Your Next Breath (18 page)

“Fantastically well.” He grinned. “But I always have a choice. I believe I would have chosen your life even if the money had been a mere pittance. When I saw your photo in the dossier Cameron sent me to help in getting your documents, you reminded me of my mother.”

“What?”

He nodded as he sat down and buckled his seat belt. “She was very beautiful, too. And I always felt safe with her. Not many people felt that way about her since she fought with the rebels in Colombia, and she was very, very good. And then, too, beauty often gets in the way. Don’t you find that?”

“No.”

“I think you’re wrong. My mother had a lot to overcome.”

“And did she succeed?”

“Yes, until the very end. She was ambushed. It took twelve men to take her down.” The words were spoken with no expression. “But I regard that as also a success.”

“So would I.”

He smiled. “You see, that’s why you remind me of my mother. I sensed it would be so. You understand that the—”

“Okay, we’ll be out of here in a few minutes,” Cameron said as he came out of the cockpit. “So where the hell are we going, Dario?”

“North. The hills. There’s another private airport near the border at San Esposito that will accommodate jets. I wanted not to be too obvious about our destination, but now it’s just a question of getting you to Montez in time.” He got to his feet. “I’ll go up with the pilot and give him directions.”

“What do you mean, getting us to Montez in time?” Catherine asked. “In time for what?”

“In time to make sure he’s still alive for him to do you any good.” He was heading for the cockpit. “His sister, Lena, was tortured and butchered last night. If she knew where Eduardo is hiding, then Santos probably does, too.”

“And is he hiding?”

“Yes, he took off for the hills with his brother when Nagoles was on the hunt for them. His brother was caught and killed, but Eduardo escaped. It’s been presumed he’s been hiding out in the rain forests ever since. No sign of anyone in pursuit.”

“Until now,” Catherine said.

“As you say,” Dario said. “It seems you stirred up a hornet’s nest. When Cameron engaged me to find Montez, I sent out men in all directions and found that there was a recent call out to capture him.”

“Kill him?” Cameron asked.

“No, capture, underlined and very definite. I have an idea that Santos might have had a general idea where to find him but it wasn’t a priority.” His lips twisted. “But I lost a man at Montez’s sister Lena’s place. Alfredo Ruiz was shot when he ran into Santos’s men searching her house. Montez’s sister and my man, Ruiz, were killed without a second thought. Only Eduardo evidently was to be spared.” He paused. “I liked Ruiz. I believe that I’ll have to do something about evening that particular score.”

“You said that Santos might know where Montez is hiding,” Cameron said. “Do you?”

“Of course.” Dario looked at him in surprise. “You said you wanted to know. I make my living by acquiring information, then acting on it.” He looked at Catherine. “Like you. Your dossier said that you sold information in Hong Kong when you were very young. It’s another sign of our kinship.”

“I sold. I didn’t act.”

“But you would have if it had become necessary.” He opened the cockpit door. “I will get you to Montez, Cameron. And then you will give me permission to kill the man who killed Ruiz. Agreed?”

“If we don’t need him for bargaining,” Cameron said. “If there’s a problem, we’ll negotiate.”

“I find it hard to negotiate when one of my men has been killed. I choose them, I train them, I become close to them. They are mine.”

Catherine chuckled. “That sounds familiar, Cameron. You should understand that philosophy.”

“I do. That’s why I hired you, Dario. But in the end, I’m the only one who gives the orders.”

He shrugged. “We will see.” He went into the cockpit.

“Not your usual obedient drone,” Catherine said mockingly. “Clearly, Dario didn’t get the memo about the committee or your being all-powerful when you hired him. I’ve seen how you’re usually treated by the people who work for you. Lots of bowing and scraping.”

“And you think I like it?”

“No, I think it exasperates you.” The plane was starting to roll down the runway, and she looked out the window at the distant hills. Had there really been a possible shooter in that mass of green vegetation? “But I don’t believe you’re going to have to worry about it with Dario. You may have trouble controlling him.”

“Then I’ll get rid of him. But I’ve always found independent thought is better than a ‘drone’ mentality. If I can work with him, I’ll do it.” He glanced at her. “Have you changed your mind about him?”

“Maybe. He appears not to hesitate when it comes down to pulling the trigger.”

“Literally and figuratively.” He studied her. “But what is this kinship bullshit?”

“Nothing.” She made a face. “He says I remind him of his mother.”

“What?” He smiled. “If I didn’t know who Dario’s mother was, I’d think that was a very tired line.”

“He said she fought with the rebels in Colombia.”

He nodded. “Elena Dario. Very smart, very dedicated, very tough. Rafael Dario grew up in the jungles while they were dodging and raiding both the cartels and the government forces.”

“But they finally killed her? He said it took twelve men to take her down.”

“Yes. He was fourteen at the time, and he found out names and went after each one of those men. It took him three years, but he killed every one of them. After that, he left Colombia and surfaced in Peru. He was a mercenary for a few years, then formed a unit of his own in Guatemala. Since then, he’s struck a balance between working for the local police and private organizations that aren’t necessarily on the right side of the law.”

“Like you.”

“Like me. Do you expect me to deny it? What a waste of time. Law is defined by the particular country or party that’s in control at a given time. It’s much more sensible to embrace your own code and forget the rest of that nonsense.”

“Venable would not agree.”

“But you do,” he said softly. “Deep in your heart, you know that I’m right. You walk your own path.”

“Not as long as I’m CIA.”

“Yes, we do have to get you over that hurdle.”

“It’s not a hurdle, it’s a vocation.” She changed the subject. “It’s fairly clear that your probing around the Montez killing got a quick and explosive response. Santos may not have wanted Eduardo Montez dead, but he didn’t want us to find him, either. You told me that Nagoles said his brother’s death was an example killing. That meant it was to warn Eduardo Montez in the most terrifying way possible that he wasn’t to talk or he’d be next in line.” She frowned. “But he wasn’t next in line. He’s still out there, and Santos is being very careful to keep him alive. Why?”

“Information. Blackmail. Or he may possess a treasure Santos wants to get his hands on.”

“But he didn’t go after Montez for the past two years. Santos wasn’t that eager.”

“Not until he thought he might lose Montez. He wasn’t going to tolerate you scooping him up. Interesting…”

“But you’re the one who hired Dario. No hint of CIA this time. Now he’s going to find out that you’re the one interfering in his plans. Which means you’re a target, too.”

“My, my, how unfortunate. Remind me to worry about that.”

“Well, I’ll worry about it,” she said sharply. “Maybe I shouldn’t. It was bound to happen. But it’s just one more—” She broke off. “I told Hu Chang that there was no reason for you to be a target and, if you were, that you could take care of yourself. But now there is a reason. I gave it to you.”

“And you were also right. I can take care of myself.”

She nodded. “Correct. I’m being foolish. You would have dove into this mess anyway the minute it was clear Erin was a target.”

“Very foolish,” he said. “But you persist in thinking that Erin was the primary reason. Not true, Catherine.”

She wasn’t going there. “Close enough. You were outraged that anyone would threaten her.” She suddenly remembered something. “You even used the same word Dario used. Mine. One of mine. Good God, you’re as possessive as he is. No wonder you hired him. You’re just like him.”

“Wrong.” His face was suddenly alight with humor. “We have several serious differences in viewpoint.”

“Such as?” she asked warily.

“On no account in this world would you ever remind me of my mother, Catherine.”

CHAPTER

8

ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL
ATLANTA, GEORGIA

“Where is she?”

Eve straightened to attention in her chair as Seth Caleb blew into the waiting room like a category five hurricane. “Where do you think she is?” She got to her feet. “I told you that she was in a coma. She’s down the hall in ICU.”

“She’s still alive?”

“Yes, same condition.”

“Then I’ll talk to you later, Eve.” He turned on his heel. “I’ve got to see her.”

“No.” She stepped in front of him. “One: The doctors and nurses get touchy about having someone examine one of their patients. Particularly if they have no credentials. I’ve arranged to have the staff permit you visiting privileges at ICU, but do not step on toes. Two: Her security is so tight, one of the guards might take you down if you get too close to her. They even look at me and Joe suspiciously. You can’t just blunder in there without advance preparation.”

“I never blunder. I’ll take care of the hospital personnel.” He tried to go around her. “And no security guard is going to keep me away from her.”

She reached out and grabbed his arm. “And is that supposed to help? By all means, let’s cause a ruckus that will make—” She stopped as she felt the tension, the suppressed energy that was almost electrifying in the arm she was holding to restrain him. His dark eyes were glowing, flickering wildly in his taut face. It was an extraordinary face, surrounded by close-cut, dark hair; high cheekbones; full, sensual lips; and those eyes that were totally riveting and dominating and had always intrigued her. He was somewhere in his thirties, tall, muscular, with an almost catlike grace. She had never been able to decide if he was good-looking or not because the sheer power and fascination he projected was the only thing that mattered when Caleb was confronting you. As he was confronting her in this moment. Caleb was never cool or tame, but his fierceness was nearly tangible in this moment. She had told Joe she would handle him, but this was not a good start. Try to calm him.

Oh, to hell with it. She wasn’t about to deal with Caleb’s problems. They had enough problems of their own. “I’m not about to let you go into that ICU and cause Joe any more upset than he’s going through right now. You know Joe. Face him with the kind of vibes you’re broadcasting, and he’d automatically go into defense mode. We’re both in a superprotective state about Jane now anyway.”

“You phoned me. You wanted me here,” he said harshly. “Now take me as you find me.”

“No, I won’t do it. Why should I?” She gestured to the chair next to her. “Now sit down, and we’ll talk, then I’ll let you go and see Jane. But not until I think you’re ready.”

“That decision was out of your hands the minute you told me she was dying.”

“Not unless you want to knock me down to get past me. And neither one of us thinks that Jane would want you to do that.”

His hands were clenched into fists at his sides. “I need to get to her.”

“And you will.” My God, she had been aware of his savage anger and determination, but now she was seeing much deeper. Wild despair, hurt, incredible disbelief that this could happen to Jane, that he couldn’t have somehow prevented it. “Now sit down and you’ll be able to break free of me that much sooner.”

He didn’t move for an instant, then dropped down in the chair. “Talk to me. Get it over with.”

“Okay, first I’ll tell you why it happened and what we’re up against. Because even if you manage to save her, the fight won’t be over. You didn’t ask me any questions, and I didn’t tell you anything but the bare minimum to get you here.”

“I didn’t care. I still don’t care. I just need to keep her alive.”

“I’ll be as brief as I can. But you
will
listen, Caleb.” She quickly and concisely filled him in on the details that had brought Jane to this state. “That’s why the security is so tight. Santos could decide to send someone to finish the job at any time.”

“That won’t happen.” He repeated the name. “Santos. I’ll remember. I can’t deal with him right now. But I’ll remember.”

“That’s not why I told you about him. I gave that job to Catherine. She made me a promise. You just have to have the full picture, so that you can do what you have to do.”

“So you’ve given it to me. May I go to her now?”

“In a minute.” She paused. “I think you should know something else. Santos may not be the only one you may be fighting to bring her back from that coma. When we found Jane in that car covered in blood and so terribly near death…” She paused. “It’s crazy, but she was smiling.”

Caleb stiffened. “And?”

“You know how depressed she’s been since Trevor was killed. Almost suicidal.”

“Jane’s too strong for that bullshit.”

“But maybe not too strong to accept what she deems as fate.”

He was suddenly smiling recklessly. “Then I’ll have to convince her to change her mind, won’t I? Being killed by that son of a bitch, Santos, isn’t her fate.” He met her eyes. “And Trevor was never her fate. He can’t have her.”

“She loved him,” Eve said gently. “He was everything she wanted in a man.”

“Do you think I don’t know that? Trevor had the good looks of a movie star, he was brave, he was intelligent. He was also gentle and civilized and a great guy who she could trust and live within never-never land forever.”

“That’s a difficult combination to beat, Caleb.”

“But I would have done it if Trevor hadn’t been killed. I didn’t get the chance. I knew it was going to be hell when he was dying.” His lips twisted. “Do you know even then he was trying to protect her? He wanted me to take care of her. He wanted me to be
him.
There was no way I was going to do that.”