Option to Kill (Nathan McBride 3) (19 page)

“So if you’d been in the bathroom when I sent the text, you may not have seen it in time to rescue me?”

“Yes, that’s exactly right. I usually take my cell in there, but I don’t always. I could’ve been at my Clairemont house, rather than La Jolla, and I never would’ve arrived in time. I used the word
intangible
because it describes the concept of causation or causality from a human perspective. We’ll never know why things unfold they way they do. Personally, I don’t think we’re meant to. Do you know where I’m going with this?”

“Perfectly — you’re trying to distract me from thinking about Voda.”

He tried not to smile. “Everything I said is true. A complex chain of events is fluid in nature and can’t be predicted with certainty. Jeff Goldblum plays a character in
Jurassic Park
who talked about this.”

“I like that movie.”

“Me too. Changing the subject, I have a live-in housekeeper who takes care of my La Jolla home. Her name’s Angelica. She stays in a separate area of the house. We don’t want to wake her, so we’ll need to be kinda quiet once we arrive. I’ll need to imprint you to my dogs.”

“Imprint me?”

“My two giant schnauzers are personal protection dogs.”

“You mean, like guard dogs?”

“Yes.”

“They won’t bite?”

“No. Since we’ll be driving up in an unfamiliar vehicle, they won’t let us get out until they identify me. They’ll also bark, which reminds me — I’d better call Angelica and let her know we’re coming.”

“Why do you need guard dogs?”

“Let’s just say I have a colorful past.”

“With lots of red.”

“Time to change the subject again.”

“I won’t tell anyone.”

“Especially if you have nothing to tell.”

“I thought we trusted each other.”

“Lauren, it’s not an issue of trust.”

“Your past is supersecret? You could get in trouble if you told?”

“I’m sorry, Senator, I have no recollection of that.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means you’re asking me something I’m not going to answer.”

“Okay, okay. I get it.”

“Thank you.”

Chapter 17

At the privacy gate to his La Jolla home, Nathan pressed a forefinger onto the security keypad and the gate rolled open. Halfway up the steep driveway, two dark forms bounded toward them and challenged their intrusion. The dogs barked and snarled, blocking their way.

Nathan rolled the window down a few inches and yelled his command word. “Cope!”

They stopped barking and cautiously approached the driver’s-side door. He rolled the window down the rest of the way and extended his arm. “Good boys. I’m really glad to see you guys.” Their docked tails wagging, both dogs approached and sniffed his hand.

That’s when he saw it.

A tightly folded piece of paper was stapled to Grant’s collar.

“What the hell…”

He put the Taurus in park, grabbed his SIG, and slid out. He pulled the paper free and said, “Grant, Sherman. Search!”

The giant schnauzers ran up the driveway and disappeared from sight.

“What’s going on? What’s that piece of paper?”

“Shh…” He pocketed the note and crouched next to the open door. “Hand me one of the NV scopes. They’re in the duffel. Backseat.” A few seconds later, he had the device secured on his head with maximum gain. “Wait here. Don’t make a sound.”

Scanning the landscaping along his driveway, he hustled toward the house but stopped short of losing sight of the Taurus. One thing was certain: Angelica hadn’t attached the note to Grant’s collar. She’d never done that, and never would. He ducked behind an oleander and waited. The stapled piece of paper worried him. His dogs were well trained. Grant and Sherman would never allow anyone to approach them without issuing the command word,
cope
, and no one besides Harv or Angelica should know that word. Restraining poles wouldn’t work, because the dogs were conditioned not to approach strangers for just that reason. They also wouldn’t eat anything strangers offered them, so they couldn’t have been drugged. Someone either knew his command word or had used a tranquilizer gun. Nothing else short of killing them would’ve worked. At this point, he felt relieved they weren’t dead.

Nathan wanted to read the note, but right now he needed to stay alert until his dogs finished their reconnaissance. If they detected anyone inside the property, they wouldn’t attack, but they’d raise hell. So far, all was silent. He’d give them a little more time before whistling them back to his position. He looked down the driveway and saw Lauren sitting in the Taurus. Not surprisingly, she had an NV scope up to her eye. He gave her a wave and she waved back. He also gave her the “hold position” hand signal. Until he knew his property was clear, he didn’t want her out of the vehicle.

In the green image of his NV, he saw them appear at the top of the driveway and trot down. “Good boys.”

Confident there weren’t any intruders present, he returned to the Taurus.

Lauren looked concerned. “What’s that folded paper?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Aren’t you curious?”

He was, intensely. “It can wait. Let’s get situated inside first.”

When they crested the driveway, Lauren said, “Oh, no way! You
do not
live here!”

“You’re right. I spend most of my time at the Clairemont house.”

His multistory home looked like it was carved into the hillside. Designed to take maximum advantage of the view overlooking La Jolla Shores, it featured wedge-shaped elements that were stacked atop one another in a random yet structured way. Low roof angles and extended overhangs gave it a Frank Lloyd Wright feel.

“This house is awesome. You’re rich, aren’t you?”

“To quote someone I know, ‘you’re aren’t supposed to ask that.’”

“Are those cannons real?”

“The barrels are real. They’re working replicas of Napoleon twelve-pounders used during the Civil War.” Mounted on square pedestals, the two cannons held flanking positions on either side of the front door and appeared to be guarding the entrance.

He killed the engine.

Grant and Sherman stood next to the Taurus, tails wagging.

“You can get out. They won’t hurt you.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

They approached her cautiously. She drew her arms against her chest.

“You haven’t been around dogs much.”

“We never had a dog. My mom doesn’t like them.”

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t know. She just doesn’t.”

“They aren’t going to bite. Hold your hand out, palm up.”

They both sniffed her. She smiled and petted Grant’s head.

“See, you still have all your fingers.”

“They seem nice.”

Nathan was about to reach for his keys but realized he didn’t have them. “Wait here. I need to grab my spare key. I’ll be back in under a minute. Grant. Sherman. Stay.” He felt confident they were alone, but kept alert anyway. He jogged across the driveway toward the garage. He stole a look over his shoulder. Lauren seemed intrigued by the dogs and was using both hands to pet them. Dogs and kids were a good match.

Once out of sight, he pulled the folded piece of paper from his pocket and held it under a solar-powered landscaping light. He felt something taped to the back and found an old, tarnished dog tag. He’d look at it later.

Nathan:

This must seem unfair, but I don’t apologize for placing Lauren in your care. She’s no longer safe with me. Voda’s back in town, but at least if he captures me, I won’t be able to tell him where she is, even under duress. I’m going after him. Either he lives or I do, but not both. As long as Voda’s alive, Lauren will never be safe. I can’t tell you more, but I’m paying back an old debt. I could run, but it’s not the life I want for Lauren. She’s a good kid with a kind heart. She deserves a structured and stable life. You have no children, so she’s the last of our family’s bloodline. Only one other person in the world knew about our father, and he took the secret to his grave. He was a powerful yet kind man who cared for my mother over the years and reunited us just before she died. Lauren is his child, but she has her grandfather’s eyes, and yours. This dog tag is the only evidence my mother ever existed. I want you to have it. The proof of my identity is on the back. I never knew my mother. I was taken at birth as a GI baby and grew up in a North Korean orphanage. Her name was Han Choon-Hee. She loved our father, and it broke her heart never seeing him again. Our father doesn’t know about me. My mother had no way to contact him. You’ll have to decide if you tell him or not, but if you do, it must be kept secret. If Voda ever discovers Lauren’s true identity, he’ll use her to create a scandal, or worse.

The piece of paper Lauren has is somehow crucial to Voda’s operations, and he’ll stop at nothing to recover it. Voda thinks I have it, and I’m going to use that to bait a trap. Before Voda murdered him, Malcolm told me another young girl is in immediate danger, but I don’t know more than that. Malcolm wasn’t a bad man. He loved Lauren and was a good stepdad. The lure of easy money and a life of luxury sucked Malcolm into Voda’s world, and before he knew it, Voda owned him. Many times he wanted out, but Voda threatened to kill me and Lauren. There’s only one way out of Voda’s world. After Lauren told me about the murdered girl, I told Malcolm to run and never look back, but Voda already had him. He tortured Malcolm for hours before killing him. I won’t be able to help you again. As long as Voda’s pursuing me, you and Lauren will be safe. Keep her with you and never let her out of your sight. She’s headstrong and stubborn, so you’ll have to be firm with her.

If Voda prevails, you’ll have to step up. As long as Voda’s alive, Lauren will be in mortal danger. I had hoped to be a part of your life someday, but that would put you and Lauren at risk from more than just Voda. True heroism is selfless. No one knows that better than you.

Han Jin-Kyong (Jin Elizabeth Marchand)

“You said you were getting the spare key.”

He whipped around, aiming his SIG. Adrenaline coursed through his body like acid. “Lauren, don’t ever do that again! I almost shot you. Never ever sneak up on me!”

“What does it say?”

He took a few deep breaths to quash the rush. “It’s from your mom.”

“Can I read it?”

He considered the ramifications but decided Lauren deserved the truth. He nodded her over, and she sat down cross-legged to read it. Nathan watched her eyes move back and forth. Her expression went blank before a single tear formed.

He put a hand on her shoulder. “Lauren, you’ll see your mom again.”

“You promise?”

He knew he couldn’t guarantee it, but said it anyway. “Yes, I promise.”

“What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to find the girl who’s in trouble and save her.”

“But what about my mom?”

“There’s not much we can do until she contacts us again. When she does, I’ll tell her not to go after Voda alone and that I’ll help her.”

“But what if she doesn’t call, like before?”

“I know how to make her call.”

She sounded on the verge of panic. “How? How will you make her call?

“Patience, Lauren. A good marine knows when to lay low and wait. It may not seem like it right now, but we’ve got the advantage. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“I won’t deny that’s partially true.”

She didn’t respond. He wondered when he’d find a chink in her armor. She’d been remarkably poised until now. He chalked it up to frayed nerves and fatigue.

“Your mom’s going to be okay. She’s a survivor.”