Your Next Breath

by Iris Johansen

  “I wouldn’t try to take him away from you,” he said quietly. “I find myself wanting to give you fabulous gifts and offer you glittering worlds to conquer. Give, not take, Catherine.”

  She blinked. He meant it, she realized. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. “Really?” She looked away from him. “And take nothing in return, I suppose.”

  He chuckled. “I never claimed that.” His cell phone rang, and he reached for it. “Dario,” he said as he answered, “do we have a destination?”

  “The plane landed in Port of Spain, Trinidad, ten minutes ago,” Dario said. “I tried to scramble to have someone follow them, but they whisked Montez away with the speed of light. You’ll have to have your people do a search, Cameron.”

  “Or Catherine’s people,” Cameron murmured. “She has one or two excellent operatives with whom she’s just been in contact.”

  “Excellent? I can always use good people. Can I hire them away from her?”

  “I doubt it. She’s very protective of her sources.”

  “Then she should tell them not to focus only on Montez. Dorgal wasn’t on the plane when it landed in Trinidad.”

  “What?” Catherine said. “Where is he?”

  “He hired a private jet two hours after that flight left for Trinidad. The flight plan said New Orleans, but I doubt if that’s where he’ll end up.”

  “So do I.” Catherine moistened her lips. “More likely Louisville. Or Atlanta.”

  “I’ll use a little bribery and intimidation with the rental company and find out which one is the target and get back to you. I thought I’d warn you. Let me know if you have anything else for me to do.”

  “Just the continued surveillance and protection of the Montez family,” Cameron said. “Now that Santos has Montez, at least he won’t have that threat to hold over his head.”

  “No, just death and torture,” Dario said dryly. “No threat at all. But I’ll eliminate the only one I can right now. No one will touch his family.” He hung up.

  “Santos won’t kill him. He believes he may need him,” Catherine said. “And he may threaten him, but Montez will be able to fend off torture. He’s smart, and he knows it’s only a matter of time until we find Santos.”

  “You don’t think he’ll cave as he did before, when Dorgal sent for him to work on Delores?”

  “You didn’t hear his voice when he was looking at that burning monastery. He was sick and horrified at the destruction. Dorgal went too far. It boomeranged. He’s in our camp now.”

  “If we can find a way to use him.”

  “And to find out where the hell he is.”

  “Oh, I have complete confidence we’ll find him,” Cameron said. “Have a little faith.”

  She gazed at him in annoyance. His tone had been as confident as his words. “Why are you this certain?”

  “Kelly and Luke. Didn’t I tell Dario that you had wonderful people?”

  “And that’s the only reason?”

  “What else could there be?”

  She shook her head. “With you, there’s no telling.” She dropped the subject. “But right now, I’m more worried about Dorgal’s heading back toward the U.S.”

  “And rightly so.” His lips twisted. “But we always knew that Montez was only a temporary distraction. Now that he’s scooped him up, it appears distraction time is over, and he’s focusing on the main event.”

  “Evidently.” Panic was pounding through her. “I have to talk to Hu Chang and Eve and warn them.”

  “It’s not as if they’re not expecting it to happen. They’re prepared for it.” He held up his hand. “I know that you still have to call, but suppose you phone Luke first. I’ll set up Skype so that he can show us the general directions he and Kelly figured out from the gas usage.”

  She nodded. Of course, that was the smart thing to do. If they could take Santos out, then any plans Dorgal had would fall apart. But it still didn’t stop her from wanting to turn the plane around and rush back home. “Do it.”

  * * *

  Ten minutes later, she was looking at Luke’s face on the computer screen. He was wearing a dark red shirt that made his hair appear darker than ever. He was not smiling. “Hello, Catherine. Kelly said that you need me.”

  I always need you, she wanted to tell him.

  Get it over with. Try to clear the air. “And she told me that you were annoyed. You have a right to be.”

  A flicker of expression. “Yes, I do. You cheated, Catherine. You didn’t want to have trouble with me, so you—”

  “You’re absolutely right.” She tried to smile. “You intimidated me, and so I just paid lip service to what you wanted from me.”

  He frowned. “Intimidated? No one intimidates you, Catherine.”

  “You do. Why else did I chicken out? I apologize. Will you forgive me?”

  He was still frowning. “I guess I will. But you should have—”

  “Take me to task later. I need you to tell me about connecting those dots. Kelly said you’ve been working on a few scenarios to give me a general direction where I might find Santos.”

  He nodded. “More than a few. I went through dozens of gas receipts from every city in the Caribbean where Dorgal rented a motorboat. I checked out weather, wind current, tide for every trip, and gave the figures to Kelly to calculate how far the gas used would take Dorgal on that particular day.” He held up an oceanic map chart with arching lines and scrawled numbers issuing from several cities. “And then I charted them all and their approximate distances from the origin point.” He pointed to the sizable circle he’d drawn in the ocean. “There are dozens of tiny islands in this area, and I can’t tell which one was his exact destination, but Kelly and I both think Santos’s island is somewhere in that group.”

  “Dozens,” she repeated. “But that’s more info than we had before. We’ll just have to be careful not to be seen when we’re scouting around that area.”

  “And it may not be all that difficult to find,” Cameron said. “What’s the approximate mileage of your circle, Luke?”

  “Maybe forty miles.”

  “Weaving in and out of those islands,” Catherine said. “And I’m sure Santos is equipped with manpower and high-tech missiles on that island.”

  “We’ll work it out.”

  “Yes, we will, but it won’t be easy.” She turned back to Luke. “Good job. No, exceptional job, Luke. This is a big help.”

  He smiled. “Yeah, Kelly and I did good work, didn’t we? It was kind of fun. Of course, she did all that high-tech stuff.” His smile faded. “I hope it helps. I should be down there with you. You take care of her, Cameron.”

  “I wouldn’t let anything happen to Catherine. You have my promise. Now I believe that she needs to speak to Hu Chang.”

  “Ah, I was waiting for my importance to be properly addressed,” Hu Chang said as he came into view. “Though I have to concur that these young people did a fine and valuable job. I generally prefer that Luke concentrate on chemistry and the rules of—”

  “Hu Chang, Dorgal left Guatemala and is probably heading toward you,” she interrupted. “I don’t know whether he’s heading toward Louisville or Atlanta. We’re trying to find out. Warn Eve. I think Santos will escalate now that he has Montez tucked away.”

  “It would appear likely. I have a feeling that the situation will turn even more nasty from now on,” Hu Chang said. “I will take it under consideration and act accordingly.” He paused. “You might make an effort to save Montez if possible. He has a fine mind, and I detest the idea of waste.”

  “I’ll do what I can. Good bye, Hu Chang.” She broke the connection. “I want to be there with them.” She closed the computer with a click. “He wants me to try to save Montez? What about them?”

  “We have a chance at Santos,” he said gently. “I know you’re torn, but you have to—”

  “Stop trying to comfort me. It’s not like you. You don’t have to tell me where I have to focus. Cut
off the head of the snake. But what if we don’t cut it off in time?”

  “Okay, comfort over.” He shook his head. “You don’t have an alternative. So stop agonizing and start thinking how you’re going to kill the son of a bitch.”

  “After we find him.”

  “No, Luke helped out there. Just work on a plan.” He paused. “Or I will.”

  And if he took over, she’d have to fight like hell to regain control. He knew that would be a goad. Stop thinking about all she might lose if she didn’t do everything right. Start thinking what she might win if she did.

  “I’m working on it. Just get us to Trinidad. It’s probably the closest place to the island, since they flew directly there from Guatemala. We’ll follow the route Luke drew out of Port of Spain and hope it puts us closer than when Dorgal flew to one of those other Caribbean cities.”

  “Logical. Reasonable.” Cameron glanced at her. “Did I scare all of that emotional trauma out of you by threatening to become a presence you might have trouble with?”

  “Be quiet, Cameron.” The emotion and panic was still there, but she was trying to keep it subdued. “You told me that I had to think, and that’s what I’m doing.”

  “And it’s probably the first and last time you’ll ever do what I tell you to do.”

  She didn’t answer, her mind was shifting, moving, probing. So many things to consider.

  Find a plan.

  Was Dorgal heading for Louisville or Atlanta?

  And how could they keep him from more bloodshed?

  She was searching desperately for a way to keep the people she loved safe.

  And still manage to cut the head off the snake.

  ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL

  ATLANTA, GEORGIA

  “Hu Chang says that Dorgal may be on his way here or to Louisville.” Eve hung up the phone and turned to Caleb, who was standing by the door of the ICU. “Or so Catherine thinks. She told him to warn us. She’ll call when she knows which one is his destination.”

  “Then there’s probably good reason to pay attention.” He glanced back at Jane in the bed across the room, talking to Joe. “Not that we aren’t anyway.”

  “She’s safe, isn’t she, Caleb?” Eve’s worried gaze followed Caleb’s to Jane. “Dorgal can’t get to her? She has all these guards Joe and Cameron arranged to watch her. Every one of the hospital staff who attend her has been checked out. Why would Santos think she’d be vulnerable?”

  “Maybe because he has a giant inflated ego that’s telling him that anything he wants, he can have.” His lips tightened. “But he can’t have Jane. He’s lost her, and I won’t give her back.”

  “Neither will I.” Eve crossed her arms across her chest to ward off the chill. “I lost my Bonnie when she was only seven years old, and I almost lost Jane. I’ve always been able to deal with loss, but while I’ve been watching Jane struggling these last days, it’s been tearing me apart. There’s nothing more precious than your own child, and I want to reach out and grab and hold on.” She smiled unsteadily. “You know, when Jane had to start traveling to promote her paintings, I thought that I was starting to lose her. In a way that was true, but only the way that children always leave their parents. She always kept in touch, she always came home. Not like my Bonnie. I was lucky with Jane, Caleb.”

  “She was lucky, too,” he said quietly. “You found her in the streets, you took her in, you loved her. You were willing to sacrifice anything to keep her safe.” He smiled as he touched his chest. “Even calling on someone who you don’t really trust if there was a chance that I could help her.”

  “And you did.”

  “That’s past tense. It’s not over. I’d like to think it was. But I promise that I’ll be the one to finish it.”

  “Excuse me, ma’am, would you please step aside? I have to get in to set up this equipment.”

  They both turned to see an orderly in white pushing a stainless-steel cart. He was in his late twenties with a sandy crew cut, freckles, and a polite smile. Eve vaguely remembered seeing him on the floor but couldn’t recall his name. “Equipment?”

  “Portable X-ray equipment. The techs are going to take them here in ICU.” He grinned. “They’ll be in and out in a few minutes once I get it set up. Okay?”

  “Yeah, I remember its being done here before.” Caleb was already on his cell, his gaze on the orderly’s name tag. “Just let me verify the order.” He talked briefly on the phone, then stepped aside. “Set it up, Chalce.”

  “Yes, sir.” The orderly propped open the door and started to roll the cart into the room.

  Chalce. Yes that was the orderly’s name, Eve realized as she saw his ID badge as he passed her.

  John Chalce.

  CHAPTER

  13

  PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD

  “And what’s our next move?” Cameron asked as he taxied down the runway of the airport toward the private hangars. “You were entirely too quiet on the way here. Should I be worried?”

  “By all means. Why should I be the only one?” She unbuckled and stood up as the plane came to a stop. “Something has to change, Cameron. We have to make it change.” She tried to keep the tension from her voice as she moved toward the door. “I guess the first thing is to try to locate the island that—”

  Her cell phone rang.

  “My God,” she whispered as she saw the ID. “Santos.”

  She punched the access. “What do you want, Santos?”

  “Perhaps to rub a little salt in your wounds,” he said silkily. “I haven’t had the chance lately since you’ve kept me so busy hunting down Montez. You shouldn’t have involved yourself in my personal business, Catherine. It made me angry and will make your punishment all the more painful.”

  “You were already hunting him when I stepped in and offered Montez a little help.”

  “Because you thought he might help you find me. Disappointed?”

  “A little. But it just put off the inevitable.” She paused. “And it was worthwhile to touch base with him to discover what a pitiful pair of fools you and your Delores turned out to be. My God, Santos, are you that much afraid of dying that you’re clinging to life with—”

  “Shut up,” he said harshly. “You’re the one who is a fool. Delores found a way for us to beat the odds and come out on top. There’s nothing pitiful about us.” He paused, struggling to regain his temper. “Montez told you?”

  “No.” Protect Montez and keep him from the brunt of Santos’s rage. “He was too afraid of you to talk.” That was true enough. “But I found his technical journal, and we figured it out.”

  “It was a magnificent plan, but Montez was too frightened to give us everything we needed from him.”

  “You mean his life in slavery to Delores?”

  “She might need him again. That container is experimental. What if something went wrong?”

  “She’d defrost?” she asked mockingly.

  “Never. That won’t happen, you bitch. I’ll keep her with me forever.” His voice dripped malice. “You’re the one who’s going to die, and soon. I’m going to be able to concentrate on making sure of that now. But I’ve decided that I’m too impatient to wait to see you dead. I’m going to offer you a deal, Catherine.”

  “A deal?” she repeated warily.

  “I was planning on making you the last on my list of victims, but I’m going to give you the opportunity to let you go to the front of the line.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Why, that I’ll not make you watch the deaths of your son and Hu Chang and the rest of those people who are so unfortunate as to be close to you. I’ll let you step up to the plate and come to me to get what you deserve. Wouldn’t you be willing to sacrifice yourself for your fine son?”

  “You’re crazy. Why should I do that? I’m keeping you from hurting them now. You won’t be able to touch Luke. And I’ll find a way to kill you before you get near him. Before you get near any of them.”

 
; “I’m near him now. I watch him. I see him smile. My men take photos all the time and send them to me. Such a handsome boy. I’ve only been waiting until I was less occupied with Montez to fully enjoy watching him be exterminated.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “Am I?” He chuckled. “You sound desperate. It’s strange that a vicious bitch like you can be so soft about a child. I believe you might actually take my deal if I can convince you how vulnerable you are. I will convince you. Time for another choice, Catherine. I’ll show you I can reach out and kill, and no one can stop me.”

  “You’re delusional, you bastard.”

  “And then if you come begging, I might decide to be merciful about any other kills. It might be enough to give you to Delores and watch you die … slowly.”

  “And it might not. You’re all bluff. You’ve not been able to take one of my people since I found out what you were doing. We’ve blocked you, Santos. Now you think I’m going to come running and let you put me down? It’s not going to happen.”

  “Yes, it is. But it seems I have to prove to you that you can’t stop me no matter what you do.” He hung up.

  “That was something of a surprise,” Cameron’s gaze narrowed on her face. “And he managed to upset you.”

  “What do you expect?” She was shaking. “The bastard was talking about my son. He’s not stupid. He knows how to strike where it hurts.”

  “And he thought he could manipulate you to take his deal,” he said thoughtfully. “Interesting. Of course, it might have been a shot in the dark. Or he might have wanted only to show you that he could control you.”

  “I’m glad that you can be so cool about it. I’m having a few problems doing that.”

  “Oh, I’m not at all cool,” he said softly. “I’m imagining all kinds of ways that I can hurt him that will take a long, long time. I didn’t like the way he was playing you.”

  She felt a ripple of shock as she glimpsed beneath that composure to the savagery that lay below. She looked away from him. “And you immediately started taking him apart and seeing how you could bend the situation to suit yourself.”

  “To suit you, Catherine.”