Stalemate (34 page)

Jesus, but she had to be sure.

She phoned Venable. "Diaz just mentioned Jane and he sounded very confident."

"She's safe." He added, "Okay, we think her safe house was compromised. One of the agents was followed back to the house but he noticed the surveillance. They pulled out of the area a few hours later and she's been relocated in Flagstaff."

Close. Damn close. "And they weren't followed to Flagstaff?"

"My guys are careful, Eve. Stop worrying about your daughter and start worrying about yourself. What you're doing at Diaz's place is very risky."

"Not if you get that helicopter on the ground at the right time." No, he was right, it didn't matter if everything went like clockwork. It was still going to be dangerous. "I have to do this, Venable."

"I know," he said wearily. "I wish we could help more."

"Soldono explained the delicacy of CIA negotiations," she said sarcastically. "You wouldn't want to offend any slimeballs like Diaz."

"It's a dirty, fixed game. We do what we can to make the stakes as low as possible for the winners. Call me when you leave the compound and I'll make sure the helicopter is in the area." He hung up.

Jane was safe. Venable was doing what he could to help her. She had managed to back Diaz into the corner she needed him to be in. Everything was as good as it could be, considering that nothing could possibly be good as long as Diaz had Joe.

Chapter 15.

It's the church," Diaz said to Nekmon as he hung up the phone. "Tomorrow at midnight."

"Where do you want men positioned in the village?"

"Nowhere. She's pulling in the CIA to get them out. We don't want an incident in my territory." He smiled maliciously. "Much better to have it closer to Montalvo's compound. Then we can claim he ordered it shot down because he was angry with the bitch. He has ground-to-air missiles and the CIA knows it. Station a man in the ruins of that tower thirty miles from here. She'll think she's free and clear and then we'll incinerate the whore."

"You're going to let her get on the helicopter?"

"Why not? It's the best way to get rid of the bitch. The CIA won't be a problem as long as we don't directly interfere with their agents. Kill a CIA agent and the Agency will be very difficult to deal with." He got to his feet. "Have you found Galen yet?"

"We picked up a phone signal in the woods about ten miles from here."

"And you didn't catch him?"

"He was gone by the time we got to the source," Nekmon said. "He seems to be moving constantly. But he's not leaving the area."

"Perhaps he's looking for a way to rescue his friend Quinn," Diaz said. "I'm going to be most displeased if he manages to get in my way tomorrow night. You don't want to know how displeased, Nekmon."

"He won't be an obstacle," Nekmon said. "I give you my word. By the way, Quinn has regained consciousness."

"Good. I was afraid I was going to have to bargain with a corpse. Is he going to live?"

Nekmon nodded. "As you know, he was somewhat damaged in the struggle to take him. Do you want to see him?"

Diaz thought about it. He was tempted to give Quinn a reason to remember him. The Duncan woman still had some feeling for the bastard or she wouldn't be going to these lengths to free him.

No, better not. Everything should be smooth on the surface when they met at the church.

"Later." He moved toward the door. Spilling blood was exciting, heady, and energizing. But sex was almost as good and he still had the young farm girl here at the castle. She was proving very amusing. She had started out as a frightened doe but recently he had noticed flashes of spirit when the pain had been too great.

Yes, she would be a suitable substitute for the satisfaction he would relinquish from toying with Quinn.

Soldono was on the veranda when Eve tracked him down that evening.

"I've been looking for you," Eve said. "I need your help. Where can we talk?"

"Problems?" He took her elbow and guided her across the veranda. "This is as good as anywhere." He shook his head. "Now that poor Miguel has been taken out of guard duty, surveillance isn't what it used to be."

"You told me that you could get me out of the compound and back to the village without Montalvo knowing about it."

He went still. "Is that what you want to do?"

"No, but if you can do that, I figured you could help me in another way. I want you to arrange a meeting with Armandariz for me. I can't go to him. It's too far and Montalvo would find out and track me down. Armandariz will have to come fairly close to the compound."

"Why do you want to see him?"

She grimaced. "I have to convince the neurotic bastard that I lied to him and erase everything that Montalvo wanted to accomplish. To top it off I have to persuade him to give me back the reconstruction."

Soldono whistled softly. "I can see why he'd want to track you down. Montalvo might just put a bullet in you."

"I'll take the chance. It's the only way I can save Joe. Montalvo doesn't give a damn about him. Can you do it? You've dealt with the rebels, haven't you?"

"I've dealt with everyone in this stinking jungle at one time or another."

"Then will you help me?"

"I shouldn't do it. And you shouldn't trust any bargain you make with Diaz."

"I don't have a choice." She added unsteadily, "You saw what he did to Miguel. That's not going to happen to Joe."

He frowned thoughtfully. "I don't know if I can convince Armandariz."

"Try. He wants to believe his daughter's still alive. That should take him halfway. He doesn't like Montalvo and that may bring him the rest of the way. Will you do it?"

"How soon do you have to meet with him?"

"Tomorrow morning. And ask him to bring the reconstruction with him. He may not go along with it but we have to make the attempt."

"This isn't smart, Eve."

"It's the best I can do. I won't have Joe killed." She repeated, "Will you do it?"

He hesitated and then slowly nodded.

"Thank God." She squeezed his arm. "And thank you, Soldono."

"You can thank me by getting out of this in one piece. My job is keeping you safe, not Quinn." He turned away. "And I'd better get my ass in gear. I'll need to go some distance into the jungle if I'm going to phone Armandariz with no risk of being monitored. And it may take a long, long discussion to get him here." He glanced back over his shoulder. "Change your mind, Eve. This is too risky. If the rebels don't kill you, Montalvo will."

"Why not throw in Diaz?" she asked. "There's no win-win situation here. I just have to survive and keep Joe alive." She turned on her heel. "I'll be in my room waiting for you to tell me what's happening."

Soldono didn't show up at her room until almost 2:30 A. M.

"This morning before dawn," he said when she opened the door. "Sorry you're not going to get much sleep but it's safer for me to smuggle you out of the compound at that time."

"That doesn't matter. Where's the meeting?"

"At a clearing about five miles from here."

"Is he going to bring the reconstruction?"

He shrugged. "He wouldn't commit himself. You'll see when you get there. I did the best I could."

"You did very well. Thank you, Soldono."

"I'll meet you on the veranda at five-thirty A. M. We've got to be over the wall and on our way fifteen minutes later."

"How can you be sure that we'll be able to get out?"

"I'm not sure. But the west wall was guarded by a man named Destando and Montalvo paid him a visit last night."

She stiffened. "Destando? He's the man Miguel said could be the informant."

He nodded. "I heard a shot about five minutes after Montalvo went into Destando's quarters. Evidently Montalvo took care of his leak. If the west wall is guarded, it won't be by anyone experienced. Quinn and Galen went over the west wall. I'm wondering if Destando was deliberately remiss in his duty that night."

She watched him walk away and drew a deep breath.

So far, so good.

"Armandariz should be in the glade just ahead," Soldono murmured. "I can't go any farther. He said for you to come alone. I'll stay here and guard your back."

"If Armandariz has as many guards milling around as he did in the camp, that's not going to be very effective." She moved down the path. "But thanks for the thought."

"Don't push him too hard," Soldono said. "He wasn't eager for this meeting. If he gets too angry with you for lying to him, he might cut your throat."

"I'll push him as hard as I have to." She strained her eyes to see in the darkness that was only marginally lessened by the coming dawn. "I have no choice."

Soldono was leaning against a tree and straightened when she came down the path an hour later. "I was getting worried."

"So was I." She started down the trail. "He didn't want to believe me. I was too convincing before."

"But he finally did?"

"After telling me that if I didn't leave Colombia by the end of the week, I'd go home in a casket."

"But he didn't give you the reconstruction?"

"On the contrary, he threw it at me."

"You don't have it with you."

"I hid it on the way back. I couldn't chance Montalvo catching me and taking it away. I'll pick it up on the way to meet Diaz." She paused. "I'm going to need your help there too. Phone Venable and tell him to have one of his men pick me up here at ten tonight and drive me to the hill outside of Diaz's village. I'll make my own way from there."

"He's already consented to giving you the helicopter escort. He might not want to--"

"Just ask him."

"What about Montalvo? He's no dummy. Won't he know you're up to something?"

"I'll be visible during the early evening and he won't expect me to stick around later." She added grimly, "He knows I'm mad as hell with him and our relationship has been very cool." She looked up at the sky and started to trot. "It's beginning to turn light. We have to get back to the compound...."

11:55P.M.

Nekmon phoned Diaz at the church a few minutes before midnight. "She's coming. She's down from the hill and just came out of the forest."

"Alone?"

"Yes, absolutely." Nekmon paused. "She's not carrying anything."

"She said she wouldn't bring it to the church. She'd just better have it close by." He turned to Joe Quinn. "She's coming to rescue you. Isn't that sweet? What devotion. I do love to see a woman protect her man. Too bad she believes she's trading you in for a new model."

"You're lying."

"I have a few doubts myself but since I have little faith in the human race, I think it likely she's as faithless as most women. Montalvo had the reputation for being very good with the ladies when he was in the rebel army. Sex is sex."

"Shut up, Diaz."

"Ugly." He backhanded him across the face. "Will you never learn? I really should take you back to the castle instead of proceeding with the current plan. I didn't get my fill of you."