by Woods, Karen
“No,” the hateful electronically disguised voice said. “She’s not all right. But, I’ll let her live if you do exactly what I tell you.”
“Kidnapping is a little out of your normal mode of operation, isn’t it?” Geri demanded.
“Just do what I tell you or what happens to her will make your visit to San Diego fifteen years ago look like a skinned knee, Bitch,” the hateful voice said.
“You can go to hell,” Geri said fiercely and hung up the phone.
“He’s got Hilda,” Geri said quietly as the phone rang again.
Josh answered the phone.
“Listen, Bitch,” the electronically disguised voice said.
“What do you want now?” Josh demanded.
“That bitch Erikson.”
“Tough. That isn’t happening,” Josh said.
“Then your engineer dies.”
“That’s no surprise. You were planning on killing Hilda anyway,” Josh replied, his voice cold and measured. “You wouldn’t have taken her if you weren’t prepared to kill her. Nothing we would do now would change her fate.”
“If you will exchange Geri Erikson for the engineer, I’ll let the engineer go. You have my word on that.”
“The word of a murderer is worthless,” Josh said before he disconnected the call.
He looked at Geri. “Hilda is as good as dead, sweetheart. I’m sorry. But, we have to assume she is shortly going to be dead.”
“I know,” Geri replied, pain in her voice. “There’s little chance that he would release her.”
“What did he say to you to make you so angry?”
“That what will happen to Hilda will make what happened to me in San Diego look like a skinned knee.”
“How would Albert know about San Diego?” Josh demanded.
“I don’t know. I never talked about it.”
Josh took her hand. “You’re trembling, Geri.”
“What does he want?”
“You want to take three guesses? First two don’t count.”
“Trading me for Hilda.”
“I won’t allow it. So, don’t even think about it.”
“I wouldn’t think of suggesting it,” Geri said. “Chances are good he would kill Hilda anyway. Then there would be two of us dead.”
Josh nodded. “That’s right. I’m glad you understand this.”
“Oh, I understand it. But, I hate this.”
“I know that feeling.”
“This is doing to do terrible things to morale at the company.”
“We can deal with it.”
“I hope you’re right,” she replied on a sigh as Josh wrapped his arm around her.
“That makes two of us.”
Josh got back on the phone and dialed his brother-in-law. “It’s Josh. We have a situation.”
* * *
Josh’s black ops “friend”, Spider, John Spiderelli, arrived at the ranch just after dinner. He was a nondescript man, thoroughly average in appearance; average height, thin but not skinny, dark complexioned, dark hair, dark eyes. He would blend into the scenery in most of the world, at least until people looked into his eyes. The man reminded her of a jaguar— dark, stealthy, and definitely predatory. He had the eyes of a killer.
The man whom Josh called Spider spoke, “I have some news.”
“Step back to my office.”
Geri started to follow them.
“Sweetheart, I think I had better talk to Spider alone,” Josh said firmly.
Geri looked at him. “Don’t you think I have a stake in this as well?”
“She had better be in on this, Josh,” Spider said.
Josh was silent for a long moment. Geri could see that he wasn’t happy about this. He nodded, then headed for the den.
* * *
The bodyguards waited outside the closed door.
“Okay, Spider, what do you know?” Josh demanded,
The other man sighed. “You aren’t going to like this.”
Josh nodded. “Probably not. Tell me.”
“We found Brooks. He’s in California with his brother, who is terminal. The blood type matches his Navy records. The fingerprints are being compared as we speak. But, I’d lay money on it being the real Brooks.”
“Thank God,” Geri said. “At least, he’s safe for now.”
Josh nodded. “Okay. Now, what’s the bad news.”
Spider looked over to Geri. “Mrs. Sutherland, I think you had better sit down.”
“Just spill it,” Geri said.
“Did you know Delgado had a son?” Spider asked.
“I recall that,” Geri answered.
Josh took her hand and squeezed it before he released it. He looked at his friend, “Was Delgado close to the boy?”
“The boy is now twenty-seven. And he went to ground about four years ago. He entered the Marine Corps at seventeen, right after high school. Served six years with distinction.”
“What was his Military Occupation Specialty?” Geri asked, reluctance in her voice.
Spider looked at Josh. “There’s no moss growing on her mind, is there?”
“You don’t want to play chess with her,” Josh agreed.
“Pah,” Geri replied, her voice full of disdain. “Look guys, I might not have seen as much of the elephant as some people in this room, but I do know the difference between the trunk and the tail. And this situation smells decidedly like the product of the latter end.”
Josh laughed. He took his wife’s hand in his. “Honey, you are priceless.”
“Only because there is precious little market for brainy natural blondes,” she remarked. “Now, you want to tell me what Delgado’s boy’s MOS was? Or do I need to play twenty questions and the first nineteen don’t count? I’m guessing MOS 2305, Ordnance Disposal.”
“Definitely no moss growing on the mind,” Spider remarked.
Geri sighed. “So, we’re looking at two men involved. Both of who have reason in their own way of thinking to hate me. We have one sociopath who is brilliant and skilled with electronics. And another who knows explosives and is—as he was a Marine—an excellent marksman. What else don’t I want to know?”
Spider hesitated. “I doubt they are working alone.”
Geri sighed. “Is that a gut reaction, or you have some hard data to back it up?”
“Let’s just say that confidence is high,” Spider replied.
“Terrific,” Geri replied, rubbing her neck. “Look, we all know there is no such thing as absolute security. If they really wanted me that badly, they’d have me by now.”
“Except both Albert and Delgado want you to suffer,” Spider replied.
“Well,” Geri replied quietly, “then we’ll just have to show them their plans aren’t working. We can increase the frustration level on their parts and they might make an open move.”
“That’s a dangerous game,” Spider remarked.
Josh nodded. “I’m in agreement. It’s time to turn up the heat on them in any way we can.”
“I have a few ideas,” Spider offered.
“What’s it going to cost me?” Josh demanded.
“We’ll call it even,” Spider replied.
“Don’t get me wrong, Spider, but why?” Josh asked.
“I want Delgado. I want him very badly,” Spider replied.
“He didn’t just go to ground. He went renegade,” Geri replied. “Seriously renegade. You’re supposed to contain the situation.”
“You know I can’t comment,” Spider stated.
“You don’t have to,” Geri said lowly. “Before I was annoyed and angry. Now, I’m just plain frightened.”
“I would say that fear would be a healthy reaction guaranteed to keep you in one piece,” Spider offered. “I suggest that you hold onto that edge. It’s one resource that will serve you well.”
Chapter Sixteen
Geri was alone in the gym at two that next morning. Well, she was as alone as she could be with all the bodyguards hang
ing around just outside.
Josh had done it again tonight after they had made love. He’d spoken Amanda’s name in his sleep while saying he loved her. Geri had thought that she could handle this. Now she wasn’t so sure. Living with the knowledge she was second best in her husband’s heart was one of the hardest things she had ever done. And that was saying something.
Her period was supposed to begin in the next day or so. Yet, she was seeing none of the signs of that happening. Stress could throw off a cycle. But, she had always been regular in her cycles. She wasn’t sure which she would regret more; being pregnant or not. At any rate, it was way too early to know.
It stunned her how much she wanted Josh’s baby. She could never remember wanting anything this intensely. Geri wanted a family of her own. But, she didn’t know that she wanted it this much. It scared her, this longing for a child, specifically for Josh’s child.
She loved Josh more than she thought she could love another person. For years, she had harbored that secret emotion for him, not daring to let him know how she felt. The terrible thing about this was she still didn’t feel free to let him know how much she loved him since the only times he had said “I love you” to her he had spoken Amanda’s name. She wanted to cry.
Instead, standing before the kicking bag that hung from the ceiling hook by chains, she began striking the bag in a combination of punches and kicks. After a few minutes Geri dealt the bag a sharp snap front kick lifting the bag off the hook. The large heavy bag fell to the floor with a pronounced thud.
“Remind me never to be on your enemies list,” Josh’s friend, Spider, said dryly from the doorway behind her.
The man had set up a temporary base of operations at the ranch until such time as this whole situation was resolved. Geri really didn’t like this. There was something about this man that set her teeth on edge. He screamed “danger” to her.
“What makes you think you aren’t on my enemies list?” Geri asked as she rehung the heavy bag.
She could feel his gaze. “Am I?”
“Let’s just say that I’m reserving judgment.”
“I don’t think you reserve judgment on anything.”
“Not much,” Geri admitted.
“Want a sparring partner?” he asked.
“Not you. You could wipe the floor with me.”
He smiled at her. “You’re chicken.”
“You’re some piece of work, Spider,” she said.
“I take it that means we’re sparring?”
“Get in here.”
“Grumpy, this hour of the morning, aren’t you?” he asked in amusement as he bowed to her.
“Frequently… Begin.”
He began, simply testing her out.
After a few moments, she saw respect begin to dawn in his eyes.
“You’re good,” he said.
“Maybe,” she allowed. “Maybe not good enough.”
“Depends on the adversary. You did beat the hell out of Delgado. That took some doing. I suspect there aren’t many people out there who could get the better of you.”
She blanched. “I’d rather not think about Delgado, thank you,” she said as she blocked a knife-hand blow and kicked Spider’s leg out from under him.
He looked up at her from the mats. “You’re very good. But, are you ruthless?” he asked as he stood.
“I’ll do what I have to in order to survive.”
“Will you? I have to wonder about that,” Spider said as he grabbed her arm and twisted her into a chokehold she couldn’t free herself from in spite of her best efforts.
“Show me how you did this,” she said, her voice much calmer than she was. “It’s a variation of the hold I’ve only seen once before.”
She wasn’t about to tell him the only time she had seen this particular move was when Delgado had her in this hold. She forced herself to fight back the panic she felt growing within her. The last thing she could afford was to show her fear.
Spider laughed, sounding genuinely amused. His laughter sounded rusty. “Anyone else would have been begging for release. You want to know how it’s done. That’s very good.”
“I don’t beg,” Geri replied. “For anything. From anyone.”
“I’d heard about the strength of your pride,” he said. “That kind of pride is dangerous. It closes off options.”
“There are some options which should be closed off, as they aren’t honorable.”
“Honor is the ability to look at yourself in the mirror and not flinch.”
“That’s one definition,” she answered, not at all liking his pragmatic approach but knowing that it was useless to argue with him. He could kill her at any moment, and would do so, if it suited him.
“As for me, I try never to close options, at all. I never know when I’ll need them.”
“Yes, that would be in keeping with my reading of your personality.”
“I could snap your neck right now very easily. And I could just as easily take out the bodyguards in the hall and disappear.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” she told him.
“You trust me enough to assume I will not kill you?” Spider demanded.
“No, you’ll do whatever you find necessary to do to accomplish your mission. Nothing more and not one move less. You’re mission oriented. I’ve known men like you before.”
“You aren’t going to ask me to release you, are you? And you aren’t going to scream for help. Talk to me. Tell me why.”
“In the worst case, screaming for help would get me killed immediately. Then you’d kill the bodyguards. And possibly Josh.”
“And in the best case?”
“In the best case, you’d explain this as a drill and I’d look like either a damned fool or a hysterical female. Either of those impressions left on the bodyguards would undermine my credibility, which could easily get me killed because they could hesitate in a pinch. The bodyguards need to be able to trust my assessment of a situation, absolutely. If that trust is undermined…” her voice trailed off. “Either way, the chances of my ending up dead are high. And I won’t do that to myself and to those around me.”
“Very good,” he said with approval in his voice as he changed the hold very so slightly.
“Don’t look at the blonde hair and assume I’m stupid,” she said as she took advantage of his subtle change in position, shifted her weight, and threw him over her shoulder to the floor. He landed with a rather satisfying thud.
He smiled at her from his position on the mat. “Stubborn. Definitely. But not stupid. That stubbornness might just get you killed, though.”
She sighed as he rose to his feet. “I’ve been living on borrowed time for a very long time now. The interest will come due one of these days. I’ll be lucky if I’m the only one who dies when the final confrontation comes.”
Spider nodded. “Josh can take care of himself.”
“I know he can.”
“How pregnant are you?” Spider asked, suddenly.
Geri exploded. “What is it with everyone? I find quite offensive the assumption Josh wouldn’t have married me unless I was with child. I know I’m not exactly his type. I’m certainly not a carbon copy of Amanda. But I’ve never aspired to be. Josh proposed to me knowing well who I was. I didn’t ask him to marry me. I certainly didn’t trap him into marriage by seducing him then presenting him with the news of impeding paternity. First, it’s not my style. Second, Josh is hardly that gullible.”
“Are you pregnant?”
“It’s not likely,” Geri answered.
“But, it’s possible?”
Geri sighed. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Spider! Josh and I haven’t been married long enough for me to know, one way or another.”
“Rumor has it you two have been sleeping together since before Mandy died.”
“Does it? How interesting,” she drawled.
Spider nodded. “You really don’t give a damn about what people think of you, do you?”
Spider nodded. “You are a remarkable woman, Geri.”
“Just show me how to do that hold. And, more importantly, show me how to defend myself against it.”
They worked on it for almost twenty minutes with a couple of the bodyguards.
“I think you’ve got it,” Spider said as Geri had him in the hold.
“Thank you for teaching me that,” she said, releasing him.
“You’re a quick study.”
“I’m motivated. Now, if you will excuse me?”
“It’s your house,” Spider allowed.
“No. It’s Josh’s house,” she corrected as she left the room. “It’s Amanda’s house. There’s nothing here that’s mine, except me.”
Spider followed her from the gym.
“Stop following me!” Geri demanded.
“Do I bother you?”
“No more than being stalked by a jaguar, if I was without a rifle, would.”
Spider laughed. “Woman, you wound me.”
“Don’t tempt me,” she replied just before she turned away from him and continued walking. “I’m not in the mood to be putting up with much more from you this morning. Go away, and give me some space.”
He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. “Stop being such a brat. I’m trying to save your skin.”
“You don’t give a rat’s rump about protecting either me or Josh. You’re trying to save your own skin. I don’t know what Junior did to you, but it’s yourself you’re worried about not me and definitely not Josh. When it comes down to brass tacks, I am expendable and so is Josh. If there is a choice between bagging Junior or protecting us, we’re the lower priority, by far. You’re using us for bait in this little rat trap. That much couldn’t be clearer. While I sincerely hope that you catch the rat, I don’t care to be bait, at all. You have three seconds to let me go, then I will remove your hands from me. Unlike the sparring we just did, this time it will be for real and I have armed backup. You’re at the tactical disadvantage. One thousand-one, One thousand-two, One-thousand-”
