“We’ll double-check as soon as day breaks, but we did a thorough search already. Fire got put out early because of the rain, so it was easier than it would’ve been. They weren’t here when the bomb hit.”
“Keep looking.” Cato ended the call before he pissed off the only people he had in New Orleans right now. They were independent contractors, and while he didn’t mind pissing them off, they had no loyalty to him. They could walk away without a backward glance. Until he had his own people there, he’d play nice with the local talent.
Tucked between a Chinese restaurant and a used-clothing store, the offices of Cato Cavendar Investigations were innocuous and low-key. The outside was a multicolored dull brick façade with a yellowish tinge that made the place look years older than it actually was. The sign on the building, equally innocuous, proclaimed the investigative services of one Elton J. Marks. Cato had used that alias once and, liking the sound of it on the tongue, had chosen that name as his current cover. Elton was always busy and never had room for a new client. They’d turned away dozens since they’d opened the office, but that number had dwindled to only one or two a month. Word had apparently spread that Elton J. Marks was just too busy to take on new clients. No one knew that Elton had only one client, and it was all he and his staff could do to keep up with that client’s needs.
Freddy Carlisle shook his head, the mournful look in his beady dark eyes almost comical. “It should’ve worked, but they must’ve found out about it.”
Cato barely resisted rolling his eyes, but Freddy was a sensitive SOB and didn’t like to be made fun of. Still, Cato couldn’t resist giving him the blank stare that made most people piss their pants. “You think?”
Standing, he addressed his team. “Okay, here’s the deal. Everything goes on the backburner until these assholes are put down. Whatever you’re working on can wait.”
His staff of seven included two tech whizzes, a political liaison who conveniently had a Harvard Law degree, a public relations expert, two highly skilled mercenaries who were expert sharpshooters, plus an office manager who not only maintained all their schedules but kept her ear to the gossip pipeline like a rabid teenager. Chloe Willis could dig up dirt faster than an undertaker.
Each of them was at the top of their field. He had recruited them himself, and while he appreciated them for their talents in their given jobs, his number one requirement was the thing that had landed each of them a job: Not one of them had an iota of conscience. His two motivations had proven to be his most effective method of retaining all his employees. He paid them well, and if they screwed him over, they were dead.
It helped that he didn’t have an iota of conscience either.
He sent a hard look to his mercenaries. “Clive and Franco, get down to New Orleans and find Sanchez and the girl. Don’t come back until you do.”
“We have a team of five down there already.”
“And they haven’t done dick. You shouldn’t have hired locals. Should’ve done them yourselves.”
Clive looked like he wanted to argue, but Franco must’ve kicked him under the table, because his big body jerked and he said, “Sure, Cato. We’ll take care of it.”
He gave both of them a hard, telling look and was happy to see their eyes skitter away. They might be mercenaries, trained to kill on order, but when it came to killing, he wrote the book.
“CeeCee, where are we on finding the girl’s family?”
“Good and bad news on that. Breaching WITSEC isn’t as easy as it used to be. I’m still working it from my end and have put out some feelers with a few of my best snitches.” CeeCee shrugged. “No nibbles yet.”
“Was that the good or bad news?”
“Bad news. Good news is we’ve located her older brother, Lance. He’s in prison in Germany. He was a runner for one of the mob bosses there, but got put away for almost killing a guy in a bar fight. We can get to him fairly quickly if need be.”
“We’ll hold out on that. From what we know, there’s no love lost between sister and brother. She probably wouldn’t cross the street to save him.
“Keep working on the rest of the family. There’s got to be school records, doctors’ reports. The boy’s only eleven or so. Kids get sick, broken bones, shit like that.”
“Do you know how many eleven-year-old boys there are in this country? And we don’t know if they are even in this country. Lots of other countries will take them if the money’s right.”
“I don’t want excuses. I want results. Capisce?”
CeeCee jerked at his harsh tone. He was usually easier on her than the others, because they sometimes did the nasty when work slowed, or he needed a stress reliever. Work wasn’t slow now, though, and she needed to pull her weight.
Since he knew he’d made his point, he softened his tone a bit. “Look, people. Boss is going to give each of us big bonuses when this is wrapped up. This is the most important thing for them right now, so it’s gotta be our most important thing, too.” For extra incentive, he added, “Get what we need, or you’re off the team.”
Off the team for most people would mean losing their job. For his team, it meant something a bit more permanent, and they knew it.
Pep talk behind him, he swept the room with his gaze. “Now, anybody got anything useful?”
Chapter Thirty
Louisiana
They weren’t going to make it to civilization today. The forest was giving them the cover they needed, but Raphael wanted to wait another day before heading into a town. Giselle trusted his judgment on this…she trusted him in everything.
As she trudged through the damp forest, she kept her eyes on his back. It could have been worse, he’d told her. In the summertime, mosquitoes as large as birds, snakes longer than his arm, and giant alligators roamed the swamp and forest. At least in the wintertime, they were less prevalent. She didn’t know if that was supposed to make her feel better or not. Less prevalent indicated they still existed somewhere. She imagined little beady eyes staring out from behind giant leaves, their stares malevolent and ravenous, as they bided their time, waiting for a chance to pounce.
She stepped over a rotten tree branch, looking around warily. “Were you kidding with me…about the gators and snakes?” She could deal with mosquitoes. She didn’t like them, but they could be swatted and batted away. Harder, much harder, to do that to a snake or alligator.
“No.” He glanced back at her, and her worried frown must’ve made him feel guilty. “Okay, maybe a little. I’ve never seen either one, but I’ve seen a lot of movies that show some mean-assed creatures hiding in the swamplands.”
“So you told me that to what?”
“It gave you something else to think about.”
“Oh jeez, thanks. Not only am I looking for bad guys with guns and bombs, I’m on the lookout for gargantuan-sized mosquitoes, alli—”
She didn’t shriek or even panic. She just stopped breathing. “Raphael.” Odd, but she thought she sounded freakishly calm.
“Yeah…what?”
He turned, and though she wasn’t looking at him, she sensed his stillness. “Don’t move. Okay?”
She didn’t bother to nod and decided she could no longer speak either. The snake at her foot probably wasn’t as long as Raphael’s arm, but it looked like it could easily take a nasty bite out of her.
She thought he would shoot it, or at the very least try to distract it. Instead, he walked away from her. She finally made a sound, and it was a cross between a squeal of terror and a gasp of indignation. He was leaving her?
He walked maybe three yards away, picked something up, and headed back. Since she hadn’t been able to take her eyes off the snake, which thankfully still hadn’t bitten her, she didn’t know what he had picked up. Whatever it was, she hoped it would take care of the problem.
A thick stick swooped into her line of vision and scooped up the snake. With a smooth jerk, Raphael flung the snake into the woods.
She’d barely taken a brea
th before Raphael was there, gripping her arms. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She laughed a little, the relief making her giddy. “Guess since you were right about those snakes, I’d better keep my eye out for those alligators after all.”
Raphael shook his head. She was laughing, and he was still shaking. The snake had been a water moccasin. Even though it had likely been sluggish from hibernating all winter, it still could have bitten her. That would have been painful and might even have killed her. They were too far out from any kind of town for him to get her medical care quickly.
“I’m all right, Raphael. Really.”
He took a breath. “Okay. Yeah.” He looked up at the sky. They weren’t going to make it out before nightfall. “We’ve got a little over an hour before sunset. We’ll walk for another half hour or so, and then we’ll hunker down for the night.”
“We’re going to sleep in the woods tonight?” The voice that had held amusement only seconds ago now held uncertainty.
He sent her a grin. “I promise it’ll be less scary than getting caught by bad guys with guns.” He held up the bag. “I’ve got everything we need to camp. We’ll be fine.”
She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “Okay. All right.”
He wanted to hug her for her bravery. She had never been exposed to anything wilder than what she had encountered on the island where she’d been raised. She was not only facing the wilderness surrounding them with determination and grit, she had been amazingly strong through this whole ordeal. Not many people could handle almost being blown up by a bomb or chased into the woods by guys with guns.
“You’re doing good, you know.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Just stick close and watch where you step.”
She gave him a slight smile. “Understood.”
Considering what she’d been through, she looked amazingly upbeat and healthy. When dawn arrived and he’d deemed it safe enough, they’d stopped and tended their wounds. He’d been relieved that what she had described as a scratch on her face was indeed just that. Still, he’d cleaned and put a small bandage on it. There was no telling what kind of bacteria was swimming around in the mud and the muck they were stomping through.
His own injury was nothing more than a small knot on the side of his head and hadn’t required anything other than a couple of ibuprofen for a slight headache. All in all they were surprisingly unscathed. He’d like to think their luck would continue but he would take no chances. There was no telling how many were looking for them.
He gave her an encouraging nod. “You’re doing great. Let’s get moving and find a decent spot to camp.”
As they trudged through the woods, he was aware of eyes following them. Most of them were harmless creatures worried for their own safety and keeping a wary eye on the interlopers invading their home. A couple were likely predators. No problem there, as long as they respected each other’s territory.
His eyes alert for any danger, he said conversationally, “So what was your major in college?”
“Umm. Journalism.”
“So you decided to stick with that?”
“Yes. Although I never did anything with it.”
He glanced back at her, curious at her choices. “Once this is over, you’d have a helluva story to write.”
“You really think we’re going to be able to expose the Fletchers? You don’t think they’re too powerful?”
“Power doesn’t last forever. It’s time the Fletchers lost theirs. When the truth comes out about the assassination of that family you overheard Daniel and Rawlings talking about, there’s no way they’re going to get out of it. And if they’ve killed once, they likely are responsible for more.”
“You’re right. Though, for now, I just want us to get Giovanni back.”
“We will.” He reached out, gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I promise you, Giselle, we’ll get him.”
Almost an hour later, Raphael found a relatively dry area to stop for the night. He cleared as much debris as possible, giving Giselle the assignment of digging into their supplies and finding something to eat that sounded remotely appetizing. Since all they’d had for the past almost twenty hours was water and nutrition bars, anything would work for him. His stomach felt as though someone had dug a crater.
As he cleared the area, he glanced over at her from time to time. She’d been unusually quiet since the snake incident. Which, he had to admit, had scared the shit out of him. The very thought of it curled his gut.
She held up a package. “How do you feel about ravioli?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Me, too, but I’m so hungry I think I could eat anything.”
“You should have said something. You could’ve eaten another bar.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I take that back, I could eat anything other than one of those energy bars. They’re terrible.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
They settled down to eat their dinner. It wasn’t the best meal he’d ever had, but having gone without meals many times in his life, he wasn’t complaining. It filled a hole and gave both of them much-needed energy.
After their meal and a quick cleanup, they settled onto the large sleeping bag Raphael had spread out for them. Giselle sat with her knees bent and her arms hugging her legs.
“You cold?”
“No, not really.” She looked up at the sky. “I’m glad it’s not raining.”
“Yeah, we lucked out there.”
“You don’t think we’re being followed, do you?”
“No. Our biggest risk will be when we step out of the woods.”
“How will we avoid them then?”
“McCall will come through.”
He had been texting Noah on and off all day. He’d known the instant his phone had acquired a signal by the number of alerts for voice mails and texts that buzzed. The instant he had texted him back to let him know they were alive, a flurry of texts had come through.
“We’ll have a vehicle waiting for us. They can’t cover every inch of the road.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close for a comforting hug. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”
Surprising him, she scooted closer and put her head on his shoulder. “Tell me about your first rescue.”
“There’s not much to it. Wasn’t very dramatic, and I played a small role.”
“Stop being modest and tell me about it.”
“It was a domestic abduction. The dad had custody of the kids. Mom took them, wouldn’t give them back. He contacted LCR and asked for our help.”
“Why didn’t he call the police? Was this not considered an abduction?”
“Yes, but he didn’t want the police involved. That might have required jail time for the wife, plus publicity. She was a prominent figure in the city where they lived. He didn’t want to ruin her. The dad was a friend of McCall’s, so he asked Noah for his help.”
“Sounds like he still loved his wife.”
“Yeah. I think they ended up going to counseling after it was over. Not sure it stuck, but at least it worked out that time.”
“What happened?”
“We did a simple grab. Mom had the kids in the kitchen, feeding them lunch. One was about three, the other five. Angela and Sabrina knocked on the front door, engaged the mom in a conversation about something. While she was busy, Olivia and I went into the kitchen, grabbed the kids, and were gone. Took less than five minutes.”
“Were the children frightened?”
“A little, but we had the dad in a car out back. The instant they saw him, they were fine.”
“That’s a nice story. I hope they found their way back to each other.” She sent him a quizzical smile. “I guess I thought there would be lots more action. Guns, explosions. Things like that.”
“There have been plenty of those since then. That one was the first time I was involved in a rescue, though. The first time I felt like a
real LCR team member.”
“I remember how you used to talk about being an LCR operative. I’m so glad you achieved that dream.” She snuggled deeper into his embrace. “Now tell me about your favorite rescue.”
“My favorite one will be when we rescue Giovanni.”
“You sound so sure that it will happen. That it will work out.”
“I am sure. We’ve got the best people in the world working to make that happen. They’ll do whatever it takes to rescue him.”
“What happens after that, Raphael? Will the Fletchers ever give up?”
“Yes. Once you have him back with you, they’ll stop. They have no claim on him, other than that measly piece of paper they forced you to sign. They have no blood relationship…nothing. That’s why they’re doing everything they can now. They know you have all the rights and they have none.”
“I want to do something… I know I can’t walk in there and take him. But I need to do something.”
“I have an idea.”
“What?”
“Promise to hear me out before you say no.”
She lifted her head to look up at him. “Okay.”
“We could get married.”
She tried to jerk away from his arms, but he wouldn’t let her go. “You promised to hear me out.”
“Okay.” Her body was still tense, but at least she wasn’t trying to pull away from him.
“When and if we get this before a judge, if it has to go that far, being married would show a more stable environment for Gio.”
“But you don’t love me.”
“People get married for other reasons besides love.”
He couldn’t see it—she wouldn’t let him see it—but something inside her shriveled at his emotionless tone. What had she expected? She already knew he wouldn’t forgive her for what she’d kept from him, had she really thought marriage would be anything other than a convenience?
She squared her shoulders. Didn’t matter. She would do whatever it took, including marrying a man who didn’t love her to get her son back. Raphael was the most honorable man she’d ever known.
Running Strong Page 23
