Vendetta

by Iris Johansen

  “I didn’t need your help. I never asked for it.”

  “That didn’t change anything. Even if the need was entirely on my part. But, as it happened, you managed to come out of San Kabara alive without my assistance.”

  “I always do, Cameron.”

  “But not always without damage. And you no sooner escaped that death trap on San Kabara than you came back here and tried to get yourself incinerated in the blast at that apartment house. I was not pleased when Macklin told me about that.”

  “Macklin? Who is—” Then it hit home. She stared at him in disbelief. “You had me followed tonight?”

  He shrugged. “I was considering doing it myself. I’d already arrived at the airport after zooming here to either rescue you or bury you during your sojourn on San Kabara Island. But I decided that it smacked too much of harassment and stalking and you’d consider it an insult to your independence.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “At the least it would have made you even angrier and you were annoyed enough. So I had Macklin, one of my operatives, keep an eye on you and tell me if he thought you were getting into trouble.” His lips thinned. “Needless to say, almost getting yourself shattered into a million pieces tonight fell into that category.”

  “I imagine it would,” she said dryly. “But I’d still consider it harassment since it was not your business. I can take care of myself.”

  “That doesn’t seem to matter. I find I need you, Catherine. That means I can’t run the risk of your getting yourself killed.” They had reached the door, and he opened it for her. “I’ll wait for you out here. Please don’t crawl out a window or convince my old friend, Nilsen, to let you slip out another door. It would upset me.”

  “Heaven forbid,” she murmured. “He probably thinks you’re the crown prince of Never-Never Land like all your other loyal subjects and would be devastated. We mustn’t have that.”

  “Never-Never Land has never been closer,” he said soberly. “Huber is doing his damnedest to make it reality.”

  “Then help us stop it.”

  “I will. I’ve no desire to see the kind of holocaust Huber is weaving in his web. It would be just that much harder for me to pick up the pieces later.” He added soberly, “But you have to realize that someday it will happen. My main agenda is to make certain we create a world that would keep it from ever happening again.” He gave her a push into the room. “This is Catherine, Harry,” he called to a white-coated man. “Check her over and don’t let her con you. Fifteen minutes.”

  He shut the door.

  “Hello, Catherine.” Harry Nilsen shook his head ruefully. “Cameron insists on people performing miracles. Perhaps because he has no problem performing them himself.” His smile was warm. “But I’ll do my best. Come over here and let me get a good look at you.”

  * * *

  It was thirty minutes later that Catherine opened the door to see Cameron leaning against the wall across from the exam room.

  He straightened as she came out. “Okay?”

  She shrugged. “Salves and creams, no stitches.”

  His gaze was narrowed on her face. “You wouldn’t tell me if there was anything else. Never mind, after I walk you to the parking lot, I’ll come back and talk to Nilsen.”

  “And, of course, he’ll tell you everything you want to know. Doesn’t everyone? I’d think you’d get bored with all that mind-control stuff.”

  “Not bored. Weary, sometimes. That’s why I try to avoid it.”

  And in that moment he looked weary, she thought. What would it be like to have the responsibilities and mental gifts of Richard Cameron? The question was causing an ache somewhere deep inside her, and she had to banish it. She rushed on, “I told Jackson I wasn’t hurt much. For an FBI agent, he got pretty queasy at the sight of blood.”

  “So did I. Because it was your blood. I’m hoping Jackson didn’t have the same reason. I’d hate to have to remove one of the stalwart protectors that you need to save civilization as we know it.”

  “I barely know him. But I do like him because he will fight to save civilization. We have a common goal.” She looked at him. “He’s not a Guardian or a crown prince, but I never wanted either one of those.”

  “Yes you did.” He opened the door leading to the parking lot. “And you will again. Because you want me, Catherine. And I want you and that won’t change.” He pulled a key chain out of his pocket and handed it to her. “It’s the gray Mercedes rental car in the next row. I assumed you wouldn’t want me to drive you to join Rachel and Jude Brandon.” He smiled. “Because I’ll wager you didn’t tell either one of them about me.”

  “I’m not going to see them. I’m going back to the hotel.” Her brows rose. “But no, why should I discuss you with them? You might be important in your world but not in mine. We can handle our problems ourselves.”

  “No, you’re a little in shock at the moment, and that gets in way of thinking straight. But you’ll come to the realization that I can be of help. And I can’t let anything happen to you, so I’ll have to help you save all and sundry.” He turned and started to walk back toward the hospital doors. “Macklin tapped your devices while you were in that car with Jackson. He said you were looking for someone, and there was urgency. I have many contacts here in San Francisco, and you know they won’t try to lie to me. If you decide that you want me to facilitate the search, let me know.”

  “I don’t want your—” she stopped. “Wait.” She might have doubts about the wisdom of letting Cameron back in her life but he was right, there was urgency. She couldn’t afford to let personal considerations matter. She knew what a powerful network Cameron controlled. “I have to find Fasrain fast. If this Macklin tapped our phones, he has all the information we have.” She added curtly, “Use it.”

  “I will.” He continued walking back toward the hospital. “I was going to do it anyway. I was very displeased that this Fasrain had made the mistake of almost blowing you up. But it’s nice to have your blessing. Dead or alive?”

  “I’ll need to question him.”

  “I can do that before I turn him over to you.”

  “Cameron, just find him,” she said through set teeth. “After that, it’s my game. I won’t let you take control.”

  “But that’s what I do,” he said simply. He looked back over his shoulder, and his smile deepened. His brilliant blue eyes were glittering, and he was exuding all the charisma and power that she had come to know and recognize. “I’ll try to restrain myself since you’re permitting me to play your game. I wouldn’t want to be cast out when I know how much we’ll both enjoy it.” He opened the door and disappeared inside.

  She stood there, staring after him for an instant. The Guardian. Control. The most tremendous sexual appeal she had ever encountered. The power of mind and will combined in one entity. Dangerous. So very dangerous for her.

  And so very exciting.

  She could feel her pulse pounding in her wrists. The beginning of her body readying as it always did when he was near. Because it wasn’t only the sex, it was the struggle, the battle, the conflict that was an integral part of their relationship.

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  She stiffened. “Get out of my head, Cameron. You swore you’d never do that to me again.”

  “Only when necessary.” He was laughing. “This is necessary. It’s been too long. I had to check that you hadn’t talked yourself out of what we are together. But I did let you know I was peeking, didn’t I?”

  Then he was gone.

  Maybe.

  How the hell could she know when she had to take his word for everything?

  Don’t think about it. The only thing that was important was that she knew she could trust him to keep his word about finding Fasrain. Any battle between them dwarfed in comparison to that truth.

  She turned and headed for that gray Mercedes in the second row.

  BEACH HAVEN

  Brandon, Monty, and Nate were all in
Monty’s makeshift lab when Rachel opened the door of the library forty minutes later. “Brandon told you?” she asked Nate and Monty. “We’re going to have to find this Lawrence Fasrain. Do you have any ideas?”

  Monty shook his head. “Not yet. I’ve been a little preoccupied. I was just telling Brandon that I’d managed to complete the satellite hijack and showing him how we could scan the coast for any signs of Red Star activity. Want to take a look?”

  “Not right now.” She knew it was tech wizardry at its finest but she was more concerned with the human element of the man who’d threatened blow up the city. “Would it be okay if we start with Fasrain?”

  “Sure.” Brandon’s gaze was on her face. “Let’s see if we can find out how an accountant came into the picture. He was swearing he was going to destroy half of San Francisco. Even if Huber supplied him with a nuke, he’d still have to have the technology to arm it. He’s not a likely candidate for the job. We have to find out why he was chosen and if he has accomplices.” He paused. “But Huber wanted to change the coastline of California, and we have to use that satellite to take a look and see what he might have had in mind. We just have to look at all sides, Rachel.”

  Rachel let her breath out as some of the tension left her. Brandon’s attitude was the correct one. She was just feeling so pressured, she wasn’t thinking straight. And hearing that violence had again come so terribly close to Catherine had shaken her. “You’re right, Catherine might have given us the key we need. Now we’ve just got to find a way to use it and combine it with all that tech stuff of Monty’s.”

  “Tech stuff?” Monty flinched. “Have a little respect, Rachel. You’re talking about conquering the new frontier.”

  “Sorry, but I have a hunch Catherine might have had to do a little conquering herself to get this name. I want to be able to show her that whatever she went through was worth it.” She turned back to her computer. “So let’s pull up all the information she got for us. I’ll take his background at Berkeley. Catherine said it was clean enough to pass scrutiny but there might be something…”

  “We’ll get there,” Brandon said gently. “It’s going to happen, Rachel.”

  “I know that.” But she didn’t want him to see how much those few encouraging words of trust and companionship meant to her. In the past, he and Catherine had expressed doubts about her ability to handle their violent world, and she’d had a few herself. But it was warming to have him here with her at this moment. “Let’s just make sure it happens soon.”

  * * *

  But it didn’t happen soon.

  Rachel went over all Fasrain’s college records with a fine-tooth comb while Nate checked the scant records that Interpol could provide about Fasrain’s time in Pakistan. They even went back into his mother’s background to see if there was some clue of a connection with Huber there.

  Nothing.

  He was a loner. He’d had a few summer jobs, but they’d all been in the finance and accounting fields. He’d belonged to a Methodist Church in the area but had only attended infrequently. No suspicious associations.

  After researching for the greater part of the day, Rachel gave it up and turned to Brandon in frustration. “Unless Claire or one of her sources comes up with more info about him, I’m coming up blank. Catherine said Claire told her she’d try.” She turned to Monty. “So it’s over to you, Monty. Dazzle me with all your new-frontier wizardry. Maybe that will work.”

  “Go take a break while I set up the screens with Monty,” Brandon said. “We need to make adjustments and do a little testing before you need to jump in. Nate, go make some sandwiches and coffee. It may be a long night. Monty may be performing wizardry, but you and I will be doing hard labor.”

  “I don’t need a break. Let me help.”

  “Go help Nate.” He smiled. “I don’t need to be distracted.”

  The smile was deep and warm, and the first sign of the intimacy that existed between them since she’d come into the room this morning. It surprised her and made a little of the frustration ebb away. She smiled back at him. “I need to call Catherine anyway and tell her what a failure we were and that we’ve gone high-tech.” She headed for the door. “I’ll come back in an hour bearing sandwiches and coffee, and you can tell me what kind of hard labor you have planned for me.”

  CHAPTER

  13

  “No word from Claire yet,” Catherine said. “But I have another source in the city who might be of more help. I didn’t want to involve him very deeply, but it might be the way to go.”

  “Who is it? That Jackson with the FBI?”

  “No, someone else. Richard Cameron. I’ve had dealings with him here in San Francisco and other places around the world.”

  “I don’t remember your mentioning him. Does he have better contacts than Jackson?”

  “Oh yes, Cameron has better contacts than anyone else I’ve ever known,” she said dryly. “Impeccable. And he knows exactly how to use them. By all means, go and work with Monty and Brandon if you believe that’s an option. I’ll turn Cameron loose on Fasrain. He’s probably already on the hunt. He didn’t like it that Fasrain blew up that apartment. I’ll let you know when he finds him.” The next moment she had hung up.

  When, not if, Rachel noticed Catherine had said. And she knew Richard Cameron very well indeed. In what capacity?

  Not her business. But it had aroused her curiosity that Catherine had that much trust in Cameron. She just hoped that she was right. In the meantime, they had to go down the only other path left open to them.

  Nate had already taken the tray of sandwiches so she picked up the carafe of coffee and followed him back to the lab. Brandon looked up as she came into the room. “Catherine okay?”

  She made a face. “She didn’t say she wasn’t. She told me to go ahead with doing the coastal search, and she’d have one of her contacts locate Fasrain.” She glanced at Monty. “Are you ready for me now? I gave you more than an hour, and that green screen looks intriguing. Are you finding anything?”

  “Just the usual things that should exist on the coastline.” Monty grimaced. “And loads of weird stuff that we’re not at all sure is that unusual. It’s California after all. I’ve been throwing that stuff to Brandon to check out.”

  “Then you can also throw it to me.” She sat down in front of her computer. “Tell me what I’m supposed to do, Brandon.”

  “Just check any anomalies or anything we don’t understand with Google or whatever authority is appropriate for the subject matter. It’s not rocket science, it’s just hard work.” He was gazing again at Monty’s satellite screen. “Monty, go back to those docks you just passed and take another look at the loading area. Rachel, you check and see if there’s usually a crew that large at this time of night.”

  “You think you’ve found something?” she asked as she accessed the dock schedules and phone number for the union pages.

  “No, but we can’t pass up anything. Nemesis said that Huber wanted to change the California coastline. That could have meant anything. When Huber issued that threat of a possible attack, everyone automatically thought about 9/11. There are all kinds of other disasters.” He shrugged. “I don’t think he’d plan another explosion like the one he staged on the cliff at San Kabara Island. He’d know that we’d be on the watch for it. But destroying docks that receive shipments that keep the entire economy flourishing is something Huber would like.”

  Rachel’s hands were shaking as she typed. Scenario after scenario was suddenly occurring to her. “Or setting off a nuclear explosion in the city itself that would make it radioactive on the scale of Hiroshima.”

  “Or it could be just poisoning the fields and killing the crops.” Brandon was scanning the central valley and the water reservoirs. “That could have an effect that would cause the—”

  “Please, be quiet, Brandon,” Rachel said. “If you see a potential problem, tell me what to check. I don’t want to have to think about nightmares until we’re sure
we have a target.”

  He nodded. “But you’ll automatically put together the scenario even if I don’t voice it. You’re too bright to do anything else.”

  “Then I’d rather just keep so busy that I won’t be able to think.” She found a twenty-four-hour union telephone number on the Internet and began to dial it. “And checking on employee schedules for those dockworkers may keep me that busy.” She looked at him while she waited for an answer. “Along with worrying about why I haven’t heard from Nemesis by now. If he was so eager to make a deal, what’s keeping him from contacting me? He must have known what shock value San Kabara gave us.”

  “I’m more interested that you haven’t heard from Max Huber,” Brandon murmured. “He doesn’t hesitate to gloat when he believes he’s struck a telling blow.”

  And San Kabara Island had been a hideous, crippling blow. “Maybe he thought sending that photo was gloating enough.” Then she shook her head. “No, he’d want more than that. I’ll hear from him when he thinks that he’s able to hurt me again.” She smiled sardonically. “So I’m not eager for him to contact me until we find a way to keep that from happening. I’d rather spend my time calling these damn dockworker schedulers who are not answering me.” She started to dial the number again. “Go on to the next possible anomaly you and Monty are finding. I’ll get back to you…”

  6:40 A.M.

  “Time for a break, Rachel.”

  She looked up to see Brandon standing before her. “No, it’s not,” she said impatiently. “We haven’t gone over that area in Santa Barbara that would have a direct effect on northern California if anything happened to—”

  “We’ll do it later.” He pulled her to her feet. “Four hours. You’re so exhausted and strained, you can barely function. You haven’t slept in over thirty hours, your eyes are red, and I bet they’re stinging. Take a nap, and I’ll let you work for the rest of the day. You’ll be much more efficient working with a clear head. You’ve been a little slow for the last hour.”