Vendetta

by Iris Johansen

  “I was getting close to earning Kraus’s trust. I thought it might seal the deal. And he might have found out about Venable anyway.” She shook her head at Rachel’s expression. “I did send an anonymous warning to Venable to tell him that there was a bounty on his head.”

  “How kind,” Rachel said. “I’m certain he would have been grateful if he’d lived to know how generous you were.”

  “You’re still acting as if I killed Venable,” she said impatiently. “I told you that wasn’t true. He knew how dangerous it was to slip that poison to Conrad Huber. He did it anyway.” She added sharply, “And I risked my own life trying to locate Huber’s compound near Calgary. That was one battle we fought together.”

  “But it was a battle you lost. You were wrong.”

  “I told you that bastard Kraus never gives up information. He’s always been one step ahead of me.”

  But Rachel had desperately hoped that this time Claire could lead them to Huber. “You’re certain that Kraus didn’t tell you anything, not even a hint?”

  “Do you think I’m lying? I always knew Huber was my ace in the hole. I’ve worked years trying to bring Red Star down.” Her eyes were blazing in her pale face. “It would make capturing Bin Laden look like kindergarten play. I could write my own ticket as far as money and prestige is concerned. Someday, they’ll be making movies about me.”

  “And will there be a subplot about San Kabara Island?” Rachel asked bitterly.

  “Only that I saw that you got the information that could have stopped it from happening,” Claire said through set teeth. “You can’t deny that I let you persuade me into doing that. I knew it was important. If I hadn’t, then everything I’d worked for would have gone down the drain. It would be the difference between being a hero someone might elect as president and a scumbag on everyone’s hit list. I told you all I knew.” She said slowly and precisely, “Everything. I told you Kraus didn’t trust anyone.”

  Again, Rachel believed her. She was beginning to think that she could read Claire. She might be completely immoral and self-absorbed, but she was driven by an intense ambition that would not be satisfied until she reached the top of the ladder. That reference to the presidential office might not have been without significance. “Then you’re going down the wrong path if you think the entire world is going to embrace anyone who kidnaps and eventually murders a child.”

  “I never said I’d do that. I was just trying to make you see that there are more ways than one to look at things.” She smiled slightly. “Actually, I wasn’t planning on using the kid if I could avoid it. That was entirely Kraus. There are far too many wishy-washy people like you around to condemn me.”

  “Yes, you do want to avoid people like me, Claire.”

  She nodded. “I always thought you were the way to go instead. Idealistic and aching to right wrongs done to Venable and yourself. Not to mention the possibility of saving the city and perhaps much more. All I needed was to persuade you to turn yourself over to Huber, then track him to his compound when he sends a plane for you. I’d have the drone ready. And kaboom.” She shrugged. “But you had Catherine and Brandon standing over you with bared swords. I was having a good deal of trouble getting close to you. Pity. Huber does want you so desperately.”

  “Yes, he does,” she said. “And I want him.”

  Claire leaned toward her. “And you want that little girl.” Her words were soft and coaxingly persuasive. “You know you’re never going to get her unless you go after her. I can make it work, Rachel. Listen to me. I’ve already made arrangements with Andrews Air Force Base to zero in on the plane Huber sends for you. No one is more high-tech when it comes to aircraft tracking. Then I’ll have a SEAL team ready to follow you and help once you’re in the compound.” Her eyes were glowing, and her voice was almost mesmerizing. “Take a chance on snatching your Maria away from him, and I promise he’ll never live through the firepower I rain down on him. I have the power and authority and the weapons. I’ll make it happen. No more Red Star.”

  “And maybe no more Maria Perez,” Rachel said grimly. “How could I ever get her out in time? You might have had a chance of convincing me if you’d known where that compound was located.”

  “If I’d known that, there would no longer be a Red Star compound,” Claire said. “And the mayor of San Francisco would be giving me the keys to this fine city.” She glanced at the gun in Rachel’s hand. “Now will you put that away? We’ve come to an understanding, haven’t we? You know exactly how far I’ll go to get what I want, and I have the power and influence to protect me every step of the way.” She added coolly, “Because what I want is what most reasonable people in this world want. Including the president of the United States. To get rid of Red Star. Unless I screw up in some wildly improbable fashion, taking what I want will make me a superstar. And I’ll use you any way I can to make that happen. But it’s not going to be by shooting you, that would be counterproductive.” She nodded at the bar she was standing beside. “Though there is a Beretta tucked behind that ice bucket which would be easy enough to reach. I know the game’s changed again, and I’ll have to accommodate it. So I’ll give you and Brandon a little time to work out a solution that I hope will give me what I want.” She regretfully shook her head. “You’re so very soft, Rachel. If you get desperate enough, you might still take my offer. A slim chance is better than none.”

  “Don’t count on it.” She slipped the gun back in her jacket pocket and turned toward the door. “And we’ll be the ones who will use you, Claire. You know how much Brandon loves control. When we find that solution, you’ll obey orders or sit it out and let someone else take the credit for bringing down Red Star.”

  She slammed the door behind her.

  CHAPTER

  16

  “Satisfied?” Brandon straightened away from the wall by the elevator where he’d been waiting. “I wasn’t.” His expression was grim as he held up his phone. “Particularly when she mentioned the Beretta behind the ice bucket.”

  “I thought she might have a weapon,” she said jerkily as she punched the DOWN button. “I didn’t think she’d use it.”

  “But you couldn’t be sure,” he said tightly. “We couldn’t be sure of anything except we couldn’t trust her. Just as you were sure you couldn’t trust me to go in that room with you. I’m not going to forget that, Rachel.”

  “I know you won’t.” And she’d known he wouldn’t understand. She still tried to explain. “You and Catherine stride into situations like this and make them your own. It’s your world. You’re clever and tough, and you’d instantly dominate and try to get your own way.” She entered the elevator and pressed LOBBY. “And you might do it since you’re so good. But it might not be my way, Brandon.” She didn’t look at him. “And it has to be my way. I’m the one who’s responsible whether Maria lives or dies.” She swallowed. “And whether I cause anyone else to live or die. So I had to be one-on-one with Claire, so I’d know what I had to face. I believe I know her now.”

  “But you’ll do the same thing again.”

  “Yes.” She looked him in the eyes. “I’ll listen to your suggestions, I’ll even let you risk your life, but the decision will be mine. I can’t let you shelter me. If you can’t deal with that, walk away from me, Brandon.”

  Anger. Frustration. Despair. “Son of a bitch.” Then his smile was both reckless and bitter. “Claire called you soft. No way, Rachel.” He took her arm as the elevator doors opened and he guided her out through the lobby. “Did you manage to plant the two bugs I gave you in her suite?”

  “On the chest beside the door. When I whirled and made my dramatic exit. You said I only had to touch the wood.”

  “At least you took that suggestion.”

  “I told you I would. I know that we can’t trust her.” She hesitated. “But I think she’ll do what she said about giving us a little time. She does believe I’m soft and might go along with her suicide mission. She probably wants to let me
think about it … after I talk to Huber.” They were outside the hotel, and the valet was running to get their car. “Otherwise, we might expect more aggressive action from her. She was practically salivating at the thought of those drones destroying Red Star’s compound.” She shivered. “She wants it, and she’ll go after it. I have to make sure that Maria isn’t anywhere near it if she manages to find out where it is. Because Claire isn’t going to care who else she kills if she gets Huber.”

  “Maybe you did learn something about Claire tonight.” Brandon’s lips twisted. “And I’d welcome her passion for Huber’s blood if we could find a way to channel it. But I noticed she said she’d relinquished all authority to Homeland to investigate what Fasrain’s death meant in the scheme of things. She’s devoting all her attention toward capturing Huber and doesn’t want to be distracted by trivial matters like massive environmental destruction.”

  “It doesn’t surprise me.” The valet had opened the passenger door, and she slipped into the seat. “You heard her, she regards Red Star as the crowning achievement on the top of the tree. No matter what happens, she can either claim victory or revenge if she can get her hands … or her drone … on Huber.”

  Huber.

  She watched the first violet streaks of dawn brightening the sky as Brandon drove out of the hotel driveway. Dawn. Tomorrow was the twenty-fifth. The next dawn would herald what Huber thought of as his grand day of reckoning.

  And it was coming too soon, she thought in panic.

  Claire had crushed her hope that they’d be able to locate Red Star’s compound before she’d have to go after Maria. If she had to go in blind, then it would be an identical scenario to the one Claire had described. She might have to prepare herself for it.

  “The SEALs are terrific at extraction, aren’t they?”

  “Shut up, Rachel.” Brandon didn’t look at her. “I knew the minute Claire mentioned her little plan that you’d be applying it to Maria. Yes, the SEALs are great, and so are my guys, but you don’t have to worry about extraction if you’re not being held prisoner. The goal is to make sure you’re not in that position.”

  “Brandon.”

  “Don’t give me that speech again,” he said roughly. “I heard you the first time.” His hands clenched on the steering wheel. “When you went to your room last night, you said you were going to go over those letters that Phillip found in the mud beside Blanca’s body. Did you do it?”

  He was reaching out for miracles, she thought. He was afraid for her and trying to find some way to keep her away from Huber. She had nearly forgotten those letters in the excitement and eagerness generated by the discovery that Nemesis was Claire Warren.

  “No, I found I got caught up in something else I had to do.” A vial of poison glittering in the dimness of the container. “And I know you didn’t have time to do anything but check on Nemesis.”

  He nodded. “But we have time now. We’ll go back and see what we can do. Like your friend Phillip said, it doesn’t seem right to ignore what might be a message. It’s a hell of a lot better than worrying about how efficient the SEALs might be in a mythical situation.”

  Not mythical, but he was right to draw her away from that less-than-hopeful solution. “Absolutely.” She was fumbling in her handbag for her notebook. “Sorry. I’ll take a look at it again. I almost forgot about it. It got lost somewhere along the way.” Because there had been other, more concrete, solutions that seemed to be more promising. Now those solutions had faded away. “And I guess I’ve just been waiting to hear from Huber that he has Maria. The bastard promised me he’d let me know, and I’ve been worrying he might decide to do something to—”

  “You’re apologizing? Look, I’m feeling homicidal enough.” He shot her a glance that was pure blue lightning. “Don’t apologize for anything. Just help me find a way to get to Huber and Kraus that you’ll give your blessing.”

  So much fury and frustration and pain in those words. She looked away from him and down at her pad. “Anything that keeps Maria alive.”

  Think.

  Concentrate.

  Don’t let this be the end.

  Find some other way.

  She wrote down the first letter that Phillip had given her over the phone.

  U …

  * * *

  The call came from Max Huber as they were pulling up the driveway of the house.

  Brandon could feel her go tense in the seat beside him as the phone rang. He didn’t say anything but pulled to a stop and turned off the engine.

  She took a deep breath and pressed the access. “Hello, Huber. It took you long enough. Did you lose Maria along the way?”

  “No, I just had to sure that no immigration officials got into their heads to stop me. She’s a very valuable cargo. Do you want to talk to her?”

  “Do you want me to talk to her?”

  “Oh, yes,” he said softly. “I’ve been waiting for it. But you might not understand her, she keeps crying. Imagine that. And we’ve hardly started.”

  “Really?” She tried to keep her voice without expression. “What have you been doing to her?”

  “Just a few slaps to keep her in line. I haven’t broken anything yet. I’m saving that for when I have you as an audience. She’s not nearly as tough as you were at Sazkar. I heard wonderful reports about that first month you were there.”

  “I was fifteen. She’s only eight. It makes a difference.”

  “Maybe she’ll get better with experience. She’ll have the opportunity for a good deal of that soon. I believe she’s prettier than you, but then, I never liked redheads. But my men won’t care. There’s something exciting about taking a child … Here she is. Now do give her words of comfort. Even if it’s lies.”

  “He lied, Dr. Rachel. I’m not crying.” Maria’s voice was throaty and shaking, but she was clearly trying to hold herself together. “But those men hit my mama, and they said they killed her. Did they tell the truth?”

  “She’s hurt badly, and she can’t talk, but she’s not dead. She’d want you to be strong. She always told me how strong you are, Maria.”

  “I don’t feel strong.” Her voice had dropped to a whisper. “I’m scared. They’re bad men. They hurt me.”

  “Very bad.” What could she say to her? What had she learned? “But you only have to be brave one minute at a time. Then you just go away to some place deep inside and don’t come out until it’s over. Can you do that? It’s what your mama would want for you.”

  “I’ll try, Dr. Rachel. Can you come and get me?”

  She did not answer. “Just one minute at a time, Maria. That will help you. I’m thinking about you and your mama.”

  “But that last answer was unsatisfactory for both of us, Rachel.” Huber was suddenly back on the line. “I didn’t want you to make her stronger. I’ll only have to break her down again. And aren’t you going to fly to her rescue? That’s what this is all about, you know.”

  “You’re asking me to sacrifice my own life for Maria’s. Would you do that? I don’t think so.”

  “But you’re a bleeding heart. And you know what she’ll have to go through. I believe you’ll come around to my way of thinking. Maybe I’ll decide to make it quick for you this time.”

  “And pigs can fly. The mere reason that I do know would make me never go through that again. I’m not that much of a bleeding heart. I learned my lesson.”

  “Is that why you fly around with all those doctors and act like some kind of saint? I think I’ve got you, Rachel.” His voice lowered to a guttural hiss. “Make a decision. It’s your fault that you decided to kill my father. This little girl wouldn’t have been involved if you hadn’t done that. Are you going to let her pay for your crime against my father? I don’t believe you could take that kind of guilt, Mother Teresa.”

  “First, I’m a murderer, then I’m a saint? Make up your mind.”

  “No, you make up your mind.” His voice was suddenly harsh with anger. “This is bullshit. I’
m tired of this game. I’m the one who gives the orders. I’ll have you regardless of what you do, and it will be my way. I’ll give you until nine tonight to meet my helicopter pilot and let him bring you here to me. I’d like to have you even sooner, but you’ll still be with me for the grand celebration. But I’ve decided that I won’t start on the little girl before I have you here with me. I want you to see what I’m going to do to her. I’ll start with breaking fingers, then go on to more interesting parts of the body. You’ll both die, Rachel, and it will be terrible because you also forced me to take her as well.” He paused. “Are you listening? You killed a great man. Now you’ll give your life in return.”

  “I killed a beast. And I would have killed you, too, if I’d had the opportunity.”

  “I’m sure you’ll still try, you little viper. Nine, Rachel.”

  He pressed the disconnect.

  She had to sit very still and do as she’d told Maria. Go deep inside and don’t come out for a moment.

  “Rachel.”

  She shook her head. “Not … yet.”

  He sat there quietly. Not moving.

  Two minutes passed, then she was able to function again. “Thank you.” She drew a deep breath. “It’s very … difficult. He brings back too much. I can’t let him see it, or he’d run right over me.”

  “I guarantee you didn’t let him run over you today,” he said quietly.

  “But I didn’t get what I needed from him. I was trying to make sure that he thought he had to give me time because I was afraid and reluctant. I’ve got to buy as much time as I can.” She shrugged helplessly. “Because it’s running out, isn’t it? We’ve got to fight for every minute. Maybe I’ll think of something else to do, but it’s so hard, Brandon. He thinks he has the upper hand. He knows what they did to me. He’d know how afraid I’d be. But I hoped I’d be able to stall him longer than nine tonight.” She opened the car door and jumped out. “But I didn’t, so we’d better get busy. We’ve exhausted most of our options. Lord, I was hoping that Claire would be able to give us that Red Star location.”