Ren was a medic and rushed to his side.
“Where's Evan?” Cam groaned.
Ren spoke as he assessed Cam's injuries. “We don’t know. She's not at the finca where she's staying or the dig site.”
“I need to find her. She had to have gone back to the caves. She doesn’t realize she's a hair's breadth away from a heroin lab. I need to know she's safe.”
“And you will, we will, but you have to let me patch you up.” Ren treated Cam's wounds with a field kit. When he came to the injury at his engorged groin, Cam explained. “She drugged me.”
Ren dabbed antibiotic ointment on the bleeding welt. “I always knew you were attracted to me, but let's take it slow.”
Cam laughed then hissed in pain.
“That's one crazy bitch, my friend.” Ren helped Cam sit up.
“Find me some underwear, and let's get the fuck out of here.” Cam was already swinging his legs off the bed.
Ren found Cam's boxers on the rug, and Cam pulled them on. Ren and Chat each took one of Cam's arms, and with Tox taking point and Steady on their six, the men exited the March villa. In the front hall, the men paused while Steady grabbed a spare set of fatigues from his pack in the rented SUV. He helped Cam into the pants, then looked his friend directly in the eye and added with feigned seriousness, “and remember, for erections lasting more than four hours, please consult a physician.”
Even Chat laughed as they quickly made their exit.
They entered the mine quickly and silently in standard tactical formation. Cam took point, Steady and Ren followed with Chat and Tox on their six. The men bypassed the elevator and moved through the descending tunnels. The only thing more dangerous than a long hallway in an incursion was an elevator car. The mine was silent as death.
They came to the chained-off area where Cam had caught the men making the drugs. Voices drifted through the tunnel. “She's here somewhere.”
Cam released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Somehow she had escaped. The Bishop security team moved closer and, using a small handled mirror, spotted two men around a turn speaking in hushed voices.
“The men watching the beach and the front entrance haven’t reported seeing her,” one of the men barked.
Steady murmured into his comm, “That's because the men at the front entrance are on break.”
Herc and Calliope were currently keeping a watchful eye on the guards they had incapacitated. Cam scratched his stubbled jaw. Evan's first instinct would be to run to the caves and exit to the beach. The men there would shoot her on sight. Then it hit him.
“Think you guys can handle these two? I know where Evan is,” Cam said.
Tox huffed, “Please.”
“We’ll rendezvous at the side entrance,” Steady said.
Before anyone could make another glib comment, Cam was off like a shot.
He ran through the maze of hallways, desperate to find Evan. Rounding a final corner, he skidded to a stop. Atlas March stood before him flanked by two men, their guns trained on Cam. He held up his hands.
“Miguel, I require a moment of your time,” Atlas turned and began walking.
One of the guards stepped forward and drilled Cam in the temple with the butt of his gun.
When Cam came to, he was tied to a chair in an isolated room in some peripheral section of the mine. He’d barely cleared his vision when one of the guards delivered a blow to his jaw so forceful, his comm device flew from his ear and landed on the ground at his feet. Atlas March faced him. “I gather from the goons running roughshod through my mine, you are not who you claim to be.”
Cam remained silent.
“Did The Conductor send you?” Atlas demanded.
Cam kept his gaze forward. “Why would you think that?”
Atlas threw up his hands. “Because I refuse to be extorted. I own a fucking shipping company. I’ll transport my own drugs.”
“The Conductor doesn’t allow that.” Cam played along.