In an hour Danker made his first call. He recognized the voice and immediately said, “Blackhood.” He followed with, “First targets in Maui, Hawaii before the IES conference: Jack Steel, Christie Thorton, and Francis Sotelo. Secondary target also in Maui, Hawaii, William Torr. Four operatives. Contact in Hawaii permitted as necessary. Rendezvous at the Grand Wailea, Maui. Op name: Dragon. Immediate delivery. All targets final. Photos follow.”
He broke off the call, then placed photos of Steel, Thorton, Sotelo, and Torr in a secure online drop box for the operative. He smiled to himself. This was what Torr felt like. God.
***
When Flaut got Danker’s call, he listened to the first part of it with a racing pulse. He had just taken a line of white heaven and his favorite porn video played. Danker’s orders made it all seem sharper, more vivid. His adrenaline flowed as he considered Steel.
Danker continued. “There’s something extra special I’d like you to do.”
Flaut closed his eyes. He wanted to concentrate on Danker’s voice. “Out of line, isn’t it?”
“Are you interested?” asked Danker.
“How out of line is it?”
“Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars’ worth.”
Flaut smiled. He was going to enjoy this. “I’m listening.”
***
A half hour later Flaut got another call. From Torr. He could guess what he wanted. It was one of his best nights in a long time.
CHAPTER 55
Hulm watched the president pace the Oval Office like a caged polar bear. Every so often the man gazed at him, while he sat rock-steady in the chair in front of the president’s desk. He wore the same trench coat. He didn’t take it off because keeping it on irritated the president.
The president scowled and swung to him. “I’m supposed to be at the IES conference, you know.”
Hulm hid his frown. He wasn’t stupid, even if the president thought so. “You can fly to it for the second day.”
The president ran a nervous hand through his thinning gray hair and looked out at the well-lit White House lawn.
Hulm added, “I think we’ll be ready in time.”
“You think?” The president whirled with a glare. “What are you, crazy? If that mole you’ve recruited isn’t one hundred percent accurate, one hundred percent, we’re finished.”
“I’m sure.” He regretted his choice of words. “I’m sure we’ll be ready in time.”
“Is this all set up?” The president stepped forward, bracing his hands flat on his desk, his face pale. “We shouldn’t move forward until we have what we need.”
“We can’t do it that way.” Hulm felt as if he was talking to a child. “You know that.”
“You’re the Director of the CIA. I’m the president. We can do it whatever way we want.”
Hulm didn’t say anything. The president turned around and walked back to the window. He looked like a prisoner.
“Doing it in our own backyard like this, is that smart?” asked the president.
Hulm suppressed a sigh. The president had asked that same question for days. His eyes glazed over.
“Isn’t that too obvious?” the president persisted.
It was precisely because it was too obvious that Hulm believed it was such a good idea. “When it’s over, we’ll leak to the press there was evidence that a radical Catholic was responsible.” He shrugged. “With all the controversy in Mexico over the friar, it’ll fly.”
The president turned to him with disgust on his features. “It’ll fly?”
“No one will ever know what was really intended. It will end up being described as a madman with a loose rifle.”
“I want you to wait for my approval before you give final instructions to your man. Is that understood?”
“Yes.” What Hulm didn’t say was that he had already given final instructions to his man. There was no turning back.
CHAPTER 56
Steel was out of touch with trying to explore someone. After ten years of marriage it felt foreign. He never thought he would need to do it again. It felt like high school.
As a result, on the plane he spent much of the time holding magazines. He just looked at the pictures. Christie shifted in her seat, and something prompted him to look up from the magazine. She stared back at him.
“Steel,” she said, “I don’t think we’re ever going to get anywhere until we get past a few things.”
He looked at her without comprehension.
“Why don’t you tell me about your wife and kid.” She sat back and closed her eyes. “I’ll listen.”
He glanced at her. Strong cheekbones framed by brown and gold hair. Her calm relaxed him and emotion abruptly flooded his chest. There had been no one to talk to during the whole last year and suddenly he felt like a sealed kettle that had gathered too much steam.
Leaning back, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Softly he began to talk about nine years of marriage, and one year of hell.
***
Christie listened to Steel with more attention than she had intended. His emotions kept her alert.
She heard his devotion to his wife and daughter, along with the pain, commitment, and confusion. He blamed himself for losing his daughter and wife. He didn’t say it, but Carol Steel had been one cold woman to her husband during the last year.
The other thing she realized, somewhat to her confusion, was that Steel seemed like a normal person. Like any other individual who had trusted someone to build a life with, made plans and dreams, and relied on that someone to help carry them out. He had failed. As did many who tried.
She couldn’t help but hear his love for his daughter, and the guilt he still carried. At one point his arm nudged hers on the armrest and his fingers brushed against hers. She cringed. He wanted to draw her into his circle, his pain, and his failure.
But she surprised herself again and opened her hand. His fingers intertwined with hers. She shivered. Christie Thorton, you idiot, get a grip.
CHAPTER 57
The last time Danker remembered feeling like this was when he was ten, on his golden birthday, standing in front of a huge pile of gifts.
He lounged in his favorite easy chair, drinking a cold beer and watching a basketball game. But the game didn’t interest him. What did were the dozen travel brochures on his lap for the Riviera, Mediterranean, Caribbean, and South Pacific. He would visit them all, find the most beautiful women alive, and live a life of true bliss.
He didn’t need fancy cars, a big house, or expensive clothing. He would live simply, like he always had. Which meant the money would last forever. Interest on one million alone would support the kind of lifestyle he wanted. And if he met a beautiful woman who fit his lifestyle, who was the love of his life—he grinned—maybe he would even settle down.
His rental duplex doorbell rang and he tossed the brochures onto the footstool that propped up his injured knee. With a grunt he grabbed his cane, got up, and hobbled to the door.
He looked through the peephole, and then relaxed. It was Flaut, dressed in his usual black garb.
Danker opened the door, surprised to see the man since he had just talked to him a few hours earlier. It was dark outside and he was glad his overhead stoop light had burned out months ago. He didn’t want anyone to see Flaut here.
Flaut just stood there.
“Get in here!” barked Danker.
Flaut stepped in and walked to the couch. He had to move a pile of papers to sit down.
“The place is a mess.” Danker motioned. “I wasn’t expecting guests.”
Plopping into his easy chair, he again propped his leg up on the footstool. “Why are you here?” He studied Flaut. The man’s eyes revealed concern. He had never seen Flaut worried so he began to worry. “Well, speak up, man!”
“William Torr c
alled me.” Flaut paused. “He wanted to hire me to do you.”
Danker’s eyebrows shot up. His hands tightened on the chair armrests. He measured the distance to Flaut with his eyes. He was a long way from his bedroom, where he kept his Browning 9mm. “How does Torr know you?”
Flaut said innocently, “I’ve done some work for him. I’ve worked for the CIA in the past and they were kind enough to refer me.”
Danker tried to keep his voice steady. “What did you say to Torr?”
Flaut shook his head and looked at his black shoes. “I told him sure.” He raised his eyes. “I came right over here to tell you, to ask you what I should do.”
“That lowlife.” He relaxed his bunched shoulders a little. He couldn’t believe Torr would risk a copy of the Paragon file going public. It didn’t make sense. He studied Flaut. “I’ll pay you to do Torr first, before the other special I ordered. You can do him before Hawaii. Any time you like, after tomorrow.”
Flaut’s face brightened. “That sounds good. How much?”
He hesitated. “When did Torr want you to do me?”
Flaut shrugged. “It’s flexible.”
He settled back into the chair. By tomorrow he would have the two million from Torr deposited. He would verify that first thing in the morning. It could work. He was already paying Flaut two-fifty big ones. If he doubled it, he would still have another mill and a half left. And he would send the copies of the Paragon file all over the planet. Torr and his friends would all pay a price.
He looked up. “I’ll double what I was going to pay you.”
Flaut nodded as if he was considering it. He picked a piece of lint off his black jeans. “Torr offered more for you.”
Tension returned to Danker’s shoulders. Flaut was squeezing him. A small pit of fear entered his loins, but he refused to give in to it. “All right. I’ll triple what I was going to pay you.”
“Torr was going to give more.”
“How much do you want?”
Flaut gave an innocent smile. “Well, whoever pays top dollar should be my priority customer.”
Danker removed his leg from the stool, lowered his foot to the carpet, and pretended to massage his knee. He hung his head a little as if he was tired. The cane rested against the chair, but he wanted to use his hands on Flaut. He tried to keep his voice calm. “How much is Torr paying you?”
“Three million.”
Danker’s eyes narrowed as he looked up. “For me? Bull! Torr wouldn’t pay that much.”
“The two million he was going to pay you and another million that I have to work for. I negotiated, since you’ve been a steady customer and I’d hate to lose you.” Flaut paused. “But the real question is, can you outbid Torr?”
Danker felt the color flee from his face and he tensed his arms for his one shot. Leaning forward, he shook his head and looked at his shoe. “Well, I might be able to...” He flung himself off the chair at Flaut.
Flaut stood and twisted to the side.
Because of his knee, Danker couldn’t turn fast enough to grab him, and his momentum carried him forward. Something rigid struck the back of his neck and the couch loomed up at him. He was senseless by the time he fell against it and bounced to the floor.
CHAPTER 58
When Danker came to, his body was sluggish and his senses foggy. He couldn’t understand if he was dreaming, conscious, or hallucinating. His face was flushed, his head full of pressure, and his jaw hard to move. Chair legs and upside-down black shoes were a short distance in front of his eyes. Everything was blurry, with no focus.
It took several breaths for him to understand that it was he who was upside down. His back, chest, legs, and arms were tied to something that held him vertical.
Flaut. He remembered lunging, and Flaut moving surprisingly fast to avoid his hands.
“The tranquilizer will wear off shortly,” said Flaut. “We had a long drive and I wanted you to be comfortable. We’re in Steel’s barn, but I don’t think he’ll mind.”
“You can still get out of this clean,” said Danker. “You work for the United States Government, mister.” The words came out as if he spoke through a wad of tissues. His lips were puffy, clumsy. “I’ve kept files, I’ve—” A searing line of fire shot through his feet, down his back, and into his skull. He gasped and stiffened.
“Just testing it,” said Flaut. “It’s an alligator clip attached to your big toe. Every time you talk without permission, I throw the switch. Every time you lie or don’t give me a truthful answer, I throw the switch. Do you understand?”
Danker’s eyelids were stretched, his mouth clamped tight, his entire body rigid. It took a minute before his limbs began to relax and sink down again. He stared at Flaut’s ankles and realized how mad the man was. And he understood Flaut intended to kill him.
The only thing left to him was how much pain he could avoid. And he wanted some way to get revenge on Torr, if Torr managed to survive the Dragon Op. He shouted as pain ripped through his torso again.
“I asked you a question,” said Flaut. “Please answer. Do you understand when you should talk?”
He gave a muffled reply as he tried to recover from the last surge of electricity. The pain almost brought tears to his eyes, but he held it off, not wanting to give Flaut the satisfaction.
“What?” asked Flaut.
With a superhuman effort, Danker gave a wide-eyed, slurred, “Unnerstand.”
“Good. I want the location of all copies of the Paragon file. Who has them, what their instructions are, when they’re supposed to act on those instructions, and how you maintain contact with them.”
“Go to hell.” He blacked out this time.
When he was able, he babbled the information to Flaut as fast as he could.
***
They went over the details several times, and then Flaut called Torr. After he read off Danker’s list, Torr chuckled on the other end of the line.
“The man’s a cretin,” said Torr. “Friends, a lawyer, and the rest hidden in his apartment. I didn’t think he had any imagination. My people should be able to check this out within an hour. I’ll call you.” He paused. “Give my regards to Danker.”
Flaut turned on Steel’s VR station and carried the wireless VR goggles to where Danker was still tied upside down. After fitting the goggles over the colonel’s head, he returned to the computer and selected a dinosaur pursuit program. He turned it on and sat in the chair near Danker.
Danker’s body tightened in reaction to the VR program.
Flaut picked up his digital camera, which rested on the floor, and focused it on Danker’s body. He hit the electric switch again. As Danker’s body stiffened he snapped off a picture. He thought it was perfect and turned on the video.
***
In an hour Torr called back. “We found eleven print copies, a copy he saved to his computer, and the original flash drive. He said he made twelve copies, and he gave me one already. That should do it.”
Flaut was silent.
“The money will be deposited tomorrow morning.” Torr hung up.
Flaut walked back to Danker, who hung without the goggles on. “Were there just twelve copies?”
Danker moved his head.
The colonel was too dazed to talk, but Flaut believed he understood. He bent over, near Danker’s ear. “If it’s any consolation to you, I still intend to honor our contract too.” He smiled. “It’s just going to be cheaper than you thought.”
***
An hour later Flaut dropped Danker’s body off at his duplex, laying him out on his back in his living room. He pulled out a small bag of white heaven and sprinkled it like powdered sugar over the man’s torso. Someone would assume this was a revenge hit over the Alvarez Serpent Op.
Minimally it would create suspicion and confusion.
Next he d
rove another hour to a pricey neighborhood in Maryland. Finding the address he was looking for, he walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell.
General Sorenson was in his pajamas when he opened the oak door. The general held a revolver, but it was pointed down. Flaut thought the general’s bulbous nose looked even larger in the shadowed light of the hallway.
Flaut didn’t wait for an invitation. He swung the silenced Glock from behind his leg until it was level. “Danker sends his regards,” he said quietly.
Backing Sorenson into the house, he closed the door with a foot.
Sorenson tried to raise his pistol, but Flaut stepped to the side and hit him in the head with the butt of his gun. The general gasped and fell to the floor onto his back, releasing his weapon. Flaut straddled the dazed man and drew a knife. He cut Sorenson’s right carotid, and then sprinkled white heaven over the general’s prone body. He left hurriedly.
He had a red-eye to catch.
CHAPTER 59
Steel became alert the moment they landed at Kahului Airport in Maui. The enemy could already be here, waiting for them.
He collected his gun case. Christie had checked a gun too. He didn’t mind. It couldn’t hurt to have her armed.
After picking up the rental Jeep, they were soon driving the Mokulele Highway south, toward Wailea. Traffic was heavy and slow.
To either side of the road volcanoes reared up in the distance. Pu’u Kukui to the west, and Haleakala farther to the southeast. Ferns, watermelon palms, and wiliwili trees filled the landscape, and red and yellow hibiscus lined the road. The land rolled gently to the higher elevations leading to the volcanoes.
A cattle egret floated over the road in the distance and the air was warm and humid. All of it did nothing to ease the tension in Steel’s shoulders.
He was quiet and couldn’t think of anything to say to Christie. The talk on the plane had helped relieve some of his pain—for the first time in a year his guilt over Rachel’s death began to slip away. Telling Christie things that he loved about Rachel also made his remorse fade a little. Christie had done that for him.
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