Crossfire

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  One part of his brain remained alert and aware of his surroundings, yet somehow he was also able to be absorbed in the moment. For so many years he had dreamt of doing this, of holding Vanessa in his arms again. He tried to remind himself that Vanessa had refused him once, but now, for one insane moment, he wondered if she would change her mind if she knew . . .

  Then the voice cut through the darkness.

  “What do we have here?” Akil Ramir stood in the doorway. He rubbed his dark mustache, his expression both calm and curious. Behind him, Halim stood silently, his eyes hard, his fingers clasped tightly around the handle of his pistol.

  “Uncle Akil.” Vanessa spoke automatically in French, her voice clearly surprised as she pulled out of Seth’s embrace, stepping in front of him so that she was between Seth and Akil. “I didn’t know you had arrived.”

  “That much is obvious.”

  “Lina, aren’t you going to introduce me?” Seth said in French, moving to Vanessa’s side.

  When she looked up at him, speechless, he continued as though amused by how flustered she was. “I am Seth Billaud, Lina’s fiancé.”

  Halim’s expression twisted into a scowl. Beside him, Akil’s eyebrows lifted as he studied Seth. “How is it that I did not know of your engagement?”

  “We only settled it tonight,” Seth continued, reaching for Vanessa’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “I spoke to her father only yesterday to ask his permission. Unfortunately, Fahid has become ill and wishes to see Lina. He asked me to escort her to the United States.”

  “Why didn’t you announce yourself when you arrived?” Halim asked now.

  “Forgive me, but after working for Fahid for many years, I am not accustomed to announcing my presence,” Seth said smoothly. “In my line of work, I rarely walk through the front door.”

  “Exactly what did you do for my brother?”

  Seth let a smile cross his face. “I guess you could say I was one of his managers.”

  “Check it out,” Akil ordered Halim. “See if he really visited my brother recently.”

  Halim nodded and retrieved a cell phone from his pocket before stepping out into the night.

  Seth forced himself to appear relaxed as he prayed that his team would be able to intercept Halim’s call. Feeling the tension still emanating from Vanessa, he gave her hand another squeeze and then linked his fingers through hers. “It is fortunate for us that you are here to share our happy news.”

  Akil studied Seth for a moment before turning his gaze on Vanessa. “Why did you never mention Seth to me before?”

  Vanessa stiffened slightly, but Seth was pleased to see that she had that look in her eyes that said she was willing to fight. “Exactly when was I supposed to talk to you about such things? You keep me here in this gilded cage, and I never see you.”

  “You of all people know how demanding my work is.”

  “How would I know that? Halim tells me nothing of what you are doing, or even when you are coming.” Vanessa stood a little taller. “My father trusted me in everything he did. You trust me with nothing.”

  “I have trusted you to manage this resort,” Akil said, his own voice becoming somewhat defensive. “Besides, how can I trust a woman who sneaks around with a man I’ve never met?”

  “Seth was one of my father’s most trusted advisors,” Vanessa improvised. “But he was fortunate not to be on the yacht the night we were all arrested.”

  “I see.” Akil kept his eyes on Seth as Halim entered the boathouse once more. Slowly, he turned to face Halim and asked, “Well?”

  “He speaks the truth,” Halim said with some surprise. “Your brother has become quite ill, but he had a visitor yesterday.” He motioned to Seth. “A big man named Seth Billaud.”

  Seth hid the relief pulsing through him. Hoping he appeared relaxed, he motioned to the door and looked at Akil once more. “Forgive me, but we really must be going. I promised to bring Lina to see her father as soon as possible.”

  “That will have to wait.”

  “What?” Vanessa asked before Seth had the opportunity to respond. “My father is ill. I need to see him.”

  “Your father understands that some things are more important than a visit with his daughter.”

  “Like what?”

  “We are relocating,” Akil said simply. “The Americans are watching us here.”

  “How?”

  To Seth’s surprise, Akil answered her despite his presence. “They must have someone working here.” Akil motioned to the door. “We are leaving right now.”

  “Now?” Vanessa’s eyes widened. “I haven’t even packed.”

  Fear settled in the pit of Seth’s stomach as he considered that he might have to leave Vanessa behind despite the fact that he had no idea where Akil was taking her. “Fahid is not going to be happy if I return without Lina.”

  “You’re coming with us.”

  “Excuse me?” Seth managed.

  “The Americans are watching too closely. I’m not taking the chance that you will be apprehended.”

  “They don’t have anything on me.”

  “Perhaps not, but my brother wants to keep Lina safe,” Akil stated. “I am tasking you with that responsibility.”

  “Then why must she remain with you?” Seth somehow managed to keep his voice calm. “I can protect her better on my own turf.”

  “With me is the only place I can be sure that she will be safe over the next few weeks.” Akil’s voice was clipped. “Enough of this. We are leaving.”

  Seth fought against his instincts to lash out when Akil motioned to Halim, who then moved forward and removed the communications device from his ear. Seth was confident that he could take both of these men, especially since Halim was the only one with a weapon drawn. He couldn’t risk it though, not with the possibility that Vanessa might not survive the encounter. Equally important was the fact that whatever terrorist activity Akil was planning might go forward with or without his involvement.

  “You won’t need this,” Halim said quietly, now holding the Bluetooth ear attachment in his hand. Halim glanced over at Vanessa briefly, his eyes flat, and then motioned to both of them with the gun he held.

  “Take his weapons too,” Akil told Halim even as his eyes met Seth’s. “After all, he won’t need those while we are traveling.”

  Seth considered for a moment before reaching for the handgun he had hidden in his waistband. He pulled it free and handed it to Halim.

  “And the other one,” Akil insisted.

  Seth’s eyebrows lifted, and he calmly reached down to his leg, where his second handgun was holstered. “You are as perceptive as your brother.”

  “I would hope that I am more perceptive than my brother. After all, I’m not in prison.” Akil tilted his head and motioned to the door. “Shall we?”

  “Are you going to at least tell us where we’re going?” Vanessa asked Akil.

  “You will find out soon enough.” With that, Akil stepped outside and escorted Seth and Vanessa to the airfield.

  Seth looked out into the night, hoping, praying that his team had heard enough to know that he and Vanessa were going to be on the next plane that left La Playa. With the sensors they had placed at the airfield, he knew they could at least track when they left. If all went well, they might also be able to narrow down their heading.

  His confidence that his team could track them faltered when he looked up and saw three planes in the airfield. Two were idling at the far end of the runway, and the other was in the process of taking off.

  As though she sensed his concern, Vanessa gave his hand a squeeze. She looked up at him, unspoken questions shining in her eyes.

  Seth leaned closer and spoke softly. “You know I won’t ever let anything happen to you.”

  Tears glistened in Vanessa’s eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. Moments later, they were airborne.

  14

  “What?” Brent asked incredulously. He sat down on the couch in th
e apartment he was currently sharing with his wife in Santo Domingo and adjusted the communications headset he wore so that he could talk to Kel without worrying that someone else was listening in. When he had received Kel’s call, the last thing he had expected to hear was that Seth was on an airplane with Akil Ramir. “I don’t understand why Seth didn’t take him out if he had the chance.”

  “I don’t get it either,” Kel admitted. “Maybe having the Lauton girl there complicated things.”

  “Either that or he was worried that Ramir’s plans were going to move forward whether he was alive or not.” Brent rubbed a hand over his face as he considered the possibilities.

  “Have you and Amy had any luck narrowing down who our mole is?”

  “We haven’t found anything substantial,” Brent told him. “I’ll do some more digging into Medrino’s background today. Something is definitely suspicious there, but he isn’t due back for a few more days.”

  “Do what you can. Maybe we can use the mole to our advantage in figuring out exactly what Ramir is up to.”

  Brent nodded to the empty room before signing off. He then went into the kitchen, where Amy was pouring herself a bowl of cereal. She looked up at him and asked, “Anything new from Kel?”

  “Yeah.” Brent let out a sigh and dropped onto the chair across the kitchen table from her. “Akil Ramir showed up last night at the contact point. He’s now on a plane somewhere with Seth and Vanessa.”

  “What?”

  “That’s what I said too.” Brent leaned back and stretched out his legs. “Apparently Seth passed himself off as one of Fahid Ramir’s advisors, and so far Akil seems to be buying the story.”

  “Yeah, but how long do you think he can keep up appearances? He wasn’t prepped for this.”

  “Actually, he was,” Brent admitted. “Sort of.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We knew that we might have to get him inside Ramir’s organization, but we thought we were going to have to take someone out in order to insert him.”

  “You were going to kill someone so that Seth could take his place?”

  “Forcibly remove someone,” Brent corrected and then shrugged. “At least, that’s what we had hoped to do.”

  “Yeah, but he still wouldn’t have been prepared to pretend he used to work for Fahid.”

  Brent shook his head. “Seth was on the mission when we apprehended Fahid Ramir and his family,” he reminded her. “And that wasn’t the first time we tried.” He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Seth has a good handle on the Ramir family, but I don’t know how long he’ll be able to keep up appearances. We need to find that leak, and we need to figure out where Seth is now.”

  * * *

  Vanessa had no idea where she was. She also wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or terrified that Akil and Halim appeared to accept Seth’s story that he used to work for Fahid Ramir. During the year she had been at La Playa, she had seen more than one individual arrive blindfolded or drugged to ensure they could not identify their location. The fact that Seth remained completely alert during their flight indicated one of two things. Akil bought his story, or he planned to kill Seth. Chills ran through her as she considered the possibilities. She glanced at him sitting beside her. Surprisingly, he looked relaxed, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he had been placed undercover before. She had been trained not to react to the unexpected, but Seth could have taught the class.

  Seth shifted to look at her. “We’re about to land.”

  Vanessa nodded and glanced out the window. Dawn was breaking, but she couldn’t see anything but ocean. She swallowed hard as she considered the fact that she and Seth were now on their own without any backup. “Do you think my father will understand why I didn’t come?”

  Seth nodded, apparently understanding that she wasn’t referring to Fahid Ramir but rather his squad. “He has been in the business a long time. He will figure out why we had to change our plans.”

  “I hope so,” Vanessa said as she felt the plane begin its descent. Fifteen minutes later they touched down, and the nerves in her stomach multiplied.

  As soon as she stepped off the plane with Seth, she turned to Akil and asked, “Where are we?”

  “Welcome to my home away from home.” Akil moved away from the plane and motioned behind them.

  Vanessa turned, and her jaw dropped open. A huge building was situated several hundred yards away, where the dense jungle gave way to a sandy white beach. The structure was the size of a ten-story hotel, the first two floors sprawling across the strip of land in front of the beach. The dense jungle on the other side of the building had been cut back at least a hundred yards so that anyone approaching would be visible to the occupants.

  In the center, the building continued upward with balconies visible on the top four floors, several of them manned by men with automatic weapons. A Z-10 attack helicopter sat idle on the helicopter pad situated to the left of the building. Vanessa turned to see that three more fighter helicopters were on the far side of the runway along with various other aircraft. “Are you using this as a house or a hotel?”

  “A little of both. I like to think of it as my personal fortress.”

  “I see you’ve done some remodeling since you moved in,” Seth said as he stepped beside Akil.

  Vanessa looked at Seth trying to hide her surprise. How could Seth possibly know this place? Then she realized that she too should be familiar with their new accommodations. She quickly tried to remember all of the briefings she had undergone before beginning this assignment, the numerous locations that were known to belong to the Ramirs.

  Afraid she might say something wrong, she said nothing as Seth motioned to the armed men on the balconies. “Are you expecting company?”

  Akil’s eyebrows lifted. “It pays to be prepared.”

  “I agree.” Seth reached for Vanessa’s hand. “Still, I’m surprised you find it necessary to have a bodyguard for Lina here at the fortress.”

  The fortress, Vanessa repeated in her mind, trying to remember the details of the site. She recalled that Fahid Ramir had used the fortress as his base of operations in Central and South America. She pushed aside her annoyance that the agents who had briefed her for this assignment had barely mentioned it to her and that they apparently hadn’t considered the possibility that Akil would take over this location.

  “I’m sure my niece will feel more at home if you’re here with her,” Akil said without emotion. He then turned and spoke in Arabic to one of the men who had come out to meet them. “Have them shown to their rooms.”

  Vanessa watched Seth for a moment, wondering if he would let on that he too spoke Arabic. If he was really a trusted advisor of Fahid Ramir, would he speak Arabic? She was impressed to see that he didn’t show any sign of whether he understood Akil or not, but rather waited for the man to motion for them to follow him.

  Seth moved forward slowly as another man began speaking to Akil in Arabic.

  “We just got word that the last shipment of weapons from Natero was incomplete. Apparently he wants more money before he sends the remaining items.”

  “Tell him you’ll bring him the money in person when you pick up the shipment.”

  The man looked at him, both wary and surprised. “You’re going to pay?”

  Vanessa glanced back in time to see Akil’s eyebrows lift in amusement. “Of course not. After you load up the weapons, you can kill Natero and return my money to me. Take a few extra men if you need to.” Akil shook his head now and his voice became indignant. “No one renegotiates terms with me. Make sure Natero’s successor understands that.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Vanessa felt Seth take her hand, pulling her forward even as she tried to comprehend the conversation she had just heard. Akil had actually ordered a man’s death because he’d tried to renegotiate a business deal. Struggling to stay calm, Vanessa let herself be escorted across the tarmac to the vehicle waiting to drive them the short di
stance to Akil’s fortress. She forced herself to remember her training, to watch for the various security measures that were in place and begin to devise ways to pick her way through them. An intricate set of motion sensors was barely visible, and guards were posted along the airstrip and the long driveway that led to the house.

  When they passed through the huge double doors in the center of the building, Vanessa expected to see something similar to a hotel lobby. Instead, she found that the entrance resembled that of an office building. Straight in front of them were two elevators and wide hallways that led to what appeared to be offices on either side of them.

  A man appeared in front of them and nodded a greeting. “I am Fernando. I am here to see to your needs.” Motioning to one elevator, he ushered them inside and then pushed the button for the ninth floor.

  Vanessa presumed that Akil had taken the penthouse on the tenth floor for himself. She hoped that he had put her on the floor below him due to the fact that she was family—as opposed to the fact that he’d be able to keep a better eye on her there.

  As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Vanessa gave herself a moment to look around. Instead of being in a hallway like she had expected, she was standing in the middle of a huge living room.

  “Miss Ramir, you will be in your old room.” Fernando motioned to the open double doors to the left. He then motioned to a hallway that led from the main living area. “Mr. Billaud, you will be staying down the hall.”

  “What about clothes for us?” Vanessa asked now. “My uncle didn’t give us the opportunity to pack before we left.”

  “Everything you need is in your rooms,” the man said. “Breakfast will be served in an hour.”

  Seth’s eyebrows lifted. “How did you know I was coming?”

  “The pilot radioed us after you left Punta Cana to inform us of what was needed.” He moved back to the elevator. “I hope you are comfortable.”

  Vanessa managed a smile. “Thank you.”

  As soon as they were alone, Seth rested his hands on her shoulders. He leaned down, and for a brief moment she thought he was going to kiss her again. Instead, he leaned his head close to her ear and whispered softly, “Bugs.”