No, his mind said. That’s what she wants you to believe.
Sampson’s eyes lit up as he saw Jared. He rushed into his arms. “Jared, it’s Donelli’s nephew,” he said quietly and urgently. “And Laranda. They’re going to kill me. I know it!”
Jared glanced over at the olive-skinned man who had been with Sampson. Darkly handsome, he did look the part of a mobster’s family, but there was also a marked uneasiness in his face. The imposter Laranda might not be bothered by conducting business in a church, but Jared guessed that Donelli’s nephew was very disturbed by it. He noticed, however, that the restlessness seemed to fade as Laranda came to stand by his side. One more conquest for the witch. Jared pushed the thought aside.
“Sampson, they’re not going to kill you. We have a plan. First you have to walk across the street toward three Portuguese national guardsmen. Cassi will walk toward you, but you mustn’t talk to her or get too close, because the Donellis are going to try to get you back.”
“So I go to the guards?”
“No. You pretend you’re going there, but a car is going to stop for you.” Too late Jared realized he didn’t even know the color of Fred’s car. “Don’t let it too near you until the man gives you a password. Then get in as fast as you can. If something goes wrong, run away and hide until you can go to the national guard station.”
“What about Cassi?”
“She’ll be with me. Don’t worry. The man in the car will know how to find us.”
Sampson’s brown eyes grew large. “You and Cassi won’t die, will you?”
“No. Don’t even think that. We’re going to do everything we can to come back to you. I promise. You remember how important a promise is, don’t you?” The boy nodded, and Jared prayed as hard as he had ever prayed in his whole life that he wouldn’t let this child down. So many had already deserted him.
“The password is what we planned to do at the cabin,” Jared said hurriedly as he saw the woman and Donelli’s nephew approaching their position. “Do you remember what that was? I won’t say it aloud, just in case they’ve planted a bug on you.” Of course if they had put a listening device on Sampson, it might complicate matters, but he still didn’t think they’d back away from the opportunity to capture Cassi.
“I remember.”
“Good. Now be brave. You can do it.”
Sampson gulped and nodded. He cringed as Donelli’s nephew stared at them, but Jared kept his hand on the boy’s shoulder to reassure him.
“Let’s go,” Donelli’s nephew ordered.
“Yeah, it’s better we don’t mock God, don’t you think?” Jared said.
The man’s face darkened, but he didn’t reply. Jared suspected he had been thinking along the same lines. “So you’re Donelli’s nephew,” Jared continued. “What’s your name?”
“Donelli, to you,” snapped the woman. “Now enough of this. We have things to do.”
Jared shrugged and led them from the church. Outside, Sampson began his brisk walk to the street. Jared saw Donelli speaking into a cell phone. Here goes the counterattack, Jared thought.
Across the street, Cassi also began walking. She lifted an encouraging hand to Sampson as they passed within ten feet of each other.
Sampson was nearly across the cobblestone road when a small blue car drove up beside him. A man with dark hair opened the door. Sampson began to back away and lurching into a run as the man lunged at him. He ran not toward the guards, but around the car and down the street. The man jumped in the car as it turned and followed the boy. Farther down the street, another car door opened, a white, mid-sized vehicle, and someone inside shouted something Jared couldn’t hear. Sampson altered his angle and dived into the car. A shot rang out. People ducked and screamed. The white car drove onto the sidewalk to pass a few cars that had paused to watch and then disappeared around a bend. The blue car followed, its engine roaring.
Cassi had turned to watch the commotion, and Jared saw two Portuguese men rise off the stone benches in front of the church and grab her arms. Who were they? The men shoved her into a tan car as the national guardsmen ran across the street after her. Jared was grateful for their attempt at rescue, but the tan car sped down the street and was lost to his sight.
Jared felt a strong hand close over his own elbow. Donelli. On the other side, the woman hooked her arm through his. “Not one tricky move,” she said icily. She led him beside the church and down a narrow street where a limousine awaited. A man in the front seat opened the door for them.
“See if they got the boy,” the woman said to Donelli.
Donelli pulled out his phone, and Jared waited to hear the news. He thought Sampson had gotten away, but had he? And where was Cassi? Who had taken her?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE LITTLE BLUE CAR WAS no match for the power of the white car the Embassy had given Fred. Its power and Alberto’s fear made their getaway almost certain. Even so, Fred breathed a sigh of relief when he no longer saw the blue car behind them. Alberto also relaxed. Fred had to give the man credit. He was doing his best in a terrible situation. Far beyond the duty of his calling.
“You did well, Alberto.”
“Thanks, Fred.”
Somewhere along the way, while discovering corpses, delivering Worthington to a doctor, and surviving a car chase with armed men, they had started relating to each other on a first-name basis. If the man had been an American, Fred would have asked if he was interested in working for the FBI. Then again, they always needed contacts in Europe as well, and the guy already worked for the American Embassy, so maybe he’d ask anyway.
The beeping of the tracking equipment Fred had set up in the front seat diverted his thoughts. “They’re on the move,” Alberto said.
“Follow them. At a safe distance. But remember what I told you about getting too far back. We must not lose them. Until our reinforcements arrive, we are all the hope they have. The receiver will beep a warning if we begin to drop too far back.”
He put on first one pair of earphones and then the other to see if either Cassi or Jared was giving directions, but he heard nothing of interest. Not at all like the earlier conversation between the woman and Jared. Was it Brooke? He wished he could be certain.
“Who are you?” asked Sampson.
Fred had nearly forgotten the boy. “I’m Supervisory Special Agent Fred Schulte.”
“I mean who do you work for?”
“I’m with the FBI, but also I’m Jared and Cassi’s friend.”
“Well, I gathered that much.” Sampson studied Fred for a long minute. “FBI, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“So are they going to be okay?”
“We’re going to do everything we can. They’re both set up with listening devices and with a tracking device. We’re waiting for backup.”
Sampson nodded gravely. “How can I help?”
“You can start by telling me everything you saw and heard.”
“Nothing, really.” Sampson said. “But Giorgio Donelli was there, and so was Laranda.”
“Laranda? Are sure it was her?”
“Yeah, it was her all right. Look, can I help you with those?” Sampson pointed to the earphones, each of which was connected to a receiver. “I can listen to one of them.”
“Okay,” Fred said. “Sure. But write down on this pad anything you hear. And let me know if any of them say anything about their destination or something else important.”
“I will.” Sampson put on the earphones linked to Cassi.
Fred dialed Justin and told him what had happened. “At least Worthington’s alive,” he said. “And with a positive identification on Donelli’s nephew, we know the family is behind all this.”
“You want me to arrest him?”
“First see if Donelli himself has returned to the States. I have a suspicion he hasn’t. I think whatever is going on will happen here in Portugal, or he wouldn’t have come.”
“What about Jared and Cassi choosing a cab
in in Portugal?” Justin asked. “Was that coincidence?”
Fred sighed. “I think for once it really was. I’m almost positive that Cassi’s friend in England didn’t betray her. Look what happened to his wife. Speaking of which, is there any news about the wife?”
“Still unconscious, last I heard.”
“Well, check again when you get a chance. For once, I’d like to have good news for Cassi and Jared.”
“First you have to catch up to them.”
“Right. Let me know when my backup is close, and give them this number so I can tell them where to meet me.”
“Any sign of Brooke?”
“Not yet. But I’ll find her.”
* * *
CASSI HAD BEEN CLOSE ENOUGH to see that Sampson had dived into Fred’s car, but had seen nothing after that. Where was Jared? He had been in front of the church, but after the shot and all the screaming, she hadn’t seen him anymore. She hoped they would be reunited soon. Or had someone else jumped into the fray?
She studied the two men on the seat beside her. They both had dark hair and moustaches and looked Portuguese. Had they been hired locally? She thought of all the men who had lost their lives at the cabin. Maybe the enemy hadn’t yet received American reinforcements. Then again, maybe these men weren’t even part of the same group. The thought worried her.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
The men studied her with their intense dark eyes and said something in Portuguese.
“Don’t you even know what I’m saying?”
The driver in the front seat turned around. “I do,” he said in perfect English, turning blue eyes briefly in her direction. “And don’t worry. We won’t hurt you.” There was an unspoken “yet” in his voice that made Cassi’s flesh crawl.
“Hey, you’re the guy outside the national guard building,” she said, recognizing both him and his brown beret.
He smiled, but this time didn’t take his eyes from the road. “I’ve been following you a long time,” he said. “Since England, when we failed to get you at the car bombing.”
“You were responsible for that?” Cassi found herself trembling with rage.
His shoulders lifted in a gentle shrug. “I only follow orders, but I take pride in my work. I’m paid to do a good job. Unfortunately, your husband packs a pretty hard punch.”
“You were the man he knocked out on the sidewalk.”
“Yeah, beautiful, that was me. The name’s Taggart, by the way.”
“But you should still be in police custody.”
“What, me? An innocent bystander? You and your husband are lucky my lawyer didn’t sue you for attacking me.” Taggart gave her a maddening smirk. “They had nothing on me.”
Cassi sat back in her seat, clenching her teeth. He was nothing more than an irritating lackey. She would save her anger for whoever was really in charge.
At least she knew that the person he worked for had tried to abduct Jared in England as well as herself. Odds were that whoever had taken Jared today worked for the same person, and they would eventually end up together.
One of the Portuguese hirelings touched her leg and squeezed. She slapped him. “Please tell your apes here to keep their hands off,” she said coolly.
The driver turned and raised a gun, saying something in Portuguese. The men beside her moved away, but still cast her sidelong glances. Cassi shivered.
They drove for hours, and Cassi was beginning to feel faint with hunger. Her thoughts raced. If only she knew what was going on, it might ease her distress. Maybe the driver would let something drop.
“So who is your employer?”
He chuckled. “You’ll have to wait, beautiful. I’m not paid to tell you anything.”
“At least tell me where we’re going.” Cassi hoped to get some information to Fred.
“To a place. Keep quiet and you’ll soon see.”
“I’m hungry”
He flashed her an amused smile. “Yeah, and I bet you have to go to the bathroom, too.”
“So, what if I do?”
“You’ll have to wait. It won’t be long now.”
Cassi sighed and sat back, praying the tracking device was working. How long would it be until Fred rescued them?
More time passed—hours, Cassi thought—but she had no way of knowing exactly how much. A large city sprang up around them. They drove across a long bridge that spanned a river Cassi was sure she had seen on their way from the airport.
“So we’re going to the airport.”
Again came that irritating smile. “Nope.”
“Well, then, we’re going to Lisbon. I recognize it.”
“Good for you.”
Cassi was confident she’d given Fred some information. They weren’t going to the airport, and they had driven to Lisbon. What now?
She kept her eyes open for street signs, reading them aloud when she could pronounce them and spelling them when she couldn’t. The Portuguese men were amused at her attempts and helpfully pronounced the street names for her.
Eventually they stopped, and the driver exited the car. The other men followed, pulling Cassi after them. The driver hooked his arm through Cassi’s. “Let’s go, beautiful.” Cassi tried to step away but felt the barrel of a gun pressed to her side. Was it real or full of sleeping potion? Either way, she didn’t want to find out. She craned her neck to see a street sign, but there were none.
“Not one word out of you, beautiful,” the driver warned. “And I mean it.”
Before she had a chance to see the name of the building, he whisked her inside what appeared to be a hotel. “Where are—”
The pistol jabbed painfully into her side. “Shut up.”
He took her up an elevator, the two Portuguese coming with them. They stopped before a door and knocked. “Here she is,” he said when the door opened.
Leaving the Portuguese outside, he forced Cassi forward and then abruptly left her alone in the middle of the room. She saw Jared, sitting in a chair in front of an olive-skinned man with dark hair. Relief washed through her.
“Thanks, Taggart,” said a silky voice.
Cassi’s gaze ripped from Jared and stared at the woman in black. “Laranda?”
The woman laughed. “Yes, it’s me. See, Jared? Your lovely wife recognizes me. Why don’t you?”
“She’s not Laranda,” Jared said.
The woman came closer to Cassi. “But I am. See?”
She looked and sounded like Laranda, but Cassi trusted Jared. “Take off your veil.”
The other woman laughed. “Maybe you two really do deserve each other. Luckily, I won’t need either of you for very long.”
Cassi met Jared’s gaze uneasily.
“Search them,” said the olive-skinned man to Taggart. “It’s time we got to the house.”
Cassi’s driver stood and went toward Jared. From his pocket, he pulled out an unfamiliar rectangular device about as large as her video camera’s battery. What was it? She knew that in a minute he would probably discover the bugs. Cassi thought of her own listening transmitter in her earring, and more importantly the tracking device. Great, now what?
Searching desperately, Cassi’s eyes fell on a small black purse on the table across from where Jared sat. Must be that woman’s. Cassi took a few steps before sitting in a chair next to the purse. Her own large purse, filled with the makeup Fred had provided, felt heavy on her shoulder. The woman who looked like Laranda glanced at her briefly, but kept her focus on Jared, as did Taggart and the olive-skinned man.
Carefully, Cassi slipped her hand inside her purse and found the compact with the tracking transmitter. She palmed it awkwardly and slowly lifted it to the table, inching her hand closer to the small black purse, her heart beating rapidly. She glanced up to see if anyone had noticed her movements and met Jared’s eyes. He nodded almost imperceptibly and then began to struggle against Taggart’s hand, arching away from the small rectangular box which ran the length of his body,
searching for signals.
The olive-skinned man held Jared down, and the Laranda imposter leaned forward anxiously. In that moment, Cassi opened the flap on the small purse and slid the compact inside a zippered pocket. Hopefully, the other woman wouldn’t realize it was there before it was too late. Seeing Taggart’s thoroughness, it was the only chance they had.
The black box in Taggart’s hand began vibrating. “Ahh,” Taggart said. “Look what we have here.” He pulled the silver necklace from Jared’s neck. “State of the art, this one.”
“A bug?” asked the woman.
“Yes. I hope you didn’t give much away on your journey, because someone has been listening in. I’ve disabled it now.” He tossed the necklace to the olive-skinned man. “There, Donelli. If you want to feed some false information to them, let me know and I’ll turn it back on.”
Donelli. For some reason, the name was familiar to Cassi. She was sure she had heard it connected with organized crime, though this man was about her age—too young to be a mob boss. Donelli examined the necklace before slipping it into his pocket.
“Unless she has one, too.” The Laranda imposter turned on Cassi. “Then they’ll know we found it.”
Taggart approached Cassi with a smile. “I should have checked her before.”
“It is of no concern,” the woman said. “That’s why we came here first. At best, those listening will be led here. We’ll be long gone before they’re a problem.”
Taggart nodded and put his hands on Cassi. He was very thorough, and Cassi barely managed to endure his touch, wanting to slap his hands away. Finally he came to her hair. “Here they are,” he said, extracting the hair clip and earrings. He handed them to Donelli.
“What about her purse?” asked the woman.
Taggart dumped Cassi’s purse and ran the black box over the contents, as well as the fabric itself. “Nothing here.”
“Well, well, well,” the woman said with a satisfied smile. “I guess it’s time to get to the house.” She smiled at Donelli. “Your uncle will be waiting, Giorgio, and we have a big day tomorrow.”
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