F-Stop (2 page)

“So what happened to it?” Mari asked.

Kat shrugged and took a sip of her wine. “The world changed, ambitious men felt threatened by the gifted females.”

“And nothing’s changed,” Mari reminded her.

“Anyway, over time, the Circle was gradually wiped out until a professor, Dr.

Olivia Crandall, reached out to four other women and resurrected it. Now they even have a website and people who post on it from all over the world.”

“So who are you going to see here in San Antonio?”

“A woman named Vivi Alderson. She’s kind of the lead person in this area and also has been very successful in helping others when their gifts began to fail.”

“I think your problem is you’re just stressed out,” Mari told her. “You take too many of these cases that tap into your energy and leave nothing behind for you. I mean, it can’t be healthy for you.”

“I’ll be fine.” Kat sat up, setting her glass down and rubbing her temple. “But you’re right. I may have been pushing myself too much lately.”

“Brent Fontaine can’t be helping anything either.” Mari’s voice was filled with concern. “How’s that going?”

“A lot better since I’m here for a while.” Kat stretched and sighed. “Some men just don’t know when to quit. Who’d ever have thought he’d turn out to be the stalker type?”

“Listen, it’s none of my business, except you’re my sister, I love you and I care what happens to you. But don’t you think you should have called the police?” Kat raised an eyebrow. “And tell them what? That some rich, good-looking guy keeps calling me and sending me flowers?”

“He’s stalking you, Kat. You said it before. You’ve got to get him to leave you alone before things get out of hand. Who has a name like Brent Fontaine, anyway? He sounds like a character from Central Casting.”

“I know, I know. I was…”

“Vulnerable,” Mari supplied.

“Stupid,” Kat corrected her. “Anyway, being away from him for a while and not taking his calls on my cell ought to send him the message.” She hugged her sister. “And thanks for telling me I can hang out here for a while.”

“Maybe if things with Mike—”

“Maybe nothing,” Katherine cut her off. “Mike D’Antoni was a big, big mistake.

One I’ll never make again.”

She’d never discussed the disastrous ending of her relationship with the handsome Phoenix Agency partner, nor did she intend to. But it had probably been the reason she’d fallen into the situation with Brent so easily. She’d met the handsome hedge fund partner at a dinner party and his come-on was so smooth she was swept up into a whirlwind relationship with him before she even realized what was happening.

It had taken far too long for her to realize everything was about Brent. Everything focused around him. He resented her friends, her work, any time not devoted to him.

She woke up one day frightened to discover she’d allowed him to isolate her from everyone and everything. When she told him she thought they needed some space, things had gotten ugly. And a pattern had been set.

He’d call or come by, shouting at her, demeaning her, then try to apologize with flowers and expensive gifts. The worst scene of all had been the one when she’d told him they were finished, not to get in touch with her anymore and definitely not to come by her place. She’d had to threaten to call the police to get him to leave.

The visits had stopped but not the calls or the gifts, all of which she returned to his office by messenger.

But worst of all, her clairvoyance began to waver and for that she resented him the most.

“So when are you going to see this Vivi person?” Mari adeptly changed the subject.

“I thought I’d call her tomorrow after you guys take off.”

“Ah yes. Tomorrow. It isn’t every day I get a free trip to Hawaii.” She grinned.

“And if it wasn’t for the fact that Eli Wright has business meetings I’d be staying in my office while he and his wife and daughter were drinking mai tais and lolling on the beach at Waikiki.”

Mari had what Kat considered a dream job as executive secretary to the CEO of Wright International, a conglomerate with offices all over the world. She worked very hard at her job and Katherine suspected this trip was actually by way of a thank you. Eli Wright appreciated hard work and loyalty.

“So what time is takeoff?”

“Noon. I have to be at the private hangar at eleven.” Mari drained her glass and pushed herself out of the chair. “That means I’d better get packing.”

“How about if I run out and pick up some Chinese while you’re doing that? A small thank you for letting me stay here while you’re gone.”

“Kat, you know you can stay here any time you want. For as long as you want. No big deal.” An impish grin played at her lips. “But I’ll accept with gratitude.”

* * * * *

The gleaming Gulfstream G550 stood on the tarmac at the private airstrip next to a Piaggio p.t180 Avanti II. The combined cost of the two planes could easily feed any Third World country. The meeting place had been chosen for its remote location, which guaranteed privacy. The Gulfstream, the larger of the two planes, was the actual site of the gathering.

Four men lounged on the butter-soft leather sofa or in one of the comfortable armchairs. Drinks had been served and the preliminaries dispensed with. Now they sat there, each waiting for one of the others to break the silence. At last a tall, muscular man with a swarthy complexion and hair just a little too long set his drink on the table beside his chair and leaned forward. His eyes were fixed on the blond man directly across from him, on the couch.

“So, Gringo, do you have the information? Is everything in place?” The blond hated the derogatory nickname but as a code to hide his real identity he supposed it worked as well as any other. And eliminated the risk of anyone overhearing him being called by his real name. Two or three more weeks at the most and he’d be rid of these people anyway. All debts cancelled. Money in an offshore account. And the lifestyle he’d mortgaged his soul to get.

He swallowed the last of his drink, looked at all three men and reached for his briefcase. “I have everything right here. Their complete itinerary.” He extracted three sheets of paper and handed one to each of the men, who studied it carefully.

“And this is confirmed?” the swarthy man asked. “If there are any slip-ups…”

“This is set in stone,” Gringo said. “And there won’t be any slip-ups. I promise you.

I triple-checked myself.”

“I’m sure you know it’s to your advantage to have everything go smoothly,” one of the other men said.

“You don’t have to remind me.”

The swarthy man rose, an indication the meeting was at an end. “We will contact you as soon as everything is in place. You have the secure telephone we provided you with?”

Gringo nodded. “And the laptop is secure. We’re hacker proof. Not to worry. The transactions will be completely secret.”

“It’s my business to worry. Otherwise I’d
have
no business.” He stopped directly in front of Gringo. “We cannot afford to have one thing go wrong here. You understand that.”

“Hey!” Gringo rose from his seat and stood even with the other man. “I have more to lose here than you do. I’ve got everything covered.”

“See that you do.” He gestured to the other two men. “Time to leave.” Gringo opened the door and lowered the stairs, watching as the men descended and headed to their plane. Checking his watch, he saw that his pilot would return in ten minutes. He’d explained to the man that he was having a very private business meeting that needed to be away from the office and out of sight of anyone’s eyes. This was not an extraordinary occurrence so it raised no flags with the pilot. He simply got into the car Gringo had arranged to have waiting and took himself off to the closest town to eat.

He’d done it before and Gringo knew it would happen again.

The important thing was not to do anything to make anyone suspicious. Anyone at all.

Walking to the bar built into the wall, he poured himself another drink and knocked back a good inch of the liquid. He’d be damn glad when this was over and he could draw a full breath again.

* * * * *

Mike D’Antoni leaned back in his desk chair and propped his booted feet on an open desk drawer. The late afternoon sun blazing in through the floor-to-ceiling window bathed everything in a golden light. Things were quiet for the moment. Rick Latrobe was still on his honeymoon and Troy Arsenault was winding up a mission. The other two partners were at their primary homes in San Antonio, Texas. Julia, their prize-winning assistant, was gone for the day, leaving the Phoenix Agency offices all but empty.

Mike liked the arrangement they had. Very few office staff. Teams either out on missions or at home for down time, awaiting the next call. With the training programs off-site and debriefings held in the hangar at their airfield, the high-octane security agency was able to keep a deliberately low profile.

Currently he was on a conference call with the agency’s CEO, Dan Romeo, and one of the other partners, Mark Halloran, who lived in San Antonio. They were discussing the what if’s of a new client in the San Antonio area.

“I know we don’t usually pull a full frontal attack like this,” Dan was saying, “but this company is huge. They have offices all over the world. I think it would be prudent for them to meet the person who can handle transport at a moment’s notice.”

“I agree,” Mark said. “The only company more diversified and more spread out than Canyon Global Technologies is Wright International.”

“Next on my list to contact, by the way,” Dan interjected. “So what do you say, flyboy? Everything’s under control, for the moment anyway. Come on out. Either one of us can put you up.”

Mike chuckled. “Thanks for the hospitality but if it’s all the same to you, I’ll get my usual suite at the Vistana.”

Dan’s laugh was even louder. “I forgot. D’Antoni the ladies’ man. Well, the bar at that hotel is fertile ground.”

Even though the other men couldn’t see him, Mike clapped a hand over his heart.

“You wound me, you old married men. I’m a respectable businessman.”

“Monkey business,” Mark put in. “Okay, the hotel it is. When will you be here?”

“Wheels up in time to get me there by noon, your time. Can you arrange for one of the company cars to be waiting for me?”

“I’ll do it,” Dan assured him. “Call when you get in. I’ll be in my office here in the house.”

Mike disconnected the call and sat up, reaching for his briefcase behind his chair. It was interesting, he thought, how two of his partners had found themselves living part-time in the same city in Texas. Mark’s wife, Faith, a San Antonio native, had contacted the agency when Mark’s Delta Force mission was blown and he was kidnapped by terrorists. Using their skills and the telepathic communications between Mark and Faith, Phoenix affected a successful rescue. Mark had resigned his commission shortly afterward and joined the agency. Faith was a best-selling author and their living arrangements were more flexible, so she often accompanied Mark when he had to be in their condo in Baltimore.

Dan’s wife, Mia, had moved to San Antonio when her grandmother left her a beautiful old home. A medium, she “saw” events before they happened. They’d met when she helped thwart an attempted theft at Carpenter Techtronics, owned by a close friend of Dan’s, and solve two murders. She’d restructured her job as art historian for a museum and sometimes took consultations but her living arrangements weren’t quite as flexible as Faith’s, so Dan made the city his home base. Sometimes Mia traveled to Baltimore with him, sometimes not.

Mike knew, however, they’d both be there for some time as soon as Rick and Kelly Latrobe returned from their honeymoon and the three women went into proactive mode to get the agency’s Psi department up and running. Sometimes the perennial bachelor wondered if he’d ever settle down and, if he did, if the woman he chose would also have a special psychic gift.

Oh well, time to worry about that later. He had things to do and places to go if he planned to be ready to leave in the morning.

Kat insisted on driving Mari to the airport, to the private terminal where the Wright International aircraft were kept. A sleek-looking Gulfstream G-5 stood on the tarmac waiting for its passengers to board while the pilot did his preflight check and took care of other last-minute business. Eli and Sydney Wright and their teenage daughter, Lissa, were already inside the small terminal building and greeted Mari warmly.

Kat had seen pictures of them and always commented on what an extremely good-looking family they were—the tall, muscular man with the wavy black hair and a dimple in his chin, the slim redhead looking up at him with affection and a younger female version with the same lustrous hair and slender build. She bet they looked good in magazine shots and newspaper publicity.

“I’m so glad you’re coming with us.” Sydney enveloped Mari in a quick hug. “I told the slave driver we need some girl time while we’re there.”

“Mom’s right,” Lissa added. “And where you guys go, so do I.” Kat hung back a little, pleased to see how the Wrights treated Mari as a person, not just an employee. It was obvious they considered her almost a part of the family. At forty-two Eli was a self-made billionaire who conducted business in every corner of the world. It would be so easy for him to be arrogant and superficial, for Sydney to be a bitch and for Lissa to be a spoiled brat. But as Mari had told her many times, the man was well-grounded in good values and worked to keep his family the same way.

Now Mari reached out an arm and pulled Kat into the circle.

“I don’t think you’ve met my sister, Katherine. Kat, these are the Wrights. The best boss and the best family in the world.”

Eli’s handshake was strong and warm, Sydney and Lissa hugging her in what was obviously a natural gesture for them.

“It’s nice meeting you,” she smiled at them. “Mari can’t stop raving about either her job or the Wright family. It’s nice to see her in such a good position.”

“Your sister’s a real treasure,” Eli said. “This trip is a semi-reward for all her hard work.” He studied Kat. “Mari hasn’t said much about what you do. Are you in an office situation too?”