“Did they speed up?” he asked.
She looked at her phone. “No. Why?”
“I’ve got an SUV that looks very much like one of the Explorers coming up fast.”
Orlando angled herself to use the side mirror. “I see it.”
Quinn glanced at the rearview mirror. The SUV he’d spotted was now a hundred yards behind them, still closing.
“That’s got to be the lead vehicle,” Orlando said.
Quinn informed the others.
Just as he finished, Orlando said, “Here they come.”
The Explorer was close enough now for them to confirm that the men in front were two of those they’d seen getting out of the plane. For a couple seconds the vehicle looked as though it would ram into them, but when it was less than two car lengths back, it pulled into the next lane and shot past.
“What’s their other one doing?” Quinn asked.
Checking the tracking app again, Orlando said, “Still hanging back.”
“Scout mission,” he said, thinking the lead SUV must have been sent to scope out the exchange location.
“Makes sense to me.”
Forty-five seconds later, he spotted the Explorer again, this time pulled to the side of the road, its occupants climbing out. Quinn continued on without slowing. Though there was nothing but a few trees and bushes where the others had stopped, another three hundred yards down on the west side of the road was a sprawling service station called Karl’s K-4. Three cars were at the pumps and several others were parked next to the main building. One of the doors to the large garage at the back of the property was open, revealing a truck inside with its hood up. Just to the south was a busy café. At least a dozen cars sat in its lot, and most of the tables visible through the windows were full.
There were basically two types of hostage exchange. The first involved two parties unworried that the other would try to take advantage of the situation. These were often held in quiet, out-of-the-way spots: a dark bar, a remote cabin, a deserted building. In the second kind, at least one of the parties would have serious doubts about the other’s true intent, and insist the meeting occur at a location where civilians could get hurt if things turned ugly — the assumption being that neither group would risk that.
Someplace like Karl’s K-4.
Less than a quarter mile past the station, Quinn turned onto a dirt road, pulled a U, and parked on the shoulder in front of the stop sign.
“The other Explorer’s getting close to where their friends stopped,” Orlando said, and then studied her screen for a moment. “They’re stopping, too.”
Quinn tapped his comm. “Nate, pull over.”
“Copy.”
Quinn checked his watch. It was eleven minutes until nine a.m. If Karl’s K-4 wasn’t the handoff location, then The Wolf and her people were going to be late.
“Nate, do you think you can close in some without being seen?” Quinn asked.
“Definitely.”
“Do it.”
“Copy.”
Quinn looked at Orlando as he grabbed his door handle. “Keep me posted on any movements.”
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Where do you think?”
When he walked around the car a moment later, she glared at him through her closed window.
“Roll it down,” he said. The glass remained where it was. “You want to hike to the gas station with me? If you can keep up, be my guest.”
After a couple seconds, the window descended.
“I promise, after the baby, you can come with me every time.”
He leaned through the window and kissed her.
“Try not to get shot,” she said.
“My number one rule.”
He’d apparently forgotten to turn off his mic, because Nate said, “See, I told you. You’ve got like a hundred number-one rules.”
Orlando watched Quinn run south along the shoulder of the highway. When she was sure he wouldn’t turn around, she gave in to the pain of yet another false contraction. It was the second one she’d had that morning.
After it passed, she exited the car and moved around to the driver’s seat.
“How about we have a nice, relaxing day,” she said, rubbing her belly. “Mommy’s got a little work to do.”
Orbits was certain The Wolf would have a manpower advantage, so he had to even the odds somehow. That meant stationing Parnell among the trees at the southwest corner of the lot where he could keep an eye on the road. Stafford and the girl were in the car, a mile north on the highway, waiting to be called in. Orbits was sitting at a window table in the café.
He checked his watch—8:56. Almost.
“Freshen up that coffee?” his waitress asked.
“Yes, please.”
As she poured, she said, “Your omelet should be up in just a few minutes.”
“Thank you.” He had known when he ordered that there would be no time to eat. It was simply the rental price of the table.
As she walked away, he looked back out the window.
“Come on, come on, come on,” he whispered. “Let’s get this over with.”
Nate stopped the car the moment he caught sight of the two Explorers. Using his binoculars, he watched three of The Wolf’s men cross the road and disappear into the field on the other side.
He radioed it in to Quinn.
“Can you follow unseen?” Quinn asked.
Nate studied the terrain. Running parallel to the highway on the other side was a brush-filled gully with trees lining the opposite bank.
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Nate said.
“Do it.”
Nate and Daeng retrieved their backpacks from the trunk.
As Nate was donning his, Ananke said, “Be a dear,” and held out her weapon.
He slipped her SIG into his pack.
“Thanks, sweetie.” She eyed both men as they finished getting ready. “Maybe after all of this is done, the three of us could go out and celebrate. We could have a lot of fun.”
Putting on his most innocent voice, Nate said, “Great idea! We should include Quinn and Orlando.”
She frowned. “Party killer.”
The Wolf sat patiently in the backseat of the Explorer, Bianca beside her.
It would have been nice if Ricky Orbits had chosen a more cosmopolitan location. She much preferred cityscapes to open countryside like this. She figured he’d chosen it because he was familiar with the area, but no matter how well he knew it, it wasn’t going to do him any good. She would have Danielle Hayes soon, and despite what Orbits might think, it would cost The Wolf nothing.
“Yeah, I’m here,” her driver said into his ear-mounted radio. “Okay…got it.” He twisted around and looked at The Wolf. “Point team reports visual confirmation of Orbits inside the café next door to the meeting point. There’s also someone hiding in some trees nearby they presume is with him. The rest of the area appears clear.”
“No sign of the girl?”
“No, ma’am.”
She checked her watch—8:57. “Have them move into position to deal with the watcher, but not to engage until the meeting begins. Once you’ve done that, you can take us in.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Quinn paused amongst the trees at the north end of the gas station. He glanced at his watch. Two minutes until the meeting.
Needing to get closer, he sneaked to the back corner of the lot and scooted behind the long, rectangular garage.
“The SUV’s on the move,” Orlando reported.
“Nate, status,” Quinn said as he continued down the back of the building.
No answer.
“Nate, status.”
A mic click. Nate was there but couldn’t talk.