The Romanov Ransom

85

The three watched as the helicopter picked up speed again, circled around the peaks one more time, then landed near the rendezvous point. When the door opened and Julio appeared, waving at them, Sam, Remi, and Dietrich continued down the mountain.

“Is everything okay?” Sam asked Julio. “Looked like you were having some trouble up there.”

“Combination of an unfamiliar craft and a sharp downdraft,” Julio said. “I wasn’t about to trust anyone else. I had to borrow this after my brother’s accident. I can’t tell you how sorry he was.”

“He’s not hurt?” Remi asked.

“He’s fine. Our helicopter not so much. But it got him home, and you’re all okay.”

“More than okay,” Sam said, making a mental note to have Selma get started on replacing the damaged helicopter. He threw their packs into the back before helping Remi. Once they were in the air, he tried calling Nando and Tatiana. Again, neither answered, and so he checked in with Selma, who had the same results. Concerned, he asked Julio if he’d spoken with Nando at all.

“Earlier this morning.”

“He say anything about friends stopping by?”

“Not a word.”

Sam eyed the base camp below as the helicopter neared. “Do me a favor, Julio. Fly a little slower as you make the first pass. I want to get a better look at our tent.”

He lifted the binoculars, focusing as their large orange dining tent came into view. He scanned the area around their campsite. No one seemed to be around. “If our ‘friends’ are there, I don’t see them,” he told Remi. “Then again, I don’t see Nando, either.”

“I’m still worried,” Remi said.

“Good reason for it,” Sam replied, pointing near the helipad. “That man at the northeast corner. Possibly a sentry.”

“There, too,” Remi said. “A little farther to the south.”

“How can you tell?” Dietrich asked.

“Besides that we’re expecting it? The way they’re standing, right hand in the right pocket, most likely holding a gun. Notice we’re all wearing bright colors,” Sam added. “They’re dressed in white. Blends in with the snow.”

“Guess my false travel plans didn’t work,” Dietrich said.

“Might have bought us a few days.” Sam scanned the area with his binoculars, telling Remi, “I don’t see Rolfe or Leopold.”

“Maybe they didn’t want to get their new white snowsuits dirty.”

“Somehow, I doubt we’re that lucky. There’s got to be more sentries. Leopold doesn’t send a couple men out and hope for the best.”

“This isn’t his territory,” Dietrich said. “Maybe he doesn’t have enough people.”

“Every time we’ve dealt with him, he’s always had several men patrolling the outer perimeter. No reason to think any different. Take us down, Julio,” Sam said, then looked back at Dietrich. “Remi and I will go on up. If we can get around those sentries, it shouldn’t take us too long to get Nando and meet you here.”

Dietrich nodded. “You sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

“I’d rather you wait with Julio. If we’re lucky, we can get in and out without anyone noticing.”

“How?”

“They’re not watching the helipad, so they might not even know we were stuck in the avalanche or coming in on the helicopter. If there’s the slightest problem, you two get out of here and get help.”

“You got it.”

When the helicopter landed, Sam jumped out, then helped Remi, the two running up the hill to a position where Sam could see the sentries. The first was behind a rock and about a hundred yards away, the second about twenty-five yards beyond him. “Let’s come up from above them,” Sam said. “They’re busy watching the tents below.” If he had to guess, Rolfe and Leopold were probably below, searching for them. Their camp was higher, overlooking the tent city. Sam hoped that meant they had plenty of time, but he wasn’t about to chance it. He drew his gun. “Ready?”

Staying low, the two followed a craggy trail of rocks and boulders. As they neared, the first sentry turned, drawing a gun from his right pocket. Sam grabbed Remi’s hand, pulling her behind a boulder. The sentry fired. Bits of rock flew up, the shot echoing around them. Sam returned fire as he and Remi ran through the snow down the trail, the echo sounding like ricocheted shots cracking off the mountain peaks.

“So much for getting to our tent unobserved,” he said. “Keep an eye out for that other guy. I’m going to find a way to get over there without them seeing. I need to take this guy out.”

“I vote we take them both out.” Remi had drawn her gun and aimed at the last location of the second sentry. “It’d be nice if he made a move. I have no idea where he went.”

“Let’s see if we can’t flush him out. Fire a shot his way when I tell you to. Then give me enough time to get into position and do it again. If he doesn’t move, the other one will. We’ll use the echo to our advantage.”

She leaned over and kissed him. “Be careful, Fargo.”

“Likewise.”

Sam waited until the first sentry edged up high enough to where Sam could see his shadow on the snowbank behind him. “Now.”

Remi fired, her shot cracking across the surrounding mountains. The moment Sam saw the first sentry duck, he dove behind a boulder across the trail, then ran between the rocks just above the man’s position. Sam glanced in Remi’s direction. When she looked his way, he gave her a thumbs-up. She nodded, and he worked his way through the rocks, wedged himself against a boulder, then peered around the side, waiting, listening for Remi. She fired again. The first gunman rose, aimed in her direction.

“Hey!” Sam yelled, firing twice.

The man turned, fired several times. The shots hit the boulder in front of Sam, snow and rock flying up. Sam shot back, ducked, and crawled through the snow until he reached a space between another pair of rocks. Two shots left, he was going to have to make them count. And hope that Remi had the other gunman covered.

Wind gusted through the rocks. Sam strained to listen, hoping to hear his opponent’s movement. There it was, faint, the crunch of snow, a few feet to his right. Sam edged his way around the boulder just as the gunman broke cover. Sam squeezed the trigger. The man fell back, red spreading across his white snowsuit.

Sam had just retrieved the man’s gun when he looked back and saw the second gunman working his way toward where Remi was hiding.

“Behind you!” Sam shouted, aiming.

Remi spun around, firing at the same time as Sam, their shots echoing around the mountains like machine guns. The sentry twisted, then stumbled, his weapon falling from his lifeless fingers.

Sam and Remi heard gunshots from the camp below.

“Nando?”

“I’m checking now,” Sam said, looking out toward the base camp. He took his binoculars, scanned the camp, unable to find who was shooting. He focused on the front of their dining tent. One of the door flaps was strapped open, and he watched a few moments, seeing Nando walk past the doorway. “He’s there. Looks fine. I don’t see anyone else in the tent or around it.”

“You know Leopold and Rolfe must have heard those shots.”

“You’re right. Can you get that guy’s gun and see if he has any extra magazines? I think we may be in for more trouble.”

Sam swept his gaze from their tent, past the group of tents down the hill. Not a lot moving. Most of the occupants were probably taking advantage of the clear weather, out climbing the summit. “If they’re down there, I don’t see them. Let’s get Nando out of here.”

Just to be safe, they decided their best bet was to approach their campsite from the rear. They picked their way through the snow, grateful that it was wasn’t deep. Sam leaned toward the tent, trying to hear inside, but a gust of wind ruffled the nylon canvas, muffling all sound. When the wind died down, he heard Nando singing along with a song on the portable radio.

That, Sam decided, was a good sign, and they continued around the corner into the tent. Nando, his back to them, was swaying to the beat of the pop music as he stirred something simmering in the large pot on the cook stove, the scent of savory spices filling the air.

“We’re back,” Sam said.

Nando, spoon in hand, turned, a smile lighting his face, until he looked past them out the door. “Where’s Dietrich?”

“Waiting at the helicopter. Which is where we need to go. Right now.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“We’re a little worried about how friendly our friends are.”

“The ones Tatiana called about?”

“You spoke to her?”

“Yes. She said she couldn’t talk but told me to tell you your mutual friends were on the way. They were following.”

“Definitely time to go,” Sam said, taking a few steps in. “When did you talk to her?”

“Not since…” Nando stared at Remi, slowly raising his hands.

Sam looked that direction and saw Rolfe and Leopold in the doorway, both holding guns.