Jigsaw (Black Raven Book 2) (40 page)

“Now that I see you in person, Jesus.” DIC looked Zeus up and down, his pale pink lips a thin, pensive slash, visible in the mouth hole of his ski mask. White skin. Light eyes. “What do you think, Julio? Is that cross you built big enough for the crucifixion of Jesus?” Saying it with sarcasm and scorn, as though he was a man who had never believed in a higher power and thought less of those who did, DIC repeated the Anglo pronunciation of Zeus’s name. “Jesus, Son of God, aka Jesus Hernandez, Mr. Big Bad Black Raven Agent?”

Two of DIC’s sidekicks chuckled. Julio—the behemoth—coughed, then laughed.

Zeus failed to see the humor. “We can do this dance all day. Produce my daughter, and let her leave with her mother. Once you do that, I’ll bring in Barrows and we’ll be fucking done.”

“You’re in no fucking position to bargain.”

“Here is why you’re wrong,” Zeus kept his voice measured. “You can kill me—and you’ll get some mileage out of it. You can even kill Barrows, though I know he’s too valuable for you to do that. But you kill a woman and a child? The wrath of God will fall on your fucking head so fucking fast you won’t know what hit you. We know where your families live, asshole. There’ll be no corner in which anyone you know and love can hide that Black Raven won’t find and destroy them.”

For the moment, it was a lie, of course. They had no idea who these fuckers were—and no clue how to find their families. But he was going to go down bluffing to his last breath.

“Your threats mean nothing, Jesus.” Zeus ground his teeth as he listened to the way the man said his name. The disdain managed to be an effective insult to both Zeus and Jesus.

“What means everything is that I agreed to trade your daughter for you and Barrows,” DIC continued, “and I’m a man who lives up to my word.” DIC lifted his right hand over his head and beckoned someone forward.

Zeus trained his eyes on the third vehicle, though the lights that streamed from it were blinding. Car doors opened with a click, and closed with a soft thud. The sounds resonated in the arid air. A small, Ana-sized shadow ran in his direction.

“Ana,” Leon screamed.

Knees buckling with relief, the goons who held his arms tight let him kneel on the sandy ground as Ana beelined straight for him. Yanking himself out of their grasp, he wrapped his arms around his daughter as she threw herself into his chest without slowing. Zeus let his body absorb the energy of her run. The man who was holding Leon let her go, and the three of them huddled together.

“Daddy! Mommy!”

Shaking with the force of her skinny-armed embrace, a touch that he’d thought had been lost to him forever, Zeus held on tight. He buried his face in her loose hair, inhaled the sweet, sweaty smell of her, touched her forehead with his lips, and looked into her velvety dark eyes. “Baby. Oh God,” he whispered. “My sweet angel. Did they hurt you?”

“Nooooo. Daddy. Da—daddy.” Face against his shoulder, she started shaking with sobs. “Da—”

“Honey,” he kept his voice low. “Listen to me. I need you to go with your mom.”

“No. No. I’ll stay with you.” Ana pulled back and glanced at Agent Leon. Now that she had a close-up view, she wasn’t fooled. She glanced at Zeus with a confused look. “She isn’t mom—”

Fuck!

“Shhhhhh. Honey, pretend. Make believe,” Zeus whispered. “Go with her. She’ll take you to mom.”

“Well, this is about as sweet as the taste of a virgin’s honey pot,” DIC said. “But as we all know, the sweetness, eventually, comes to an end. Just like this reunion. Get Jesus away from her.”

Immediately, his two captors returned to grab his biceps and, with force that rippled down his spine, jerked him away from Ana. She screamed and tried to hold onto his belt. “Nooooo! Daddy!”

Two men pulled Ana and Leon further away. Zeus stood, as his arms were yanked behind his back.

“Don’t hurt my Daddy,” Ana, looking back, screamed. “Daddy! Daddy! Don’t hurt—”

“Shut the fuck up, kid!” DIC yelled. “Make it happen, Pablo.”

One of the men—presumably Pablo—prodded Ana with the butt of his AK, which only caused her to scream louder.

“You bastard—” Zeus howled, the sight of the assault weapon touching his daughter making him momentarily lose his cool. He yanked one arm free, and would have yanked the other one free as well, except Leon leaned over, glancing at him as she shielded the little girl with her own body, and whispering to Ana as they walked. Caution signs flaring in Leon’s eyes made him calm-the-fuck down.

He and Leon against assault weapons? A fight he’d take on if his daughter wasn’t in the crossfire.

“Cuff him,” DIC said.

As Ana’s cries reached a manic state, Zeus didn’t dare fight. Leon was a professional. Lifting Ana in her arms, she let his baby sob against her neck, comforting her, and keeping her close. Leon was here because Zeus trusted her with his daughter's life. He had to let her go and get Ana far, far away to safety. That was her job. Ana was his everything, but this was much, much bigger than a loving father and his baby girl.

Tonight I have another agenda. I am Black Raven.

What these men were doing would ultimately provide a roadmap to Maximov—or, if Maximov was dead, as Stollen claimed—whoever was goddamn playing the Maximov card and terrorizing the world.

With Ana’s wailing drifting back to him, he narrowed his eyes as one of the goons wrenched his arms up behind his back. Metal cuffs snapped on his wrists, clicking as they closed tight.

“On your knees.” One of the three goons who had surrounded him issued the order.

A solid kick in his lower back encouraged him to move faster. The business end of an AK was jabbed into his forehead, providing a close-up of the fully-hooded sight, and answering the question as to which AK variant the men were using. AK-56, a Chinese copy of the Russian AK-47. Blaze had told them the TRCR were known to smuggle Chinese AKs into the U.S.

He felt a glimmer of hope. If these men were the TRCR, maybe some of Blaze’s intel would prove useful to Ragno and Sebastian and the search and rescue effort. DIC reached into his pocket, then held a phone aloft. “Go hold it for Jesus.”

One of his men grabbed the phone and walked over to Zeus.

“Give him the number. And don’t screw around. There are AKs trained on your baby’s head. It’d be a real shame to give you a close-up view of her brains. You have three words. If Barrows isn’t here in ten minutes you’re all dead. Including your daughter.”

Zeus shook his head. “I’m not giving the signal until Theresa and Ana have driven away.”

DIC chuckled. “Well, that’s nice, Jesus, but I’m not letting them drive away until Barrows is in my hands.”

“Let them get in a vehicle, then I’ll give the number. As he lands, let them drive away.”

“I expected a little more trust from a man named Jesus.”

Zeus promised himself that if he lived through this ordeal, he’d personally find this fucker, fire a bullet into the man’s cocksure mouth, and watch him bleed out. He’d do that, after seeing that the bastard was tortured into giving up the people who had funded this operation. Keeping his voice calm, he said, “You want Barrows, or not?”

DIC gestured to the man who stood on his immediate left. “Put the woman and child in the far vehicle. Keep your weapon trained on them. I'll tell you when they can go.”

Agent Leon and Ana, now walking hand in hand, were guided to the same all-terrain jeep in which Ana had been brought to the DZ. Eyes straining to see through the bright car lights, Zeus watched Leon hug Ana before they both stepped into the driver’s side of the car. The man who was guarding them stayed at the driver’s side door, aiming his weapon at Leon through the open window. He listened intently—and in vain—for the sound of the engine turning over.

Come on Leon. Go!

“The number,” DIC said.

“Theresa,” Zeus called. “Start the jeep.”

He breathed easier when he heard the engine turn over.

“The number.”

Zeus gave Sebastian’s number to the man next to him. Fat fingers placed the phone against his cheek. “Barrows can jump.” The words and word order were code;
Ana is alive—remains in jeopardy
.

The man pulled the phone away from his face. In the dry air of the desert, sounds carried. The jeep’s engine had a soft hum. One man was a heavy breather. Another was a cougher. From far above, he heard the faint sound of the Cessna.

The men were all looking into the sky. If Ana hadn’t been just fifty yards away, even with the cuffs on, Zeus would have used their distraction to take them down. He maintained his position, but knew to an inch where each man stood. By the manner in which they held their weapons, he had a good gauge of their skill level.

One pointed at the dark, star-scattered sky. “Chute.”

A white chute floated down in the darkness.

“Let my daughter go.”

Come on Leon! Goddammit. Go!

DIC glanced at the man on Zeus’s right. “Sedate him.”

No!

The man held a large syringe filled with milky liquid. As the needle jabbed into his neck, three things happened. One, as planned, Cox landed approximately one hundred yards from where Zeus was kneeling and where the men were waiting for him. Two, on DIC’s order, four men jumped into a jeep to pick up Cox. Three, the man guarding Leon and Ana lowered his weapon as he watched Cox land. Leon drove away with a burst of speed and a plume of dust.

She’ll be safe. Thank you, God.

Ice-cooled blood pulsed from Zeus’s neck into his head and chest. Foggy darkness overcame him as the sedative took effect.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Aboard Raven One, Undisclosed Location

Wednesday, February 9

As Samantha sat in the rear cabin of Raven One, while Jenkins and her security team worked in the front cabin, knots in the muscles and tendons of her neck and upper back screamed for relief. The jet sat in a well-lit hangar, approximately a half hour from Stollen’s island.

The door that separated the two cabins was open. As the agents talked, yawned, coughed, or typed, their quiet noises and subdued voices were welcome. Their presence provided a break to the silent scream of agony for Zeus and Ana that, as the day had progressed, had become a spider-web in her mind, present with every thought.

Calm down.

Jenkins stepped into the rear cabin and handed her a convenience store bag. Antacids and aspirin. Throughout the course of Tuesday, she’d chewed her way through a full roll of antacids. It was now 12:05 a.m., Eastern Time, and Samantha figured it would be best if she didn’t count the number of antacids she chewed and swallowed. Pulling out a fresh roll, she said, “Thank you. Any news about Zeus?”

He shook his head. “Operation is ongoing. Nothing to report.”

Using her thumbnail to separate a tablet, she picked up her Black Raven flip phone and asked the agent who answered to connect her to Judge O’Connor. Ever since Stollen had told them that Maximov was dead, Samantha’s job had been to keep Judge O’Connor updated on the Black Raven operation to go into Praptan and determine whether Stollen had told them to the truth. The judge had authority to get the information from Ragno directly. He preferred for the information to be filtered through Samantha, who had more knowledge of the ITT proceeding.

Scanning Ragno’s latest instant message, she waited for the judge to answer the phone. Throughout the course of the day and evening he’d been on the lookout for her calls. He answered on the first ring. She stood, careful to keep her voice steady and professional, without revealing that she was caught up in personal turmoil that she couldn’t shake. “Your Honor, the latest Black Raven information indicates that the agents are now entering Praptan.”

“How far are the agents from the location Stollen provided?”

Although her nerves were stretched taut, Samantha somehow managed to match Judge O’Connor’s business-like tone. “We estimate an hour.”

“Then we’ll at least know whether Stollen is toying with us.”

“With all due respect, Judge O’Connor.” she turned and walked the seven steps of the narrow aisle that bisected the rear cabin, turned, and walked it again. “We won’t be sure of that until we receive DNA confirmation that the remains actually are Andre Maximov.”

“We should know that within six hours of finding the body?”

“That is correct. Black Raven has sophisticated testing capabilities that will begin immediately.” A long seat lined one side of the small, sleek sleeping berth. Two side-by-side seats, capable of reclining, were in front of a bathroom. “Once we confirm that the remains are Andre Maximov, I’ll return to Stollen. I’ll continue the interrogation and see what else he has to say.”

Samantha, Judge O’Connor, and President Cameron had all agreed that experienced interrogators would have been better for the job of interviewing the terrorist. As a lawyer, Samantha was trained in the art of securing information from witnesses. She didn’t, however, have the psychological training to handle someone like Stollen. Yet Stollen had made it clear that he’d only talk to her, which made her lack of experience as a trained criminal interrogator moot.

If Gabe recovered Maximov’s body, Samantha would return to Stollen and she’d get more information from him. Assuming he had any to give, and was willing to give it.

“What is the latest on Zeus’s child?”

“No news. Operation is ongoing.” She repeated the Black Raven phrase she’d heard throughout the day. Their way of providing an answer without giving any information.
A phrase I’ve become damn tired of hearing
. “That’s all I know.”

“Keep me informed. I’m awaiting your calls. Good job, Ms. Fairfax.”

Judge O’Connor clicked off. As the night progressed, Jenkins and the other agents had grown increasingly somber. Now, she heard Jenkins, from the front cabin, say, “Thank God.”

She stepped into the doorway, glanced at the agents who were all talking at once, as her phone rang. Ragno’s number. Breath caught in her throat, she answered, “Tell me.”

“Ana is safe.”

Heart pulsing fast with profound relief, Samantha couldn’t say anything.

“She’s reunited with her mother,” Ragno added. “Scared, but appears unharmed.”

When she could breathe, Samantha asked, “Zeus?”

Ragno was silent for a beat that lasted far too long. “Operation is still underway—”

“No! Tell me, Ragno, goddammit.” Samantha gave up on poised, professional coolness. Nothing but stretched-to-popping, out-of-control, frantic worry infected her voice. “Is he safe? Is he hurt? Alive? Dead? I can’t handle this. I need to know!”

Whatever cool she’d ever possessed had disappeared, and the agents in the front of the plane were all giving her a sympathetic look. Jenkins stood, as though ready to console her, but also hung back, as though he had no idea how to do that.

“Samantha, I can’t give more informa—”

“But I need to know. Something, Ragno. Please. Anything
.
Dammit. I just need to know.”

“He traded himself for his daughter. We lost contact approximately three hours ago,” Ragno said.

“Three hours—lost contact? And you didn’t tell me? What does that mean?”

“Exactly that. We’re going to find him, Samantha.”

Find him?
“You don’t know where he is? How can that be?”

“I can’t give details. I can only assure you—we will find him.”

The last words failed to carry the force of conviction. Ragno sounded like a woman who was persuading herself as much as she was trying to persuade Samantha. In her life, Samantha had been scared, and she knew how to recognize fear in the spoken voice—the careful pronunciation of each word in an effort to hide an underlying tremble. Ragno, with her bird’s eye view of Black Raven’s ongoing operation, was scared too, and that, in turn, scared the hell out of Samantha.

Leaning hard against the polished-wood wall, staring blankly into the eyes of Jenkins and the other agents, she wondered how she was going to get through however long it would take to know Zeus’s fate.

Or the rest of my life, assuming the worst happens.

Her fear that the unimaginable was happening—that Zeus was irrevocably gone—skyrocketed her emotions into outright heart-pounding panic. Shutting her eyes, she realized she’d just found something that mattered more to her than her professional goals, aspirations, and dreams. More than her own life. More than anything.

It boiled down to two simple words—

Zeus.

Alive.

Please God. Zeus. Alive.

Okay. More than just two simple words—my selfish request: I want another chance. That’s all I want. I want the chance he was offering from the moment he showed up in Paris. I want it so badly I’m yearning for it. If not that, if that’s not in the cards for me, that’s…okay. I won’t be selfish. Please just let him be alive. Please.

Feeling lost and unraveled, she turned and went back to her seat in the rear cabin of the jet. She settled for semi-privacy by keeping the door of the cabin open, wanting to know the minute the mood of the agents in the front cabin changed. She reached for the flip phone and requested that the Black Raven operator get Samuel on the line. He answered on the third ring. “Well, I’ve been waiting for this call for far too long.”

Her silent treatment of her grandfather had lasted since Zeus’s arrival in Paris. Over a week. The longest she’d ever gone without talking to Samuel. “I’m still furious with you.”

“I know. Wish I could tell you it’s the last time I’ll make you so angry…but I can’t make that promise.”

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she focused on the jet’s sleek woodwork, tracing a fine dark grain that ran along the opposite wall, above the windows. “Can you at least say you’re sorry?”

“Of course I’m sorry. I should have listened to you when you asked me not to send him. But can’t you admit now that part of the reason you were so mad at me for hiring him is because you love him so much?”

“That doesn’t make what you did acceptable.”

“Honey, he hurt you when he left you. Hurt you more than anyone ever did. It’s okay to admit that, and you’re afraid of opening yourself to the same kind of pain.”

She choked back a sob.

“Back then I tried to bribe him to stay away from you.”

Sobbing forgotten, she gasped. “You didn’t!”

“He wouldn’t take my money. Yet another indication of how fine of a man he is, which I’m betting you knew from the very beginning.”

Under different circumstances, she’d have been furious with her grandfather for the manipulation, and with Zeus for not telling her about it. Now, in the middle of this long night from hell, knowing of her grandfather’s bribe attempt made her wish she’d been more receptive to Zeus upon his arrival in Paris, instead of rubbing his face in her plan to marry Justin.

Dropping her voice to a whisper, she got to the point of her call, knowing her grandfather would help her, just like he always had in her darkest moments. “I’m scared, Samuel. I can barely breathe. It looks really bad.”

“I know. Ragno’s kept me informed, both with the bounty hunt and with the mission to rescue Ana. Hell. Right now everyone is operating at high anxiety. But you have to believe that Zeus will be okay. I believe it.”

“But he’s missing, and—”

“Listen to me.” Samuel’s voice was unwavering and firm. “Black Raven is the best. That’s why I hired them and trusted your life to them. Those two-bit thugs who have Zeus don’t stand a chance. Not one chance in hell. Now,” his voice became gentle, “don’t you want to talk about what you’re going to do when Zeus reappears? You’ve made a bit of a mess, and I’m afraid this one is partly my fault, because I’ve done a hell of a job reinforcing your belief that your father was responsible for your mother’s failures. He was. I’m not going to soft-pedal that at this late date. Your mother would’ve been better off had she never fallen in love with him. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t find love that will enhance your life. Not every man is like your father. Zeus certainly isn’t. Not all love is destructive, and I’m pretty goddamn certain I’ve misled you into believing that falling in love will inevitably lead to self-destruction.”

“I’ve blown it,” she whispered. “And it isn’t your fault. I knew what I was doing. I was scared of my feelings for Zeus since the moment I met him. Seven years ago I was so hurt when he left, that I only allowed myself to feel relief. You see, I always thought he was too good to be true, and when he told me he was leaving me, he was proving it. So this time around, I was as cold as I possibly could be. I’ve lost him again, and this time it hurts worse than before.”

“The only time you’ve actually lost a fight,” he paused, and she shut her eyes, knowing what he was going to say next, because she’d heard it from him her whole life, “is when you quit.” Her grandfather was a firm believer in fighting till the bitter end for what he believed in. “So let’s just reason through what your next move might be. Because Zeus will make it through this night, and you will have a chance to make things right, okay?”