“No, you won’t. I’m on my way.” He was heading for the van hidden in the bushes. “Someone has to be here to guard Patrick and Dr. Armando. You and Juno are elected.”
“No election about it,” Cambry grumbled. “How do you know that she’s heading for the north hills?”
“Rosettes. She said that diamond necklace had rosettes.” He jumped in the driver’s seat. “There was no diamond necklace and the only time Margaret ever mentioned rosettes to me was when she was telling me that jaguars don’t have spots, they have rosettes.” He started the car. “And the only jaguars in the area live in those north hills. She’s giving us a chance to take down Nicos and Salva.”
And that isn’t all she is giving us, he thought suddenly.
He called Mandell. “I know where she’s going. It’s the north hills area and she’s laying a false trail to Patrick. And it’s not going to be another twenty minutes; it will be thirty. That means once they’ve reached there and started the hunt, it would take them at least forty-five minutes to an hour to get back to the detention camp if they get an alert from Brukman.” He paused. “Enough time for you?”
“No problem. I have only four of our guys in the area, but you said Carlos Estefan was champing at the bit.” Mandell was quickly calculating. “Brukman and eleven of his men still in the camp. You said Estefan’s group has thirty-seven. Of course, there’s the hostage card that Brukman could play, but I think I can get around it.”
“You’ll have to get around it. I promised Carlos we’d get his brother out safely. One of the first things Brukman will do is kill the prisoners if he can’t negotiate for them.” And he didn’t know what price Margaret might have to pay if anything went wrong. “Set it up. But don’t move until I call and tell you that it will be safe for Margaret. She’s going to have to contend with Nicos and Salva, and I can see Nicos exploding if he hears about an attack on the camp.”
“Then you know the solution,” Mandell said softly. “We discussed it before. Remove the threat. Not one. Not two. But all three.”
“You don’t have to remind me. I’m on my way there now.” He hung up.
Yes, he knew the solution. He just hoped he’d get to those hills in time.
*
“You’re very quiet,” Salva said. “Not a word since we left the camp, Margaret. Are you having second thoughts about turning over Patrick to us?” He smiled. “I wouldn’t suggest that you pay any attention to them. Nicos isn’t going to be pleased when he realizes what a fake you are anyway. But to compound it by not giving him Patrick and Lassiter would be truly fatal. Isn’t that right, Nicos?”
“Stop baiting her, Salva,” Nicos said. “Perhaps she was quiet because she had to focus her attention and power. If so, I understand and approve.”
“No second thoughts,” Margaret said. “I didn’t think I had to chat or amuse either of you.” She looked out at the darkness beyond the window of the truck as it bounced over the rutted road. “But I guess I did have to focus my attention on something other than what’s waiting at the end of this road. I know neither one of you have any trouble with betrayal, but I’ve never done it before. I’m not looking forward to turning Patrick over to you again. So if you don’t mind, I’ll ignore both of you until I have to show you how to get to them.”
She thought it sounded plausible and she didn’t care if they minded or not. She had only a few more minutes to concentrate, and this was a crucial period.
Sticks.
She had to think about the sticks.
She began to focus again.
“Here we are.” Stockton stopped the vehicle ten minutes later beside the river, jumped out from behind the wheel, and turned to Nicos. “Your orders, sir?”
“Get the men into the woods,” Nicos said. “No noise. Don’t use the flashlights unless necessary. We don’t know what we’re going to find. We’re on a hunt, Stockton.” He watched Margaret jump down from the truck. “And here’s the woman who’s going to lead us to Patrick.”
“I’ll need a flashlight.” Margaret said. “I won’t be able to track if I can’t see.”
“Very true.” He handed her a flashlight. “Salva, why don’t you go with Margaret and help her to get started? I know I can trust you not to let her slip away. I’ll be along once I make sure Stockton has the men doing what I need them to do.”
“I won’t take my eyes off her,” Salva said grimly. “And neither should you. This may be a wild-goose chase.”
“Then she’ll die.” Nicos smiled. “But I have to give Margaret her chance. We’ve known each other so long.” He turned and watched Stockton and the men scattering along the river and into the brush. “I’m feeling very sentimental toward her. Just as I am toward you, Salva.”
“Come on.” Salva grabbed Margaret’s elbow and pushed her down the trail. “Let’s get this over with. I don’t like it when Nicos is in this mood. He’s too unpredictable.”
*
“Dammit to hell.” Lassiter jumped out of the van, his gaze on the north hills. He could see the gleam of a few flashlights dotting the darkness, and the truck beside the river was unoccupied. He called Mandell back. “I got here too late. Everyone has scattered up into the hills. I was hoping to be here to take out Nicos and Salva when they arrived, but I’ll have to go after them.”
“Does that mean we have to wait?”
“Not if you move fast. Even if Brukman calls Nicos for help, you’ll still have that hour before any reinforcements from here can get back to the camp.” He paused. “But I don’t want Brukman to make that call before I take down Nicos. You know what Nicos’s first order would be.”
“Kill all prisoners,” Mandell said grimly. “So he won’t make the call.” He hung up.
Lassiter shoved his phone in his pocket and moved quickly down the riverbank. Mandell had jokingly said that any decent shot from the rocks where he was hiding would be a miracle shot. Now he was going to have to make that shot. Could he do it?
Lassiter couldn’t worry about that right now. Margaret was in that forest with two men who wouldn’t hesitate to kill her once they discovered that she had lied to them. He had to track them down and get rid of them once and for all.
And that meant he had his own miracle to perform.
*
Brukman was frowning as he stood talking to one of the guards in the center of the yard.
What a shame the son of a bitch is so unhappy during the last minute of his life, Mandell thought.
He lined up the shot.
Then he adjusted for wind two-thirds down the way to the target, as he always did.
Now clear your mind of anything but the shot itself.
Imagine every step, from pressing the trigger to watching the bullet striking Brukman.
Cool. Precise. Calm.
It would have to be an incredible shot, as he’d told Lassiter, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do it. He’d done one almost this difficult five years ago in Afghanistan.