And Then You Die

by Iris Johansen

  They'd found her tracks again.

  Bess wiped the sweat out of her eyes and moved to the side of the trail. The shale was slippery, but it left no mark of passing.

  She could hear the soldiers calling to one another on the other side of the hill. Soon they would reach the crest and she would be in view. She had to find a hiding place before that happened.

  She was so scared. She had thought she was home free when she'd lost Kaldak the second day, but then the soldiers had come. Had that been his doing?

  Josie whimpered in the blanket sling Bess had fashioned. “Hush,” Bess whispered.

  She couldn't blame Josie for complaining. Josie was as hot as Bess and hungry. She'd run out of food the third day and refused almost all the edible plants and berries Bess had found on the hillside.

  But Josie mustn't cry now. Not now. To keep her silent, Bess had been forced to give her sedatives she had taken from Emily's bag. But the pursuit today had been so intense, Bess had had no time to administer a new dose, and the drug had almost worn off.

  She skidded, fell, rose to her feet, and fell again.

  A grove of trees lay ahead, balanced precariously on the sloping hillside.

  The soldiers were closer to the crest.

  She was almost there.

  Oh, God, let there be somewhere she could hide.

  She was in the grove.

  Nothing.

  The pine trees were leggy, the leaves sparse. Even if she climbed one of them she would be seen.

  A fallen tree. Its branches spread over the ground.

  She dove for it, under it, digging furiously in the hard earth to form a cover. The dead branches created a canopy, but she could still be seen by anyone who stooped and peered through the foliage. Or heard, if she couldn't control the harshness of her breathing.

  Or if Josie didn't quiet down.

  “Please, Josie. Please, baby.”

  Josie's whimpers increased.

  The soldiers were close. They must have entered the grove. They were talking.

  Let them keep on talking. Maybe they wouldn't hear Josie.

  They had stopped talking.

  She held her breath.

  Josie fell mercifully quiet.

  The tree shifted above her.

  She braced herself.

  No, they were stepping on the tree, jumping over it. She could see their legs as they landed on the other side.

  Josie stirred in her sling.

  No.

  The soldiers were talking again. They didn't like the heat or spending the day climbing hills. They didn't like Esteban. He was a son of a bitch.

  Amen.

  Josie whimpered again.

  Bess's heart stopped.

  A bird?

  Perez turned to look back at the grove.

  They should probably check it out. They'd been instructed to follow every lead. Esteban would be furious if they lost the woman. He'd sent everyone climbing these fucking hills, even him. Perez had thought he'd inherited a soft job when he'd been elevated to Galvez's position, but here he was again sweating and swearing with the rest of the ordinary soldiers.

  “You see something?” Jimenez asked.

  The grove was in deep shadow. Perez saw nothing.

  But had he heard something?

  He'd almost fallen on that damn slippery shale when they'd gone down the slope. His ankle still throbbed.

  Screw Esteban.

  It was a bird.

  “I was just catching my breath.” He turned around and started down the hill. “I don't see anything.”

  Thank you, God.

  Bess could feel every muscle go limp as she realized the soldiers hadn't heard Josie.

  They were leaving the grove, searching the hillside beyond the trees for more signs of her passing through.

  If she was very still, if she could keep Josie still . . .

  There was a chance.

  The soldiers were almost out of sight. In a moment it would be safe to move out and try to find another hiding place for the night.

  Or maybe she should keep moving. How far was she from the coast? she wondered wearily. She must have come at least thirty miles from Tenajo, and that left another twenty to go.

  Twenty miles. The distance seemed so small when you were driving it in a car. It was an eternity on foot. It seemed impossible to––

  It wasn't impossible. That was only a stupid excuse because she was so tired. She would not give up. Josie needed her. Emily needed her.

  Josie whimpered again.

  “Don't nag, kid. We're on our way.” She carefully edged out from beneath the tree. “But I need a little help. Okay?”

  She needed more than a little help.

  But she'd take what she could get.

  Darkness was falling. They could no longer see to track the Grady woman. She would be safe for the night.

  Esteban clenched his hands into fists as he gazed up at the hills.

  Four days. Those fools had been searching for four days and they still hadn't found her. Kaldak had vanished without a trace, but there was no reason his men should not have been able to capture the woman. He could almost imagine the bitch laughing at them.

  No, they had pushed her too hard for her to be amused by the hunt. They had found blood on the rocks that afternoon.

  Why would she not give up?

  A hand clamped over Bess's mouth, jarring her awake.

  Someone was astride her. Sweat. Musk. A man . . .

  Esteban's soldiers. They had found the cave. . . .

  She rolled to the side and struck upward with her fist. She connected with flesh.

  “Be still. I won't hurt you.”

  Kaldak!

  She struck out again.

  “Dammit, I'm here to help you.”

  Josie let out a shrill wail from the pallet Bess had made for her against the cave wall.

  Kaldak stiffened. “What the hell?”

  He had relaxed his hold. Bess heaved up and to the side, dislodging him, and jumped to her feet.

  Do it right, she told herself. Do it right.

  She whirled, her fist punching at his stomach as he got to his feet. She grabbed his arm, swiveled, and flipped him over her shoulder to the ground.

  She heard him swearing as she snatched up Josie and took off for the cave entrance.

  He brought her down with a tackle. She fell on her left side, instinctively protecting Josie, and rolled the baby away from her. Her knee sliced up into Kaldak's groin.

  He grunted with pain but flipped her over and straddled her. His hands closed on her throat.

  He was going to kill her. Oh, God, she didn't want to die. Her fingernails dug viciously into the backs of his hands.

  “Stop it,” he said through his teeth. “I'm not used to pulling back. I could break your neck without––” He drew a deep breath and slowly loosened his grasp. “Listen to me, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to hurt Josie. I'm trying to help you.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Then run away. Be stupid. In one day, maybe two, Esteban will catch up with you. He's camped not four miles from here right now.”

  She glared up at him. “How do you know that if you aren't with him?”

  “He tracked you. I tracked him. He was easier than you.”

  She shook her head. “When I lost you, you called out the soldiers.”

  “I didn't have to call them. They were pouring through these hills eight hours after you took off from Tenajo. If I'd joined Esteban, wouldn't they be here right now?”

  Josie let out another wail.

  “She needs you,” Kaldak said. “And we need her to be quiet. I'll let you up if you promise to hear me out.”

  “Would you trust me?”

  “No, but I think you're an intelligent woman who will weigh the consequences. I can get you out of these hills.”

  “I can get myself out.”

  “Maybe. But you can't radio a helicopter in for a pickup. Do yo
u want to dodge Esteban for the next week and risk getting Josie captured again?”

  She went still. A helicopter.

  “Get off me.”

  “Will you listen?”

  “I'll listen.”

  His heavy bulk was lifted off her and she sat up and reached for Josie.

  The baby wailed again.

  “She has to be quiet,” Kaldak said. “There are guards around the perimeter of Esteban's camp.”

  The warning caused her suspicions to ease a little. “What do you expect? You scared her.” She cuddled the baby closer. “And she's hungry and probably wet again.” She felt Josie's diaper. Damp. “I'm out of diapers. I was able to snatch only a few when I left Tenajo, and I had no time or way to keep them clean. Do you have anything I can use?”

  “Maybe. I'll look in my backpack.” He shrugged the pack off his back. “I wasn't prepared for this.”

  “Neither was I,” she said dryly.

  Kaldak switched on the flashlight he had taken out of his backpack.

  “Turn it off. They'll see it,” she said frantically.

  He shook his head. “It's okay. We're far enough into the cave.” He shoved aside the metal briefcase at the bottom of the pack, pulled out a white T-shirt, and tossed it to her. “How's this?”

  “It will have to do.” She glanced at him as she tore the shirt in two. “Do you have any food?”

  “Field rations.”

  “Get it out and open it. I'll try to feed her.” She knelt and changed Josie's diaper. “How did you find me here?”

  “I tracked you.”

  “So did the soldiers. They didn't find me.”

  “They almost did this afternoon. In the grove.”

  She went still. “How did you know that?”

  “I was tracking them at that point. I was pretty sure they were on the right scent.”

  “I didn't see you in the grove.”

  “I saw you.”

  “And you tracked me to this cave without my seeing you? How? When I saw Esteban's soldiers?”

  “Maybe I'm better than they are,” he said simply.

  “Why are you better? Have you done this for a living?”

  “Sometimes. My profession often calls for hunting skills.” He watched as she sat Josie on her lap and began feeding her. “You do that very well.”

  “Anyone can feed a baby. Talk to me. I'm listening.”

  “You shouldn't have run away from me. I'm trying to help you.”

  “As I recall, when you weren't ordering me around, you were threatening me. I was in your way.”

  “That didn't mean I wouldn't get you safely away from Esteban. I never had any other intention.”

  She studied him. It was difficult to read the expression on that face, but instinct told her he was telling the truth. “I couldn't know that. You wouldn't talk to me.”

  He shrugged. “I made a mistake. I was hoping it wouldn't be necessary. I'll talk to you now.”

  “What happened at Tenajo?”

  “Are you sure you want to know?”

  “Don't be stupid. You're damn right I do.” Her voice vibrated with feeling. “You listen to me. I don't give a damn about your damage control. All I care about is what's happened to Emily and me in the last week. I have a right to know. Now, you tell me.”

  He was silent a moment. “Okay. Ask me questions. I'll answer what I can.”

  “How did those people die?”

  “I'm not entirely sure. I think it may have been an artificially produced disease.”

  She stared at him in shock. “Some kind of germ-canister foul-up?”

  He smiled sardonically. “You keep thinking it's an accident.”

  “Are you saying that the Mexican government purposely loosed that sickness on Tenajo?”

  “The Mexican government has nothing to do with it.”

  “Isn't Esteban a colonel in the Mexican army?”

  “A convenience that allows him a certain amount of power and freedom. It also allowed him to neatly cover up the results of the experiment.”

  “Experiment?”

  “They had to see if the biological agent worked. Tenajo was a testing ground.”

  A little boy lying on the floor of the store with chocolate smeared on his palms.

  Tears stung her eyes. “Damn you to hell.”

  “I didn't know,” he said roughly.

  “You had to know. You worked for him.”

  “I knew something was going on at Tenajo, but I didn't suspect what it was until the night it happened. For the past few months there were some cases of minor illness in the Tenajo area. Nothing fatal. I think Esteban must have been practicing. I thought it was going to be the same thing––Esteban didn't let anyone––” He stopped in mid-sentence. “I didn't know.”

  “Why did––” She tried to steady her voice. “Why would they do this?”

  “When a test takes place on a limited plane it's usually meant to be applied on a larger scale somewhere else.”

  “Where?”

  “I don't know.”

  She felt dazed. It was difficult to think. “You said the public health department did a sweep. Why didn't they pick up on something?”

  “Esteban didn't call them in until after the cleanup and the cholera was planted. He has his own doctors in the Mexico City morgue who will give autopsy reports to the effect that it was cholera that killed Tenajo.”

  “All this trouble . . . It must have been in the planning stage for a long time.”

  “Two years that I know about.”

  “If you work with Esteban, why did you help me?”

  “I don't work with Esteban.” He added dryly, “Can't you tell? I'm one of the good guys.”

  “No, I can't tell. I watched you kill a man.”

  “Then don't trust me. Don't trust anyone. But let me help you. I can help you, Bess.”

  “How? Are you some sort of government agent?”

  “Some sort.”

  “Be specific, dammit.”

  “I've been with the CIA for a number of years.”

  She felt a rush of relief. “You could have told me.”

  “I wouldn't have told you now if I could have found a way around it. Besides, would you have believed me?”

  Did she believe him now? He could be lying.

  But to what end? He had gotten her out of San Andreas and there was no reason for him to show up here without Esteban's soldiers if he meant to turn her over to them. “You should have told me.”

  “You know now.” He held her gaze. “Listen to me, Bess. I'll take care of you. I intend to get you out of here and safely to the U.S. There's nothing I won't do to make sure of that. I will do it. If you don't believe anything else, believe that.”

  She did believe it. No one could doubt his sincerity.

  He reached for the baby. “Now, let me finish feeding her while you eat something yourself.”

  Her arms tightened around the baby. “I can eat later.”

  “Actually, you can't. I had to leave the jeep in the lower foothills. We have a long trek out of these hills. I want to get started right away.” He took Josie and the food from her. “Dig another can out of my pack and eat.”

  She hesitated and then did as he told her. She needed strength to get through this. She wrinkled her nose at the first bite. No wonder Josie had been tentative.

  But the baby was now contentedly devouring the rations Kaldak was feeding her with surprising gentleness and skill. “She seems to have stood the trip well,” he said. “She looks healthy.”

  “She's a survivor. Most babies are if you give them a chance.”

  He smiled down at the baby and wiped her mouth. “I like survivors.” He looked up at Bess. “You don't look so bad yourself. I expected to have to lug you over the hills in a sling after four days on the run.”

  “You still might. Or I might be the one dragging you.” She put the spoon back into the pack and tossed the empty ration can aside. “Let's
go.” She picked up Josie's blanket. “Give her to me. I'll carry her on my back.”

  He wrinkled his nose. “That's very unpleasant-smelling. Urine?”

  “What do you expect? I had a chance to wash the blanket only once. If it bothers you, stay away from us.”

  “It bothers me. I have a very delicate nose. But I can get used to anything.” He picked up the backpack. “I think I can manage to stand you for a day or two.”

  “Is that how long it will take? What about the helicopter?”

  “You made good time, but Esteban is too close. We'll have to backtrack and go around to the north. The hills are too rough here to land a helicopter.” He placed Josie in the sling and helped Bess put it on. “So I've arranged a set-down about thirty miles from here. As soon as we get clear of these hills, I'll call for a pickup.”

  He seemed so sure, almost casual. For the first time, hope surged through her. She had never given up, but now she could see a light at the end of the tunnel.

  And she wasn't alone any longer.

  “Then what are we waiting for?” She strode past him and out of the cave.

  Kaldak raised a brow as he followed her. “Me, evidently.”

  Six

  The rats.

  Esteban jerked upright on his cot. “No.”

  No rats. Only a nightmare. He was sweating, shuddering. The odor of garbage and decay filled his nostrils.

  Why wouldn't the rats go away?

  He stood up and moved naked to the washstand and splashed water in his face. The rats had not come to plague him in a long time. There must be a reason.

  The Grady woman. The nightmare had first come the night after she had escaped with Kaldak. When he found and killed Bess Grady, the rats would flee back into their holes.

  He moved to the tent entrance and stared out into the darkness. Bess Grady was out there somewhere. Close. His instincts seldom failed him when he was this near a prey.

  To hell with the darkness. He couldn't wait for morning.

  “Wake up, Perez!” he shouted as he pulled on his clothes. “Rouse the men. We leave in ten minutes.”

  “We can stop here and rest for a few minutes.” Kaldak shrugged off his backpack. “You'd better change the baby and give her some water.”

  “Of course I'll do that,” Bess said, bristling. “You don't have to tell me. We managed quite well without you.”