No One to Trust

by Iris Johansen

  He stared at her in exasperation for a moment and then turned away. “Okay, we go in. I’ll call Manero and have him scope out the situation at the hotel.”

  “No, I go in alone. Dominic will help me, and I need someone I trust to watch Barry. I don’t like the idea of being away from him. It’s not that I don’t trust your men here, but I—”

  “But no one can take care of your son like you do. I suppose I should be flattered you consider me a trustworthy babysitter.” Galen shook his head. “I’m going in with you. Dominic will take care of Barry. If you like, we can bring Barry with us as far as an airport outside Orlando and leave him and Dominic on the helicopter while we go into town. At the first sign of danger, Dominic can split with the kid.”

  She thought about it. She didn’t like the idea of bringing Barry with them, but the alternative of leaving him hundreds of miles away was totally unacceptable. “Okay, I suppose that would be safe enough.”

  “Safer than we’ll be.” He turned and left the room.

  She couldn’t blame him for being exasperated. The situation could come unraveled in a heartbeat, and her reasons for going after Luis were purely emotional.

  “It’s the right thing to do, Elena,” Dominic said.

  “Contrary to what the knights of Camelot claimed, right doesn’t always beat might.” She met Dominic’s gaze. “I said I’d try, Dominic. But if I find that I’m endangering my son or there’s a strong possibility he may lose his mother over this, I’ll back out. Barry is innocent, and that weights the scale in his favor.”

  He nodded slowly. “I understand. Innocence is a bright and shining thing. But someone has to save the lost ones too.”

  “That’s why I’m going.” She stood up. “And now I’ve got to get a plan together. Two days isn’t a hell of a lot of time.”

  Would she come?

  Chavez stared thoughtfully out over the rail at the skyscrapers of Miami Beach.

  The chances of Elena trading her son for that weakling of a brother weren’t high enough for him to bank on. Yet she might be lured into trying to free him if the circumstances were set up correctly. It was the kind of action that would appeal to a woman of her nature. It was a long shot, but he didn’t have many options at this point. He hadn’t been able to turn up any clues to Elena and Galen’s possible whereabouts.

  “We go to Orlando?” Gomez asked behind him.

  Chavez nodded. “Two days.” The setup might not yield his son, but it could rid the boy of his most ardent protector. He’d prefer her to be taken prisoner, but that might not happen. It was more likely they’d have to put the bitch down, and that wasn’t all bad. Galen might be more willing to deal for the boy with her out of the picture. “How is Luis?”

  “Out.”

  “Wake him up. We have to get him ready.” He paused, thinking. The situation had to be handled carefully. “And I want the bruises to be very visible, Gomez. I want her sweet, gentle heart to bleed for him.”

  “Manero faxed me a diagram of the hotel and surrounding area.” Galen spread the sheet on the kitchen table. “Here’s the bridge over the koi pond where Luis is supposed to be waiting. The hotel is six stories, but the garden can only be viewed from about a third of the windows on the south side of the building.” He drew a circle around the windows facing the garden. “So this is sniper country.”

  “Maybe.” Judd tapped the hotel across the street. “How much of the garden can be seen from here?”

  “That’s the Mirado Hotel. Their angle is skewed. Only four rooms have a view.” Galen circled those rooms. “There aren’t any other nearby hotels with access. Of course, that doesn’t mean anyone leaving couldn’t be picked off by someone in a car driving by.”

  “Then you take care of it,” Judd said. “You’re good at extractions. Extract us.” He pointed at the windows of the Kissimmee Hotel. “I’ll clear the ground here and scout out the hotel across the street. Who meets with Luis?”

  “I do,” Elena said. “And we need a car waiting outside that garden gate. I’m not going to waste time talking to him. I’ll just get him out.”

  “You don’t even know if he’ll be able to walk,” Galen said.

  “I’ll get him out.” Elena’s lips firmed. “Just have the car waiting.”

  Galen nodded. “I’ll do a sweep through the garden before you go in, just to make sure there aren’t any surprises.”

  “No, you have your job. I have mine.” She turned away. “I’ll check it out myself.”

  “Suit yourself.” Galen turned to Judd. “How much time do you need?”

  “I’ll go in tonight and scout around. Chavez may stage a last-minute arrival for his shooter at the Kissimmee Hotel, so I’ll position myself across the street at the Mirado and keep watch while Elena meets with Luis.”

  “Good idea.”

  “Just don’t forget me when you pull everyone out.” He smiled sardonically. “It would seriously offend me.”

  “Then don’t waste time when you see Elena and Luis heading for the gate. Be out front waiting.” He folded the sheet of paper and put it in his pocket. “I’ve arranged for a pilot and helicopter to pick us up and take us to Orlando. Josie McFee. I’ve used her before. She’s good, trustworthy, and tough as nails. She’ll land at a private field on the outskirts of Orlando.”

  “Isn’t that pretty close?” Elena frowned. “I don’t want Barry or Dominic to be put in danger.”

  “The airport’s safe. If we think we’re being followed, we won’t go back there. Okay?”

  It wasn’t okay. The entire plan was risky, but at least Barry’s part in it seemed fairly secure. She slowly nodded. “I guess it is.”

  “Good.” He moved toward the door. “Then if you’ll excuse me, I’ll see what I can do to pull a rabbit out of a hat to get us out of Orlando with our skins intact.”

  “How are you going to do that?”

  “Search me. That’s Disney World territory. Maybe I’ll put Donald Duck into the mix.”

  “Good luck,” Judd murmured ironically.

  “Well?” Elena stared Judd in the eye as Galen left. “Aren’t you going to say anything to me? Isn’t this what you warned me not to do? I’m putting Galen’s life on the line.”

  He shook his head. “He’s doing that himself. You couldn’t stop him if you wanted to.”

  “I do want to stop him.”

  “Then back out. This is a lose-lose proposition. What are we going to do with your brother if we do get him away from Chavez?”

  She didn’t know. It was a complication she didn’t need, but that didn’t matter. “I have to do this, Judd.”

  He shook his head. “Emotion is a bummer. It really gets in the way of clear thinking.”

  “And of course you never let it bother you.”

  “It bothers me, but I’ve trained myself not to allow it to interfere. It makes a man hesitate, and that can be fatal.” He smiled. “You wouldn’t want me to hesitate if I see that sniper aiming at you.”

  “No.”

  “Then don’t talk to me about emotion. I’ll see you in Orlando.”

  She followed him out onto the front porch and watched as he got into the jeep.

  “Stop fretting, Elena.”

  She turned to see Dominic coming up the path from the lake.

  “Where have you been?”

  “Just sitting and thinking. Nothing like looking at God’s wonders to soothe the soul. You should try it.” He dropped down on the porch steps. “Your soul needs some soothing.”

  She sat down beside him. “Yes.”

  “You always were a worrier. Even as a little girl, you fretted over every little detail. Luis was different. He lived for the moment. But he was good for you. He made you remember that you were still a child.”

  “Is that who you were thinking about down by the lake?”

  “How could I think of anyone else? Are we going to be able to save him?”

  “I hope so. Galen and Judd are smart and experi
enced. They’ll make a difference.”

  “I pray everything will go well.”

  She leaned her head against his arm. How many times had they sat like this on the front steps at Tomaco? Comfort flowed through her in a blessedly familiar stream. “Then I know it will. You have friends in high places.”

  He chuckled. “Let’s hope they see things my way.” He kissed the top of her head. “Now, you go for a walk yourself. Look at the lake and the sky, and when you come back you’ll feel better.”

  “If you say so.” She stood up and started down the steps. “I’ll give it a try. I wouldn’t want to offend your high-placed friends.”

  12

  Poor child.

  Dominic stared after Elena as she walked down the path. So much torment, so much hurt and … regret. She believed that everyone was answerable for their own lives, but it had always tortured her that she wasn’t able to save Luis from his own actions. She had told Dominic once that if she’d made just one more try it might have been the one that worked. She had always been the responsible one, the carrier of burdens. But she had not been able to carry Luis’s.

  Neither had Dominic. Nor had he been able to teach Luis to shoulder his own. Perhaps when they freed him, both Elena and Dominic would have another chance to save his soul as well as his body.

  “Where is she going?” Galen asked from the doorway.

  “Just for a walk. I thought she needed it.”

  “I wish that was all she needed.”

  “You’re concerned about her.”

  “You’re damn right.” Galen’s voice vibrated with feeling. “What’s wrong with that? Someone has to care whether she lives or dies. She barges in and tries to save a bastard who—Sorry, I know you care about him too. I’ll shut up.”

  “Don’t shut up.” He smiled. “Sit down beside me and we’ll talk.”

  “Look way down there,” Josie McFee shouted over the sound of the rotors to Barry in the seat behind her. “That’s Disney World. Home of Mickey Mouse.”

  Barry eagerly pressed his face to the window. “I see a castle and a—” He turned to Elena. “Is that where we’re going?”

  “Not this trip. We have business here, and we thought you might enjoy the helicopter ride.” Elena glanced at Galen in the copilot’s seat. “How far?”

  “Another five minutes,” Josie McFee answered for him. “It’s a little far out, but Galen said it’s private. There’s a car waiting at the hangar.” She smiled at Barry again. “I hear you’re going to wait with me in the copter. Maybe we could do a little sightseeing.”

  “Mama?”

  She shook her head. “We need Josie to wait for us.”

  “Ten minutes and we’ll be back at the airport,” Josie said. “You can’t even drive to Kissimmee in that time.”

  “It’s not a bad idea,” Dominic said.

  She supposed it would be all right for Dominic and Barry to leave the airport for such a short time. It would keep Barry from becoming bored and fidgety. It was just weird to think of pleasure excursions in connection with their mission here. But it was no more weird than being forced to bring a child on that same mission. “Ten minutes.”

  “Right,” Josie said. “Trust me. I have grandchildren of my own. I’ll give him a bang-up tour.”

  She did trust the woman. It was strange that she would feel so at ease with a woman she had just met, but Josie McFee inspired confidence. She was a woman in her fifties with graying hair, a plump build, and an animated manner. “I’m sure you will. Just don’t drop down too close to that castle.”

  “No danger,” Galen said. “This entire city is controlled by Disney, including the airspace. They’re very sensitive to anything that would disrupt the family fun.”

  “We’re going down.” Josie banked the helicopter. “We’ll be on the ground in a couple minutes.”

  It seemed less than that when the helicopter settled on the tarmac.

  “There’s the car. I’ll go check it out. Wait here.” Galen jumped out of the aircraft and ducked beneath the whirring rotors to run toward the hangar.

  “Want to sit up front with Josie?” Dominic asked Barry. “You can see better.”

  Barry’s face lit up. “Could I?”

  “Sure,” Josie said. “Come ahead.”

  Dominic was already out of the copter and lifting Barry into the copilot’s seat. “There you go.” He fastened the seat belt. “Now, you pay attention to everything Josie does and maybe you’ll learn how to fly this bug.”

  Barry’s gaze was eagerly wandering over the controls. “Wow. It looks like a spaceship.”

  “Not quite.” He caressingly touched Barry’s hair and then stepped back. “I think I dropped a slip of paper when I got out. Will you see if it’s on the floor, Elena?”

  He was right; there was a square piece of paper on the floor. She bent to retrieve it.

  “Have a good trip.” He slammed the door and waved at Josie.

  Elena stared at him in disbelief. “Dominic!”

  The helicopter was lifting, turning, and leaving Dominic standing below.

  “Land, dammit.”

  “I can’t hear you,” Josie shouted over her shoulder. “And I don’t think you want my copilot to hear. You have a note to read.”

  Elena took one final, enraged glance at Dominic walking toward the car where Galen waited. It was a damn conspiracy.

  The note.

  She unfolded the piece of paper.

  Elena,

  My job, I think. It’s not only because you and Luis and Barry would never have been put into this position if I hadn’t trusted Luis. I’ve always believed he could be saved if I just went that extra mile for him.

  This is the extra mile.

  I’m no hero. Galen has promised to check out the garden and make it as safe for me as possible. I’ll only take Luis to the car and give my support to ward off his fear. He’s always been a frightened boy, and as you’ve taught your son, fear is a terrible thing. Don’t blame anyone but me for this. I convinced Galen, and Galen convinced Josie.

  Now I have to convince you that even if you force poor Josie to land, the action will be over by the time you find a way to get to the hotel. In addition, you’ll have to leave Barry unprotected and probably frighten him witless.

  Convinced?

  I hope with all my heart you are. Because you have to bite the bullet and let someone else shoulder this burden. Your job is to take care of our boy.

  All my love,

  Dominic

  Tears stung her eyes as her hand crumpled the note. “Damn you. Damn you, Dominic.”

  Josie glanced over her shoulder. “Sorry. I obey orders, and Galen’s the boss.”

  But Galen hadn’t been the boss in this case. After years of staying in the background, Dominic had stepped forward and was running the show.

  God, she was scared.

  “What the hell?” As he opened the door, Judd stared quizzically at the police uniform Galen was wearing. “You’ll pardon me for telling you that uniform doesn’t suit you. It requires a certain air to carry it off.”

  “People seldom question police officers.” Galen entered the room and dumped the large box he was carrying on the bed before striding over to the window. “You checked out the rooms in this hotel?”

  “I’m not even going to bother to answer that question.” He followed Galen to the window. “The sniper was in the third room to the right, fifth floor of the Kissimmee across the street. Pat Reilly, former IRA, pretty good.”

  “Not good enough?”

  “All passion, no intellect. His demise won’t inconvenience us. I left a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door of his room.” He gestured to another room on the sixth floor. “That one has me a little worried. No one was in the room last night and I checked it again two hours ago, but the drapes are drawn now. It’s not impossible that someone could pick the lock and take up residence.”

  “A second shooter.”

  “We’ll see. No
time to go over there now. I’ll have to handle it from here.” He handed Galen his binoculars. “Two men just delivered Luis Kyler to the bench beside the koi pond. He’s not a pretty sight.”

  Galen focused the binoculars on the man on the bench. Luis Kyler might once have been a handsome young man, but he was now so painfully thin that his neat gray suit hung on him. His face was bruised and swollen, and he was sitting on the edge of the bench as if too nervous or too hurt to lean back. “He can walk?”

  Judd nodded. “He was getting some support, but he’s mobile.”

  “Then that’s all we need. His guards left?”

  “Out the back gate.”

  “I’ll do a walk-through just to make sure. Then I’ll let Dominic go after Luis.” He handed Judd the binoculars. “It should all be over within fifteen minutes.”

  “If we’re lucky.” Judd picked up his rifle from the bed and went back to the window. “And if you don’t foul up getting us out of here. I’d bet that street out there is crawling with Chavez’s men.”

  Galen opened the door. “No bet.”

  “What’s in that box on the bed?”

  “Your disguise.”

  “Disguise? That box is kind of big for a police uniform.” He crossed back to the bed, opened the box, and looked inside. He started to laugh. “My God, you’ve got to be kidding.”

  “Ready?” Galen asked Dominic. “You can change your mind. I’ll go in and get him.”

  Dominic shook his head. “He wouldn’t trust you. Besides, you’re the getaway man.” He smiled. “That sounds like one of those old gangster movies.”

  “The garden is clean and Judd is on watch, but that doesn’t mean something unexpected might not happen.”

  “You forget I spent years with the guerrillas. I know that nothing is safe.”

  “This had better be pretty damn safe,” Galen said grimly. “Or Elena will go for my jugular.”

  “Stop worrying and go do your job.” Dominic opened the garden gate. “And let me do mine.”

  Dominic was inside the garden.

  Judd’s gaze focused the telescopic sight of his rifle as Dominic moved down the path toward the koi pond.