Kate rounded another bend and brought the bike to a skidding halt at the corner of Delmas and Rue P. Obin, the street leading to the airport.
A beat-up taxi was parked at the side of the dusty road. The driver was asleep. “Get into the passenger side of the first cab,” he told Kate.
Jack hurried to the driver’s window. “Bad news,” he told the driver, gesturing with his hands. “Your back tire is flat.”
The other cab would be coming around the corner any minute now. Jack scratched the back of his neck, grimacing as he pretended to look at the flat tire. If the driver didn’t get out of the cab soon, he was going to have to drag him out by his collar.
Grudgingly, the driver opened the door and climbed out to take a look for himself. Jack waited until the man was all the way at the back of the car before he jumped behind the wheel and turned on the ignition. Kate threw open the passenger door and slid in beside him.
Jack floored it. Tires squealed and the driver shouted. A cloud of dust was all Jack saw in his rearview mirror and for the next fifteen minutes they made good time.
At seventy miles per hour the vehicle shook and the wheels rattled. He was afraid the metal frame was going to separate from the axle. And just when he thought they might be safe, Charlie and his pals were on his tail again. A round of bullets sprayed against the cab. He swerved from one side of the deeply rutted road to the other.
The car hit them from behind. Their vehicle jerked forward. Jack kept a tight grip on the steering wheel and concentrated on the road ahead of him. The street was narrow and covered with too many divots. Kate pulled a pistol from her bag, leaned out the window, and fired. Charlie and his friends fired back. Glass shattered across the backseat.
Jack reached over and yanked on her shirt. “Get down!”
“Watch out!” Kate said.
Jack jerked the wheel too late. The right tire hit the edge of a pothole, sending the car sideways. Kate slammed into his side. She scrambled to get off of him and give him room.
Jack’s body tensed, figuring the vehicle was going to flip, but the right side of the cab dropped back down with a jarring thud. The back bumper flew off, crashing into the car behind them.
“That should slow them down,” Kate said. “We’re almost there.”
Up ahead he saw the runway, and one lone plane...their ride out of here. The only thing keeping them from reaching the plane was a chain-link fence. Jack tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Strap yourself in and hang on.”
Kate snapped the seatbelt in place and braced her palms against the dashboard just before Jack drove into the fence. The impact jolted them forward and then back again. A large section of chain-link fence clung to the front end of their car as they skidded across gravel. Kate glanced over her shoulder. “Looks like they’ve been detained.”
In the rearview mirror, Jack saw that a lengthy metal pole had propelled backwards and shot straight through the other cab. He pulled up close to the plane and hit the brakes. The wheels squealed against asphalt, filling the air with the smell of burnt rubber.
He looked at Kate. His heart pumped with adrenaline. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. How about you?”
“I’m good. Let’s go.” Snatching his backpack, he climbed out. The pilot stood at the top of the landing, waving them inside. Jack ushered Kate up the narrow stairs in front of him. Close behind, the sound of bullets rang out.
Two men ran across the tarmac toward them.
Jack helped the pilot with the door before the pilot rushed toward the cockpit. Jack leaned over Kate to help her with her seatbelt.
“I’ve got it,” she said.
Once again, he raised his hands in surrender.
The plane headed full speed down the runway. The wheels lifted and in minutes they were high above the sounds of sirens speeding along the runway. Kate leaned back and closed her eyes, waiting for a bullet to hit the engine and send them into a fiery descent. By the time she got the nerve to peek out the small oval window all she saw was the rippling blue waters of the Caribbean Sea.
“That was close,” Jack said. “We’re safe now.”
Kate didn’t share his feelings of relief. She felt exposed. For the first time in years she was in unfamiliar territory. She didn’t like it one bit.
Jack must have sensed her vulnerability because he reached over and took her hand. She wasn’t used to people touching her. Instead of pushing him away though, she looked at the hand covering hers. She couldn’t remember the last time someone touched her with such gentleness. His hands were strong, capable, his nails neatly clipped. Her hands looked weathered in comparison, her nails ragged and worn down to the quick. Her fingers looked thin and fragile. Fragile was the last thing she wanted to be. She couldn’t afford to be fragile. Not if she wanted to stay alive. She pulled her hand away.
Despite her pulling back, Jack smiled at her as he leaned his head back against the cushioned headrest. “A long hot shower, a big juicy steak, and a nice glass of wine, preferably 1997 Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, will be waiting for us when we land.”
Kate tried to summon a bit of Jack’s optimism, but it was no use. “I don’t remember the feel of hot water drizzling over my head or the taste of well-cooked meat.” Nor had she ever had the pleasure of sampling even a small taste of fine wine. For the last ten years she’d survived mainly on conch, mangos, and grayish unfiltered water.
He was watching her. She didn’t like the pity she saw in his eyes. The thought of returning to the States terrified her, which in turn made her incredibly angry. Fear no longer had a place in her life. She ate fear for dinner. She needed to stay focused. Focus is what helped keep her alive all these years. That same single-mindedness would see her to the end of her journey, to that moment when she would attain the one thing for which she lived. Revenge. Anyone associated with her father’s death would pay.
Her fingers curled into fists. She was far from the fragile little girl she’d been so many years ago. She shut her eyes and let her head fall back against the headrest. The thought of settling scores made it easier to breathe. For the past ten years not a day went by that she didn’t relive the last horrifying moments with her father. For ten years she’d dreamed of serpent tattoos and grayish black eyes. Yes, revenge would be sweet - far more satisfying than any fine wine Jack could ever offer her.
Chapter 4
Michael Ray Harrison looked about the Biltmore Hotel ballroom with distaste. According to the media, tonight’s AIDS fundraiser was going to be Los Angeles’s event of the year. Hundreds of celebrities dressed in designer tuxes and sequin gowns would arrive within the hour to help save the world.
His young wife’s hand rested on his arm as he looked around the ten thousand square feet of extravaganza. The room was set up for dancing beneath myriad crystal lights suspended from a soaring ceiling. He took in row after row of tables covered with fine white linen and accented with crystal vases filled to the brim with fresh flowers.
He hated the thought of how much this event was costing the organization. But he also knew the more bountiful the glitz and glamour, the more money they would bring in when the night was over. Nobody knew how to put on a charity event and lure the media as well as Dr. Elizabeth Kramer. She’d been putting on events for AIDS research for well over a decade. It was all about knowing who to invite, and then making sure they showed up.
Harrison had seen the other side of the coin, too. There were organizers of charity events who thought they could throw a crab feed and call it a day. He’d never forget the celebrity ski event he’d attended with his first wife. Hot dogs and beer were served as B-list stars were paraded around for a few hours. The organizers ended up giving away more than they got.
He had learned a lot over the years from Elizabeth. The more ostentatious the event, the more money they netted at the end of the night. And tonight would more than likely exceed all of their wildest dreams.
“There’s Elizabeth,” his wife said as they watched the woman approach from across the room.
Harrison took note of his wife’s critical gaze as she compared Elizabeth’s purple beaded gown to her own Elizabeth Emanuel silk chiffon. His gaze roamed over his wife’s slim waist. “How much did that dress cost me, sweetheart?”
Instead of answering, Sheila smiled and squeezed his arm.
“So nice to see you,” Elizabeth said to Harrison and his wife.
Despite breaking off his affair with Elizabeth months ago, it was clear by the way Elizabeth looked longingly into his eyes that the woman was having a tough time letting go.
“We’re glad to be here,” Sheila said. “Lovely gown.”
Harrison met Elizabeth’s gaze. For a woman well into her fifties, she was pleasant on the eyes. She was also quite intellectual, an attribute that had drawn him to her from the very first moment they met. “The room, my dear Elizabeth, looks almost as divine as you.”
Elizabeth blushed and gestured toward a young woman giving instructions to the waiters and waitresses. “I’m afraid the champagne hasn’t been brought out yet, but if you would like I could have my assistant, Amy, bring out a bottle in honor of your arrival.”
“Sheila,” Harrison said to his wife, “would you mind giving the two of us a moment alone.”
“I’d prefer to stay here with you,” Sheila said.
Harrison gestured with his chin toward the entrance. “Your favorite actor, John McBride, has arrived.”
Sheila looked over her shoulder, her face brightening at the sight of the actor. “Oh, well, in that case, I’ll make myself useful and greet the guests.”
“I’ll catch up to you in a moment,” Harrison said as Sheila walked off.
When he turned to Elizabeth, she was peering into his eyes with a yearning that made him miss the enthusiasm she used to put into their lovemaking.
She raised a hand to his jaw. Her thumb grazed his bottom lip.
Gently, he removed her hand from his face. “Now is not the time, Elizabeth.”
“Then why did you send Sheila away?”
“I wanted to see how you’re holding up.”
“I’ve been lonely, Harrison. I miss you.”
He hadn’t expected such a heartfelt confession. “You’ve done it again, Elizabeth,” he said, hoping to change the subject. “You’ve used your magic to turn this ballroom into a fairytale.”
She sighed. “She doesn’t love you the way I do, Harrison. Why are you doing this to us?”
Because Sheila embodied perfection, he thought but didn’t say. Sheila was the woman that Elizabeth could never be. Sheila was his prize, his just reward after Donna, his first wife, walked out on him, and humiliated him. Sheila was his revenge, a constant reminder to his ex-wife, the woman he still yearned for, that she could have been the one at his side, attending extravagant galas like tonight’s event. “I had no choice,” he finally answered.
“No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop loving you.”
A tic set in Harrison’s jaw, not because of what she said, but because of the way she said it...the hunger in her voice, the pining in her eyes. Elizabeth loved him in a way both Donna and Sheila never could. His chest tightened at the thought. And yet he had standards and Elizabeth’s defiant manner, not to mention the fine lines gathering at the corners of her eyes, were only two reasons why it would never work. The more money he came into, the higher those standards rose. Sad, but true.
“I’ll do anything you want to make it work between us. We deserve to be together.”
He remained stiff. “It’s over, Elizabeth. No more talk of the two of us or I won’t be able to attend these charity events any longer.”
Boldly, she slid her hand inside his jacket and over his chest. A warm tingle spread through his loins, but he pulled away when he spotted Patrick Monahan motioning to him from across the room. “I have to go.”
In the few seconds it took Harrison to reach Monahan’s side, Elizabeth was all but forgotten. “What’s going on?” Harrison asked.
Monahan looked about before he said, “I talked to Ben less than an hour ago. Lou knows that Jack Coffey and Kate Huntley took off from Haiti on a private plane. Apparently Lou is furious after being told they would never get off the island alive.”
“Tell Ben to let Lou know that Coffey won’t make it back to the States. Lou will be hearing good news regarding the situation by morning.”
Monahan nodded.
“And next time you want to talk about private matters,” Harrison said, “I expect it to be done in closed quarters.”
The plane shook and Kate opened her eyes. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest. Outside, the sky was no longer bright with sunshine, but overcast with shades of gray. The plane was a six-seater...three seats opposite three more seats with a sleek built-in table in-between.
Jack slid his compact computer from its case and opened it. She saw him do the same thing a few times before she’d fallen asleep. After a moment passed, he would hit a few more buttons on the keyboard, frown, shut it off and slide the computer back into its case. Jack’s nose had turned from red to a purplish blue, casting a dark shadow under his left eye. Who was Jack Coffey, she wondered. And why had he really come for her? Could she trust him? Peering out the window, she watched the dark silhouette of the plane glide over the blanket of thick clouds below.
“Hungry?”
She turned toward Jack and watched him sift through a brown paper bag.
“Starved.”
He pulled out a wrapped sandwich and handed it to her.
The smell of fresh meat and tangy mustard made her mouth water. “Where did you get the food?”
Jack gestured toward a cooler sitting in the back.
She took a bite. Her stomach rumbled. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d tasted anything so heavenly. Other than a piece of fruit and stale bread, she hadn’t had time to think of food in days. She was ravenous.
Jack handed her a soda and another sandwich.
She took both and tucked the second sandwich into her bag. “I’ll save it for later. Thanks.”
While she ate, Jack clicked away at his keyboard.
After washing her meal down with a soda that tasted like sugar water, she stood and headed for the lavatory. The plane shifted again, prompting her to brace herself between the walls of the narrow hallway.
“Turbulence,” Jack said over his shoulder.
The tingling sensation she often felt when something didn’t feel quite right washed over her, sending shivers up her spine. She walked back the other way and peeked through the curtain separating them from the cockpit. The door to the cockpit was open. The pilot stared straight ahead. The man had hardly spoken a word since they’d boarded the plane back in Haiti.
Jack looked up from his laptop. “What’s the matter?”
She dropped the curtain back into place and rubbed her arms. “Restless. That’s all.”
He glanced at his watch. “We’re scheduled to land in Los Angeles in under an hour. Agent Harrison will be waiting for us with a car.”
Kate nodded and headed for the back of the plane.
When she returned, Jack was furiously clicking away at the keyboard. “I’m finally getting a connection,” he told her.
“That’s some piece of equipment,” she said.
He patted the seat next to him. “It’s a mini workstation consisting of a high performance processor.”
She took the seat he gestured toward and watched the computer monitor. Within moments the screen blinked and the main page of the Federal Bureau of Investigation filled the screen. Jack typed in his full name and password. Seconds later the screen flashed USER NAME UNKNOWN.
A look of concern crossed Jack’s features. He input what looked like a string of codes and passwords.
“What is it?”
He didn’t answer right away, just kept hammering away at the keyboard. He hit enter. “It seems good ol’ Patrick Monahan thinks he can keep me off my own terminal.” A bitter laugh escaped him. “The poor sap doesn’t have a clue.”
Kate hovered closer. The FBI’s Most Wanted list flashed across the screen. Her eyes widened.
A picture of Jack filled the screen, a younger picture, taken when he had long sideburns and light brown hair that brushed against his shoulders. Below the picture it read,
Wanted for the murder of Dr. Harold Forstin
.
Kate looked at Jack. “What’s going on?”
“Somebody’s idea of a bad joke.” An edgy sharpness lined his voice. Jack’s gaze left the screen. He looked straight into her eyes. “I didn’t kill Dr. Forstin.”
“I know.”
Clearly Jack was struggling to take it all in, which couldn’t be easy considering only a few days ago he was an outstanding citizen ready to fight the injustices of the world. And now, here he was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. The agency probably wouldn’t be thrilled to discover he’d just hacked into their site. Jack Coffey, it seemed, was in a world of trouble.
The plane moved erratically, taking a dip in altitude. Kate’s grip tightened on the armrest. “Something’s not right.”
“More turbulence,” Jack said without looking up. He ran his fingers through his hair and stared at the screen. “Un-fricken-believable.”
“They set you up, Jack.”
He began clacking away at the keys again. “None of this makes sense. Why would they do such a thing?”
Kate didn’t know what to say.
He talked as he typed. “I’m going to contact A.J., a computer buddy of mine. We worked in Cyber Unit 3 together. He’ll be able to shed some light on what’s going on.”
Jack typed,
A.J. What’s up?
Then he clicked Send and waited.
Within moments he had a response.
Jack. Where the hell are you? They’ve got half the agency looking for you.
Kate put her hand on his, stopping him from replying. “If he works for the FBI, why wouldn’t he know where you are?”
“Few people knew where I was headed.”
“Don’t tell him anything. Not until you know what’s going on. They think you’re the bad guy now.”
“It’s okay,” he told her, “he’s a good friend.”
“From here on out Jack, your friends are your enemies, and your enemies are just that.”
The plane trembled slightly, but Kate hardly paid the turbulence any attention.
Another message appeared on the screen.
Jack, tell me where you are. Your family’s worried about you, especially Sally
.
Jack whistled through his teeth. “There. That’s my first clue that something’s not right. Sally was one of our Cyber instructors. A real bitch. This is A.J.’s way of letting me know they’re watching him.”
Jack stared at the computer screen as if he could will the world back to the way it once was. There was nothing Kate could say to make him feel better. She knew firsthand how it felt to think the world was one way only to find out it was the complete opposite. “I’m sorry,” she said.
His jaw clenched, his expression one of simmering rage. “Not as sorry as they’re going to be. Whoever’s responsible for setting me up is going to be very unhappy when they open their door and see me standing on the other side.” His expression became focused, determined. He typed,
Tell everyone I’m okay. I’ll be in touch
. He hit a few more buttons and the screen went blank. Jack leaned his head back into the seat. “Why would they set me up to take the fall? I have to talk to Harrison.”
Kate sighed. “Sheldon said that it was ‘Lou’ who set you up. Anyone you know?”
Jack shook his head.
“I figured he was talking nonsense,” Kate muttered. “You can’t trust anyone. It could be Harrison for all you know. Someone wants to stop the world from finding a cure for AIDS.”
“For the sake of debate,” Jack said, “let’s say there really is a conspiracy. What could they, whoever they are, possibly gain from letting millions of people die?”
“I don’t know. Not yet. But once you spotted me somebody at the agency obviously became more than a little worried. They certainly didn’t waste any time promoting you to Special Agent, did they?” Kate narrowed her eyes. “Did Harrison know you were going to see Dr. Forstin? Better yet, was it his idea that you pay Forstin a visit?”
Jack raked a hand through his hair, but remained silent.
“A little too convenient, don’t you think?” she asked. “Promoting you, sending you for a little visit with Dr. Forstin and then whisking you off to Haiti? They tied it all up in a nice little bow. They wanted everything to look official. After that, all they had left to do was send a couple of goons after you to take us both out. Nobody would be the wiser.”