“Yes, I do. Thought it was strange at the time, all thingsconsidered.”
“I need to see him,” she blurted out. “I can’t stand justsitting here, not knowing anything. Not when it’s my fault.”
“Your fault? Wait just a minute here. How the hell is Rickgetting shot in Iraq your fault at all?”
Trying to be as coherent as possible, stumbling over herwords in places, she explained about the visit from the Phoenix people, Xena’sreaction again to Rick. His request that she accompany him on the trip. Andmost of all, the dreams and Xena’s actions since then.
“First of all, Kelly, Rick Latrobe had one hell of a nerveasking you to go into a place as risky as Iraq. If he wasn’t already in suchbad shape—”
“Bad shape?” she interrupted. “How bad? Mr. Romeo was ratherlean on details.”
“It’s nothing for you to concern yourself with,” Harry toldher. “Stay up there in Maine, where it’s…it’s…”
“Safe?” she finished for him. “Okay, fine. If I can’t comestay with you, Xena and I will find the closest campground.”
“You don’t even know where Latrobe is,” Harry protested.
“No but you’re going to help me find out. Or at least, Ihoped you were. If not, I’m not without my own resources. I’ll just badger itout of Mr. Romeo himself. Or his wife.”
“Damn,” Harry swore. “You’re just as headstrong as yourmother, God rest her soul.”
“Granddad, we have this connection, Rick and Xena and I. AndI don’t think the danger’s over just because Rick’s back in the States. Xenaneeds to be with him.”
And so do I.
The sigh that Harry heaved was loud and resigned. “Allright. Come on down. I’ll call Dan and talk to him about the situation,” hegave in. “But I don’t promise anything.”
“If you can just get him to come talk to me. Or have hiswife come. I can make them understand.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Just as soon as I hang up this phone and throw my things inthe truck. It’s a little over an eight-hour drive, so Ishould be therebefore five.”
“Come straight to the field,” Harry told her. “I’ll havemade my calls by then. And drive carefully, you hear? Better to get here anhour later and still in one piece.”
“I will,” she promised.
Chapter Eight
Janet Houseman had decided to name her very private clinicDogwood House for two reasons. It was in Virginia surrounded by dogwood treesand it was the least likely name for a facility of its kind. Located justoutside the historical town of Warrenton, population about six thousand, it wasa little more than an hour’s drive from Washington, D.C., making it convenientfor government figures and the people who attended them. It was about the samedrive time from Baltimore. People looking for her patients—and there alwayswere, both good guys and bad—would have a hell of a time finding it. But justin case they did, the five acres on which the facility sat were surrounded by atwelve foot high brick wall with sensors embedded every twelve inches. Herstate of the art security system was second to none and her guards were thevery best money could by. The man lying in one of the suites on the secondfloor had helped find and train them.
She had assembled a top staff of physicians and surgeons andconstantly updated her equipment, both medical and surgical. A visit to DogwoodHouse didn’t come cheap but no one ever, ever complained about the cost.
Janet accepted her patients carefully, turning down thoseshe considered a danger either to herself or her country. It was not at all outof the ordinary for someone like Rick Latrobe to arrive requiring the utmostsecurity.
“We need to hide him until he’s back to fighting weight,”Dan Romeo told her. “We don’t know if the same person who shot him followed himhere, or has contacts. Any hospital or other clinic would expose him too much,even if we posted armed guards. Plus the media has gotten hold of it and hedoesn’t need reporters badgering him.”
“Not a problem.” Janet smiled. “You know that.”
The Phoenix men were as important to her as family. If notfor them she in all likelihood wouldn’t have been alive to establish this placeor treat the people she did. She owed them everything.
“He’s stabilized,” she told Dan and Mark the day afterRick’s arrival. “The surgery on the plane is what saved him. And a big thanksto the medics who treated him too. He’s still in a lot of pain and he won’t bedoing any dancing for a while. Or running through jungles. But he’ll probablybe up long before the doctors predicted. Kudos all around to the emergencymedical care.”
“And the surgeon you sent with Troy,” Dan reminded her.
Troy Arsenault had arrived in Virginia with Rick and, underdoctor’s supervision, been solely responsible for Rick’s care. Not that the menhad reservations about Janet’s staff. But under the circumstances, they justfelt more comfortable with Troy at his side 24/7.
Rick’s other injuries were healing too. The hairline wristfracture was nearly mended, the bruising on the ribs minor compared to thesurgery for the chest wound and Troy had removed the stitches from the two cutsthat had required suturing.
Now, a little more than a week after his arrival, Janet’sprediction was coming true. Everyone was happy to see how rapidly Rick’srecovery was proceeding. But then, he’d never been a man to have much patiencewith laying around, no matter how bad his injuries.
Mike D’Antoni and Ed Romeo had flown the Hercules C-130deadhead back from Iraq, landing barely two hours ago. Tired and drained, theirfirst order of business still had been to jump in the SUV that Dan and Markwere waiting in and get here as fast as they could to see Rick with their owneyes. Now they were gathered in his room, watching him sleep under theinfluence of the medication he was getting.
“God damn son of a bitch.” Mike, sitting in the big chairnear the bed, dropped his head into his hands. “It’s my fault this happened.Every bit of it. No thanks to me we nearly lost a partner.”
“I thought we already got past that.” Dan’s voice was hard.“The pity party’s long over. We have work to do.” He looked at Janet who hadjust come into the room. “Bottom line. How long until we can move him out ofhere?”
“I thought you’d want to know that, so I double-checked withhis doctor this morning. Even though he’s doing very well, you don’t want torush this. That was a very bad chest wound. I’d like to keep him another twoweeks, if we can hold him down.”
Mike gave a short laugh and glanced over at the bed. “If Iknow Rick, the minute he cuts back on the pain meds he’ll want out.”
“Which is why you’re all going to help me shortstop that. Heneeds as much time as we can force him into so he doesn’t rip open his stitchesand do more damage to himself. He’s one lucky man, I’ll tell you. Between theaccident and the shooting he should be dead, not recuperating.”
Dan raked his fingers through his hair. “Don’t I know it.All right, Janet. Thanks. We’ll do our best to keep him tied down.”
She smiled at them. “Just don’t let him yell too loud whenyou tie him to the bed, okay? Troy will still be handling his care but I’ll bearound if you need me.”
The moment she walked out of the room the men all looked ateach other. Finally Mark spoke.
“So,” he said to Ed and Mike. “Nothing in Baghdad, right?”
Mike rubbed his face, trying to wipe away the fatigue. Hechecked again to make sure Rick was still asleep before he answered. “I can’teven get my mind around how many people had to be paid off for this. No one sawanything out of the ordinary. Anyone who saw the trucks moving things out ofthe warehouse assumed it was a GC operation of some sort. No one asks aboutanyone else’s business.”
“Besides,” Ed put in. “There are other contractors fightingto preserve their piece of the pie and they don’t want to get involved insomething that sounds messy.”
“And the power outage?”
Mike made a rude noise. “Some ‘malfunction’ that onlyaffected the outside lights, they said.
Somehow the control tower and landinglights were untouched.”
“What a surprise,” Mark bit off.
“Yeah, right,” Rick commented, his voice slurry. “Tell meanother one.”
“Hey buddy.” Troy was instantly beside him, checking themonitors and his IV. “We thought you were still in fuzzy land.”
He wet his dry lips with his tongue. “I’m fuzzy too much. Ithink you guys like having me knocked out.” He turned his head. “Dan, I’ve gotto get back there…”
“Not in your shape,” his partner told him. He shifted hisgaze to Mike and Ed. “What about the locally hired guards? What’s the situationthere?”
“Some never showed up again. Others seemed completelybewildered. And nobody knew anything. About anything. Period.”
“What about any chatter outside the area?” Mark asked.
Ed leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. “We talked toevery contact we had over there and some we dug up out of nowhere. We thoughtwe were getting somewhere when a cousin of a cousin told us that some big operationhad gone down, that it was very secret and involved millions of dollars. Thenthe two cousins disappeared and everyone else clammed up.”
Mark shoved his hands in his pockets and began pacing. “Allright. We’ve got some work to do from here. This was no simple snatch and grab.This was well-planned and well-orchestrated. And think about this. A shipmentthis large never made it onto the open market or we’d have heard about it.There was a waiting buyer. Everything under the radar. We’ve got to find GregJordan. He’s the key to everything.”
“I don’t think Rick’s out of the woods yet, either,” Edpointed out.
“What do you mean?” Rick asked, groaning as he tried toshift his position.
“They wanted you dead, whoever they are. You’re stillalive and that’s going to make them very unhappy. My guess is they believesomehow you can pull all the pieces together.”
“Maybe if I could remember what’s banging around in myhead.” His voice was still thick with the effects of the medication and pain.
“You need to be out of sight until you do. Bringing you herewas the smartest move to make. In a hospital anyone could get at you.”
“So you know we need to get you some extra protection,” Markpointed out. He rubbed his neck. “The media are hopping all over this and Ihave this nasty feeling that you were supposed to be the fall guy all along.”
“Then why kill me?” Rick asked.
“If you’re dead you can’t defend yourself. Or give outinformation that might lead to someone else.”
“But I don’t know anything about that,” he protested. “All Iknow is what I know.”
“Well,” Mark drawled, “someone sure as hell thinks you knowsomething. I’d say you were supposed to die in a ‘conflict’ with your fellowthieves and that would be that.”
“I know Janet’s got better security here than the WhiteHouse does,” Dan brought up, “but I’m not willing to take any risks. They’vehad two chances and missed both times. We need a lot more than an army aroundhim.”
“We could always take turns,” Ed suggested. Although notreally a partner in the agency, as Dan’s brother he was still considered a fullmember of the team. “And Troy’s here. Most of the men working for us aren’t asfinely honed as we are.”
Dan shook his head. “Good idea but not necessarily a gooduse of resources. Let’s think about this.”
“What did Charlie Grainger have to say?” Mike asked,changing the subject.
“After he handed me my ass?” Dan snorted. “We either get hisgoods back or he’s pulling his contracts with us and suing us for his loss.Clusterfuck doesn’t even begin to describe—”
He was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. Theothers watched and waited while he completed a short conversation. When he hungup he looked at each of them.
“That was Harry,” he said. “You’ll never guess who’s comingto town and what she wants.”
* * * * *
For Greg Jordan his under-the-radar return to the States wasaccomplished with very little fuss. Amin, still grinning at his financialwindfall, had ferried him to a landing strip outside Baqubah where a privatejet with no marking waited for him. The only other person on the flight, ashort, dark man with an olive complexion and a quiet presence, said little butfed him when he was hungry.
He slept off and on but mostly his mind was busy trying tocome up with a plan. He couldn’t just run around the United States askingquestions as to the whereabouts of Eric Latrobe. And even when he found him,he’d have to do some fancy thinking on how to accomplish his assignment.
Shit!
His boss wasn’t the only one who couldn’t afford to leaveLatrobe alive. How could he possibly have missed? He had the man at dead range.He could kick himself for not checking the body but he was too anxious to getthe hell out of there. Well, he was paying for it now. His lifetime of luxurywas dangling just out of reach until his mission was fully accomplished.
Okay. First things first. He had the number for Zarifeal-Dulami. He’d start with him. As the point man for the weapons deal and hisfamily’s representative, he had a vested interest in resolving the situation.And making sure they had a dead man to take the blame. The man had wormed hisway into the right circles in D.C. He could help ferret out the informationthat was needed. He’d call him just as soon as he was bunkered down in theanonymous house that had been arranged for him.
Swallowing the bitter taste in his mouth, he closed his eyesand tried to fall back asleep.
* * * * *
Kelly pulled up to the gate at the airfield and honked herhorn. Leaning out of her window, she pressed the button on the speaker andsaid, “It’s me, Granddad. Open up.”
She was tired from the drive and cranky from anxiety. Xenawas still driving her nuts, not just with her restless behavior but again thedog was connecting with her mind. Every signal she had taught Xena to use as awarning sign of danger popped up over and over again. She’d feel a lot betterwhen she laid eyes on Rick Latrobe herself. Preferably with armed guardssurrounding him.
Driving to the small building that served as the flight andmaintenance office, she climbed wearily from the truck, giving Xena in the seatnext to her a reassuring pat first. Her eyes popped wide open when she saw DanRomeo walk out onto the tarmac.
What on earth is going on?
She poked her head back into the truck. “Stay,” she toldXena and signaled her not to move for anyone but herself.
“Miss Monroe,” he greeted her, holding out his hand. “Niceto see you again.”
She shook his hand briefly, then dropped it. “If you camehere to tell me I can’t see Rick, forget it. I want to lay my eyes on him.”
“I’m not—” he began before she cut him off.
“Not only that, he’s still in danger and it’s apparent youguys can’t protect him properly.” She stood with her hands fisted on her hips,chin jutting out. She wasn’t going to be put off by any of their double talk.
The slow smile that crept over Dan’s face both puzzled andinfuriated her.
“You think this is a joke?” she demanded, feeling her angerheighten.
“No.” He shook his head, still smiling. “Far from it. I’mnot only going to take you to see Rick, I’m going to ask you to stay with him.You and Xena.”
Her jaw dropped. “What? What are you talking about?” Itseemed she’d come here prepared for a battle that wasn’t going to take placebut she had no idea what Dan Romeo was asking of her.
“It’s very simple.” He took her arm and led her into theoffice where her grandfather was waiting, a mixture of humor and trepidation onhis face. “Harry, how about some coffee for our girl here while I fill her inon the details. She’s had a long drive and she looks like she could use somecaffeine.”
Kelly allowed herself to be lowered into a chair andaccepted the mug her grandfather handed her. “Can you please tell me what’sgoing on?”
“It’s very simple.” Dan explaine
d as briefly as he couldwithout compromising any information, the situation with Rick. The accident.The situation in Baghdad. The severity of his injuries. “We agree with you.Someone’s still after him. Maybe more than one someone. And another rottenapple’s been added to the pile. Have you seen this?”
He opened a copy of the morning paper to the front page.
“Feds Probe Phoenix Agency in Arms Dealing Case” screamedthe headline.
“Washington, D.C.… The mysterious Phoenix Agency, flyingunder the radar as they perform top secret missions for both public and privatecontractors, may have finally stumbled over their own feet. The major cargo ofweapons and equipment they delivered to a private security force in Iraq hasmysteriously disappeared and those in the know say Eric ‘Rick’ Latrobe, one ofthe partners, worked a high-dollar deal with the enemy.”
Kelly brushed the newspaper away. “That’s a lie,” shestated. “I barely even know Rick but I can tell you someone wants him to takethe fall.”
“More than that,” Dan told her. “Whoever’s responsibleapparently wants to get rid of him before anyone has a chance to question him.He’s a danger to someone and not just the guy we think planned the actualremoval of the weapons. Right now he’s in a very secure medical facility but wedon’t think having just an armed guard will handle the situation. We needXena’s special abilities. And yours.”
She stared at him. “You want me to stay with him?”
“It seems the best solution all around. After yourgrandfather called me, I cleared it with the facility’s owner. I’m prepared tooffer you any fee at all to do this. Money isn’t a problem.”
“But—”
“Miss Monroe. Kelly.” His voice was filled with measuredpatience. “While many people would turn up their noses at just the mention ofthe paranormal and the psychic, as we told you in Maine, within our own agencywe have two very good examples of why that would be a mistake. It’s why we’redeveloping a Psi department. Why Mia’s so anxious to meet with you. Work withyou. Explore the possibility of obtaining and training other Ovcharkas forindividuals.”
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