Countdown

by Iris Johansen

  “I had to get here,” he said simply. “You wouldn’t have brought me if you hadn’t thought I’d tell you if I could.”

  She gazed at him in amazement. “So you manipulated us?”

  “I had to get here,” he repeated. “I’m very grateful to you for making it happen.”

  “Thanks a lot.” She paused. “Then help us. You know what terrible things could happen if we don’t find Reilly and Grozak.”

  “Yes.”

  Her hands clenched. “Then talk to me.”

  “I will.” He stared at her, troubled. “But only to you, Jane. And not now.”

  She gazed at him with narrowed eyes. “What are you saying?”

  “I won’t tell you. I’ll take you there. And when we’re almost there, I’ll let you call the police or anyone you like. Except the laird.”

  “Jock—”

  “Only you.”

  “And will you wait for the police to get there before you go after Reilly?”

  He didn’t answer.

  She looked at him in frustration. “Jock, you can’t go after him yourself.”

  “Why not? I know how to do it. He taught me.”

  “We don’t know how many of his men will be there. For all we know Grozak may be there too.”

  “I know how to do it.”

  The words were simple but absolutely confident, and they sent a chill down her back. His expression was serene and his eyes were clear and honest as a child’s.

  “Look, if you don’t do it right, Reilly will be able to give warning, and we won’t get Grozak.”

  “I don’t care about Grozak.”

  “I do.”

  “So does Mario. But without Reilly, Grozak can’t do anything. You can catch him later.”

  “And what if we can’t?”

  Jock shook his head.

  Lord, he was stubborn. And she couldn’t reason with him, because he saw only one path, one goal. “What would you do if I said no and went back to the chalet and told Trevor and MacDuff what you’ve remembered?”

  “If you say no, then I won’t be here when they come to find me.” Jock gazed out at the snowy peaks. “I know about hiding in the mountains. MacDuff might find me, but it would be too late for you.”

  “Jock, don’t do this.”

  “Only you.”

  He meant it. His lips were tight with determination.

  She gave in. “Okay.” She asked curtly, “When?”

  “Tonight. Dress warmly. We may have to be outside. Can you get the keys to the car?”

  “I’ll manage.” She got to her feet. “One in the morning.”

  He nodded. “That would be good. And bring a credit card. We’ll need gas and other things.” He stared at her with a troubled frown. “Are you mad at me?”

  “Yes. I don’t want to do this. I’m afraid for you.” She added, “And, dammit, I’m afraid for me.”

  “Nothing will happen to you. I promise.”

  “You can’t make that kind of promise. We don’t know what’s going to happen.”

  “I thought you wanted to go. I could go alone.”

  “No, you can’t. I have to take the chance of getting him.” Jane gazed at Jock over her shoulder as she started up the path. “But I’m going to leave a note.” When he started to speak, she interrupted, “Don’t tell me no. I’m not going to just abandon them without a word and let them worry about us. It’s not going to hurt you. You haven’t told me anything of value.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” he said slowly as he started down toward the pier. “I don’t want to worry anyone.”

  “Then don’t do this.”

  He didn’t reply as he moved down the path.

  No, he didn’t want to worry anyone, but he was willing to throw a stick of dynamite into the mix, Jane thought as she moved toward the chalet.

  Okay, don’t let her concern and nervousness show. Stay out here for a little while longer and by then it would be time to go to bed. She cast a quick glance at the car parked beside the chalet. Someone was bound to hear them when they left in the early-morning hours.

  Well, by that time it would be too late to stop them.

  She had to ignore the surge of panic the thought brought. At least they were doing something toward finding Reilly. Jock had promised her that she could bring in help as soon as they reached their destination.

  Yeah, and he’d also promised her she’d be safe. Not likely. Jock would be focused on getting Reilly and not on protecting her.

  Then she’d have to protect herself. What was different about that? She’d taken care of herself all her life. Jock probably wouldn’t have been much help anyway. He was like a bell that sometimes rang crystal clear and sometimes exploded in a cacophony of thunderous sound.

  She just had to concentrate on keeping that explosion from killing her.

  Lakewood, Illinois

  The four smokestacks of the nuclear plant pierced the horizon.

  Grozak pulled to the side of the road. “We can only stay here a minute. There are security patrols cruising the entire area every thirty minutes.”

  “I didn’t have to see this,” Carl Johnson said. “All you have to do is tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

  “I thought it wouldn’t hurt.” And Grozak wanted to see Johnson’s reaction to the place where he was going to meet his death. When he’d picked Johnson up at the airport, he’d been shocked. The man was young, clean-cut, and good-looking, and spoke with a Midwestern twang. Of course, that all-American look was good, but it made Grozak uneasy. He couldn’t see Johnson driving the truck through that gate. “The truck is a catering van and it visits the plant at noon every day. It’s security-cleared but it’s searched as soon as it gets to the checkpoint.”

  “Is the checkpoint close enough?”

  “There’s enough firepower to take down the first two towers. After that, the entire plant will blow.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  Johnson stared thoughtfully at the smokestacks. “Reilly told me that the radiation would take out Illinois and Missouri. Is that right?”

  “That’s right. Probably more than that.”

  “It has to be worthwhile, you know.”

  “I assure you that it will be—”

  “If it’s not, Reilly will tell me. He said he’d call me.”

  “Then I’m sure he will.”

  “May I go to the motel now? Reilly told me to go to the motel and stay there.”

  Grozak started the car. “I just thought you should see—”

  “You wanted to see if I’m afraid.” Johnson gazed at him without expression. “I’m not afraid. Reilly taught me to control fear. You can’t be afraid and win. And I will win, and all those bloodsucking bastards will lose.” He leaned back and closed his eyes. “Just make sure that blast will do the job.”

  Three Days

  Don’t start the engine,” Jock said in a low voice as Jane got into the car. “Take off the brake and I’ll push you down to the road. We may get enough distance so that they won’t hear us.”

  “Not much chance.” The night was very still and icy cold so that her breath plumed with every word. “We can try.” She disengaged the brake. “Let’s go.”

  She didn’t have to tell him twice. She felt the car move sluggishly on the ice beneath the tires as he pushed the car carefully and laboriously toward the road.

  No sign of stirring from the chalet.

  She was half hoping that someone would hear them. Maybe if they did, Jock would give up the idea of—

  They reached the gravel road.

  Jock was breathing harshly as he jumped into the passenger seat beside her. “Don’t gun it. Slow. Very slow.”

  The gravel crackled beneath her tires like BBs spat from a child’s gun.

  No sign of life from the chalet.

  Or was there?

  Yes, a light illuminated one window.

  “Go!” Jock said. “Get
on the highway but get off at the first exit. They’ll expect us to stay on it. We’ll access another highway later.”

  Her cell phone rang.

  She glanced at Jock and then punched the button.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Trevor asked. “And where’s Jock?”

  “Sitting beside me.” The highway was just ahead. “I left you a note.”

  “Get back here.”

  “Read the note.” She entered the highway. “I’m sorry, Trevor.” She hung up the phone.

  “I’m sorry too,” Jock said gently as he held out his hand for the phone. “I want to trust you, Jane. I promise I’ll give the phone back to you when we get to Reilly.”

  She slowly put the phone in his palm. The surrender made her feel very vulnerable.

  “Thank you.” Jock turned off the ringer and stuffed the phone in his jacket pocket. “Now get off at the exit coming up.”

  Goddamn her.” Mario’s expression was as violent as his tone. “She’s cheating me.”

  “Watch your mouth,” Trevor said. “You read the note. Jock didn’t give her much choice. She said she’d let us know something as soon as she’s verified Reilly’s location.”

  “There’s always a choice,” MacDuff said. He reached for the phone. “She should have come to me. I’d have managed to make Jock cough up everything he knew.”

  “What are you doing?” Trevor said.

  “Arranging for a rental car to pick me up and take me to the airport. She said Idaho. I’m going to Idaho.”

  “We’re going to Idaho,” Trevor said.

  “Why not just take off after them?” Mario said impatiently. “We might be able to intercept them before they find Reilly. And maybe Jock lied to her and intends to change the destination once they’re on the road.”

  “Jock made a deal with her,” MacDuff said. “And right now I doubt if he’s capable of any complicated deceptions.”

  “Or is he?” Trevor asked Mario. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with him.”

  Mario thought about it and then slowly shook his head. “He kept going in and out. Sometimes almost normal, other times he was sort of blurred.”

  “Then it’s Idaho.” Trevor picked up his duffel and started stuffing clothes into it. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  19

  Two Days

  We’d better stop for gas,” Jane said. “There’s a truck stop up ahead. They usually have good food in their restaurants.”

  “Yes.” Jock looked at the brightly lit gas station. “And very good coffee.” He smiled. “It’s strange how well I remember little things and have trouble with the big things. They must slip under the wire somehow.”

  “How long were you with Reilly?”

  “It’s hard to remember. The days blurred together.” He frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe . . . a year, eighteen months . . .”

  “That’s a long time.” Jane pulled into the gas station. “And you were pretty young.”

  “I didn’t think so at the time. I thought I was old enough to do anything, be anything. Cocky. Very cocky. That’s why I had no problem taking the job Reilly offered me. I couldn’t imagine that my judgment could fail.” He grimaced. “But Reilly showed me, didn’t he?”

  “Evidently Reilly is very good at what he does.” Jane got out of the car. “I’ll pump the gas. You go in and get us coffee. It’s going to be a long drive.”

  “Don’t get too much gas.” Jock got out of the car. “Just enough to get us to the next big town.”

  “What?”

  “We’ll have to abandon this car and rent another one. The laird will be checking to get the license number of this one.”

  “That’s very astute of you.”

  He shook his head. “Training. You never stay in the same rental car for any length of time.” He smiled sardonically. “Reilly wouldn’t be pleased, and that meant punishment.”

  “What kind of punishment?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

  “I think you do. I believe you remember more than you tell me. Whenever you don’t want to answer, you conveniently ‘forget.’”

  Jock gave her a troubled glance. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember,” he repeated. “I’ll get the coffee.”

  Jane didn’t speak again until they were back on the road. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I guess I’m a little nervous. We’re getting so close. You’re sure you know where Reilly is located?”

  “As sure as I can be.” Jock lifted his coffee to his lips. “We’ll go to the place where I had my training. He’s so sure that I won’t break my basic training that I’d bet he’s never left it. It would be an admission of failure, and Reilly’s ego wouldn’t permit it.”

  “What if you’re wrong?”

  “I have a few more places to search that he doesn’t know I know about.”

  “And how did you manage that?”

  “I didn’t manage anything. That wasn’t an option during that time. His housekeeper, Kim Chan, dropped information about them between her training bouts with me.”

  “What kind of training?”

  “Sexual. Sex is a driving force. Reilly used sex along with everything else to maintain control. And Kim was very well versed in sexual pain of every sort. She enjoyed it.”

  “I’m surprised Reilly would tolerate anyone around him who would talk out of turn.”

  “Kim wouldn’t dare let him know that she’d let anything slip. She might not even remember she did. She had perfect confidence that Reilly’s conditioning would hold and that she didn’t have to be careful with me. She’s been with him for over ten years.”

  “A personal relationship?”

  “Only in that they feed on each other. He lets her have a certain amount of power and she does whatever he tells her to do.”

  “You seem to remember her very well,” Jane said dryly. “No blanks there.”

  “Kim liked me wide awake and drug free when she had her turn at me.”

  “But you’ll have your payoff now.”

  “Yes.”

  “No enthusiasm? You told me you hated Reilly.”

  “I hate him. But I can’t think about it now.”

  “Why?”

  “It would get in the way. When I think about Reilly, it’s hard for me to think of anything else. I have to find him and make sure he doesn’t hurt the laird.” He changed the subject. “According to the map, the next city is Salt Lake. If we dump the car at the airport, it may not be found for days. We’ll pick up another car and do the same thing at—”

  “You have it all planned.” A hint of sarcasm inflected Jane’s words. “I feel like a chauffeur.”

  He gave Jane an uncertain glance. “You don’t believe we should do it that way?”

  She made a face. “Of course I do. I’m a little on edge. It’s a good idea. We’ll stop in Salt Lake. I’m actually feeling a little more optimistic about this, though I still don’t condone your blackmail. Even if you’re on automatic, you have a heck of a lot more experience at this than I do. It’s a little like turning Reilly’s weapons against him.”

  Jock gave her a pleased smile. “It is, isn’t it? It makes me feel better when I remember that.” He glanced down at the map again. “We should probably get a four-wheel-drive SUV next time. The radio weather said there was going to be a blizzard in the Northwest in the next few days. The roads get pretty rough in bad weather in the area we’re going to.”

  One Day

  How much farther?” Jane’s eyes strained to see through the windshield. “I can’t even see the white line on the highway.” The snow was spinning across the tarmac in front of their SUV like a whirling dervish.

  “Not far.” Jock looked down at the map on his lap. “Another few miles.”

  “This area is pretty desolate. I haven’t even seen a gas station for the last twenty miles.”

  “That’s the way Reilly likes it. No neighbors. No questions.”

 
“Trevor told me the same thing about MacDuff’s Run.” She glanced at him. “But the other side of the coin is that it’s difficult to get help to isolated places like this. You said that you’d let me call out the police or anyone I wanted to contact the minute we got to Reilly. You didn’t tell me that they’d have to brave a snowstorm and the wilderness primeval to get here.”

  “You’re not being fair. I didn’t know there’d be a snowstorm. Though this isn’t a blizzard yet. The squalls have been coming and going. Give it another couple hours.” He smiled. “And, clever as he is, I don’t believe Reilly had the technology to create it. It’s just bad luck.”

  “You don’t seem upset about it.” She studied his face in the lights of the dashboard. His expression was tense, alert, and, good God, eager. His eyes were gleaming with excitement and he looked like a boy going off on a great adventure, she realized in shock.

  “Why should I be upset? I don’t mind the snow. Reilly had me taught to perform my function in all kinds of weather. He always said that no one expected attack by an enemy when they were already being attacked by nature.”

  “But then, Reilly will be expecting it.”

  “Perhaps. But he thinks we’re still back at the Run. There’s a road branching off to the right just ahead.” He squinted, trying to see out the windshield. “Take it. About a mile down the road you’ll see a shack.”

  She stiffened. “Reilly?”

  “No, it’s an old hunting shack. It’s a run-down ruin of a place, but there’s a propane heater and you’ll be able to keep warm until you get someone to come. There’s a fireplace too, but don’t light it. I don’t think anyone could see the smoke in this storm but you wouldn’t want to take the chance.”

  She could see the shack now, and it was as dilapidated as he’d said it would be. Boarded-up windows and a front porch that had missing planks. “And this is where you’re dumping me?”

  “It’s the safest place I know. And it’s only safe if you’re very careful.”

  She pulled over in front of the shack. “How close are we to Reilly’s place?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “Jock, you promised me. I have to be able to tell Trevor where he is. You’ve got your head start. Now, dammit, give me the information I need.”