Page 40 of River

“Wait, did they say her? It’s a woman they’re talking about?”

“Yes, they said she. Think—did a woman come after you when someone in her family died?” Cyclone asked.

I hung up the phone and lay back, my mind racing. Then I shot upright and called Cyclone back.

“Where are you?”

“I’m in Turkey guarding two ten-year-old princesses,” he replied.

“For how long?”

“Until tomorrow.”

“I think I know who might be behind this. Remember when we were in that small country near Egypt, trying to stop the mutilation that was happening there? I killed the leader of that criminal gang, and his wife screamed at me, told me not to turn my back because she always wins.”

“God, that was four years ago. Do you think they’ve taken Kat to Egypt or somewhere nearby?”

“I don’t know,but I’ll find out. Call me when you finish your job. I’ll call Raven and Gage to join me.”

“There are so many criminals who want to become leaders.I think she took over her husband’s spot. She must be dangerous. Their men usually don’t let women lead. They believe women aren’t worth as much as a slimy slug,” I said.

“Yeah, I hope that’s not the case,” Cyclone said.

I called Gage and Raven and told them I would meet them at the airport. I took the recorder with me, hoping we might recognize the voice if we heard it again. After packing my bag, I headed out.

We met at the airport, and I explained to them what was happening.

“I remember that woman. Raven said. “She came at you with a knife, planning to kill you right then and there. It’s hard to believe those bastards would let her take charge.”

“Let me see the recorder,” Gage said as we boarded the plane. He turned it on and listened closely.

“Do you think they shot her?” Raven asked.

“I think she tried to shoot them, but something stopped her from hitting her target,” I replied.

“Something like a knife. One of them might have thrown a knife at her and hit her hand or something,” Gage speculated. “Fuck, what the hell is going on. I thought we could go to the border and take her from the cartel. This is damn right insane. How could they get an American woman from here to Egypt?”

“If they put her on a freight ship, it’s possible,” Raven said.

“That’s it,” I said. “They could’ve used a freight ship. We need to check the nearest shipping ports and see if anyone’s sticking close to a particular vessel.”

“We’ll need to blend in,” Gage added.

I pulled out my laptop and searched for the nearest port. “This is where we will go,” I said, pointing to the location on the map. I looked around. “Who’s flying the plane?”

“Oliver is. He joined us a few days ago. You were busy, or I would have called you,” Gage said.

“I’m glad he’s with us,” I noticed him glance at my leg, and I looked down. “Damn, why does this leg have to slow me down now? It’s holding me back from what I need to do.”

“You’ve been doing everything you can,” Gage reassured me. Even if your leg were fine, there’s nothing more you could do. Do you want me to wrap it for you?” he offered.

“No, I can handle it,” I replied, heading to the back of the plane to rewrap my leg. I felt like I was losing. I didn’t want anything to happen to Kat, and I couldn’t imagine what she was going through, and it was tearing me apart.

I made my way to the cockpit and sat next to Oliver.

“Hey, I’m glad you joined us. I’m sorry about your Dad and the hell your family has been going through,” I said.

“Thanks,” Oliver replied. Do you want to fill me in on the situation?”

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