Jack of Hearts

by Diane Capri

  Jade dialed her car service and ordered the van she used for bachelor parties to collect Eleanor and the others at the bistro. The dispatcher said the van could be there in thirty minutes or less.

  Then she tossed the phone on the bed on her way to the bathroom to get dressed.

  CHAPTER 24

  Wednesday, May 18

  Golden, Colorado

  5:45 a.m.

  Kim kept Eleanor in her periphery as she scanned the parking lot and peered into the shadows. The cold had seeped into her bones, numbing her fingers. She stamped her feet and wiggled her toes to keep the blood flowing.

  Burke had melded into the bedlam surrounding the fire. A few shivering bystanders dressed in their night clothes had gathered in small groups at various points on the sidewalk to watch the show.

  She saw no sign of Reacher on this side of the chaos. Which meant nothing.

  Eleanor completed her call. She approached her employees and huddled with them. She seemed to be unusually close to these young women, which was odd. In Kim’s experience, employers rarely displayed such open devotion to employees, even amid disastrous conditions.

  Which made her wonder why Eleanor was so concerned about them.

  Beyond that, why had no one else arrived to help these women? No husbands, boyfriends, parents?

  Kim had worked fires and explosions in multi-occupancy buildings before, even a few on college campuses. Family members were called immediately and swarmed the victims like mother hens, usually. But in this case, the only protector around was Eleanor.

  Kim’s cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She fished it out and took Gaspar’s call. “What’s up?”

  “I’ve located the Audi. The SUV Burns stole in South Dakota when he ditched the Jetta,” Gaspar said to be clear as if she’d asked him about more than one Audi or suffered from amnesia or something. “No way to know whether they’re still using it, though.”

  “Where is it?”

  “Until about ten minutes ago, it was parked in back of a residential building in Denver. Right now, it’s speeding expertly in your direction,” Gaspar replied. “Which probably means Burns is driving. Reacher’s a notoriously bad driver, remember.”

  “Right.”

  “Looks like he’s doing seventy in a thirty-five at the moment. When he hits the expressway, he’ll have more room to move. At the rate he’s going, he’ll be there in twenty minutes. Maybe less,” Gaspar said.

  “Is he alone in the vehicle?”

  “Can’t tell. The Audi has illegally tinted windows. Burns could be solo. Or he might have a passenger.”

  “So you don’t have eyes on the vehicle now?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Can you access communications inside the Audi’s cabin?”

  “Under normal conditions, we could. Turns out, Petey Burns is not only a clever car thief and a better-than-decent driver, but he’s also pretty good with the tech. He’s disabled the GPS, Bluetooth, and a couple of transponders,” Gaspar’s tone reflected something like appreciation for Burns’s demonstrated skills. “He’s communicating with the outside world, but not over the vehicle’s internal tech.”

  “Okay.” Kim saw movement from Eleanor’s group in her periphery and turned her head.

  A charcoal gray luxury van pulled up nearby, metallic paint sparkling in the cone of the streetlights. The driver lowered his window and said something to Eleanor. The van’s automatic side door opened. The eleven bistro employees piled into the van, the door closed, and the driver pulled away, leaving Eleanor on the sidewalk.

  She pulled out her phone and made a second call before dropping the phone into the big pocket of her barn coat. Then she stood on the curb watching the northbound traffic lanes.

  “See what you can find out about the employees living in the Orchid Thai building, will you?” Kim said. “There’s something weird about this situation. Whatever it is might give us better intel about Reacher.”

  “What are you thinking?” Gaspar asked, still clacking the keyboard. “Illegals?”

  “Maybe,” Kim said slowly. “Is it crazy to think they might have come with Eleanor from Nebraska?”

  “Trafficking Thais for agricultural or domestic workers is common in Asia. Trafficking Thai restaurant workers in the U.S., not so much,” Gaspar replied. “Besides, how would Eleanor Duncan from Nowhere Nebraska get hooked up with something like that?”

  “Not sure. Just a hunch. Could be way off-base. But it’s weird. We’ll talk more later. I’ve gotta go. Keep me posted.” Kim disconnected Gaspar’s call, stuffed her cold hands into her pockets, and approached Eleanor, still waiting near the curb. “What’s going on?”

  “One of my former employees offered us a place to stay in Denver until we can get something better sorted out. The van wasn’t spacious enough to hold us all. I sent the others ahead and I’ve called another ride,” Eleanor said, shoulders hunched inside the barn coat as if she’d finally noticed the temperature outside the cone of warmth from her blazing building. “The second driver was in the vicinity. He said he’d be here shortly.”

  “Sounds better than waiting for the first driver to make a return trip,” Kim said, nodding.

  Gaspar had said the Audi had been parked near a residential building in Denver. Could be a coincidence. But the smart money was on a connection between the Denver building, the Audi, and the bistro. Which meant a connection between Reacher and the Denver building, too.

  It was a better lead than she’d had in the past three days. No reason to ignore it and every reason to follow up.

  Less than five minutes later, a black luxury SUV drove slowly along the street. The driver stopped at the curb, lowered the window, and pushed a button to open the door automatically. Same as the van driver had done.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting, Mrs. Duncan. You called for a ride to Denver?”

  “That’s right,” Eleanor said and gave him the address. She glanced one last time toward the ashes of her world and then hiked over to the SUV. She ducked her head and climbed in.

  Kim slipped inside behind her.

  Eleanor flashed a surprised expression. “Where are you going?”

  “We didn’t get a chance to finish our talk. Burke can pick me up when he’s done here,” Kim said, already appreciating the warm comfort inside the vehicle.

  Before Eleanor could object, the driver closed and locked the automatic door locks.

  The cloying stench of the fire embedded into their clothing hung like a cloud. Kim pressed the button to lower the window for fresh air, but the window didn’t open.

  A second man was belted into the passenger seat. The driver’s eyes were reflected in the rearview mirror. He said, “I’ve got a trainee with me tonight. I hope that’s okay.”

  It wasn’t really a question and the vehicle was already moving. What were they going to do, kick the man out?

  The passenger nodded toward them and offered a friendly wave without looking back. The two women slid more comfortably into their individual seats and snapped seatbelts into place. The driver raised the privacy glass, effectively creating a separate room for Eleanor and Kim.

  Eleanor gave Kim a curious stare. “Aren’t you worried about getting into a strange car with a woman you don’t know?”

  “You bet. It’s my job to worry about everything,” Kim quipped.

  She could take care of herself. Her service weapon was holstered under her arm. The Boss’s steady surveillance of every move she made and Gaspar’s watchful eye were all the backup she needed.

  All of which meant Kim was as safe as she ever was while hunting Reacher. She didn’t mention that, either.

  Adrenaline, anxiety, and ambition constantly ran through her veins, powering her through. The pole position shifted based on conditions on the ground. She called the mixture her standard triple-As.

  Ambition was strongest at the moment. She wanted Reacher. And she was so close. She could feel it.

  Allowing Eleanor to ride away i
n an unfamiliar vehicle to an unknown destination was simply not an option.

  Besides, she’d heard Eleanor relay the address to the driver. The Boss and Gaspar would have heard it, too.

  CHAPTER 25

  Wednesday, May 18

  Denver, Colorado

  6:15 a.m.

  After Sydney had raised the privacy windows, he and Joey could talk freely. Normal conversation in the front of the SUV could not be overheard in the passenger compartment. He’d turn on the intercom to hear Eleanor Duncan’s conversation with the other woman soon, but more pressing matters came first.

  “Let’s go over this again,” Sydney said.

  “What for? I got this.” Joey frowned and tapped his temple with two fingers. “You think I’m stupid?”

  Sydney ignored the question.

  Joey shook his head and then repeated the plan. “We entice the women to come outside and approach the SUV. When they do, we’ll shove them inside and lock the doors. Then we drive away.”

  “Basically, yes.” Sydney inhaled deeply and then shoved the air through his nose. “There’ll be six women and—”

  “Yeah, I know. But they’re tiny,” Joey grinned. “Easier than dwarf-tossing. I’ll bet you a thousand bucks each that I could pick them up and toss them in the back in thirty seconds or less.”

  “Let’s save that for plan B.” Sydney shook his head. “You could damage the cargo. One’s a girl about twelve years old. They’re all fragile. We’ll try another way first.”

  Joey laughed. “You’re afraid you’d lose the bet, aren’t you?”

  “It’s already after six o’clock. The sun is up. People might be walking around in that neighborhood. The Thais might scream. Somebody could call the cops.” Sydney paused and gave Joey Prime a frank glare as he listed all the problems with Joey’s idea. “Shall I continue?”

  Joey shrugged. “We’ll try it your way. But any little thing goes sideways, and we’re grabbing them and getting the hell out.”

  “Right. So, to recap. We’ll be sure there’s no reason to abort the plan. Then I’ll send the text. I’ll open the doors to the second and third seating compartments. They’ll climb in voluntarily. I’ll close the doors and take off,” Sydney finished with a worried frown. Joey Prime had always been a loose cannon. Sydney hoped he could be trusted to follow orders.

  “And what if they don’t just climb in?”

  “They will.”

  “But what if they don’t?”

  “Then we’ll do it your way,” Sydney said. “But then we do it fast. We’ll have five seconds or less to get in and get out.”

  Joey jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “How do we keep these two quiet in the meantime?”

  “Leave that to me.” Sydney nodded.

  He had already raised the privacy window behind the first row of seats, separating it from the rest of the cabin.

  The space where the two women sat was now airtight as well as soundproofed and bulletproofed. They could scream their fool heads off, and no one would hear them. He’d had a guy try to shoot his way out once. The guy ended up with a bullet wound because of the ricochet, but he didn’t escape.

  Sydney had used this SUV and this precise method of abduction before when Rossi sent him to terminate rivals. Rossi had obtained the drugs from an associate in Moscow after he’d read about a terrorist incident at a Moscow theater. The method proved high risk. The terrorists were neutralized, but several hostages died.

  “Any more questions?” Sydney asked. Joey shook his head.

  Sydney glanced in the rearview mirror. The two women were talking. He flipped the switch to open the listening devices in the backseat. Their disembodied voices flooded the cockpit.

  “Why are you looking for Reacher? You don’t believe he set fire to my building, surely,” Eleanor Duncan said to the other woman.

  “Tell me why you think he didn’t do it,” the other woman replied in a Midwest American accent.

  The little hairs stood up on the back of Sydney’s neck and his nerves hummed along his spine. He cast a quick side-eye to Joey Prime, who seemed oblivious to the impending disaster.

  Sydney had spent plenty of time around Asian illegals. If Rossi had trafficked this woman like the others, she wouldn’t sound American. Not even remotely.

  Which meant she wasn’t like the others.

  Which was a serious problem.

  Sydney slammed his palm into the steering wheel.

  Trafficking Asian illegals was one thing. Scooping up the woman who stole Rossi’s property was another thing.

  Kidnapping an American citizen and transporting her across state lines was something else entirely. Right off the top of his head, Sydney could think of two dozen terminal consequences that could befall him for this single mistake.

  But the worst and most immediate problem was The Elephant. Rossi would be far from pleased.

  Anger boiled in his veins and threatened to erupt like a volcano. Only because he couldn’t swear and listen at the same time, he swallowed the spew of curses that sprang to his mouth, which made him feel like his head might literally explode.

  “You said Reacher came here to help me. And then in the next breath, you claim he destroyed my place of business, leaving all of us homeless and destitute,” Duncan said, head cocked as if she was truly puzzled. “That makes no sense, Agent Otto. Aren’t FBI agents supposed to make sense?”

  Sydney’s mouth dried up. His heart had been pounding hard already, and now it slammed into his chest with the force of Thor’s hammer. The second woman was an FBI agent? How could that be true?

  Joey Prime glanced over. “Whoa! Sydney! Are you stroking out on me here?”

  Sydney jerked his head to signal a quick no. He didn’t reply. Deafening blood pulsing in his ears made it difficult to follow the quiet conversation in the back already. He strained to hear.

  “Dr. Landon said you were in trouble,” Otto replied. “Whether Reacher’s methods make sense depends on what kind of help you need, doesn’t it?”

  “I don’t need insurance money. Or at least, until tonight I didn’t.” Eleanor Duncan sighed and shook her head. “Ezra and Brenda Landon are my friends. I don’t know what they told Reacher. Do you?”

  Sydney wondered who Reacher was and why the FBI was looking for him, but the more he heard, the worse the situation became. He’d kidnapped an FBI agent working on an active case.

  Which meant the other guy she’d arrived with back there at the fire was probably her partner. The only thing worse than one FBI agent was two of the cockroaches.

  The partner would come after her. No doubt about it. He might be on his way already.

  Soon, Sydney would have a whole raft of feds chasing him. They’d be after Rossi, too, once they connected the dots.

  Stories about the relentless FBI searching for gangsters of all types were the stuff of legend. Because they were true. Sydney had seen it firsthand. Joey Prime, too.

  Otto shook her head. “You must have told the Landons something that concerned them. What was it?”

  Duncan sighed. “It wasn’t about me. I told them that one of my former employees has a brother. He’s in trouble.”

  “Does Reacher know either of those people? Has he ever dealt with them before?”

  “He knows me. He’s helped me before. Back in Nebraska. Which you probably already know. Maybe he was headed toward the restaurant tonight. I don’t know,” Duncan shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him.”

  “I have to find him first,” Otto replied.

  Sydney flipped off the intercom. He’d learned as much as he needed to know for the moment.

  He’d kidnapped an FBI agent. That was all the bad news he had the stomach for.

  Sweat ran down his forehead and into his eyes. He felt dampness under his shirt and in the crotch of his pants. He was a wet, stinking mess.

  He glanced at the clock. The SUV had been traveling easily in light traffic. They were ten minutes away from the brothel.


  Sydney opened the console and found the remote for the pressurized cylinders. He triggered the release of the fentanyl-based incapacitating agent as he slowed the SUV to turn the last corner.

  The dosage was tricky. Too little, and the drugs would fail to do the job. Too much, and the women would die.

  In this case, more was better. He gave it two long blasts and two short ones for good measure. He hoped he’d got it right.

  Worst case, these two died.

  But he’d have the next six in the vehicle without incident.

  Including the eleven in the van, even if the suit died, Rossi would have a total of seventeen new money makers. Which might buy Sydney some mercy.

  Meaning Eleanor Duncan’s death by poison was a risk Sydney was willing to take. Rossi couldn’t use her, anyway.

  And the other one was supposed to be a bonus for Rossi. He didn’t even know she existed. Yet.

  If the FBI agent didn’t make it to Vegas, Rossi wouldn’t be short on his inventory. Not that Rossi’s money was his main concern right at the moment.

  He kept his finger on the trigger. As the gas released into the passenger cabin, Sydney watched the images on the security camera mounted in the back. After a few moments of breathing poison, the two women slumped into their seatbelts.

  Joey nodded approvingly. “Nice job. That’s impressive stuff. Where’d you get it?”

  Sydney said nothing. He had more pressing matters on his mind.

  He’d cloned Duncan’s phone onto a burner. He created a simple text and sent the fake message to Jade’s phone. “We’re here.”

  She texted back. “We’re coming now.”

  “Get ready,” Sydney said.

  Joey grinned. “I was born ready.”

  “Stay alert. Watch the monitors,” Sydney ordered gruffly. “We need to deliver this batch to Rossi alive and unharmed.”

  “How do you know the gas won’t kill them? You ever used it on tiny Asian women before?” Joey asked like he was asking about a favorite barbeque sauce.