Page 9 of The Hijack

“Don’t leave us!” I shouted, though I knew that was exactly what they were planning.

“This might work to our advantage,” Linc surmised, leaning against the back wall to test its strength.

The wind whipped through the clearing, shaking the bars and rattling the corrugated ceiling. I inhaled sharply, torn between wanting a chance to escape and not trusting my skills against the wrath of Mother Nature.

The gunmen lit out. They packed up their conversation and took off, going deeper into the jungle where there might have been a sturdier structure or somewhere safe to ride out the storm. That took care of one obstacle, but the cage still remained. Somehow, Linc and I had to break free before the typhoon lifted us up and smashed us against the rocks.

“Help me!” Linc said, ramming the back wall with his shoulder.

“No,” I said, waving him over. “The roof.”

As we watched, a corner of the roof peeled up. It clapped back hard as rain pelted it sideways. Another few minutes, and we wouldn’t even have to pry it loose ourselves. The storm would take care of that, leaving the cage open to the elements.

Linc followed my directions. We were getting soaked, the water every bit as frigid as an ocean tide. I stood on his clasped hands and then on his shoulders, putting all my strength into the effort. At the next massive gust of wind, I shoved up and allowed the force of nature to do the rest. It ripped the roof clear off, tossing it away into the jungle like a candy wrapper on a blustery day.

I pitched forward, unable to maintain my balance. Linc caught me in both arms, scooping me out of the air before I impaled myself on one of the bars. He wobbled a bit, the gusts just as strong on the ground as they were ten feet in the air.

I clung to him for dear life, pressing my eyes shut as I expected the worst. Fighting men and women was one thing, but fighting the planet was something else entirely. No matter how bad-assed I might be, I was no match for the sheer power of the wind.

“What now?!” Linc shouted. We were close enough to kiss, but the storm was deafening. Each tiny droplet of rain felt like a pin prick, and the barrage of them was like being eaten alive by frozen wasps.

“Up and over!” I shouted back.

We gazed up in tandem and didn’t like the looks of it at all. The bars extended just a few feet above our heads. They were sturdy enough at the moment, but there was no telling how they would stand up to the next surge. I could easily picture myself coming down on top of them, spilling my guts before I ever reached the other side. But what choice did we have?

I took hold of the bars and climbed up. I didn’t need Linc at that point, since it was all upper body strength, and I had that in spades. I closed my eyes, promising myself that I would stop at nothing to find Theo. For his sake, I had to survive. There was no other option.

Holding my heart in my hand, I vaulted over the top, feeling relief as I watched the bars sail harmlessly out of the way. Then I landed on the other side, free as a bird in the middle of a hurricane.

I nearly dashed away, forgetting Linc and our minor friendship brought on by a shared living space. I got halfway across the clearing, fighting through the sting of the rain and the violent tug of the wind. But something inside told me to stop.

Linc was sweet, but he was inexperienced. He would never survive out in the open by himself. I couldn’t leave him behind to be crushed beneath the cage if it toppled or if the typhoon picked it up and tossed it aside.

I could barely see. The world was dark with the shaking of trees and the inky clouds in the sky. Everything bent to the right, as if all of nature was engaged in a violent dance. I put my arms up to shield my face and pushed backward, fighting the current.

A moment later, Linc dropped down beside me. He’d managed to free himself, even though I thought he couldn’t do it. He touched me on the shoulder, pointing me back toward the beach.

“This way!” he shouted.

“No!” I countered. “We have to find shelter!”

“Fuck shelter!” he screamed. “They’re coming back when this is all over!”

He was right. Though the storm was battering us like a jealous lover, we had no choice but to run straight into the eye. We had to bully our way through it until we were far enough away from our captors that they couldn’t pick up our trail.

I set my jaw, determined to see it through. Together, Linc and I plunged into the jungle, racing toward what we thought was the beach head and the toy boats that might be lashed to the dock.

Chapter 5

Theo

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I WAS FINALLY WARM and rested, though I felt guilty about the simple comforts knowing that Clark was still out there. Lukas picked me up on the side of the road just like he’d promised. He drove me down the mountain to the first available runway. Waiting for us on the tarmac was a charter plane.

We climbed inside without speaking, and Lukas instructed the pilot to take off. I set aside my suspicions, trusting that Lukas had been a friend of Clark long before I knew her. That bought him a certain amount of respect on my end, so I followed his lead without complaint.

I saw the plane turn west and head out over Great Britain. I hoped we weren’t going to land at Heathrow. I couldn’t be sure how deep Regg’s influence ran and whether there was anyone I could really trust at MI6. Surely by now, they had confiscated my apartment and my boat. Everything they knew about Theo Wells would be up for grabs until they could recapture me.