MURDOCK'S LAST STAND

by Beverly Barton

  "Without the captain's help, how will we accomplish that?"

  "Vargas is going to see what he can do to get me an audience with Major Montero."

  Catherine finished off the strong, bitter coffee in the tin cup she'd been issued. "Do you trust Vargas? He seems awfully eager to help us."

  "I trust Vargas as much as I trust anyone I don't know well." Murdock stretched out on the ground, then placed his crossed arms beneath his head. "He and I fought side by side back in Celendin. We've become comrades, of a sort. I've told him about how your father and I fought with Juan Sabino and that you and I came to Zaraza to pay a hefty ransom to gain your father's freedom from Prision de las Puertas al Infierno."

  "Did you tell him about the assassination plot?" she asked.

  "That information goes straight from my mouth to Vincente Sabino's ear."

  "What if we don't get to him in time?"

  "I'll find a way. No matter what."

  Catherine shivered. The determination she heard in Murdock's voice frightened her. No matter what could mean anything, including sacrificing his own life.

  She scooted closer to him, then leaned over and stared down into his face. "Promise me that you won't take any unnecessary risks."

  "Ah, Cat, don't make me spell it out for you." This was the very reason a soldier didn't become involved with a woman while he was on a mission. No matter how strong, how fierce a warrior the woman might be, if she cared about a man, she was going to get sentimental. And when it mattered to your woman whether you lived or died, you were in trouble.

  She grabbed his chin. Looking him square in the eye, she said, "No matter what means that if you have to, you'll die in order to save Vincente Sabino."

  "Ah, Cat. Don't!" Hell, she was going to cry. He could hear it in her voice.

  "I don't want you to die. I don't think I could bear it if anything happened to you."

  He pulled her down into his arms. She wrapped herself around him as he held her close.

  "This is the nightmare," she told him. "I want the fantasy back."

  "I'm afraid they go together. Can't have one without the other. The nightmare and the fantasy are all a part of our mission in Zaraza."

  "At least I know my father is safe and getting medical treatment in Lima," she said. "If only we could have gotten Benita out safely, too. Every time I remember the look in her eyes when we said goodbye, I— Oh, God!" Don't cry! she warned herself. Not again. You've cried way too much lately.

  "Don't do this to yourself." Murdock wouldn't admit to Catherine that he was worried about Benita, too. Something about the kid, about the way she and Catherine had bonded, had touched some tender spot inside him. And no matter how hard he tried to forget it, he kept remembering the way the child had wrapped her arms around his leg and asked him to be her father.

  So, the kid obviously had lousy taste in men, if she'd picked him out to be her new father.

  What kind of father would he be anyway? He didn't know the first thing about being a parent. But what if you had Catherine around to teach you? a hopeful inner voice asked. If you married Catherine and the two of you adopted— Wait just a damn minute here! What the hell was he thinking? Marry Catherine? What was the matter with him? Had he lost his freaking mind? Had he allowed himself to blur the lines between fantasy and reality?

  There is no hearth and home, no wife and kiddies, no woman like Catherine for a man like him. He was an old soldier, with all the regrets and fading battle scars to prove it. Even Catherine knew that what they had together wasn't real, that it was an illusion.

  He held her—protectively, possessively. This was all they had. All they would ever have. He'd find a way to get her out of Zaraza, even if he had to sell his soul to the devil. He might not make it out of this hellhole alive, but Catherine would. He'd make sure of it.

  * * *

  Before dawn a messenger arrived. Murdock woke when he heard the faint commotion of men stirring about in the darkness. By the time he was fully awake, lanterns around the tents had been lit and waking soldiers mumbled among themselves. His gut instincts warned him that whatever the hell was going on, it wasn't good. Not for Zaraza. And not for Catherine and him.

  He roused Catherine. She stared up at him, yawned and then smiled. "Morning."

  "Get up, Cat. Something's going on and I don't like it."

  She snapped up into a sitting position, glanced around and frowned. "What happened?"

  "A jeep came whirling into camp a few minutes ago," he told her. "I'd say it's bad news from Sabino."

  Standing, Catherine stuffed her shirt into her pants and raked her fingers through her hair. "Look! There's Captain Delgado."

  "Yeah, and look who's with him."

  "Is that Captain Montero?" she asked.

  "Whatever's happened, it's bad."

  "They're coming this way." She grabbed Murdock's arm. "Why are they heading toward us?"

  "Stay calm, honey. Let me handle things. I'll translate for you later. Okay?"

  "Okay." Her stomach did an evil flip-flop as fear shot a rush of adrenaline through her body

  Six soldiers accompanied the two rebel captains as they marched through the encampment, obviously headed straight toward Catherine and Murdock. Captain Delgado issued orders and suddenly the half-dozen men surrounded their American guests.

  "What's wrong?" Murdock asked in Spanish. "Why are you arresting us?" He slid his arm around Catherine's waist and pulled her to his side.

  "You and the señora will be taken to San Carlos, not as our guests, but as our captives," Captain Montero said. "We know that your mission in Zaraza is to kill Vincente Sabino."

  "Where the hell did you get that kind of information? It's a lie. Whoever issued orders for our arrest is the person who wants Sabino dead. Not us."

  "You will have a chance to defend yourselves, after we have captured San Carlos and Vincente Sabino is recognized as the new leader of Zaraza." Captain Delgado snapped his fingers.

  Immediately all six soldiers surrounded Catherine and Murdock. Two sets of handcuffs dangled in one young lieutenant's hand.

  "They're going to separate us," Murdock warned Catherine. "Don't fight them. All they're going to do is handcuff us."

  "But why?" she asked.

  "We're being arrested on suspicion of plotting to murder Vincente Sabino," he told her.

  "What!"

  "Apparently, somehow word got back to the wrong person that we knew about the plot and were on our way to warn Sabino. He has issued orders to arrest and detain us, until after Sabino is declared official leader of Zaraza."

  "But … but—"

  "Don't say any more," he warned her. "Don't mention any names."

  "What are we going to do?"

  "Nothing right now. There's not much we can do, except cooperate." Murdock scanned the group of rebel soldiers who watched the proceedings. There, in the back of the crowd, stood Lieutenant Vargas, his keen black eyes focused on Murdock. The two men exchanged a mutual stare, one that communicated their comradery.

  They would have to bide their time and wait for the right moment. Then Vargas would make his move. Murdock prayed that the right moment would come in time for them to save Vincente Sabino!

  * * *

  Chapter 14

  « ^ »

  Catherine and Murdock were being left in a deserted building on the outskirts of the capital city, their hands shackled to an iron rail that ran the length of the low ceiling. Lieutenant Vargas was in charge of the men who deposited their prisoners in the basement room for safekeeping, until the battle for San Carlos was fought and won.

  "Charming little place you've found for us," Murdock said to Vargas, in English.

  "Yes, isn't it," Vargas replied. "Captain Delgado's choice, actually."

  "Be sure to thank the captain."

  "I will do that." Vargas's smile broadened. "And I will—personally—return for you, when the time is right."

  He came over and checked the handcuffs
that bound Murdock to the rusty metal rail. "Old pipes in old buildings." He shook his head, as if saddened by the poor condition of both. "The door to the basement will, of course, be bolted, so there is no way you can escape. When I return, we shall see what can be done to bring your situation to the attention of Vincente Sabino. Once he has taken control of the city, of course." A wicked little smile curved Vargas's lips.

  "And before Sabino is officially declared the new leader of Zaraza," Murdock said.

  The smile vanished from Vargas's face to be replaced by a solemn expression. "Yes. Of course."

  Catherine caught the visual exchange between Murdock and Vargas, but quickly diverted her attention away from them and toward the four soldiers waiting on the stairs. Apparently none of them spoke English and they seemed totally uninterested in whatever the lieutenant was saying to the American captives.

  Vargas winked at her, then turned and issued an order to his subordinates. One of the men handed the lieutenant the lantern he held, then he and the other soldiers scurried up the stairs. Vargas hung the lantern on a dangling metal hook by the staircase. Nonchalantly, he reached in his pocket to retrieve something, then placed the item on top of the wooden beam from which the hook hung. Whistling a marching song, he followed his men upstairs. The door slammed shut with a loud bang. A resounding thud announced that the heavy wooden bolt had been rammed into place.

  Catherine veered around and shoved her handcuffs down the metal railing toward Murdock. "What's—"

  "Wait!" he cautioned, nodding toward the stairs.

  Biting down on her bottom lip, she held back all the questions she was dying to ask. Something was going on between Murdock and Vargas, she surmised. Or had she read things wrong? No, she knew a conspiratorial look when she saw one and comprehended double-talk when she heard it. If ever two men were up to something, Murdock and Vargas were.

  And just what had that little farewell wink Vargas gave her meant? To anyone watching it might have seemed like a flirting gesture, but she knew better. It was as if Vargas had been reassuring her, even making light of the fact she was chained to a pole and trapped in a dingy basement.

  She counted the minutes, waiting for Murdock to give her an all-clear sign. While waiting, she tested her handcuffs. As she pulled on them, metal against metal, they clanged loudly.

  "Stop that!" Murdock said. "You'll bruise your wrists."

  "I don't care if I bruise my wrists, if I can somehow get loose. We can't just hang here like this all day and maybe all night."

  "I'll see what I can do to remedy the situation. Move all the way to end of the pole—" Murdock indicated the direction with a nod of his head "—down there."

  "Why?"

  "This is one of those times when you're supposed to just do as I tell you to do and not ask questions."

  "Oh, all right!"

  He waited while she dragged her handcuffs along the metal pole. When she reached the opposite end, she gave Murdock a now-what? glare. He separated his hands as far possible, then grasped the rail tightly and shook it as hard as he could.

  "What are you doing?" she asked. "You told me not to do what you're doing."

  Ignoring her comment, he continued his efforts. Suddenly, with a shattering crunch of metal, the railing broke in two. Catherine gasped as Murdock slid the broken tip of the rail through his hands, until the jagged end fell through his handcuffs.

  "Now, just slid along the pole until you can slip your cuffs over the end," he told her.

  She did as he'd instructed. When she reached the broken point of the pole, she noticed that rust had corroded the metal just enough to weaken it. Murdock had known all along that, with his superior strength, he could sever the vulnerable spot.

  "Why didn't you just tell me what you were going to do?" she asked.

  He lifted his arms and brought them down over her head and around to rest his cuffed hands at the back of her neck. "I wanted to impress you with my manly strength."

  She grinned. "Well, you did. I was duly impressed. Even after I noticed the corrosion on the metal."

  "Noticed that, did you?"

  "Now, if you could just figure out some way to get us out of these pretty little bracelets." Bringing her arms up between their bodies, she stuck her cuffed wrists in his face.

  He nuzzled her nose, then kissed the tip. "What will you give me if I can get us out of these?" He rubbed his cuffs against her neck.

  "Get me out of these, big boy, and you can name your own reward." She lowered her hands and gave him a quick preview-of-what's-to-come kiss on the lips.

  "I'll want more than a kiss," he said.

  "You haven't gotten me out of my bracelets, yet."

  He lifted his arms from around her and stalked off across the room toward the stairs.

  "Wait a minute!" she called out. "Are you planning on bursting through the door?"

  Chuckling, Murdock glanced over his shoulder. "I took a good look at that door and the wooden bolt as we passed it on our way down here. I'm afraid it would take a stick of dynamite to open it from this side."

  "So, where are you going?"

  "Did you happen to notice that Vargas left us a little present?"

  "You mean whatever it was he slid into that notch over the wall brace is a present for us?"

  Murdock took the steps two at a time, then ran his hand over the wooden ledge, seeking the gift. When his hand encountered the small metal key, he hooted and whirled around to show her the prize. "Our man Vargas left us the key to the handcuffs."

  "Aha! I knew it! You and Vargas. What's going on between you two?" She stomped over the damp dirt floor, avoiding the debris that cluttered the room and held her cuffed hands out to Murdock.

  He inserted the key in the lock of her cuffs, switched it over and set her free. As the cuffs dropped to the floor, she grabbed her wrists and rubbed vigorously. By the time she looked up, Murdock had released his wrists and was scouring around in their below-ground prison.

  "What are you looking for?" she asked, traipsing behind him.

  "Just checking things out."

  "I don't suppose there's any chance this place has a bathroom."

  "I doubt it," he said. "But we'll figure something out and make do until Vargas comes back for us."

  As she followed Murdock around the large, cobweb-infested basement, she began questioning him. "What's going on with you and Vargas? Obviously he tried to help us. But there's more to it than that, isn't there?"

  "Look what I found," Murdock said, as he dropped to his knees in front of an old trunk. "A treasure chest. Now, if only there's some dynamite in here and a couple of rifles..."

  He lifted the unlocked lid, which creaked as it rose from the base. Murdock rummaged around inside, tossing items out on the floor. "No dynamite. And no weapons. But here's a couple of old blankets." He tossed the threadbare blankets to her.

  After catching the cover and then laying it to her side, she demanded, "So explain about Vargas."

  "Vargas will be back for us. And he'll come alone. Then he'll do what he can to get us in to see Vincente Sabino, before Sanchez can follow through with his plans."

  "I thought you said you didn't tell Vargas about the assassination plot?"

  "I didn't."

  "Then why—"

  "Vargas trusts me," Murdock said. "He's going on his gut instincts, which tell him that I want to help Sabino, not hurt him."

  "Why does Vargas trust you?"

  "When men fight alongside each other, the way we did back in Celendin, they get to know each another pretty fast and often have to make instant judgment calls. Vargas trusts me for the same reason I trust him."

  "Gut instincts," Catherine said.

  "Yeah, gut instincts."

  "So, we really are stuck here, in this … basement, until Vargas returns for us?"

  "I'm afraid so." Murdock went back to rummaging through the trunk. "Nothing much else here except some old clothes, a couple of books and—" He withdrew a square w
ooden box, the top decorated with a faded painting of roses and encrusted with rows of tarnished brass studs.

  "What have you got there?" she asked.

  He flipped open the lid. "Looks like some sort of music box."

  He searched and found the key to wind the internal mechanism. Suddenly the tinkling strands of a familiar waltz filled the dirty, gloomy basement with music.

  "How lovely." Catherine reached for the box.

  Murdock handed it over to her. "No food. No water. No dynamite and no weapons. But we can have music while we sit around here going stir-crazy!"

  Catherine clutched the box to her bosom as the jingling melody played on. "I wish you hadn't mentioned food and water. I'm really thirsty."

  "We can survive without water for days and food even longer, but my guess is that it won't take Sabino more than twenty-four hours to put the government troops on the run. And I figure General Ramos found a way to get out of the country right after the first rebel attack."

  "So, take another look in that trunk," Catherine said. "Maybe you can find a deck of cards or a checkerboard. Something we can do to pass the time."

  "You're being a good sport about this. Some women would be yelling their heads off and demanding I find a way out of here."

  Catherine sat down on the stairs, then placed the music box several steps above her. "I thought you'd already figured out that I'm not like most of the women you've known."

  Murdock slammed the lid shut on the trunk. "No cards. No checkers. No games of any kind." He stood up, then looked at Catherine. "I realize, only too well, that you're not like any woman I've ever known."

  "I hope that's good." She offered him a faint smile.

  He crossed the room, kicking aside any clutter that blocked his path, then sat down one step below Catherine. With his gaze focused on a spot between his spread feet, he cleared his throat. "For the record … just so, later on, you won't wonder about... I thought I was in love once. She was the daughter of the richest and most powerful family in Cypress, Mississippi. And my old man was the school custodian and a drunk, to boot. Barbara and I had known each other for years. I'd had a thing for her when I was in high school, but she'd never given me the time of the day. I'd had my teenage heart broken a couple of times, like most guys. But I was a grown man when I got out of the army and became involved with Barbara. I was a fool to think she loved me. All I was to her was a temporary walk on the wild side."