Rachel couldn’t believe it. He might be doing what Nate said he always did, take care of the problem. But he was calmly talking about taking out Fasrain on the dock itself? “And we’ll still risk his blowing up those docks himself, or us doing it for him with a damn drone.” She added in exasperation, “We have to be there. We have to find him.”
“And we will,” Brandon said. “I was only playing with options, Rachel. It’s what we always do before we make decisions.”
“I’m having trouble with the concept of playing,” she said. “I have a tendency to be very serious about that much potential destruction. Can we please forget about drones and concentrate on capturing Fasrain?”
“By all means though I have trouble with the concept of capture instead of killing,” Brandon said. “But I’ll yield to your wishes in the matter.” He smiled. “Since you might have delivered Fasrain and Huber’s attack plan into our hands tonight.” He added softly, “Extraordinary, Rachel.”
She felt a rush of warmth as she looked at him, and suddenly her impatience was gone. She smiled back at him. “That’s what you said I had to do. Extraordinary results.” She turned away, “And now I’m going to let you call Catherine and fill her in on what’s happening while I take a shower. I only splashed water in my face before because I was in such a hurry to check on Michael Talcek. I’ll call her later and see if this Cameron she said she trusted so much has any leads about Fasrain. The twenty-fifth is the day after tomorrow.” She felt another spurt of panic that she quickly squashed. A lot could be accomplished in two days. Now at least they weren’t moving in the dark. Now there was hope. “Please don’t decide to do anything radical while I’m in the shower.” She headed for the door. “You owe me, Brandon. Like you said, I was truly extraordinary.”
EAGLES REST
CANADA
“Something’s happening,” Lawrence Fasrain said as soon as Kraus picked up his call. “I got a call from that man you bribed at Interpol. He’s been receiving some inquiries about me. There might be a problem.”
“Oh, really?” Kraus said sarcastically. “And it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that you blew up that whore’s apartment building? Actions like that tend to generate ‘problems.’”
Silence. “You know about that?”
Kraus couldn’t believe the sheer idiocy of the man. “Did you actually think I wouldn’t have you watched when you’re a key piece to this grand plan of Huber’s? I didn’t mind the whore, I was planning on getting rid of her myself. But you have managed to make a major blunder. I had reports there was an FBI agent on the scene.”
“I didn’t make any blunders,” Fasrain said quickly. “I did everything right. I took care of anything I thought might be a problem. It must have come from your people.”
“It did not come from Red Star,” Kraus said angrily. “I don’t make that kind of mistake. So we’re going to have to cancel?”
“I didn’t say that. Find a way to get me on that dock, and I’ll still be able to do my duty. That hasn’t changed.”
So eager to blow himself up and go to paradise, Kraus thought cynically. Well, that was exactly how he’d programmed Fasrain at Huber’s command. In this case, that fanaticism might be a way of saving this operation. He just had to take control of the situation and turn it to his advantage. Don’t show the idiot any more anger and bitterness. Now that he’d decided to continue using him, he had to handle him just right. Anyone as fanatical as Fasrain could ruin everything if they decided the setup didn’t suit their mind-set. “Well the damage appears to be in the initial stages. No slipups about the tanker?”
“I told you, no slipups at all,” Fasrain said. “How would anyone know about the tanker? Just find me a way to get on that dock and everything will be as before.”
“I’ll be working on it. Though I’ll have to be very careful and handle all the details myself. We wouldn’t want your task to be compromised. I’ll fly out immediately and contact you when I arrive.” He paused. “You’re a brave man, Fasrain. I’m glad I’ll have the opportunity to shake your hand before you leave us.” He pressed the disconnect. He sat there and cursed long and vehemently before he phoned Huber. Everything had been going so well on this job that he’d managed to save from Huber’s stupidity and inadequacy. And now he was going to have to rescue it once again because of that fanatic Huber had insisted on using.
And Huber would blame him, as usual. He was not looking forward to it. But if he’d handled that asshole, Fasrain, he could deal with Max Huber. “You’re not going to like this,” he said when Max answered. “I don’t know exactly what has happened yet, but we might not get all we wanted or expected from Fasrain.” He cut Huber’s angry expletive short. “I’m taking care that it won’t be a complete fiasco regardless of what occurs. You won’t be disappointed. But if Fasrain didn’t screw up completely, then someone stepped up to the plate and spoiled our play.” He couldn’t keep either the malice or the rage from his voice. “As I warned you could happen if you insisted on not using our own men.”
“It’s your job to see that mistakes don’t happen,” Huber said. “And now you’re telling me that you might have ruined my celebration?”
“No, I’m telling you that I’ll keep it from being ruined at all costs.” He paused. “And reminding you if I hadn’t been busy recently giving you that little gift you demanded from me, I might have been able to concentrate more fully on what slipshod work Fasrain might be doing. You can’t have it all ways, Max.”
“Yes, I can.” He was sputtering. “I am Red Star. I can have it any way I want it.”
“As long as I’m here to pick up the pieces.” Time to back off before he went too far. He might have already reached that point. No, he was still safe. Max had been too pleased with that last gift to blow up completely. “Which I’m about to do. I’ll call you from San Francisco.” He headed for the door. “Don’t worry about anything. Enjoy yourself.”
* * *
Rachel had time to take a leisurely shower and shampoo her hair before she received a call from Catherine.
“I was going to call you. Brandon said he’d fill you in,” Rachel said quickly when she answered. “Do you think you can find out anything more about how to locate Fasrain? Or if we can definitely verify that Fasrain’s van is actually in Oakland?”
“Rachel, I’ve only had an hour and thirty minutes since Brandon called me,” Catherine said dryly. “Since then I’ve phoned Claire, called Brandon back, alerted Homeland Security about a possible threat, and tried to persuade Oakland Dock Security to start searching for Fasrain. Give me a break.”
“Sorry. Where are you now?”
“I’m still at the Hyatt. Claire said she’d take care of everything, but I want to be here to make sure she’s doing it the way Venable would.”
As her father would. Everything kept coming back to him, Rachel thought. The difference between honor and duty and self-interest and ruthlessness. Yet he would be the last one to claim he was perfect, and heaven knows she knew he was not. But he was still the standard by which she judged others. “All she really has to do is keep that supertanker from entering the harbor. That would minimize tremendously any harm that could be done. Did she say that was going to be her first move?”
“She said she’d take care of it.” She hesitated. “She was balking a bit. But the minute she heard the name of the captain of the Katrina Notalo she started to backpedal. It seems Peter Van Deek is something of a superhero in both Europe and the Middle East. His credentials are awesome, war hero during the NATO engagement in Afghanistan, worked his way up to full captain in thirteen years. Popular with his men and his employers. He saved them a bundle when he repelled two attacks on his ship by Sudanese pirates in a matter of months. He has contacts all over the Middle East and was awarded a Royal Dutch medal by the Netherlands. No way would she want anything to happen to him. She’s very conscious of bad press.”
“Then there shouldn’t be a problem. She’ll
be careful, all we have to do is find Fasrain, the man who wants to blow him into a million pieces.”
“And himself along with our awesome Dutch hero. It may not be all that easy. But I have a few balls I can toss in the air.”
“Richard Cameron? Have you heard anything from him yet?”
“No, but I’m sure by now he knows more about Fasrain’s background and associates than Interpol and the FBI combined. I’ll tell him to check Oakland for Fasrain’s van. And I’ll see if he has a contact he can tap in the Oakland dock area.”
“You think he would?” Rachel asked doubtfully. “That would be rather too coincidental.”
“Cameron’s life is built on unlikely coincidences,” Catherine said. “And they usually work out for him. I’ll give him the information, and I’ll bet he’ll be able to find Fasrain whether or not he’s in Oakland.”
“You have a great deal of faith in him. Did he work with my father?”
“No.” Silence. “They weren’t on the same wavelength.”
“But he’s on your wavelength?”
“Sometimes. Look, this isn’t the time to explain Cameron to you. It may never be the time. Just accept that he can help if he wants to do it. This time he said that we have similar goals. We’ve just got to hope we can reach them in time.”
“It will be in time if Claire calls in the big guns to stop that supertanker and goes after Fasrain,” Rachel said. “Otherwise, nothing is going to be enough.” She paused. “Maybe I should call and talk to her.”
“No,” Catherine said sharply. “Stay away from her. I can tell you’re upset and vulnerable right now. She’ll pick up on that right away and zero in on you.”
“I’m not that vulnerable. Upset, yes. Who wouldn’t be?”
“No one.” She paused. “You’ve been going through hell lately. From San Kabara Island to Huber’s using you for verbal target practice. I don’t like the sheer venom Huber was showing you. And Brandon said your response was equally venomous. Huber isn’t that stable. It might mean an escalation.”
“And you’re already worrying about it. Stop it. I’m feeling much less helpless and more hopeful than I did yesterday. We’ve just got to make tomorrow even better. If you want to worry about something, let it be about stopping Fasrain or that supertanker or both.”
“I’m multitalented in the worry area. Okay, I’ll drop it. Let me get off this phone so that I can call Cameron.”
“Good luck.”
“Cameron makes his own luck. The rest of us usually go along for the ride.”
“Not you, Catherine.”
She was silent. “No, not me. But sometimes it’s difficult to not do whatever he wants. The Pied Piper is a novice compared to Cameron. I’ll let you know when I know what he’s up to. Bye, Rachel.”
Rachel slowly ended the call. Just those few sentences Catherine had spoken about Cameron had been very revealing. No one was stronger than Catherine, but she was feeling uncertain about this man. And the picture Rachel was getting of him was both powerful and mysterious. She had no doubt Catherine would be able to handle anyone, but she had mentioned the word difficult …
Ping.
The red light had come on her computer across the room.
Rachel stiffened. Nemesis? It didn’t have to be him. But the chances were that it was.
Dread.
Fear.
Stop being such a coward. Deal with him.
She crossed the room and sat down at the desk. She braced herself and looked at the message.
Have you missed me, Rachel? I hear you’ve been busy. So sorry you weren’t able to stop Huber, but I gave you an opportunity. You just weren’t clever enough to make it work. I find I regret that he managed to make such a fool of you. My actions might have taken another turn if you had shown me that you had any hope of matching him.
She quickly typed back.
The turn you did take let many people be slaughtered. We didn’t have a chance. We did what we could. If you’d been there, you would have seen that. [She paused.] Were you there? How deep are you involved with Huber?
Hesitation.
As involved as I wish to be. I’d feel safer if I could just disappear into the sunset with your millions in my pocket. But there have been developments that make that less profitable and more dangerous. Huber and Kraus are making moves that require my services, and that means that our own deal may be null and void.
She sat there, shocked.
But the reason you told me about San Kabara was that you wanted a safety net. If you’re going over to Red Star, that’s down the drain. Think about it. Or go all the way and not only tell us Huber’s target but his location so that we’d know how to bring him down. That would give you both safety and cash.
It took a moment before the answer came.
But you failed on San Kabara. I’d find it difficult to trust you to bring him down. You’re not your father, Rachel. No, I believe that I’d better go with Huber and Kraus, they have a record that’s more impressive. However, I will keep your offer in mind. And I have no prejudice against double-dealing as long as it’s safe for me. Just don’t expect me to do anything that’s not of greatest benefit for me.
She could hardly expect anything else, she thought in frustration. It had been the modus operandi of his behavior since day one.
Is that why you decided to email me back instead of just stopping all contact? You’re leaving your options open?
Rachel, do I perceive bitterness? That’s one reason, but I was also given a mission. I was told to break off negotiations with you and to demonstrate my loyalty to Red Star in a way that would be unmistakable in your eyes.
She went still. Not good. She felt a sudden chill.
Are you going to tell me about another attack?
No.
Relief.
Then what is it?
I’m getting to it. I’m sending you two photos. Kraus seemed to think they would be self-explanatory and would automatically show you where I was in the scheme of things. Hse told me that he might use me to communicate with you about them in the future. I believe his trust in Huber’s professionalism isn’t as strong as it might be. I’m sensing his disgust growing by leaps and bounds.
Another of those photos of her at Sazkar Prison? She thought wildly. That wouldn’t make sense.
What photos, dammit?
Be patient. I’ve just pressed the button. You’ll see they were taken quite recently, so I’ll probably not be in contact with you until the status is more current. I’m sorry, Rachel, it’s just business.
The computer screen went blank.
But she heard the signal on her phone for an incoming message.
She snatched up her phone and pressed the text access.
The first photo came up.
No! Dear God, no.
She felt as if she’d been kicked in the stomach. She had to close her eyes for a moment.
But when she opened them, the photo was still there.
Maria!
Two. There were supposed to be two photos.
She pulled up the second photo.
Blanca!
Shock. Horror. Nausea.
She ran to the bathroom and threw up.
Please. There were all kinds of ways to falsify photos. Let this be one of them.
But she couldn’t think right now. She needed someone to tell her that it wasn’t true. She couldn’t find her phone. She’d dropped it somewhere …
It was on the floor by the computer desk. Her hand was shaking as she dialed Brandon. “Something has happened. Will you … come? I … need you.”
She hung up and just sat there looking down at the phone. Brandon would come soon. Brandon would tell her it was a lie.
And then Brandon was throwing open the door and was there beside her. “What the hell’s wrong?” He was pulling her up into his arms. “You’re white as a tombstone. Are you hurt? You’re scaring me.”
“I’m not hurt,” she said dully
. “I just can’t seem to think.” She thrust her phone at him. “I need you to tell me it’s a lie. Will you do that?”
Brandon took the phone and looked down at the photos. “Oh, shit.”
“There are all kinds of ways to manipulate and falsify photos. They’d know them all,” she said. Brandon wasn’t saying anything, he was just looking down at the photo and it was frightening her. “Tell me he doesn’t have her. She’s just a little girl. Tell me he doesn’t have Maria.” She couldn’t look at that photo again but it was engraved on her memory. Maria with eyes wide with fear, bruises on her face, lying on the ground.
“I wish I could,” Brandon said gently. “Who sent it?”
“Nemesis.” She was starting to shake. It was true. She couldn’t escape it. “Only it was really Kraus or Huber. And there’s another one. He sent me two. Blanca, Maria’s mother … She might be dead. She’s lying there on the ground in the mud … and there’s blood. They wouldn’t need her … except to do this to me.”
He pulled up the other photo. “Rachel.” He pulled her back into his arms and rocked her. “I’m so damn sorry.”
“So am I. I didn’t think of their being in danger after we left Georgetown. Maria was a patient, and there were so many patients. Why would he know she was special?”
“Morales’ men must have told him you stayed behind to go get her. Huber was searching for a weapon, and they found it.”
“A weapon? She’s eight years old.”
“And this is Huber.”
Yes, it was Huber and Kraus and Nemesis, and none of them would care that Maria was a child who had just received a fresh start after hovering so close to death. What had Rachel been thinking? And she had called Brandon to come running and tell her what she had known already? She was clinging to him now and had to stop. She had to rely only on herself as she always did. She took a step back and pushed him away. “Would you ask Monty if he can contact one of his tech buddies to verify that there’s been no doctoring with the photos? I don’t believe that there has been, but I have to be sure. Nemesis said that the photos had just been taken and it would be awhile before he contacted me. But someone will probably call me, and I’ll have to know truth from lies.” She nodded at the computer and said unsteadily, “You’ll want to read Nemesis’s message, it indicates a change in the scenario.” She turned and headed for the doors to the veranda. “Don’t come after me. I need some time alone so that I can see what has to be done. I’m not thinking very clearly.”
Vendetta Page 30
