by Cindy Dees
Carrying a muffin and a glass of orange juice, he shouldered open her bathroom door after calling through the panel to announce himself.
“I brought you breakfast,” he murmured. “How’s it coming?”
“Close the door,” she muttered absently.
He complied and she commented, “Almost done. I’ll need you to attempt a phone call in a minute.”
It was actually less than a minute before she passed him his cell phone, minus its impact-resistant case. “If it rings,” Cari said, “then it’s working. You’ll be transmitting outside the range of my father’s surveillance-system frequencies and the jamming setup in here.”
He used his fingernail to carefully press the buttons and dial Folly’s cell-phone number. There was a clicking in his ear and he asked quickly, “The frequency definitely won’t be monitored? I can talk freely?”
“Definitely.”
“It’s ringing,” he announced. She was good.
It picked up on the third ring. “Go ahead,” a male voice snapped.
Thank God. Folly. “Hey, it’s me,” Joe said. “I’m in the clear on my end. Can you talk?”
“Yeah, I’m in the clear here. What’s up?” his boss replied.
“Cari rigged my phone so it won’t be monitored by her father’s men. We’ve got news.”
“News? About what?” The surprise in Folly’s voice ratcheted up a notch.
“Eduardo had guests last night. Turns out they’re information brokers and he’s trying to buy the complete roster and home addresses of a certain group of people we both know and love.”
A long pause greeted that announcement. Thunderous silence out of Tom Folly was never a good thing. It either meant he was cooking up some diabolical scheme or tightly reining in his temper.
“And he’s planning to do what with this information?” Folly finally bit out.
“No idea. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess, now, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t.” A good case of galloping mad was growing in his boss’s gut. Joe could hear it in the clipped way he was pronouncing words.
Joe continued. “I got pictures of the players last night, but I had to hide the camera. When I retrieve it, I’ll send you the—”
Joe broke off. Cari was holding out his camera, which still had bits of damp mud clinging to it.
“You didn’t climb down and get that while I was downstairs, did you?” he asked in dawning horror.
In his right ear, Folly said, “Come again?”
And in his left ear, Cari replied gaily, “Nope. I just paid one of the maids a hundred dollars to fetch it for me.”
“Jeez, Cari,” Joe complained. “She could go straight to your father and tell him about it. Or she might’ve been seen, or told Gunter about the camera and let him find it. We can’t afford to take crazy chances like that!”
In his right ear, Folly asked, “Who’s Gunter?”
In his left, Cari retorted, “I’ve known Grace forever. She’s always done favors for me, and she never tells. The extra money helps keep her family fed.”
Joe scowled at her, his heart pounding in delayed reaction.
“Doc?” Folly said in his ear again. “What’s going on?”
Joe sighed. “Cari took a risk but seems to have gotten away with it. She had a maid retrieve the camera. When we’re done talking, I’ll call again and send you digital files of the photos from last night’s meeting. An ID on the visitors would be useful.”
“I can’t wait,” Folly replied dryly. “When are you two out of there?”
“Working on it. Possibly as early as tonight. I’m scoping out the perimeter systems today to make sure there are no additional security measures on this side of the fence that I didn’t spot in my previous surveillance outside. We’ll need a pickup, either by car on the coast road or by fast boat. And it’ll have to be fast. Guards patrol the water with radar and respond in armed speedboats.”
“Got it,” Folly answered. “We’ll cover both egress routes and be standing by on this end for a call.”
Joe continued. “Gunter—he’s Eduardo’s chief of security, probably ex German secret police—runs a tight ship. We’re going to have to do something creative to get out from under his thumb.”
“Mac and Tex are here. Howdy comes in this evening. Let us know what we can do to help.”
That was good news. Knowing that most of his teammates were nearby was reassuring. And it gave him more options when it came time to break out of this glorified jail.
“Any luck tracking down the mole?” Joe asked.
“Nada. Whoever it is, they’ve gone to ground and have quit sending out any information for now, as far as we can tell.”
Joe’s jaw tightened. That mole was one of the main reasons this op was so risky. He stood in grave jeopardy of being exposed and killed if the mole figured out Charlie Squad actually had one of its operators inside Ferrare’s house and then relayed that news to Eduardo.
“Now that we’ve got communication,” Folly said, “call me if you need anything. We’re here to help you two. We’ve got round-the-clock eyes on the compound.”
“Are you operating out of the same house I did down the beach?” Joe asked.
“Yup. We’ve still got the Caddy, and Tex scored us a boat yesterday, so we’ve got a ride, either way.”
“Outstanding,” Joe replied, relieved. All he had to do was get outside the fence with Cari and Charlie Squad would take care of the rest.
“Just out of curiosity, did you say Cari reconfigured your cell phone?”
Joe laughed. “Yeah. Turns out, she has a degree in engineering. Specialized in microelectronics.”
“You’re kidding,” Folly blurted in patent disbelief.
“As I live and breathe,” Joe replied.
“I’ll be damned. These Ferrare girls are just full of surprises.”
“There’s a lot more to them than meets the eye,” Joe agreed.
Folly snorted. “I don’t know. They’ve both got a hell of a lot to recommend them to the eye.”
Joe smiled across the small space of the bathroom at Cari. “They do, indeed.”
“Watch your tail, champ. And I’ll be standing by to download those pictures.”
“Roger. Will do.”
They hung up and Joe immediately called the same number back. When the colonel picked up on the other end, Joe extracted a tiny cord from a compartment in the camera and plugged its universal cord into his cell phone. He hit the Send button.
“That could take a few minutes,” Cari commented. “Photo files are big, and that phone has limited capacity. Wanna take a shower with me while we wait?”
Lord, that sounded tempting. “I need to walk the fence line while your father’s out. Gunter will relax while the boss is away. He’ll take care of administrative stuff he can’t do when your old man’s around and he’s stuck on bodyguard duty.”
Cari looked disappointed but said cheerfully enough, “I guess I’ll take a shower, then. We’ve got to do something to cover up why one of us is staying in here for the next twenty minutes or so.”
He pushed away from the counter and couldn’t resist planting a quick kiss on her cheek. “You’re a peach,” he murmured.
She laughed aloud. “A fruit, am I? I’ll have to work on my image, I see.”
He stepped closer again but refrained from touching her. He said roughly, “Don’t knock it. I adore peaches.”
Then he spun around and left the room. He dared not stay in close proximity any longer or he’d be in grave danger of showing her just how much he loved the sweet, juicy fruit.
With Eduardo gone and Gunter occupied somewhere inside the house, checking out the fence was a piece of cake. Joe just took a walk and stumbled across a path running along the inside of the fence line—no doubt worn into the dirt by security guards walking perimeter patrols. The good news was, he didn’t find any new security measures that he wasn’t already aware of.
&
nbsp; Of course, the stuff he knew about was impressive enough— heat sensors, motion detectors, cameras, and infrared beams, not to mention the fact that the fence itself was twelve feet tall, made of heavy cast iron and topped with numerous pointed spikes. And he was sure the code to the gate leading out to the beach had been changed. Hopping the fence wasn’t going to be an option for him and Cari, either. Maybe a little C-4 to blow a hole through it. They weren’t likely to be able to sneak all the way out of this place undiscovered, so they might as well leave in a blaze of glory.
After his little nature hike around the estate, which encompassed nearly ten acres, he headed for the swimming pool. Might as well get a little exercise while he waited for Eduardo to come home so the two of them could talk.
He swam for a solid hour, losing count of how many laps he’d done. It helped burn off a little of his immediate sexual frustration, but it didn’t touch the overall tension thrumming through him at the mere thought of Cari in his arms again.
When he finally climbed out, he was pleased to see that Cari had come out to the pool, wearing a fire-engine red bikini that was an absolute knockout. He flopped down on a chaise lounge next to her and let the sun warm his skin.
He felt a presence approaching and lifted his head lazily. Rico. The thug who’d gotten so mad at finding him and Cari skinny-dipping in the pool last night. He didn’t look much happier today. The set of his meaty shoulders was distinctly aggressive. The guy was looking to increase his status within the organization and was jonesing to find someone weaker than himself to rough up a little. Joe sighed. Rico stopped at the foot of Joe’s lounge chair and stared down at him.
Joe gazed back impassively. “Can I do something for you?” he asked evenly.
“Yeah. Quit flaunting the fact that you’re sleeping with the boss’s daughter,” Rico growled.
Joe smiled easily. “I don’t have to flaunt it. That’s what married people do. I have a piece of paper that says I can sleep with her whenever I feel like it.”
“Yeah, well, who the hell are you? You waltz in here and steal her right out from under her father’s nose and think you can get away with it?”
Joe shrugged. “I didn’t steal her. Eduardo knew we were seeing each other. And I’m sure he knew we were getting serious. Besides, he gave our marriage his blessing.”
What was this guy’s angle? He was acting acutely jealous. Like a big brother. Or a jilted lover? Joe eyed Rico afresh. He wasn’t a bad-looking guy, in a linebacker sort of way. Was this beefcake Cari’s type? She must think he was a scrawny little wimp, then.
He glanced over at Cari. She was frowning uncertainly at Rico, but she didn’t look guilty or irritated, like she might if an old flame stirred up trouble with her new husband.
Hell, he was her husband. He had the right to ask the question. “Cari, were you and this guy ever an item?”
That was genuine surprise on her face. Hallelujah. “Good Lord, no! I was never allowed to date my father’s men,” she added hastily as Rico scowled darkly.
Hmm. She, too, sensed something dangerous in Rico’s manner. Not good. Should he stay sprawled out on his back on the assumption that Rico wouldn’t attack a man in no position to defend himself, or should he be moseying to his feet?
Getting up won out. He wanted to move far enough away from Cari so if Rico did something stupid there was no chance she’d get caught in the fray and get hurt.
Joe sat up, wiping the sweat off his face in a leisurely fashion with a towel. He eyed the bulge under the guy’s left armpit beneath the light jacket he wore unzipped. A gun, no doubt. Right-handed, then. Probably wouldn’t pull it, though because Gunter and the other guards would have to respond aggressively to a brandished weapon. It could get Rico in trouble or fired or, around here, worse. He might end up as shark bait.
The look in Rico’s eyes said he didn’t just want to bloody Joe; he wanted to kill him. The guy wouldn’t come in unarmed using only his fists. A knife, then.
Rico’s hands flexed into a fist. Opened. Oh, yeah. Going to reach for a weapon any second.
“Look, man,” Joe said calmly. “I don’t want any trouble. Why don’t we go inside and get a drink. Sit down and talk about what’s on your mind. I’m willing to listen to what you have to say.”
Rico bared his teeth. Definitely not interested in talking.
Joe spoke quietly. With the calm assurance of a man speaking the truth. “I’ve got to warn you, Rico. I can handle myself in a fight. This isn’t going to go down easy the way you think it will. You’re going to come out of this with mud on your face. Cari’s going to be furious that you attacked me. This is not going to win you any points with her. She’s going to demand that you be fired, and Eduardo might very well kill you.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cari open her mouth to speak, but he made a subtle cutting gesture with his hand, ordering her to be silent. She caught the signal and subsided, frowning. Thank God. He needed to keep all of Rico’s attention on him and away from doing something stupid like grabbing Cari and putting a knife to her neck or a gun to her head.
“Think, Rico. There’s nothing but downside potential to this scenario. Walk away from it now. No harm, no foul.”
“I don’t think so,” the big man snarled. “You think you’re so smart and can talk circles around me. But you’re a little pissant punk in need of a lesson on the way things run around here. You can’t just stroll in and take over the joint.”
“I have no interest in taking over the joint,” Joe replied flatly. “I’m telling you again. Turn around and walk away from this. You’ve got nothing to gain and everything to lose.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, pretty boy. The boss rewards initiative. He wants to be rid of you. And the guy who steps up to the plate and takes care of the problem is going to be rewarded richly.”
If that was Rico’s reasoning, there was going to be no way around dropping this guy by force. Several movements behind the windows caught Joe’s eye. They’d already collected an audience inside the house. Now there was no way whatsoever that Rico would back down.
Joe spoke to Cari without taking his eyes off the bigger man. “Princess, is there some sort of first aid kit around here? A crash kit, maybe?”
“What’s that?” she asked, her voice vibrating with desperation. Lord, he hoped he could spare her the violence to come, but his gut said Rico wasn’t going to be that considerate. He did the next best thing. He tried to get her out of there.
“A crash kit is an extensive first aid kit,” he explained over his shoulder. “It usually comes in a good-size canvas bag or backpack, or maybe a box the size of a small trunk.”
She replied in dawning understanding, “Yes, of course. We’re a long way from the nearest hospital. We have all kinds of medical supplies.”
“I need you to go inside, sweetheart. Tell the first person you see to fetch the crash kit and bring it out here. I’m going to need it to patch this numskull back together when I’m done with him.” Joe’s eyes narrowed. “That is, assuming he doesn’t piss me off enough that I decide to just kill him and be done with it.”
It was never good to go into a fight with the opponent sure that you wouldn’t kill them. Fear worked on a man’s mind. Ate at it. And Rico needed to taste fear today. A lot of it. Enough to scare the ever-loving crap out of him. Or else, someday soon, he’d be back for more of the same.
Cari eased up out of her chaise and sidled away from the pool. When she was several yards away, she turned and ran for the house. Thank God. She was clear of the danger zone. And if he was really lucky, she wouldn’t have to witness what he was about to do.
He turned back to Rico. “Okay, Einstein. Let’s get this over with. Show me what you’ve got.”
Chapter 14
Joe eyed Rico carefully. His opponent would most certainly underestimate him, but he wasn’t about to make the same mistake. Rico hesitated, seemingly unsure as to how to begin.
“C’mon, budd
y,” Joe said conversationally. “Let’s get this show on the road. I don’t want to fight in front of Cari, and she’ll be back soon with the med kit. Drop your knife out of that wrist sheath and bring it already.”
Rico’s eyes narrowed. Without further ado, he jumped forward. A wink of metal flashed in his right palm. All right, then. The show was on. The thug held the knife reversed, the blade lying back along his forearm with the tip pointing toward his elbow. Ol’Rico had a little experience fighting with a knife, did he? Joe wrapped the towel around his left forearm, casually tucking the two ends of it in tightly. The fluffy terry cloth made a great impromptu gauntlet.
“Let’s dance, shall we?” Joe invited lightly. He circled to his right, forcing Rico to follow him in an arc to bring the knife into play.
Normally, he wouldn’t talk much in a fight. The necessary breathing rhythms of speaking telegraphed too much to an experienced fighter. But today wasn’t only about taking Rico down; it was also about minimizing the desire of anyone else in the Ferrare household to tangle with him. Hence, a certain amount of verbal psychological warfare was necessary.
He had no doubt that all of Eduardo’s office windows were open and that the light breeze was carrying every word he said to the ears of the avid crowd that were practically pressing their noses against the giant glass wall.
Rico growled, “You think you’re going talk your way out of this, pretty boy?”
Joe shrugged. “I’d rather not have to go through with this stupidity, but it was your call. And I gave you ample opportunity to reconsider. But now you’ve ticked me off and I am going to kick your ass.”
“Hah.”
“Already out of brilliant repartee, are you?” Joe taunted gently. “Maybe you should stick to fighting, then. Speaking of which, you can give it your best shot any day now. I’m getting bored.” Joe’s message was clear. He wasn’t going to start this fight, but he was damn well going to finish it.
Rico finally leaped forward, swinging viciously with his right arm. Joe ducked the wild blow easily, coming up with a hard fist to the guy’s solar plexus before he danced back lightly on the balls of his feet.
