Chaos

by Iris Johansen

  “You’re exaggerating.”

  “Not much. Look, we’re closer to Sasha than we’ve ever been, and that might be why you’re so emotional and—” He stopped and suddenly looked over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing. “But that’s not like you, either.”

  And he was coming too close. Shy away and don’t let him see how vulnerable she was right now. Of course she’d get over it, but he was too sharp not to pick up on every nuance if she didn’t hide it carefully. “You’re right.” She had to wait a minute before she could meet his gaze and force herself to smile ruefully. “It’s not like me. And I’m tempted to slug you for accusing me of being overemotional.” She paused. “If it wasn’t true. I’m still tempted, because you wouldn’t accuse Gilroy of being too emotional under any circumstances. Is that reserved for women in your eyes? However, I might not have been thinking straight, and this is too important to me to let that happen. I have to take a step back and consider all angles.” She turned away. “So I’m going to curl up in my sleeping bag and do just that. I’ll talk to you in the morning.” She dropped to her knees beside her sleeping bag. “Your rations are over there beside your backpack. Good night, Korgan.”

  He didn’t answer for a moment. “Good night.”

  She could still feel his gaze on her as she crawled into the bag and turned her back on him. She’d been a little abrupt, but he’d probably accept that she was pissed off because of the chauvinism she’d accused him of. She’d lie here and close him out and tomorrow she would have herself thoroughly under control.

  And he would never know why she had been thrown into such shock and panic at the thought that it was not only Sasha who could be in danger when they made their move on Jubaldar.

  She might lose Korgan, too…

  * * *

  Next Day

  2:40 P.M.

  Alisa could see Margaret waving to her as the helicopter cautiously descended. It was so good to see her. She lifted her hand and watched until the copter reached the ground. But the rotors had barely stopped whirring when Korgan stepped forward and opened the passenger door for Margaret. “Good to see you.” He lifted her out of the cockpit and watched as Juno jumped to the ground beside her. “And you, too.” He took out her duffel and set it on the ground before turning back to Alisa. “I don’t know how long I’ll be. I’ll let you know later. You’ll be all right?”

  “Of course I will,” she said impatiently.

  He nodded. “Of course you will,” he repeated. He jumped into the helicopter. “Let’s go, Harris.” He motioned to the pilot to take off. “Take care of her, Margaret.”

  “You’re joking.” Margaret laughed as she stepped back away from the chopper. Then her amusement faded when she caught his expression as the aircraft lifted off. “Or maybe you’re not…” She turned to Alisa. “What’s happening?”

  “Nothing.” She bent down to pet Juno. “Korgan is being Korgan. He’s off trying to save the world all by himself and didn’t want anyone to get in his way. I just let him know that wasn’t necessarily how it was going to play out and there was always a step two. It made him a little uneasy.” She straightened and turned toward the fire. “Coffee? And have you fed Juno yet?”

  “Yes. And yes, Juno ate before we boarded the helicopter in Casablanca. Not much. She was a little sad at leaving Jeanne. But she knows Lili will take good care of her. Did I tell you that Jeanne talked to her mother on the phone last night?” She smiled. “It went well. They talked about Lili, the new puppy, and nothing else.”

  “Because you spoke to her and told her what to say.”

  “I gave a few suggestions. But her mother will know herself when she sees Jeanne with Lili together. There’s such a thing as maternal instinct.” She took the cup from Alisa, and her gaze lifted in the direction of where the copter had disappeared. “Korgan’s uneasy? I thought there was something going on. Yet he wasn’t uneasy enough to take you with him to Samlir. From what you told me on the phone this morning, that’s where the action may be starting.”

  “Starting, not ending. It’s where you end up that counts.” She shrugged. “He probably would have taken me with him, if I’d pushed it. I didn’t, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist trying to mold the situation the way I wanted it to go. But this is Sasha, and I couldn’t take the chance of a wrong move.” She smiled wryly. “Especially not when I had Korgan in the wings, who’s an expert at molding and persuading and making events happen on a planetary scale. Of course I had to use him to take the first step.”

  “First step,” Margaret repeated, her gaze on Alisa’s face. “And what’s the second step going to be? You said Korgan wasn’t willing to give up saving the world.”

  “Whatever we choose it to be once we get to Jubaldar. We’ll have to see what Korgan and Gilroy come up with at Samlir today.” Alisa tried to make her voice sound casual. “Korgan seemed to have some idiotic idea about going in and contacting Sasha himself. Very impractical.”

  “Completely,” Margaret said. “Unless he could find a way to—”

  “Masenak would kill them both,” Alisa interrupted harshly. “He’s clever enough to have found out that it was Korgan who ruined everything for him in the Szarnar Jungle. He’ll want to cut his throat. There’s no ‘unless’ about it.”

  Margaret’s brows rose. “You’re right, of course.” She tilted her head consideringly. “It’s much more sensible for you to do it. Then Masenak would have a captive he could torture and use against Sasha. Wouldn’t that be great? Just what we all want.”

  “Margaret.”

  “Just pointing out options. I know that would be your choice, and it’s even worse than Korgan’s idea. Which is probably why he’s so ‘uneasy.’ Depending on location, I might be able to get Juno close enough to her to convey a message, but you wanted someone on-site if she needed help.”

  “I don’t want her to be alone again,” she said unsteadily.

  “I know you don’t,” Margaret said gently as she met her gaze. “But now the problems have multiplied, haven’t they?”

  She should have known Margaret knew her too well not to see beyond any defense Alisa could raise. “Not really. I’ll work it out. It’s only temporary.”

  “Nothing is ever temporary for you. But you’re right, you’ll work it out.” She lifted her cup to her lips. “And I’ll be around to help if you need it.”

  “You always are.” She grimaced. “But right now the only help I need is getting Sasha away from Jubaldar before that damn race.”

  “At any cost,” Margaret said softly. “You forgot to add that. I’m sure Korgan could read it between the lines. It’s no wonder he was being foolish enough to tell me to look out for you.” She shook her head. “We won’t go in that direction. We’ve been friends too long. We’ll sit here and drink coffee and talk about old times while we wait for Korgan to go through his step one. Then we hope like hell he’ll come back to us with a plan for step two that makes sense to us. Deal?”

  Alisa nodded. “Deal.” She poured herself a cup of coffee and then lifted it in a half toast to Margaret. “To my friend, to old times, and to step two.”

  Chapter

  12

  Samlir

  2:13 A.M.

  You got it?” Gilroy sprang to his feet as Korgan came out of the council chamber. “It took you long enough. I thought a man who was once invited to help negotiate a U.N. trade accord wouldn’t have a problem with a handful of Berber politicians. Have you lost your touch?”

  “Those handful of Berber politicians knew they had me over a barrel,” he said dryly. “And that they were the only game in town for what I wanted. I had to get guarantees and permission for their village to be used for anything I choose. As well as getting them to forbid any of the villagers to discuss what was going on to anyone.” He added, “And then we had to go into the bargaining phase so that they’d be sure that they’d have enough to support their villagers for some years to come, to make up for the loss of reven
ue from Masenak.”

  Gilroy gave a low whistle. “They took you?”

  “They took me,” Korgan said. “But they agreed to send word to Davidow, that trainer at Jubaldar, that they were sending two laborers to replace the ones who had been damaged and would expect compensation. They gave me their guarantee the villager they’ll send will give me full cooperation and see that any messages I need transmitted to Sasha will reach her immediately. That’s the main thing I wanted, so I guess it was a draw.”

  “Not really. But I guess you did as good as you could considering. When do I leave?”

  He stiffened. “I didn’t say you did. You’re not listening. This is a bit different than slipping into a tent in the middle of the night. I’ll have to set up a camp in the cliffs near Jubaldar and bribe or intimidate my way into the castle when the time is right.”

  “And you think you’re qualified? Really, Korgan. Will you stop trying to be a hero? It requires a certain dramatic dazzle and pizzazz you’ll never possess. Leave it to me. I’m perfect for the role.”

  “So you keep telling me.”

  “And it pisses you off.” His smile vanished. “Particularly now when you’re feeling so rotten about Alisa and Sasha and wanting to set everything right. But do you actually believe you’re going to be able to keep Alisa away from Sasha if you’re not there to monitor what she’s doing? I got a little taste of what she’s going through night before last, and I don’t think you have a chance in hell. Besides, you know damn well that we’re going to have to take down Masenak and Reardon, and that means bringing in the CIA and our own crew and staging everything down to the last shot fired. I can’t do that, but you can.” He added soberly, “So let me be the hero again. I speak the language and I can pass for Berber with a little theatrical makeup. You know I’m right. I promise I’ll do my usual fantastic job.”

  He was silent. “Damn you.”

  Gilroy nodded, his eyes suddenly gleaming with mischief. “I thought you’d agree with me. I just had to appeal to that brilliant mind that always gets in your way even when you don’t want it to.” He pulled a notebook out of his jacket pocket and tore out a page scrawled with notes. “That’s why I made a list of things you’ll need to have the helicopter pilot bring to me after he drops you off with Margaret and Alisa. Everything from skin bronzer to dark contact lenses to make me look like one of those admirably tough Berber types who have been slaving at Jubaldar. Believe me, you couldn’t have pulled it off.”

  “And evidently I’m not going to get the opportunity to make the attempt,” Korgan said through set teeth. “You know, someday I’m going to murder you.”

  “Someday, but not today. I called the helicopter the minute I saw the ceremonious way you were being escorted out of the meeting house, and Harris said he’ll be here to pick you up in ten minutes. Be sure to tell him I want those supplies here before morning…”

  * * *

  3:32 A.M.

  Korgan jumped out of the helicopter and waved the pilot to take off. “Get going,” he said curtly. “You have your damn list, Harris. Get everything on it fast and make sure it’s absolutely correct. He wants it right away.”

  Korgan was definitely in a foul humor, Alisa thought as she got out of her sleeping bag. It didn’t bode well for whatever he’d accomplished at Samlir. She and Margaret had let the fire go out during the night, and she reached for her flashlight to see his expression. It was as impatient as she’d thought it would be. “Hello, Korgan. Since we didn’t hear from you, I guess we can expect bad news?”

  “Why would you think that?” Korgan growled. “I’ve been busy. It went as well as could be expected. According to Gilroy, it went even better than expected.”

  “Gilroy,” Margaret repeated as she came toward them. “But he has a unique way of looking at things. I think you’d better elaborate. First, Jubaldar. Are we going to be able to use those villagers to find it?”

  “Of course. What do you think I’ve been doing all these hours? And I don’t have to follow any of the villagers to get there. I have a map and can show you the exact location.” He muttered a curse. “If I had more light. You let the damn fire go out.”

  Very nasty mood, Alisa thought again. But his words had given her hope, and she wasn’t about to let him ruin it for her. “Then light it again. You couldn’t expect us to keep it burning like a lamp to light your way home. For all we knew, you’d forgotten about us.”

  He was silent. “You’d be hard to forget. You’re too much trouble.” He knelt down and started to rebuild the fire. “If it’s not too much bother, shine your light down so I can see what I’m doing.”

  “I don’t think it’s too much bother. Not if you brought me what you say you did. I’ll even forgive you for being such a disagreeable bastard.” She fell to her knees beside him as the wood caught fire and flamed high. “I’d forgive you for anything. Just show it to me.”

  He unfolded the map and laid it on the ground near the fire. “Compliments of the Samlir village council. You’ll find it very detailed and accurate. Evidently, they didn’t want any of their villagers getting lost and falling off the mountain…or running into any other hazard. So over the years they’ve been compiling information from their workers past and present. Just another little expense they added onto my total bill.” He pointed to the outline of a towering three-story structure sketched on the map. “The castle. It’s a rose-stone building built into a cave wall. Windows only on the north and south sides. One huge stained-glass amber rectangle facing the front. The south wall overlooks the stables and leads directly to the racetrack and grandstand.” He pointed to a canyon to the west of the castle. “Here are garages for utility vehicles as well as a helicopter pad.”

  “Masenak’s eternal escape solution,” Alisa murmured.

  Korgan nodded. “You’re right, that pad is reserved exclusively for his use in case of attack, but it’s much larger and more substantial than the one he had at Szarnar. He has warehouses and caches for weapons, food storage lockers, even a field where he grows marijuana. And Reardon is permitted to have his own racehorse flown into the canyon area near race day.” He pointed to another blocked section to the east. “This is another pad where Masenak and his guests usually land when he comes here. That’s the one Baldwin mentioned. It’s only a short walk from the castle and keeps Masenak’s canyon emergency transportation vehicles private.”

  “You’re right, very detailed,” Margaret said. “But no access where Jubaldar could be watched?”

  “Not as far as we know. But that doesn’t mean we can’t find one. The entire area is networked with canyons and cliffs.” Korgan pointed to a curving indentation that disappeared into a rocky cliff that looked to be fifty or sixty feet above the castle. “That might be a possibility. None of the Berbers have made any overt attempt to spy on Jubaldar. The council wanted Masenak’s money, and they’re afraid of him. They only gathered the information they have to protect themselves and the workers.”

  “Then we might find a better place of our own to do it,” Alisa said. She reached out and touched the north side of the rose-stone castle with her index finger. “That’s where Sasha is…”

  “Almost certainly,” he said quietly. “The stable boys who were returned to the village hadn’t seen her before they left, but they’d heard she was being kept in one of the harem suites in the main castle.”

  “She wouldn’t be there now. She’d want to be close to Chaos. She’d find a way to get to him.” Her hand went to the south wall and traveled down to the stable area. “I’ll bet she’s somewhere here.”

  “I’ll be sure to let Gilroy know,” he said caustically. “If he doesn’t already. He probably wouldn’t tell me if he did.”

  “Gilroy? Why would you want to do that?”

  “It appears he’s going to be our go-between with Sasha until we can get her out of there. He tells me he’s my best choice whether I like it or not.”

  Hence the extremely bad mood, she thoug
ht. Gilroy always managed to strike home and get what he wanted from Korgan when no one else could. “I can’t see you meekly agreeing to anything.”

  “I’m not meek.” He scowled. “The son of a bitch made sense. I could have handled the situation in a different way, but it might not have turned out to be the right way. There were things that had to be done that only I could do.” His lips thinned. “So I delegated again.”

  And it was irritating the hell out of him, Alisa realized even as the relief poured through her. He wasn’t going into Jubaldar, which could be a deadly trap for him. “How did Gilroy talk you into it?”

  He lifted his eyes from the map to her face. “He gave me his usual bullshit collection of reasons, but he was right on a couple of points. He’s good at what he does, and I can trust him. You trust him to do what’s best for Sasha, and that may keep you safer.” His lips twisted. “So I guess I’ll have to forgive him for telling me how lousy I’d be if I tried to handle it myself. Maybe he’s right about me lacking the pizzazz and dazzle to pull it off.”

  “He went that far?” She sat there looking at him. He didn’t even realize how absurd he was being. But then he couldn’t see the man she saw. The power. The brilliance. The intricacy of the search for knowledge that never stopped. The honor that had made him keep his word to free those students no matter what got in the way. The splendor of the curiosity that made him dig deeper when others gave up. Genius. Artist. Engineer. Scientist. Renaissance man.

  And human. Oh, my God, how human.

  She tore her gaze away. “Even if it was true, it wasn’t kind of Gilroy,” she said lightly as she glanced at Margaret. “What do you think, Margaret?”

  “I think that Korgan will manage to survive Gilroy. He seems to do just fine.” She was still looking down at the map. “And I think we need to do some more exploration around the entire area. When can we leave here?”

  “Later this afternoon,” he said. “I have some calls to make, and I want to make sure that Gilroy has everything he needs and is on his way to Jubaldar. We can take the Land Rover for the first part of the journey, but we’ll have to leave it here.” He indicated a spot some distance from Jubaldar. “From there we’re on foot, so we’d better travel by night and find a place to camp out that’s close to the castle and yet safe.”