Cut and Run

by Fern Michaels

  “You’re on the ball, kid. I like that. I stand corrected,” Harry said, grinning from ear to ear.

  “What the hell, Harry, are you sick or something? You running a fever? Any other time, you would have laid the kid out cold,” Jack hissed in Harry’s ear.

  “I misspoke, Jack. It’s that simple.”

  “Get away from me. You might be contagious,” Jack stage-whispered. Harry laughed. Jack could count on both hands how many times he’d actually heard Harry laugh. Especially out loud. Like maybe twice. Jack shivered. Under the table, Cyrus whined.

  Dennis looked like he wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole. He couldn’t believe he’d just spoken to Harry the way he had. He was about to apologize when Harry winked at him. The reporter deflated like a pinpricked balloon.

  “Avery is on board,” Charles said, reading an incoming text. “He said he can be wheels up in two hours. He’ll be in touch when he lands in Barcelona. He said the first thing he will do is check in with Centro Nacional de Inteligencia, which is the equivalent of the CIA and MI6. He said he has some longtime sources he can tap for good intel. His first order of business will be to get as much background on Annie’s husband, Count Armand de Silva, as he can. He said starting at the bottom and the very beginning always works best and saves time and trouble in the end.”

  Kathryn let loose with a snort of disgust. “Is he aware of the count’s death so many years ago? If so, I think that’s a waste of time. We simply do not have time to pussyfoot around. Time is of the essence. We’re dealing with real time here. The here and now.” She looked around at the others to see what they felt. One by one, they shrugged as much as to say, you know Avery, he does it his way, and he always comes through in the end. Kathryn threw her hands in the air.

  And that was the end of that.

  Charles fished around for the whistle in his pocket. He gave it two sharp blasts. “Listen up. With time of the essence, as Kathryn just so aptly reminded us all, I suggest we disperse. Go home and do what you all have to do. We’ll all meet up at the airport in three hours, four if needed. Dennis will apprise the pilot when we’re ready to go. I’ve got to locate our dog-sitter and get things set up here. I know you all have things you need to do.”

  “What about Cyrus?” Jack asked.

  Charles looked at the steely glint in Jack’s eyes and nodded. “He can come. We’ll make it work. Make sure you all have your passports, and unplug all your appliances since we don’t know how long we’ll be gone. Kathryn, notify Jack Sparrow as to our plans. Abner, you’re staying behind, is that right?”

  “Yes, that’s right. I still can’t fly because of my ears. I can stay here at the farm and take care of the dogs if you like.”

  “Deal!” Charles shouted happily. “One less thing for me to worry about. And, people, while you’re preparing for the trip, try to recall as much as you can about your time on the mountain. Even if it seems unimportant, it still might be useful to us.”

  Isabelle planted a lip-lock on her husband that turned Charles’s face pink. Abner looked dazed when he watched his wife scamper after the others.

  * * *

  The group was solemn and silent as they climbed the portable stairway to the interior of the luxurious Gulfstream. Not so Cyrus, who barked happily and raced up the steps and into the passenger area, where he waited for his master. He knew what a plane was, and he loved to fly. Because . . . whenever the plane landed, there was always action. He loved sitting like a person and being buckled into his seat. Loved that everyone paid attention to him with ear scratches and belly rubs and more than his share of treats. He did his best to nudge everyone along, so he could settle in. He looked up at Jack to see where his treasures were—his security blanket and Goldy the duck, which was nothing more than a lump of worn-out material these days but still his most treasured possession.

  The minute the Gulfstream reached its cruising altitude, and everyone was settled in for the six-hour plane ride, Maggie zeroed in on the girls, and said, “Tell me what it was like living on that mountain for all that time. I want to hear everything. How can you not remember the name of it? That’s just too weird.”

  “It was a boot camp, pure and simple. Charles was the worst drill sergeant ever born. When we weren’t training, and I’m talking combat training, we were in a classroom learning languages,” Isabelle said.

  “At the end of the day, we were too tired to eat our evening meal, and the food was out of this world. All we wanted to do was sleep. We were in tip-top shape at the end of the year. And we were so in demand by other countries that we had to turn down most of them. That’s how we became so notorious. And the best part of all that was we could name our own price. I don’t even want to think about how many missions we did while we were there, but that’s the main reason our coffers are so robust,” Nikki said.

  “I’m speaking for myself here, but I dread going back there. Too many memories. Not all of them good, either. I think it’s true what they say when they say that you always want the one thing you can’t have. For me, that was to come home and drive my truck again. I had to make the best of it, and I did. Truly, I dread setting foot on the mountain,” Kathryn said.

  Maggie’s head bobbed back and forth as she watched the Sisters nodding, agreeing with everything that Kathryn and Nikki had said.

  “The place was like a fortress. A prison, if you will. It took a lot of getting used to, I can tell you that,” Yoko said. “We all learned six different languages. None of us were fluent in any of them, but we all learned enough to survive in a country, say Germany, which is a hard language to begin with. I don’t think I remember any of them at this point in time.”

  “In the end, though, we all excelled to the point we were better than the guys Charles brought in to train us. In fact, two days after the last test and trial, we went up against the instructors, and we aced it. Those instructors were hard-core, and we beat them,” Nikki said proudly.

  “Charles couldn’t believe it. Those guys left the mountain with their tails between their legs,” Kathryn said. “You know what, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. The ‘past is prologue,’ as they say.” The others agreed. Maggie sighed and went back to her laptop.

  In the front of the plane, the guys were clustered together. “This might be a good time for you to clue us in on things, Charles. I think I can speak for the others that none of us know anything about that period of time when we were not included in what was going on. Nikki never talks about it. We all had stuff going on during that time. I get all that. But now we need to know. If the girls won’t talk about it, that leaves you, Charles. You were there.

  “Fergus and the rest of us weren’t. What are we walking into? What the hell could Annie be involved in that was so important that she sidelined all of us? That’s simply not the Annie we all know and love. Spit it out, Charles.”

  Charles spoke for almost an hour, explaining how they’d gotten to the mountain, their lives there up until they had to relocate. He wound down, saying, “I have no earthly clue what would make Annie pick up and leave like she did. She has no family except for all of us, so that isn’t even a consideration. If something happened to the monastery, she wouldn’t much care. She said it was a financial drain and didn’t care about it. She did care about the village and the people, especially the padre. I doubt it’s the village. Sad to say, I am as much in the dark as the rest of you.”

  All conversation ceased when the hostess named Beverly, a willowy blonde with a perpetual smile, appeared with a service cart full of drinks and a large tray of canapés. “I hope this is all right; I didn’t have all that much time to be too selective. I had to make do with what the caterer could put together on such short notice. We won’t run out, that’s a given, so eat hearty, gentlemen.”

  The gang settled for coffee and the pretty little sandwiches, which were no more than a bite each. The consensus was they were tasty and the coffee delicious. Within minutes, the tray was compl
etely empty. The hostess replenished it immediately before she moved to the back of the plane to serve the women.

  By the time the plane landed, the entire group was wired to the nth degree—even Cyrus, who was tired of eating the strange food he had been given.

  On landing, Jack was the first off the plane, with Cyrus, so he could find a place to do his business. They returned just as a large black Chevy Suburban pulled alongside the plane.

  Next stop, Customs.

  Chapter 5

  Desperation rang in Myra’s voice. “We need a plan, Annie. Think. There must be something we can do. Some way to outwit them. We aren’t stupid. There has to be a way, we just aren’t seeing it.

  “Let’s start with the fact that they need you alive, so that rules out their killing us, at least for now. What I’m not getting is that these guys are so patient. Too patient. I can tell you that if it comes to that, I will go down fighting. Charles. . . Charles and the girls will find a way to get here. I know it. I feel it. Now, goddamn it, Annie, think.”

  “Ah, I see we’re going by Kathryn’s playbook and cussing. Okay, that works for me. What the hell do you think I’ve been doing all this time besides thinking. We’re stuck here. Our options seem to be: one, getting gunned down; two, pushed off the mountain; or three, killing ourselves trying to go down the mountain.

  “None of those three options are looking very appealing to me at the moment. You want to take a shot going down the mountain, go for it, but count me out. I can’t decide if these guys are killers or not. I know they threatened to kill the padre and the villagers, but that might just have been a threat. The two brothers appear, at least to me, to be different from Enrico. He’s the one who is obsessed with all this; the other two are just going along with him for reasons that are known only to them. I do not think that they even like him.

  “Spanish people tend to be very religious, and killing is a sin. I do think you’re right, though, we’re safe, at least for now. They need me.

  “Your best guess, Myra, how long before Charles and the girls can get here?”

  “Three days, four. That’s a guess. Do you really think we’re safe for that period of time?”

  “I wish I knew, Myra, but I simply do not know. I think they’re trying to wear me down. We have to find a way for you to use that phone. We’re being watched right now even though we can’t see anyone. They’re suspicious now with your unexpected arrival. They are viewing you as a wild card. They were not expecting you, and they’re trying to figure out what your visit means. I’m thinking they are going to fall back and regroup, and that can’t be good for either one of us. By now, they have certainly gone through your luggage and your backpack. And, hopefully, they have found nothing other than your regular cell phone, which you said is dead.”

  “Did you ever stash a gun here anywhere?”

  Annie shook her head. “The answer is no. They took the one I brought with me. When I first got here, I wandered all over the place, checking out all the buildings from when we trained here. There wasn’t so much as a paper clip left behind. They had removed all the knives that were in the kitchen, too. I was hoping for at least a small paring knife I could shove in my pocket or up my sleeve, but no such luck.”

  “What do you think their end game is, Annie? Do you see it as their intention to keep you here and wear you down or . . . or what? They have to be feeling the stress. How long are they prepared to hold out? What’s their breaking point?”

  “The brothers have been arguing among themselves this past week. In Spanish. Flavio, the youngest, wants to leave. He’s worried about his fiancée. Enrico slaps him down several times a day. Mateo is getting antsy. I think he’s a womanizer and wants to go back to having a life. He’s been getting mouthy the past few days. The other two are just flunkies, goons, if you will. They do what they’re told, nothing more, and for the most part don’t even talk; at least I haven’t heard them.

  “Before you got here, the three brothers were talking. Enrico said they should stop coddling me and show they mean business. What he meant specifically was to pull out my toenails, my fingernails, then my teeth. He seemed to think that would convince me to tell my people to pay up.”

  “Oh, my God!” Myra gasped.

  “Mateo told him to shut up. Those were his exact words, shut up. He said they were not barbarians. That’s why I think it was just a threat about the padre and the villagers. Then they all had a big fight. I don’t think they resolved anything. And then suddenly you showed up. That threw them for a loop, I can tell you that. They didn’t know what to do.

  “They were prepared to shoot whoever got off that helicopter. I don’t think to kill, just shoot to wound, to incapacitate. I guess that shooting someone is not quite the same as torturing someone in their eyes. To them, shooting someone is simply taking care of business.”

  “If Charles and the gang get here, they will outnumber the five of them.”

  “Myra, look at me. They have automatic weapons. Later, or tomorrow, we can take a walk out to the old shooting range where Charles had us all practice so I can show you what they’ve done to it. It’s nothing but splinters. I don’t know if all their practice shooting was for their own amusement or if they’re planning on starting a war, but they’re excellent shots. Even if I had my gun, which they took when I got here, I could never take them out. Maybe one or two if the shots were perfect, but that still leaves the other three. We’re stuck, pure and simple.”

  “Well, I’m not giving up,” Myra said. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

  “Come on, it’s time to go back. They don’t let me roam for more than an hour at a time. I’ve got bruises all over my back and arms from the goons who prodded me with their rifle butts if I didn’t move fast enough to suit them. I found it best to do just as I’m told. If I argued or put up a fight, they withheld food and shower privileges. Just so you know, Myra.”

  “So we toe the line until help gets here, is that what you’re saying?”

  “As much as I hate to admit it, yes, that’s what you have to do. Ah, I was right, our hour is up, and here comes Mateo. Don’t even look at him.”

  “Only one of them looks like Armand. I guess the other two look like the mother.”

  “Yes, he does. Enrico even has his father’s mannerisms. This whole thing is just eating at my soul, Myra. How could I have been so incredibly stupid?”

  “Cut yourself some slack, Annie. It’s not like back then you were worldly and sophisticated. You were in love with a handsome, dashing count. Whatever or whoever came before you wouldn’t have mattered. You lived in the moment and were happy. Stop beating yourself up. None of us can un-ring the bell.”

  “So now you’re my voice of reason, is that it?”

  Myra grimaced. “Far from it. This might be a good time for me to tell you I never liked Armand. I thought you were too good for him. I thought he was a gigolo. I never said anything because you were so happy. You wouldn’t have listened to me back then even if I had voiced my opinion.”

  “You’re right, I wouldn’t have listened. And here we are.”

  “Yes, here we are. At least we’re together. That has to count for something,” Myra said.

  A shadow crossed their path as Enrico Araceli appeared out of nowhere. He motioned for the women to follow him. They did so because they had no other choice.

  The Spaniard led them up a flagstone path that led to an outdoor pavilion furnished with decrepit-looking wicker furniture. The television on the one solid wall was tuned to The Weather Channel, but it was set to mute. Myra blinked as she remembered the first time she had set foot on the mountain. He motioned for them to sit. They did.

  While they were gone, Enrico had changed his clothes. He now wore khaki cargo pants, Timberland boots, and a pristine white polo T-shirt. It showed off his bronzed skin, his electric-blue eyes, and his glistening white teeth. Maggie would say he was ripped. Meaning he was muscular and in good shape. The shoulder holste
r complete with gun added to his physical badass presence. He could have been a Ralph Lauren model minus the firepower.

  Enrico wasted no time. “Why are you here, señora? Who sent you? Do not lie to me.”

  Myra tried to settle herself more comfortably on the wicker chair. She hoped she was giving off an air of nonchalance. “I told you on my arrival that I came here to celebrate the countess’s birthday. All our lives, we’ve celebrated our birthdays together. No one sent me, señor. I came here on my own. Just for the record, I’ve been here before, many many years ago.”

  “How did you know the countess was here?”

  “What kind of silly question is that? She told me where she was going when she left Virginia. She said if she wasn’t back for her birthday, I would have to come here. And as you can see, here I am. What is going on? Am I being held as a prisoner? Where are my things? I always heard and thought that the Spanish were excellent hosts. What do you hope to gain by keeping me here, if that is your plan?”

  “I ask the questions, not the other way around. I don’t believe a word you said.

  “Now, who sent you? Who else is coming here?”

  “I think you just called me a liar, señor. I am not a liar, and I resent the implication that I am. I told you, no one sent me. Who else would be coming? I don’t know anyone in Spain,” Myra huffed indignantly.

  “Do you think I’m a fool, señora?” Enrico snarled.

  “I don’t know if you are a fool or not, but what I do know is you are certainly acting like a fool right now,” Myra said brazenly. She tried not to flinch when Annie pinched her thigh for her to tone down her words. She ignored what she knew later would be a delicious purple bruise and held the Spaniard’s gaze. She felt elated when the Spaniard looked away first.

  “I know that you are lying to me. I expect within hours there will be people dropping from the sky and climbing the mountain. It won’t matter; we’ll be gone by then. Our ride, as you Americans like to say, will be here shortly.”