Chapter Nine
The three men were having another conference call, and it was a toss-up which of them was suffering the most anxiety. With the FBI now watching all of them, they’d each retreated to their respective restrooms, returning the first call and waiting until they were all connected. It had been hell, constantly switching telephones, using throwaways, and having to send the numbers encrypted to each other. But with the FBI monitoring everything, they couldn’t afford to take chances.
“I don’t know what you two are bitching about,” Pelley said. “I’m the one who’s in the middle of all this.”
“Yeah?” Ryan Post’s voice was scratchy from lack of sleep. “Well, I got a call not half an hour ago that some agent would be at my doorstep any minute to ask me what I knew about my sister’s whereabouts. Now I’ve got not just him but also someone hooking up tracers to all my communications equipment. Personal and business. I thought these guys were supposed to be discreet? Not make themselves so visible?”
“Ryan, for God’s sake.” Pelley was exasperated. “They’re going to talk to anyone they can to see what information they can come up with. Anyway, it’s not as if they’re taking out a full-page ad in the newspaper.”
“I got a call, too,” Rand Prescott chimed in. “They tracked me down through my secretary, and now they’re all over me. Listen, the best thing we can do is just cooperate and tell them we know nothing. That way our hands are clean.”
“I’m just glad I’m not the one whose office they’re sitting in,” Post whined. “They know we each got the email, right?”
“Yes,” Pelley snapped, “but I’m the one holding the bag.”
“We all agreed you’d be the front man, Ron, and the logical point of contact. That way you can keep us informed of everything that’s going on. So why did you get us involved?”
“Because if they found out on their own, we’d be in bigger trouble. And we’d all look bad. We talked about this, remember?”
“I just wish to hell they’d tell us how to handle the ransom and this whole thing would be over with,” Post complained.
“And your sister back safely,” Pelley added.
“Yeah, yeah. Of course.”
“Well, we have one more little problem to deal with.”
“What?” Prescott was startled. “What the hell else could possibly happen?”
“The people from the Phoenix Agency are sticking their noses into this thing because of Mari Culhane. Her sister’s having a fit.”
“Phoenix? Who the hell are they?” Post asked, a bewildered tone in his voice.
“Some people you don’t want to meet on a dark night,” Pelley told him. “The closest thing to a mercenary agency you’ll find. Except they also do black-ops jobs for Uncle Sam. And they’re called in when the government has a situation it can’t handle. They’re all ex-military.”
“Hell.” Ryan spit out the expletive. “We can’t let them start poking their noses into everything. All three of us have things we’d rather they not bring to light. Right?”
The others agreed with him.
“The FBI will take care of them.” Prescott’s voice was confident. “They’re very territorial, and they don’t like freelancers invading their area.”
“I don’t know. These guys are . . . different.”
“Quit worrying,” Prescott snapped, “and get the money together. If you need help with that, let me know. Just be ready for the next email.”
When they disconnected the call, two men sat back in their chairs, trying to ignore the anxiety gripping them. The third smiled at the ease with which the others were being played, yet at the same time, he had his own worries to deal with. If Nando took it in his crazy head to kill the hostages, they were all screwed.
Kat was still trembling when they all walked back into the suite she and Mike were sharing.
“Kitten, you have to eat something,” Mike insisted. “You’ll never be able to get through a remote viewing session if you’re not at full strength.”
“At least Brent Fontaine won’t be bothering you anymore,” Faith pointed out. “Thank God for that.”
Kat blew out a breath. “That’s the truth.” She looked at Mike. “I know I should have told you about him before. But we had just connected again after all this time, and I wasn’t sure—”
“Hush.” He smiled at her. “We can talk about it later. And let’s see what Wagner finds out about him, too. Meanwhile let me order you a sandwich, take a minute to relax, and then we’ll lay out the pictures and see what happens.”
“Message from Andy,” Mark told them. He’d been checking his cell while they talked. “What’s up?” he asked into the phone. “Uh-huh. Yeah. Holy shit. Okay. Send them to Mike’s laptop. It’s already set up. Do it now.”
Three sets of eyes turned to him.
“Give,” Mike said.
“Andy cracked the code on the emails sent to the three men. He said . . .” Mark stopped and looked at Kat.
“Tell me,” she demanded. “I don’t care how bad it is. It’s worse not knowing anything.”
Mike put an arm around her and pulled her tight against his body.
“Okay, here it is. There was video attached to the email, showing the Wrights and Mari. They were holding a newspaper so the date was visible. The first message told them the hostages were unharmed and to watch for the next email.”
“They’re alive.” Kat couldn’t hide her relief. “Thank God for that.” But then she saw the tight look on Mark’s face. “That’s not all, is it? There’s more. You can tell me, Mark.”
“The second video showed them, but this time . . .” He stopped, then started again. “This time Sydney Wright had a long cut on her face, and Mari sported a wide bruise on her temple.”
Kat leaned into Mark, determined not to show any weakness. Whatever threats she was facing, Mari was strong and would hang on until Phoenix could rescue them.
“What did the second message say?” Mike asked.
“They want ten million, cash. Watch for the next email with instructions.”
“You can bet they won’t ask to have it dropped off in a large suitcase. They’ll want a wire transfer, and that may be what leads us to them.”
Mark dropped his phone on the small table. “Possible, if Andy is ready to track it. He tried tracing the email back by hitting Reply and attempting to send them a message, but it just bounced back. I think they’re shutting it down on the other end once the email gets through. But I say we need to find them before the ransom drop. We have no assurances that . . .” Again he paused.
“That they won’t kill the hostages,” Kat finished for him. “I’m well aware of that, Mark. And I’m going to do what I can to help you pinpoint their location.” She turned to Mike. “Order me my usual sandwich and a thick chocolate shake. I need sugar. I’m going to take a shower.”
She turned on her heel and headed to the bedroom.
“Well, she’s no shrinking violet,” Mark commented with a hint of a grin.
“You can count on that,” his partner said.
“I’d say she’s got strength she hasn’t even tapped yet,” Faith commented. “Mike, how on earth did you ever let her get away before?”
Mike dropped into one of the big armchairs. “Because I was stupid. Idiotic. Out of my mind.”
“And too wrapped up in your playboy image, right?” Mark accused, softening the words with a smile.
“You got it. I’d been running so fast I didn’t realize I’d already gotten to where I was heading.”
“You are so lucky she’s giving you another chance,” Faith pointed out.
“Yeah, but this little episode we’re involved in helped it along. I took her to dinner last night and we spent the night together. Still, I’m not sure when I would have heard from her again if this hadn’t happened.”
“Speaking of which,” Mark said, “should we prod our friend Mr. Pelley again and see what we can pry out of him, or is that a bad idea?”
“He’s got the FBI all over him,” Mike reminded him, “and Special Agent Anthony Delaware doesn’t seem to want our company. I say let Andy monitor everything in cyberspace while we work things from our end.”
“You don’t really think Brent Fontaine had anything to do with this, do you?” Faith wanted to know.
Mike shook his head. “No. I just wanted to rattle his cage good so he’ll leave Kat alone. And I want to see what Andy digs up on him, too.”
“Got it now.” Mark was standing by the laptop, watching the screen. “Four emails from Andy. I’m going to pull them up and see what he sent.”
The first two were copies of the emails sent to Pelley and the others. Faith couldn’t help the tiny gasp that escaped when she saw the photos.
“Oh my God.” Her voice reflected the horror she was looking at. “Oh, Mark.” She moved close to her husband, who wrapped an arm around her.
“Let’s see what else Andy sent,” Mike interjected, “and get it all out in the open before Katherine comes back in the room.”
“I wish we’d brought the portable printer with us,” his partner told him. “I can’t believe we were stupid enough to leave it behind. I’ll go out a little later and pick one up. Meanwhile, save everything to the flash drive, and I’ll go downstairs and print it all out.”
The other emails held all the details they’d asked for on Ron Pelley, Ryan Post, and Rand Prescott, as well as what Andy had been able to pull up quickly on Brent Fontaine. Mike sat at the table, scrolling through each document.
“Well, there’s plenty of bad blood between Sydney Wright and her brother,” he commented. “Their wealthy parents left them each enormous trust funds, but Ryan Post doesn’t seem to have managed his very well. And his spas seem to be more of a financial drain than a thriving business. There’s a little item here about a very public fight brother and sister had at a party where he asked her and Eli for a substantial loan and they turned him down.”
“In public?” Mark couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Yup. Apparently he hadn’t been able to talk to them in private, he was drunk at this party, and he made quite a scene.”
“What else?”
“Rand Prescott is listed as a millionaire speculator who’s partnered with Eli Wright on some specific deals. Andy says he hasn’t gotten much on him yet, but he’s checking further into all of them and also trying to get copies of Prescott’s financial statements.”
“If anyone can do it, he can.” Faith laughed.
“Ron Pelley is very interesting,” Mike went on. “From what Andy’s found so far, his personal financial situation fluctuates. He’s been on the bottom as much as he’s been on top.”
“Drugs?” Mark asked. “Gambling? Stock speculation?”
“He’s checking. Right now any of the three could be the frog in the pond here. I still think it’s strange that all three were contacted by the kidnappers.”
“Diversion. Throw people off the scent.”
“Unless they’re all in it together. Someone had to set this up with whoever staged the kidnapping and feed them the right information.”
“Pull up those pictures again. Let’s see if they tell us anything.”
“Oh God!”
No one had seen Katherine come in. Suddenly she was standing beside them, her eyes wide with shock as she looked at the photos on the screen.
Mike jumped up from where he was sitting and led her away from the table. “Don’t look, kitten. Please.”
“No. I have to see. It might help me in my session.” Her face was set in grim lines. “Really. I can handle it.”
The arrival of her sandwich provided a momentary distraction. She insisted on sitting at the table and studying the photos while she ate. Finished, she pushed the plate away and asked them to clear everything off the table except the laptop, and to leave the photos up on the screen.
Where are the pictures you printed out?” she asked Mike.
“Right here.” He picked them up from the sofa table where he’d left them.
“All right. Here’s my picture of Mari.” She took it from the pocket of the jeans she’d put on and placed it next to the shot of the Wrights. Then she pulled the laptop around so she could see all the photos at once. “Can you close the drapes, please, and just leave one small lamp on?”
“No problem.” Mike hurried to do as she asked, darkening the room and turning on one small table lamp.
He sat in the armchair again while the Hallorans took the couch, all eyes on Kat as she gathered herself to begin.
With Brent Fontaine finally out of her life, Kat was convinced that her powers would be stronger, more focused. That her concentration would be greater. She studied each of the pictures in front of her very closely, then lifted her eyes and stared straight ahead. Just like always, the images wavered and blurred. She saw a piece of a dirt road, a tree, a dog running across her vision as if crossing a video screen. Then everything disappeared. She blinked, forcing her attention.
She opened her eyes and looked at the photos again, then closed them and focused. The road came into view again, along with the dog, and this time a corner of a building. She tried to zero in on the building, to bring up a larger image of it, but she was hung up on the corner.
Okay. Try again.
This time she saw more of the road, leading upward toward an ugly square adobe hut. And for the first time she saw a man, dressed in dirty khaki pants and shirt. The dog was running around him, barking at him. Once more everything faded.
Then she blinked and like always, the image became crystal clear. She saw part of the adobe building, a large gun slung over the man’s shoulder as he leaned against the wall, a truck parked off to the side, and in the background what was either a large hill or a small mountain. The blazing sun was casting shadows, hinting at the presence of others to the side of the hut.
It froze in her vision for a long moment, snapped by an imaginary camera, then it was gone.
Kat tried to call it back, but all she could see were fragments again.
“Please turn on the light and open the drapes,” she said in quiet voice.
“What did you see, kitten?” Mike was at her elbow with a glass of water.
She drank from it thirstily, then explained the picture she’d been able to call up.
“I need more,” she told him, then looked at Mark and Faith. “But I didn’t feel a weakening of my gift this time, only a lack of sufficient information.” She blew out a sigh. “I think getting Brent Fontaine off my back has made a major difference.”
“And we’ll make sure he stays off your back,” Mike told her. “I’ll check with Wagner in a few minutes, make sure he gets on the plane back to Tampa, and have one of our men pick him up there. He’ll have a shadow glued to him every minute. Until he moves on to someone else, that is.”
“I don’t wish him on anyone else,” Kat protested. “But I’ll be glad not to have a million calls a day from him.”
“So what’s your best guess?” Mark asked. “Any idea where they might be? Any clue at all?”
She told them what she’d seen. “They aren’t in California, though. I definitely got that sense. They’ve been taken to a different country.”
“The closest is Mexico,” Mike put in. “And that would make the most sense. Whoever has them wouldn’t want to transport them halfway around the world.”
“I hate to be the voice of gloom,” Faith said, “but I’m just doing research for a book on a subject that’s been hot on the news. Kidnappings by drug cartels. They target prominent, wealthy individuals, take them over the border, and extort exorbitant amounts in ransom.”
“Of course,” Mark breathed. “Drug cartels. Not our first experience with them. This puts a whole new light on things.”
“It damn well sure does,” Mike agreed. He crouched down next to Kat. “I hate to say this, but it also ups the danger factor.” His fingers caressed the nape of her neck as if trying to assure her things would still be okay.
She finished the water and set the glass down. “One thing I don’t want you to do is soft-pedal things for me. I can’t be of any use unless I know every fact available.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m scared to death for Mari. But is it really any worse, having her held captive by a drug dealer than some other criminal? Her life is just as much at risk.”
Mike kissed her cheek, then rose to his feet. “You’re right. And it gives us a new angle to pursue.”
Mark picked up the stack of papers they’d printed out from Andy’s emails. “Why don’t I take these to my room and go over them. I’ll call Andy and tell him to see if he can find any connection at all between the three men and any drug organization. I’ll also have him do a search for the cartels who’ve been most active in this kind of thing lately.”
“I have some stuff on my computer, too,” Faith chimed in. “And I can have Tess, my research assistant, email anything new she’s come up with. It’s not hard to find. These men don’t seem to shun publicity.”
“Why should they?” Mike said in a bitter tone. “Our government seems to be powerless to deal with anything on the other side of the border. The Mexican government is too corrupt, and the politics are too shaky.”
“So what can we do?” Kat asked.
“Take care of it like we always do. Monitor new emails to the three men. Try to trace their source. Find out where the hostages are being held, and go in and get them.”
“That simple, huh?”
“Well.” He smiled. “Almost.” He looked at the Hallorans. “And what will Katherine and I be doing while you’re rustling up all this information?”
“Kat looks like she could use some rest, and I think you can help her relax.” Mark winked, and Kat blushed.
“How about if we meet for dinner about eight o’clock?” Mike asked.
“Could we have room service?” Kat asked. “I don’t think I feel like eating in a restaurant after the day we’ve had.” She looked at Mark and Faith. “Unless you’d rather not. We can eat here by ourselves.”
“Not a problem.” Faith gave her a quick hug. “I’ll call you in plenty of time to call in our order. And add a couple of bottles of good wine. I think we could all use it.”
She pushed her husband out the door and closed it behind them.
Kat looked at Mike, the heat simmering between them despite the severity of the situation. Or maybe because of it. The situation with Brent had shaken her badly, too, although it was a relief to finally be rid of him. Mike, reading her mood as always, took charge of the moment. He lifted her from the chair, cradling her in his arms. His mouth descended on hers, gently at first, then with a firmer pressure.
“Let it go, kitten. Let it all out.”
She pressed herself to his body. “I think my batteries need recharging. I feel as if a truck ran over me.”
“How about you lie down for a while.”
She looked up at him. “How about you lie down with me.” She desperately needed an affirmation that in the midst of this despair and danger, there was life and love.
“I think that can be arranged.” He cradled her face between his palms, pressing his mouth to hers. “Open for me, kitten.”
When she did, his tongue swept in like a hot wire, trailing flame everywhere in the wet cavern of her mouth, brushing over her teeth, her gums, then mating with her own small tongue. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head closer, tasting him and savoring his flavor. God, just his touch generated such heat in her body, his kisses sending electrical jolts to every one of her pulse points. She could already feel moisture gathering between her thighs and her nipples pressing against the thin fabric of her shirt.
He never lifted his mouth from hers as he carried her into the bedroom. His tongue continued to plunge and stroke until they reached the bed and he set her on her feet. She was breathless when he broke the kiss.
He reached for the buttons on her blouse, releasing them one at a time and pulling the fabric from the waistband of her jeans and pushing it down her arms. When his fingers easily undid the front clasp on her bra and her breasts sprang free, he sucked in his breath, his eyes flaring with heat. The need in his gaze made her nipples harden even more and her breasts ache. He cupped them in his palms, thumbs rasping the sides, his eyes feasting on them as if he couldn’t turn away.
Her knees wobbled, and she was afraid if she didn’t sit down she’d fall down. Just his touch was enough the start the pulse at her core pounding relentlessly.
“Beautiful,” he whispered. “So beautiful. How did I go for two years without this? How was I so stupid as to push you away? Never again, kitten. I promise you.”
Gently he slipped the sleeves of her blouse and the straps of her bra down her arms until they fell away to the floor. His lips brushed first one nipple, then the other, and a shiver skated over her body. She clutched his upper arms for support, her head thrown back as she arched toward him.
His fingertips traced circles around her areolas, a feather of a touch that might just as well have been a jolt of lightning as streamers of heat raced to every part of her body.
“Michael,” she whispered.
When his hands drifted lower to the snap and zipper of her jeans, she moved hers to unbutton his shirt, pushing it aside as he had done to hers and running her fingers through the fine pelt of dark hair covering his chest. His flat nipples peeked out from beneath the dark curls, nipples that hardened as hers did when she scraped her fingernails over them.
Suddenly he was in a frenzy for them to finish undressing as quickly as possible. “Clothes,” he said, his own breathing labored. “Off. Now.”
They undressed together, eyes focused on each other, until they were naked. Mike’s gaze raked over her, hot and smoldering. He reached out a finger and touched each hardened nipple, then drew a line straight down to the curls covering her mound.
“Hold everything.” His voice was rough with passion. “Be right back.”
He unzipped his duffel and pulled out a handful of condoms.
“Aren’t you being a little optimistic?” She heard the trembling in her voice. “We don’t have that much time until dinner.”
His mouth touched hers in a brief kiss. “Maybe I want to be prepared for later.”
And then they were naked, skin to skin, every inch of their bodies pressed together. The thickness of his erection pushed hotly against the softness of her belly, and he bent his head to suck briefly at each of her breasts. He yanked the covers back on the bed and lifted her onto the cool sheets. In a moment, he was stretched out beside her, running his hands over her body, relearning every dip and curve and swell.
She could feel the electricity humming between them, her hormones leaping to attention as he worshiped every inch of her body. One of his hard-muscled thighs insinuated itself between her soft ones, and she felt his hot shaft pressing against her, hard and ready. When his hand trailed down past her navel to the thatch of curls covering her mound, and lower still to the seam of her cunt, she heard his moan as he became aware of how wet she was.
Mike’s hands were everywhere, tracing every dip and swell of her body, cupping her breasts and her mound. His mouth was busy tasting her, licking along the line of her jaw. He nipped the lobe of her ear while his thumb and forefinger pinched and tugged at each nipple, sending twin spikes of heat through her.
Restless in her desire and need for him, she wriggled a hand between them to reach for his cock, thick and hard against her thigh. When she closed her fingers around it, his hand contracted around the mound of her beast, and his teeth closed on her bottom lip.
His fingers slid down her tummy to find the throbbing button of her clit and farther until he drove them inside her. She pushed herself down on him, impaling herself on his fingers as she stroked his erection. It flexed beneath her touch and swelled even more.
Mike’s thumb rasped her clit as his fingers continued to move in and out of her wet channel. When he bent his head to pull a nipple into his mouth and bit down on it lightly, she crashed over the edge, her entire body trembling, her inner muscles clamping down on his fingers with tremor after tremor.
Her fingers tightened convulsively on his cock, and she heard his harsh intake of breath.
Mike slid his fingers from her body and rubbed them on her lips.
“Taste yourself.” The timbre of his voice was rough, his eyes like hot coals burning into hers. “See how sweet you taste.”
She let her tongue sweep over her bottom lip, capturing the flavor that was sharp and honeyed at the same time.
His hand lowered to her sex again, and he began the same teasing movements, the same assault on her clit and her channel. Only this time, as the orgasm rose up within her, he pulled his hand away, rolled over, and reached for one of the condoms.
“I want you now,” he told her.
When he knelt between her legs to sheath himself, the desire burning in his eyes was so intense it took her breath away. In the next moment, he drove into her with one hard thrust.
They moved together in a motion so familiar it was as if they’d never been apart. Each time he withdrew, her muscles quivered with the loss of his presence. When he reentered her, they clasped him tightly, sheathing him, sucking him into her body. She opened her eyes to watch him above her, every one of his muscles taut with strain, sweat dripping from his face.
Unbelievably she felt her climax building again so quickly she was afraid she’d get ahead of him, but then he rasped, “I can’t hold it any longer, Kat. I can’t wait.”
“Me, either,” she whispered.
“Come with me, Kat,” he urged, his face taut, every one of his muscles rigid.
And she did.
She convulsed around his hot erection, her internal muscles gripping him and pulling at him. Still gasping for breath, her fingers digging into the hard muscles of his back, she was shocked to feel her body begin to respond yet again as he set up a hard in-and-out movement.
Rockets exploded throughout her body, her pulse drumming in her ears and her blood racing like fast-running rapids. She shifted to take him even deeper, then locked her ankles behind him and pulled him close.
They came together in an explosion so intense it was like all the fireworks on the Fourth of July. The orgasm gripped them both like a giant fist, shaking them, tossing them like leaves in a wind. Her muscles spasmed over and over as she felt him throbbing deep inside her sheath, separated from him only by the thin covering of latex. With the last shudder, he threw his head back and shouted her name, then fused his mouth to hers as the convulsions died away.
For a long time, she lay beneath him, completely spent, the room filled with the scratchy sound of air being dragged into lungs. She wasn’t sure whose heart she felt beating ferociously, hers or his. He lay atop her, catching most of his weight on his forearms, his lips pressed against the damp column of her neck.
At last he slid from her gently, rolled to the side, and said, “Give me a minute here.”
She heard him in the bathroom disposing of the condom, then he was back, stretched out next to her, pulling her against him so her head was tucked into his shoulder and his hands could stroke her spine and buttocks.
“We wasted so much time because I was such a stupid ass,” he told her.
“I thought we weren’t going to talk about that anymore.”
“I just want you to know—”
“Ssh.” She touched her fingers to his lips. “We have plenty of time for all that when this is over, when the Wrights and Mari are back safe and sound. Meanwhile we know we have each other.”
Mari was doing her best to keep it together, but her head throbbed incessantly, a constant, dull pounding that kept her on the edge of nausea. Sydney had made her drink the water when a tray was delivered again, and she’d choked down one tortilla. If she ever got out of this, she swore she’d never eat one of the damn things ever again.
The tiny patch she could see through what passed for a window high up showed her the sun had set and the sky was darkening. That left little light inside the hut. She still had her watch that fortunately had an LED readout. Pushing the button to light it up, she realized it was almost eight thirty. They’d been here all afternoon and into the evening.
She tried to figure out who would do this, but she didn’t have a clue. Someone they knew was involved, she was convinced of that. The people who took them had to know when and where they’d be eating lunch. But who could be so evil? So vicious? And who were they working with who facilitated it?
She glanced around the room, looking to see where everyone was. Sydney was sitting on the floor next to her, eyes closed, having finally dozed off. She watched Eli sitting in the opposite corner, his arm around Lissa, speaking quietly to her, obviously trying to reassure her that things would be all right.
What a laugh that was. Mari wished she’d left something behind that Kat could use as a clue, a point of focus to discover their location. But everything had happened so quickly. One minute they were laughing, driving in their car to return to the airport. The next they were drugged and in a van, speeding away from the scene.
Oh, Kat, please find us. I hope Vivi Alderson was able to help you strengthen your gift, and some clue lets you “see” us.
She heard the clacking of the wood outside that obviously kept the door in place. Then the door itself slammed open, and Pedro and Enrique sauntered in, accompanied again by the cameraman.
“Time to make video stars of you again,” he told them, shifting the cigar in his mouth to speak around it. “Everybody up.” When they all moved slowly to their feet, he pointed his gun toward the ceiling and fired it, making everyone jump. “I mean right now. We are on a schedule here.”
“Listen.” Eli moved his daughter behind him as he stepped forward. “I want to know what this is all about, who’s in charge here, and when you plan to let us go.”
Without warning Pedro flipped his gun to hold it by the butt and smashed it into Eli’s nose. He tried to stifle a cry of pain as blood streamed down his face.
“Daddy!” Lissa cried.
Mari immediately went to her and put her arms around her, forcing her own pain into background and stoking the young girl’s hair.
“Eli! My God!” Sydney grabbed some of the paper napkins left from their last round of food and water and pressed them against his nose. “Here. Hold this.” She turned to Pedro, a fierce expression on her face. “Do your orders say you’re to brutalize us?” she demanded of Pedro, who stood watching them with evil satisfaction glistening in his eyes.
“Señora. My orders are to make sure the people we are contacting take us seriously. If they think you are being treated like celebrities, where will the urgency of the situation be? Now get back before you have a matching cut on your other cheek.”
“People?” Mari saw Eli had picked up on the plural. His words were muffled as he kept the absorbent paper pressed to his nose, but he hadn’t lost his air of quiet command. “So there’s more than one person involved?”
“The number is irrelevant,” Enrique told them, speaking for the first time. “We have our orders, and you would do well to follow them. Now take your places.”
Roughly he pulled each of them into the places they’d stood previously and nodded to the cameraman. He now had a portable light with him, which he set up on a tripod. The glare nearly blinded them.
This time the taping took only seconds. Pedro and Enrique stood by the open door as the cameraman finished up. The light went out, the door slammed shut, and they were plunged into near darkness.
Sydney raced into the dirty bathroom, wet some of the toilet paper in there and carried it to Eli. “Come sit down and put your head back,” she told him.
Mari led Lissa over to where her parents lowered themselves to the floor, and the two of them crouched down.
“It’s interesting that he said ‘people,’” Eli said, looking at Mari.
“I was thinking the same thing.” She wished her head would stop hurting so she could think better. “That makes me think more than one person arranged this. But, Eli, who would do that? Who knew where we’d be and would want to do this to us?”
“Disgruntled employees?” Sydney asked.
“No. I can’t think of any of them who would have the resources or contacts to set this up,” he replied.
“People you’ve done business with?” Sydney suggested.
Eli shrugged. “Yes, no, maybe.” He looked at Mari. “Anyone come to mind?”
“No one who would be angry enough to do something like this. The other thing is, whoever it is didn’t do this himself. He’s made arrangements with someone to grab us.”
“You’re right,” he agreed. “The plane they used to fly us here had a logo on the side that said ‘Mazatlan Textiles,’ so you know we’re in Mexico.”
Sydney gave an unladylike snort. “You could tell that by our so-called hosts. But who do we know who would have this kind of connection with someone so powerful in Mexico?”
“I just don’t know.”
He looked at Mari, his eyes sending her a message. She turned away so no one would catch the message between them, but she knew what he was thinking. They’d read about it often enough in the newspapers.
Drug cartels!
The kidnappings by drug kingpins of wealthy, high-profile people had been all over the news for the past few months. That added another dimension to the situation. Now they needed to figure out not just who engineered this but also who would have contacts with a drug cartel.
A cold knot settled in her stomach like an icy fist. If what she suspected was true, the situation had just gone from bad to much, much worse.