But Cal had a sinking feeling in his gut. The text about his meeting with the boss had come too close to Drina’s kidnapping to be a coincidence. It felt more like a step-by-step process...like they were leading Cal to something.
All day long his mind went over scenarios and possibilities—some path, any avenue he could take to salvage his undercover identity and still save the girl because there was no doubt in his mind she was in that shack. Once he drove over that hill, both their lives would be in deadly danger.
* * *
Whir. Whir. Whir.
The soft spinning sound matched the throbbing in Drina’s cheek. She opened her eyes bit by bit, hoping to pinpoint the source of the noise. Instead, everything began to spin so badly, she thought she might throw up. She gagged and, for the first time, felt the tape across her mouth.
Panic surged through her. She tried to reach for the tape but her hands were tied at her back. The sharp plastic edge of a zip tie cut into her wrists.
Panic swept over her and her gag reflex kicked in again.
Calm down, Drina! Close your eyes. Breathe slow and deep.
Inhaling through her nose eased the roiling in her stomach. Slowly but surely, she calmed her breathing. Awareness returned. She lay on the ground, on her side. Dirty grit bit into her cheek. The soft whirring remained in the background—steady, consistent, like the beat of a drum or...a wind turbine.
Giant wind turbines dotted the hills surrounding the mountain passes into the valley. Those turbines turned the ever-present gusts coming through the passes into energy. Drina had taken a tour of one of the wind farms on her first trip out west. Now she recognized the sound of the massive blades swooping through the air.
She braced herself, then opened her eyes bit by bit. Vertigo didn’t overwhelm her this time but it took a moment to focus. She lay facing a door. Sunlight streamed in beneath it. She wasn’t on the ground after all, but on a rough-textured slab of cement. Wind gusted and the metal walls and roof rattled. Shovels and picks hanging along the wall began a precarious shimmy that threatened to send them tumbling to the floor.
She had to be in one of the small service shacks beneath the turbine fields. She wasn’t sure where, but she knew the base had no tall turbines that would interfere with air traffic. The base and any kind of military police or help was far, far away.
What time was it? How long had she been unconscious? Where were the men who’d kidnapped her?
My backpack. Where’s my backpack?
She rolled over, her gaze scouring the shed. Her backpack and computer were nowhere to be seen. She sagged against the floor. Those men, whoever they were, had all her information. Had they fled and left her here? How long would it be before someone found her stranded in this little-used shed? Or, worse yet, would her captors return?
A thousand questions marched through Drina’s mind...all soundless...all unanswered. She lay for what seemed like hours until the steady pounding in the side of her head faded and she drifted back to sleep.
She woke to the sound of a car. Instantly, Drina tensed. Could it be the service people...or had her captors returned?
Her gaze darted to the door. The sunlight beneath was dimmer; it was later in the day.
The car stopped. Doors opened. Gravel crunched as someone stepped out.
“He’s late.”
Drina didn’t recognize the voice, but it sent a shiver up her spine. Deep, hard...and cold as arctic ice.
“What do you expect?” Another voice. “With the girl missing, the base is on high alert. They’ve had him on the spot all day.”
The man they were waiting for was someone who worked at the base? Could he be the leak Norwood had talked about?
“All I can say is, it’s about time he earned his pay.” The first man spoke again, his voice tinged with disgust. “Frankly, I don’t think he’s worth the money the boss pays him.”
“Not our business, Whitson. Besides, the inside info he’s passed on has helped.”
Drina caught her breath. The man they waited for was the informant.
“It better help. I’m getting itchy and when I’m itchy, trouble’s on the way. I want to get out of here before it hits.”
“Relax. The boss knows what he’s doing.”
“I’m not so sure. Not this time. I’m telling you, Carter, kidnapping that girl was a mistake.”
“You won’t say that after the boss sells that weapon of hers. It’s gonna give you a nice tidy fortune.”
These men were black market munitions sellers. They’d offer her plans to the highest bidder. Sagging against the gritty floor, she trembled. Everything she feared was coming to pass and she could do nothing to stop it.
“There’s his car.”
Drina listened, every muscle in her body tense. Another car engine came closer and stopped. A door opened, setting off a loud beep, clearly audible inside the shed. Given its persistence, the driver must have left the door open and the keys in the ignition.
“About time you got here. The helicopter is on its way.” Whitson spoke first. Drina barely heard his growled words over the insistent chirp of the alarm.
“It can’t land here with all these wind turbines.” The annoying alarm made it hard to hear, but she knew that voice from somewhere...
“Our rendezvous point is just over the hill in an open space.” Carter sounded calm.
“Yeah, and you almost missed it.” Whitson butted in. He seemed determined to take his frustration out on the newcomer.
“What did you expect? You left me with a mess. I had eyes and ears all around me.”
Eyes and ears. The words and the voice coalesced. Drina knew where she’d heard both, and her blood turned cold.
Cal Norwood, head of program security. The man she was supposed to trust had betrayed her.
Panic assaulted her senses. Her breath came in rapid gulps. Nausea rose again. But Norwood’s next words stopped the rising fear like a brick wall.
“What happened to the girl?”
“She’s in the shed.”
“Here? You brought her here? What were you thinking?”
Even Drina could hear the threat in his tone.
“Relax, Norwood. The boss ordered it. Did you bring the money?”
“Yeah, but I don’t like it. Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money just to be carrying around.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get it back. And then some. Hand it over.”
Their actions came to Drina like muddled rustlings. She had no idea what was going on. Until Norwood spoke again.
“That’s the girl’s backpack.”
“Yep. We’re going to put the money in her bag and leave it behind.”
A long pause followed. “You want to make it look like she sold us the plans.”
“Finally, the bright boy catches on.” Drina was beginning to hate Whitson’s nasty attitude.
“We need suspicion thrown off you.” Carter’s tone acted like a balm on the tension between Norwood and Whitson. “We’ll leave your car here, door open, keys in. Eventually the gas will run out and it’ll look like you stumbled onto our exchange, caught us in the act and the girl got hurt in the resulting conflict.”
“You mean killed.”