Chapter Fourteen

Trey Winslow picked up the phone in his den, sure the call waiting for him would be anything but good news.

“You were right to be suspicious of Faith Wilding’s relationship with Halloran,” the disembodied voice barked.

“I just had a feeling.” A sense of dread settled in Winslow’s stomach. “What have you found?”

“Faith Wilding and Mark Halloran have been friends for more than twenty years. I promise you she knows about his psychic abilities.”

“Damn.”

“Worse yet, she may even have some of her own.”

“What?” Trey’s voice rose about twenty decibels.

“I suppose you also don’t know she has an aunt who is a psychic? That she belongs to something called The Lotus Circle?” The voice spat out a brief description of the organization.

“I don’t—”

“Of course not. Sometimes I wonder how you ever got elected. I’ll bet my job—which I may be doing anyway—that my original suspicion is correct. The Wilding woman’s got the same psychic abilities he has. She’s got to be the one he’s been sending the messages to.”

Winslow felt a sweat break out on his forehead. “Have you talked to Escobedo about that? Has he confirmed it?”

“No, damn it. But he does have a man with the same abilities. He’s supposed to be able to intercept mental messages.”

“And has he?

“Unfortunately that asshole Halloran’s obviously figured it out and is forcing himself not to think of her by name. That means there could be two females who need eliminating. Damn it,” he repeated. “We could all be looking at spending the future in prison if this falls apart.”

“Maybe it’s time to cash in our chips, take what we’ve got, and all retire.”

“Oh,” the man barked, “wouldn’t that look sweet? A senator and a high-ranking member of the government suddenly saying bye-bye. Get serious, will you? We have to get rid of that woman. I’ve passed on all this information to those two idiots we hired. They’d better deliver for us.”

“We also need to find Joey Latrobe,” Winslow reminded him. “Your resources are far more extensive than mine.”

“I’m on it.”

“Well, you better hope we find him. And that your men get rid of the Wilding woman. I don’t think either one of us is ready to have our lives turned upside down if neither of those things happen.”

Winslow slammed the phone down and poured himself a drink. He was afraid the sound echoing in his head was of his world cracking to pieces around him.

* * * * *

“I don’t know who the man is,” Green said into the telephone, “but if he’s gone here’s your chance. Ring her doorbell. Tell her whatever you have to in order to get her to let you in. Then get it done.”

He disconnected the call and wiped his forehead with a white linen handkerchief. He and Brown were facing each other in one of the hotel rooms they’d rented, an air of apprehension hanging over them.

“He’ll screw it up,” Brown said at last.

“No. He won’t. He’s one of the best.”

Brown shook his head. “We need better than the best for this. We can’t afford another disaster.”

“There won’t be one.”

As he spoke the phone in his hand rang.

“Is it done yet?” the voice on the other end asked.

Green automatically reached in his pocket for a Tums. By the time they were through with this, his digestive tract would be completely shot, he figured.

“As good as.”

“Unsatisfactory,” the voice bit off. “We’re under the hammer here, and she’s a loose cannon. Get rid of her now.” The dead air indicated he’d killed the connection.

“Was it him?” Brown asked.

“Who else?” Green looked at his watch. “We should be getting a call any minute now.”

* * * * *

Mark had long ago learned to let his mind take him out of his body. Otherwise he never would have been able to tolerate the abuse his body was often forced to take. This time especially it helped him to survive. He hadn’t thought they could find any new ways to torture him, but El Serpiente’s mind was as twisted as the reptile he was named for. Surely hell would be a respite.

But he didn’t break. They could kill him, but they’d never get a thing out of him. Two people were depending on him—the source and Tidbit.

In disgust they’d finally tossed him back into the tent, sending him sprawling on the filthy ground. They no longer even bothered to chain him up. His condition had deteriorated so badly there was no chance he’d get away.

Or so they thought.

As long as I can breathe I can figure out how to escape. But I sure hope Tidbit’s getting through to someone.

He felt himself drifting into semiconsciousness when he heard the Wolf and Escobedo outside his tent. He roused himself and strained to hear what they were saying.

“I have to leave.” The Wolf’s voice was sharp, tinged with anger. “I have business to conduct, and I’ve spent far too much time here already.”

“You don’t say.” Escobedo’s own antagonism was evident. “For the amount of money you take home from us, a few days is the least you can give us. Especially in a situation such as this.”

“Don’t pressure me, Ramon. It’s true you are an excellent customer, but I have others I must attend to, also. And you don’t seem to be getting anywhere with this man, no matter what tortures you apply to him.”

Escobedo spat on the ground. “That pig. He is close to breaking. Another few hours and he’ll be mine.”

“Your pet mental giant, Felix, hasn’t gotten anywhere, either.”

At that moment Mark heard the distinctive ring of a satellite phone and the Wolf answering it.

“You found her and you lost her? What asinine nonsense is this?” A pause. “You can’t get rid of one stupid woman? Is everyone there incompetent?” Another pause. “Go into her house and drag her out, if you have to. And do not let her anywhere near anyone who can give credence to whatever she might say.”

“News?” Escobedo asked.

“More than you’ve given me. They have identified the woman Halloran is probably sending messages to. They have her in their sights. She’ll soon be history.”

Mark felt panic claw at him.

Oh, God. Tidbit, please be safe. Use that wonderful brain of yours.

“But then we have to make sure she hasn’t already contacted anyone. And there is the matter of who leaked the word of our meeting to begin with. That’s a hole we definitely have to plug.”

“When are you leaving?”

“The helo will pick me up in fifteen minutes. I’ll be back by noon tomorrow. Have my answers by then.”

Mark heard the Wolf walk away. One moment later Escobedo entered the tent.

“Last chance, soldier boy. You have until noon tomorrow to tell me what I want to know. After that it’s out of my hands.”

He drew back his foot and kicked Mark forcefully in his chest, which was crisscrossed by cuts, and then on the open wound on his leg. Mark barely restrained himself from screaming.

Hurry, Tidbit.

* * * * *

“Are you feeling better?” Rick’s voice held deep concern.

They were in the Phoenix plane, preparing for takeoff. Faith had barely held herself together until they reached the airport. Rick had carried her onto the plane and strapped her into one of the luxurious leather armchairs, introducing her to the pilot as Ed Romeo, brother of one of the partners. Then he poured a shot of brandy from the bar, knelt beside the chair, and insisted she drink it. The fiery liquid burned on the way down. But she felt the pain begin to subside almost at once, and her breathing eased.

“Yes, thank you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’ve heard about empathetic episodes like this but never witnessed one before. Does this happen often?”

“More in the last couple of days.” She tightened her hands into fists. “I think the torture is getting worse. Rick, I’m really afraid for him.”

“What a disaster.” He stood and slammed his fist against the wall of the cabin. “Goddamn politics anyway. Gregorio should have been able to send in a rescue mission long before this.”

Faith wiped her face with the damp towel Tess had placed on her forehead and handed it back to her friend. “Have you seen him? The major?”

“Yes. And I can tell you his hands are tied. Even with the support of his commanding officer, who made the trip to Fort Bragg to work with him, he can’t get approval for anything, and he’s frustrated as hell.”

“That would be Colonel Ryan.”

“That’s right.” Rick made a sound of frustration. “Gregorio was my CO when I was in SpecOps, and I had a lot of respect for him. I still do, but I feel sorry for the poor bastard. He’s between a rock and a hard place.”

“What was the last thing he said to you?”

His laugh held no humor. “He wished me luck. He knows what we’ll do.”

“And who is we, exactly?”

At that moment the pilot poked his head into the cab in to let them know they were preparing for takeoff. Sure enough, seconds later the sound of the jet engines filled the cabin.

“I’ll tell you everything once we’re airborne. Oh, and by the way. I sent your email to my friends. We’ll see if we can track down where it came from and go from there.”

He checked to make sure Faith and Tess were both properly buckled in before strapping himself into one of the armchairs across from them. And then they were taxiing down the runway.

By the time they lifted off, Faith was feeling considerably better. But she needed to see whether she could contact Mark. A feeling of desperation was creeping through her, the sense that time was running out and they weren’t moving fast enough. While they were still climbing, she closed her eyes, visualized a stream with high banks as Aunt Vivi told her to, and projected to Mark.

I’m with Rick. We’re going to get you out of this. Please hold on.

There was such a long silence she was afraid he hadn’t heard her. Or couldn’t answer. Finally she heard his voice, even fainter than before.

Rick . . . good . . .

Yes, yes. He and his friends are helping.

Hurry . . . running out . . .

We will. Mark? I love you.

She waited.

Love you, too . . .

Then he was gone. None of her efforts elicited a response. She slumped in her chair and saw Rick eying her with curiosity.

“Were you communicating with Mark just now?” he asked.

She nodded. “Just a short message, though.”

“That’s amazing. I’ve read about this. And of course, Mark explained about telepathy once he felt comfortable enough to confide in us. But I’ve never actually seen it in action. You could hear him? Talk to him? For real?”

“Yes.”

“Jesus. No wonder the military wants to develop this.”

Her eyes clouded. “He sounds so weak.”

“All right. Let me get us all something to drink, and I’ll tell you what you need to know. As well as where we’re going.”

When they were settled with filled glasses, Rick began by giving her the capsule description of Phoenix, the background of the partners, and a rough outline of how they operated.

“Joey asked one time if he could bring Mark home with him, an unusual request considering how tight our little circle is.” Rick smiled. “We had to get a look at this guy that my little brother thought was better than God.”

“You said something about wanting him to join the company,” Faith reminded him.

“Yes. He’s exactly what we need. But that’s for a later time. First we have to get him home safely. Then he can decide what he wants to do with the rest of his life.”

“You say you do contract work for the government. Would they have come to you for this mission, since apparently nobody wants anything official happening?”

“Probably. But there hasn’t been enough time for it to make its way up the ladder. And this can’t wait. Joey himself impressed us with the urgency of the situation.”

“Where are you taking us now?” Faith wanted to know.

Rick explained about the cabin and the men waiting there for them. “We’ll be getting ready to roll shortly after we arrive there. Dan’s been pulling all the details together while I was checking you out. You both will be safe there while we’re gone. We’ll have someone on you and Joey all the time.”

Faith didn’t contradict him but she had no intention of being left behind. But the time to tell him that was when he was left with no choice. Meanwhile she leaned back in her chair, admiring the plush cabin with its abundance of electronics equipment and letting her mind drift.

Mark, I’ll get you out if I have to kill someone myself to do it.

* * * * *

“What do you mean she’s not there?” Green shouted into the phone. Their day continued to get steadily worse.

“I mean she’s gone,” the fake plumber, a man named Damon, told him. “The house is empty.”

“Did you get inside?”

“Sure. Piece of cake. No alarm system and the locks are a joke. She’s gone. Car’s here but she’s not. Nor is the woman who spent the night with her.”

“Shit. Damn it all to hell.” Green was sweating again at the thought of the call he’d have to make. “How the hell could they just disappear with you there watching them? Did you fall asleep?”

“Listen,” Damon snapped, “don’t blame me. I was doing my job exactly as you told me to. You should have let me go in last night and take care of them both.”

“Oh, sure.” Green made a sound of disgust. “Then we’d have two bodies to dispose of instead of one. And two sets of questions.” He thought for a moment. “What about the man who showed up?”

“You mean the one who dragged her away from your car just in time?” Damon’s tone was nasty.

“You know who I’m referring to. What happened to him?”

“He got in his car and left.”

“Alone?”

“Yup. I waited about fifteen minutes to be sure he wasn’t coming back, then I went up to the door. Nada.”

Green thought for a moment. “Could they have left with him?”

“Not unless they snuck out the back.”

The silence thickened as both men looked at each other and reached the same conclusion.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it,” Green swore. “Didn’t you have an eye on the back?”

“Get real. You can’t see everything from the street. And who expected her to do a Houdini?”

More silence.

“All right,” Green said at last. “Go home. I’ll call you if I need you again.”

“Don’t forget my pay,” Damon reminded him.

“Your pay? You let the woman get away, didn’t you?” He disconnected the call and threw the cell phone on the bed.

Brown, who was sitting at a small round table drinking coffee, eyed him with a mixture of curiosity and dread. “She got away?”

“Yes. And who the hell knows where she’s gotten to? Fuck all, anyway.” He heaved a sigh. “Too bad that damned peacock Winslow wasn’t smart enough to have her thoroughly investigated the first time he ever met with her. Now we have to do his work for him.” He picked up the phone and tossed it at Brown. “Call the geek. Tell him we need him to do some digging.”

“Where are you going?”

“To replenish my supply of Tums.”

* * * * *

“What do mean she’s gone?”

Trey Winslow sat in the paneled office to which he’d been summoned, ostensibly for a meeting regarding his work on the Senate Armed Services Committee. He had never seen the man behind the desk quite so agitated, not even in times of great crisis. What was he thinking? This was a great crisis.

“Just exactly what I said. Right out from under our noses.” The man picked up a paper clip and began twisting and bending it. “Those bumbling idiots we use couldn’t track a pigeon if it left droppings every two inches.”

“They certainly didn’t use their brains, trying that trick with the car,” Winslow pointed out. “What if the neighbors had been watching?”

“Morons. That’s who we have working for us.” The man threw the misshapen clip onto the desk blotter. “They’ve bungled this thing from the very beginning.”

“Well, we’re in a pickle now, Digger,” the senator pointed out. “You’ll need a pretty big shovel this time around.”

The man known to his friends as Digger grimaced. “You’ve got that right. Did they at least find out who the man at the house was?”

“No, but they got the license plate, and we’re tracing it now.”

“We would have known about her connection to Halloran if you’d found out everything about her the first time she met with you.”

Winslow snorted. “Give me a break. Her publisher’s an old friend of mine. I do this pretty often for him. If I had every author who interviews me investigated I wouldn’t have time for anything else.” He rose and began pacing the length of the office. “At least I got the ball rolling this time.”

“Hopefully not a day late and a dollar short,” Digger pointed out. “Now we have to hustle our butts to find out where she could go to hide and who she’s hooked up with.”

“We still don’t know where Joey Latrobe’s being hidden or what he can tell people. And we have to identify the man who visited Faith Wilding.”

“Working on it, working on it.” A muscle twitched in Digger’s cheek.

“It’s probably time to get rid of Halloran, now that we know who he’s sending the messages to.”

Digger shook his head. “Not until we find out if he knows who gave them the info about the meeting.”

Winslow frowned. “Would he even know? That order came down from—”

“Damn it,” Digger bit off. “I know where it came from. Don’t rub my nose in it. But there had to be a source and that may have been in the mission briefing.” He slammed his hand on the desk. “All right. I’ll give our friend a call, tell him he’s got forty-eight hours to get that information. Then we have to cut our losses and figure out how to do damage control.

* * * * *

The rain had been pounding down since early morning, the wind whipping it against the windows of the cabin. Standing at the bedroom window, looking out over the cliff, Mike could see the water of the Atlantic Ocean churning into sharp waves. Springtime in South Central Texas where Rick was at the moment might mean soft breezes and sunshine, but on the Maine coast it meant brutal storms and bone-chilling cold as winter refused to release its hold on the countryside He only hoped the wind would die down before the helicopter landed later in the day.

Joey was propped up in bed, eating soup with Troy’s assistance. His pallor concerned the men in the room with him, and they could see the pain in his eyes. But he refused to let Troy medicate to the point where he couldn’t think.

“Captain Halloran doesn’t have time to wait for me to get better. Those fuckers are probably ripping him to shreds right now. I’m good to go. Let’s get on with this.”

Dan looked at Troy with raised eyebrows.

“He’s in a lot of pain,” Troy answered the unspoken question, “but I’m watching him. If I see he’s pushing himself too far I’ll cut it off.”

“No, you won’t.” Joey jerked his head, and a soft moan of pain escaped his lips.

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Mike said.

“No. Please.” Joey took a breath, as deep as he could, and let it out slowly. “Let me at least get the rest of the basics out.”

“All right.” Dan pulled his chair closer to the bed and unfolded the map of Peru. “We’ve circled Iquitos there.” He pointed with his finger. “Can you figure how close to the city the temporary camp was?”

“I’d say no more than an hour.” He moved his good arm to run his fingertip over the spidery lines that indicated crude roads. “The insertion was at night, and we could still see the lights of Iquitos. We calculated the distance by that.”

“That still leaves a big circle to choose from,” Mike said. “Anything else you remember?”

Joey frowned in concentration. “We came in over the water and did the drop not far from where the Amazon curves in here.” He pointed on the map. “I remember that we had very little cover because the river takes a sharp turn there.”

“Then what?” Dan prompted.

“Okay. Let’s see. We had the GPS coordinates, so I’d say we found them right about . . . here.” He touched another spot. “But they moved from there and took the captain with them.” He looked up. “I get the feeling they didn’t go more than five or ten miles, though.”

“All right.” Dan folded up the map. “This gives us a starting place. And you, my young friend, need to take your meds and get some more rest.”

“But—”

“No buts. I’m going to make some calls. Reach out to some people who can get us more specific information.”

“Yeah.” Mike turned away from the window. “We’ve got folks we can contact. This terror cell may have picked a temporary place for their meeting to keep it secret, but their camp won’t be as well hidden. Word of it can’t help but filter out. Someone will know where it is, now that we’ve got a starting point.”

Troy took the empty soup cup from Joey and picked up a syringe from the nightstand. It had been less than forty-eight hours since they’d snatched him from the hospital, so they were still giving him antibiotics to fight off possible infection and pain meds strong enough to keep him comfortable. It would be a while yet before they could cut back on the dosages, despite his constantly stated desire to stay awake and talk to them.

“Time for your nap, tough guy,” Troy told him now, as he shooed the others out of the room. “Don’t worry. You’ll get all the gory details.”

When they were gathered around the table again with filled coffee mugs, Dan picked up the satellite phone. “I think it’s time to do some reaching out. Rick will be back here with our two guests in about . . .” He looked at his watch. “Three hours. I’d like to have everything locked down by then and be ready to roll.”

“Yeah, our guests.” Mike fiddled with his mug. “What the hell are we going to do with two women up here along with our patient?”

Dan punched some numbers into the phone. “I’m getting my cousins up here to stand sentry. They’re just back from that job in Guatemala so I know they’re available.” When a voice answered on the other end he walked away from the table and spoke in low tones.

Mike and Troy looked at each other.

“What a fucking mess,” Mike said.

“Ain’t that just the truth.” Troy looked out the window. “I hope this weather goes away before we have to hit the air.”

“I just hope these women don’t give us any shit.”

Troy snorted. “Yeah, right. I can hardly wait to hear Rick’s story on this Wilding woman.”

“He didn’t give you any clue?”

Troy shook his head. “Only that he’d rather tell us in person.”

“About what?” Dan asked, coming back to the table.

“About why someone’s so hot to kill Faith Wilding, and why he needs to stash her away here instead of in some hotel.”

“Well, we’ll find out soon enough. Meanwhile we have things to do. Mike, get the firepower out and make sure everything’s clean and in working order. Troy, you get the clothes out of the chest over there. Camo suits, wet suits, just in case, and grease paint. Then pull out all the comm gear and check each piece over. I’m going to give the map another shot, then see what Dragon can tell us about the layout.”

“Be nice if he could pinpoint exactly where the camp is,” Troy said in a wry voice.

“He may just do that. All right, everyone.” He looked around the room. “Let’s get to work.”