by Desiree Holt
The engines ground to life, the plane roared down the runway and lifted off into the morning sky. The ride was fairly short, about an hour, Eli calculated since he couldn’t see his watch. Immediately after takeoff the curtains were pulled down over the windows so he couldn’t get any kind of geographic fix. Thankfully the women had fallen asleep again, although he hoped whoever administered the drug hadn’t gotten carried away with the dosage. He guessed his tolerance level was a lot higher than Sydney’s or Mari’s. Maybe muscle mass had something to do with it.
He was pretty sure they were leaving the United States. It would be too much to hope for that they weren’t being taken to a foreign country, where police accessibility and protection would be pretty much nonexistent. He knew the governments operated on the payoff system. And Mexico had to be the worst.
He still had no idea who had kidnapped them, or even who would have ordered it. The snatch was so well-planned he had a hard time believing it had been random. Like everyone else who watched the news and did business outside the United States, he was well aware of the rapid increase of kidnappings, where the victims were taken across the border. But in each case the person had been identified ahead of time, to be sure the money was available for a big payoff.
So who had wanted him taken? Of all the people he knew, who was going to benefit from this?
He was also deathly afraid that since they’d seen the faces of the kidnappers, they wouldn’t be allowed to live to identify them. Unless they were so untouchable they didn’t care.
While he was still turning possibilities over in his mind, the plane reduced its speed and finally landed, the few bumps jarring his body. One of the men came back to the cabin carrying something in his hands.
“Time to move,” he said.
He slipped a black hood over Eli’s face. He tied it loosely at the neck, allowing for air since there were no cutouts for breathing.
“I’m going to wake the women,” he went on in his accented voice. “If they put up a fuss, I hope you will convince them it is in their best interest to keep quiet. If I have to, I’ll put them to sleep again.”
No! He didn’t want any more drugs in their veins.
“I’ll tell them.” His voice was muffled now and he hoped his words would come through.
He heard the man talking to his wife and daughter and to Mari, waking them and telling them they were leaving the plane.
“You would do well to behave,” Eli heard him say. “It would be a shame if I had to hurt you in any way.”
Eli heard the pleasure of anticipation in his voice, as if daring one of them to provoke him.
“What’s going on?” This was Sydney. “”Where are we? Who are you?”
“Mom?” That was Lissa, the alarm evident in her tone. “Dad? What’s going on? Hey! Don’t you touch me.”
There was a slight sound of scuffling, as if Lissa was trying to move away from the man.
“It’s okay, Lissa,” Eli said, hoping he conveyed more assurance than he felt. And hoping they heard him through the fabric of the hood. “All of you, please just do what he says.”
“Dad, what’s this all about?” He heard the controlled panic in Lissa’s words. “I heard an explosion when they grabbed us. What was it? What happened?”
“Just do what you’re told,” he repeated. “People will be looking for us when we don’t arrive in Hawaii.”
The man with the malevolent laugh chuckled again. “They may look, señor, but I doubt if anyone will find you.”
That was all anyone said to them until the door was opened and the stairway lowered. Then rough hands hustled them off the plane and into another vehicle—one that Eli thought was another van— and they began moving over a very bumpy road.
“Just do what they tell us,” he told the women again. “Don’t antagonize anyone. We’ll figure out what to do.”
This time more than one person laughed, then one man snapped an order at them.
“Shut up. No talking. Just shut up.”
“Why did you keep us in the plane overnight?” Eli asked, knowing he was probably irritating his captors but trying to extract every bit of information he could.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but the controller we work with at the airfield had an emergency and switched shifts. An inconvenience that cockroach will pay for.”
So. They had to wait until friendly eyes cleared them for takeoff. Eli filed that away for the future. He tried to concentrate on feeling the nuances of the ride—the bumpy road, the feeling of going up, the blazing heat coming in through the windows that the feeble air conditioning couldn’t do much to abate.
At last the vehicle stopped, doors were slammed open and they were all pulled roughly outside.
“Walk,” the man gripping his arms said.
Eli managed the best he could with his ankles hobbled. He heard a door open, more low conversations in Spanish, then he felt himself thrown on the ground, his face pressing against what felt like dirt through the hood.
“Mr. Wright?” The familiar voice addressed him.
“Yes?”
“I am going to untie your hands. Count to ten, then remove your hood and you may free the others. Do not move before the count of ten.”
He heard noises he couldn’t identify, then a door slammed, hard. He carefully counted to ten, then yanked off his hood.
“Hold on, everyone,” he told the others. “I’ll have you free in one minute.”
He noticed they had left one end of the duct tape on his ankles flapping so he could grab it and pull it. As soon as he’d freed his ankles he pulled the hoods off the women and undid their bindings. He freed Sydney first, who helped him with the others, before throwing herself into his arms.
She took three deep, steadying breaths before speaking. “Eli, what the hell is going on here?”
Her face was pale but he could tell she was doing her best to keep calm for the others.
“Daddy?” Lissa’s voice was quavery. “Where are we? Why did these men take us?”
“And where are the security guards I arranged for?” Mari wanted to know.
When Eli didn’t answer, Sydney pressed her fist to her mouth. “Oh no. Please, tell me no.”
Eli pulled her into his arms. “Don’t think about it, sweetheart. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”
“Are these men going to kill us too, Daddy?” Lissa asked in a choked voice.
“Not if I can help it. Now. Some bad stuff has happened and when we get out of here we’ll all have plenty of time to fall apart. And mourn two good men. Meanwhile, let’s take stock of where we are and try to find out what’s going on. Whatever you do,” he told the women, “do not antagonize these people.
He flexed his arms and legs, getting the numbness out of them before taking visual inventory of everyone, noting they all seemed relatively unharmed. He hoped the drugs they’d been given wouldn’t do any permanent damage. Despite being dirty and frightened, they all seemed to be keeping it together with superhuman efforts. They might be in an impossible situation but at that moment he was extremely proud of all of them, including Mari.
“What about the pilots?” Sydney asked. “Did they kill them too?”
Eli shook his head. “They said no and I’m trying to believe them.”
He looked around at their surroundings. They were in a square room with a dirt floor and adobe walls. There was only one window but it was near the ceiling, narrow and too high to reach, even if Eli had someone stand on his shoulders. Besides, where could they go? A rectangle about the size of a closet jutted out of one corner. Eli opened the door and peered inside.
“At least there’s a bathroom here,” he reported. “It won’t get high marks for cleanliness but it has the necessary items.”
At that moment a heavy knock sounded on the door from the outside and a voice shouted, “Everyone stand back.”
“Do as he says,” Eli told the women, motioning them to join him in a corner.
They heard noises like wood being moved, then the door opened and a very large, almost fat man wearing dirty fatigues and with a rifle slung over one shoulder walked inside. With deceptive ease he swung the rifle into the ready position, then called out, “Bring it in.”
Another man, similarly dressed, walked in carrying a large tray. It held stacks of tortillas and bottles of water.
“Not a five-star hotel,” he said with casual indifference, “but we can’t have you starving.” He grinned, showing a missing tooth. “Not yet.”
Then the two men were gone.
“Daddy,” Lissa began.
“We’ll be fine,” Mari broke in, reinforcing what her boss had said. “They aren’t starving us. That’s something.” She looked at Eli. “You think the food is okay to eat?”
He nodded. “Like he said, they can’t afford to starve us. Yet.” He looked around at everyone. “And I have to believe we’ll be found long before that time gets here.”
* * * * *
Mike had insisted that Kat wait at the condo with Faith while he and Mark went to Pelley’s office.
“I promise to call you the minute we’re out of there,” he assured her. “But you can’t add anything and this is something we do all the time. Okay?”
He knew it took a supreme effort of will for her not to insist on going but she also agreed that what Mike said made sense.
“You asked me to help you,” he reminded her. “That’s what I’m doing, so please trust me to do it right.”
They were standing in the living room, away from the Hallorans, carrying on their conversation in low tones. Mike’s hands rested on her shoulders and he could feel the tremors running through her body.
She leaned her forehead against his chest. “I do. I’m just so scared for Mari and for the Wrights.”
“I know. Let’s just get to Pelley and see what we can find out.”
But Pelley had little information to give them. Tall and lean, with a thick shock of reddish brown hair and a neatly trimmed moustache, in his Armani suit he looked every inch the high-profile executive. Even the worry lines creasing his forehead seemed to be etched in a symmetrical fashion.
They had decided to play this low key, not rattle anyone’s cage yet. They needed to find out for sure if Pelley was somehow involved—not as farfetched as people might think—and a full-court press wasn’t liable to get them much information. Maybe just the opposite.
“I’m very familiar with your agency,” Pelley told them, “although I must say I didn’t expect to meet you quite this way.”
“Have you tried your boss’s cell phone and the place he’s supposed to be staying?” Mike asked.
“Yes. I tried his cell just before you got here. Nothing. But let me try again.”
He picked up the cell phone lying on his desk and speed dialed a number, holding the phone to his ear while the connection went through. After a minute he frowned again, disconnected and put the phone down. “No answer. I have to admit, that’s weird. Eli always has the phone on, even when it’s charging.”
He rubbed the edges of his moustache between his thumb and forefinger, eyebrows drawn together. Despite those signs of worry, Mike felt the man was far too cool under the circumstances. His boss was out of touch for no known reason and he was far too calm.
“What about the home where they’re staying?” Mike asked. “You said it belongs to a business associate? Rand Prescott? Did you call and see if they were there? Maybe the help there knows something. Maybe Eli Wright called from San Diego to change their arrival time.”
Neither he nor Mark believed that was the case but again, it was the line they’d decided on.
“Let me find out.” He pulled a scrolling telephone file toward himself and flipped through the cards until he found what he wanted. Mark and Mike waited while he dialed the number, then listened to Pelley’s side of the conversation as he questioned whoever answered. When he disconnected the call, he gave a good impression of someone suddenly very worried.
“Nothing,” he told them. “They’re a little concerned themselves. They thought they’d get a phone call if the flight was delayed for any reason.”
“Where’s Prescott now?” Mark asked.
“I don’t know but I’m going to call his office and find out.”
“Is it usual for your boss to be off the radar like this?” Mark asked, his voice tinged with curiosity. “A man who runs this kind of operation can’t just simply drop out of sight.”
Pelley shook his head, frowning. “Not really,” he answered in an even voice, “although it’s happened a couple of times before. What worries me, though, is we can’t get in touch with the two private security guards who were with him. I haven’t heard from them and I can’t reach them either.”
“Do they work for Wright International or did you hire them from a firm?” Mark asked.
“They’re on our staff. I called the man who runs the San Diego office and he’s headed into the city to see what he can find out.”
He met the eyes of both men with a direct look but Mike had the feeling that it was a look he practiced every day. He was sure the man did an excellent job, whatever that job was, or he wouldn’t be Wright’s executive V.P. But he wasn’t a man Mike would have put much trust in. He shrugged mentally. Maybe Eli Wright saw something different in him.
All they had told Pelley when Mike called him was that Katherine was worried about her sister and could he, Pelley, get in touch with his boss and find out what was going on. It was time to feed him another nugget of information and see what his reaction was. “Are you aware the plane never left San Diego?”
Pelley’s eyes narrowed. “I am now. I called the airfield. They told me they’d already spoken to you and to some woman.”
“Mari Culhane’s sister,” Mike told him. “Someone—not necessarily the pilot—called and said they wouldn’t be needing it and to tie it down.”
“That’s certainly not a good sign. I wonder why neither of the real pilots has called in.”
“How big an office do you have in San Diego?” Mike asked.
“A small one,” Pelley told him. “We don’t have a major facility there in any of our divisions, so it’s mostly just a place to process paperwork and take care of clients in the area.” He looked at his watch. “I’m trying to reach Harry Lombard who runs the place. His wife said he’s already left home, he’s not at his office yet and for some reason he’s not answering his cell.”
“Would Wright have contacted him?”
“You bet. He provided a young man to drive the vehicle and two security guards to trail them.”
Mark frowned. “If he hasn’t heard from them, why isn’t anyone more upset?”
Pelley shrugged. “It seems no one but the secretary was in the office all day. Len—the kid driving them—had another errand to run after he delivered the Wrights back to the airfield and the security guards would have gone on to their next assignment.”
The two Phoenix agents exchanged a look.
“Kind of a loose way to run an office, isn’t it?” Mike asked.
“It’s just a satellite operation,” Pelley protested. “Besides, things like this don’t usually happen so no one would be expecting any trouble. If there has been any,” he added quickly.
“Why don’t you give us this Harry’s numbers,” Mark said. “We’re heading out to San Diego ourselves and we’ll want to talk to him.”
“All right but I’ll keep trying from here and call you as soon as he and I connect.”
Pelley scribbled some numbers on a business card and held the card out. Mark took it and tucked it into his shirt pocket.
“That’s the office, the house where they’re supposed to be and Eli’s personal cell phone. I’m going to keep trying from here.” He rose and extended his hand. “Please keep in touch, gentlemen. I’m hoping Eli just decided to play a little hooky in San Diego and didn’t want anyone to bother him.”
Mark frowned at
him. “A man with his responsibilities?”
“Everyone needs a break now and then,” Pelley pointed out. “And he’s very comfortable leaving things in my hands. I’ve been with the company for fifteen years and I think I know it as well as he does.”
“I hope you’re right,” Mike told him. He handed him a Phoenix card. “Our cell numbers are on the back. Call us the minute you hear from anyone.”
He and Mark were silent while they took the elevator down to the underground parking lot. Neither of them spoke until they were in their SUV and out on the interstate.
“Am I being prejudiced here,” Mike said, “or is there something off-key about Ron Pelley?”
“You’re not prejudiced,” Mark told him. “He’s hiding something. I just wish I knew if it had to do with the disappearance or was totally unrelated. A man like him is in position to do some major financial shenanigans where the company is concerned.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that he may not be involved in this. But he’s not off the hook with me.” Mike pressed a number on his cell. “I’m calling the airport to tell them to get the plane ready. We’ll head out there as soon as we check out Ryan Post. Do you need to pick anything up?”
“My wife,” his friend laughed. “She’ll kill me if I go off and leave her. And Kat will put out a hit on you if you do the same.”
“Crap. I wish there was somewhere to stash her while we do this. I don’t know exactly what we’ll find.”
“Kat may be your best weapon,” Mark reminded him. “She can ‘see’ things for us that no one else can.”
“You aren’t worried about taking Faith along?”
“Are you kidding? Without her you guys never would have found me. And don’t forget she shot one of the terrorists without batting an eyelash. No, I like having her in my corner. And fortunately, she’s between books right now and her next tour doesn’t start for three weeks.”
Mike sighed heavily. “I’ve seen the way you guys interact with your wives and the missions they’ve helped with. I just—”
“You just don’t want to admit you’re in love with this woman and your protective instincts have kicked in.”