Slayers (Jake Hawkins Book 1) (20 page)

*

It took them five minutes to unload. They set up their gear in the cabin of the Gulfstream. Zoe was preparing for take-off.

The cabin was luxurious, fitted with large, circular windows, plush carpet, ten reclining seats and one couch. There was space to stretch out, to relax, something Jake had never imagined an aircraft would be like. He guessed commercial flights were much more cramped. He sprawled out across the couch, taking up all three seats while the other five men pored over maps and laptop computers, planning their route through the Amazon.

“
Has Wolfe landed?
”
Jake asked, staring at the ceiling.

Link shook his head without looking up.
“
He
’
s still over the Pacific.
”

“
Zoe!
”
Sam said again.

“
Mmm?
”

“
How long is this flight expected to take?
”

“
Just over eighteen hours. It
’
s sixteen from here to Iquitos, but this plane can only do around eleven thousand kilometres before the fuel runs out. We
’
re going to refuel at LAX. Courtesy of Dad.
”

“
Los Angeles?
”

“
Yes.
”

The group delved into murmured conversation. Jake felt left out. Uninvolved. He relaxed back in his seat.

Zoe took off successfully, without question by air traffic control. Dan had obviously ensured their safe passage through to Peru.

*

They had been cruising at a steady altitude for a couple of hours. The five men were planning their every move, considering all possible scenarios. Jake picked up snippets of conversation every now and then, but for the most part he tried to get some rest. It was impossible.

At five a.m. Melbourne time, the group decided to sleep. Within ten minutes, they were all snoozing peacefully, stretched back in their chairs. Jake had no idea how they did it. He wasn
’
t used to stress like they were. He wasn
’
t accustomed to dropping everything on a whim to chase a monster halfway around the world.

“
Can
’
t you sleep?
”
a soft voice said.

Jake sat up. Zoe was peering through the cockpit door, watching him.

He shook his head. She motioned for him to come closer so they could talk. He swung his legs off the couch and headed into the cockpit. Zoe was sitting in front of an enormous array of controls and blinking lights, staring out through the windshield, watching the clouds roll past. The co-pilot
’
s seat was empty. Jake took it.

“
Those guys know how to handle themselves,
”
he said.
“
I
’
m new to this. I can
’
t sleep.
”

Zoe said nothing.

“
You must be confused,
”
he said.
“
About all this.
”

She shrugged.
“
When your dad is in the D.O.D., you tend not to ask many questions.
”
There was a brief pause.
“
He
’
s never asked me to do anything like this before, though.
”

Jake sensed her apprehension.

“
Are you scared?
”

“
I was. Now, I
’
m just wary. You guys don
’
t seem harmful, really. Apparently I
’
ve met that guy called Sam before, too.
”

“
You don
’
t remember him?
”

She shook her head.
“
I must have been too young.
”

“
I can
’
t imagine how the conversation with your dad went,
”
Jake said.
“‘
Honey, I need you to fly six men to Peru for me.
’
”

She laughed quietly.
“
Truth is, I don
’
t even have my commercial pilot
’
s license. You can
’
t get that until you
’
re eighteen.
”

“
So this is illegal?
”

“
Technically. Don
’
t worry, though. You
’
re safe.
”

He raised an eyebrow.
“
That
’
s not totally convincing. Have you flown this thing before?
”

“
Never alone,
”
she said,
“
but I practically have. I
’
ve been interested in flying since I was a little kid. I do training for my commercial license separately, but I spent half my childhood in this plane. Dad has meetings in dozens of different countries. He taught me the ins and outs of the controls years ago. I take shifts when we
’
re together.
”

“
This must be scary, though,
”
Jake said.
“
Being all alone.
”

“
This is terrifying, to be honest.
”

“
That
’
s how I feel right now too,
”
Jake said.
“
About where we
’
re headed.
”

She looked at him.
“
Why are you here?
”

“
Our friend was kidnapped,
”
Jake said.
“
We need to get him back.
”

Her eyes widened.
“
Oh my gosh. I
’
m so sorry. Who
–
you know
–
who did it?
”

Jake smiled.
“
Even if I told you, Zoe, you wouldn
’
t believe me.
”

She gave him a quizzical look, then realised he wasn
’
t going to continue.
“
By the way, I meant why are
you
here? You
’
re sixteen. They
’
re all men back there.
”

Jake sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“
I don
’
t know. Honestly, I don
’
t. Why are you? Most teenagers wouldn
’
t even unpack the dishwasher for their parents, let alone do this.
”

“
Because I
’
m sick of being Daddy
’
s little girl,
”
Zoe said.
“
I grew up on military bases all over the world. I was never at the same school for more than six months. I had to follow Dad everywhere. I can do this by myself. Truth is, Dad called me and told me he was getting a commercial pilot to fly you guys. I practically forced him to let me do it. He was
…
reluctant.
”

“
Why would you do that?
”
Jake asked, flabbergasted.

“
I want the experience,
”
she said.
“
And I want the freedom. Besides, I could tell Dad was having trouble finding someone so quickly, and I knew this was an emergency. He was desperate. I
’
d do anything for him. He
’
s taken care of me all these years.
”

“
I wish I could say the same.
”

Zoe glanced back.
“
Which one of those guys is your dad?
”

Jake smiled.
“
None of them. Dad wouldn
’
t set foot near me in a million years.
”

“
You don
’
t get on?
”

Jake shook his head.
“
That
’
s kind of the reason I
’
m here. I had nowhere else to go. He didn
’
t want me.
”

“
Every parent wants their kid.
”

“
He didn
’
t
…”

Jake trailed off. There was quiet in the cockpit for a while, and he took a moment to savour the calm. Zoe was just like any other regular schoolgirl. He could be back in the classroom right now, having a normal conversation. Not ten thousand feet above the Pacific, en route to a tropical death trap.

Suddenly Zoe was there, right in front of his face, moving forwards, touching her lips to his. Her hair hung over his shoulders. He recoiled slightly, surprised by the advance.

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
she said, panicking.
“
I
’
m so sorry. I don
’
t know what just happened.
”

Jake slowly started to grin.
“
I didn
’
t mean to break that off. I was just shocked.
”

“
Shocked?
”

“
You
’
re normal. A normal person, in amongst all this
…
madness. Sorry, it was just weird getting a reminder of what life used to be like.
”

Zoe hesitated.

“
I must sound like an idiot,
”
Jake said.

She smiled, showing pearly white teeth.
“
That
’
s why I kissed you. I could do with some normal in my life, too.
”

She was beautiful. Jake couldn
’
t believe this was happening. He kissed her first this time, running a hand through her hair as she ran her palms over his chest. It was incredible. After a full minute, she pulled away.

“
Do you usually do this to every guy you fly round the world?
”
Jake said. They were both smiling. For the first time in months, he was happy.

“
Only the ones as good-looking as you,
”
Zoe said.

“
We barely even know each other.
”

“
I know. But we
’
ve got another fourteen hours of flying. I think we can get to know each other. Let
’
s just be
—
you know
—
normal.
”

She leant back and swung the cockpit door closed.

“
I like normal,
”
he murmured as she leant in once again.

They began their descent just after five-thirty in the morning, Iquitos time. Jake stretched awake. After he and Zoe had become acquainted, he had managed to drop off to sleep, and had subsequently slept through the whole flight. The rest was much needed. The past sixteen hours had been chaotic.

“
Did we refuel?
”
he asked no-one in particular, still waking up.

Thorn glanced across.
“
Yeah, buddy. We landed at LAX. You didn
’
t even stir.
”

“
Did I miss anything?
”

“
We didn
’
t even leave the plane. It was over in ten minutes. Nothing exciting.
”

The jet touched down on the runway. It was a smooth landing: Jake hadn
’
t been strapped in and he still barely felt it.

“
Gentlemen,
”
Zoe said over the intercom.
“
Welcome to Coronal FAP Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport.
”
She deliberately drew out her words, putting extra emphasis on the long name.
“
To put it more simply, welcome to Iquitos.
”

As the Gulfstream taxied down the runway, Jake stood up and walked to the front of the plane.

Zoe was sitting in the pilot
’
s seat, taking animatedly into a headset. Jake watched her speak with the confidence of a seasoned flyer. After a few seconds, she paused and brushed the headset back down so that it was resting around her neck.

“
Hey,
”
Jake said.

“
Hi there,
”
Zoe said with a playful smile. She lowered her voice.
“
Did anyone hear us last night?
”

Jake gave his head a quick shake.
“
Don
’
t think so. No-one mentioned anything.
”

“
That
’
s good.
”

“
Thanks for flying us, Zoe. I can
’
t imagine any other girl who would do something like this.
”

He held out a hand and she took it. He gave it a quick squeeze.

“
Like I said, I
’
d do anything for Dad.
”
She grinned.
“
Besides, it has its benefits.
”

Someone coughed loudly from behind.

“
I
’
d hate to interrupt my darling lovebirds,
”
Sam said, flashing a dark look at Jake, as if to say
‘
What did I tell you?
’
,
“
but what happens to you now, Zoe? Now that we
’
ve landed.
”

She quickly released Jake
’
s hand.
“
Our fate is in Dad
’
s hands. If he did what he said he was going to do, we should be fine. I guess.
”

“
You don't seem completely sure.
”

“
Well I don
’
t do this often, okay?
”
She was agitated now.

“
That
’
s fine, that
’
s fine,
”
Sam said, raising his hands in retreat.
“
Don
’
t worry. I trust Dan with my life.
”

Crank called out,
“
Then who the hell is this?!
”

He motioned out one of the circular windows. Jake and Zoe moved into the cabin, and all seven of them peered out at the runway below. A middle-aged Peruvian woman was marching across the tarmac toward their plane, dressed smartly in a business suit. She had come from the terminal.

“
Don
’
t worry,
”
Zoe said, repeating Sam
’
s words.
“
She
’
s probably just going to welcome us to the country.
”

She released the stairs. A few moments later, the woman was face-to-face with them in the cabin. They eyed her warily.

“
Hello, gentlemen.
”
Her heavily accented English had an air of forced politeness.
“
I
’
m afraid that unfortunately we just need to process some official documents before we let you off the plane. If you could be so kind as to remain on board for just a few minutes more, we
’
ll have you on your way in no time at all. Thank you very much.
”

She smiled, a gesture that once again seemed forced.

“
No problem, ma
’
am,
”
Felix said, grinning back. The woman gave a nod of farewell and stepped off the plane.

Felix kept the friendly demeanour up just long enough for the woman to move out of earshot. Then he spun on his heel to face everyone, instantly serious.

“
She
’
s lying,
”
he said.
“
We
’
re screwed.
”

Crank said,
“
I thought you said Dan was reliable, Sam.
”

Sam said,
“
I thought he was.
”

Thorn said,
“
What are we going to do now?
”

Jake held out a palm.
“
Hold up. How do you all know she
’
s lying?
”

“
You haven
’
t had enough experience in the field.
”
It was Zoe talking. Jake couldn
’
t believe his ears.
“
When you have a dad like mine, you
’
re exposed to some things that no teenager should be exposed to. I
’
ve been around professional liars and criminals my whole life. It
’
s easy to know when someone
’
s feigning cooperation.
”

“
Definitely,
”
Link said.
“
Jake, up until a few months ago you
’
ve lived a life where everyone
’
s courteous and polite and almost always has good intentions. In the real world, it
’
s different. Those assholes in there have had a whole day to verify those so-called
‘
documents
’
. Dan gave us the all clear before we even got on the plane.
”

“
So then why are we standing around doing nothing?
”
Jake said.

“
What can we do, brother?
”
Sam said.
“
Shoot our way out of an airport?
”

There were pounding footsteps on the plane
’
s stairway. A second later, big, stocky figures rushed into the cabin, brandishing silenced submachine guns. Jake recognised them as MP-5
’
s. There were a few back in their basement in Melbourne. The men who stormed aboard wore combat fatigues and heavy-duty boots. They moved fast and efficiently. Jake guessed they were military.

This situation was way out of his realm of experience. He bowed his head and felt the early stages of a panic attack begin to develop. Cold tremors ran up his spine.

The men barked commands in Peruvian, short and sharp. He couldn
’
t understand a word. He saw Crank and Link raise their hands above their heads. That was the cue he needed to follow suit.

The seven of them were arrested almost immediately. The soldiers grabbed Jake
’
s hands and shoved them down roughly behind his back. They clipped a pair of metal handcuffs over his wrists and shoved him down into one of the chairs. He stewed, bitter. If the soldiers had not been armed, Thorn alone could have overpowered them in an instant. But the men moved with precision, always keeping two guns trained on the man being handcuffed. Zoe was cuffed last.

They were ordered to stand in single file. The MP-5
’
s stayed dead on target, unwavering. Jake didn
’
t dare move. One of the soldiers yelled out the doorway of the plane, presumably giving the all-clear, and not long after a man entered the cramped cabin. He had light brown skin and a thin, exhausted face. He stared at them with contempt in his eyes. He was wrapped in a thick coat, despite the heat swarming in through the doorway. He flashed a badge.

“
My name is Andreas,
”
he said in perfect English, albeit with a slight Peruvian accent. He spoke slow and meticulous.
“
I am the chief of police here in Iquitos. We have been informed that the persons on this aircraft are involved in illegal activity. Therefore, we are going to conduct a search of this aircraft and quite frankly, there is nothing you can do to stop us. You will each be questioned individually.
”

He gave a curt nod to the soldiers and Jake, first in line, was escorted down the plane stairs. A rough hand pressed against his back, guiding him. Felix hadn
’
t been lying about the humidity. Jake felt his body grow damp with sweat as he was led across the hot ground.

In the distance lay a sprawling complex of pale teal buildings - the airport terminal. It looked like they had been thrown together haphazardly when constructed. That was not where they were headed.

Jake realised he had not been trained for interrogation. If he said the wrong thing, he could be locked up for years. At least he had been taught how to deal with slayers. This left him with a dry mouth. Fear began to creep in.

There were a collection of police vans waiting for them, interspersed across the tarmac. A group of officers intercepted them halfway between the plane and the vans. Even though they barked in Peruvian at the soldiers, Jake got the message. The military had only been there in case of a firefight. Now, the police would handle them.

He was thrust into the back of the first van, into a small metal cabin with a steel bench running along each of the side walls. There was barely enough room to stand A police officer forced Jake down onto one of the benches, hands still locked firmly behind his back. They forced Sam in behind Jake and the door slammed shut.

“
What just happened?
”
Jake said. He was shaking
–
he couldn
’
t help it. It was hot and dark and he was scared. He lurched off-balance as the van shot off the mark.

“
I have no idea,
”
Sam said.
“
I
’
m
–
I
’
m so sorry, man. Dan said it was okay. He said it was okay.
”

“
So then why are we sitting in the back of a police van?
”

Sam shrugged, just as confused as Jake was.
“
The Peruvian government gave Dan the go ahead. They must have changed their mind.
”

“
I thought you said this was going to work.
”

“
I did say that.
”

“
I don
’
t want to die in jail, Sam.
”

“
Neither do I, bro. Neither do I.
”

“
But we can get out of this, right?
”

“
I
’
m not sure.
”

“
You can fix this, Sam,
”
Jake said.
“
You guys have to. I trusted you all with this. This is your plan, your mission. No-one in my old life even knows where I am. I have no idea what
’
s going on, and I
’
m scared, and you need to fix this. Please
…”