No One to Trust

by Iris Johansen

  “You’re wrong. She can handle it,” Dominic said. “I’ve never seen anything she couldn’t work her way through, and I’ve known her since she was ten years old.” He thought for a moment. “Well, once it was pretty close, but she found a way out.”

  “What happened?”

  He smiled. “You’ll have to ask her.”

  “Not bloody likely. She was with the rebel army when she was ten?”

  “She ran messages from one village to another when she was younger than that. Her father didn’t start training her until she was a little older.”

  “Nice.”

  “He wasn’t the best father in the world, but as I told you, he had a good deal of charisma and he was an excellent soldier. A good teacher too. Elena was remarkably skilled in the arts of war by the time she was twelve. Sad …”

  “Couldn’t you stop it?”

  He shook his head. “I was a guest in their camp. If I’d interfered, the rebels would have thrown me out. It was difficult for me, but I learned to compromise. I couldn’t do everything I wanted, but there were things I could do. I was able to teach, give comfort and understanding and, every now and then, more concrete help.”

  “Like with Barry?”

  A smile lit his face as he glanced at the sleeping child. “That was my joy and privilege. I couldn’t give Elena everything she needed as a child, but I got another chance with Barry. I believe God finds ways to help us find our true path. When Elena needed help with Barry, I knew I’d found mine.” His brows lifted. “You’re asking a lot of questions. Why?”

  “I’m plagued with a curious mind.”

  “And Elena is an intriguing woman.”

  “Since she tried to kill me a minute after we first met, it’s difficult to think of her as a woman.”

  “Then why are you so angry at the thought of the way her father raised her?”

  “I just don’t like children being forced into grown-up games.”

  “As you were?”

  Galen was silent a moment. “Are you fishing?”

  “It’s my nature. And my vocation.” Dominic tilted his head, studying Galen. “You’re an interesting man and probably better than you think you are.”

  He chuckled. “I couldn’t be. Unless there’s something better than perfection.” His smile faded. “Dominic, I’m a cynical, selfish son of a bitch who’s dabbled in more sin than you could measure in a lifetime. But that doesn’t mean I’m all bad. I show up pretty good next to men like Chavez.”

  “Most men do.”

  “Don’t you want to save his soul? What an opportunity.”

  Dominic shook his head. “I’d find it difficult to ask God to forgive him after what he’s done to the people I care about. I suppose that’s why I’m no longer a priest.”

  “But it makes you a hell of a lot more human.” He shrugged. “Now, what about a game of checkers before Barry wakes up and needs your attention? It’s going to be a long flight and I get bored easily.”

  “I’ve noticed a certain restlessness.” He gazed thoughtfully at him. “What do you do to keep it at bay?”

  Galen grinned. “I wouldn’t want to disillusion you by telling you.” He spread out the board. “I’ll take the black pieces. Like to like, as my mum used to say.”

  “Time to get up.”

  Elena’s eyes flew open to see Galen standing inside the curtains.

  “It’s okay. You have an hour before we land. Do you need any help?”

  She shook her head and scrambled to a sitting position. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fine, but you’re probably better than you were. You were out like a light. How long has it been since you got any sleep?”

  “I don’t remember. It doesn’t matter. How is Barry?”

  “He slept a couple hours himself.” He turned to go. “If you need any help in the bathroom, give a call. By the way, Forbes wants to talk to you.”

  She tossed the sheet aside. “I want to talk to him.”

  Fifteen minutes later she dropped down in the seat beside Forbes. “Where are you taking us?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Forbes said. “There’s a place north of San Francisco in the wine country that we’ve used before as a safe house. It used to be a working vineyard, but it’s deserted now. I’ve called and made arrangements to have a team pick us up at the airport and drive us straight there.”

  She stiffened. “What team?”

  “DEA.” He went on hurriedly. “I know you didn’t want the government involved, but I can’t protect you by myself. I’ve notified my superiors of the situation and they’ve agreed to go along with me. We got you out of the country without pulling in the agency, but I can’t give you enough protection on my own.”

  She had known that would probably be the case. She didn’t like it, but there was little she could do about it right now. “Do you know the men who’ll be on this team?”

  “I know the lead agent, and I’ve had the other three men on the team checked out and they came up squeaky clean. You can trust them.”

  She shook her head. “You trust them. I can’t afford to trust anyone. I don’t have the right. I’m responsible for Barry and Dominic.”

  “And I’m responsible for you.”

  “It’s not the same.” She paused. “You take me to this vineyard. I’m not going with anyone else.”

  “I had every intention of going along.”

  “No, you drive. You check out the vineyard. Your team can follow us.”

  “We always check out a safe house before we bring in a subject. Chavez hasn’t had time to find out anything. There’s no need to worry, Elena.”

  He was so sure, she thought in wonder. Didn’t he realize she would never be safe until Chavez was dead? “You do the checkout yourself.”

  He shrugged. “If it will make you feel better. Don’t you know this is almost as important to me as it is to you?”

  “No, it’s not. You want to catch a drug lord. I have to keep my son safe from him. There’s no contest.”

  He hesitated and slowly nodded. “You’re right. Your son is important. But so are all the other children this son of a bitch victimizes with his damn drugs.”

  “I can’t think about them right now. I can’t save the whole world. My job is to keep Barry safe.” Her gaze went to Galen, who was talking to Dominic a few rows ahead. “Will you ask Galen to come with us?”

  “His job is over. He doesn’t like to work with federal agencies, and he’s very expensive. I was lucky to persuade him to do the extraction.”

  “Will you ask him to come and just check over the security measures? He likes you. He might do it.”

  “I’m surprised you want him. He’s not been exactly warm to you.”

  “I don’t want him. But he knows what he’s doing. That’s enough for me. I’d use the devil himself if it meant keeping Barry safe.”

  “I’ll keep him safe, Elena.”

  “Ask Galen.”

  He grimaced. “The private club again.” He stood up. “I’ll ask him, but I doubt if it will do any good.” He came back five minutes later shaking his head. “He said he was out of it and it was my job now. I told you that he wouldn’t do it.”

  “It was worth a try.” Galen was turning to look at her, and she defiantly met his gaze. He mustn’t think she was pleading for help. I don’t really need you, Galen. You were just an insurance policy. If I did need you, I’d find a way of getting you.

  He suddenly smiled and she had the odd feeling he’d read her thoughts. She looked away from him. Forget Galen. Think about this safe house in the country. Think about finding a way to make sure Chavez hadn’t gotten to any of those squeaky-clean agents Forbes had told her about.

  Galen stood and watched Forbes drive the black sedan down the airport exit ramp, closely followed by the tan SUV with the DEA security team.

  Gone. Job finished. Time to move on.

  Forbes was smart and savvy and this operati
on meant too much for him not to be careful. Elena Kyler was tough and he’d pit her against almost anyone he’d run across. Let the two of them fight their battles with Chavez. He’d done his part in getting her out.

  It was time to go fishing.

  The idea left him with a curiously flat feeling. But then, it wasn’t unusual for him to feel let down like this after a high-pressure job, and being around Elena had been like a shot of pure adrenaline.

  Too bad Chavez might end up killing her.

  He saw Elena bend her head to listen to something the kid was saying to her.

  Not his business.

  The black sedan was almost out of sight.

  Oh, what the hell. It wouldn’t hurt to make a few phone calls to Manero in Bogotá.…

  4

  Barry gave a relieved sigh when he saw the rolling hills of the vineyard country. “This is better. That city was … strange. Is this where we’re going to live?”

  Elena could understand why he would think San Francisco was alien. He had never been away from Dominic’s little house, and the first excitement of seeing the city had faded quickly. Poor baby, he had been assaulted with so many new experiences in the last twenty-four hours. “No. This place belongs to Mr. Forbes’s company. We may not stay here long.”

  “Will we go on the airplane again?”

  “Maybe.” Her gaze was focused on the building they were approaching. It was a two-story adobe hacienda with a red tile roof. Two rusty wrought-iron balconies hung over a flagstone courtyard, and the place appeared as old and worn out as the brown vines of the vineyard. “You said someone has already checked the place out, Forbes?”

  “Yesterday.” He pulled up to the front door. “Stay here. I’ll go inside and give it the once-over.”

  “We’ll wait.” Elena stopped Barry from jumping out of the car. “Not yet. We have to make sure there aren’t any bugs or snakes inside.”

  “Very apt description,” Dominic murmured.

  Forbes came out of the house five minutes later. “It’s okay.”

  “Go on, Barry.” Elena opened the door for him. “We’re going to be sleeping in one of those rooms with the balcony. Why don’t you go find it for me?”

  Barry jumped out of the car and ran inside.

  “I’ll go with him,” Dominic said. “He’s so excited he’ll be jumping off that balcony.”

  “He’s got more sense than that. I’ll be there in a moment.” Elena got out of the car. “Show me the back of the house, Forbes. What’s that outbuilding?”

  “Fermenting shed. It’s where the vats are kept.”

  “Did you check it?”

  “Of course. I went out the back way.” He motioned to the men in the SUV and they began to get out of the vehicle. “I’m not incompetent, Elena.”

  “I know. But I want to see the shed.”

  He shook his head with exasperation but started around the side of the house. “Come on, see for yourself. And it’s not a good idea for you to occupy the balcony room. You’re too accessible.”

  “I didn’t choose it because I thought it was romantic. If someone can climb in, I can climb out if I have to. It’s always better to have an escape route. Don’t worry, I’ll know if someone tries to come in that way. I’m a very light sleeper.”

  “I don’t doubt it.” He opened the door of the fermenting shed. “Here we are. As you can see, it’s empty. Satisfied?”

  The sweet-sour smell of wine and wood assaulted her as she stepped into the shed. “Not yet.” The room was large, and three wooden vats at least twenty feet high and ten feet wide lined each side of the room. The broken ruin of a catwalk ran over each line of vats. No access there. “Will you have a couple of your men get a ladder and check inside each of those vats?”

  “I was going to do that.”

  “And then get rid of the ladder.”

  “Right.”

  “Thanks.” She went down the row and looked in back of each of the six vats. “Now I’m satisfied.” She came toward him. “Tell me about those DEA men who came with us.”

  “Bill Carbonari’s been an agent for ten years. He has two commendations. Jim Stokes has worked with me for three years on various assignments. Mike Wilder served at the Mexican border for five years and was with Immigration before he became an agent. Randy Donahue has been with the agency for only two years, but he’s sharp. Very sharp.”

  “I want you to introduce me to them. I want to know their faces and the way they move so well I’ll be able to tell who they are in the dark.”

  “Why?”

  She stared at him in surprise. “Why do you think? So I don’t shoot the wrong man.”

  “Our job is to protect you. You’re not going to have to shoot anyone.”

  “I want a gun. Galen never gave me mine back.”

  “Are you sure you—” “I want a gun.”

  He nodded. “Okay, I’ll have one for you by this evening.”

  “Thank you.” She started for the house. “Now let’s go meet your DEA friends.”

  “It’s a television set, Mama.” Barry’s eyes were shining with excitement. “And there are cartoons and Bugs Bunny and a big yellow bird and—”

  “Hold it.” She held up her hand. “You found all of those in the first thirty minutes you were here?”

  “Dominic gave me a remote.” He held up the device proudly. “It’s magic.” He ran back across the room to sit cross-legged before the set. “You just press this button and you can find anything.”

  “Oh, dear.” She smiled at Dominic. “You’ve created a monster. He’ll never pick up a book again.”

  “It’s only the novelty. When was the first time you saw a television set, Elena?”

  “When I was nine. My father went to Bogotá to raise money for arms and we stayed for six months. It was interesting. There were so many things I’d never done. I’d never been to the movies or seen a circus or been to the zoo.” She frowned, troubled. “And I’ve cheated Barry out of doing any of those things.”

  “He’ll catch up.”

  “I should have found a way to leave before this.”

  “He’s smart and happy and he’s learned to use his imagination. Not many kids are that blessed in this technological age. So stop thinking you’re a bad mother. You did what you had to do to keep him safe.”

  “You’re supposed to work to give your children a better life than you’ve had yourself. I haven’t done such a good job so far.” She straightened her shoulders. “But that’s going to change. I’ve got a chance now.” She turned toward the door. “I’m going down to the kitchen to see what I can find to cook for supper. Do you think we can pry him away?”

  “We’ll do it. Want me to help with the meal?”

  “No, I want one of us to be with Barry at all times from now on.”

  “You don’t trust Forbes.”

  “I trust him. He just hasn’t had the same experience as I’ve had. I’ve seen how Chavez can corrupt and change people. People you’d never expect to betray you.” She could feel the bitterness surge through her. Don’t think about it. It’s in the past. All she could do was learn from the experience. “Barry will sleep in my room and we’ll take turns being with him during the day. Okay?”

  Dominic nodded. “As long as he doesn’t make me watch those obnoxious Teletubby creatures. Otherwise, you’re on your own.”

  She was smiling as she left the room and started down the tile staircase. Teletubby? What on earth was a Teletubby?

  Eight miles.

  Chavez could feel the burn as he ran down the path and then started up the steep hill toward the huge house the villagers called a palace. This was the best part of the run, the hardest, the most challenging. It was during these last yards that he knew the pleasure of triumph, the realization that he’d conquered every trace of weakness.

  He could see Gomez waiting at the end of the driveway. He didn’t stop, forcing Gomez to fall into step with him.

  “It was definite
ly Forbes. A solo mission. No one in the agency knew anything about it until the woman was in the United States.”

  “Where in the United States?”

  “I haven’t been able to find out yet.” Gomez was already getting short of breath. “Somewhere on the West Coast.”

  “If you’ve found out that much, then you can get me the rest. He wasn’t alone. What did you learn about the helicopter?”

  “It was rented by a mercenary, Ian Carmichael.”

  “And who hired him? Forbes?”

  “Not likely. He’s expensive.”

  “Then bring him in and find out.”

  “He seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth.”

  “Locate him. I want to know who else was involved.” He had reached the outbuilding that contained his gym, and he stopped and allowed himself a deep breath. “It’s been a week, Gomez. You haven’t been efficient.” He smiled. “And I think you’re getting soft. Look at you huffing and puffing. Why don’t you join me on the mats this morning?”

  Gomez’s eyes widened and he took a step back. “I have to get back to Bogotá. I’ve a lead on someone in the DEA’s West Coast office who might know something.”

  “Then by all means hurry back to the city.” He opened the door of the gym. “I’ll have to make do with a young man I found among the paramilitary group.” He gestured to the dark-skinned, beefy man who was sitting on a bench by the weight-training machine. “He’s very strong and said to be good with weapons. What do you think, Gomez? Can he take me?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t believe he can either.” He could feel the excitement tingle through him as he walked toward the man who was looking at him with eagerness. He liked that attitude. It boded well for the battle. “But he may make the morning interesting.…”

  “Chavez has gone back to his place in the hills,” Jose Manero said. “It’s business as usual with him.”

  “He didn’t come to the U.S.?” Galen asked. “You’re sure?”

  “Gomez has been the only one stirring. He’s been to Bogotá four times in the last three weeks, and he’s asking questions.”