“Will he be alright?” Deb asked.
“Time will tell.”
They both sat in silence as their eyes were glued to the monitor. “His O2 saturation is climbing,” Deb said.
Aimee nodded. “It’s going to be a long night. If you don’t mind, I could use a cup of coffee.”
Deb rose from her chair. “I’ll be right back.”
“And I’ll let his family know they can see him,” Aimee said.
Downstairs, Deb joined the others in the kitchen. All eyes were on her. “I have no idea what the priestess did, but she saved Savio’s life.”
“Can I see him?” Becca asked.
“He’s still very weak and unconscious. As soon as he’s stable, I’ll bring you to him.”
Sin checked her watch. It was four-thirty a.m. “Troy, I need you to meet Danny at the hangar. I’ll be along in a few minutes. I just want to check our guests.”
Troy kissed her goodbye and left.
Sin looked over at Carmelita who was smiling ear-to-ear. Sin rolled her eyes.
“Becca, I promise to bring you to see your dad as soon as I get back.”
Before leaving, Sin went upstairs to check on Dominic and Aria. She found them next to Savio’s bedside talking to Aimee.
“I need you both to stay here until I get back,” Sin said.
Dominic nodded. “Are you any closer to finding our daughter?”
“That’s why I’m leaving. I have a lead I need to check out.”
“Find her, please,” Aria whispered in an almost staccato voice. As if in shock, she then looked back at Savio and placed her rosary in his open palm. “We’ll be right here when you get back.”
34
Sin joined Troy and Danny in the hangar at the airport as they were pouring over a map of the everglades.
“What are you two discussing?” she said.
“Danny is showing me the location of the cabin and its surroundings. There doesn’t seem to be any way in without being noticed,” Troy said.
She joined them as Danny repeated what he’d told Troy. “This small piece of land here,” she pointed. “What’s on it and how close is it to their location?”
Danny shook his head. “It’s just a small clump of land about fifty yards away. No one has ever built on it.”
Sin sucked in her lower lip, thinking. “Danny, do you think you can get one of your friends to drop off a canoe on the far side of the island?”
“Sure, but I’m not sure what good that will do us.”
She eyed the plane parked in the hangar. “Can you pilot a Cessna?”
“If it has wings, I can fly it.”
“Good. Sunrise is in two hours. We need to act while it’s still dark. I need you to fly over that little clump of land and drop me off at ten thousand feet.”
“What are you thinking?” Troy asked.
“I plan on dropping onto the island and taking the canoe over to where the cabin is situated.”
“Not by yourself, you’re not,” Troy said.
“My mission, my rules,” Sin said. She could tell Troy wasn’t happy, but he kept his cool and remained silent. Addressing Danny, she said, “Once you drop me off, you need to land the plane here.” She pointed to an airstrip. How far is your boat from this airstrip?”
“Not far,” Danny replied. “I’ll get Billy to meet us and take us to the boat.”
“You and Troy are to make your way to the cabin we stopped at yesterday. I’ll signal you when I have Pia. By the time you near the island, you should be able to see my flare. If not, come hard and fast.” She eyed Danny. “Do you still carry?”
Danny smiled, lifted his shirt and exposed a Heckler & Koch MP7a1 handheld submachine gun.
“Another gift from SEAL Team 6?”
“The gift that keeps on giving,” Danny smiled.
35
Forty minutes later they were over the drop zone. Sin slid the door of the Cessna open, gave a thumbs up, and dropped from the plane.
Danny looked over at Troy and shook his head. “She’s as crazy as the stories I’ve heard.”
Troy watched as Sin dropped from view in the darkened sky. “Crazier.”
When Sin’s altimeter hit seven hundred feet, she opened her chute, pulled hard on the toggle lines, eyed her landing zone, and hit the ground hard. Acting quick, she found the canoe and dragged it to the other side of the island.
Staying hidden behind a group of brush pines, she drew the .45 from her waist, pulled the suppressor from her backpack, screwed it into the barrel of the semiautomatic, replaced it in the waistband of her jeans, and zipped up her leather jacket. Judging by the luminated dial on her smart-watch, she knew time was of the essence.
She pulled the canoe into the swamp and paddled towards her target. Nearing the far end of the island, she pulled in the oars, took her infrared goggles from her backpack and surveyed the land. She spotted two men guarding the perimeter. Drawing her .45, she shot them both.
Pulling the canoe onto the shore, she quickly made sure they were dead and continued toward the cabin. She sloshed her way through the thick vegetation and swampy ground towards the backside of the structure, staying as stealth as possible. There, she spotted two more men. She knew if she shot them from this range, the gun shots would be heard, even with the suppressor. Looking around, she grabbed a large rock and tossed it into the water.
Her action had its desired effect. One of the guards, the one with the assault rifle waved for the other to go check on the noise. “It’s probably just a gator, but you better check,” he said. The other nodded and followed the noise.
Sin hid behind a large Cypress tree and waited for the man to come close. When he did, she jumped
