“We can’t drive in there after him,” Chase said. “They’ll make us right away.”

“I agree. That’s why we need to figure out what we’re going to do.”

Chase ignored him. He turned in his seat so that he could look back to Ellie. “What’s your plan? You go back and call in the cavalry?”

“Maybe,” she said. “If we can track him, like you say…”

“What about her?”

“Who?”

“La Bruja.”

“Why do you care?” she asked.

“She murdered my father.”

There was evidently a lot that she didn’t know. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “We’ll do what we can. I want her, too.”

“And then what? Prison?”

“Probably.”

Chase shook his head firmly. “Too good for her.” He opened the glovebox and took out the Sig Sauer P226 that he had taken from the arms dump, then unlatched the door. “I’ll watch the house. Call me when you have a plan.”

“Chase!” Hicks reached for him, but the American was already out of the car.

Ellie looked over and watched as Chase retraced his way along the road before turning onto a narrow set of steps that climbed up to the next tier of the favela. He disappeared from view.

“Shit,” Hicks said.

“We can’t stay here,” Ellie said, aware that a man outside the store was eyeing the car. “We need to get off the street.”

Hicks got out and went around to the front, taking Chase’s place in the driver’s seat. He took out his own phone. “Ziggy—do you have a fix on Chase?”

“Yes,” he said. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s doing his own thing. Keep an eye on where he is.”

He put the phone on mute, started the engine and put the car into drive. Ellie looked back at the narrow staircases that climbed up into the favelas. A big six-foot gringo like Chase was going to stand out in a place like this.

“How savvy is he?” she asked.

“Chase?” Hicks shrugged. “I haven’t known him for long. Impatient. Other than that? I don’t know.”

“I hope he’s smart. Unless he gets off the street, someone’s going to deliver him to La Bruja.”

Hicks knew that she was right. Chase wouldn’t last long out here on his own.

“You mentioned the cavalry,” Hicks said. “How do we go about arranging that?”

92