon would give them some decent light. “Let’s rock while we still have some daylight.”
The heavy wheezing of men sounded behind them. Andre did his disappearing act, and Logan followed suit. Three men—hunting rifles slung over their shoulders—stopped and began arguing only feet away from where Logan had burrowed next to Andre under leaves and dead branches. Every minute their argument lasted was time away from finding Dani. If they didn’t settle it soon, Logan was going to do it for them.
“I ain’t gonna get ate by no mountain lion or get bit by a rattlesnake I can’t see in the dark. I say we go back down and hole up ’til morning.”
“Blessed Son said we’re not to come back without the lady.”
“Then you go tramping around in the dark, Joe, acting like mountain lion bait. We don’t even know if they came this way. As for me, I don’t care what Blessed Son says. ’Sides, he don’t gotta know. Come to think about it, if he wants the woman so bad, why ain’t he out here looking for her? What ’bout you, Richard, you gonna go with him?”
Logan narrowed his eyes at Richard. Make up your mind, man. Decourdeau nudged him, and Logan gave a slight shake of his head, holding up three fingers. He’d give the assholes three minutes before he and Andre settled the discussion for them.
“Yeah, I’m with Joe,” Richard finally said, although Logan thought he sounded reluctant.
Too bad. It would’ve been better if the three had called off the search until morning. Now, with the two idiots stumbling around in the dark, he and Decourdeau would have to do something about it. At least one of them had eliminated himself from the game.
The unnamed man shrugged and turned to go.
“I’m going to have to report you to Blessed Son when I see him,” Joe said.
The man turned around. “Know what, Joe? I don’t rightly care ’cause I’m tired of this crazy place anyhow. I’m thinking I’m gonna walk myself down this mountain and just keep a’going. Wish I could say it’s been fun.”
Smart man. Logan listened to him blundering his way down, half-tripping over rocks and bushes, until the sound of his mutterings ceased.
“Ignorant heathen,” Joe said. “He was never a true believer anyway, so no loss.”
Richard remained quiet. Logan had the impression he envied the heathen and longed to join him. The clock was ticking. The remaining two had less than a minute before they got the surprise of their life. Next to him, Andre shifted like a cat gathering his leg muscles under him, getting ready to spring.
Joe and Richard received a reprieve when they walked off. “Damn, mon ami, why you be wanting to spoil all my fun?”
Logan chuckled. “You’ll get your fun. I’d just rather sneak up on them. Safer that way.” He sat up, pulled the satellite phone out of his pocket, and called Buchanan.
“There’s a man headed back down,” he said, and gave a description when Jake answered. “Claims he’s leaving the cult. Pull him in and if he’s serious, get him out of the area. Then send word to the teams to start rounding up any of these clowns they come across. They’re stumbling around here like a bunch of idiots. Find a place to keep them until we’re done.”