Prizrak had insisted on it before talking. “It’s so unsightly, mouths full of half-chewed food,” she said.
Val and Prizrak were in back. Angel didn’t like someone he didn’t know sitting behind him with guns, but he wasn’t afraid.
When the woman had put her guns away, into her trench coat pockets, Angel had been curious. She had walked toward him, and the lower inside corners of her coat were visible, but the Glocks weren’t. She had to have holsters sewn inside the fabric. Very clever, and very dangerous.
“My father hired Prizrak to watch over me while I was in grade school and high school.” Val stuffed nuts in her mouth.
Prizrak finished chewing dried dates and wiped her lips with a napkin. “Her father Anton was worried about boys, and enemies. I mainly scared quite a few boys away.”
Val nudged her with her elbow. “But enemies too.”
“One kidnapping attempt. A few threats.” Prizrak smiled.
Zeus finished a juice bottle and leaned back. “That was great. Thank you, Val and Miss Prizrak.”
“Of course.” Prizrak leaned back too. “I assumed after your escape that you might not have time to get food and water.”
Zeus hung his arm out the window. “Yeah, little busy running from dogs and armored drones, ma’am.”
“Val,” said Angel. “Do you have the flash drive?”
Val nodded, still chewing. “In my passport pouch. Matt gave it to me as a safety precaution.”
Angel looked in the rear-view mirror at Prizrak. “Who do you work for?”
“Val’s father, Anton, alerted me that Val had the flash drive and might be in danger from Dima. He wanted me to watch her. No money. I do it as a favor. Anton and I go back many years.” Prizrak turned to Val. “I had to hurt a man in France that was following you, love.”
“Matt and I wondered what happened to that man!” Val raised her eyebrows. “So you were looking out for me the whole time?”
“Not quite.” Prizrak shook her head. “I thought when you reached the boat in Spain and headed to the Bahamas, all was well. When I learned the Bahamas was a mess, I tracked Dima, and he led me to you at the hand-off today.”
Angel listened, while chewing on an apple. “What did you want to talk about?”
Prizrak heaved a deep breath. “It’s going to break Val’s heart if Matt dies, and that will break my heart. I have a deal to trade Val to Lucian for two-hundred-fifty thousand.”
“That’s all I’m worth?” Val looked aghast, her eyes wide and her mouth twisted.
“It was a quick negotiation.” Prizrak patted Val’s thigh. “I’m sure I can get more for you, dear.”
Val sighed. “Then I feel better.”
Angel met Prizrak’s gaze in the rear-view mirror, wondering what game she was playing. “Dima hired Lucian. Lucian is local. Very dangerous. And he has a small army.”
Prizrak glanced out the window. “Hmm. We just met two of his men before we came here. Well, since Lucian has Mr. Steel too, perhaps we can combine our resources to get Matt and Mr. Steel?”
Angel was surprised by her offer. “Your guns still won’t be enough. And I am not committed to a rescue.”
“So you’re not part of Steel’s team?” Prizrak’s eyebrows raised. “Why are you here, love?”
Angel shrugged. “I owed a debt, which I have already repaid.”
Zeus twisted in his seat. “Steel’s fiancé, Christie, is coming in tonight. We’re going to delay the exchange of the flash drive for Steel, Matt, and Therese until midnight. Christie is going to bring more help, ma’am.”
“Who is Therese?” Prizrak eyed Zeus.
“She’s a niece of one of the CIA agents who died at the hand-off.”
“Wonderful.” Prizrak took a gulp of water. “Let’s talk when Christie arrives and work something out.” She leaned forward, patting Angel’s shoulder. “Will you be here until Christie shows up?”
Angel considered that. There was no reason to leave immediately, but no reason to stay. And Christie would try to pressure him to help, which he would refuse. “I will stay a little longer.”
Zeus gazed at him. “We’ll need weapons and ammo, sir. I’m not sure what Christie is bringing.”
Angel considered his request. “I can help with that. Then I am gone.”
Prizrak looked at Val and winked. “You look like you need a walk, love.”
Val winked back at her. “I do. I’m going crazy sitting in cars for so long.” She tapped Zeus on the shoulder. “Will you come with me?”
Zeus glanced at Prizrak, and then Angel. “Glad to. Don’t mind stretching my legs either.” He exited the car.
With her index finger, Prizrak circled the top of Angel’s Stetson on the seat beside her. “I like your hat.”
Angel felt cautious that the woman wanted to talk to him alone. “You know Val very well.”
Prizrak chuckled. “Six years of twenty-four-seven guarding. It paid well. And I love her like a daughter. She used to call me mommy when she was annoyed at me for scaring boys off.” She paused. “I heard stories, while I was in Europe, of a cartel assassin who sometimes dressed up as an old man. I heard the man was very skilled and dangerous. I always like to know my competition so I did some research. His name was Angel, and he enjoyed Chevy SSs and trained La Manada, a pack of rabid killers.”
Angel looked into the rear-view mirror. It bothered him that she knew who he was. Things felt out of control on his identity. “Prizrak is Russian for ghost. I heard she was a former KGB officer who left to freelance in Europe, and was a legendary killer.”
Silence.
Prizrak stared out the window. “I heard the ghost had retired some years ago, tired of all of it.” She paused. “I’m also sick of cities and crowds. I find it restful here in the country.”
“I do too.” Angel couldn’t decide if she was telling the truth, but he sensed a hint of sadness. In some ways they were not that different.
“So did you retire too?” Prizrak cocked her head; she seemed to be listening to a songbird out the window.
“I changed.” When Angel looked back at his life, it was hard to believe he once was a cartel hitman. That part of his life felt disgusting, and far away.
“Why won’t you help us?” Prizrak stared into the rear-view mirror. “Someone with a skill set like yours. We could use it.”
“I have much to lose.”
“Such as?” Prizrak sounded curious.
“A woman I love, a twin sister I love, a life I love.”
“Those are good reasons. Being with Valentina again brings out the mother in me. Even if you never have children of your own, you can still love them that way. And I owe Anton. I think Dima killed him, so I want him dead.” Prizrak leaned forward. “So your debt to Steel is finished. What about the debt to everyone else you killed?”
Angel considered that. “Most of them had so much blood on their hands it didn’t matter.”
“Most?” Prizrak settled back again. “Maybe you can find one past victim who you owe a debt to and help us.”
“Debts are to the living,” he said gruffly. He was annoyed at everyone pressuring him to stay.
“No, love, I think the debts are to ourselves.”
VAL AND ZEUS RETURNED to the car, seeming in good spirits. That made Prizrak happy.
Val sat with her hands clasped in her lap, her eyes on Angel and Prizrak. “Did Mommy and Old Man have a nice talk?”
Prizrak chuckled. “It was wonderful, love. I need to take a walk myself and get some exercise.” She patted Angel’s shoulder. “We’re not in any hurry to be somewhere, are we?”
“No hurry,” Angel said politely. “Take as much time as you need.”
“Ta-ta, then.” Prizrak exited the car and walked north along the shoulder. She felt like she was camping, though the foster home she had grown up in hadn’t allowed much of that. Feeling a little adrift, she found herself wondering where she was heading. She felt isolated. But without any family, she often had tho
se feelings off and on throughout her life. Letting that go, she took a deep breath. Ironically, the sounds and smells of nature were not her usual sense of order, but she loved them all the same.
When she was far enough from the Chevy, she pulled out her phone and called Lucian.
He picked up on the second ring.
“There’s been a development, love.”
“And what is that?” Lucian sounded excited.
“Steel’s team contacted me through the girl Valentina. They want her. And they told me you have a midnight meeting with them.”
“And?” asked Lucian.
“What if I play Trojan Horse with Steel’s team?” Prizrak smiled. “I pretend to join them, drive up separately with the girl, and make sure Steel’s team doesn’t have a chance to do something stupid. I can put a gun to the girl’s head, without pulling the trigger. What’s that worth to you?”
Lucian laughed. “I love your style. Another fifty thousand.”
“Wonderful. Text me the location when you have it.” Prizrak studied her nails. “I have a bonus for you. A show of good will for killing some of your men at the hand-off today.”
“I love bonuses!” exclaimed Lucian. “What is it?”
“I can tell you the identity of Old Man. He has quite the bounty on his head.” Prizrak watched an eagle circling in the sky. She wondered what that felt like, to be so high, looking down.
“What will his name cost me?” asked Lucian.
Prizrak chuckled. “Nothing.”
“And why would you betray Old Man?”
“He killed a friend of mine long ago, and revenge is always sweet.” She stopped to watch a snake crawling along the edge of the road. She wondered if it was poisonous, but it didn’t frighten her. It seemed to have its own business in mind anyway.
“Why don’t you turn in Old Man and keep the bounty for yourself?” asked Lucian.
She heaved a sigh. “I’d have to fight Steel’s whole team, no thank you. I’ll leave that to you.”
Lucian laughed. “This is going to be an amazing evening. Mommy and Old Man together in one place! When will I get your real name?”
Prizrak chuckled. “When I get paid and leave in one piece, Lucian.”
IN THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR, Angel watched Prizrak walk away from the Chevy. He wondered if she was going to call Lucian. He decided it was a good time for him to make a call too. “I’ll be back soon.”
“No worries, sir.” Zeus flicked a hand. “We’ve got time.”
Val leaned forward. “Zeus, do you really think Matt’s okay?”
Angel stepped out, walking south along the shoulder. Blue-gray gnatcatchers flitted among cattails and swaying swamp grass, and a yellow-billed cuckoo perched on a tree branch. An eagle circled above. Admiring its stealth as a hunter, Angel wondered what the raptor was seeing.
He made the call. Jasmine answered first. He gave her the broad details of what had happened, and what was at stake.
“I am so proud of you, Angel! You are helping those in need, like this young woman, Therese.”
“I am thinking of coming home soon, Jasmine. This will be very dangerous, and I don’t want to risk my life here, never to see you again.” He felt a well of emotion in his throat as he spoke those words.
Jasmine became quiet. Angel thought it was a little amusing that the two most important women in his life both took time to answer and speak. Thoughtful. He liked that about both of them.
Twin spot and Delaware skipper butterflies fluttered among pink thistles that dotted the landscape. Looking farther, he noted the green of the landscape blending at the horizon with the blue of the sky and a few white puffy clouds. It amazed and calmed him.
“My love.” Jasmine sounded sad. “It would tear my heart in two to lose you. And if you return now I would never think less of you. But don’t you think you have your skills for a reason? How many can do what you can do to help the weak?”
Her words bothered him and he stopped walking. “What if I don’t return? Is risking everything for a few people I don’t really know worth throwing our life together away?”
“If it feels impossible or certain death, don’t risk anything, Angel. There will be other times and ways to help people. I will always love you and miss you. Please return to me, my love.”
“I promise.” He waited, annoyed and wanting clarity—which still eluded him. He hoped Renata could give it to him.
She came on the phone and said without hesitation, “I sense you are troubled, dear brother. Talk to me.”
“We are going up against a monster who cares about nothing. He has a small army, and to rescue Steel, Matt, and a young woman, we will risk our lives. It would be better to call the CIA, or not go at all. And there is a woman, Prizrak, that I do not trust.”
Silence. He heaved a sigh and walked on, waiting. The heat felt good against his skin, and he could feel the sand on the shoulder of the road grinding against the soles of his shoes.
When Renata spoke, her voice was gentle. “Angel, the CIA will not care about the people, only the results. You already know that. And I sense this woman, Prizrak, is a complicated mystery.”
“What are you saying, Renata?”
“If you do not help Steel’s team, they will fail, Angel. And I sense you will never be fulfilled if that happens. This is the knife-edge of your life. The turning point.”
Frustrated, he said roughly, “You always tell me I’m in danger, and caution me, and now in one of the most dangerous actions I could take, you are pushing me to do it!” He regretted his anger, but he didn’t understand how the two women he loved could be so unconcerned with his life. “Don’t you want me to return?”
“Of course, dear brother! As with Jasmine, it would be the greatest loss of my life to never see your face again, to never hear your voice again. Come home if you wish, and I will never love you less. But if you swing your sword, Angel, I will swing mine with you.”
It was his turn to be quiet. He walked, not hanging up, still unable to see things clearly. Everyone was pushing him. He was sick of it. But in the end he decided they both had told him to come home if he wanted to.
“I want to return to you and Jasmine,” he said. “I’ve had enough of the violence.”
“Then do it, dear brother. We wait for you with open arms.”
“Soon, dear sister.” He hung up and walked back to the Chevy. When he sat inside, everyone was quiet. He didn’t say a word either.
CHAPTER 30
Steel woke up on a cool cement floor, still handcuffed. Someone was stroking his forehead with a wet rag. It felt soothing against the pain in his body. His blurry vision slowly cleared. A young woman knelt beside him.
He tried to gather himself, and she helped him sit up until he could rest his back against the wall. Matt sat slumped against the far wall, head down, legs out, his left arm still in a sling. Steel hoped he was alive. His responsibility.
The cement cell was ten by ten, with an eight-foot ceiling and bars on one side. Past the bars a wide hallway led left and one led straight. In fifty feet the straight hallway ended at a dozen stairs leading up. They might be underground. A single ceiling lightbulb outside their cell illuminated it. The scent of feces and urine was in the air.
“Here, drink.” The young woman held a ladle up to Steel’s lips.
He looked at her. Brown hair in tangles, wearing a dirty white blouse and jean shorts. A pleasant round face, with a bruise on her right cheekbone. The bottom edge of her blouse was torn—the rag she had been using on his head.
She tilted the ladle and he drank. Warm water, but it tasted great. He finished it off, and she dipped the ladle into the nearby bucket and he drank another. Heaving a sigh, he rested his head against the wall. Returning the ladle to the bucket, she leaned back against the wall too.
“Thank you. Therese, right?” He studied her dark brown eyes. Resignation. He wondered what Lucian had done to her. He wanted to make him pay. “You’re Edwards’ niece.
”
Her shoulders sagged as she teared up. “I saw them kill Phil.” She wiped her eyes. “I saw you there. Were you helping him?”
Steel wasn’t sure how to answer that, given Edwards had probably betrayed them in the Bahamas. “I’ll do everything I can to help you, Therese.”
Nodding, she sniffled.
Steel asked gently, “Do you have parents?”
She shook her head. “Mom’s always in rehab, so Phil and Darcy are my true parents. They’ve always helped me. Darcy is mom’s sister.”
“How did Lucian get you?”
“I was leaving campus to catch a ride with friends for a road trip to Florida, and two men pushed me into a van. They put a hood over my head. We stopped for restroom breaks. I didn’t know why they wanted me or where they were taking me.” She paused. “They...they said they’re going to put me into the sex slave trade with mom. Sell us.” She pulled her knees up to her chest and cried silently. “I’m so scared.”
Steel tried to buoy her up. “I’m going to do everything I can to help you. People will be looking for us.”
“We can’t get out.” She avoided his eyes.
“There’s always a way.” All of his virtual reality training centered on placing himself in impossible situations until he found a solution. Kobayashi Maru didn’t exist for him. He viewed Matt. “Is he alive?”
“I think so.” She brushed tangles of hair off her face. “He was unconscious too. They brought him in with you.”
“They drugged us,” said Steel.
“Who is he? Who are you?”
“His name is Matt. He’s trying to help girls like the ones they bring in here, and I’m doing the same thing. Call me Jack.” Steel shook his head to wake up. “How long was I sleeping?”
“An hour.”
“Did they take you out at all?” he asked.
She turned to face him. “Today they took me to see my Uncle Phil.”
“For the hand-off.”
She nodded.
“Was that the first time you talked to your uncle since you were kidnapped?” Steel watched her carefully.
She seemed to think on that for a few moments. She shook her head. “Today they had me stand next to a Florida sign and took a short video to show Phil I was alive.”
Steel Trap: A Jack Steel Action Mystery Thriller, Book 4 Page 19