“I’m a federal agent,” he said. “This is an emergency. I’m commandeering your vehicle. Put your hands up and get out.”
The man’s eyes widened, his hand reaching for the knob. “Wh—whatever you say,” he said.
“Get out. Now.”
The man slid from the seat and stumbled from the vehicle. Cutter hit the gas and left him standing in the street. By the time he reached the edge of town, he was doing sixty miles per hour, driving like a madman through deep snow and icy patches. The vehicle slid dangerously close to the ditch several times, but Cutter didn’t slow down.
He’d located a sporting goods store while waiting for Madrid to call with the coordinates. There, he’d bought tools: wire cutters, flashlight, hunting knife, even a cheap GPS unit. He’d plugged in the coordinates and mapped out a route to the compound. It would be tough going, but if he could keep up this pace he could be there in half an hour.
“Hang on, Mattie,” he whispered as he maneuvered a curve at a treacherous speed.
The passage of time hammered at him as the vehicle sped into the darkness and snow. Fear chased him no matter how fast he drove. Cutter had endured some of the worst things a human being could face. But the thought of Mattie facing the same fate at the hands of The Jaguar tore down his defenses like nothing else ever had in his life.
He made the half-hour drive in twenty minutes. He checked the GPS coordinates twice, fearing he had somehow missed the place. He took the SUV down a narrow stretch of dirt road when suddenly through the thick trees he saw the lights of the compound.
Nestled between two ridges, the place, built into the side of a mountain, was fortresslike. It was protected from the air by the high cliffs, protected from access by land because the roads were narrow and dirt. The perfect location for a terrorist training center.
He cut the headlights and eased the four-wheel drive vehicle down the narrow road. Even with the chains, the tires spun in the deep snow. At the half-mile point, fearing the vehicle would be seen, Cutter ran the truck into a deep ravine and set out on foot. He ran quickly in the darkness, knowing he had to reach Mattie before The Jaguar began his terrible work.
The compound was a massive stone-and-brick structure. Concertina wire surrounded the outer perimeter. Though he couldn’t see them because of the falling snow, Cutter knew there would be spotlights, motion detectors and, of course, armed sentries. The Jaguar hadn’t become the most powerful terrorist in the world by being lax in his security.
No, he would have it all and then some.
He approached the building from the north, used the wire cutters to make an opening in the concertina wire and crawled through on his belly. Once through the wire, Cutter jumped to his feet and looked around. He was twenty yards from the main building. From where he stood, he could see a guard tower. Dual spotlights shone from each corner of the building and swept the grounds in ten-second intervals.
Using the snow for cover, he sprinted to the north wall and flattened himself against the brick. No doubt all the entrances would be locked down tight. The windows were high and more than likely rigged to an alarm system.
The sound of a door opening startled him. Twenty feet away a man in a blue parka stepped outside. Cutter pressed closer to the brick and watched as the man pulled out a pack of cigarettes, tapped one out and lit up.
I just found a breach in your security system, you son of a bitch.
He waited until the man had finished smoking and punched the reentry numbers into a keypad. The second the door opened, Cutter took him out with a single blow from the wire cutters. He confiscated the man’s assault rifle and uniform, then dragged him to a nearby stack of pallets where he would be out of sight. He gagged and bound him, then quickly changed into the uniform.
Cutter could feel the seconds ticking by as he entered the building. He couldn’t stop thinking about Mattie. How frightened and alone she must feel. At that moment he would have given his own life to save hers. But he had to find her first.
Hang on, his mind chanted. I’m coming for you.
He slithered down a darkened tiled hall that intersected with another, wider hallway. In the distance he could hear heavy footsteps. The occasional slam of a steel door. Even in the dead of night the place was alive with evil.
Ever aware of the passage of time, Cutter headed toward the main part of the building. He was midway down the hall when a scream tore through the air.
The sound stopped him dead in his tracks. It was a sound so filled with terror that Cutter felt that same terror ripping through his own body.
Oh dear God, The Jaguar was torturing her.