“Now, that was bitter,” he said. “But I deserved it. The drone explosions on the infantry at the main camp were right on schedule. I had to stagger the delivery of the bomb I’d zeroed in to take out Masenak and the crew at the helicopter pad so that it wouldn’t interfere with the main strike. There couldn’t be any interference with the trajectory because the drones were spearheaded at such a low altitude. But I calculated that the shock and disorientation Masenak would feel after the first strike would still give me the time I needed to do it. Only it didn’t work out that way. That bomb at the pad landed only a little less than a minute behind those first drone strikes on the main camp, but evidently that was enough time for Masenak to recover and guess he might also be a target. That helicopter pad and every single person at the site was destroyed. Except Masenak. The bastard must have hit the ground running and bolted immediately.”
A little less than a minute, she thought. Such a short time in that instant of fire and screams and exploding bombs. Who would guess that Masenak would be able to realize what was happening and react that fast to save himself? “But he still wanted Sasha enough that he ran toward the main camp to get her.”
“And almost killed you,” he said harshly. “I can’t blame you for being bitter. But you’re no more bitter than I am. I’ll make this right, Alisa.”
She was silent a moment. “I’m not really bitter. Though I want to be.” She realized to her surprise that this was true. She was sick with anger and worry, but Korgan’s plan should have worked. He’d done what he’d thought would get rid of Masenak and protect Sasha. “You told me how slippery Masenak has proved over the years. You did the best you could. It’s partly my fault. I should have kept a better eye on Sasha. And I trusted you too much. I thought you were different. I should know by now I can’t trust anyone but myself.”
He flinched. “I suppose you’re being very generous considering.”
“Yes. Only because I’m feeling as guilty about my part in this as I am about yours. Though there’s a good chance I would have killed you if that miscalculation had cost Sasha her life. You might still be on the hook if I find out that it did. And yes, you’ll definitely make it right.”
“That’s what I said,” he said curtly. He got to his feet. “And now I’ll go tell the nurse to bring your breakfast while I pay a visit to Margaret and let her know you’re awake. She’ll want to see you right away.” His lips twisted. “Providing you still trust her.”
“Did that sting? Why should you care what I think? Of course I trust her. We’ve earned each other’s trust.” She looked down at her bandaged shoulder. “How soon can I get out of this hospital?”
“Before the end of the day. I’ll clear it with the staff. You’ll still be a little weak, but nothing you can’t handle. And that should give you time to rest and for us to get some kind of plan together about Jubaldar.”
“I want to leave now.”
He shook his head. “Later. I’m expecting a call from Gilroy, and I want info from him before I make a move.” He put up his hand as she opened her lips to speak. “No. I’ll get you Sasha, but it will be my way. You’re not the only one who hates making mistakes. This one hit me damn hard, and I’m not going to risk making another one. I’ll let you have input, but you won’t be in control.”
“The hell I won’t.”
“Exactly. I’ll see you later.”
He strode out of the room.
* * *
“You look better than I thought you would,” Margaret said when she walked into Alisa’s hospital room an hour later. “I was getting tired of seeing you snoozing for the past few days.” She gave Alisa a careful hug. “How do you feel?”
“How do you think I feel? I’m fine. I need to get out of here and Korgan is being Korgan. I should have been out of here two days ago. He said that he didn’t influence those doctors, but everyone does what he—”
“They tried to let you regain conscious,” Margaret interrupted, “but you were…agitated. They decided to give you another day.”
“Agitated?”
“Sasha,” she said quietly. “You were tossing and turning and calling to her. They were afraid you’d damage your shoulder again.” She sat down in the chair. “But Korgan said you’d hate to be kept under for any longer than they had to, or to be restrained. He said if they brought you out of it slowly, he’d stay with you through the night and make sure you didn’t hurt yourself.”
“He didn’t tell me that.” But she might have been aware that he was there, she realized suddenly. That presence in the darkness, that hand holding her own had been almost dreamlike. Not that she’d needed him there. She didn’t need anyone. “But that doesn’t make any difference. It just shows he’s still trying to control me…and Sasha. I can’t let him do that, Margaret.”
“Yes, you can,” she said gently. “Not entirely, but you’ve always been one to take what you need from every situation. And this time, because it’s Sasha, you’re feeling possessive and don’t want to let Korgan have his way. You know damn well you need him, and you should work it out and make it happen. He’s feeling so guilty that you only have to give a little and he won’t try to trample you.”
She shook her head doubtfully. “Maybe.”
“He’s worth an effort. He persuaded the hospital to let Juno stay with Jeanne in her room. Juno’s doing an amazing job with her. She’s not a therapy dog, but I think she’s doing as much as that therapist Korgan hired with all the letters after her name.”
“Of course you’d think that. It’s Juno.” Her smile faded. “How is Jeanne?”
“They cleared up the infection. Otherwise, not so good. It’s going to take a long time. By the way, drop in to see her before you leave. All she remembers is you lying bleeding on the ground beside her. She’s still not sure you’re alive. She’s not certain about anything. But Korgan is sparing no expense, and he won’t let her leave this hospital until she’s on her way back.” She paused. “When he saw how good Juno was with her, he asked me to get a therapy dog for her when she did go home. He’s very intuitive. He thought the problem she was having about seeing her parents might be that she was afraid they’d judge her. What she went through was so horrific, she’s confused and scared they might blame her. Just telling her that none of it was her fault isn’t doing any good right now. But she can see Juno is all love and totally accepting…it’s healing.”
“I can see how it would be.” She found herself smiling. “And I’ll bet that you already have a therapy dog picked out for her.”
She nodded. “Lili, one of Juno’s pups, has the perfect temperament as a therapy dog and will be just right for Jeanne. Korgan is flying Lili in from Summer Island in the Caribbean where she’s been in training. She should be arriving early tomorrow morning.”
“I’m a little surprised you’re not going to let Juno go home with her for a while.”
“Jeanne needs permanence. Juno decided she belonged to me a long time ago. For which I’m duly grateful. Besides, I might need her when we go after Sasha. So I’ll pick Lili up and bring her here and let Jeanne become accustomed to her while Juno is still with her. Then we’ll fly back to Morocco the next day and join you and Korgan.”
“If Korgan decides he’s going to let me come along,” she said caustically. “He made it clear that he’s in charge.”
“In which case we’ll just go after Sasha ourselves. But that’s not the way it’s going to turn out. I’ve watched Korgan during these last days. He’s fairly incredible. We were only aware of him as top gun and head military honcho before.” She leaned forward. “In between watching over you and making certain Jeanne had everything she needed, he was on the phone with CIA director Lakewood, smoothing down ruffled feathers and persuading them that they should take full credit for the rescue. He said he wouldn’t dispute anything they said to that effect.” She paused. “But only if they named you as the heroine of the hour, you kept your job, and they didn’t press any charges agai
nst you for insubordination. He got what he wanted. It wasn’t easy. Lakewood was furious with him, and it didn’t matter that he’d saved not only those students but Lakewood’s own ass. Korgan pulled every string he had, and you came out of it smelling like the proverbial rose.”
“But without Sasha.”
“That will be next on the agenda. He’s cleared the decks. He’s ready to support you. He’s just scared he’s going to get you killed. I don’t imagine he’s a man who is often scared, and he doesn’t know how to handle it.” She reached out and pressed Alisa’s hand. “Don’t mess this up because you want to cling to your independence and not let anyone take care of Sasha but you. You’ve always closed everyone out of what the two of you have together.”
“Not you.”
“No, I was allowed to slip in under the wire. But you can’t afford to close Korgan out. It would be dangerous for Sasha.” She was silent a moment. “And not fair to Korgan. He promised he’d get those students out of that camp, and he did. That was practically a miracle. Yes, he failed to free Sasha, but he was within a heartbeat of taking out Masenak and getting her, too. Now it’s only fair to give him another chance to do it with our full cooperation.”
Fairness is important to me. I regard it as one of the prime virtues in a corrupt world.
“Maybe you’re right,” she said slowly. “I know Korgan believes in fairness, too. I’ll think about what you’ve said.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m just so afraid for her, Margaret. I thought I was close to having Sasha back. Then I wake from this nightmare and find her gone again and Korgan telling me what to do. It made me feel helpless, as if he was taking her away from me again.”
“Bullshit. You’ve never been helpless in your life.” She got to her feet and bent down to brush her lips against Alisa’s cheek. “By all means, get your thinking straight. It’s Masenak who took her away. It’s Korgan who’s going to get her back, along with help from us and any friends he pulls into the mix. If you don’t want to trail behind him, jump ahead.” She was heading for the door. “I suppose you wouldn’t pay any attention if I told you to rest. Do what you like. If you feel like bathing and dressing, I think you’ll find a complete wardrobe that Korgan ordered for you in that closet. He had some expert flown in from a Paris department store asking me about preferences. I should really get back to Jeanne. Though she scarcely misses me if Juno is around. I’ll see you later.”
As usual, Margaret was moving, planning, trying to keep ahead of any problem as she’d just told Alisa to do. Evidently Korgan had been also doing that during these last few days. She was the only one who’d been lying here, wounded, weak, and doing nothing to address the danger to Sasha but worry and complain.
That had to change immediately. Think. Analyze. Take the situation apart and put it back together in the way she wanted to go. When Korgan came through that door, she needed to be ready for him…
* * *
3:35 P.M.
Alisa was standing at the window, fully dressed, and gazing out at the Alps in the distance when Korgan came into her room. She glanced at him over her shoulder. “It’s a beautiful, serene view.” She made a face. “But looking at it didn’t make me feel serene. It reminded me of those mountains where Jubaldar Castle is supposed to be located.”
“The Atlas Mountains are reputed to be beautiful, too,” Korgan said. “But I don’t think either of us is going to find them serene.” He was scanning her expression. “And when I left here, serenity was the last thing you were after. You were in fighting mode. Something’s changed.”
“I’m still in fighting mode.” She turned to face him. “I’m just trying to control it until I find the right person to strike out at. Margaret said I wasn’t being reasonable or fair.”
“And you always pay attention to Margaret,” he said mockingly.
“So do you. You listened to her about Jeanne and then you reached out and tried to solve the problem. And you had big doubts about Margaret and Juno in the beginning, but it didn’t stop you learning to respect her in other ways.”
“Anything else would’ve been both foolish and unfair. I hope I’m neither.” He was still looking at her speculatively. “And those words were remarkably generous when you’re so upset with me. Evidently Margaret has more influence than I thought.”
“Because I won’t have her believing I’m unfair.” She tapped her chest. “And I won’t believe I’m unfair, either, just because you did something that hurt me and I couldn’t think through the pain.” She drew a deep breath. “But I’ve thought it through and I’m okay now. I won’t let it get in the way of us working together.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“It’s going to be hard for me,” she said stiltedly. “I have to warn you about that. This means too much to me, and I might explode every now and then if things don’t go as they should. But I want you to know that I realize you tried to do the right thing.”
“I just didn’t do it,” he said bitterly. “And I could have gotten you killed. So I can take an explosion now and then. But I’ll just have to make sure that everything does go as it should from now on.” He glanced at the sling she was wearing. “The doctors told me they’d released you, but why don’t you sit down instead of standing there staring at the scenery? I know they told you to take it easy for a while.”
“I don’t really need this sling. The doctors just said it was a precaution. I feel fine. Well, almost fine. A little woozy.” She sat down. “I won’t pamper myself, but I won’t waste strength I might need, either. Now tell me what you’ve found out about Sasha while you were gone.”
“Not much.” He held up his hand. “It’s too soon for an explosion. As I told you, Masenak had that castle built somewhere in the mountains years ago and made sure that it was carefully hidden away. No one knows where that damn thing is. I’ve had aerial reconnaissance for the last two days trying to locate Jubaldar, but no sightings.” He grimaced. “Those mountains in the Atlas range are so twisty-turvy that you could tuck an entire city in corners of them and never see it from the air. It just means that we’ll have to track them on foot. You said that wouldn’t be a problem for you, remember?”
“That was when I was trying to persuade you to make a deal about Masenak,” she said. “Now it’s Sasha, and everything is a problem. You said Gilroy got some information about Jubaldar from Baldwin. Can you give me a starting point? Surely he knew where that helicopter set down?”
Korgan shook his head. “Baldwin wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. Gilroy said once Baldwin reached the castle, he could give precise directions how to get around inside. But he paid no attention when Masenak was flying them up there. He only knew they were heading for the south range. When they landed, he could only remember that it was a few miles from the landing pad to the castle. They were met by a few guards and several servants, who appeared to be locals, who had been sent to carry their luggage. He thought he might have seen a stream when the helicopter was descending.”
“That’s all?”
“I guarantee that’s all Baldwin remembered. Gilroy doesn’t make mistakes when he’s interrogating. Everything Baldwin knew, we know.” His lips tightened. “And I’m afraid that you won’t be able to reexamine him if you’re not satisfied. He’s no longer with us. I used him to lure Masenak to the helicopter pad. I hope you won’t be upset.”
After all the ugliness and cruelty that Baldwin had committed? “Only that it did no good.” She got to her feet. “The south range. We’ll have to start there. And if those servants were locals, then they probably came from villages in those mountains. Can you send someone up there right away to start asking questions?”
“Already done,” he said quietly. “Gilroy started up there the minute the aerial reconnaissance report came in. He speaks the language, and he established Berber contacts when I sent him to the Atlas Mountains last year to try to find answers about Masenak. He’ll meet us at Akbar, one of the largest villages in the foo
thills, when we arrive there sometime after midnight tonight.” He shrugged. “Who knows? There might even be a chance he might have info for us by that time.”
“Gilroy again. He appears to be all over the place.”
“What good is it to have an Indiana Jones around if you don’t use him? Besides, he’s very pissed off and worried about Sasha and is craving blood.”
“So am I. Can we please leave now? I have to get moving. You can fill me in on anything else I should know on the plane to Morocco. I only have to stop by and talk to Margaret and Jeanne first.”
“I’ll meet you in the lobby.” He grabbed her duffel from the bed. “Tell Margaret I’ll arrange for transport for her and Juno as soon as she calls to say she’s ready.”
“It will probably be day after tomorrow.” She wished it was sooner. But she couldn’t expect Margaret to leave Jeanne until she had her settled. They didn’t have a location for Jubaldar yet. They weren’t even positive Sasha had been taken there. Still, it would be a logical move for Masenak to bring her there—that had been his intention since the kidnapping.
If she was still alive. Sasha was in danger every moment she was with Masenak. Even if he hadn’t been so enraged that he’d decided to kill her yet, all it would take was for Sasha to say the wrong word and it might be over. Considering that they’d barely been able to keep her in check during these last weeks, Alisa wasn’t optimistic.
But she had to be optimistic, she thought desperately. Hadn’t Sasha done a fantastic job in helping free those students? Don’t think of the possibility of failure. Sasha was clever. She’d live through this. All Alisa had to worry about was finding her.
* * *
Jubaldar
“You didn’t eat.” Masenak was frowning as he stood in the doorway of Sasha’s suite. “I told you when I brought you here that you were not to do anything to damage yourself. I won’t let you disobey me, bitch.”
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