by Kitty DuCane
“What?” asked Hayden. “No salad or appetizer?”
Manuel took a sip of wine. “I'm a meat man. Salad is for rabbits.”
A big grin slipped across Hayden's face. “I like the way you think.” Hayden picked up his fork and knife, sliced a piece of steak, and put it in his mouth. Manuel did the same thing.
“Very good,” commented Hayden. “Rare. Just the way I like it.”
“I agree. Rare is the only way to eat steak.”
Hayden hoped the next part of his plan worked. Red McLain had always touted the benefits of Morse code, a code discontinued in 1997. He hoped Victoria knew it.
* * * * *
Victoria's stomach pitched at the smell of the meat, and the men savoring it didn't help.
“Aren't you going to eat, darling?” asked Manuel.
She shook her head.
“Did Zellia give you your antinausea medicine this afternoon?”
“I took the pills, but they only do so much for this virus that I have.”
“You were right, Hayden. She's sick with something. You wouldn't happen to know what it is?”
Hayden took a sip of wine. “No. She had this virus the last time I saw her, but I don't think she was this bad.”
“She can't keep anything down, but I've been taking good care of her. Show him your hand, dear.”
Victoria's gaze flitted from Manuel to Hayden as he pulled her hand from her lap and laid it beside her plate. She watched Hayden's eyes narrow briefly when he saw the IV line taped to her hand.
“Yes,” said Victoria. “Manuel's been the perfect host, providing me with medicine and IV solution. But I can't figure out why.”
“Can't you, darling?” cooed Manuel. “You have to get well. I have plans for you.”
“What kind of plans?” she asked drily.
Manuel dabbed his lips with his fine linen napkin. “Sexual plans. You're a beautiful woman. I intend to make love to you as soon as you recover. Hayden can watch, of course. But your recovery better happen soon, because I don't intend to wait much longer.”
Victoria kept the sneer from her lips. “I think the word you're looking for is rape.”
Manuel took a bite. “Rape is such an ugly word.”
“Perhaps so, but it's one I'm sure you're very familiar with.” She fought to keep the venom out of her voice. She didn't want to antagonize her host, only kill him.
“I think you're getting better already. Perhaps I won't have to wait long.”
He turned to Hayden. “Do you happen to know her name?”
Hayden shook his head. “No. She never did tell me her name. Do you know it?”
Manuel smiled like the cat that ate the mouse. “I'm not sure, but I believe she's the infamous Red McLain's daughter.”
Manuel turned and faced Victoria. “You have his eyes. And his hair. Am I right?”
Victoria sat motionless as the sadness welled up inside of her. She didn't know if she could deal with this right now. She couldn't afford emotional pain at a time when she needed mental acuity. But it didn't matter at this point. Red was dead, she was dying, and Manuel would surely kill Hayden. “Yes. I'm Red's daughter.”
Manuel clapped his hands together like he'd won the prize. “Who knew he had a daughter? Did you know that, Hayden?”
Hayden shook his head.
Manuel swirled his wine in his glass. “So now I know why you want to kill me.”
Her eyes narrowed as she curled her fists into a tight ball, her nails biting into her palms. She was sure she could get her fork into Manuel's jugular before the guards could get off a shot. Except Hayden might be collateral damage.
Manuel turned to Hayden. “And exactly how did you escape my ambush? You disappeared into the jungle. My best trackers couldn't find you.”
Victoria blinked. “Yes,” said Victoria, looking directly at Hayden. “I want to know the answer to that too.”
“I guess I was just the luckiest son of a bitch in the world that day.”
“Indeed,” replied Manuel. Silence fell. “Do I detect an undercurrent?”
Victoria felt Manuel's gaze on her as she fought to keep her emotions in check.
“Ah…you think Hayden was the setup man? I can assure you, my dear, Hayden was supposed to die that day along with your father.”
Relief swamped her. She fought to keep a straight face. Hayden wasn't the mole, and he wasn't responsible for her dad's death. He was supposed to be dead. How could she have ever doubted him? Her relief was almost euphoric. Hayden hadn't betrayed her dad, and more importantly, he hadn't betrayed her love for him.
After a few seconds, she said, “Well, that's good to know.”
Manuel threw his head back and laughed. “You are a treasure, my dear.” He lifted his glass and toasted her.
“Hayden. I think I won you some brownie points,” said Manuel.
“Well, you know how it is with women. One needs all the brownie points that one can get.”
Manuel lifted his glass to Hayden and smiled. “Indeed.”
The dinner continued with nonsensical chatter, which grated on Victoria's nerves. She fought hard to keep her belly under control.
Finally Manuel stood and extended his hand to Victoria.
“Now, my dear, I'm going to earn some brownie points for myself.”
Victoria doubted that, but placed her hand in Manuel's and swallowed the bile that rose from the contact.
“Come along, Hayden. You'll be interested in this too.”
Manuel led Victoria and Hayden from the room. Four guards quickly fell in beside them.
Victoria's hand itched to kill Manuel; she could easily snap his neck. But if she wasn't mistaken, Hayden's eyes had communicated to her “escape two a.m.” in Morse code. Bless her dad for making her learn all those stupid dots and dashes. She could wait until two a.m. to kill Manuel.
Once in the foyer, Manuel snapped his fingers and told the butler to fetch him a coat. Victoria frowned as Manuel wrapped her in the lightweight, three-quarter-length raincoat. She welcomed the coat, even though it was hot as Hell. She was instantly suspicious, since he always wanted her parading around in nothing.
They left the house, crossed the courtyard, and entered a building that she had seen Zellia enter many times. Guards swooshed around Manuel to open the door. Apparently Manuel did not know how to operate a doorknob.
Victoria stepped inside, where the smell of antiseptic permeated the air. The smell almost made her throw up. The infirmary. This was where Zellia worked. How could Manuel earn points in here?
Hayden touched her in the small of her back, and she resisted pushing back into his touch. Her body responded instantly to his touch, even needing to rub against him through the coat. She almost whimpered.
At the back of the building, a guard pulled open a door. Manuel disappeared down dimly lit steps. A horrible odor assaulted Victoria, and she stumbled, but Hayden's warm hand on her arm steadied her. At the bottom of the stairs, she lost the battle with her stomach. When she was done, Manuel handed her his handkerchief.
She wiped her mouth and then pulled the coat tighter around her body to repel the cold, damp air. Bars lined the entire length of the corridor. Fear swamped her. Was he going to put Hayden down here? In this filthy, smelly hellhole? Manuel stopped a few yards down and waited. Hayden took her arm and helped her walk.
Manuel smiled when she reached him. “May I present to you…Red McLain.”
In slow motion, Victoria turned to peer into the cell, but all she could see was a body balled up on a cot in the back. Manuel motioned with his head, and a guard opened the cell door.
Manuel walked in and pushed on the body. “Get up, Red.”
The man rolled to his back and dragged a hand down his face. “What? Is it time for our chess game already?”
“No. You have company.”
Red sat up and placed his feet on the floor. “Company? What game are you playing now, Manuel?”
“No game.�
� Manuel stepped to the side. “I present to you, your daughter.”
Red kept his face stoic. “I don't have a daughter.”
“Yes, you do. She looks just like you.”
Red, his eyes flat, looked straight at Victoria. “No. I'm telling you that I do not have a daughter.”
“She's already admitted to it. Of course, she thought you were dead at the time.”
Victoria resisted running to her dad and flinging herself into his arms as she had when she was a child. He looked fragile, as emaciated as she was. His hair looked clean but was long, tied back with a band of some kind. His beard was scraggly, and his clothes were threadbare and hung on his thin frame. Red McLain used to be a bear of a man. Now he was a mere shell of his former self. His right shoulder hung at an odd angle.
“Dad?” she managed to squeak out.
“Ah hell, honey. You should have never come here.”
She glanced at Manuel. “I was kidnapped.”
Red turned to Manuel and hitched a brow.
Manuel shrugged. “She tried to kill me.”
Red laughed and slapped his leg. “That's my girl. But I am surprised that you're not dead,” he said to Manuel.
“I would be, except I recognized her right before she unloaded her two pistols.”
Red frowned when her coat fell open. “Manuel, why is she parading around in lingerie?”
“She's lovely, Red. I like lovely things. Don't worry. I haven't touched her.”
The unspoken “yet” hung in the air.
Red's fists clenched, and his face washed with rage. Now was not the time, thought Victoria. “What happened to your shoulder?” she asked.
Red's gaze settled back on Victoria. “Bullet shattered the socket. The arm is practically no good to me anymore.”
“Did anyone else survive?” asked Hayden.
Pain flashed across Red's face. “No. Only you and me. And you look good, by the way.”
Hayden's features hardened, his lips set in a grim line. “Yes,” was all he said.
“I remember you fighting like a devil to save us,” said Red.
Victoria's heart broke. Yeah, Hayden had probably fought until he could fight no more.
Manuel turned to Victoria. “Now that I've earned a point, I want to cash it in.”
Her eyes flew to his. Surely, he wouldn't in front of her dad. “What do you want?”
“Just your name.”
She started laughing. “What is it with everyone wanting to know my name? It's Victoria. Victoria Anne McLain.”
“Ah. Victoria. I like it. It rolls off the tongue perfectly.”
She ignored Manuel and rapidly communicated with her dad. Her dad coded back with his own blinks that he understood. She let out the breath she'd been holding.
Manuel rubbed his hands together. “I hate to break up this little reunion, but I have things to do. Red. The guards will escort you upstairs tomorrow morning. You can shower, shave, and then lunch with us in the main house. I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do.”
* * * * *
Through his scope, Blade had watched them cross the courtyard earlier, and now he watched them make their way back to the main house. Manuel wasn't a tall man, so his head didn't present itself as a good target. Therefore, they'd stick with the original plan. Blade brought Hayden's eyes into focus and deciphered the Morse code.
“Well, I'll be damned,” he said. “Red's alive.”
No one left behind.
They'd have to regroup and figure out how to get Red out. This op kept getting better and better.
A few minutes later, his little hothouse flower appeared again in the courtyard and limped to the same building from which Hayden had emerged. He tracked her in his rifle scope, hair flying on the breeze. It would be so easy to take her out. Take no prisoners. No tangos left alive.
She stopped midway, turned, and looked right at him. Blade jumped back from the scope as chills raced across his skin. She couldn't have seen him, couldn't know he was tracking her.
Damn, but that had given him the heebie-jeebies.
Chapter Twenty-two
Zellia ran for her life. Through the jungle. Pursued by a big black wolf with long fangs that were too vivid in the moonlight. The wolf appeared in front of her. Snarling. Blood dripping from its teeth. Fear skated across her skin and rose in her throat. The beast lunged for her…
Zellia's own scream rousted her from her nightmare. A fine sheen of perspiration covered her body, making her shiver. She hoped the nightmare was only a dream and not a vision. Only time would tell.
Her visions were a curse because they revealed the ugliness of life. And she had no power, no power to change the future. Warning people didn't help. Trying to intervene didn't help either. She was cursed.
Yes, her visions were a curse. Manuel had cornered Zellia earlier in the day and asked if she'd had any visions concerning the visitors. He threatened her again like he always did, grabbing her wrist that he'd sprained last week and wrenching it again. Today was the first time she'd lied to him. The life that Zellia knew was about to change, and it frightened her. But she also had something that she hadn't had in many years.
Hope.
* * * * *
Hayden jimmied the lock to his balcony door and waited until someone eliminated both of the guards stationed under his balcony with two kill shots. He climbed down to the first floor and stashed both bodies in the shrubbery. Keeping to the shadows, he made his way over to the trees. He climbed one of the trees with ease, sat on a large branch, and injected himself with the tracker module. He fished the comm headset out of the backpack and put it on, then checked his weapons. Everything was perfect. He glanced at his watch. Five minutes to spare.
Hayden spoke into his comm. “You there, Blade?”
“Affirmative.”
“I'm heading back inside. I don't know where Victoria is.”
“I might be able to help you with that. Thermal imaging shows three bodies in beds on the north side on the back hallway. There are ten-or-so tangos between you and her, but I'm sure you can handle it.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you.”
“And I always collect.”
Hayden cocked his MP5 submachine gun and dropped to the ground, careful not to make a sound. He looped the backpack over his shoulders and headed back to the house. He stepped back into the shadows when two guards rounded the corner. He let them pass. Snipers would get them later. His nose got a whiff of their cheap tobacco as he checked his watch. Two minutes to go. When the coast was clear, he slipped from the shadows and continued around to the back of the house. Unfortunately, he had no intel about the house layout, but he could wing it.
He opened his knapsack and removed the grappling hook. He picked a balcony and slung his grappling hook over the balustrade. Hand over hand, he pulled himself up to the second floor. He stuffed the rope and hook back inside his knapsack, in case he needed them again. Crouching by the patio doors, he peered into the room. With his excellent night vision, he saw one body on a bed. He leaned back against the wall on his haunches, checked his watch, and waited.
Minutes later, a fireball lit up the night sky, followed by the horrendous screams of dying men. A second explosion rocked the compound on the other side. Hayden stood back from the door, kicked the center of the doors, and sent them flying against the inside wall. Hayden dove into the room and rolled to a crouch, weapon trained on the bed.
A woman sat in the bed with the covers pulled up to her chin.
Hayden scanned the room. “What's your name?”
“Zellia. I'm the doctor.”
“Well, you're gonna be busy tonight. Where's Victoria?”
“Who?”
“The female prisoner?”
“Two doors down on your right.”
Hayden eased to the door leading to the hallway. “Where's Manuel's room?”
“Three doors down.”
“Okay, Zellia. I suggest you hide under the be
d until all this is over. And if I find out that you've lied to me, I will kill you.”
Her eyes big as saucers, she nodded.
Hayden waited for two guards to pass by before he slipped from the room. He headed down the hall and stopped in front of Victoria's room. She was inside; he could smell her sweet scent. Her door was ajar. He toed the door open and listened.
“Come in, Hayden. Join the party.”
Hayden cursed as he pushed the door wide. Manuel stood on the other side of the bed with his hand fisted in a death grip in Victoria's hair, a gun resting against her cheek. Her hands were tied behind her back, which explained why Manuel wasn't dead.
“You have made a grave mistake. You can watch me kill your lovely before I kill you.”
“Give it up, Manuel. The jungle is crawling with my people. We've blown to hell your compound and your factory. There's nothing left of your pitiful life.”
“Your concern for me is touching, but I'm like a cat. I always land on my feet. I have tons of money stashed in several accounts around the world. I can rebuild without even making a dent in my fortune. You forget. The drug trade is a very profitable business.”
“Then I guess I'll have to kill you.”
Manuel threw back his head and howled with laugher. “You are so amusing. You won't kill me as long as your lovely is poised to take my bullet. Will you risk it, Hayden? Can you shoot me before I pull the trigger?”
Manuel used the gun barrel to lift Victoria's breast. “It's such a shame to waste such succulent flesh.” He planted a slow kiss on her temple, and Hayden saw her stifle a gag. “And I didn't even get to taste her properly, but I'll get over it.”
“Victoria. Do you have anything to say to Hayden before…it's too late?”
Hayden watched Victoria's throat muscles as she swallowed. Her eyes softened, and her lip quivered.
“Yes, I'm sorry for doubting you, and…I love you, Hayden… Good-bye.” A lone tear slipped down her cheek.
“Aaahh, isn't that sweet,” said Manuel. “How about you, Hayden? Any parting words?”