Black Ops Chronicles: Dead Run (23 page)

Max left the Jeep in the airport parking lot. He ran inside and bought a ticket to Mexico City on the last flight of the night, leaving in ten minutes.

Heading for the gate, he felt a rush of gratitude toward Tess. Because of her, he’d been able to afford the ticket—and a bribe to make up for his lack of ID. As soon as he got back to Mexico City, he’d get the cash to repay her the money she’d given him—whether she wanted him to or not.

His flight was boarding. He got in line, telling himself this whole mess was his fault. He’d screwed up everything: David, Tess,
Almasi
. Was there anything he touched he didn’t ruin? At least he could fix the Almasi situation and avenge David.

But he couldn’t do anything about Tess, and he didn’t know how he’d survive without her. Leaving her behind felt like tearing off a piece of his flesh. As the plane left the tarmac and took to the sky, he closed his eyes and forced his thoughts back to Almasi.

I have to find him. If he didn’t, there’d soon be a terrorist attack in the U.S. to rival Nine-Eleven.
And if Levi’s right, I’m running out of time
.

***

Tess heard a vehicle start up and drive away. Max was gone. She forced back her tears, refusing to let herself go to pieces over someone who didn’t deserve it.

“What do we do now?” she asked Levi.

Handing her his pistol, he gestured at Nick and Tony. “Cover these clowns,” he said, heading out of the room. He called back over his shoulder, “I won’t be long. I just have to find something to bandage Tony’s leg.”

Enjoying the fear and defeat on Nick’s ruined face, she aimed the gun at his head. Levi came back with a pillowcase. He tore it into strips and wrapped several pieces around Tony’s bloody thigh.

“You’re lucky Nick told me what I wanted to know,” he said to Tony. “This is just a flesh wound. It won’t even slow us down while I drag you back to Salt Lake City.” Finished with the first aid, he untied their ankles. “Okay, get up and let’s go.”

Tony and Nick stood up. Tess gestured with Levi’s gun toward the front door. As Nick started walking, she heard a thud and a grunt behind her. Before she could turn to assist Levi, he grabbed her arm. Seizing Nick’s elbow with his other hand, he thrust them both toward the front door.

“Run,” he ordered, propelling them across the room. Once outside, he didn’t let them slow down but forced them down the driveway as fast as they could go.

They’d made it halfway to the road when the house exploded behind them. The blast wave knocked them to the ground.

She forced herself up to her hands and knees then stared, dumbfounded, at the fire destroying what was left of the house. “What happened?”

Levi sat up. “I guess Tony didn’t want to come with us. He threw himself on the detonator.” He rubbed his face with his hands. “Switch must’ve had a time delay. Wish I’d known that. I could’ve stopped him.” Getting to his feet, he helped Tess to hers then jerked Nick to his. “Let’s get out of here.”

Blinking repeatedly, Nick shook his head. “Where’s Tony?” he asked in a subdued voice.

“Either he died in the explosion, or he got out of the house and ran the other direction,” Levi said. “I don’t really give a shit.”

Nick snorted. “If Tony’s still alive, she’s dead.” He sneered at Tess. “He’ll never let you live.”

“Shut up, asshole,” Levi ordered, slipping his arms around her.

She heard Nick’s muttered oath but didn’t care. His jealousy wasn’t her problem. With a quiet whimper, she buried her face in Levi’s shirt. She’d never be able to hide the pain from him. He knew her too well. If only she had gone to him in the first place, the last nine months wouldn’t have happened. She’d never have met Max, and there wouldn’t be this gaping hole in her chest where her heart should be.

Levi tightened his embrace. “I know it hurts. Luv,” he whispered. “But hang in there.”

She managed a weak smile. “I’m okay.”

“That’s my girl.” He kissed her temple. “Where’s your ID? Do you have any luggage we need to take with us?”

“My ID’s in my backpack. It was in Tanner’s car.” She glanced around then pointed. “Tanner must have tossed it over there, along with my duffel bag. I guess they were far enough away, the blast didn’t hurt them. Much,” she added, seeing the small gash in her duffel.

Levi took back his gun then led her and Nick over to one of the Jeeps in the driveway. Its tires were still inflated, but all the windows were gone. He forced Nick into the back then brushed the glass off the passenger seat for Tess. While she climbed in, he grabbed her bags and stuffed them in beside Nick.

Wiping off his own seat, Levi climbed in and shook his head at the key hanging from the ignition. “Idiots. But hey, now I don’t have to hotwire it.” He started the Jeep, drove across the desert at a harrowing clip, and slammed on the brakes near a thicket of desert shrubbery close to the beach. He hustled them out of the Jeep and over to a dinghy hidden in the brush. “I want to get out of here before the
Federales
show up. Sooner or later someone’s going to see that fire, and I want to be long gone when that happens.”

Once on board
Nick’s Folly
, Tess helped him lock Nick in one of the staterooms. Then she followed him topside and sank onto a bench on the deck while he got under way.

“Where are we going?”

“The La Paz Marina. I left a rental car there. We’ll drive to the airport and take my plane home.” He set the autopilot and sat down beside her. Putting his arms around her, he pressed her head down on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, luv.”

She tried, really tried, not to compare his embrace to Max’s. When that didn’t work, she struggled not to let the difference hurt, but the pain was incapacitating. It eclipsed everything, even her pride. Max was lost to her. What good was pride?

Bone tired, her body bruised and aching, her heart writhing in agony, she buried her face in Levi’s shirt and sobbed. Nick was no longer a threat, but it wasn’t over. The FBI would pounce the minute she got home.
And Nick’s right. If Tony’s alive, I’m still in danger
.

CHAPTER 16

Saturday, February 16
^th
, 10:13 a.m., the U.S. Embassy, Mexico City, Mexico
:

“Jesus, Tom, Baja was a five-alarm FUBAR.” Max slumped in a chair in the office of the CIA Chief of Station, Tom Davis. “Almasi and two of his group got away. And the witness we were supposed to bring in got handed over to the people trying to kill her.”

Jim Bradshaw cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about that, Max. I had no idea Tanner’s dirty.”

“None of this is your fault, Jim.” Max looked back at Davis. “Is there any chance Tanner’s our leak to Almasi?”

“I’d say there’s a good possibility,” Davis agreed. “He contacted Langley several times for updates on our investigation of Almasi’s group.”

Max jolted upright in his chair. “How the hell did
that
happen?”

“Apparently we’ve got someone in Counterterrorism at Langley who didn’t realize the info shouldn’t be given to an FBI agent. Or so she claims.”

“Either she’s an idiot or a mole. We never share black ops info with anyone outside the Company.”

“I’m aware of that, Max. But she’s new, and she says she didn’t know.” Davis raised a hand before Max could argue. “I’m not sure I buy it either. I’ve already started an internal investigation.”

“What’s the FBI say about all this?” Bradshaw asked.

“They’re taking Tanner at his word,” Davis replied. “They claim Horton’s a cold-blooded killer.”

Bradshaw fisted his hands on his knees. “That’s bullshit! I questioned her for hours. She’s just a sweet kid in a bad spot. There’s no way she killed the informant’s family. Or those two FBI agents at the safe house.”

“Whether she did or not, it’s out of our hands.” Davis rubbed the back of his neck. “I know this isn’t what either of you want to hear, but Langley’s decided she’s not our problem. They’re letting the FBI have their way on this. So unless she’s got corroboration on her story, she’ll probably face a firing squad. Unless Utah’s gone to lethal injection.”

Letting out a long breath, Max cursed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Damn it, Tom, that’s not right,” Bradshaw said. “I turned the poor kid over to Tanner. That makes her current troubles my fault.”

Max rubbed his eyes. Jesus, he was tired. “No, Jim. You’re not to blame. I am. I knew she didn’t have any info we could use, but I thought she’d be safer in protective custody.” He glanced over at Davis. “I’m worried about her, but I know Levi will do everything he can for her.” Swallowing, he forced the words past the lump in his throat. “He’s in love with her.”

Davis blinked as his mouth dropped open. “Levi’s taken the big fall? You sure?”

“Yeah, I could see it in his eyes.” The thought of Tess belonging to someone else weighed as heavily on Max as the knowledge she’d never be his. Bracing his elbows on his thighs, he cradled his head in his hands and held on to his only comfort. “I’ve got to believe he’ll find a way to exonerate her.”

“I don’t doubt it. Regardless of who he works for, he never lets down a friend.” Davis took out a legal pad. “Okay, let’s move on. I want go over what happened on your mission step by step.”

As he and Bradshaw recounted their experiences in Baja, memories of Tess flooded Max’s mind. She’d trusted him. He’d betrayed her. Now, he’d lost her. Without her, life held little that mattered. His job was all he had left. Maybe if he focused on work, the pain would lessen. Yeah, right.

“Will you find out everything you can about Tanner?” he asked Davis when the debriefing ended. “He’s got a hell of a lot to answer for.”

Davis looked up from his notes. “I can probably get the information for you. But what’re you going to do with it?”

Max’s bark of laughter held no trace of humor. “Are you sure you really want to know?”

***

11:33 a.m., the country estate of Jonas McKenzie, outside Salt Lake City, Utah
:

With Tess’s hand in one of his, Levi used the pistol in his other one to nudge Nick and Josh, into Jonas’s study. Once inside, he closed the door, holstered his gun, and cut the ropes binding their hands behind them. “Take a seat,” he ordered.

With identical expressions of venom and hatred, both men glared at him. They shook their arms, rubbed their wrists, and glanced over at Jonas. When he said nothing, they sat.

Jonas got up from his desk and embraced Tess. His eyes met Levi’s over her shoulder. “Thank you.”

Levi grinned at him. “My pleasure.” He watched with satisfaction as the old man led her to a seat on the couch, murmuring endearments. Levi remained on guard, his back against the door—just in case Nick or Josh got cute.

When he’d phoned Jonas from the plane to let him know Tess was safe, Jonas promised he’d have a plan for dealing with the FBI by the time they got home. Levi hoped whatever he’d come up with would clear her completely.

Jonas didn’t go back to his chair, but eased a hip onto the corner of his desk. Levi blinked in surprise when the sly old devil slipped a hand behind his back and flicked a switch on the intercom, turning it into a transmitter. Interesting.

Jonas studied Nick. “Here’s how we’ll play this,” he said. “If you want my help with the mess you’re in, you give me the straight scoop. I won’t lift a finger for you unless you tell me all of it, with none of your bullshit lies.”

Nick stared at him, panicked self-pity plain on his face. He glanced at the door then back at his grandfather. His Adam’s apple bobbed several times before he spoke.

In a high-pitched whine, he admitted that Tony had suggested they sell drugs to make extra money above what Nick’s part of the family businesses, and his trust fund, provided. Since they didn’t have the startup capital for the drugs, Tony had come up with a plan to smuggle terrorists into the U.S. aboard
Nick’s Folly
and provide them with guns, ammo, and vehicles in exchange for heroin from Afghanistan. “This whole mess is Tony’s fault,” he insisted.

“How did Tess get involved?” Jonas demanded.

Nick glanced over at her then recounted everything he’d done from the time he discovered Jose Vargas had talked to the CIA. He told how FBI agent Nathan Tanner, from the Salt Lake City field office, had helped track Tess, and when she’d evaded even the FBI, Tanner managed to bring the CIA into the search by telling them she was working with Almasi.

“I realize I made a mess of things, Grandfather,” he conceded. “But I was getting it under control.” He flicked a scowl in Levi’s direction. “If Levi had just stayed out of it, I’d have fixed it.”

“Fixed it how? By killing Tess? By smuggling terrorists and drugs into our country?” Jonas reached back and switched the intercom off then turned to Tess, “How much has all this cost you financially, my dear?” When she started to protest what he was obviously planning, he looked at Levi. “How much?”

“Since Parks had to quick-sell her business, I’d say at least fifty thousand. And that’s conservative.”

Jonas nodded. “Talk to Parks and get a better estimate. Then I’ll take that amount out of Nick’s trust fund to repay her losses.”

Both Nick and Tess gaped at him.

Tess shook her head. “That’s really not—”

Jonas cut her off. “Hush, child. It’s the least we can do.”

Her chin shot up. “No. I don’t need or want Nick’s money. I appreciate the thought, Jonas, but I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“I don’t doubt it.” He pressed the intercom button. “Please come in, Special Agent Wilson.”

She frowned. “Really, I won’t take—”

Levi held up a hand. “Save your breath, luv. You know how he gets when he’s trying to be one of the good guys.” Chuckling at her outraged expression, he added, “And put your chin down before someone throws a punch at it.”

At the knock, Jonas waved a hand toward the door. Levi opened it. The man who entered was tall, fair-haired, slender, and fiftyish, with a no-nonsense look about his dark business suit and tie and a cold, hard glint in his blue-green eyes.

He turned his gaze on Levi and nodded. Levi acknowledged the nod then closed the door as Wilson continued across the room to the desk.

Jonas pulled a cassette tape out of a small tape recorder and held it up. “You heard?” he asked Wilson.

“Yes.”

Jonas handed him the tape. “Good. The whole confession’s on here.”

“What?” Nick demanded. “Hey, wait a minute!”

“That’s the breaks, kid.” Wilson pocketed the tape and walked over to Nick. “Your grandfather’s not very happy with you. Neither is your government. Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“I’m with the FBI. You’re being placed in federal custody. If you cooperate and plead guilty, there’s a chance the prosecutor won’t seek the death penalty.”

“The
death
penalty
?” Eyes wide, Nick turned to his grandfather. “You said you’d help me.”

“I am,” Jonas said, his voice flat. “I’m putting you someplace you can’t cause any more trouble for our family.” His eyes dark with pain and disappointment, he turned to Wilson. “What about Tess?”

Wilson glanced at her then back at Jonas. “Tanner’s disappeared, so we can’t question him at the moment.” He sighed then shook his head, as if fighting an internal war. “But whether he’s apprehended or not, I’ll see that the charges against Ms. Horton are dropped.” Patting his pocket, he added, “With what’s on this tape, and the fact that she reported the Vargas murders to the FBI within twenty-four hours, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

He studied her. “You’re a material witness, so you’ll have to stick around to give a deposition, at the very least. And if Nick decides he wants to go to trial, you’ll have to testify.” When she nodded, he turned back to Jonas. “As long as she keeps in contact with me and shows up when we need her, she’s free to go where she pleases.”

“Thank you,” Jonas said. “And Josh?”

“The FBI can’t touch him. If he committed any crimes, they happened in Mexico, and we don’t have jurisdiction.” Wilson shot a glance at Josh. “He’s no good as a witness, either. I doubt a jury would find a punk like him very credible. And with what’s on the tape, we don’t need him.” He shrugged. “What you do with him is up to you.” Pulling out a pair of handcuffs, he jerked Nick to his feet, cuffed his hands behind his back, and pushed him toward the door. “Come on, shithead. It’s time to pay the piper.”

“So, what do you want to do about Josh?” Levi asked when the door closed behind them.

“I think that depends on him.” Eyes narrowed and lips pursed, Jonas turned to Josh. “What was your part in all this?”

Josh linked his hands together, glanced at the door then at his shoes. “I just followed orders. I didn’t even know who she was.”

Levi snorted. “You and Glen offered Max a share of the contract fee if he’d turn Tess over, and you expect us to believe that you had no idea who she was?” When Josh just glared at him without answering, Levi shook his head. “Not bloody likely.”

“I agree.” Jonas pondered a moment, then a sly smile broke across his face, deepening the crevices around his eyes and mouth. “Put the word out on the street that Josh no longer works for us and isn’t under our protection. He can take his chances on the outside.”

The blood drained from Josh’s face. Without the McKenzie family’s protection, he would be fair game for any hoodlum with a grievance against him, personally, or against Nick. And knowing Nick, there’d be plenty of petty crooks out there with complaints—and ready fists.

All in all, an elegant and effective solution, and a just punishment, Levi decided. “I like it.”

“Josh, your services are no longer required,” Jonas announced. He gestured toward the door. “You’re free to go.”

Levi opened the door again as Josh stumbled out then closed it behind him with an immense feeling of relief. It was over. Tess was safe. “Thanks for getting her off the hook, old man.”

“You’re welcome. After your phone call, I contacted Wilson. He wanted to take Tess into custody immediately, but he finally agreed to listen first.” Jonas walked over and patted her on the shoulder. “Thank God, you’re safe now.”

Levi sat down on the couch beside her and pulled her against him, wishing there was some way to make her love him as much as he loved her.

On the trip home, after her tears stopped, she’d told him everything that had happened. Then she fell silent, except for an occasional sigh. Now she looked so lost, he wanted to do something, anything, to take her pain away. But all he could do was hold her. He understood why Max had done what he did. Tess was both courageous and stubborn, and Max hadn’t seen any other way to protect her. Levi could relate.

She snuggled into his side and he wrapped his arms more tightly around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. When Jonas cleared his throat, Levi glanced up. The look on the old man’s face worried him.

“I’ll be right back, luv,” he said. He rose and followed Jonas into the hall. “What is it?”

“It’s just occurred to me that Tony might blame Tess for the failure of his operation. Even though she’s not directly responsible.” He headed down the hall to Levi’s office. “You don’t know if he survived when the house blew up, right?”