Rocks, dirt, and shredded plant life erupted as the overturned trailer plowed into the earth and came to a violent stop.
Estefan threw the pickup into four-wheel drive and backed onto the road.
Nathan knew he intended to flee the scene.
“No!” Nathan said. “We aren’t leaving until we know the driver’s okay.”
“He’s okay,” Estefan said and hit the gas.
“Harv!” Nathan yelled. “Make him stop!”
Harv reached over and grabbed the steering wheel. “Estefan, you either stop right now or we’re done.”
“Okay, damn it! Okay.”
Harv kept iron in his voice. “Now pull over onto the shoulder — safely.”
Nathan scanned the road in both directions but didn’t see any other vehicles. Because of the curvy terrain, there was no way to see more than fifty yards in either direction. A car could come up on them at any moment. Their only warning would be the headlight glow.
“Harv, go see if he’s okay. Double-time.”
“I’ll do it,” Estefan said with resignation. “We don’t want the driver to see either of you guys.”
Even though Estefan sounded calm, Nathan said, “We’re a little short on confidence right now.”
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
“No BS, Estefan. We want the truth. Hang on a sec.” Nathan fished a bundle of cash from his backpack. “Tell him you’re sorry and give him the money. Stay on this side of his windshield and make voice contact only. Don’t let him see you. Get going. Turn on your flashers first.”
Nathan watched Estefan jump out and follow the fan-shaped swath of destruction. Even in the bleed light from Estefan’s headlights, Nathan noticed the truck’s exposed underbelly was caked reddish brown with road scum.
Nathan heard Estefan’s voice as he yelled to the driver, asking if he was injured. He didn’t hear a response. Estefan repeated his question.
“Nate, are we scrubbing?”
“I don’t know yet. Let’s see how Estefan recovers. He just learned his wife was bludgeoned and might need surgery. How would we feel?”
“The same way.”
“We’ll cut him some slack, but it’s not open ended. I just hope the driver’s okay. If his window was open, he might have a crushed arm, or worse.”
“I smell diesel, but I don’t think the rig’s going up. At least I hope not.”
“We aren’t leaving a seriously wounded man here. If we have to take him to a hospital, we’ll scrub the mission and head back to alpha.”
“Agreed. If the guy’s a wildcatter and doesn’t have insurance, we just bankrupted him.”
“There’s nothing we can do about that. Hop out and take a quick look at our tires. I’m too tall. If anyone drives by, they’ll remember my size.”
Harv was back five seconds later. “We’re good, but he’s got a ruined paint job from clipping the fence.”
Nathan was tempted to say Estefan deserved it. He watched his friend toss the bundles of cash in front of the rig’s windshield and hustle back to the pickup.
“He’s really pissed off, but he’s okay.”
Nathan waited.
“I swear! He told me he wasn’t hurt.”
“Okay, punch it. We don’t want him to get your license plate when we drive past.”
They drove in silence for a few seconds.
“Estefan, this will be difficult for you to accept, but we can’t go back into Managua.”
“What? Why the hell not?”
Nathan kept his voice even. “Whoever attacked your wife probably intended to kill you. We have no idea how many people were involved. If it was Raven, he might not have been alone. Even if all three of us had been there, there’s no guarantee we could have changed the outcome. We might all be dead. We also have to consider that your house and your office are now under surveillance by Raven.”
“So what do we do? Nothing?”
“The endgame is Raven, and we need to fight him on our terms. We need to slow down and think things through. I’m really sorry about everything that’s happened to you. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now.”
“I’d like to personally thank Raven for turning my world to shit… before I beat him to death with a tire iron.”
“All right, all right. Now listen, you aren’t going to accomplish that in Managua — for a lot of reasons. We need to set up an ambush and force him to come to us.”
“And how do you propose we do that?”
“By sticking to our plan. We can’t fight him in an urban environment. Your sister-in-law is with your wife. As brutal as this sounds, there’s nothing you can do besides sit at her bedside and hold her hand. Under different circumstances, a car wreck or other injury, sitting at your wife’s bedside wouldn’t be an issue, but our circumstances are anything but normal. Metaphorically, we’re in the middle of a battle. We can’t abandon our positions and go home. If we don’t nail Raven, your family will never be safe again.”
“So hurting my wife and torching my house down is just a statement that he owns the situation and can fuck with me anytime he wants?”
“Essentially, yes. But we won’t play by his rules. We have to do the unexpected. Right now, he expects you to visit your wife in the hospital. You’d be out in the open, an easy target. He could nail you from hundreds of places. Up close or from a distance. Take your pick. Now let’s turn around, head into Santavilla, and stick with the plan. Your wife’s in the best hands possible.”
“Has Nate always been like this, Harv? Calmly assertive?”
“Yeah, pretty much. I’ve learned to adapt.”
“Shit,” Estefan said. “All right. I hear you. So let’s do the world a favor and blow this asshole away.”
“Now that’s the Viper I remember.”
CHAPTER 19
They arrived on the outskirts of Santavilla at 2315 hours.
“Slow down to a crawl but don’t stop,” Nathan told Estefan. “We want to minimize your vehicle’s signature. Your father wrote that he could hear vehicles entering the valley, especially at night.”
After Estefan complied, Nathan continued, “Let’s go over the plan one more time. After you drop us off, find a place to park no more than a hundred yards beyond the bridge. Follow the river like we talked about. You can use the tree line and undergrowth along its bank for cover. Give us a ten-minute head start before you head over to Mateo’s. We’ll be sure to pick a location where we can see Mateo’s house and your approach from the river, and we’ll radio you when we’re in position. Now Mateo should be expecting you, but that could be a good or bad thing. We don’t know this guy from Adam. Just because your father liked him doesn’t mean he’s not an informer for Macanas. Let us know if you see anyone, or if anyone sees you, on your way to meet him. Use your NV. If we lose radio communication for any reason, we’ll meet near the south end of the bridge in exactly one hour. If things go completely to hell and we all get separated, we’ll meet a half mile south of the bridge at the stream crossing.
“No problem,” Estefan said.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m still pissed, but I’m okay.”
“Well, just be sure to keep your head in the game. Remember, we don’t know Mateo. We don’t know anyone here. Never let your guard down, not even for a few seconds. Stay sharp.”
“You can count on it.”
“I want regular updates no more than ten minutes apart. We showed you where the radio’s emergency transmitter button is. If you activate it, stay put. We’ll come and find you.”
“Let’s hope I won’t need it,” Estefan said.
“Unless something requires a verbal response, we’ll give each other acknowledgment clicks only. When you get close to Mateo’s house, remove your NV and radio and secure them in your backpack. We want him to think you’re alone. Keep your radio turned on, but pull the earpiece and microphone wires. We’ll transmit only if there’s any kind of trouble. The radio’s speaker will be active without the earpiece connected, so turn its volume down to a whisper. Once you leave Mateo’s place, your dad’s office is next. Leave your NV and radio in your pack until you reach the church. Leave the lights off and use your NV to take a look around inside. Then, from the church, hike south along the trail until you reach the dam and rewire your radio inside the cover of the trees. Head up to your dad’s house and conduct a quick search. We won’t initiate contact, so make sure you make your update calls. We won’t be able to see you once you’re south of the pond.”