Chapter One

by Judith Rochelle

  At the far end of the hall another set of doors opened automatically. The gurney was rolled through it and, once again, Quinn was left behind in the antiseptic-smelling corridor. He didn’t even hear Jake come up behind him until he spoke.

  “I called my office and gave them an update on Kate’s situation. The cops have moved to recovery, although I don’t think the nurses are too excited about it. Lane called the hospital administrator, who should be in his office by now. Let’s go hunt him up.”

  “I want to wait until they move Kate to a room.”

  “That will be at least two hours, Ace. They’ll let us know when it happens. Come on, buddy. You can’t do her any good standing here.”

  Quinn stared at the doors through which Kate had disappeared, unwilling to move and be somehow disconnected from her. Then, reluctantly, he turned and followed Jake to the elevator.

  Chapter Nineteen

  When the phone at Esai Osuna’s house rang shortly after midnight, the message cryptic and urgent, he and Peter raced to a condo on the far north side of San Antonio, knowing all hell was about to break loose.

  Everything had turned to shit. Salazar had dropped Pendera’s lifeless body in the dumpster and positioned himself in the garage. But then he’d shot the girl by mistake, before they could get the flash drive, wring every drop of information out of her and then dispose of her.

  Pendera’s body was likely to be found any moment and Salazar was somewhere on the loose. The girl was either dead or dying, and in any event, surrounded by so much protection a fly couldn’t get through.

  And it was a certainty the feds had the all-important flash drive. The one thing that could sink them if they didn’t work fast.

  The cartel operations had now literally ground to a standstill. The key players were gathered for a council of war at the home of the leader who had returned to San Antonio filled with wrath. Miguel had flown in on his jet from Florida and was staying in one of the guest suites at el jefe’s condo. Now Peter and Esai had been summoned to join the happy group.

  Peter wondered, if he closed his eyes and wished very hard as he’d done when he was a young child, would he be transported to another place where none of what was happening was real.

  A tall, striking woman, jet black hair swept back in a French twist, lips a bright slash of scarlet, smoked furiously as she paced the thick carpet in the lavish living room. The air was heavy with rage and frustration. She stared viciously at Peter.

  He stared back, said simply, “Hello, Mother,” and tried to make himself invisible.

  “I can’t imagine what possible explanation there can be for this fiasco.” Eva Osuna Fleming Gallagher Holt’s voice was cold and hard, her eyes filled with rage as she looked around the room, her gaze staying on each person for a fraction of a second before moving on to the next.

  “There is none.” Esai Osuna looked as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. “Your son lost the girl, and the feds have the flash drive, also thanks to Peter. I don’t imagine things could be any worse.”

  “You know this isn’t all my fault,” Peter protested. “I tracked the car and pinpointed the area she was in. Can I help it if the incompetents you people sent out there couldn’t find her in such a small area?”

  “That does not change the fact that the government now has the flash drive with all the details of our operation.”

  “The drive is encrypted,” Peter reminded them. He was sure he’d repeated the same words a thousand times over the past few days. “I wrote the code myself. It won’t be one they can break.”

  “Don’t delude yourself,” Eva told him. “Today the government has cryptologists who can break any code ever written. We just have to hope it takes them long enough that we can restructure first. The physical process is already underway. When they start looking for money and merchandise, they’ll find nothing but empty warehouses and bank accounts with zero balances.”

  “I think we all need to step back a bit and take a deep breath,” Peter told her. “Stop pointing fingers at each other. That doesn’t do a damn bit of good.” God, anything to shut her up. He was getting tired of being the evening’s whipping boy.

  “Peter, in case the degree of your stupidity has escaped you, let me spell it out for you.” She lit a cigarette and blew out a thin stream of smoke. “You of all people know the lengths we went to in creating a dummy corporate structure that mimics a multi-national operation. It allows us to move goods and supplies and exchange money all under the guise of corporate business. People might suspect but there was no way to prove anything.”

  “Yes,” he interjected, “but—”

  “I’m not finished.” She inhaled another lungful of smoke and blew out a thin stream. “Now, in a blink, all of that has changed. I wouldn’t think you’d need me to point this out to you. Every bank account we set up so painstakingly. Every supplier and distributor. Everything is on that little piece of technology you so stupidly left out in plain sight. Now we have to recreate everything from scratch.”

  “And that doesn’t include what could be our biggest problem,” Miguel added.

  Eva whipped around. “And what would that be?”

  “The people on the payoff list. When they discover they’ve been exposed, they might turn on us to save their own necks.”

  “Cristo!” She stubbed out her cigarette with vicious strokes. “Too bad we can’t kill them all. We’re exposed in a way I never thought we would be. Well, let’s start with the most important names and figure out how to handle them.”

  “I’ll take on that responsibility,” Miguel said. “I think we can safeguard most of them. The others will just have to be smart enough to keep their mouths shut.”

  “If you’ll just let me explain something,” Peter tried again.

  “There is nothing for you to explain. I am ashamed to think that a son of mine is so brainless he’s put us in this position.” She paced, her skirt swishing around her legs as she moved from one side of the room to another. “And the bodies that keep piling up in plain sight. Can no one carry out a simple assignment anymore? The fiascos in Charlotte and Los Angeles were bad enough, not to mention the library debacle. But what happened at the federal building is a disaster. We should have gotten rid of Salazar long ago.”

  Peter’s body was so tense with rage and anxiety he was afraid he’d snap in two. He watched his mother, wondering what the reaction would be if the world knew that this woman was the true brains and power behind their cartel? That it was her money that seeded it, her brilliant idea to create a phony law firm to cover all their activities? Her idea to educate the brightest sons and daughters of their distributors as lawyers to do the grunt work?

  He often wondered where the loyalties of the cartel ‘soldiers’ would lie in the event of a power struggle. Whose side would they be on? Esai’s? Miguel’s? Eva’s?

  Certainly not his. They’d seen to it that he had neither the power nor the presence for that.

  “At least Salazar also took care of Pendera,” Peter pointed out, wondering why he was defending a man he despised. “You can bet there’ll be a full scale rout in the prosecutor’s office tomorrow. Now we won’t have to worry about him cracking under the pressure.”

  “Pah!” She waved a hand in the air dismissively before lighting another cigarette. “Pendera was a flea. But now any chance at the female is lost. The data transporter is gone. All we have to show for our poor efforts is a string of dead bodies and a Herculean task ahead of us.”

  “Regardless, we need to get busy regrouping,” Esai said. “We still have an operation to run. We can’t just stand still.”

  Miguel turned to Eva. “How long do you think it will take before they are at our door with warrants in hand?”

  “I won’t even speculate. But I’m preparing for anything. Remember, they still have no idea I even exist, so this condo is our safest place.” She blew another stream of smoke. “Peter, you’ll be setting up shop in the den for the foreseeable futur
e.”

  “Here?” Please, no. He had to get out of here. He dug two antacid tablets from his pocket and tossed them in his mouth.

  “Meanwhile,” Eva said, ignoring him, “we’ll go about our business quietly. As long as the basic system still functions we’re in business, and no one will be the wiser.”

  “How will we keep track of things?” Miguel asked.

  “Peter can set up an encrypted file just to keep a running list. As he gets the new structure in place, he can plug in the information.”

  “And the people on the payoff list?”

  “I leave that in your hands, Miguel. Handle it however you see fit. Warn them. Eliminate them. Whatever works best and fastest. Peter, you’d better get started on this immediately. The new bank accounts are critical, as is the new structure that will surround them. A new business face that looks as innocuous as the other.”

  “Of course, Mother.” He made no effort to hide the sarcasm. “Whatever you say.”

  “This is your mess,” she spat at him. “Clean it up.”

  Peter said nothing, just poured himself a drink from the bar against the mirrored wall. What shocked him the most was the news that Kathryn had somehow hooked up with the legendary Quinn. How the hell had that happened? What an incredible piece of bad luck.

  How in God’s name had everything fallen apart like this? He’d had such a sweet deal. Now he saw his cherished lifestyle disappearing like a wisp of smoke. But he had an ace in the hole, which was why he was here rather than exiled to some godforsaken mud hole. He was the only one who could rebuild the corporate structure and encrypt everything.

  Pouring himself another drink, he quietly slipped out of the room into the den. Once he was finished with his ‘special assignments’, he absolutely had to find a way out of this.

  Chapter Twenty

  Roused from his home, hospital administrator David Fairchild was only too happy to help the U.S. Attorney any way he could. Lane Barton’s call to him had outlined the security measures the DOJ had in place and asked him to personally supervise everything in his operation. Now he was in his office, explaining the situation to Jake and Quinn.

  “Miss Griffin’s room is effectively sealed off from normal activity,” he told them. “Lane is sending over special private nurses, but I believe you already know that. They’ll be the only ones who’ll have access to whatever she needs. We’ll keep her chart in the room instead of with the other patients’, and DeWitt will be the only doctor to see her. Eliminates a lot of hospital traffic which might be a problem.”

  “Thanks.” Jake shook the administrator’s hand. “We can’t afford to take any chances with her. I want no information at the nurse’s station, nobody but our people in and out of this room.”

  “Understood. I’ll take care of it.”

  Quinn listened silently, making his own plans in his head.

  It was nearly two in the morning when Kate was ready to be transferred to a private room and was moved from recovery under heavy guard. Jake walked to her room with Quinn, satisfying himself that everything was in order. Two SAPD policemen stood guard grimly outside the door. Inside, a woman in blue and white hospital scrubs was waiting for them.

  “I’m Nancy Quayle,” she introduced herself. “I’ll be taking care of Miss Griffin. I do this a lot for the DOJ. Which one of you is Quinn?”

  “I am,” he said. “Why?”

  “I was told to let you know that I’m also a licensed federal agent.” She lifted her top slightly to show them a badge and a gun clipped to the waistband of her pants. “Your girl will be well guarded.”

  “That’s fine,” he said, his voice flat, “but I won’t be leaving this room and I have my own hardware.” Lane had arranged the okay on that.

  Nancy looked over at Jake.

  “He used to be with our office,” he told her. “It’s all right. Whatever he says, don’t argue with him. Maybe Lane forgot to mention that.”

  Her eyes widened just a fraction, then she turned to back to Quinn. “Fine. Just don’t get in the way of my taking care of my patient.”

  “No problem.”

  “There’s one more of us coming,” she informed him as she busied herself with Kate. “She’s also an agent. We’ll be taking twelve-hour shifts. Keeps the traffic down and limits access to Miss Griffin.”

  Jake touched Quinn’s arm. “All right, Ace, I’m going back to the office. There’s nothing more I can do here. I’ll come by in the morning to check on things.”

  “I want to know whatever you find out.”

  “Will do.”

  “I mean it, Jake,” he warned. “No keeping things from me.”

  “You have my word. See you in the morning.” Then he was gone.

  Nancy Quayle moved away from the bed. “You can come sit by her now if you want,” she told Quinn. “I’ll be checking her vitals and her IV regularly, and giving her meds, but I don’t think you’ll be in my way. Just move when I need you to.”

  “Thanks.”

  Quinn pulled a chair close to the bed, listening to the beep and whir of the monitors, his eyes following the drip of the life-giving fluids being pumped into Kate’s body. She seemed to be breathing a little easier. Her color hadn’t returned yet, but he knew that was as much from the surgery as the blood loss.

  He reached over to the hand that didn’t have anything attached to it and enfolded it in his. Her skin felt icy cold, and he wished he could transfer some of his body heat to her.

  Quinn hadn’t felt such murderous rage consume him for a long time. His first impulse had been to rush out, dig up his old contacts, and run to ground the people who had done this. But he couldn’t tear himself away from Kate. He had some crazy idea that just by holding onto her hand he could infuse life into her, speed the healing process.

  The pain that grabbed his heart when he’d seen her on the floor of the garage had not eased. He’d never forget the sight of her, small and crumpled with her blood oozing out of her body. At that moment he thought he’d died himself. It reminded him too much of another scene four years ago.

  But unlike Lisa, Kate was alive, even though she lay broken and bandaged. He couldn’t shake the feeling it was his fault, that bringing her into town had been a big mistake. He should have insisted Jake come back out to the house with Dean and Lane, and take care of business there. Then he could have swept Kate off somewhere to a hidey hole until the whole mess blew over.

  Some protector he was. He’d told her to trust him, given her his word that he’d take care of her, but so far he was doing a lousy job. If everyone had just taken her story about payoffs in the prosecutor’s office—and elsewhere—a little more seriously.

  Damn it to hell anyway.

  No more gambling with her life, he promised himself. When he got her out of here he’d tuck her away up in the hills until this was all over, no matter how long that took. He didn’t give a rat’s ass what the Department of Justice wanted. Trading off her life to make their case wasn’t an option.

  It shocked him to realize what an intricate part of his life she’d become in just a few short days. What he felt for her was so different than what he’d felt for Lisa. But just as good, he realized. Deeper, and stronger. Maybe because they’d both been through so much tragedy and disaster. He wanted Kate Griffin in his life. Forever. So he’d better take damn good care of her.

  Quinn dozed in the chair off and on as activity in the room ebbed and flowed around him. Kate roused once, but only to moan, and Nancy injected more pain medication into the IV.

  But as the blackness of night faded to predawn grey, the sound of her weak and raspy voice brought him awake at once.

  “Quinn?”

  He reached for her hand. “I’m here, darlin’. Right beside you.”

  “Hurts,” she whimpered.

  “I know. I’m so sorry.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “I’m not doing such a hot job taking care of you.”

  “Not...your fault.” She was struggling t
o get the words out.

  He leaned over and touched his lips to hers. “We can argue about that when you’re back to your old feisty self.”

  “Bullet...meant for you.”

  He’d hoped she wouldn’t realize that. “I’m too tough to kill.”

  “My fault. Brought...danger to you. That’s...why...didn’t want...tell you.”

  “Hush. I don’t want to hear that kind of talk.”

  She touched his hospital top with one finger. “Nice...outfit.”

  “I wore it just for you.” His heart turned over that her sense of humor could poke its way through her pain and trauma. “Can I get you something?”

  “Water. Mouth...so dry.”

  Nancy was there at once, holding a cup with ice chips and a small plastic spoon. “Feed her little spoonfuls of this, a tiny bit on her tongue, so it can wet her mouth. We don’t want to give her actual liquids yet, until we’re sure all the anesthesia’s out of her system. Vomiting won’t help her pain. Or the surgeon’s fancy stitch work.”

  “Okay.” He took the cup from her.

  “The doctor’s going to keep her heavily sedated for a day or two. Apparently they had to do a lot of digging around inside and she’ll really feel it.”

  “Do whatever you have to. I don’t want her in any more pain than necessary.”

  Each time she roused, Quinn fed her more ice chips, wiped her forehead, smoothed her hair away from her face. Her breathing still seemed labored, but Nancy assured him it was nothing unusual. Despite the heavy medication she was being given, her subconscious was registering the intense level of pain.

  At seven Nancy introduced him to Sharon Langford, the day-shift nurse, and the new guards on the door made themselves known as well. Except for Dr. DeWitt, that was the only traffic in and out of the room. David Fairchild had been as good as his word.

  At eight Jake arrived, freshly groomed, suit and shirt immaculate. But nothing could disguise the heavy circles under his eyes that bespoke a sleepless night. His face was almost as haggard as Quinn’s.