“And you’re angry and want to reach out and punish Santos.”
“You’re damn right I do. I’m feeling helpless. That’s not going to go on. What about that sniper? Can Venable catch him before he gets off the mountain?”
“There was no other helicopter except Caudell’s on the mountain. That means the sniper’s on foot or in a vehicle. It’s a possibility we can catch him, but it appears to be doubtful considering the time lapse. Still, there may be an alternative. I will see what we can do.”
“No, I’ll see what we can do,” Catherine said. “He’s our only lead, and I’m not going to let him get away.” She got to her feet. “I’m out of here.”
“As you wish. May I ask where you’re going?”
“I’m catching the first flight for Hong Kong, then on to Tibet.”
“May I suggest you wait until you talk to Erin? She told Caudell she wasn’t staying at Chen Lu’s. She’s coming to you.”
“No! She can’t do that. I don’t want her anywhere near me.”
“That’s not going to happen. She’s your friend and feels she owes you a great debt. You saved her life.”
“It was my job. I had to get her out of Tibet and away from that bastard, Kadmus.” She looked him in the eye. “Or you would have done it yourself. I’m CIA. I was trained to do it. You might not have made it.”
“Oh, I would have survived. But it’s true that you’re more competent than I at killing and mayhem.” He paused. “But I would have had help from someone who is your equal, if not your superior. It was only fair that he be involved, since he was the one who brought Erin to my attention.”
Cameron. He was talking about Richard Cameron. She couldn’t argue that Cameron was a superb fighter as well as having other psychic talents that were fairly incredible.
And sexual skills that were absolutely mind-blowing.
Don’t think of that. Her relationship with Cameron was in the past, and it had to stay in the past. They had been ships that passed in a night so tumultuous that it had shaken her to her core. Very dangerous. They had radically different beliefs, and she couldn’t trust him to be anything but what he was—the Guardian. It was the name by which the villagers in Tibet had known him. A mysterious man who moved in and out of the mountains, taught by monks and fighters to be expert in many disciplines and who had incredible skills.
Hu Chang’s gaze was narrowed on her face. “You’ve not heard from him lately?”
She shook her head emphatically. “Why should I have heard from him? We live in different worlds. The last I heard, he was on his way to Copenhagen. Probably to promote something totally illegal and revolutionary of which Venable would absolutely disapprove.”
“It’s possible.”
“It’s probable.” She made a dismissing gesture. “And why are we talking about Cameron? He has nothing to do with this.”
“No? Cameron has a habit of intruding on situations surrounding people he considers his own.”
“You mean Erin.” She frowned. “Yes, he does consider himself her protector. Well, he can just stay out of this.”
“If he chooses.” Hu Chang looked down at his phone as it buzzed. “They’ve arrived at Chen Lu’s. Shall I set up a Skype on your computer for you to see for yourself that Erin is well?”
She hesitated. “Yes.”
“Excellent.” He took her computer and set it up on the desk. “It will give you comfort and permit you to expend a little of that anger I can sense in you.”
“I just want to see that Erin isn’t badly hurt.”
“That, also.” He was adjusting the input buttons. “It will just take a moment…”
*
“What do you mean you didn’t take her down, Nagoles?” Santos said softly. “She was next on the list. It was one step closer.”
“I had to move too fast,” Carlos Nagoles said quickly. “That CIA agent was rushing her off the mountain. I had a bead on her when she turned to talk to some priest. I would have had her if she hadn’t bowed to the bastard. I shot the priest instead.”
“Stupidity.”
“I wounded her. I got Caudell in the shoulder.”
“Not good enough.”
“I’ll go after her. You said you think Ling will send her to Chen Lu’s palace?”
“It’s very likely.” Santos was trying to keep his temper under control. Nagoles was in an optimum position to go after Erin Sullivan, and he was usually competent. He’d been working for Santos for over eight years, and the kills had all been clean or bloody, whatever Santos preferred. He might have to get rid of him later, but he needed this kill. “I don’t have to tell you that I won’t tolerate another failure, Nagoles. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Everything has to go smoothly.”
“It will. I had it all set up. It should have been easy. She had virtually no protection before Caudell showed up.”
But it hadn’t been easy, and it had to be because that bitch, Ling, had learned of the deaths and set up a stalemate to prevent any more. The thought sent the rage curling, searing, through Santos. She probably thought she had beaten him with this move.
As she had triumphed over him in that penthouse when she had killed his Delores. That sudden memory was like salt rubbed in a raw wound.
He couldn’t let even a temporary triumph stand. He had planned too long, researched too deeply, while he was in that stinking prison. She had to be shown who was the master. “It’s just going to be harder now that she has Chen Lu’s security forces at her disposal. But you will do it, Nagoles. I won’t have Ling think I’ve fumbled this kill.”
“She won’t. I’m already off Kadmus Mountain and on my way to the next mountain over, where you can arrange to send your helicopter to pick me up.” He paused. “I won’t disappoint you, Santos. Trust me.”