Chapter 18

Colt looked into Seven’s eyes as he spoke. He saw exactly what he needed to see: confidence, determination, and guts. Colt felt secure in the abilities and resolve of his new one-legged friend.

His phone rang again from the unknown caller. Colt picked up the legal pad and returned to the bathroom. Seven walked over to Goat and hugged him. He realized that the boy who had pointed a gun at him and Joey was now the lifeline that could save his friend’s life. The boy returned the embrace as tears welled up in his eyes.

Colt continued speaking on his cell phone as he emerged from the restroom. “Gracias, mi amigo” were the final words he spoke before ending the call. He then addressed his team of a one-legged pilot, a thirteen-year-old boy, and two aging former dope cops.

“Everything the kid got panned out. We are gonna pull out in the morning. The location is about a hundred miles south of here. The Colombian is gonna have a chopper waiting for us when we get there. We’ll go over the details on the road. Get some sleep, boys, we’re pulling out early.”

It was long before sunrise when the rescue team pulled themselves out of the motel beds. Tension and anxiousness were in the air as the men loaded the gear and themselves into Colt’s truck. They spent the two-hour drive discussing the mission. Colt had a basic idea of what the men were to expect in regard to the location and the adversary forces. He would know much more when they arrived at the helicopter. The Colombian had promised intel on the location, the condition of the prisoner, and the security forces in place. Seven’s left foot nervously tapped against the sole of his boot for the entire ride.

True to his word, Joey’s unnamed Colombian friend delivered on all that he promised. It was a clearing at the end of a dirt road. A dirt road whose sole purpose was to provide a path to a cleared area just large enough to land a vintage, Vietnam-era Huey helicopter. Two words came out of Seven’s mouth when he saw the olive-green relic. “Patricia Ann.” She appeared in every way similar to the war bird that

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