Life Goes On by Tayell, Frank (large ebook reader txt) 📗

To her left was the restaurant and bar, festooned with signs offering boat hire as prominently as drinks. To her right was the harbour master’s office, and behind that were the port’s service buildings. All small. All dark. Not a single electric bulb was on, but it was a blue-sky midday.

“They drove here from somewhere,” she said. “Mackay—”

The ground shook, and the roar of the ship’s cannon was lost beneath the earthquake detonation. Dust and smoke plumed upward, inland.

“That was the runway,” Mackay said, half-listening to the radio. “Captain says— ugh.” He fell, clutching his leg.

“Sniper!” Clyde said, pushing Zach from his feet. “East. The trees. Stay behind the truck. Zach, take my carbine. Keep your head down, and empty the entire magazine into the trees on the count of three. Three. No more, no less. Start counting.”

And before Tess could stop him, Clyde ran from behind the truck, and towards the palms. A single shot strummed through the broad leaves as he disappeared from sight.

“Now, Zach,” Tess said. She grabbed Mackay’s vest-straps, hauling him closer to the vehicle. Behind, and above, lead tore through the air with a machine-rattle bark that was over almost as soon as it began.

“I’m out,” Zach said. “Should I fire another magazine?”

“No. Grab the radio. Call the ship,” she said, pulling out her emergency med-kit. “You’ll be okay, Glenn. The bullet missed the artery. Zach, tell the ship we’re taking fire and want to know what the captain’s plan is.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” Mackay hissed. “Ducked when I should’ve jumped.”

“No worries. We’ll get you out of here,” Tess said.

“They’re the cartel, aren’t they?” Mackay asked.

“Seems so. That should stop the bleeding,” Tess said, securing the dressing. “Zach, we’re commandeering that blue pick-up. We’ll chuck Glenn in the back, drive to our boat, and kick our way back to the ship.”

“We’re not,” Zach said, lowering the radio. “The helicopter saw boats leaving from the north of the island. The warship is chasing them. That explosion we heard, that was us shooting at a plane trying to take off. We blew it up!”

“Are the cartel fleeing the island?” Tess asked.

“I guess,” Zach said. “The captain’s chasing them.”

“Clear!” Clyde called from the trees. “Coming out. Hold your fire.”

Tess slowly leaned around the car, only standing when she saw Clyde jog from between the palms.

“Only one sniper,” he said. “Atop a generator-shed.”

“The cartel are fleeing the island,” Tess said. “Taking boats from the north. The Te Taiki is in pursuit, but she blew up a plane trying to take off.”

“Understood,” Clyde said, and without explaining, sprinted off to the bar, pushed open the door, ran in, and ran out again a moment later. “Zach, help the commish with Mackay. We’re getting him inside there until our ride returns.”

She and Zach carried a barely protesting Mackay inside, and onto a bench seat near the door. Clyde followed, but stayed in the doorway.

“If the enemy are fleeing, some might come here for those boats,” Clyde said. “We don’t want to be on the water halfway between a cannon and its target.”

“So we’ll wait here and ambush anyone fleeing,” Tess said.

“Your call, Commish,” Clyde said.

“You mean you wouldn’t?” she asked. “We’re in your world now. Tell me what to do.”

“They’re on the run, so let’s keep them running,” he said. “Drive north, and drive them before us, in that truck, before they can dig in or get organised.”

“Agreed,” Tess said.

“I’ll radio in what we’re doing, then we’ll move,” Clyde said.

“Zach, find the back door,” Tess said, though she glanced back to Mackay before returning to the window, watching the approach road to the harbour. They’d stumbled into a war, so she’d trust to Clyde’s judgement. Besides, floating atop shark-infested waters wasn’t the best place for a bleeding man to wait for safety.

A plane had been destroyed attempting to take off. Was it the same plane they’d seen a few days ago, closer to the smoking mass grave in Colombia? Maybe. The cartel had been waiting for the warship, and hoping it would sail elsewhere. When it approached, Mikael had been sent to the pier. That didn’t entirely explain the three-sided nature of the quayside confrontation, but they had killed the torturer. Hopefully those two who’d accompanied him were his best people.

“Helicopter’s out of fuel,” Clyde said. “Nicko and Bruce are on the ground, west of the runway. There’s a third pier on the island’s western shores. Our boys just neutralised a group trying to escape. We’ll drive north, meeting them at a junction with a west-bound road.”

“Zach, stay here,” Tess said.

“What? No way,” he said.

“Your mission is to keep Glenn alive,” Tess said. “If they try to come into this bar, shoot them. But if they go for a boat, let them, and let the Te Taiki send them straight to Hell.”

Chapter 43 - Pursue and Ye Shall Find

Corn Island, Nicaragua

In a crouch, Tess ran from the bar and across the empty car park. From the north came the crackle of gunfire, a small explosion, then a larger though more distant one. The battle wasn’t close, but nor was it close to being over.

“I’m driving,” she said, as Clyde ran to the driver’s side of the green pick-up.

Barely slowing, he jumped over the hood.

“Show-off,” she said. “This car’s nearer to retirement than me. But it’s old enough not to have any electronics, so why is the interior newly refurbed?”

The keys were in the ignition, and the truck started on the first go.

“No guns, or gun rack,” Clyde said.

“Yep, I noticed that,” she said, spinning the truck back, and around Hernando’s bullet-flecked truck. “Mikael wasn’t armed, and wasn’t entirely in command.”

“Do you think he was the local warlord,” Clyde said, “but Hernando was the sisters’ lieutenant?”

“That would explain