No One to Trust (27 page)

“But you have to have the tiniest doubt. In the meantime, I’ll leave you to wonder whether I’ll really pay Morgan. Maybe I’ll have him send that next picture to you.” He hung up.

“I told you I should talk to him. What is it?” Galen asked as he took the phone from her lifeless hand.

“Thirty million dollars or Judd threatened to kill Barry.”

Galen swore. “Chavez could be lying.”

“I don’t think so. He was getting too much satisfaction out of hurting me.”

“Is he going to pay?”

“He wouldn’t tell me.”

“He’ll pay.”

“I … think so.” She compressed her lips to keep them from trembling. “I have to think so.”

“Even if he doesn’t, Judd could be bluffing.”

“Judd never impressed me as a man who bluffs.” She got out of bed. “We have to find him.”

“He’ll call today. Where are you going? We can’t do anything right now.”

“I can’t stay in this bed. I have to do something, anything.”

He studied her for a moment and then slowly nodded. “You’re right. You have to do something.” He got out of the bed and headed for the bathroom. “Get dressed. I’ll meet you downstairs in five minutes.”

“Where are we going?”

“Outside. It’s not the barn, but it will have to do.”

“No holds barred.” Galen threw his shirt beneath a tree. “Come and get me.”

“I don’t want to fight you.”

“You won’t hurt me. I’m probably as good as you are.”

“What is this? Some kind of therapy? This is useless.”

He made a lightning step forward and swept her legs from under her. She crumpled to the ground.

He ran toward her and she automatically rolled over, grabbed his ankle, and twisted it. She jumped to her feet and gave him a roundhouse kick to the abdomen as he got up.

He grunted before grabbing her foot and yanking it, bringing her down.

She felt a surge of anger mixed with sheer adrenaline as she dodged to the side and attacked again.

It was not like sparring with Judd. Galen was better, quicker, and he seemed not to feel the punishment she was inflicting.

“Is that all you can do? Maybe you’d better pretend I’m Judd. It might give you more incentive. Or maybe Chavez.”

“I don’t need an incentive.” She ducked and attacked again.

Fifteen minutes passed, and she was breathless and no longer sure whom she was fighting. Judd. Chavez. Galen. They were all whirling before her as she attacked and attacked and attacked again.

“Okay. Okay.” Galen was breathless as he finally backed away from her. “I give up. I don’t need any more damage.”

She stood there, her breasts rising and falling with every breath. “You’re … done?”

“We’re
done.” He wiped his sweaty face on his shirt. “Let’s hit the shower. I have some bruises I need to take care of.”

“I hurt you?”

“No more than I expected. I imagine you’ll find a few bruises too.” He held the screen door open for her. “If you don’t, I’ll feel more of a failure than I do now.”

The haze of adrenaline was gradually ebbing and she was able to think again. “You didn’t want to beat me. You were acting as a punching bag.”

“The hell I was.” He winced as he flexed his arm. “That was purely a side effect. Come on. Shower.”

She didn’t move. “Why?”

“Because I stink?”

“Why did you do it?”

“What else can you do at four in the morning? Don’t answer that. I’m trying not to think of the alternatives.”

“So you decided to knock me around.”

“That’s right. I needed to release my inner hostility.”

“Bullshit.”

He smiled. “How do you feel?”

She thought about it. “Strong. Very strong.”

“Not defenseless?”

“No way.”

“Then I’ll postpone the shower and make some coffee while we decide what you want for breakfast.” He moved toward the kitchen. “Or maybe not. Caffeine may rouse the tiger in you again.”

I saw lions and tigers.…

The memory brought pain but not the terrible feeling of helplessness.

“You have an unusual way of handling depression, Galen. You see a woman who is down and out and try to pound her into the ground.”

“Whatever works. Tender loving care wasn’t doing the job.” He flipped on the kitchen lights. “You can function now. Lord, can you function.”

Yes, she could function. She could feel the blood flowing through her veins, and her mind was alert. Galen had given her release and confidence. God, what enormous gifts in this time of need.

She tore her gaze away from him. “You weren’t so bad yourself.” She went to the cabinet and took down two cups. “Okay, now we have to decide whether to stake out Chavez or continue to go after Judd.”

“I’ll pay it, Morgan,” Chavez said. “But I want a little something extra.”

“You’re getting what you pay for. Nothing else.”

“Thirty million is an exorbitant fee for one little boy. I think I deserve more. It won’t be anything you’re not accustomed to doing.”

“And what is that?”

“I want Elena Kyler. Alive preferably, but I’ll accept her dead if it proves impossible.”

Judd was silent a moment. “Why should I give you anything?”

“I’m reluctant to give you this much money. I can stretch our negotiations out for a long time, and you want them over.
You’re probably tap dancing to keep ahead of Galen and Elena right now. All you have to do is give me Elena and it’s a done deal.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll add another five million dollars to the pot if you bring her to me alive. I’ll also put pressure on a few senators I have in my pocket to take the heat off you.”

“It’s an interesting proposition.”

“And one you won’t get from me again. It will be easy for you. I don’t even know why you’re hesitating.”

“I’ll let you know.” He hung up the phone.

It will be easy for you
.

It was natural for Chavez to believe that betrayal and murder would be simple for him. It had been his life for too many years. How difficult would it be to slip back into the habits of the past?

Chavez was right. Judd needed to be done with these negotiations. Galen and Elena had almost caught him last night at the carnival. He was lucky that Barry had not seen them. He needed the money. He needed to be rid of the kid.

So what to do?

Chavez thought he knew what his decision would be. Was he right?

Betrayal and murder …

“What are we waiting for? Judd’s not going to call.” Elena stood at the window gazing blindly out at the lake. “I think we should go to Miami to get Chavez.”

“Let’s give it just a little more time.”

“He said he’d call yesterday and he didn’t do it.” Her hand clutched the curtain so tightly that her knuckles turned white. “He’s made his deal with Chavez and he’s going to turn over Barry. We have to stop him.”

“Wait until noon and then we’ll take off. We may be in a better position here to intercept him. He or Barry may drop—”

“No.” She turned and headed for the front door. “He can call us on the road. I’m too frightened to—”

The house phone rang.

She jumped for it. “Hello.”

“Is Galen on the line?” Judd asked.

“He will be in a minute. Let me talk to Barry.”

“After we finish. He’s fine.”

“How do I know that? You promised Chavez you’d send him a picture of a dead boy.”

“He told you that? He’ll evidently do anything to hurt you.”

“Was it a lie?”

He didn’t answer immediately. “No.”

“You son of a bitch.”

“At times,” Judd said. “But it’s not kind of you to say so when I’m calling to give you an opportunity.”

“What kind of opportunity?” Galen had picked up the extension.

“To get her son back.”

Elena stiffened. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’ve made a deal with Chavez. I get my money. He gets Barry. But the terms of delivery are in my court.”

“Go on.”

“I’ve told Chavez that he has to do the delivery himself. He brings the money, I turn over Barry. No escort or I don’t deal.”

“And you think he’ll abide by it?”

“Probably not. I’ll do a little scouting ahead of time to make sure I’m safe.”

“And where do we come in?”

“I’ll tell you where and when. You come after I’ve got my money and take Barry away from him. Simple.”

“Too simple,” Galen said. “It smells like a trap.”

“Or a bad conscience trying to do the right thing,” Judd said. “You take your choice.”

“Trap,” Elena said.

“I’ll call you tonight with the time and place. Barry will be
there. I’m sure he’ll hope to see you.” He called, “Barry, your mother wants to talk to you.”

“Galen, it’s a trap, isn’t it?” She hung up after talking to Barry and walked into the kitchen. “That tricky bastard.”

“Probably.” He hung up the extension. “But it’s also an opportunity, just as Judd said. I don’t doubt Barry will be there. It’s the only bait that would work.”

“And Chavez will have his men there.”

“Almost certainly. It’s very risky.” He smiled faintly. “But it’s not going to stop you from going, is it?”

Even the slimmest chance to get Barry back? “Hell, no.”

“Then we wait for Judd to tell us where and when.”

Judd called at nine-forty that evening.

“Tomorrow night. In the glade at the top of Blackjack Mountain. One
A.M
.”

“If this is the trap I think it is, I’m going to hunt you down and draw and quarter you,” Galen said.

“Don’t you think I know that? You have to do what you have to do. I can’t guarantee the unpredictable, and everything about this delivery is unpredictable.”

“Including you.”

“Including me.” Judd hung up.

“That sounded like a warning,” Elena said.

“Who the hell knows?” Galen moved toward the desk in the
living room. “We need to take a look at a state map and find Blackjack Mountain. We have some reconnoitering to do before tomorrow night.”

She followed him and watched as he took out the map and looked up Blackjack Mountain. “It’s about forty-five miles north of the city off Highway 76. I don’t see any nearby towns. Evidently Judd wanted his meeting isolated enough not to disturb the neighbors.”

She nodded. “We’re not going to have much time to familiarize ourselves with the area.”

“Time enough. I don’t think either of us is going to sleep tonight anyway.” He headed for the door. “Let’s get on the road.”

“Galen.”

“What?”

“I just want this very clear. This is my son. We both have to go all out. You’re not going to try to close me out or protect me.”

He hesitated. “It’s going to be hard for me not to do it.”

“But you’ll do it because you made me a promise.”

He grimaced. “And I’ll keep it. We go in together and we do the job together. Okay?”

She nodded and followed him to the door. “Just so you understand.”

“I told you once I was chock-full of understanding. Since then I’ve begun to regret that particular talent.”

They didn’t get back from Blackjack Mountain until after noon the next day. They were both sweaty, dirty, and scratched from brush.

“Get a shower and try to nap,” Galen said. “I’ve got to get a few weapons and some infrared night glasses from Hughes.”

“You should sleep too.”

“I will.” He paused. “We’ll draft several of Hughes’s security guys to take out Chavez’s men near the road and stand by for an alert from us. But if we go up that mountain like a SWAT team, there’s a greater chance of Barry being hurt. We don’t know what Chavez will do if he’s cornered.”

“I know that.”

“And we can’t be sure how many of Chavez’s men will be guarding the way up to that glade. We’ll have to pick them off one by one on the way to him. We can’t afford noise.”

She nodded. “Knives and hands.”

“Right.”

She heard the door close behind him as she headed for her bedroom. A few minutes later she was under the shower and the hot water was washing away the dirt, but not the cold anxiety that had gripped her all night. Christ, she was scared.

They had gone over that mountain until she was familiar enough with it to feel fairly certain she wouldn’t blunder into unknown dangers. The dangers she knew about were bad enough.