Defending Raven (Mountain Mercenaries #7)(81)
“Hey, little man,” Ro said. “It’s good to see you again.”
“You good?” Gray asked the seemingly shell-shocked little boy.
Looking up at Dave, who nodded encouragingly at him, David nodded. “I’m good, Mr. Gray.”
“You remember my name?” Gray asked in surprise.
David nodded. “I don’t see Mr. Meat, though.”
“He’s going to meet us at the airport. He’s making sure your mom is safe until we get there to be with her. I told you about the other men here, they’re our friends too. They aren’t like del Rio or his friends. They won’t hurt you. Not ever. If you’re ever scared or unsure, you can go to one of them, and they’ll help you and get in touch with me or your mom. Okay?”
David nodded.
“Good. This is Ro. He’ll be easy to remember because he’s the one with the funny accent. And that’s Arrow, and Ball is the one driving.”
“Hang on,” Ball said in a firm but calm tone as he took a corner on what felt like two wheels. Dave tightened his hold on his son as the minivan shot forward after making the turn.
“Everyone get to the airport all right?” Dave asked Gray.
The other man nodded. “Yeah. The women all left with no issues whatsoever. Gabriella and Zara cried buckets of tears and promised to stay in touch.”
“And Raven?” Dave asked.
“Solid as a rock,” Gray told him, the pride easy to hear in his voice. “She was sad, but because she went through what they did, she was more happy than upset that they were leaving. Zara told them they were finally free and to never look back. To take one day at a time.”
David nodded. That sounded like his Raven.
“And Daniela?”
“She’s safe at the clinic and has already promised to do whatever she can for any children that are found. She’s working with the men from the Peruvian teams. After del Rio’s escape from the barrio, they immediately raided two of the houses where he’d stashed some kids. The team and Daniela will work together to find the children’s families, or new homes. They’ll continue looking for any buyers of other kids, using whatever intel Meat can provide.”
“Good. Sounds like things have gone according to plan.”
Ro cleared his throat, and Dave turned to him. “They haven’t?”
Everyone shifted in their seats as Ball took another sharp turn. He was driving way faster than was safe, but no one said a word as he did his best to evade their tail.
“Meat got in touch. He said it’s a good thing the plane arrived in the commercial section of the airport. One of the contacts he’s been talking to at the airport said there are police officers crawling all over the international terminal, looking for a group of Americans who don’t have the proper paperwork to leave the country. Rumor has it that a couple is trying to kidnap a Peruvian child.”
“Fuck,” Dave swore—then sighed. “David, you didn’t hear me say that. It’s a bad word, and your mom would not be happy if you started saying words like that. She’d be very disappointed.”
Amazingly, David giggled. “Okay, Papá, I won’t tell.”
“Thanks, champ, I appreciate it.” Then, turning back to Ro, Dave asked, “So what’s the plan?”
“Ball’s gonna drop us off, and we’re going to meet one of the thousand-and-one contacts you seem to have, and we’ll be escorted to the plane where everyone else is already waiting. Then we’re getting the bloody hell out of here,” Ro said succinctly.
“How do you know so many people, anyway?” Arrow asked.
“Left turn!” Ball called out.
Everyone braced as Dave said, “I’ve spent the last ten years making friends in high places. Every time the Mountain Mercenaries completed a mission, I made more and more connections with powerful people. I’ve called in a lot of markers in the last two weeks, that’s for sure.”
“Right. I’m grateful for each and every one of your contacts. There’s no way we would’ve been able to get all those passports without them,” Arrow said.
“Or rescue all those kids,” Gray added.
“Or get this private plane down here and ready to go,” Arrow finished.
“If something goes wrong at the airport, take David and get out of there,” Dave said, ignoring his team’s praise. He’d done what had to be done, and even if he’d owe the men who’d helped him rescue his family for the rest of his life, he wouldn’t regret it.
“We aren’t leaving you behind,” Ball said as he wrenched the steering wheel sharply to the right. “All we gotta do is lose this car tailing us, and we’re home free.”
Dave knew that wasn’t exactly true. He could read between Ro’s words. Del Rio had mobilized his army and would do whatever it took to prevent him from leaving the country with David and Raven. He’d sacrifice himself if that was what it took to make sure they were able to escape the hell they’d been living.
As if he could read his mind, Gray said, “Don’t even think about it, Dave. We’re all getting on that plane. Don’t do anything stupid. Your wife needs you. Not to mention this little guy.”
The minivan surged forward as Ball pulled onto one of the highways around Lima. “We’re going to be cutting things really close here in a second,” he said as he gunned the engine. “This guy is proving to be a bit stubborn. But don’t worry, I’m gonna lose him in just a minute or two.”