Chapter 6 - The Pilot’s Secret
Álvaro aimed his weapon at Álex.
“Hands where I can see them.”
Álex didn’t move.
Marcos looked devastated.
“Tell me that recording is fake.”
“It isn’t.”
Lucía stared at him.
Álex slowly raised his hands.
“I was in the room.”
“You knew?” Marcos asked.
“Yes.”
“You knew they planned to bring the helicopter down?”
“No.”
Lucía’s voice sharpened.
“The recording says otherwise.”
“Keep playing it.”
Marcos looked at her.
Lucía pressed the button.
Serrano’s voice returned.
“Moreno will prepare the aircraft.”
Álex’s recorded voice answered.
“I won’t sabotage a helicopter with five people inside.”
Serrano laughed.
“You misunderstand your position.”
“I said no.”
Then Iván.
“Leave him out of it. I’ll arrange the failure.”
The recording ended.
Álex lowered his hands slightly.
“I knew Serrano wanted you stopped. I didn’t know Iván had actually done something to the aircraft.”
Lucía studied him.
“Why didn’t you warn me?”
Álex looked ashamed.
“Because Serrano threatened my wife.”
Nobody spoke.
“My wife and daughter live near Zaragoza. He sent me photographs of them leaving school and work.”
Marcos lowered his gun.
“That’s why you stayed quiet?”
“I told myself I could get everyone through the mission and deal with it later.”
Lucía’s expression softened only slightly.
“People always think silence buys time.”
Álex nodded.
“I know.”
A bullet slammed through the shelter window.
Everyone dropped.
A second shot hit the stone wall.
“They found us!”
Lucía pointed toward the rear.
“There’s a drainage tunnel.”
They crawled through a narrow opening behind the shelter.
Gunfire hammered the front wall.
Marcos helped Lucía down into the tunnel.
Iván followed last.
For several minutes, they moved through darkness.
Then Lucía stopped.
“What?”
“Listen.”
Footsteps.
Ahead of them.
Someone else was already inside the tunnel.
Álvaro whispered, “How many exits?”
“Two.”
“Then they came through the other side.”
Marcos switched off his light.
Darkness became complete.
A voice echoed from ahead.
“Navarro.”
Lucía froze.
The voice continued.
“General Serrano wants his property back.”
Marcos raised his weapon.
Lucía whispered, “That’s Captain Méndez.”
Iván looked startled.
“He was supposed to be fifty miles away.”
Lucía answered quietly.
“Then Serrano really is cleaning house.”
A flashlight appeared ahead.
Marcos aimed.
But before he could fire, Iván grabbed his wrist.
“Don’t.”
Marcos glared at him.
Iván whispered, “If Méndez is here, he didn’t come alone.”
May you like
Then, behind them, another flashlight appeared.
They were trapped from both directions.
