Lisa stooped and pulled the little girl into a hug. “Not even for a minute, sweetie. These men will keep us very safe."
"I expect we'll be back up in a few minutes,” Garrett told Frank. “You know the drill. Nobody in or out."
He set the alarm before opening the front door, leaving a fifteen second window for himself and Jake to get outside. They walked slowly down the driveway to the gate where the man waited calmly in his SUV. Another of Ethan's men was standing just inside the gate, his gun in plain sight. Garrett pressed a button in one of the pillars to open the small walk-through gate and he and Frank each stood on one side of the SUV.
"I don't believe Mr. Caine was expecting you, was he?” he asked the man.
"No.” The man was completely unfazed. “He wasn't. I took a chance that he might be here. I was told he might be able to help me with a case I'm working on. He came highly recommended."
"Exactly who told you that?” Garrett kept his voice deceptively mild. “Who's your reference?"
"I'd rather tell Caine that myself.” His eyes looked directly into Garrett's, giving nothing away.
"Mr. Caine isn't here at the moment, so maybe you could tell us what you want and we can check with him when he gets back."
"Exactly when will that be?"
"We don't discuss Mr. Caine's timetable,” Frank said from the other side. “I'd like to know who gave you this address and told you to contact Mr. Caine."
"I told you.” There wasn't even the slightest tremor in the man's body. “I'll tell Caine myself."
Damn, this guy's good, Garrett thought. He's as cold as Ethan. Wonder if they actually know each other? Well, even so. Orders are orders. No one gets in without the boss's personal okay.
"Well.” Garrett shifted just enough for his shoulder holster to be visible. “That won't get you a ticket through the gate. I'm sorry you wasted your time. Why don't you give me your cell phone number and I can have Mr. Caine call you?"
The man in the SUV stared hard at him for a long time, then moved his gaze to take a visual sweep of the entire area. Garrett could almost see him clicking off every detail in his mind, like a camera taking shot after shot.
He's looking for something. Or someone.
He'd have to tell the boss about this right away, and call some of the guys in for added protection.
Then the man dropped his gaze, as if he'd made a decision about something.
"Perhaps you can help me after all. The person I'm really looking for is a man named Dino Brancuzzi. A client is very anxious to get in touch with him. I understand he and Mr. Caine are close friends."
Holy shit! The boss will have a stroke when I tell him this guy asked for Dino.
"I don't really think I can give you any information,” he told the man in an uninflected voice. “I think you'd better tell your client he needs to look elsewhere. You need to back up now, and head down the road."
Garrett was reminded of the staring contests he used to have as a kid in grade school. Only this man was no kid and he'd hate to lose a contest of any kind to him.
"All right,” he said at last. “Perhaps you could give me a number where I can reach Mr. Caine."
Garrett stood back and motioned Frank to do the same. “Sorry. We only take referrals and usually that person calls us ahead of time. If you get going right now, you can beat most of the traffic."
The man looked as if he wanted to say something else, then turned the ignition and backed around. In a moment, he was heading back down the driveway.
"Not good,” Frank told Garrett, coming to stand beside him.
"Not good at all.” Garrett used his radio to call the house and tell them to keep everyone inside. Then he called the dormitory where people slept when they were training, or working on a project for Caine, and ordered everyone out to guard duty. Finally he unhooked his cell phone and punched the button that speed-dialed Ethan's phone.
"What?” Ethan asked when the connection went through.
Oh, oh. If he's not in a good mood now, he's gonna be in a worse one in a minute.
"Are you on your way home?” Garrett asked. “Because I think we've got trouble."
* * * *
"Well, it went about like I expected,” Grant said into the cell phone.
"So you got nowhere."
Mac's voice was edged with impatience. He'd been fending off calls all morning from the other members of the ‘organization', not just the core group. Everyone was on edge, wanting results. Wanting things resolved. Wanting the missing pieces found before the new shipment arrived. He snorted. Like he could just wave a magic wand and make it happen.
"Listen. They said he wasn't there, and it was hard to tell if that was the truth. These guys could lie under torture. And that compound is something else. Jesus, Mac. That place is a fortress. I eyeballed everything I could but there's some heavy muscle around that place. If Jennifer Sutherland is there she's well protected. They could keep her there forever."
"But anyone can get nervous,” Mac pointed out. “Anyone will make changes if they think their security is compromised. Even the great Ethan Caine."
"Are you sure this was the right thing to do?"
"You'll have to trust me on this. We needed to do something to nudge them along.” Silence thrummed along the connection for a moment. “Is there some place you can park that you won't be seen where you can still get a good view of the place?"
"Negative. Down the road a mile or so maybe, but not in sight of the compound. Caine must have the last piece of isolated property in this part of Florida. They've got cameras and guards all around the property and I don't doubt a good sensor system, too. Why?"
"I'd really like to know for sure if he'd hiding the woman and the child there or if he's sent them to his friend. Or even somewhere else. If we could grab the kid we could force the woman to talk."
Grant snorted. “I'd have an easier time getting into the White House to assassinate the president.” He threaded his way through the increasing traffic. “I'm on my way to the Keys now. I have a reservation on a plane leaving in two hours and a rental there waiting for me."
"No.” Mac's answer was clipped. “Not yet. Change it. If you can't get close to the place by car, do a helicopter flyover. In fact, do it more than once."
"You think they won't notice a bird in their air space?"
"I hope they do,” Mac told him. “Maybe that's what we need for some action. If he's hiding the woman and the kid there and he thinks there's danger from the air, he may feel compelled to move them. Then we can act."
"You really think they'd move someone from such a secure facility?"
"I told you.” Mac's voice was angry and irritated. “If they think they can be breached, and invasion from the air is the way to do it, they might change plans."
"I hope to God you're right, because I don't have a good feeling about this."
"We can't afford to sit and wait any longer,” Mac snapped. “Okay, I'm going to give you a number to call. Ask for Jimmy. He'll fix you up with a helicopter and also get a man in position to monitor traffic in and out of the compound without being seen. Let's see if we can shake things up."
"You want me to drive back to Caine's place after the flyover?"
"Negative. You ride in the helo. I want you to watch from the air to see what happens. You can give your guy on the road a heads up. Call me when it's taken care of."
"You know I've never questioned anything you asked me to do, no matter what it was. But I have to tell you, I think you're making a mistake here."
"We're running out of time and options,” Mac said. “It's time to take some chances."
"This is costing you some bucks, you know."
"Spend whatever you have to. Just force that woman out in the open."
* * * *
"No, I'm not home yet.” Ethan's voice was cold and sharp. “I cancelled my return ticket and chartered a plane. We just left Washington."
"You don't sound happy.” Din
o kept his own voice level and calm, trying not to alarm Jennifer, but he could tell that more trouble was cooking.
"That's definitely an understatement. Don't repeat any of this to Jen, okay?"
Dino forced himself to smile. “Whatever you say, E. I'm yours to command."
"Good. Keep it light like that. I got a call a few minutes ago from Sean Garrett, the man I left in charge at the house."
Dino's stomach clenched. Please don't let this be about Deanne or Ethan's family.
"What did he have to say?"
"A stranger pulled up to the gate a while ago asking for me. You know we don't get casual visitors. Even when Jamie has friends over—carefully selected friends, I might add—we always know ahead of time who it is."
"Yes, of course."
Dino kept his gaze on Jen. She had gone back to working on the laptop, her lower lip tugged between even white teeth.
God, she's becoming more and more a part of me.
"Garrett and one of the other men did their routine,” Ethan went on. “Asked who sent him. All the usual crap. Of course he gave away nothing. But nobody comes to see any of us now without a referral. And Dino?"
"Yeah?"
"He also asked about you.
Dino swore softly under his breath. “Does this connect in some way with your trip to D.C.?"
"Damn right it does.” Ethan's anger vibrated over the connection. “I spent two hours with the director himself. Someone with a lot of money and some goddamn big heavy clout—no, he didn't tell me who—bypassed him altogether and got our files dug up and opened."
"Shit.” The word slipped out before Dino could think. He saw Jen's head snap up, and he shook his head, mouthing, Deanne's fine. She dropped her eyes back to the keyboard but he saw the worry line creasing her forehead.
"Shit is right,” Ethan agreed. “That's obviously how this guy got my address. And whatever other information's been passed along to him. The director's called a meeting with all his key personnel, and after that he's going to the president. There are protocols in place to prevent this kind of thing and we can't have senators, or whoever, running over them. But the initial damage is already done."
"So where are we now?"
"Guards are doubled at my house. You need to watch out for visitors in your neighborhood, too. I think they're trying to force us to do something stupid."
"They don't know us very well, do they?"
"No, but we just might do our own thing to force their hand. Is Mike still there? I want him to pick me up when I land."
"He's here. He stayed on the boat last night, but he called a while ago and said we had a curiosity-seeker."
"Tell Mike to find a way to get rid of him and get his ass up here. Then pack Jen up and take her out on the boat. Keep changing locations. Call me when you're away from the marina and situated on the water."
"Done.” He disconnected the call and gathered his wits for a moment before looking at Jen.
"It's okay,” she told him. “I know it's bad news. As long as Deanne's okay, though, that's all that's important. So tell me what Ethan had to say."
He didn't pull any punches. He'd come to realize that whatever the truth—any truth—Jen would find a way to handle it. He repeated what Ethan had told him, reassuring her that the Caine compound was very well guarded and Ethan would assure Deanne's safety.
"But we have to get moving. Remember I mentioned we might be living on the water for a while? Okay, the time's here. Pull your things together, just whatever you absolutely need."
She laughed. “I didn't come with all that much, Dino. That should be easy."
"All right. I have some things to do. We'll be leaving here shortly. And save everything on your laptop. We'll be taking both computers with us."
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Twelve
"My head is spinning,” Jen said as Dino helped her onto the boat. “I can hardly believe all of this."
"Believe it,” Dino told her. “But don't worry about it. Everything's being taken care of."
Dino packed everything they were taking, including the laptops, in a huge wicker picnic basket and a cooler. They had enough provisions on board to last until tomorrow when they'd stop at some out of the way port to get supplies. The tricky part was getting Jen on board without anyone seeing her. He called someone named Angel who was obviously an old friend, and in an hour a panel truck with a sign on the side reading, “Carey's Marine Service", pulled into the driveway.
Scanning the street to make sure there weren't any strange eyes on them, he ushered Jen into the van, made brief introductions, then told her to crawl into the big crate in the back.
"Just in case someone's still watching at the marina,” Dino said. “Angel's truck has been there before making pickups and deliveries, so it won't wave any red flags."
Jen raised an eyebrow. “Did you have such wonderful accommodations for your other ‘guests?’”
"No, pretty lady,” Angel told her, grinning. “This one is special for you."
Then all smiles disappeared as Angel and Dino closed the rear doors. Angel climbed into the front seat and pulled out into the street, Dino right behind him in his SUV.
When they reached the marina, Angel trundled the carton down the pier on a dolly. Mike had called to say he'd gotten rid of their unwanted visitor and not to ask him any details. But Dino agreed he should stay with the boat until he and Jen got there. Now he helped lift the package on board, then the three men carried it down the stairs to the salon. Opening the top, Dino helped Jen out and grinned at her.
"Slick as a whistle,” he told her.
"I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry,” she told him, rewrapping her ponytail and brushing off her tank top and shorts. “But at least I'm here."
Dino shook hands with Angel who touched his fingers to his forehead and jogged up the steps, whistling. Mike helped Dino break down the carton and stash it away
"I guess I need to get going,” Mike said, taking the duffel of money Dino handed him.
"Yeah. Ethan wants you to pick him up and you don't have much time."
"I know. He called just before you got here and told me to get my ass into the chopper and up in the air."
"He told you what's going on up there, right?” Dino asked.
"Yes. He did.” Mike's face was grim.
Dino shook his head. “Not good."
"No kidding. He said to remind you to call him as soon as you're out on the water. I'll help you cast off, then I'm outta here."
"Okay. Thanks, Mike.” Dino turned back to Jen. “How about unpacking all our stuff while I get us out of here? I don't want you up on deck until we're well away from prying eyes."
"No problem. I'll take care of it."
She heard the rumble of the big engines as they kicked into life, felt the vibrations beneath her feet and in moments the big boat began its movement away from the marina. She busied herself putting their clothes away in the master bedroom, mostly hers, since Dino apparently kept a wardrobe on board. Then she unpacked the files and yellow pads, and set up both laptops on the table in a corner of the salon.
To keep herself from thinking about Deanne and what might be happening in Tampa, she logged onto the laptop she'd been using. Dino had a very expensive satellite hookup so accessing the Internet wasn't a problem. She found the yellow pad with her notes on it and went back to doing searches on the museum board. When Dino finally came below an hour later she was scribbling as fast as she could and trying to contain her excitement.
"You found something,” he guessed, grinning at her.
"Maybe.” She rolled her shoulders and flexed the fingers of her right hand. “Sit down and let me tell you. Then you can decide if I've hit something or not."
"We're anchored for a while. Let me get us each a cold beer and you can dazzle me with your research."
Despite his casual tone, Jen detected a note of excitement in his voice, too. She didn't know where they could go wit
h their information, but finally, finally she thought they were making some headway.
* * * *
"What now, jefe?” Mike asked.
Ethan was pacing in his den, Sean Garrett standing to the side. He'd called Mike from the plane, learned he was almost to Tampa and had him stop to pick him up. They'd landed fifteen minutes ago and Frank had left with another agent to pick up Ethan's car.
"Let me think a minute.” Garrett had filled him in on everything to date and he wasn't a happy camper.
"I printed out the pictures from the camera,” Garrett told him. “I've got someone down at the barn running it through facial recognition software. He said he'll call and send it up here to your computer as soon as he has something."
"I knew there was a reason I never liked politics,” he raged. “Damn politicians don't ever care whose lives they put in jeopardy as long as they can curry favor and get re-elected."
"You don't think one of our clients might have sent him?” Garrett asked.
"Hell, no. They all know the rules. Even the government agencies we work for. They'd call first and get clearance to do it."
"So you were right. Someone's trying to jog us into doing something. But what?"
"Maybe moving Jennifer LaCroix or Deanne to a different location. Make us think they aren't safe here. You haven't let anyone out of the house, right?"
"On your orders. And they've been very good about it. Jamie's got the little girl in his room playing video games.” He grinned. “And Mrs. Caine is baking cookies."
Ethan smiled back at him. Lisa was actually a practicing attorney specializing in family law, but since their marriage she'd shifted most of her case load to her two partners. They were happy for the extra income and she enjoyed doing what she referred to as ‘normal’ things at home. In her first marriage nothing was normal. Baking cookies was something she enjoyed and also a great stress reliever.
"Well,” Ethan said. “How lucky for all of us.” He started to say something else, then cocked his head, listening. “Do you hear that?” he asked after a moment.
Sean concentrated, then nodded. “Sounds like a chopper."
Last Ride on the Merry-go-round Page 17
