“Then I’ll give it to you. How much in exchange for Eddie?”
Farouk growled. “I don’t want your money. I want Coburn. Now put him on the phone. I know he’s listening.”
Jack spoke up. “I’m here, Farouk.”
“Had a few problems, didn’t you, Coburn? When my men told me you’d jumped off that cliff, I thought I’d seen the end of you.”
Jack snorted. “You should know by now it’s not that easy to get rid of me.”
“Until now.”
“If you harm that boy, you’re dead.”
“Eddie? I’m not going to harm him. We’re old friends.”
Lola yanked the phone toward her. “What does that mean?”
Farouk chuckled. “How do you think I knew so much about you, Lola? Your schedule? Your special relationship with Eddie? I’ve been working at Miami Hope for the past few weeks as a janitor.”
Lola gasped. “And you attempted to abduct me?”
“That’s when I still thought I had a chance to get the formula.” He sighed. “Enough of the reminiscing. You for the boy, Coburn. That’s the deal.”
“Tell me where and when. I’ll be there. But don’t kid yourself that it’s going to be easy to take me.”
Farouk hesitated and Jack could almost feel the fear coming off the phone in waves. Then he cleared his throat. “It’s over, Jack. And the rest of the Prospero team isn’t here to stage a rescue.”
“Where and when, Farouk?”
“Bayside Marina, slip twenty-six. Lola comes with you. I give her the boy, and I take you. A fair exchange. Meet me there at two o’clock. If the cops are there, the boy dies.”
A whisper of fear traveled up Jack’s spine. “No. I’m not bringing Lola.”
Lola’s eyes widened and she choked. “What are you talking about? What about Eddie?”
“What about Eddie, Jack?” Farouk’s mocking voice made Jack want to smash the phone to pieces.
“Eddie’s no fool. He’s a street-smart kid. We can have him wait at the slip for Lola or in a nearby shop. Lola is not going to be in the vicinity when we make the swap.” Jack held up his hand to Lola, who was about to make another appeal. If he knew anything about Farouk, the man wouldn’t hesitate to harm Lola if it meant getting at Jack.
“Suit yourself, Jack. There’s a bait shop at the end of the pier. The kid can wait there.”
“It’s a deal, then.”
Farouk ended the call, and Lola folded her arms across her stomach. “I should be there for Eddie.”
“Eddie will be fine. You can be close by, and I’ll have Farouk call you to pick him up.”
“Do you think Farouk would try something?”
“I’m sure of it.”
She rubbed her arms. “So did any plan come to you while you were on the phone with Farouk?”
Jack shrugged. “I’ll come packing. I’ll fight him off. My guess is he’s going to take me out on a boat. Can’t just up and leave a dead body at a marina.”
“You can’t go with him, Jack.” Lola reached out to him and he clasped her hand.
“Eddie will be safe with you, and I can handle Farouk.”
“That doesn’t sound like much of a plan.”
“The best plans come from spontaneity.” He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on her cool palm. “Haven’t we managed up until now?”
“If it’s spontaneous, it’s not a plan.” She cupped his jaw. “I suppose it’s too late for the rest of Prospero, isn’t it? Even if Raven responds this afternoon, they won’t be able to get here in time.”
The disappointment that had settled in his belly had hardened into a solid, sour lump. “I can handle it on my own.”
“You’re not alone. I’m in this, too, Jack. What do you want me to do once I collect Eddie? Call the Coast Guard? The police?”
“You can try. Drop me off at the marina, locate the bait shop and then get out of there. When I leave with Farouk, I’ll have him give you a call and you can come back for Eddie.”
“And then I’ll come back for you.” She wrapped her arms around his middle, pressing her cheek against his heart.
“I’ll never forget you, Lola.” He wedged a finger beneath her chin, tilted her head up and kissed her long and hard.
TWO O’CLOCK CAME AROUND way too soon. Lola ran her fingers along the fragrant pine needles of the sad Christmas tree and brushed the back of her hand across her tingling nose. “We’ll have to decorate this thing when we have Eddie here for Christmas. It won’t look half bad then.”
Jack stepped behind her, pulling her back against his chest and resting his chin on the top of her head. “I have faith that you can make anything look better.”
She turned in his arms, the tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. “Jack, be careful. Come back to me.”
“From the day I saw you leaving the money at the bus depot, I’ve wanted nothing more than to come back to you.”
Her heart flip-flopped. “You saw me that day?”
“I watched you. I wanted to make sure you dropped off the cash and left.”
“And I did. Your instructions were specific.” She’d wanted to catch a glimpse of the man whose voice had insinuated itself in her dreams. But she’d been afraid of ruining the deal.
“When I saw you—” he brushed a strand of hair caught on her lashes “—so strong, so fearless, so beautiful, I knew I had to see you again. I’d always planned to return to Miami after rescuing Gabe, and it turned out better than I expected.”
“Better?” She jerked an arm out from her side. “This is not better.”
“Farouk has never gotten the best of me, Lola. And he’s not going to start now, not when I have so much more to live for.”
She’d often wondered what the future would hold for her and Jack once he regained his memory and this nightmare was over. Now that she had a glimpse of that future, it was going to be snatched away from them.
But Jack didn’t need her falling apart. “Do you have everything?” she asked.
He patted the pocket of his jacket. “My gun. Pepper spray in the other pocket. Knife taped to my leg. Not that Farouk will let me get away with any of that, but it’s worth a try.”
“When I get Eddie, I’ll call the Coast Guard. At least—”
“At least maybe they’ll get him after he kills me.”
“That’s not going to happen.” She pushed the words out through clenched teeth.
“Not if I have anything to say about it.”
They drove to the Bayside Marina and located slip twenty-six, which was empty. Jack pointed toward the end of the pier. “There’s the bait shop. I’ll send Eddie there and you can pick him up. Leave me now.”
Lola glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “You still have twenty minutes.”
“I want to get the lay of the land…or sea. Figure out some options.”
Lola swung into a parking space facing the bobbing boats. “Promise you’ll do whatever it takes to come back to me, Jack.”
He reached over and curled a hand around the back of her neck. “I will.”
They shared a tentative kiss as if afraid to commit to anything more solid. Lola sighed against Jack’s lips and he deepened the kiss, sealing his mouth to hers. Imprinting himself on her forever.
One single tear dripped from her lashes. Jack caught it on his fingertip and whispered, “I love you, Lola Famosa.”
Through tear-blurred eyes, she watched him saunter down to the pier like he was heading out for a day of fishing. Would she ever see him again?
She wheeled out of the parking lot. She’d noticed a sidewalk café not far from the marina, close enough that she could be back here in minutes. She didn’t want Eddie to be on his own for long.
As she parked the car at the curb, the prepaid phone rang. Not yet! It wasn’t even two o’clock.
“Hello.”
“Has Caliban hit stormy weather yet?”
Lola’s heart slammed against the wal
l of her chest. “Raven? Is this Raven Pierre?”
“Who is this?”
“My name is Lola, Lola Famosa, and I’m with Jack Coburn. He needs your help.” But it was too late now. Too late.
The woman sucked in a quick breath. “You’re with Jack? Where?”
“Miami.” Lola almost wailed. How could they help now?
“Miami? Oh, thank God. Buzz is in Miami. They’re all in Miami. They thought, they heard…never mind. Where are you?”
So close and yet too late. Lola almost sobbed with frustration. “It’s too late, Raven. Jack is going to meet Farouk. H-he’s trading himself for a little boy.”
“Listen to me, Lola. Where is Jack?”
Lola told Raven about the marina and the boat slip and the bait shop. “It’s slip twenty-six. I think he plans to take Jack out on the boat and kill him.”
“Has he left with Farouk yet?”
“Not yet. Two o’clock.”
“I need you to do something, Lola. Get back to that marina but keep out of sight. Can you text from that phone?”
“Not this one, but I have my own cell with me.”
“Spy on the boat, Lola. Text me a description—speed or sail, approximate size, color. If you can see Farouk’s clothing, note that, as well.”
“Are they coming then? Is Prospero going to help Jack?”
“They’ll help Jack…or die trying.”
JACK SQUINTED AT THE WATER when he heard an outboard motor chugging through the marina. A few people were out on the water or working on their boats. He could raise a ruckus, but then Farouk would probably shoot him and then Eddie. No, he’d shoot Eddie first.
A motorboat came into view, white with a red stripe along the side, its nose pointed toward slip twenty-six. Jack tensed his muscles. If he could face off against four angry Afghans and survive with just a loss of memory, he could handle Farouk. Farouk had always been the brains behind any operation, not the muscle.
The boat eased into the slip, Farouk at the helm and Eddie perched next to him. Jack’s nostrils flared at the smell of gasoline. Too bad he didn’t have any matches on him.
Farouk cut the motor and the boat bumped against the rubber buoys in the slip.
Eddie’s face split into a smile and he waved. “Mr. Jack! Mr. Freddie says he’s taking me to see Dr. Lola.”
So Farouk…or Mr. Freddie…had befriended Eddie. At least the kid wasn’t terrified. Jack waved back. “That’s right, Eddie. Dr. Lola will be here soon. You just have to wait for her.”
Farouk moored the boat and jumped to the pier, leaving Eddie on the boat. “Long time no see, Jack.”
Jack’s gaze darted toward Farouk’s hand stuffed in his pocket. A weapon? If he grabbed Eddie off the boat right now, would Farouk shoot them both? “Too soon for me.”
Farouk laughed, but a sheen of sweat dampened his upper lip. “Eddie, go below deck and grab that bag of snacks. You can take it with you.”
Eddie hopped up and disappeared belowdecks.
Farouk drew the gun from his pocket. “No need to scare the boy…or make him run. Take off your jacket and toss it over here.”
Jack complied, the weapon in his pocket making a thunking noise as it hit the metal pier.
With his gun still aimed at Jack, Farouk crouched down and felt for the gun in the pocket. He then kicked the jacket into the water. “What else do you have on you, Coburn?”
Jack raised his hands and turned in a circle, his T-shirt flattening against his body. “Nothing else.”
Farouk gestured at his feet. “Raise your pant legs.”
Damn. Jack hiked up his jeans, revealing the knife strapped to his calf.
“Nice touch. Throw it over here…nice and easy.”
Jack peeled the knife from his leg and tossed it at Farouk’s feet.
Farouk kicked the knife into the water, too. “I think we’re ready for our voyage now. Eddie?”
“I’m surprised you gave up your plans so easily, Farouk.”
“The minute you arrived in Afghanistan, my scheme was doomed. As soon as the CIA got wind of your presence there, they started monitoring chatter from the region. First my drugs-for-money plan that was going to finance my lab got disrupted by Riley Hammond. Once he discovered my involvement, I was all over everyone’s radar.”
A muscle ticked in Jack’s jaw. Riley had known about Farouk’s plan?
“Then Ian Dempsey tracked vials of the virus that we had to dump in the Rockies.” Farouk’s dark eyes turned to slits. “And Buzz Richardson killed someone very close to me. Then Buzz had to foil my plan to kidnap President Okeke’s daughter. The whole plan, a disaster from start to finish, thanks to Prospero. Thanks to you, Jack, because you’re the one who started it all.”
“Prospero was involved all along? How? I thought Colonel Scripps was on your side.”
“I was able to get Scripps to come over after Prospero broke up. But when your name came up in the chatter, people higher than Scripps demanded Prospero’s involvement.”
Eddie’s head popped up. “I have the candy, Mr. Freddie.”
“One move, Coburn, and I’ll shoot the kid.” Farouk tucked the gun closer to his body. “It’s been fun, Eddie. Now I’m going to trade you for Mr. Jack. You can go over to that shop at the end of the pier and Dr. Lola will pick you up.”
Eddie hovered at the side of the boat, his left arm hanging uselessly by his side. Jack took two strides forward and lifted him from the boat. Could he go overboard with Eddie? Keep him under the water and out of sight? Eddie’s pale face gave him the answer. He wasn’t strong enough for that.
“Listen, Eddie. You walk straight to the bait shop and wait for Dr. Lola. Wait by the counter and don’t leave with anyone else.”
Eddie scoffed. “I’m not a baby, Mr. Jack. I know not to talk to strangers.”
And yet he’d left the hospital with Mr. Freddie…the janitor. Jack ruffled Eddie’s hair and said, “I know that.”
“Are you coming to Dr. Lola’s for Christmas, too? Does she already have a tree?”
Jack laughed. “Yeah, she does have a tree, and we’ll all be decorating it for Christmas.”
Farouk shook his head. “So we had a good time, eh, Eddie? Now get going. Dr. Lola is anxious to see you.”
Eddie waved. “Bye, Mr. Freddie. Bye, Mr. Jack. I’ll see you at Christmas.”
The small figure walked down the pier, every other step a skip.
Jack turned toward Farouk, a new determination fueling his senses. His Prospero teammates had been with him all the way. “So let’s get to it. Are you going to off me here?”
Farouk licked his lips, his eyes darting from side to side. “Why would I want to cause a commotion? Get on the boat.”
Farouk ordered him to start the boat and pull up the moorings while he kept his gun pointed at his back.
As the boat chugged down the channel, Jack asked, “Can I call Lola now?”
“That was the agreement.” Farouk tossed him his phone. “Tell her to pick up the brat.”
Jack punched in the number for the prepaid phone and Lola answered after the first ring. The sound of her voice, strong and sure, made him smile. It was the same the first time he’d heard her voice over the phone, asking for his help.
“Jack, are you okay?”
“I’m fine and Eddie’s fine. He’s waiting for you at the bait shop.”
“Can Farouk hear us?”
“No.”
“They’re coming, Jack. Prospero is coming.”
Adrenaline coursed through his body. Prospero never failed. “We’re still in the channel.”
Farouk jabbed him in the back with the barrel of his gun. “She doesn’t need to know where we are. End the call.”
“I meant it, Lola. I love you.”
“And I love you, Jack.”
Jack held out the phone to Farouk, who studied him from beneath heavy lids. “The doctor means that much to you? I should’ve snatched her instead of the kid. I never could get
to you through your loved ones, Coburn, because you didn’t have any. Always the loner. Hammond had that stupid wife of his. I also took care of Buzz’s parents. I couldn’t get to Dempsey’s wife, but I took out one of his Mountain Ranger buddies. You see, I took a personal interest in Prospero.”
And now Prospero has a personal interest in you.
Jack didn’t respond, just kept steering the boat through the channel. “Where to?”
“We’ll head for open waters and I can dispose of your body over the side of the boat.”
They passed a few other boats, and Jack kept his muscles coiled and ready. Had Ian had enough time to get a boat in the water? Had Buzz had enough time to get a helicopter up?
By sea, air or land he knew Prospero would get here.
A big speedboat came chugging into the channel, faster than the speed limit allowed, churning up waves in its wake. Jack gripped the steering wheel of the boat. This was it.
The speedboat rose up and down in the water, heading in their direction.
Farouk swore. “Get away from this idiot.”
Jack shifted the boat toward the oncoming powerboat.
“The other way. Move away from him. He’s on the wrong side of the channel.”
Jack continued to steer the boat toward the other boat, now bearing down on them.
Farouk screamed. “Move, move. He doesn’t see us.”
Jack released the boat’s steering wheel and crouched, ready to spring. The other boat rammed their stern, spinning them in the water.
Jack lunged for Farouk, who had stumbled, his gun waving in the air. He tackled Farouk and pinned his arm back, banging his wrist against the side of the boat until the gun slipped from his weakened grasp.
Jack drove his knee into Farouk’s midsection, and the other man coughed and twisted to the side.
“Does he have any other weapons, Jack?”
Jack twisted his head over his shoulder and grinned at Buzz, who was aiming a gun at Farouk. “It’s about damned time.”
He yanked Farouk up to a sitting position and slammed him against the side of the boat. He patted him down and pulled a knife from his waistband. He tossed it over the side of the boat.
Another pair of boots, belonging to Ian, thumped onto the deck of the boat. “How’d you like Riley’s driving skills? Your Lola gave us a pretty good description of the boat.”
Green Beret Bodyguard Page 18