The Collected jq-6

by Brett Battles

  He stumbled over to his mattress and lay down. Two things stuck in his mind from his trip out of his cell. The first was Isla de Cervantes. It apparently had something to do with the reason he was here. And while he might not know why, one of his cellmates should. Unfortunately, he couldn’t just come right out and ask them. One of the cards he still held was that he wasn’t who everyone thought he was, and that was a secret he wanted to keep for now. Not knowing the significance of Isla de Cervantes could betray him to the others.

  The second thing he’d noted happened right before he was locked back up. Janus had knocked on the door of the far cell, the one Nate was sure belonged to the prisoner who had called himself Jonathan.

  Only Jonathan wasn’t what Janus had called him.

  Wakie, wakie, Petey.

  Now Nate realized why the guy’s voice had sounded so familiar.

  CHAPTER 36

  Whoever was in the Ford sedan would want to be in a position where they could see the car Quinn, Orlando, and Daeng had left at the gate, but not be seen by the three of them as they walked around the property.

  Daeng figured that after the last time the car had driven by, it would have probably parked in the trees along the gentle rise in the road less than a quarter mile back toward the highway.

  Quinn scanned the fence that ran parallel to the road. “They shouldn’t be able to see us approach from the end of the runway, and that should put us on their far side.”

  It was agreed, with some resistance, that Orlando would wait until she received the signal from Quinn before proceeding to the car and driving it toward the highway. That settled, Quinn and Daeng skirted along the edge of the runway until they reached the end, then sprinted across the empty field up to the fence.

  There was no conveniently loose barbed wire there. Quinn climbed up first, and draped his jacket over the wires for protection. Daeng followed. Once on the other side, they worked their way over to the road.

  Sure enough, the Ford sedan was there, a man sitting in the driver’s seat. A second person stood outside just beyond the vehicle, partially hidden in the brush and looking toward the gate where the rental was parked.

  Quinn pulled out his phone and sent Orlando a text:

  NOW

  He and Daeng moved in as close as they could safely get without being detected. Since neither of them was armed, Quinn thought it best to avoid a confrontation. He simply wanted to get a look at whoever the people were and note the car’s plate number. What he really wanted to do was turn the tables on them later and see where they went, because nine times out of ten, it was who the tail reported to that was important, not the followers themselves.

  When the person standing in the brush suddenly tensed, Quinn guessed Orlando had been spotted. A moment passed, then the watcher headed quickly out of the bushes toward the car.

  Quinn jerked his head back, sure his eyes were playing tricks on him.

  The passenger door of the Ford opened, and the woman who’d been outside started to climb in.

  “Is that-” Daeng began.

  The words were enough to shake Quinn out of his shock. He popped out of their hiding place and grabbed the door just before it shut.

  There was a shout of surprise from inside, and the engine roared.

  “Shut it down,” Quinn said, staring across at the driver.

  The man, looking like he was about to have a heart attack, fumbled with the key and turned the engine off.

  Quinn’s attention refocused on the woman in the passenger seat, the woman who couldn’t possibly be glaring back at him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “What do you think?” Liz said. “Trying to find Nate.”

  Orlando started the rental and backed it into the street. Keeping her pace unhurried, she headed down the road toward the highway. The hill wasn’t a large one, and as she crested it, she expected to see the car gone, and Quinn and Daeng farther down the road waiting for her. Instead she found Quinn leaning into the other car, and Daeng standing nearby.

  She slammed on the brakes and jumped out, in case they needed help.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “A hundred dollars says you won’t believe it,” Daeng said. He poked his finger a few times toward the inside of the cab.

  Orlando leaned down and looked in. “What the…” She stepped over to the driver’s door and wrenched it open. The driver had been looking the other way and almost fell out, but Orlando paid him no attention. “Liz?”

  Quinn’s chest was moving up and down, anger swarming across his face. His sister was doing a pretty fair job of keeping pace with his mood.

  “Hey! You two. Stop it,” Orlando ordered. “Acting all upset isn’t going to change anything. Just calm down and let’s all have a nice little chat.”

  “Please, please, I’ve done nothing,” the driver said. “You can have my wallet if you want. Please, just let me go.”

  Quinn’s and Liz’s eyes were locked on each other, neither wanting to be the first to look away.

  “We’re not going to hurt you,” Orlando said to the driver. “We don’t want your money or anything. Everything is going to be fine.” She looked across the cab again. “Liz, why don’t you get out so we can let this nice gentleman go?”

  She didn’t move.

  “Quinn, step out of the way so she can get out.”

  He didn’t move, either.

  It was as if Orlando hadn’t said anything at all. With a look of determination, she headed around the car and didn’t stop until she was right next to Quinn.

  “For God’s sake, it’s like you two are the same person!”

  She ducked under the arm Quinn had braced against the car, and pushed him in the chest, forcing him to take a couple steps backward. Not stopping there, she turned, grabbed Liz’s arms, and pulled her out of the car. As she did, she spotted a backpack in the rear seat.

  “Is that yours?” she asked.

  Liz blinked. “What?”

  Orlando thrust her chin at the car. “The bag? Yours?”

  A quick glance. “Yes.”

  Orlando opened the back door and pulled it out. “Any more?”

  “No. That’s it.”

  Orlando leaned into the open front passenger doorway. “Okay, my friend. Sorry for any problems.” She pulled a hundred dollars from her pocket and tossed it on the seat. “You can take off.”

  The driver immediately cranked the key and dropped the car into Drive, as if worried she might change her mind. With a spin of tires, he was gone.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Quinn yelled.

  “I already told you!” Liz volleyed back, matching his tone and volume.

  “You’re trying to get yourself killed. That’s what you’re doing!”

  “And if you were me, you’d be doing the same-”

  “Whoa! Stop it!” Orlando said, inserting herself between them. She looked at Quinn. “Do you really think barking at Liz is going to help?” She turned to Liz. “And you, showing up here like this? Do you really expect him not to be mad?”

  “I don’t care if he’s mad! I’m not here for him. I’m here for Nate.”

  “Who the hell do you think we’re here for?” Orlando said.

  There was a snort of laughter from near the rear of the car. All three of them looked over.

  Daeng held up his hands. “Sorry,” he said, unable to keep the smile from his face.

  Orlando gave him a “you are not helping” look before she turned back to the others.

  “You two calm down. Now. Understand?” When no one replied, she raised her voice. “Understand?”

  A pause, then Quinn nodded and Liz followed suit.

  The looks on their faces were almost identical. If Orlando hadn’t known they were related, there’d be no missing it at that moment.

  Now that she thought about it, it was actually kind of funny seeing Quinn up against himself, but she suppressed the smile that had almost made an appearance,
knowing it would have only made things worse.

  “See that rock?” she said to Quinn. The medicine ball-sized rock was near the edge of the brush. “Take a seat. And you.” This time she directed her words at Liz. “Take that other one.” Liz’s rock was about five feet from her brother’s and approximately the same size.

  “Look, Liz,” Quinn said. “You can’t be here. It’s too dangerous.”

  “I don’t care if it’s dangerous. I’m not leaving until-”

  “I. Said. Sit,” Orlando ordered.

  With a glare, Quinn lowered himself onto his assigned rock. Liz, seeing her brother comply, did the same.

  “Okay,” Orlando said. “Liz, how did you find us?”

  “I followed you.”

  “Yeah, but how did you know to find us in Tampico?”

  “No,” Liz said. “I followed you from L.A.”

  “You followed us from L.A.?”

  “Yes.”

  “And how the hell did you do that?” Quinn asked, still unable to mask his anger.

  Liz clammed up.

  “Actually,” Orlando said. “I’d like to know the answer to that, too.”

  Reluctant at first, Liz told them about how she had only pretended to be in San Diego, and described what she’d done to make them believe it. She told them how she’d recorded their conversations at the house.

  While the admission surprised Orlando, she could see it had shocked Quinn. He would have never believed his own system could be used against him, especially by his sister.

  When Liz told them about Monterrey, Daeng said to Quinn, “Maybe you should hire her sometime. She’s almost as good as you.”

  The comment was not received in the humor with which it was meant. For a few seconds, Quinn’s anger with his sister transferred to the former monk. But by the end of Liz’s story, Orlando could see that even though Quinn was still mad, the edge had been dulled.

  “I’m not leaving,” Liz said. “I want to help find Nate. I have to.”

  Quinn, his voice much calmer than before, said, “Liz, I understand, okay? I really do. But it’s too dangerous. Whoever’s taken him has some pretty extensive resources, and know what they’re doing.”

  “You know what you’re doing, too,” she pointed out. “And I followed you all the way here.”

  “And we caught you,” he said. “Trust me. If they got ahold of you-and they would-they wouldn’t be as nice as we’re being.”

  “I don’t care. Nate saved my life more than once. I can’t just step out of the way when he’s the one in danger.”

  “I get it. But you’re not trained for this. You could get us all-”

  “You’re not listening to me. Idon’t care.”

  “Liz, do you mind if Quinn, Daeng, and I talk for a moment?” Orlando asked.

  Liz looked at her and shrugged. “Sure, go ahead. But I’m not changing my mind.”

  “I think you’ve made that clear.”

  Orlando motioned for Quinn and Daeng to follow her. They walked down the road far enough so Liz couldn’t hear them.

  “She’s going back to L.A.,” Quinn said. “There’s no other choice.”

  “I don’t think the choice is actually yours,” Orlando said. “You can try sending her back, but unless you’re going with her and sitting on her lap, she’s not going to stay.”

  “I’ll hire someone to watch her.”

  “You do realize how intelligent your sister is, right? What do you think the chances are that she figures out a way to get free from whoever that might be?”

  “I know the answer,” Daeng said. “One hundred percent, right?”

  “Shut up,” Quinn told him.

  “Oh, hell, no. This is too much fun.”

  “You enjoy seeing me fight with my sister?”

  “No, but I see the only path you can take,” Daeng said. “You’ll eventually find it yourself. It’s just fun watching you get there.”

  “Oh, you can see the path, can you? What path would that be?”

  “Best if you find it on your own.”

  “Go to hell.”

  “This isn’t helping,” Orlando said.

  “She’s going back to L.A.,” Quinn said. “If I have to, I’ll have her locked in a room.”

  “And she’ll never talk to you again. Is that really what you want?”

  He seethed for a moment. “Better that than she gets killed. Look, I don’t care if she gets free of whoever’s watching her. By then we’ll be gone and she won’t be able to catch up.”

  “Think about it,” she said. “What if she comes back to Mexico and starts nosing around? Maybe the people who have Nate won’t know or care, but there are people here who could become concerned and would have reason to shut her up. Moreno, for one.”

  “He’s in no condition to do anything.”

  “You’re letting your overprotectiveness cloud reality. Moreno will have friends, and if he even gets a hint she’s associated with us, he’ll be more than happy to take out his retribution on her. You know that. And there are so many other things she could stumble on, and you won’t be there to help her.”

  “So, she stays with us? Is that what you’re suggesting?”

  “Do we really have a choice? This way we’ll know where she is. I’m sure we can find some things for her to do.”

  “And when we find out where Nate is? What do we do with her then?”

  “Hope that she’s clear-minded enough to see that things will go smoother if she’s out of our way.”

  “What if she doesn’t?”

  Orlando looked at him, her eyes softening. “I ask you again, what choice do we have?”

  Quinn stared down at the ground and closed his eyes. “Dammit.”

  “So that’s a yes?”

  “It’s not a yes.”

  “But it’s not a no, either.”

  Quinn’s eyelids parted, but he said nothing.

  Daeng clapped him on the back. “See, I told you you’d find the path.”

  CHAPTER 37

  Harris took his normal position by the window as the final prisoner was brought into his employer’s office. Like him, the man was bald, but that’s where the similarities ended. The prisoner was several inches shorter than Harris, and stocky. The prototypical human bulldog.

  Janus shoved the man at the chair.

  “I can walk,” the prisoner growled.

  Even though he was older than the others they had collected, he showed no signs of being more affected by the whipping.

  The man took his seat.

  As before, Harris’s employer was watching a replay of the morning’s whipping session on his tablet computer. A few minutes passed before he turned it off and looked at his guest.

  “I think you know who I am,” Romero said.

  “Sure,” the prisoner said. “A discarded piece of shit.”

  Harris could almost feel the temperature of the room increase.

  “If there is anything discarded here, it’s you! You see, I know who you are, too. I know what you did.”

  “Congratulations. Can I go back to my suite now? I have a massage scheduled in a few minutes.”

  Romero began to shake with anger. As he tried to speak, he suddenly began to cough.

  Moving quickly to his side, Harris could see that Romero’s face was turning red as he continued to hack. Harris ran over to the water pitcher on the credenza, filled one of the glasses, and hurried back. “Drink this,” he said, holding it to the old man’s lips. “Janus!”

  The big Ukrainian threw open the door and rushed into the room.

  Harris shot a glance at the prisoner. “Take him back to his-”

  “No,” Romero croaked. He coughed again, and took another drink. “No. I’m not finished.”

  Janus looked at Harris, unsure of what to do.

  “Maybe you can continue this later,” Harris suggested.

  Romero shook his head, no longer coughing. “No. Now.”

  “At least allow m
e to get your nurse.”

  “No!”

  Through it all, the prisoner had watched the old man, his only movement a growing wry smile. “How much longer do you have?” he asked.

  “Longer than you,” the old man shot back.

  The prisoner snickered, his smile unwavering.

  Harris studied Romero for a moment longer, then took a step back and nodded at Janus. With a shrug, Janus walked back into the hallway and shut the door.

  The old man locked eyes with the prisoner.

  “I assume you also know why you are here,” Romero said.

  “A petty act of revenge?”

  Harris eyed his boss, worried the old man was going to lose it again, but Romero seemed to be in control now.

  “Petty is a matter of perspective. If you wish to think of it that way, be my guest. As long as you know why you’re here, that is all that is important to me.”

  Romero paused, as if expecting some kind of retort, but the prisoner merely stared at him.

  “One more thing before you return to your cell, something I want you to know and live with in the short time you have left. Since you were the one in charge and organized the…what do they call it?”

  That was Harris’s cue. “Termination,” he said.

  “Right. The one who organized the termination, you will be the last to die. That way, you can watch each of the men from the team you put together take their last breath, and know that you are the one who brought this on. You are the one killing them.”

  If the smile faltered on the prisoner’s face, Harris didn’t see it.

  The old man leaned back. “Okay. Now I’m done.”

  “Janus!” Harris said.

  As Janus reentered the room, the prisoner stood up. He gave the old man a slight nod, and did the same with Harris. As he rounded his chair, Janus latched on to his arm and guided him forcefully toward the door.

  Before they could exit, the prisoner stopped and looked back. “One thing you should probably know.”

  Both Harris and the old man looked at him.

  “You’re wrong about which one of us is going to die first.”