Page 73 of Devlin

Logan’s voice cut in over the radio. “I’m in contact with the Ugandan police. They’re giving Moses and LSI clearance to engage. Do what you need to do to stop the smugglers.”

Devlin let out a slow breath. That meant no red tape. No bureaucratic interference. Just action.

Moses nodded, his expression grim. “This… situation. Enock. How did I not see it?”

“He didn’t want you to see it. People are good at hiding when they’re desperate.”

Moses grimaced, but then another transmission came through. Moses listened intently before turning to Devlin. “Charlie is still missing. And there’s no sign of Enock. They must be with her.”

“They found the Jeep that Enock and Mia took,” Todd added, his voice clipped. “Charlie’s bike was abandoned nearby.”

Devlin swore under his breath. He hadn’t trusted Charlie from the start, but the situation spiraled faster than anticipated.

Moses added to the voices as his officers reported to him: “A cell phone was found on the ground.”

Devlin’s gut dipped but before he could process what all that meant for Mia, Sadie’s voice returned. “I found something on Charlie. A British bank account. Charlie opened it last year whenhe was on leave in England. It’s not linked to his paycheck. There’s over twenty grand sitting in it.”

“Twenty thousand?” Devlin’s fingers curled around the radio. “That’s not normal savings. That’s payoff money.” Fury burned hot in his chest.

Silence filled the cabin for a moment, each in planning mode or lost in their own thoughts. Devlin inhaled deeply, forcing himself to stay focused. He didn’t give a fuck any longer about Enock or Charlie. He just wanted Mia. He turned to Todd. “If we don’t get to her before they reach the water, we have to be ready for a water rescue.”

Moses turned to him and spoke up. “That’s risky. The lakes and rivers here aren’t safe. The water is full of hippos, crocs, bacteria, and parasites. You go in, you’re taking your life in your hands.”

“Then we get to her before it comes to that,” Devlin’s unrelenting voice growled.

“Good plan,” Cole muttered from the cockpit. “I’d rather not fish you out of hippo-infested water.”

The helicopter surged forward, the wind whipping past the open door as they closed the distance. His pulse was drumming as his mind became a whirlwind of calculated tactics and worst-case scenarios.

Then Sadie’s voice cut through again. “You’re getting closer.”

Devlin exhaled, gripping his weapon tighter. They were coming for her. And nothing—no man, no beast, no damn river or fucking hippo was going to stop them.

The rhythmic thump of the helicopter blades reverberated through Devlin’s chest as he gripped the strap above his head, his eyes locked on the dense jungle below on one side and the tan grassland of the savanna on the other. Sweat trickled down his temple, but he ignored it, his focus sharp as he listened to Sadie’s voice crackle through the headset.

“Truck’s stopped—near the water, but not at it,” she reported, her tone controlled but laced with urgency. “Mia’s tracer is moving. She’s leaving the area.”

Devlin’s gut clenched. “Taken?”

“No way to know. But she’s heading along the jungle edge, running parallel to the water, not toward the lake.”

A slow exhale left his lips. That could mean she’d gotten the jump on her captors and was fleeing.

“The truck is moving again,” Sadie radioed. “She’s not with it. You’re almost where it had stopped. Where the road splits.”

“Cole, fly over the road,” he ordered, scanning the terrain as the chopper banked sharply.

Below, they spied two bodies sprawled on the dirt, one in a uniform like Enock’s. The other man was dark-skinned, and there was no sign of Charlie or Mia.

“Must be the driver,” Moses surmised, his gaze on the bodies below.

“Coming around again,” Cole called as he adjusted their position.

The second pass revealed Charlie’s body farther away, crumpled on the ground. Blood pooled beneath him. No movement. But no Mia either.

Moses leaned forward, his voice steady but tight. “We go. Now.”

Cole didn’t argue. He dipped the helicopter lower, skimming the tree line as the truck came into view. It was parked haphazardly near the shore of the lake, its back doors flung open. Through the windshield, Devlin caught a glimpse of men moving, unloading crates of food onto a waiting boat.

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