“Yes, they are.” Her eyes were closing. “I liked doing it that way, Lassiter. He forced me to use them so often. He made Rosa force me.… It was good to turn them against him.…”
“I can see how it would be.” He tucked the throw under her chin. “Go to sleep. Forget about sons of bitches like Nicos and Salva. Soon they won’t be around to force anyone to do anything. Think about puppy dogs and tigers and all the things that make you smile.”
He was making her smile. He was being ridiculous. Tigers didn’t make her smile except when they were cubs. They were too sleek and beautiful and dangerous not to take seriously.…
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“She’s sleeping?” Mandell glanced at Lassiter as he dropped down in the copilot’s chair next to him. “She looked like she needed it. Ramrod straight, cheeks flushed, but not willing to let go until the last detail was taken care of. Is she always like that?”
“Yes. Sometimes she’s worse. She never gives up. Remind me to tell you about the midnight swim we took the first night that I brought her on board my ship.” He reached for his phone. “On second thought, don’t remind me. It was a bit traumatic for all of us. But then, that’s Margaret. I was lucky to get her to take this nap. It may be the last thing I’ll be able to persuade her to do until I’m able to hand her Nicos’s head on a platter.”
“Is that on the agenda?”
“My agenda. She’ll have other ideas. Or maybe not.” He smiled crookedly. “She told me once that death should be quick and torture no part of it, but after what she told me Nicos did to Margaret and her friend, she could be wavering.” He shrugged. “And if she’s not, then I’ll still give her Nicos as a gift. She deserves it.”
“That bad?” Mandell asked quietly. “Then she must have come through it pretty well. She seems tough.”
“Yeah, tough. But she’s not going to go through anything more. I didn’t even know what I was putting her through when I let her go back to Nicos.” He shook his head. “Let? I tried to tell myself I had a choice, but we were long past that by the time she got on Nicos’s yacht. But I was still responsible.”
“Because of Patrick.”
He nodded. “And I’m supposed to use him as an excuse? I’m done with it. I just have to keep her safe.” He looked at Mandell. “And when I’m not around, you have to keep her safe. Because she’ll be going after Nicos and he’ll be waiting to gobble her up the first chance he gets.”
“You’re assigning me as her bodyguard?” he asked warily. “It’s not really what I had in mind when I signed up with you, Lassiter. You’ve kept me very busy and I’ve been fairly content these last few years. It’s certainly not boring. But I don’t see myself as—”
“Don’t worry about being kept busy,” Lassiter said drily. “Margaret is fully capable in that department. I’m just telling you that if I’m not available, nothing must happen to her. You drop everything and concentrate on Margaret.”
“As you’re doing?” He was studying Lassiter. “Nah, I don’t think you’d want me to go that far. You’re a possessive bastard.”
“Mandell.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll play the game. As long as she doesn’t make me dog-sit like she did Cambry.”
“No promises.” Lassiter smiled. “Would you prefer tigers?”
“What?”
“Never mind.” He was pressing the buttons on his phone. “I just thought it would be less boring for you.” Cambry picked up and he told him, “We’ve got Margaret safe and we’re on our way back.”
“Hallelujah,” Cambry said fervently. “I was getting a little worried. No one was hurt?”
“No. Unfortunately, that also includes Nicos and Salva. But we stirred up the pot pretty thoroughly and there may be repercussions once he finds out I was the one who got Margaret away. It’s almost certain Nicos will make a call to the detention camp. Hopefully, he’ll make the call directly to Brukman. So keep sharp and call me back and report when he does. And make certain that all the sentries are on alert and there aren’t any leaks from Dr. Armando.”
“I’ve asked the doctor not to make any phone calls to his family in Bogotá while he’s here.”
“There may still be slips.”
“He saw what was done to Patrick. He won’t want that happening to them.”
“Just keep reminding him that it could. How is Patrick?”
“Better. He woke up twice today. Dr. Armando is talking about letting him be moved to the hospital in Bogotá in the next day or so.”
“It can’t be too soon. We’re right on top of that damn detention camp. Then he must be better. Fever?”
“It’s not as high.” He paused. “Tell Margaret that Juno has been auditioning as a therapy dog. She won’t leave Patrick. I think maybe she’s helping.”
“I’ll tell Margaret. Or you may be able to tell her yourself. I don’t think I’m going to be able to talk her out of going to the monastery.” He added roughly, “Though God knows it’s not a good idea. We just got her away from Nicos, and that could mean his goons might be just around the corner.”
“Maybe the doctor will let us move Patrick tomorrow.”
But a lot could happen in one day, Lassiter thought.
Look at what had been accomplished since Margaret had gone to Vadaz Island. All good things that had given them hope and the will to go on. However, that didn’t mean that they would keep on being this lucky. Everything could turn sour in a heartbeat, as it had on the night Patrick had been taken by Nicos.
But he’d gotten Patrick back; Margaret was sleeping peacefully in the next cabin. Now all he had to do was keep them safe.
And find a way to fight Nicos off when he came on the attack. There was no question in his mind that would come very soon.
“All we can do is cross our fingers about getting that medical okay to pull out of there,” he told Cambry drily. “In the meantime, we’ll ask Margaret to have a talk with Juno about increasing the mojo she’s using on Patrick. It can’t hurt.…”
Hyatt Hotel
Montego Bay, Jamaica
“It was Lassiter.” Nicos’s finger savagely punched the disconnect button on the phone. “His private plane landed at Montego at 1:05 P.M. and took off at 7:50 P.M. The son of a bitch spoiled my delivery and then took off with Margaret.” His face was flushed with fury. “She had to be working for him. She made a fool of me. I’m going to make her pay, Salva.” His mouth twisted as he spat out the words. “She’ll be on her knees, begging. I’ll stake her out and let—”
“I’m sure you will,” Salva said. “But it’s a bit late. Do you know how much losing that explosive is costing us?”
“Of course I know. It should never have happened. I had it all planned. It was going to be the biggest score I’ve ever made in Colombia.”