Milton smiled. “It’ll happen one day,” he said. “I’m at peace with it.”

Ellie looked at him. She saw the hurt that he carried with him, the absence of self-esteem. She remembered it from before, too, from the time they’d spent trekking through the Upper Peninsula and the night they’d spent on the shore of Mirror Lake. She had drawn him to her then, and she found that she wanted to do it again now.

She started to step toward him, but, before she could, McCoy put his head around the door.

“Ready?” he said.

She turned to him. “Now?”

“We’re good to go.”

84

Ellie and Milton followed McCoy down the stairs to the hallway. McCoy and four of his SEALs—Rhames, Peterson, Wood and DuPlessis—were waiting. They were wearing civilian clothes, but all had pistols worn in shoulder holsters that were hidden by their jackets. Miguel and Fuentes were there, too.

“You know the plan,” McCoy said. “We take both cars. I’ll drive the lead car. Rhames brings La Bruja. Flowers, Smith—you’re with us, too.” He pointed to the other men. “You drive the trail car. Stay close. There’s nothing to suggest that we’ve been made, but it couldn’t be more unfriendly outside. We don’t stop for anyone or anything. Time to the airport from here should be forty-five minutes max.”

“Are they ready for us?”

“The jet landed an hour ago. We drive straight out onto the strip, load her up and away we go.”

There was murmured assent. Ellie knew that the plan had been discussed and that the SEALs were content with what was being proposed.

McCoy turned to the two DEA agents. “You two okay to get out under your own steam?”

“We’ve been down here for months,” Fuentes said. “We got it.”

McCoy turned to Rhames. “All right, then. Go get her.”

The SEAL made his way to the holding room where La Bruja was being kept.

Ellie held her hands together and drummed her fingers against one another. She knew that this had the potential to be dangerous. Very dangerous. They were proposing something that might charitably be called audacious.

She corrected herself.

Audacious?

No.

Risky.

Rash.

Foolhardy.

But what other choice did they have?

Milton was leaning against the wall, watching her. “It’ll be fine.”

She nodded. She knew that he was doing his best to give her confidence, but her mouth was still dry.

“There’s one thing that would make me a lot more comfortable,” he said.

“What’s that?”

“Get me a weapon.”

“No,” McCoy said.

“I know what I’m doing,” Milton protested.

“So you say,” McCoy said. “But, with respect, I don’t know you. And we don’t need another shooter. There are five of us plus Agent Flowers. We have it covered.”

Milton ignored McCoy and kept his eyes on Ellie.

She shrugged. “It’s his call.”