by Diane Capri
She had been allocated a small room and allowed to roam above decks.
Later, two women and a man in unmarked flight suits questioned her for an hour. She answered as many questions as she could. She was assured that her whereabouts would be communicated to the US State Department, but they took her phone and pictures.
She hadn’t slept well and the morning dragged. She’d been cut off from the outside world, and twelve hours later she was more than ready to go home.
Hadlow came through a bulkhead hatch and stood beside her, staring at the sea. “Beautiful day.”
“I suppose,” she said.
“You had dinner?”
“Yes.”
“Wasn’t as good as Rooibank.”
“No.”
He looked at her. “Typical military operation. Everyone’s just a cog. Come on.”
He walked back through the bulkhead hatch. She followed him to a small room with a conference table. Half a dozen men and women in uniform stood up immediately.
The man at the head of the table stepped forward, his hand out. “Captain Rudolph Perry. Good to meet you.”
His grip was predictably firm. Jess wasn’t sure of the protocol for addressing a Royal Navy captain, so she settled for, “Good to meet you, too.”
He gestured to an empty chair. Jess sat, and so did the crew. Hadlow remained standing by the door.
Perry cleared his throat. “Mr.…” He looked at Hadlow.
“Hadlow,” Hadlow said.
“Right. Mr. Hadlow has filled us in on your activities. As I understand it, if you hadn’t driven that jeep onto the aircraft, we would have had a massive multination operation on our hands.”
Jess shrugged. “Perhaps.”
“I’m sure of it.”
“What’s happened to Debora Elden and Rafa Lopez?”
“Ms. Elden is already on her way back to the States for debriefing. Lopez is in the brig. He will be handed over to the Spanish authorities.”
“The guy who tried to kill Cantor back in Zorita?”
“He’s in custody, on his way to prison. You don’t need to worry about him.”
Jess nodded. “And Sánchez?”
“The Angolans, the Spanish, and Her Majesty’s Government all want her for murder. So I think we can safely say she won’t be assassinating anyone else in our lifetime.” He offered a reassuring smile.
“I’m glad to hear it.”
Perry nodded. “The last twelve hours have probably been very frustrating for you. It was essential to round up this operation as quickly as possible. Once others learn about the situation, everything gets exponentially more difficult.”
“And has the operation been rounded up?”
“It has,” he replied. “The biological agent has been secured. The Spanish authorities have taken control of Grupo Lopez. Arrests have been made. There will be more. The Angolan Army is now on the island. They will ensure the laboratories are properly guarded until decisions are made about the future.”
She looked at Hadlow. “What about Alex Cole?”
Hadlow smiled. “Someone is on the line waiting to fill you in on that.”
She frowned.
Perry rose, and the crew around the table stood immediately. Perry held his hand out. “Thank you, Ms. Kimball.”
She shook his hand.
“Your phone and camera will be returned to you, and you’re free to publish your story. I do ask that you refrain from using real names and photographs of my men, and,” Perry gestured to Hadlow, “other people.”
She nodded. The request was more than reasonable.
The captain left, followed by his crew.
Hadlow said, “Just so you know, Cole’s been released. He’d been working with Elden as an activist, but he’s done nothing illegal in this case. The Kelso Products CEO, Claire Winter, is being questioned about the lost biological sample and why it wasn’t reported. Whether or not she’ll be charged is a decision for your government.”
“Good. I’m glad about Alex. Thank you.” She cocked her head and looked at him. “Now that this is over, I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me your real name.”
“Wouldn’t help you. It’ll be a different name next week.” He grinned.
She shook her head and smiled in return.
He picked up a remote control. “Anyway, make the most of what counts as privacy onboard a warship.”
She frowned.
He clicked a button, and a television on the wall sprang into life. It showed a teleconference picture of another room.
“See you when I see you.” Hadlow waved as he left the room. Jess never expected to cross paths with him again.
The television screen sprang to life. Henry Morris sat in the chair directly in front of the camera.
She smiled. He smiled back with what she interpreted as both relief and pleasure.
He leaned into the camera. “You’re a hard woman to find.”
“All the best ones are.” She grinned.
Because he deserved to squirm at least a little, she said, “You might want to keep that in mind the next time you withhold vital information from me.”
His smile wobbled. “I didn’t know about Elden at first. And when I found out, I couldn’t tell you, Jess. Everything was classified. Lopez would have killed her if he’d found out.”
“Oh, so you’re suggesting I can’t keep a secret now?” she challenged.
“No.” He shook his head several times. “I thought she and Hadlow could help you if you got into trouble. Since I couldn’t be there.”
“You think I need someone to take care of me? That I can’t handle myself?” she pushed.
“Not at all. I mean, I…” He was both speechless and miserable.
And she did understand his reasoning. Sort of. So she let him off the hook. “It’s okay, Henry. I get it.”
He broke into a big grin that reached all the way to his eyes. “When will you be home?”
“As soon as I can get there,” she replied, her own smile widening. “Tell me what’s been going on since I left.”
As he talked, her mind wandered back to Debora Elden. All the time Jess was searching for Elden, Henry had known where she was and why. Information he had not shared with her. Even though most of it was classified, he could have found a way to help her if he’d wanted to. But he didn’t.
Of course, no one knew that Rafa Lopez was responsible for the sepsis outbreak. Or his grand plan for testing his mosquito killer on thousands of humans.
Elden was one of many field operatives covering one of many possibilities. Hadlow, too, was one of many. A multi-national operation intended to find and bring down the source of that sepsis outbreak. Just like Hadlow said.
While dozens of unanswered questions remained, Marcia McAllister had to be pleased with the result, although she’d worried for too long. A single moment’s worry was too long. Solving the Alex Cole problem was a good start. But Marcia deserved to know what had happened to her daughter, too.
Jess shrugged. There was nothing more she could do here. Time to go home and get back to her own life.
All’s well that ends well, perhaps.
But she had learned important things about Henry Morris she hadn’t fully understood before. He cared about her, for sure. She could trust him.
Up to a point.
When Henry Morris was forced to choose between her and his job, the job came first.
Good to know.
And one more lesson she’d finally absorbed.
She could easily have died during this whole situation. She’d been lucky. And she might not be so lucky in the future.
It was time she put one hundred percent of her energy into the things closest to her heart. Because life was too precious to waste even one moment of it.
* * *
I hope you enjoyed Fatal Bond. Were you wondering what happened to Marcia McAllister’s daughter, Melinda? You can read her story in the exciting short read, Fatal Past. H
ere’s a glimpse of the story:
In Fatal Past, Jess Kimball’s past mingles with the past of those buried in the Paris catacombs Sam Sommers has just retired from the Denver PD and has a few weeks of R&R scheduled before he starts his new personal security firm. His plans are derailed when he locates a long dead body of a young woman whose death was never solved in the catacombs beneath the city of Paris. When they return to the maze of tunnels beneath the cobblestoned streets, they race against the clock to stop a monster still hiding in the shadows.
Buy FATAL PAST now!
* * *
And Coming Soon: FATAL DAWN
Click Here for Details
Jess Kimball’s son, Peter, has been missing far too long. She’s done everything possible to find him. Henry Morris is pressuring her to give up and make a life for herself without Peter. She thinks he may be right. But in her mother’s heart, she believes Peter is still out there and she’s determined to find him. When Jess receives a ransom demand, her prayers may have finally been answered. She races to find the ones who hold Peter hostage. Will her son’s long ordeal finally be over?
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
DIANE CAPRI
Diane Capri is an award-winning New York Times, USA Today, and worldwide bestselling author. She’s a recovering lawyer and snowbird who divides her time between Florida and Michigan. An active member of Mystery Writers of America, Author’s Guild, International Thriller Writers, Alliance of Independent Authors, and Sisters in Crime, she loves to hear from readers and is hard at work on her next novel.
Please connect with Diane online:
http://www.DianeCapri.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeCapri
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http://www.facebook.com/DianeCapriBooks
NIGEL BLACKWELL
Nigel Blackwell was born in rural Oxfordshire in England. He has a love of books, a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, and a black belt in pointing out the obvious. He has driven trains, crashed single-seat racecars, and traveled much of the world.
He now lives in Texas with his wife and daughter, and a sixty-pound Siberian husky called Sindei, who apparently owns the house even though she refuses to pay the mortgage. Together, they enjoy the sunshine and listen to the coyotes howl at night.
Please connect with Nigel online:
http://www.NigelBlackwell.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Nigel_Blackwell
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Also by DIANE CAPRI
(Click each title to buy or download a sample)
CLICK HERE for a complete list of Diane Capri Books
The Heir Hunter Series:
Blood Trails
Trace Evidence
The Jess Kimball Thrillers Series:
Fatal Enemy (novella)
Fatal Distraction
Fatal Demand
Fatal Error
Fatal Fall
Fatal Edge (novella)
Fatal Game
Fatal Bond
Fatal Past (novella)
Fatal Dawn (coming soon)
The Hunt for Jack Reacher Series:
Don’t Know Jack
Jack in a Box (novella)
Jack and Kill (novella)
Get Back Jack
Jack in the Green (novella)
Jack and Joe
Deep Cover Jack
Jack the Reaper
Black Jack (coming soon)
The Hunt for Justice Series:
Due Justice
Twisted Justice
Secret Justice
Wasted Justice
Raw Justice
Mistaken Justice (novella)
Cold Justice (novella)
False Justice (novella)
Fair Justice (novella)
True Justice (novella)
Also by NIGEL BLACKWELL
Paris Love Match