Operation: Midnight Rendezvous

by Linda Castillo

  “Unfortunately, collateral damage is part of the cost of doing business in this industry. You understand.”

  “What I understand is that you murdered one of your own in cold blood.”

  “Interesting you should mention Angela. I’d like to hear all about her. I understand she was working undercover. Some kind of federal agent.” He tsked. “Her death was an unfortunate complication. I liked her very much. Good thing we had you to take the fall, wasn’t it?”

  “She trusted you, you son of a bitch.”

  Twisted amusement danced in his eyes. “She always was too trusting.” The amusement turned cruel and hard. “My only true regret is the boy. But then that brings us back to our real lack of options here, doesn’t it?”

  Jess choked back a sob at the thought of Nicolas being hurt. “He’s a defenseless child.”

  “He saw too much and now he’s in the way.”

  She looked around, half expecting to see the child tied to a chair. “Where is he?”

  “In a safe place.”

  “I want to see him.”

  “You’re in no position to be making demands.”

  Jess envisioned herself launching herself at him, clawing at his face and eyes and neck with her nails. She wanted to hurt him. She wanted to stop him before he did something irrevocable.

  “He’s just a little boy,” she pleaded. “Please, let him go. He can’t speak.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t take that risk. You see, both of you are witnesses to something I do not want coming to light.”

  “You mean your human smuggling operation?”

  Something dark and unsettling glinted in his eyes. “You get an A-plus for ingenuity. It’s unfortunate that both of you will have to die for it. It won’t take much to make the police believe you killed Angela, took her son and fled the country.”

  “They’ll never believe it.”

  “You have…shall we say, a history of running away from problems.”

  “Mike Madrid knows the truth.” The words were out before she could stop them. She knew better than to speak of Madrid, but she was desperate and terrified and grasping at straws.

  “Ah, I see. You and the federal agent have grown close.”

  “No.” She panted the word, breathless with fear and panic. “He knows all about your operation.”

  Mummert stood abruptly. Jess shrank away from him when he approached her. Gripping her chin with his hand, he squeezed hard enough to cause pain and forced her gaze to his. “You have no idea how many problems you’ve caused me.”

  “Your problems are just beginning.” She ground out the words.

  An evil smile split his face. “I will take no pleasure in hurting that child. But I’m going to enjoy seeing you die.”

  Jess responded the only way she could and spat in his face.

  Mummert’s cheeks reddened. She barely had time to brace when he struck her with an open-handed slap hard enough to snap her teeth together. Pain zinged from cheekbone to jaw, fierce enough to make her eyes water.

  Stepping back, he shook himself, then turned his attention to one of the other men. “Prepare the Dorian Rae for departure. I want to be out of this port by oh four hundred.” He glanced at his watch. “I want to be in international waters before dawn so I can watch this little bitch die.”

  He looked at Jess. “Take her to the brig and secure an anchor around her neck.”

  Jess stared at him, shock and horror punching her. “No!” she screamed. “You can’t do this.”

  “I can, and I will.” He nodded to the two men holding her arms. “Go,” he said to them.

  Jess fought them with all her might, but with her hands bound behind her she was helpless. “Please!” she cried. “At least let the little boy go. Please!”

  Mummert gave her that evil smile again. “You should have thought of him before you got involved in this, princess.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Madrid had been in plenty of iffy situations in the years he’d been with the MIDNIGHT Agency. He’d been scared out of his wits too many times to count. But for the life of him he couldn’t remember a time when the fear had been quite so paralyzing. The kind of cold terror that permeated all the way to his bones.

  It was a cruel twist that the fear was not born of self-preservation, but the safety of someone he loved.

  The realization that he’d fallen in love with Jess stunned him. Made him realize she meant the world to him. That he would do anything—including risk his own life—to save her and Nicolas.

  If only he knew how.

  “You got it bad for her, huh, Madrid?”

  Jake Vanderpol’s voice jerked him from his reverie. For a moment he just stared at the other man, not sure how to answer without changing the dynamics of the situation. But in the end he decided on the truth. “Worse than bad.”

  They were in Vanderpol’s car heading toward Humboldt Bay. Madrid motioned right and they turned onto the same dirt road he and Jess had used the night before. His heart jigged in his chest when he spotted the RV. “She’s here.”

  The car fishtailed in mud when Vanderpol hit the brakes.

  “Could be a trap,” he suggested.

  But Madrid already had the door open. He hit the ground running, praying he would find her inside the RV. In the far distance he heard Vanderpol shout his name, but he didn’t stop. He had both his gun and flashlight out, a bullet chambered by the time he reached the RV. He burst into the vehicle and did a quick sweep of the place, but she wasn’t there. But then he’d known he would find the place empty. He’d been hoping for a miracle.

  He jolted when Vanderpol came up behind him and set his hand on his shoulder. “She’s on board the ship, partner.”

  Cursing beneath his breath, Madrid went to the car, to the satchel of items he’d taken from Angela’s house.

  “What are you doing?” Vanderpol asked.

  “Hoping to find a tool that will help us get on board the ship.”

  Vanderpol looked at the bag. “Angela’s?”

  “Yeah.” Madrid pulled out a small device that looked like a crossbow that had been equipped with some type of reel.

  Vanderpol grinned. “She always was into gadgets.”

  “Good thing, because this one is probably going to save her son’s life.”

  JESS COULD NEVER have imagined her life ending this way. With so much left undone. With so much love in her heart. She thought of Madrid, and hot tears burned her eyes.

  “Keep walking, bitch.”

  The words were punctuated by a hard shove. Fury and a cold, numbing fear permeated her as two men forced her down the narrow corridor. Her mind spun between Madrid and Nicolas. Was Madrid looking for them? If so, would he reach them in time to save their lives?

  They stopped at a narrow hatch. One of the men twisted the wheel lock and the door hissed open. Another hard shove forced her through the hatch and sent her to her knees. Before she could struggle to her feet, the hatch slammed with a finality that sent a cold spear of fear right through her center.

  Sobbing in frustration, Jess struggled to her feet and looked around. Surprise jolted her when she saw two small faces watching her. A petite Asian woman wearing a torn blue dress and a bruise high on her cheekbone set her hand protectively on Nicolas’s shoulder and stepped back.

  Jess choked back a sob when she looked at Nicolas. He was wearing the same sweatshirt and jeans he’d worn when she’d left him with Father Matthew and his face was streaked with dirt. But she saw recognition in his eyes. “Nicolas,” she cried. “Oh, honey, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  She went to the boy and fell to her knees, pressing her face to his. She wanted desperately to hold him, but with her hands bound she could not. At the moment, though, it was enough to feel him warm and alive against her.

  A full minute passed before she got a handle on her emotions. Pulling away from the boy, she looked at the woman. She saw the fear and mistrust in her eyes, and Jess realized the woman
was every bit as frightened as she was. “I’m not going to hurt you,” Jess said.

  The woman’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t speak.

  Giving Nicolas a kiss on his cheek, Jess rose to her full height and took a fortifying breath. “I’m glad he’s not alone.”

  “He’s very frightened.”

  Jess nodded, fighting tears. “Who are you?” she asked.

  “Chin Lee.”

  “I’m Jess.”

  The woman nodded.

  “Chin Lee, do you think you could untie me?”

  Fear entered the woman’s eyes and she shook her head. “It will only anger him.”

  “Who? Mummert? Someone higher on the food chain?”

  Chin Lee averted her eyes, looked down at her small hands.

  “Please,” Jess pressed. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

  “There is no way out.”

  “Help is on the way,” she said. “Federal agents. But we’re in danger here. We need to get out now.”

  Indecision and something that might have been hope glimmered in the woman’s eyes. “The men,” she whispered. “They will return soon.”

  “Please,” Jess pleaded. “Quickly. Untie me so I can help you.”

  The woman bit her lip. Jess didn’t look away. They didn’t have much time. She could hear the rumble of the engines as the crew prepared the ship for departure. “They’re going to kill us,” she said. “They’re going to kill this child. We have to get out of here now.”

  The woman nodded. “I will help you.”

  Jess turned and offered her bound hands. Seconds ticked by like an eternity as the woman worked at the knot. Jess couldn’t look, keeping her eyes on the door instead. When she felt the rope fall away, relief swept through her.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  The woman nodded. “You can get us out of here?”

  “I’m going to try.” First Jess went to Nicolas and hugged him tightly. The boy didn’t hug her back, but she could feel his little body relax against hers, and she knew that even though he had gone into his own world, he knew she was there. For now, that was enough.

  “He’s special,” Chin Lee said.

  Jess thought of how Nicolas had named his mother’s killer from the very start and she choked out a sound that was part laugh, part sob. “He’s a little hero.” For the first time she noticed the dirty and well-used toy at his side and another wave of emotion swamped her. Even in this hellhole, this woman had somehow found a small comfort for the little boy.

  “It was all I could give him,” Chin Lee said.

  Blinking back tears, Jess smiled. “It’s enough.”

  Rubbing the rope burns at her wrists, Jess went to the door and tried the handle, found it locked. She looked around the small room. Seeing no windows, no other doors, she was swamped by the sensation of being trapped. A fold-up cot with a thin mattress and thread-bare blanket sat in the corner, a plate holding a few crumbs beneath it. A tiny black-and-white television sat on a rickety-looking stool next to the bed.

  Jess looked at Chin Lee. “Is there any way out of here?”

  “No way out.”

  She studied the other woman. She was young, but thin and gaunt. “How long have you been here?”

  “Two months.”

  Jess couldn’t imagine being held captive that long in these conditions. “How did you end up here?”

  “The man promise me citizenship in the United States.”

  “Who?”

  “Mummert.”

  Jess chose her next words carefully. “Are there other women on board?”

  Chin Lee dropped her eyes, nodded.

  “How many?”

  “I’m not sure. Fifteen or twenty. Women and girls mostly.”

  “Where?”

  “The brig. One level down. I take them food sometimes.”

  A dozen questions swirled in Jess’s head, but there was no time to talk. If they wanted to live, they were going to have to find a way out.

  “Chin Lee, is there a guard outside the door?”

  The other woman hesitated, then shook her head. Jess got the feeling there might be a way, but Chin Lee didn’t want to talk about it. “They’re going to kill us if we don’t get out of here,” she said.

  Chin Lee’s eyes were ancient when they met Jess’s. “The guard…sometimes he come in here at night.” She averted her eyes.

  Jess’s heart twisted at the thought of the ordeals this poor woman had been forced to endure. “I’m sorry.”

  Chin Lee’s eyes filled with tears.

  Sympathy and newfound anger flashed inside Jess. But the part of her that was a survivor was already jumping ahead to ways they could use the situation to their advantage. She looked around the room for anything they could use as a weapon, her eyes settling on the television.

  “Is there any way you can get the guard’s attention?” she asked. “Maybe call him into the room?”

  Chin Lee’s eyes widened and she shook her head violently. “No.”

  “Knock on the door. Tell him you’re sick.”

  “Please, don’t. You will be sorry.”

  “I won’t let him hurt you. I promise.”

  “You can’t stop him. He’s armed and strong.”

  “Yeah, well, so are we.” Jess walked over to the small television and picked it up, tested its weight. “Here’s what we’re going to do,” she said, and began to outline her plan.

  MADRID COULD HEAR the big diesel engines rumbling as he and Vanderpol sprinted along the dock. He didn’t have to see the smoke billowing from the dual stacks to know that the big container ship was starting to pull away.

  “Where the hell are they going?” Jake muttered.

  “My guess is they bring the women here and hide them while money changes hands. Then they unload at Luna Bay under the protection of the Lighthouse Point PD.” Madrid shook his head in disgust. “We’ve got about a minute to get on board that ship.”

  “Not going to happen,” Vanderpol said.

  “The hell it’s not.” Digging into the satchel, Madrid pulled out a length of rope equipped with a four-prong hook.

  “What the hell are you doing, man?”

  “Saving the lives of two people I care about.” Madrid quickly coiled the rope. Setting his hand a foot from the base of the hook, he began to swing it like a lasso. “Are you in or not?”

  Jake shook his head. “It’s probably going to get me killed, but I’m in.”

  Madrid tossed the hook. Sweat broke out on the back of his neck when the rope fell short of the departing ship. Cursing, he quickly reeled it in and tried again. This time the hook caught the lowest rung of the rail just above the anchor hawsehole.

  “Gotcha!” Madrid whispered.

  But the small victory was short-lived. The ship was picking up speed, the engines gunning as the mammoth vessel was maneuvered away from the dock. Madrid felt the rope run through his hands. There was no time to coordinate with Vanderpol. Giving his fellow agent a final look, he grasped the rope with both hands and launched himself off the dock.

  “Madrid! Damn it.”

  His name being called was the last thing he heard before the water rushed up and slammed into him.

  JESS STAGED THE SCENE as best she could. Her hands were shaking so badly when she picked up the TV, she wasn’t sure she could lift it over her head. She slid the stool behind the door and stepped onto it. Chin Lee had unbuttoned the top two buttons of her dress. Nicolas sat on the bed, rocking back and forth. Next to him, Chin Lee had formed the pillow to look like a female silhouette and draped it with the blanket. Hopefully, the guard would be so distracted by Chin Lee’s cleavage that he wouldn’t notice it wasn’t Jess on the cot.

  “Ready?” Chin Lee asked.

  Jess nodded. “Do it.”

  Pursing her lips, Chin Lee pounded on the door. “Help us, please,” she cried. “The woman is sick!”

  Jess’s arms quivered with the weight of the television as she li
fted it above her head. Chin Lee pounded the door a second time. “Please, help me!”

  Every nerve in Jess’s body went taut when the latch clicked. She held her breath as the door swung open. Looking down, she saw the back of a bald head and shoulders as wide as a football field. “Whaddya want?” he asked with a gruff British accent.

  Maintaining the guise with the flair of a dramatic actress, Chin Lee pointed to the bed. “She’s sick. Not breathing. Need doctor.”

  “Oh, bloody hell.” The man entered the room. “What’s wrong with her?”

  He must have sensed Jess above him, because he started to turn. But he wasn’t fast enough. She brought the television down on his head as hard as she could. The sound of glass breaking shattered the silence of the room. The momentum made Jess lose her balance and she fell forward, crashing into the guard. Vaguely she was aware of him bellowing. Of Nicolas crying. Of Chin Lee rushing toward them.

  Jess and the guard hit the floor with a crash. Adrenaline and the promise of escape had Jess on her feet in a fraction of a second. She looked wildly around. Chin Lee stood outside the door in the corridor, keeping watch. Nicolas sat on the bed, whimpering. The guard lay on his back. His eyes were closed; he wasn’t moving.

  Jess rushed to Nicolas and put her arms around him. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie.” Hugging him to her, she stroked the back of his head and cooed, “But we have to go, okay?”

  The guard groaned. She’d hoped to knock him unconscious, but he was starting to thrash. Her gaze snapped to Chin Lee’s. “We need to tie him up.”

  Chin Lee darted back into the room and gathered the rope that had been used to tie Jess. Working in unison, the two women tied the guard’s hands behind his back. When that was finished, Jess confiscated his radio and pistol, shoved both into the waistband of her slacks.

  “Let’s go.” Crossing to Nicolas, Jess lifted him from the cot and took him into her arms. At five years of age, he wasn’t exactly light, but she thought she could carry him for a small distance.

  “Where?” In the corridor, Chin Lee looked both ways.

  “Lifeboats.” Meeting her, Jess set Nicolas on his feet and took his hand. “Do you know the way?”

  Chin Lee motioned right. “Follow me.”