Stalemate (12 page)

The skull.

Montalvo hadn't given her any details about it. She should have asked him on the way here but she'd deliberately avoided it. She had been going through too much emotional trauma to want to concentrate on anything but taking the first steps to adjusting.

Tomorrow she would ask about the skull.

She hadn't asked about the skull.

Montalvo leaned back in his office chair and opened the well-thumbed Eve Duncan dossier on his desk. He was tired but he knew he couldn't sleep. The adrenaline was still flowing through him like strong wine. Or maybe it was the meeting with Eve that was intoxicating. She was as strong as he'd expected but that hint of vulnerability had struck him by surprise. He supposed it shouldn't; he'd studied her, listened to her lecture tapes, read everything he could find about her. This picture in her dossier didn't do her justice. Her body was slim and strong, but the fineness of her bones gave her a breakable fragility that was highly provocative, almost sexual.

He'd expected Eve to confront him the moment she arrived and it hadn't happened. Not that he wasn't relieved. The longer he could put off her questions the better.

He looked up as Miguel came into the room. "How is she?"

"Well. She appeared tired." He hesitated. "She's...pleasant. She's not going to be hurt, is she?"

"Not if we can help it. One can never be sure. You know that, Miguel."

"Yes, I know that. It's just...I think I like her."

"So do I. Same answer."

He nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean--" He rushed on to another subject. "I took a message on the house phone. It was Delk from Atlanta. He said that he'd been trying to reach you on your cell."

"I had it turned off. I didn't want to disturb our guest with listening to my business calls. She's a bit sensitive to my occupation." He chuckled. "No, she thinks I'm Satan. But then she's never met Satan. What was the message?"

"Joe Quinn left today on the six-thirty jet for Bogota."

Montalvo's smile faded. "Already? He didn't waste time."

"You said he'd be coming."

Montalvo shrugged. "I thought perhaps I might have a day or two to prepare. Sometimes men have difficulty dealing with the initial emotions of anger and rejection and have to work their way through them. It seems I was wrong. It just means we'll have to move faster."

"Do you want him dead?"

"No, I promised I wouldn't kill him. Which makes it even more difficult."

"I could do it for you. I made no promise."

"It's an implied promise that would include my men."

Miguel smiled. "But I don't understand implications. I'm just an ignorant boy from the country. My father is in trouble so I must help him."

He frowned. "I'm not your father. For God's sake, I killed your father."

"And must supply me with another to replace him. I chose you."

"Miguel, you chose wrong. Leave while you--" He broke off. "You're not listening."

"I listened. I won't kill Joe Quinn. You want to wait until you can do it yourself." He turned. "I'll go and tell the men to be on the alert for Quinn. Will he really come after her against such heavy odds?"

"I would."

Miguel stopped at the door to look curiously at him over his shoulder. "Why?"

"She's an extraordinary woman. You don't find one like her every day. You're lucky to find one in a decade."

"Yet you may let her die."

"Yes, I may let her die." He looked down at the dossier in front of him. "Any news from Diaz?"

"No. But they must be missing Aquila. They'll either send someone else or make another move."

"You've become very canny about strategy."

Miguel smiled again. "I'm my father's son." He strolled out of the study.

Montalvo muttered a curse beneath his breath. He had to do something about Miguel. He'd sent him away before but he always came back. No, admit it, he'd let him come back because he was a selfish bastard and he was closer to the boy than to anyone else in the world.

He closed the dossier and stood up. He'd worry about Miguel after all this was over. Hell, he might be on the run himself by that time and that would make the problem of sending the boy away from him a moot point.

Now he'd go to bed and get a good night's sleep and prepare himself for the confrontation with Eve tomorrow morning.

And try to think of a plan to get rid of Joe Quinn without actually doing the job himself.

Chapter 6.

Eve was dressed and ready when Soldono knocked on her door the next morning.

"How did you sleep?" Soldono asked when she opened the door. "You look a little tired."

"I'm fine." She joined him in the hall. "And yes, I had a lousy night. What do you expect?"

"I expected a sleepless night and a few regrets. What I didn't expect was for you to come down here and put yourself under Montalvo's thumb." He grimaced. "Though I'm grateful that you saved my bacon by getting Gonzales out of here. I was going to have to do something myself and that could have been fatal."

"Montalvo's attitude toward you didn't appear to be antagonistic."

"No, but he has rules, and Gonzales broke one of the major laws that govern his men. If I got in the way, he wouldn't think twice about killing me."

"Laws. Rules. A military compound. This man is a criminal running a criminal organization. What's happening here?"

He shrugged. "Search me. It works for him. His men are loyal and thoroughly intimidated by him." He paused. "And they admire him. That keeps them in line more than any other factor. We had a devil of a time locating one of his men who'd turned traitor to him. It took me more than eighteen months to find Gonzales and another three to persuade him."

"How did you do it?"

"Money. A great deal of money and a promise to get him away before Montalvo found out."

"Which you didn't do." Her gaze wandered around the hall they were going down. "This is a palace. I was surprised when I got here. It was weird to see a place like this in the middle of the jungle. Montalvo evidently likes his creature comforts." And he had appeared perfectly at home here last night, she remembered. Civilized, graceful, handsome. "He built a military fort and then set himself up as emperor."

"According to Gonzales, he didn't build either the fort or the palace. About ten years ago he took them from a Hector Caranda who was the local drug lord in the area."

"Took?"

"Caranda and his men aren't around any longer. I imagine if you looked hard around the jungle you might find their graves."

"Wonderful." She looked at him. "You don't appear upset."

"If criminals fight criminals, it leaves less for us to get rid of. They can all kill each other for all I care." He gestured to the curved arch just ahead. "The breakfast room. His Highness awaits."

"I'm flattered, Soldono," Montalvo said from behind them. "I was wondering if you noticed my regal air." He nodded at Eve. "He's been filling your ears with poison about me. Probably most of it is true, but it's still unpleasant." He waved her into the room. "And I don't 'await.' I've been busy working since six."

He held her chair for her at the gleaming oak table. "To keep myself calm and harness my anticipation for our meeting this morning." His gaze raked her face. "I see you've also been anticipating it. Perhaps with not so much eagerness but definitely with curiosity." He waved his hand and a white-coated servant appeared from the door across the room. "I understand you don't eat a large breakfast so I ordered eggs, bacon, and a piece of toast."

"That's too much."

He smiled. "And in case you said that, I ordered orange juice and coffee and a bagel. Sit down, Soldono. You're boringly predictable. He always has French toast and Canadian bacon, Eve. You wouldn't think he had a sweet tooth, would you?"

"I don't know him. I wouldn't speculate on what he'd like."

"What about me?" He sat down across from her. "By all means, speculate."

She met his gaze. "I think you already had your breakfast at six. Probably something light. Juice, coffee...maybe toast."

He chuckled. "Right. Except for the toast. I always have a tortilla. It brings back memories of my childhood. One of the pleasant ones. It's always best to hold on to whatever happy memories we can revisit. Don't you agree?"

She lifted her orange juice to her lips. "Why are you talking about food and childhood memories? I don't give a damn about your blasted tortilla. I'm not here to socialize or to get to know you. I came here to do a job."

"Yes, you did." He leaned back in his chair and gazed at her. "You look exceptionally good in all the light pouring into this room. Not many women can bear daylight truth but it wraps around you as if it loves you. I wondered how you'd look having breakfast here."

"Bullshit."

"But I did."

"And I didn't anticipate sitting here having breakfast with a man who goes around wearing a ridiculous pistol as if he were some Old West gunslinger. It's a little over-the-top, Montalvo."

He laughed as he glanced down at his holster. "But necessary on occasion. I've been a soldier too long. I've learned you can't count on being safe just because you're on home ground."

"My job," she prompted. "The reconstruction."

He nodded and turned to Soldono. "Would you excuse us? I think you'll find the terrace very comfortable this morning. I'll have your breakfast served there."

"Eve?" Soldono asked.

"I'll see you later," she said.

Soldono shrugged, stood up, and strode out the French doors.

Montalvo nodded at a servant, who hurried after Soldono.

"Soldono will be tempted to eavesdrop but he'll get such excellent and hovering service it would prove too awkward." He lifted his coffee to his lips. "It will be frustrating for him."

"Where is the skull? Where am I to work?"

"I have a studio set up for you in the library."

"Let's go."

"Finish your breakfast. You've barely started your bagel."

"I don't want the bagel. I want to see the skull."

"The bagel is your better bet."

She stiffened. "What?"

"The skull isn't here at the compound."

"Where the hell is it?"

"It's not been unearthed yet. It's buried about ninety miles north of here in a small cemetery."

She said through her teeth, "I don't rob graves, Montalvo."

"You won't have to rob this grave. I'll do it. I just couldn't do it until you were here and ready to do the job. You'll have to work faster than you've had to at any time in your career."

"And I don't act as an accomplice to grave robbing. Go get someone else."

"I've got you."

She met his gaze. "No, you do not. You played me like a violin to get me here, but I won't be manipulated by you to do anything that's against my conscience. Violating a grave is high up on the list."