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  Be ever prepared, his father had once told him, and be not beleaguered by the unexpected.

  Oppenheimer disliked mercenaries. Hired guns were unpredictable and liable to self-preservation rather than loyalty, and the fact that Wolfe had sent them instead of trained troops bothered him immensely. Sure, their presence and service would be entirely deniable to either USAMRIID or SkinGen, but mercenaries could just as easily abandon the chase or even turn against him - or indeed Donald Wolfe if the going got too tough. He knew well enough the art of betrayal. A line from recent memory infiltrated his thoughts: ‘In the end, only one remained, the strongest of them all. But as that individual was now entirely alone they were worth nothing, and collapsed and died, having eradicated themselves from existence.’

  He extinguished Saffron’s words from his mind as the leader of the hired men, a man named Red Hoffman, stepped forward. He was tall and bulky, with a flat-topped buzz cut of ginger hair and a pallid face pock-marked with what had likely been childhood acne.

  ‘We’re ready to go, sir,’ he said. ‘What’s our target?’

  ‘How many of your men have served in the military?’ Oppenheimer asked, gesturing to the men behind Hoffman.

  ‘All of them, sir,’ Hoffman replied, raising his chin. ‘Every single man I’ve hired has served at least one tour of duty in—’

  Oppenheimer walked past Hoffman. The man disgusted him already, acting as though he were commanding a Delta Force legion when his pasty skin and sagging guts suggested otherwise. Oppenheimer selected a scrawny-looking man with receding hair and bloodshot eyes, whose face bore crooked scars that ran from the corners of his mouth up his cheeks in a permanent macabre grin.

  ‘You. When and where did you serve?’

  ‘The ’80s, sir, US Army, First Infantry Division.’

  Oppenheimer took in the man’s slumped shoulders and skinny hands. ‘Where were your headquarters?’

  ‘Fort Hood, Texas, sir,’ the man replied with a slight quiver.

  Oppenheimer turned to look at Hoffman.

  ‘The First Infantry are based at Fort Riley, Kansas,’ he said quietly. ‘First Cavalry are at Fort Hood.’

  Hoffman’s proud demeanor slumped.

  ‘A genuine mistake, sir,’ he muttered. ‘Been a while since our service years for most of us.’

  Oppenheimer stepped up to glare into Hoffman’s eyes and spoke loudly enough for the men behind them to hear.

  ‘I dislike liars,’ he rattled. ‘You’re being paid good money to go out there and track down several men, but judging by your fat gut and your double chin the closest you’ve gotten to the army is playing with toy soldiers in your grandma’s fucking garden.’

  Hoffman’s pocked skin flushed pink as he stared over Oppenheimer’s head into the distance. Oppenheimer turned and paced up and down as he addressed the men as one.

  ‘The man you are looking for is Ethan Warner. He is a former United States Marine with combat experience who is likely more capable than every man standing here combined. I suggest that you lose your fantasies of being elite soldiers and concentrate on your strengths.’ He looked at each and every one of them with revulsion. ‘Your only strength being numbers.’ He turned to Hoffman. ‘Get these assholes off my property and out into the desert. Ethan Warner is searching for a small group of men who must not be harmed. As for Warner, the first person to shoot him dead and bring his head back here will receive enough money to buy a small island in the Bahamas, is that clear?’

  The men bellowed a cry of ‘hoo-rarr’ and began jogging out of the warehouse and down to the loading area outside, where two coaches were waiting for them. Oppenheimer reached into his pocket and retrieved his small GPS locator, checking its screen. There, in the middle of a map of the New Mexico desert, a signal beeped and flashed once every second.

  Oppenheimer smiled.

  ‘There you are, Ms Lopez,’ he said. ‘Everybody can be bought.’

  He turned to Hoffman, who was shouting orders as his men loaded heavy cases into the coaches.

  ‘Hoffman! Get Lillian Cruz up here! We’ll need her on the scene if we capture our targets.’

  Hoffman selected two of his men and stormed off toward the theater. Oppenheimer watched them go and then checked his GPS tracker one last time before walking toward the coaches, determined that he would witness his finest hour with his own eyes.

  50

  NEAR GLENCOE

  ‘What is it?’

  Ethan hurried down into the flickering light of the camp fires to see Lopez gesturing for him to follow her, pointing toward a young girl who sat quietly amongst a small knot of Saffron’s followers.

  ‘This girl,’ Lopez said. ‘Her name’s Ruby Lily, or so she says. She’s seen the soldiers out here before, says she knows where they hide out.’

  Ethan followed her to where the young girl sat alongside a fidgety teenage boy who stared at Ethan with wide eyes, as though he were afraid of his own shadow. Ethan sat down on an old rug that had been spread on the desert floor, amazed once again at how Lopez was so easily able to win people into her confidence. He figured it was something to do with her diminutive frame and her exotic looks – attributes which on occasion had seen bail runners hand themselves over without a struggle when Lopez had flashed them an easy-going smile and promised a lenient report upon their return to jail.

  ‘Ruby,’ Lopez said to the young girl. ‘Tell my partner here, Ethan, what you told me.’

  The girl looked at Ethan and began to speak, glancing occasionally at the bats flickering past in the night sky above them, their wings visible as they flashed over the flames of the fire. ‘I’ve only seen them now and again,’ she said shyly, ‘most times out in Otero County, west of Carlsbad.’

  ‘You sure we’re seeing the same people,’ Ethan asked. ‘The same ones who were attacking Lopez and me tonight?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Ruby said, ‘no doubt about it. They’re the only people I’ve ever heard talking so funny. Y’know, like real old people.’

  ‘Where can we find them, Ruby?’ he asked. ‘This is very important; we need to find them.’

  Ruby smiled in the firelight as the logs crackled and spat, the sparks reflected in her dark eyes.

  ‘They don’t wanna be found, that much I know for sure,’ she said. ‘They always turn away from us if we see them and disappear as fast as they can. We figured they’re scared of us.’

  Ethan saw Lopez smile at the little girl’s audacity, and for a brief moment Ethan felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw Lopez’s face glowing golden in the firelight, her smile bright and her eyes sparkling. He thought again of how easily people trusted her, and of how with such a small act she could capture his attention so completely. The fact that she could also break the law with almost casual abandon struck him forcibly a moment later, and he wondered if he really knew her at all, or whether somehow she was deceiving him too. He blinked his gaze away and focused on Ruby Lily.

  ‘Anything you can tell us might help save a life, Ruby. Somebody has been abducted and we believe the person who has taken them may kill them soon. We’re running out of time and these people you see in the desert might be able to help us.’

  Ruby Lily looked at him for a long moment, and then at Lopez, before speaking.

  ‘I like you both,’ she said. ‘I can tell about people by their aura. You both shine brightly, and you obviously care for each other a great deal even if you don’t trust each other right now.’

  Lopez’s eyes widened. ‘What?’

  ‘You work together,’ Ruby Lily said clairvoyantly, ‘yet you live different lives and hide things from each other. You both have a sadness about you that you can’t leave behind.’

  Ethan glanced at Lopez, and saw her look away from him sharply. Ruby Lily glanced at her companions as though she had revealed unto them great knowledge, and then looked again at Ethan. ‘You gotta pen?’

  Lopez pulled out a small notebook and pen and handed them to Ethan. Ruby Lily sp
oke softly.

  ‘We always see them near ghost towns, abandoned mining outposts and such like out in the desert. They headed south from here, so most likely the place they’ll be headed is Brice. Find a place called Oro Grande, and follow the old railroad bed until you reach the town. There’s not much there, just some buildings, a graveyard and a few mines. If you don’t find them there, at the end of the railroad bed there’s another ghost town called Zora that just has a few old mines.’

  ‘You think that they hole up in these sort of places?’ Lopez asked her.

  Ruby Lily shrugged.

  ‘Seems that way. Maybe they store stuff there, or shelter in the caves. Indians used to mine places like Brice hundreds of years ago for turquoise, gold, copper, iron. The school house basement still remains, the Nannie Baird mine office, a powder magazine, railroad loading ramps and old cisterns.’ Ruby smiled. ‘Some people say you can still hear the sounds of the old town on the wind when you walk through.’

  Ethan frowned.

  ‘Why would they run so far south, so far away from their supply line in Santa Fe?’ he wondered out loud. ‘Seems like a hell of a risk with their health problems.’

  Ruby Lily answered for Lopez.

  ‘We reckon they’re headed for Lechuguilla.’

  Ethan felt a tingle down his spine.

  ‘Lechuguilla? Where’s that?’ he asked.

  ‘Carlsbad Caverns someplace,’ Ruby said. ‘Everyone’s heard of it but nobody’s allowed anywhere near the caves because they’re protected by the state as an environmental treasure, in pristine condition. Nobody knows where the entrance to Lechuguilla is.’

  Ethan thought hard for a long moment, and Lopez frowned at him.

  ‘What’s up?’

  ‘Lee Carson,’ Ethan said. ‘Before he died he said “Saffron, let you kill her”. I didn’t know what he meant, but now it makes sense – he was trying to say Lechuguilla. He must have seen Saffron out here and knew they had some idea of where the soldiers were hiding out.’

  A voice spoke from behind Ethan, Saffron’s tones somber and weary.

  ‘He told me they went there from time to time,’ she said. ‘When things got rough, to lie low until everything quietened down. Nobody goes into Lechuguilla, but they had access to a place called Misery Hole. The caves run for miles beneath the ground, and not every entrance is located close to Carlsbad. Some are way out in the desert.’

  ‘You think that they can get deep enough to hide out there?’ Ethan asked her.

  ‘It’s not just that,’ Saffron said. ‘If what you’re saying about these men is true, then they may have another motive. I’ve heard about Lechuguilla Cave, some of the scientific studies done there in the past. Rare, chemolithotrophic bacteria are believed to occur in the cave. They feed on the sulfur, iron, and manganese minerals and studies indicate that some microbes may have medicinal qualities that are beneficial to humans.’

  Lopez looked at Ethan.

  ‘Maybe they think they can cure themselves by going there? That’s why they’re running so far south.’

  A sudden urgency raced through Ethan.

  ‘We have to get there before they do, or they’ll disappear. They’ve had decades to map those caves.’

  ‘You have no choice now,’ Saffron agreed, gesturing out into the night. ‘They know you’re following them. They’ll keep moving through the night, and they won’t leave a trail. Only way to catch them up will be to beat them down there and cut them off.’

  Ethan got up, searching his pockets for his cell phone.

  ‘We’re going to need back-up,’ he said, looking at Lopez. ‘These guys will start shooting the moment they spot us. See what else you can find out from Ruby here.’

  Ethan stepped away from the firelight, jogging up the nearby hillside for a clear signal before dialing Doug Jarvis’s number. The line picked up on the second tone.

  ‘Jesus, Ethan, where are you?’

  ‘We’re out in the desert, west-northwest of Artesia. We need a ride.’

  ‘That could prove a problem,’ Doug replied. ‘DIA has suspended all support operations for you out there until USAMRIID has confirmed its findings in Santa Fe.’

  ‘They’re working with Jeb Oppenheimer at SkinGen,’ Ethan said quickly. ‘Oppenheimer’s got somebody at USAMRIID in his pocket and he’s trying to hold us up or get rid of us altogether.’

  ‘I think I may know who,’ Jarvis replied. ‘Donald Wolfe. But there’s not much we can do about it this end unless we can prove Wolfe is setting you up out there. The word here is that USAMRIID suspect that you and Lopez have had something to do with the murder of Tyler Willis, and since you’ve now disappeared into the deserts

  ‘They’re onto us.’ Ethan finished the sentence, cursing under his breath. ‘Has all support been pulled?’

  ‘You’ve got a special-ops team at Holloman standing-by, but I can’t give them the green light until I’ve got proof that Donald Wolfe is setting this all up on Oppenheimer’s behalf.’

  ‘Fine,’ Ethan said, reverting to soldier mode – accept the problem and deal with it. ‘We’re heading for Carlsbad Caverns, specifically a site called Lechuguilla Cave. As soon as you can, send them in to support us.’

  ‘I’m on my way to Holloman right now and I’ll do what I can, but you should operate as though you’re alone.’

  ‘We’re getting used to it.’

  Ethan shut the phone off and hurried back toward the camp.

  51

  Lopez finished up talking to Ruby Lily, pocketed her notebook and stood up. The crackling fire was dying, and the rest of Saffron Oppenheimer’s followers had drifted away to their tents. Lopez was about to go looking for Ethan when Saffron appeared beside her.

  ‘So what’s the deal between you and Ethan?’ Saffron asked.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Saffron folded her arms and smiled brightly.

  ‘You know what I mean. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other, there’s obviously something going on.’

  Lopez struggled to keep the smile off her face and felt her skin flush hot as she turned and walked away from the fire.

  ‘There’s nothing going on between us.’

  ‘Really? Is that why you got in a car with Jeb Oppenheimer?’

  Lopez froze mid-pace, then turned slowly. The thought crossed her mind to deny everything, but Saffron’s smile had vanished quicker than a desert mirage and her eyes were as hard as stones.

  ‘Oppenheimer pulled up alongside me,’ Lopez admitted. ‘The creep wanted to talk, as he put it.’

  ‘Bet you had a nice chat,’ Saffron said, her arms falling loosely to her sides as she strolled toward Lopez. ‘See, I’ve got a problem here. You guys think Jeb has abducted and killed anyone who stands in his way. Yet you get into his car, have a nice cozy chat and then you get out and just walk away. You know what that says to me?’

  Lopez raised a questioning eyebrow as Saffron stopped barely inches from her.

  ‘That you sold out, and you’re going to betray Ethan. You took Jeb’s money because whatever you promised is of value to him and that’s the only reason he let you go.’

  ‘Funny,’ Lopez smirked, ‘that every time Ethan’s spoken to you we’ve later ended up being chased by the police or nearly blown sky-high. Trustworthiness doesn’t exactly shine out of your ass, Saffron.’

  ‘That’s rich,’ Saffron shot back. ‘Thinking of taking your little bounty and hiking over the border?’

  Lopez let a cold grin flicker across her features.

  ‘Sounds like you’re as paranoid as your dear old grandpa, little girl. I don’t need a lecture from a murderer who hasn’t got the guts to stand up to a ninety-year-old.’

  Lopez saw Saffron’s Bowie knife flash in the firelight as she swung it toward her face, but Lopez was already moving, stepping outside the arc of the blade and using her right hand to bat it past her face with an inch to spare. Lopez darted in and closed her right hand round Saffron’s k
nife wrist as she shoved her left hand up inside her elbow, folding the arm on itself and pointing the blade back at Saffron’s face. Saffron, startled by Lopez’s speed, wedged a foot behind her ankle and leaned in, trying to throw her off balance. Lopez went with the movement, but spun on her heel and threw Saffron down into the dust. Saffron leapt to her feet with the Bowie knife still in her hand, circling like a wounded leopard.

  ‘What’s up, little girl?’ Lopez taunted her, realizing Saffron’s martial-arts skills were not quite up to Lopez’s street-fighting instinct. ‘Not used to playing with the big girls?’

  Lopez saw Saffron dart in toward her again, dodging into a quick left feint before stabbing out with a straight right, the blade flashing toward Lopez’s sternum. Lopez twisted aside from the weapon, catching Saffron’s wrist again and this time jabbing her free elbow straight into Saffron’s face with a sharp crack. Saffron yanked her head away as Lopez twisted her blade arm viciously round on itself at the wrist. Saffron spun around and cried out as the blade fell from her grasp, her arm cranked up high at an awkward angle in Lopez’s grasp.

  Lopez leaned in behind her and whispered into her ear.

  ‘I don’t want you here anymore,’ she hissed. ‘Take off, or I’ll finish you for good.’

  Lopez lifted her boot and shoved it into Saffron’s ass. Saffron stumbled forward and crashed onto the ground, her arm smashing through the glowing embers of the fire. Lopez winced as Saffron’s shriek of pain wailed out across the desert night like the cry of an injured bird of prey, a shower of embers drifting down around her as she clambered to her feet. Cradling her scorched arm, Saffron ran out into the darkness with a wounded, desperate gait and vanished into the night.