State of Emergency

CHAPTER 43


“Daudov has disappeared.” Monagas slipped a Walther .22 caliber pistol with a stubby suppressor in the waistband of his pants. Nearly worthless in a true gunfight, the tiny thing was meant for close work where stealth was the key. Within the close and crowded confines of the bivouac, it was perfect.

“No sign at all?” Zamora mused. “My mind is muddled. We’ve killed so many, maybe we are just running out of Chechens.”

“No,” Monagas said. “He and anyone we know connected with him have simply vanished.”

Zamora threw a hand over his face. He lay alone in his bunk, wearing nothing but an open red dressing gown of rich silk on Egyptian cotton sheets that draped decadently over the edge. He’d grown bored with the gap-toothed twins and sent them to sleep in their own tent. The episode with Blessington and the Chechen had left him fitful and unable to concentrate. Still, in the crowds where he ran, it didn’t do to show a shred of weakness, even among friends.

Monagas stood across from him at the door to the motor home, waiting for orders.

Zamora looked up. “I would consider it a personal favor if you were to find Rustam Daudov and cut out his heart.”

“I will find him then.” Monagas turned to go.

“It is far too probable, my friend, that Daudov has found out our secret and is already en route to Bolivia.” Zamora pursed his lips. He was hesitant to voice his thoughts for fear that they would come true. “Far too many know about the camp,” he said. “My father’s pilots could easily be bought. I know—I bought them. I should have had them killed them long ago.”

Monagas put a hand on the doorknob. “The mechanic is still working outside. He will call me if he sees anyone.”

“You’re certain he had no part in Fabian’s betrayal?”

Monagas nodded. “He saw what happened to his partner.”

“Very well then. Do your best to find the Chechen dog. But I fear he has already flown.” Zamora made a fluttering gesture with his hand. “And that means my dream of finishing the Dakar has flown as well.”

“But you have other dreams, patrón,” Monagas said.

A thin smile perked Zamora’s lips.

“Indeed I do,” he said.