“I heard what he was going to do,” she interrupted as she held Sasha for a brief moment before she pushed her away. “Bastard.” Then she was kneeling, duct-taping Baldwin’s mouth, before she handcuffed his wrists. She took out a hypodermic and gave him a shot. “I’ll definitely put it on the schedule, but this isn’t the time to teach you karate. We’ve got to get him out of here. That sentry will be doing his rounds in another fifteen minutes. We have to have Baldwin across that creek and this camp quiet as a grave by then.”

Sasha was nodding jerkily. “I was just wishing we could put Baldwin in a grave of his own. It would make Jeanne safer. It would make all of them safer.” She was picking up the whiskey bottle Baldwin had dropped when Alisa had attacked him. She capped it and then tucked it into Baldwin’s backpack. “Margaret said Korgan wanted Masenak to think he’d just disappeared? Nothing more permanent? Too bad.” She was swiftly packing up Baldwin’s clothes and toiletries in the backpack and strapping it on him. “I’ll help you drag him out the back of the tent and into the jungle. Then I’ll come back and clean up the rest.”

“Not necessary. I’ll help her.”

Sasha whirled to see a man with dark curly hair sliding underneath the edge of the tent with one lithe movement. “I’m John Gilroy and you must be Sasha.” His eyes were fixed warily on the whiskey bottle Sasha had instinctively grabbed to use as a weapon when she’d seen him. “Introduce us, Alisa. Quickly, please.”

“Gilroy,” Alisa said curtly. “Korgan sent him with us. He has some kind of bizarre notion that he’s a second Indiana Jones. I told him to stay outside and keep an eye on Margaret.”

He shrugged. “Just being proactive. You’re a few minutes behind schedule, and I do take my instructions from Korgan.” Gilroy was dragging Baldwin’s limp body toward the back of the tent where he’d entered. “How long will he be out?”

“The sedative will last another thirty minutes.”

“Then let’s get the asshole out of here.” He jerked Baldwin’s boots off him and threw them outside the tent. “You go ahead and check that sentry. I can handle Baldwin by myself.” He glanced at Sasha. “It’s risky to leave her. If that sentry is on time, we’ll be shaving it pretty close. Are you sure you don’t want to bring her with us?”

“Hell, yes, I want to bring her with us,” Alisa said harshly. “She just won’t come.” She looked back at Sasha and said thickly, “Take care. We’ll be back for you all as soon as we can.”