On the Run

by Iris Johansen

  “Hanley,” she repeated. “Marvot’s number-two man. How did Robert know it was Hanley?”

  “Hanley wanted to make sure he knew. He told him before he shot him in the leg to drive it home. He gave Blockman a message to give to you. He said Marvot would be in touch.”

  “Why Frankie?” she whispered.

  “I’m sure Marvot will give you the opportunity to ask that question.” He paused. “I can guess. So can you.”

  Yes, she could guess. “He’s going to hold Frankie as a hostage.” She could feel the waves of anger and terror wash over her. “Son of a bitch.”

  “I’ll get her back, Grace.”

  “You won’t do anything that will give that bastard an excuse to hurt her.” She closed her eyes tightly. “What if she’s hurt now? Robert said she was conscious. He wouldn’t know if she was hurt or not. They wouldn’t care if they hurt her.”

  “Blockman said Frankie kicked Hanley in the nuts as he dragged her into the helicopter. I’d say she’s in pretty good shape.”

  “She’ll fight them.” She opened her eyes and brushed the hair back from her face with a shaking hand. “I taught her to fight. But what if she makes them angry? She’s only a little girl.”

  “Grace, you’re not thinking. If they’re holding her hostage, they won’t want her hurt.”

  “Damn you, how do you know? And no, I’m not thinking, I’m feeling. She’s my daughter. You couldn’t possibly realize how scared I am.”

  “Maybe not.” He looked away from her. “But I know how scared I am. You don’t have the monopoly on loving Frankie. I may not have the right to feel possessive of her, but I have the right to love her. She gives me that right by being what she is, not who she is.” He added roughly, “And I’m going to keep on loving her and doing what’s best for her. So don’t you dare try to shut me out of getting her away from Marvot. It’s not going to happen.”

  “You . . . love her?”

  “For God’s sake, Grace. How the hell could I help it? Did you think I just wanted to be with her out of some sense of paternal pride? She’s bloody wonderful.”

  “Yes, she is.” The tears were running down her cheeks. “And she’s probably scared. She won’t let them see it, but she’ll be scared.”

  He sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms. “I know.” He rocked her back and forth. “It’s killing me.”

  The comfort of his arms didn’t stop the terror, but the knowledge that she wasn’t alone in that terror helped. Her arms tightened around him. “Why take a helpless little girl?”

  “Who managed to kick one of his men in the nuts. I bet he’s not thinking she’s so helpless.” He pushed her back to look down at her. “And we’re not helpless either just because he found a way to take Frankie. We’ll get her back well and safe.” He brushed a kiss on her forehead. “I have to leave for a few moments and talk to Dr. Krallon. He should have a report for me on Blockman and Vazquez.”

  “Vazquez was hurt too?”

  He nodded. “But it wasn’t bad enough to keep him from searching the site of the wreck all night on the chance of finding Frankie. He doesn’t believe affection should be dictated by blood either.”

  Another name hit home. “Dr. Krallon.” She looked around her at the rough but comfortable furniture of the living room. “Is this the place where you sent him?”

  “It was convenient. I needed medical help and this place is safe. The ranch is closed down, and I’m transferring the horses to Charlie’s farm in Alabama.”

  Her lips twisted. “I’m so upset, I didn’t even notice where we were.”

  “You’re a little preoccupied.” He headed for the door. “And you didn’t even ask about your own injuries. You have a banged-up right knee, a bruised rib cage, and a minor concussion. The knee may cause you the most trouble. It will heal, but it’s going to hurt like hell.” He opened the door. “And it would be smart to try to get some rest. You were out for the last eight hours and that will help, but you’re nowhere near normal. You may have to be a hundred percent pretty damn quick.”

  She didn’t want rest. Her nerves were screaming and she wanted to throw on her clothes and go after Frankie.

  “I know.” His gaze was reading her expression. “I feel the same way. But we have to wait. It’s not our move.”

  “Wait for Marvot to call me.” That would be the next move.

  “Yes.”

  “How will he know how to reach me?”

  “Blockman said that Hanley scanned his number into his cell phone. Marvot will be using that number. But I don’t believe he’ll be in any hurry. He wants you to be frantic. He wants you to think about all the things he can do to hurt Frankie.”

  “I will think about it,” she whispered. “I can’t help it.”

  “Neither can I.” The door shut behind him.

  She hesitated and then forced herself to lie back down on the bed. Rest, heal, and wait.

  And pray.

  The phone call came from Marvot over twenty-four hours later. “How delightful to hear your voice again, Grace. I was very disappointed when you deserted me all those years ago. I had great plans for you.”

  “Where’s my daughter?”

  “Charming child. So deliciously lethal. I’d know she was your daughter if I ran into her in the middle of the desert.”

  “She’s a frightened little girl.”

  “Tell Hanley that. She bit his wrist so badly that he had to have it cleaned and bandaged. Did you know that human bites are particularly subject to infection? He was very angry.”

  “He deserved it.”

  “I had a good deal of trouble convincing him of that. He wanted to tie her legs together and throw her into the sea. He doesn’t admire spirit the way I do.”

  “Don’t hurt her.”

  “Are you pleading?”

  Her hand tightened on the phone. “Yes, I’m pleading.”

  “I thought you’d be willing to beg for the sake of your child. I have a child of my own and I know how they have a tendency to weaken us. I fight it all the time. Tell me, is Kilmer equally upset?”

  “No. Why should he be?”

  “Really, Grace, do you believe I wouldn’t pay to know everything about you? Including the name of the father of your child? But it wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t have the same pain as you. He hasn’t had the experience of raising a child that we have. It’s different seeing a baby born and knowing that your blood flows through his veins.”

  “How can I get my daughter back?”

  “You have to complete the work you started. I believe you’re aware that would be the price.”

  “I don’t know what you want from me. I’ve never known.”

  “I want you to tame the Pair. I want them to love you. I want them to obey you. I want them to be happy to take you wherever you wish.”

  “Why?”

  “That’s none of your concern.”

  “What if we work a trade? I give myself up and you turn Frankie over to Kilmer.”

  “No deal. I’ll have you both. At first, I was very angry with Hanley for not getting the two of you. But on consideration I believe it may be better this way. If he’d taken both of you, then I’d have had to deal with Kilmer. He’d have come roaring after you. He’s a man with warrior instincts and his own agenda. He might weigh that agenda against your daughter’s life. I understand that conflict. But you won’t permit that to happen. You’ll be the one to control Kilmer. You won’t let him be unduly precipitous and force me to kill your little girl. Isn’t that true?”

  “Yes, it’s true.”

  “Then we can proceed with our plans. You’ll come to El Tariq immediately. Kilmer will do nothing. Is that clear?”

  “It’s clear.”

  “If there’s any sign of him or any of his men, I’ll give your little Frankie to my men to rape and then I’ll kill her myself. Do you understand?”

  She closed her eyes. “I understand.”

  “Then I�
��m looking forward to seeing you and introducing you to my son. He can’t wait to see you with the Pair.” He hung up.

  Well?” Kilmer asked.

  “I’m to go to El Tariq immediately. If you interfere in any way, Frankie dies after being gang-raped.”

  Kilmer muttered a curse. “You can’t go. Leave it to me.”

  “The hell I’ll leave it to you. Marvot doesn’t bluff.” She met his gaze. “You know that as well as I do.”

  His hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I know you’ll both die if you walk into that trap.”

  “Kilmer.”

  He drew a deep breath and then nodded jerkily. “Okay, we have to protect Frankie. I’m not arguing that.”

  “You’d better not. Marvot said you had warrior instincts. He’s right. But you’re going to suppress them or so help me God I’ll kill you myself.” She got to her feet. Her knees were shaking and she had to reach out to grab the back of the chair to keep from falling. “Nothing’s going to happen to Frankie.”

  Kilmer gazed at her for a moment before he said quietly, “You know that your going will only be a temporary reprieve. He’s not going to let either one of you live after you give him what he wants.”

  “He didn’t even make the offer,” she said bitterly. “He knew I’d come because there was a chance I could delay the inevitable.”

  “Or in the hope that you could save her.”

  “It’s not a hope. It’s going to happen.” Jesus, she was sick to her stomach. She kept picturing Frankie with those bastards. She had to stop it. She couldn’t think when she was this scared. “It has to happen.”

  “You’re shaking. Would you like me to fix you a drink?”

  She shook her head. “Coffee. Black. I’m going to go to the bathroom and splash water on my face.”

  He nodded, his gaze on her face. “Good idea.”

  Frankie . . .

  She made it to the bathroom just in time before she threw up. Oh, God . . .

  “Okay.” Kilmer was beside her, holding her steady as she heaved.

  “Go away.”

  “No way.” His grasp tightened. “Never again. Finished?”

  She nodded.

  He turned her toward the sink. “Lean.” He flushed the toilet and grabbed a washcloth and dampened it. He gently washed her face before throwing the washcloth down and gathering her in his arms. “Hold on to me.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not weak. I can’t be weak.”

  “Who said you were? I need someone to hold on to.” His voice was husky. “Do you think you’re alone in this? I . . . love that little girl. And I’ve got a good chance of losing both of you.”

  He was shaking. She’d never known Kilmer to be this traumatized. Her arms slowly slid around him. “I’m so scared, Kilmer,” she whispered.

  “So am I.” He buried his face in her hair. “Warrior, shit. I’m not going to make a move that could hurt her, Grace. I just want to keep you both alive.”

  She wanted to stay here, held safe and secure against the harshness that lay ahead. But Frankie wasn’t safe or secure.

  She pushed him away. “Then we’d better find a way to do that.” She tried to steady her voice. “Get out of here and let me wash my mouth out.”

  He hesitated, staring at her. Then he turned away. “Ten minutes.”

  You were longer than ten minutes.” Kilmer looked up as she walked into the kitchen.

  “I was upstairs throwing things into a suitcase.”

  He poured her coffee. “Gun?”

  She shook her head. “Marvot will have me searched. I’ll leave that to you to plant when I need it.”

  He went still. “Me? I’m going to be allowed to help?”

  “Don’t try to con me. You know you wouldn’t stand by if you could find a way to make a move.”

  “A safe move,” he corrected.

  “I trust you.” She moistened her lips. “I have to trust you. I can’t get her out by myself. But I’m the one who has to call the shots. You don’t do anything until I let you know it’s safe for her.”

  “And how are you going to do that?”

  “You’re going to have someone watching me. I’ve packed four blue chambray shirts and one khaki shirt. If I wear the khaki shirt it will signal that something’s going to happen, a change, maybe an escape attempt. It will signal you to be on the alert.”

  “An escape attempt? At El Tariq?”

  She thought about it. “Maybe. But after you plucked Donavan out of his hands, it’s going to be difficult. Maybe it will be to signal you we’re going to that oasis in the desert. I can’t be sure that Marvot won’t take us there.”

  “And what if Marvot decides to leave Frankie at El Tariq?”

  She shook her head. “I won’t let him. I’ll find a way. Just be ready.”

  “I’ll be ready.” He looked down into his coffee cup. “Anything else?”

  “Yes. I need to know everything you’ve found out about the Pair. No more secrets, Kilmer.”

  “No secrets. I would have told you anytime you asked. You weren’t interested.”

  He was right. She hadn’t wanted to know anything about the Pair. She hadn’t wanted to be involved. “I’m interested now. I’m not working blind like I did all those years ago. I have to have all the weapons I can beg, borrow, or steal. And knowledge is a very powerful weapon.”

  “Then ask away.”

  “What did you steal from Marvot that roused him enough to go after me?”

  “A map. It was tucked into a very fancy pouch with the heads of the Pair embroidered on it.”

  “What kind of map?”

  “A map of a general location in the Sahara. I’d judge it to be within fifty miles of the oasis where Marvot sets up camp with the Pair.”

  “What location? What’s there?”

  “Something Marvot wants very badly.”

  “What, dammit?”

  “A prototype of an engine built by a British inventor over fifteen years ago. His name was Hugh Burton, and he lived in the Sahara most of his adult life. His father was an archaeologist, but he was an electrical engineer. He was a genius at his profession and he was equally clever at training horses. He had a passion for his horses and had a small stable near Tangiers. Owners came from all over Europe to pay him to train their horses.”

  “Get back to the engine.”

  “It’s all part of it. It seems that the father and son’s vocations became a complement to each other at some point.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Hugh’s father unearthed a battery pack in an ancient tomb in Egypt. It wasn’t the first time that such a device had been found, but this one was incredibly efficient. It made the advances Detroit has made in fuel-free engines look like kindergarten toys. Hugh persuaded his father not to report the find to the Egyptian government and began to work on creating the perfect engine. An engine that would eliminate the need for oil and revolutionize the world economy.”

  “And he succeeded?”

  “Oh, yes. It took him over seven years but he did it. Then he took it to the U.S., one of the biggest gas guzzlers in the world. He demonstrated it for a select number of congressmen who were big on environmental issues. They were impressed and were starting to negotiate with Burton for the rights. Then Burton quit the negotiations cold and went back to the Sahara.”

  “Why?”

  “While he was in Washington his father had been tortured and murdered by Marvot. Marvot had found out about the discovery and was trying to stop the negotiations until he could gain control of the engine from Burton. Can you imagine the power that would give him with the Middle Eastern oil states? If he released the engine to the Western world, it would destroy the oil cartel. Liquid gold would become dross.”

  “If Burton broke off negotiations, then Marvot must have succeeded.”

  He shook his head. “He loved his father and there wasn’t any way he’d let Marvot have anything he wanted after the murder.
” He grimaced. “Marvot had pretty much butchered the old man. Burton went off his head when he saw him.”

  “Then he should have made a deal with Marvot’s enemies.”

  “At that point Burton thought the whole world was his enemy. He wanted nothing to do with anyone. He’d always been an odd bird, and that was enough to send him around the bend. He packed up and took off into the desert. He didn’t take much—the engine and several of his horses.”

  “And Marvot followed him?”

  “Yes, but Burton had lived in the desert, knew the people, and was able to lose himself by hooking up with a nomadic tribe. He’d known the Sheikh, Adam Ben Haroun, at school in England and they had common interests. The Sheikh’s tribe also raised fine Arabian horses.”

  “How long was he with them?”

  “It was four years before Marvot caught up with him. But Burton didn’t have the engine. He’d hidden it somewhere in the desert.”

  “Didn’t Marvot force him to tell him where?”

  “No, Burton died trying to escape. But Marvot managed to torture some information out of him before he was killed. He said he’d buried the engine in the dunes near the oasis and that he’d trained the Pair to find it.”

  “The Pair?”

  “They were born while Burton was on the run—a mare and a stallion. He broke them to be one-rider mounts and to kill anyone but him who tried to ride them. Evidently, he also taught them the way to his greatest treasure. It was a complicated business because the horses were trained never to go near the stash unless they were together. That way if someone stole one of the horses or killed one, no one would be able to retrieve the engine.”

  “And that’s why Marvot had to find someone to ride the Pair?”

  “You saw them. They wouldn’t be ridden. He had a choice of risking killing them or finding someone they would accept. He’s tried drugs, imported a truckload of horse breakers, but if they mount one of the Pair the horse freezes. Or tries to kill the rider. And they don’t quit. One of the Pair almost died before Marvot pulled the rider off him.”

  “It’s bizarre. I can’t believe Marvot would believe all this.”

  “Oh, he believes it. He doesn’t think Burton would lie while undergoing the kind of punishment Marvot was dealing out. He’s been hedging his bets by searching the desert on his own for the last decade. But, yeah, he thinks the Pair can find it.”