Deadly Echoes

by Philip Donlay

  “What if Garrick gets caught before you can get to him?” Lauren said. “He’ll tell the world who you really are. What then?”

  “I don’t think Garrick has any intentions of going back to prison. He’ll either fight to the death or run, but he won’t be captured.”

  “Who else is coming with me to run all the equipment back here?”

  “No one. I was hoping you could manage all of it yourself. We’ve automated a great deal of the control functions. We can set it up to route all of the data to one central command station. Michael can bring you up to speed, plus you already know your way around the back of an Eco-Watch Gulfstream.”

  Lauren knew she’d go on the mission, that was a given, she was the logical choice and she knew how to operate the equipment. Over the last few years, thanks to being married to the director of Eco-Watch, she’d had unofficial access to the design elements and installation.

  “I’m going to call Buck. I need to brief him about the press and let him know our plans for tomorrow. And, Lauren,” Donovan said as she got up and stood in the aisle, “I’m glad you’re here.”

  Lauren smiled, nodded, then turned away and her smile vanished. She fully understood that she was on a plane with her estranged husband and his new lover. The moment Donovan didn’t deny that he’d slept with Erica, then took the subject off the table, she knew it had already happened. God, he’d only known the woman for two days. Lauren walked into the forward VIP section past Erica who sat with her head back and eyes closed. She was about to enter the cockpit when she heard Erica call her name.

  “Dr. McKenna,” Erica said gently, “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

  “No,” Lauren replied as she stopped and turned. “I was going up front to talk to Michael. What can I help you with?”

  “Can we talk?” Erica gestured to the empty seat across the aisle. “Please.”

  Lauren sat and waited. If this woman had something to say to her, there was no reason to make it easy.

  “I can tell you don’t like me very much, and if the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t like me much either. I’ve spent a few days with Donovan, under the most trying of circumstances and while it’s no big secret he’s been through hell, I think you should know that your husband still loves you very much.”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but that’s never been the problem.”

  “My only intention here was to tell you woman to woman, that your husband is still in love with you. I’m not a threat.”

  “Did he tell you that before or after you screwed him? And just for the record, I never thought you were a threat to anything but his life,” Lauren replied with a smile. She couldn’t believe that this young woman had the gall to sleep with her husband and then offer him back as some sort of gift.

  “I think we’re set,” Donovan made himself heard as he came up the aisle. “Buck and I have a plan in place for when we arrive in Anchorage.”

  “Let’s hear it,” Lauren said, angry after her exchange with Erica.

  Donovan explained that Lauren would deplane immediately after landing and go with Buck. He and Erica would remain hidden aboard the da Vinci and leave only after the press had departed and their exit could go unobserved. When he and Erica finally slipped away from the airport, they would be free to continue their hunt for Garrick, who would have no idea they were in Alaska.

  Lauren listened, and while her rational brain understood that her scientific capabilities were in demand, her emotions couldn’t ignore the message: other than that, her presence here wasn’t required—or even welcomed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The da Vinci touched down at Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage at a little past six in the evening. It was overcast and raining. The da Vinci taxied to the general aviation ramp and came to a stop. Donovan listened as Michael shut down both of the engines. The air-stair door was lowered, and Buck was the first one into the cabin. He said a quick hello to Michael and Lauren, then made his way aft to where Donovan and Erica waited.

  “I’ll make this quick,” Buck said. “There are three media trucks outside taping our arrival. We’re at Signature Flight Support. None of the ground crew will be allowed aboard the airplane. They’re going to put the airplane into a hangar once Lauren and I leave. Not long after that, Michael and Scott will leave as well. At the rear of the hangar is a door that leads to a small parking lot. It’s between two buildings so no one should spot you. Here are the keys to a blue Ford Explorer as well as keys to your rooms at the Hotel Captain Cook downtown. We’re all on the nineteenth floor of tower three. You’re in the Crow’s Nest suites, numbers four and five. I have men posted throughout the hotel so we’re as safe as we can be.”

  “Before you go, what’s Lauren’s room number?”

  “She’s in suite number two, I’m in suite one.”

  Donovan nodded his thanks just as Michael shut down the auxiliary power unit and all of the lights went out. Buck grabbed Lauren’s suitcase, hurried back up the aisle, and went down the steps. With all the shades pulled, the only light came from the cockpit windows.

  Donovan watched as Michael finished the postflight checklist and gathered his luggage from the front closet. Donovan thanked Scott for filling in on such short notice. Michael stepped in and asked if Scott had all of his belongings, then asked the freelance pilot if he would go outside to monitor the ground crew.

  “You sure you know what you’re doing?” Michael asked, making direct eye contact with Donovan. “I mean, about all of this?”

  As usual, Michael was mixing business and personal aspects to pose a question that probed at several levels. Donovan knew his friend well enough to know that anything he asked came from a good place. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  “Okay, see you later.” When Michael departed the airplane, he closed the door leaving Donovan and Erica alone. The interior was dark and deathly quiet.

  “I can’t tell you how happy I am that everyone is finally gone.” Erica loosened her hair from its ponytail. “That was a little intense.”

  “What part?”

  “Well, that last exchange with Michael was all about us, and his lack of approval. Right?” Donovan shrugged his agreement, and she continued, “Then that earlier chat with your wife was more than a little stressful.”

  “In what way?” Donovan said as a loud bang sounded from the front of the plane.

  “What was that?”

  “They’re hooking up the tow bar, getting ready to push us into the hangar.” As if on cue the da Vinci began to move. “What did Lauren say to you?”

  “She accused me of screwing you.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “I should have told her the truth, that it was a spur-of-the-moment post-traumatic stress response and to deal with it,” Erica replied. “But I didn’t. How’s your arm feel?”

  “What did you say to her?”

  “I should look at your dressing while we have some time. I didn’t respond to her accusation. All I said to her was that you still loved her.” Erica rose from her seat and straddled Donovan, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the lips as she began to unbutton his shirt. “You sit still, I’ll do the work.”

  Donovan felt the da Vinci rock to a stop inside the hangar. He listened as the line crew put chocks under the wheels and then unhooked the tug.

  Erica opened his shirt and carefully eased the fabric over his shoulder.

  “How are you going to see my arm?” Donovan said as the hangar doors slammed shut, leaving it almost completely dark inside the da Vinci.

  “I’ll check it afterward.”

  “We’re not doing this right now.”

  “We’ve got some time to kill. Sit back and relax.” Erica pulled her sweater over her head, her hair tumbling down onto her shoulders. She reached around to unfasten her bra, but Donovan put his hands over hers to stop her.

  “What’s wrong?” Erica leaned closer and brushed his lips w
ith hers.

  “You like to initiate sex when you can control what happens, like it’s your prize and no one else’s.”

  Erica exhaled, pushed away from him, found her sweater, and stood in the aisle, getting dressed.

  Donovan buttoned his shirt and stood. “You don’t get told no very often, do you?”

  “I get it, the proximity to your wife and all,” Erica said as she put her hair back into a ponytail. “Either that or you’re the most arrogant man I’ve ever met.”

  “I’ll take that as a no.” Donovan went forward to the cockpit and scanned the hangar, carefully looking at each of the other planes for any sign of activity. After several minutes, he decided they were alone. He threw the handle on the air-stair. It unfolded and slowly extended to the ground. Wordlessly, Erica set their luggage near the door. Donovan grabbed their overnighters and carried them down to the hangar floor. The Gulfstream was parked in the corner. The door Buck told him to use was directly behind the tail.

  Erica was standing in the doorway, and as Donovan slid past, he said, “I’m going to take the luggage out to the rental car. I’ll be back in a minute for the rest of our things, then we’ll close up the plane.” Without waiting for a reply, he walked the short distance to the door that led outside. He stood there for a moment, squinting against the sudden brightness. He unlocked the Explorer, tossed their bags into the backseat, and then closed the door. A reflection in the window glass told him there was a woman standing behind him. Before Donovan could turn around, he took a powerful blow to his right kidney that dropped him to one knee. A kick in the back drove him into the cold metal of the Explorer and toppled him over onto his side. He looked up into a gun barrel that was pointed at his forehead. Beyond the muzzle was an attractive woman in blue jeans, boots, and a photographer’s vest. She had long, reddish hair, and when she removed her sunglasses, he found dark lethal eyes and a superior grin. Even with the wig, he knew it was Nikolett Kovarik.

  “Hello, Robert. Garrick sends his regards.”

  Donovan could taste blood in his mouth and he spat on the pavement as his greeting.

  “I read about your adventures in British Columbia and Washington. You came close to being caught, didn’t you? That would have been embarrassing. Who are you traveling with?”

  “No one,” Donovan said.

  “Don’t lie to me, Robert. You just put two bags in the backseat. One has a pink ribbon on the handle.”

  “How did you find me?” Donovan tried to stall. He knew the longer he was gone, the more impatient Erica would become until she burst out of the door. The moment Nikolett turned away, Donovan would make his play.

  “You do know it’s relatively easy to track an airplane’s movements if you know the registration number. I saw that the plane stopped in Seattle, which is in the general vicinity of where you’ve been. I’ve been here for a while, watched your security guy move cars around, and when you didn’t get off the plane with your wife, I knew where you’d be eventually. Now get up.” Nikolett gestured with the barrel of her gun. “Garrick doesn’t want me to kill you, but I have significant latitude in how much pain I can inflict.”

  Donovan had no doubt that she was dangerous with or without her pistol. He rose to his feet and fought off the unsteady feeling in his legs from the attack. She stepped aside to allow Donovan a clear path to the door into the hangar.

  “I’m right behind you. Do anything stupid, I’ll put a bullet in your good leg.”

  As Donovan hobbled to the door, the entire right side of his torso felt battered. He pulled it open, hoping Erica would see Nikolett and react, instead of blindly arriving at her own murder. The darkness made vision impossible for a few seconds. As his eyes adjusted, he heard Erica moving to his right, and his expectations plummeted.

  “Where have you been?” Erica called out. “I was about to come and find you.”

  Without hesitation Donovan planted his left foot to make his move, but with martial arts precision, Nikolett delivered a vicious blow to his ribs that rendered him speechless. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t find any air in his lungs as he crumpled to the hangar floor.

  “Donovan!” Erica called out as she ran closer.

  When Erica was ten paces away, she spotted Nikolett. Donovan could do nothing but watch as she abruptly stopped, unsure what to do.

  “Don’t move,” Nikolett aggressively closed the distance, leading with the barrel of her pistol and freezing Erica until the muzzle was three feet away from Erica’s forehead. Nikolett studied Erica’s face until the recognition registered, and then in a blur of motion, she threw a single jab to Erica’s throat. The blow stunned Erica, dropping her to both knees, a look of painful resignation on her face. Nikolett threw two more punches and crumpled Erica onto her back.

  Erica raised herself up on one elbow, leaned over, and emptied the contents of her stomach onto the hangar floor. Donovan winced as she gagged and choked in the process, her groans of agony echoing through the rafters.

  “That will pass, as will the inability to talk. Focus on breathing,” Nikolett said. She turned to Donovan. “I’m suddenly starting to understand a great many things. Erica somehow survived the business at the clinic, found you, and is the new object of your affection. You and your wife are separated. It’s why she and your daughter were living in Paris. Have you told Erica who you are?”

  “She doesn’t need to know,” Donovan said.

  “Oh, but I think she does.” Nikolett turned to Erica. “I’d like to introduce you to the world famous billionaire, Robert Huntington, the man who killed Meredith Barnes.”

  Donovan’s eyes found Erica’s, her face clouded with confusion as she processed what she’d heard.

  Erica spoke first, her voice raspy and forced. “Is it true?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does your wife know?”

  “It’s why she left me.”

  “I won’t,” Erica replied, her eyes wide and unblinking.

  Donovan was caught off guard by the intensity of Erica’s words. Was she acting? Was it for Nikolett’s benefit or an admission about how she really felt?

  “Oh, you’re leaving him.” Nikolett pulled a snap-tie from one of the many pockets in her vest, pointed the gun at Erica’s face, and ordered her to roll over and put her hands behind her back. Erica complied, and the tie was looped around her wrists and pulled snug. “The fact that you’re alive is an oversight on my part. I assumed that the young blond your Viktor was with at the time he died was you. I was wrong. Obviously, you’d already been replaced. It was not a big loss. When I seduced the doctor, I found him to be a piggish, selfish lover.”

  “You bitch,” Erica gurgled.

  “The people who tried to kill us in California,” Donovan asked. “Was that you?”

  “No. You’ve obviously made many enemies in the last few days,” Nikolett replied. “Your turn, roll over.”

  On his stomach, with Nikolett’s knee planted in the small of his back, Donovan made eye contact with Erica and found nothing but resignation mixed with fear.

  “Up!” Nikolett ordered and forced Donovan to his knees, then finally to his feet by pulling on the snap-tie fastened securely around his wrists. With the gun pressed into his back, she marched him up the stairs of the da Vinci and prodded him to the rear of the plane where she sat him down at one of the science stations. Using two more snap-ties she secured him to the chair.

  “Someone will come along eventually.” Nikolett stepped away from him. “Until then, imagine what we’re doing to Erica.”

  The moment Nikolett left, Donovan struggled against his restraints until his wrists were raw. His phone began ringing, but there was no way to answer. As hard as he’d tried, he couldn’t get free. His only hope was someone would finally come into the hangar.

  He was still trying to process what Erica had said to him. Either she’d thrown up a smokescreen to get Nikolett to forget about Lauren, or she’d meant the words she’d said. She was convincing enough t
hat he didn’t know what she’d intended. The more urgent problem was that Erica was there while Buck had given them the hotel and room number where Lauren was staying. He had no doubt that Nikolett was adept at extracting information. At the thought of either Lauren or Erica being hurt, the blind anger at his helplessness gave way to another massive effort to pull free, ending in pain and the warm trickle of blood oozing down his hands.

  Donovan thought he heard the sound of a door being opened in the hangar. He controlled his breathing and listened.

  “Donovan!” a voice called out.

  Michael’s voice, Donovan felt an immense relief wash over him as he yelled as loud as he could. “In here! Michael, I’m in the airplane!” His shouts were rewarded by the unmistakable sound of footsteps hurrying up the air-stair. Michael and someone else he’d never seen rushed to the back of the plane. Michael opened a compartment, pulled out a small tool kit, then knelt to get at Donovan’s wrists. The other man opened his windbreaker, drew his weapon, and moved to the door of the da Vinci.

  “Who’s your friend?”

  “Jason. Buck hired him. He’s ex-Special Forces.”

  “How long since we landed?” Donovan asked.

  “Almost two hours. What in the hell happened?” Michael asked as he snipped the restraints from Donovan’s wrists.

  “Nikolett, the woman who tried to kill Lauren in Paris, she was here. She kidnapped Erica.” Donovan pulled out his cell phone, ignored his bloody fingers, and dialed Lauren’s cell.

  “Where are you?” Lauren said as she answered. “Michael’s looking for you.”

  “He just found me. Nikolett was here. She took Erica. Find Buck and tell him you’re in danger.”

  “I’m with Buck now. Hang on. I’m handing him the phone.”

  “Donovan, where are you? Are Michael and Jason with you?”

  “They’re here, so was Nikolett. She took Erica, so she probably knows where you are.”

  “We’re on the move now!” Buck shot back. “We’ll call you later with a rendezvous point. Tell Jason backup is en route, but for the time being get the hell out of there.”