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Nathan pushed his thoughts aside. For the moment, he needed to focus on getting off this mountain safely. Although the undergrowth wasn’t as thick on north-facing slopes, he maintained a slow, deliberate pace. It was easier to miss footholds going downhill. Most of the exposed rock was covered with moss and quite slippery.

As it happened, it wasn’t the footing that stopped them.

Without warning, the forest erupted all around.

CHAPTER 14

A loud growl followed by a snarling yelp came from directly over Nathan’s head.

What the hell!

“Harv, get down!” He instinctively dropped into the ferns and brought his Sig up.

He toggled the laser and aimed into the tree directly above him but saw nothing in the green image of his goggles.

A single voice became two, then tripled, and tripled again. Within five seconds, the entire area echoed with obnoxious grunting and barking. It sounded like a pack of rabid Rottweilers right on top of him.

His mind took a second or two to process the sounds.

Nathan looked upslope and saw Harv put Estefan on hold.

Harv’s voice came through his ear speaker. “Howler monkeys. An entire family unit.”

“So much for our stealth.”

Nathan remained motionless, still recovering from the shock. The monkeys’ din sounded like something out of a demented haunted house filled with screaming psychopaths. It gradually ebbed, then stopped altogether. The ensuing silence lasted a few seconds before the insects, birds, and frogs started up again. Nathan shook his head in awe at the exotic environment. He wished this place didn’t hold such bitter memories.

At a small stream at the bottom of the mountain, Nathan took a knee and motioned for Harv and Estefan to advance.

Keeping his voice low, Estefan said, “Those howlers are crazy. I’ve heard them a lot, but it still freaks me out.”

Nathan acknowledged and asked Estefan to take point for the final leg. As Estefan led them, Nathan watched his former student closely but didn’t see anything alarming about his technique. The man hadn’t lost his edge. He seemed acutely aware of his surroundings while being careful where to step. He was also cautious to avoid letting the undergrowth snap back after pulling it aside. If Estefan had traversed along this stream on his way up to alpha, Nathan saw no signs of it.

After a hundred yards or so, Estefan issued a form-up signal. Harv and Nathan joined him.

“My pickup is just ahead. I drove up this stream. It’s around the next bend. I cut some branches to conceal it. There’s no place to turn around, so I’ll have to back out to the road. It’s a little tricky in one place where the rocks are bigger, but I shouldn’t have a problem. It’s a four-wheel drive.”

“We’ll stay on your six. When Harv and I reach your truck, we’ll keep going and scout the road. We’ll climb in down there.”

Estefan smiled. “I’m glad I bought a crew cab.”

“Yeah, me too,” Nathan said. “Stay dark and use the NVGs to drive.”

“The brake and reverse lights will come on. There’s no way to prevent it unless we break the bulbs.”

“I think we’ll be okay. After you reach your truck, give us a few minutes before you start backing out. Harv, give Estefan one of our spare radios. It’s preset to our frequency, but it’s not wired for stealth. We’ll do that later. I’ll give you a heads-up if I want you to stop for any reason.”

“Just like old times,” Estefan said.

Nathan and Harv reached the concealed truck and kept going. Well screened behind the cut branches, the vehicle appeared to be a fairly recent-model Ford. They couldn’t see its color with the NV, but it wasn’t overly bright. A minute or so later, they heard Estefan toss the cut branches aside and open the truck’s door. Nathan glanced back to make sure Estefan had disabled the cab’s dome lights — he had.

If all went well, they’d be on their way toward Managua in a few minutes. Nathan wished he could thank the marines again, but Lyle and his men would remain concealed. One thing was certain — they couldn’t have missed the howler monkeys. Hell, anyone within a half-mile radius had heard them.

The stream followed a sweeping left turn, and they lost sight of the truck.

“Should we leave our face paint on?” Harv asked.

“At least until the sun comes up.”

“What do you think about Estefan’s situation?”

“We’ll help him, but we can’t get too involved. We’ll be unsupported from this point, and I don’t want to kill anyone just to avoid being taken into custody. That wouldn’t sit right with me. If we help Estefan, we’ll have to trust him with our lives — there’s no way around it.”

“I think he’s already proven himself.”

Nathan didn’t respond. He hadn’t realized until he’d said it aloud how much they’d be depending on Estefan from here on. If things spiraled out of control, they could always bolt and work their way north into Honduras, but that could take weeks. A helicopter ride from the US Navy would be infinitely preferable.

“I trust Estefan,” Nathan said. “I don’t think he’s hiding anything from us, and I don’t think he’s been dishonest.”

“Me either. Here’s our road.”

Their Nicaraguan “highway” was a single-lane dirt track that looked as primitive as any they’d ever seen. In some places, it might be possible for two vehicles to pass each other — barely. They weren’t getting any sleep in Estefan’s crew cab. Its potholed surface was going to rattle their fillings. A ten-foot-wide swath filled with rocks channeled the stream across the road. Two sets of muddy tire tracks trailed away from the stream toward Managua. Nathan turned his NV to maximum gain and looked in both directions. He hadn’t expected to see any headlight glow and didn’t.

They looked toward the sound when Estefan started his truck; it had the unmistakable drone of a diesel engine.

“NV off,” Nathan said. They needed to protect the phosphorescent screens inside their devices.

Half a minute later, the bright glare from the pickup’s reverse lights reflected off the water as it came into view. After their friend maneuvered onto the road, Harv climbed in next to Estefan and Nathan slid into the back, taking the middle position of the bench seat from which he could see the road ahead. Nathan turned his NV back on, and just like that, they were leaving the area.

“Leave your headlights off. NV only until the sun comes up,” Nathan said. “It’s tempting to use the AC, but let’s leave the windows down.”

“These goggles are awesome,” Estefan said. “Can I keep them?”

“They’re yours.”

The truck jolted, and Nathan’s head nearly hit the cab’s roof. He hoped the road improved soon. Enduring several hours of this would grate on his nerves. In another hour or so, morning twilight would be in full effect. Although Nathan had a modest tan, his skin was significantly lighter than the locals. He’d use the brown paint stick to darken his complexion. He could also slump down in the seat to conceal his size. The tinted rear windows helped. Harv wouldn’t need face paint — the Latino half of his genes was dominant. Nathan wasn’t overly concerned. As long as they didn’t have any close contact with law enforcement during their drive south, they’d be okay.

“What do you know about the Central American summit next week?” he asked Estefan.