Ah, dammit. No! There were good people out there. Please God, say they’re alive and safe.
She turned around so she could join in on the conversation. She came in when Leland Hines was talking.
“Bradshaw was positive that neither Maduro nor Guaido would come after us like this,” Leland’s lip curled.
“Well, he was dead wrong, wasn’t he?” Carlson said with disgust. “It was the secret police all right. Hell, they were wearing their uniforms. The bastards.”
“What? What is he saying?” Schlessinger demanded in French. Eden could care less; she was busy translating Carlson’s Spanish into German for Heinrich Becker. But she held up her hand, holding her fingers close together indicating she’d tell him shortly.
“How bad is Señora Azua?” Becker asked in German. “This is her bank, she told us to come here, we need her leadership.” Eden knew not to repeat the question in Spanish since Hector was still hanging around.
“It’s a flesh wound. I think the bleeding has stopped, but she’s hard to understand, and she needs rest. But trust me, she has all of her faculties, and we don’t need that self-important bank manager trying to take charge.”
Becker gave a sharp nod of agreement. “Speak for her. You know what she would say. You’ve been translating for all of us for weeks now. You have common sense. When it comes to the schematics of the bank, we’ll figure it out.”
“Eden?” Maurice Schlessinger grabbed at her arm, pitching her sideways.
“Stop! Release her at once.” Becker commanded in French. It was the first time Eden had heard him speak French. He’d been holding out. She couldn’t blame him—who in the hell really wanted to talk to Maurice if they didn’t have to?
In halting Spanish, Heinrich Becker addressed the rest of the people in the circle. “Leland, you and Carlson go with Hector and find out where we can set up in the bank.”
Carlson and Leland flanked Hector and marched him toward the entrance. Both men were peppering him with questions about the number of guards and clerical employees currently on-site.
Becker continued to ignore the pouting Schlessinger and motioned the other member of Nomad Security away from his SUV. Patel jogged over, leaving three other members of the banking contingent.
“Eden, translate.”
She nodded.
“Patel, I need for you to take control of all the bank guards. I want to know exactly how many there are, and I want all weapons accounted for.”
“They also have an armory on-site,” Eden explained to both men. “Come here, and I’ll let the Señora explain.” She led them back to where Suzanne was sitting in the SUV and found her sleeping.
Damn.
“Eden, you have first aid skills, right?”
She nodded. “I’m the one who applied the bandage.”
“Great, I want you to stick with the Señora.”
“What about Dr. Nilsson?” Patel asked.
“She’s a professor of economics.” Becker was impatient with the question. “Go find Hector.” After Patel left, he turned back to Eden. “I’m depending on you to get as much information as you can from Señora Azua. Got it?”
Eden nodded.
Chapter 4
The heavy gate opened up to a drive.
A drive that curved to a terra-cotta colored hacienda with sweeping arches covered with red and purple bougainvillea. A striking pregnant woman was waiting for them at the top of a grand staircase leading up to the front door.
Kane was the first one out of the back of the truck, followed by Max and Ezio. They had their weapons drawn. Asher saw them both reconnoiter the area and then Kane motioned for the rest of them to come out. While everybody evaluated Leo’s mobility, Ash lowered himself out of the truck instead of jumping. His head wouldn’t take the jarring.
Dammit, stop being a pussy!
“I heard that,” Cullen said as he sidled up next to him.
“Bullshit, I didn’t say anything,” Asher gave his friend a wan smile.
“You were beating yourself up and calling yourself names. If I had to guess, you just called yourself a pussy,” Cullen laughed at him.
It sucked having worked with the same people so damn long.
Raiden came up and handed him another mint. “I like Raiden better than you,” Asher grumbled as he popped the mint in his mouth and glared at Cullen. Raiden thrust the can at Asher with a head tilt.
“Thanks,” Asher said as he slid the tin of mints into his vest.
Kane jogged to the front of the truck to help Lenora Azua from the passenger seat. She was looking a damn sight better than how Asher was feeling. It had taken longer than they’d all wanted to get to her house because the streets were already beginning to fill up for the night’s festivities. They had all agreed that the confusion of Carnival could work to their advantage to get past the President’s secret police force and free the finance coalition from the Central Bank, then get them to the airport.
“Abuela,” the pregnant woman called out to the older lady. “We have news since we last talked.”
“Good or bad?” the old woman demanded to know.
“You need to stay calm,” the pregnant woman said soothingly. “The doctor has said stress isn’t good for you. He would have been angry if he’d known you were gallivanting all over the forest rescuing Americans.”
Rescuing?
“I’m not the one who should be resting, it’s you, Cynthia. Get inside. Where’s Rafa?” Lenora started up the steps, and Cynthia rushed down to meet her.
It was an accident waiting to happen as the old woman and the pregnant lady turned to make their way up the stairs. Cullen and Raiden followed closely in case they fell.
“Rafa is inside trying to talk to Mama.”
It took
