What Are the Odds, Karma?

23

**Lydia's POV**

I had decided that after this I would not want to be traveling anytime soon. It didn't matter whether I left the country or not, there was no desire to leave my backyard honestly. Everything was now running in slow motion as we made our way back towards the van that was burning. Jack assumed the middle one had taken off right after we did, but clearly we were wrong. If they had, Spencer wouldn't have been taken.

He slowed down as we drew nearer and switched our lights off in case there were still backup around. No telling how many had actually been called in after the fiasco.

"I don't see anyone. Try radioing again and I'll take a look around the car..." Jack didn't finish his sentence as he parked and got out with his gun drawn. "If anything happens don't come for me, just get out."

No one said a word as he left to inspect the surrounding area and Manuel tried again to get into contact with headquarters. So far nothing was being picked up.

"This is insane." Luce shook her head, while her eyes never left the movement of Jack. "How could they outsmart us? Like aren't they supposed to be taken by surprise by all of this?"

"Typically yes, but this is Spencer we're talking about. They're probably assuming an attack with every step they make..." he shrugged and tried switching stations to see if the frequency was better.

"If we're assuming he's going to Ecuador, wouldn't the second van assume the same?"

"Perhaps, but there's no telling where they went or what may have happened to them. That's why,"

We all looked to see Jack just taking in the car and shaking. He was probably mourning as quietly as he could, but I couldn't bear to look away to give him the privacy he needed. The smoke that was rolling out from the car made everything around hard to see.

"I can't imagine anyone surviving that." Manuel murmured while we all just waited silently for Jack to come back.

"When we find these SOB's we'll kill them."

"No doubt." Veronica agreed with Luce while my stomach just somersaulted. If we ever got them... Right now all I wanted to do was head towards Ecuador and try to find Spencer once more. It was a miracle that we hadn't been the target but it still left everyone on edge knowing our lives really were on the line. Was this what our lives would always consist of? Living in fear and knowing we could be killed at any point in time for something we had been brought up in?

"Lets go." Jack wiped his nose as he slid back in and started in a different direction. "Manuel are you able to get ahold of headquarters?"

"Not yet, I think there's too many trees."

"Okay, keep trying once we get past the explosion. We're going to need backup and I'm not sure right now how many numbers we have at this point or how many the enemy has either."

Luce and Veronica just looked at each other while I tried to avoid both of their gazes. Of course this wasn't going the way we had planned and I refused to accept that this mission would have to be aborted sooner rather than later. It's not that they wanted it, but they had a family at home to think of and this was already going south.

"Luce?" I whispered for only her to hear.

"Yes Lydia?"

"Did you ever... at some point think that you weren't going to ever see Veronica again? That maybe you were too late and would have to accept a life without her?"

She wrapped her arm around me and kissed the top of my head. "I did, but I knew at the same time that she was strong enough to pull through when we reached her. As long as I have known Spencer, he is really tough. It would take a lot for them to break him Lyd. He won't leave us without a fight and I know for sure he isn't going to let them break him for your sake."