“I was right to come, Luke,” she whispered as she started carefully brushing the traces of their footsteps from the stony path. “I didn’t want to leave you. I thought I’d be back almost before you missed me. But it was right that I got her out.”
But Erin Sullivan wasn’t out yet. Now they had a long, difficult way to go before they escaped. She mustn’t think of Luke or Hu Chang or anyone else right now. She had to concentrate on a plan to get them through the mountains to a point where Caudell could pick them up.
If the helicopter hadn’t been blown to kingdom come.
She didn’t think that last shot had gotten Caudell, and she hadn’t heard any more explosions as they had hurried down the path toward the village.
So assume that Caudell was alive and had told Venable that Erin was alive and free and running for her life. Catherine could not use any electronic device to request pickup unless she knew that Caudell was in the immediate area. Surely, they would stay close in case she was able to communicate.
She couldn’t assume anything except that while she remained on this mountain, Kadmus would be able to zero in on her if she tried to reach anyone. She’d have to get off this mountain, and even then, it wouldn’t be certain.
Think about it. Work it out. She was competent, and Erin Sullivan was not going to be a handicap. They’d get away from this mountain that Kadmus thought he ruled.
She just hoped she got the chance to kill the bastard before they did it.
CHAPTER
5
DAKSHA
PALACE
“They weren’t on the helicopter,” Brasden said as he strode into Kadmus’s library. “I’ve interviewed several of our men who had different vantage points, and none of them saw anyone but the pilot on board. That means they’re still on the mountain.”
“I told you that was what happened,” Kadmus said impatiently. “That pilot was behaving like an asshole. He was trying to divert our attention.” He gazed coldly at Brasden. “And he was successful. You were a fool.”
“The helicopter was the biggest threat. I had to focus attention first on—” He stopped as he saw Kadmus’s expression. “I sent men to search every cranny of the mountain as soon as I suspected that they were—”
“And you haven’t found them.”
“Not yet.” He moistened his lips. “But we’ve started to question the villagers. So far we haven’t had any luck, but—”
“Luck?” Kadmus repeated harshly. “I don’t pay you to rely on luck. I want answers. Naturally, you wouldn’t get answers from those villagers. I’ve taken care over the years to make sure that they wouldn’t do anything that would be against my interests. They’d turn Erin Sullivan over in a heartbeat if she’d gone there.”
“I thought that boy you killed was—”
“He wasn’t from my village. I own this mountain.”
Kadmus believed he owned the whole damn world, Brasden thought sourly. And, if he had his way, given time, he’d do it. That was okay. Brasden would ride on his coattails and eventually find a way to steal it away from him. Right now, he’d have to play meek and subservient. He’d screwed up royally by letting Sullivan be taken away. “I thought as much, but I thought it would do no harm to interrogate a few villagers. There are a few monks and the old lama who are still there.” He paused. “I told you that it was a woman who got Sullivan out. The bitch was very, very tough. Do you have any idea who sent her?”
“I have an idea or two. Yes, she was tough. She made you look like a weakling.”
Brasden choked back his anger. “I know you’ve been questioning Sullivan about the man who gave her that necklace. Do you suppose he sent the woman and the helicopter?”
“It’s possible. Not likely. He would probably let Sullivan die before he risked himself. It’s rare that he makes any contact at all. Sullivan was the exception. If he’d sent two more people to free her, that would be two more people I could possibly break. He wouldn’t permit himself to be that vulnerable.” His hand knotted into a fist. “But I could have made Sullivan talk. I just needed a little more time.”
“I’ll get her back.”
“Yes, you will,” he said with soft menace. “Or I’ll toss you off this mountain.” He frowned. “It could be CIA who sent her. We’ve been hearing that they’ve been investigating her disappearance.”
“It was dangerous to take an American citizen. Naturally, it would cause an uproar.”
“It was safe enough for me. No one has been able to touch me in all these decades. I
had
to have her.”
“Why?” He paused, then said persuasively, “Perhaps it would help if I knew what value she has for you. Who are you trying to locate?”
“The only person that knowledge might help is you, Brasden. And I’m not sharing this with you.” Kadmus gave him a cold glance. “I’ve told you that my dealings with Sullivan are personal and private. Don’t ask me again.”
Brasden backed off. “Just trying to be helpful.”
“Then find her and the woman who took her. I want constant electronic surveys of the entire area. Send out patrols to monitor any possible transmissions.” He added through his teeth, “Bring her back to me. Now get out of here and find them.”
* * *
“That’s done,” Catherine said as she came back into the cave. She carefully rolled the boulders back in front of the opening. “It wasn’t that difficult. The path was almost pure stone and—” She stopped. “Were you sleeping? Is the cold getting to you?”
“No.” Erin struggled to a sitting position. “But I was dozing. I haven’t been sleeping lately.”
“I can see why, with Kadmus paying you midnight visits.” She walked over and knelt beside her. She lit her LED torch, and the cave was suddenly flooded with light. “But I’m surprised you were able to doze now. I couldn’t, not until I unwind. The situation isn’t exactly restful.”
“You told me to trust you.” Erin smiled faintly. “I do trust you, Catherine. I feel safe with you.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Now that’s a responsibility.”
“Your fault. You got me out of that hellhole, and now you’re stuck with me.” Her smile faded. “It’s going to be hard to get out of here, isn’t it? How hard?”
“On a scale of one to ten, eight,” Catherine said. “But at least it’s not ten. But don’t ask me how we’re going to do it. We’ll worry about that when Kadmus’s first feverish search activity passes us by. Providing it does pass us by.” She took out her gun and her knife and laid them on the ground beside her. “And if it doesn’t, then we’ll worry about it.” She dug into her backpack and brought out the first-aid kit. “But let’s get your wounds fixed up so that you’ll be in better shape to face them. Shed that parka, and I’ll take a look at your shoulder.”
“Could you help me with it?” She unzipped the parka. “It’s still dislocated, and there’s a good deal of pain. Not as bad as the first time Kadmus did it.”
“Kadmus didn’t pop it back into the joint for you?”
“No, I did it myself the first time, but he dislocated it again. He liked the idea of constant reminder.”
“How did the dislocation happen in the first place?”
“He was using the ropes on me.”
Catherine’s gaze flew to her face. “Ropes?”
“He said it’s a torture he learned from the North Vietnamese. The arms are tied up and back until the elbows are forced together. It cut off circulation. The pain is excruciating, then he would rotate my arms until they dislocated.”
Catherine glanced away from her, trying to control her rage. She carefully pulled the parka off her. “Son of a bitch.”
“Oh, yes.” She unbuttoned her shirt. “Without question.”
“How did you manage to pop it back in by yourself? You have first-aid experience?”
“No, I’ve always thought I should go take a course. But then I kept putting it off.”
“Then how did you know?”
“Someone…” She grimaced with pain. “Told me … what to do.”
“Who?” Catherine was trying to keep her talking as she neared the final motion that would send it back into the socket. She could see the agony twisting Erin’s face. “Someone at the palace?”
“No.” She drew a deep breath.”Just
do
it.”
Catherine sent the bone back into the socket. Erin jerked, and cried out, “Cameron!”
“Are you okay?” Catherine asked. “I think it’s back in place.”
Erin nodded. “It will be fine. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Catherine said. “Now give me your hand.” Catherine quickly unbound the crude wrapping around the index finger. “Not a compound fracture. That’s good.” She quickly splinted it, then rebandaged. “But it’s a bad break.”
“Kadmus bent it backwards until it broke.”
“You’ll have to have it rebroken and set when we get you to a hospital.” She sat back on her heels. “Anything else? You mentioned burns?”
“Five. Breasts and thighs. I can do that myself. Do you have salve?”
Catherine handed her antiseptic salve. “If you can handle it, I’d just as soon you do. I’m getting angry. I want to go back to the palace and see how much Kadmus can take before he—” She stopped and fought for control. “But that would be stupid, and we’re not going to give him any chance of getting his hands on you again.” She dug into the backpack again. “There are always nutrition bars in these backpacks. I think we need them.”
“Perhaps we should save them in case—”
“Now. You’ve gone through hell, and you need to stoke up.” Catherine found a bar and handed it to Erin. “There are several.” She made a face. “Evidently, my pilot, Caudell, wasn’t at all sure of the best-case scenario for which I was hoping. Finished with the salve?”
“Yes.” She handed the tube back to Catherine. “It feels very cooling.”
“Only the best for the Company. Of course, only the CIA would put you into a position where you might need meds.” Catherine had been trying to avoid looking at the vicious burns Erin was treating. It made her too furious. “Before you eat that bar, bundle up in that cold-weather gear I gave you. You need to layer quickly.”
Erin picked up one of the garments. “They appear so thin…”
“Space-age and high-tech and wonderfully efficient. The sleeping bags fold down to the size of a woman’s small purse.”
“Kind of James Bond stuff?”
“If James Bond ever got himself into a situation like this. He was always too slick. But I have to be able to move without freezing my ass off, and Venable always has a way to make sure I move. You should be careful to keep that shoulder as warm as possible. Dislocations are particularly susceptible to frostbite.” She laid out the two sleeping bags. “We should sleep as much as possible during the day while the temperature is higher. Even with high-tech gear, it will be hard to fight off the cold enough to sleep once the temp plummets.”
“When do you think we’ll be able to try to get off the mountain?”
“Maybe a day or two. I’ll go out tonight and scout out what’s happening in Kadmus’s kingdom. But we’ll play it by ear.” She looked at her. “But you’re the one who knew about the village and this cave. You may be able to tell me more than this map they gave me.”
“I knew about the village because I heard Kadmus talking about it.”
“And this cave?”
“Someone told me about it.”
Catherine’s brows rose. “When it’s been lost for decades? Were you familiar with this mountain before Kadmus brought you here?”
“No. The closest I’ve ever come is the village on Milchang, the next mountain. I did a story on their herd of goats—”
“Then how did you know about this cave? Who told you?”
“Does it make any difference? I knew, and we’re here. Isn’t that enough?”
Catherine looked at her with frustration. It was clear Erin didn’t want to reveal her source. “It would be enough if I could be sure that what you said was true about this place being forgotten for all that time. It wasn’t forgotten by the person who told you about it. I don’t want Kadmus to be able to tap into the same source.”
She shook her head. “He won’t be able to do that.”
“I hope not.” Catherine sat down and leaned back against the stone wall. She was suddenly bone tired. She had been going on sheer adrenaline for too long, and now that there was a break in the action, strength was beginning to ebb away from her. “To help you, I have to know everything, Erin. It’s dangerous to keep me in the dark.”
“I know it’s not fair,” Erin said quietly. “I’m sorry, Catherine. There are things I can’t talk about.”
“I’m sorry, too.” She paused. “Who is Cameron?”
Erin stiffened. “Cameron?”
“You asked me if it was Cameron who sent me when I showed up at your room at the palace. And that was the name you screamed just now when you were in pain.”
“Did I?” She shook her head. “I didn’t even realize it. I must trust you very much to have done that. I suppose it was an automatic—”
“I accept that. But I know you remember asking me if Cameron sent me to get you away from Kadmus.”
“Yes, I remember doing that.”
“So who is Cameron?”
She didn’t answer.
“Another blank wall?” Catherine asked wearily. “Okay, but you’re making things more difficult than they have to be.”
“You’re wrong. Difficult or not, my refusal to tell you about Cameron is exactly what it has to be. It can’t be any other way.”
“Then I’ll have to work around it.” She bit into her nutrition bar. “But if I find that your silence is putting me at a disadvantage, I’m not going to be pleased.” She changed the subject. “You’ve spent years here in Tibet. Can you think of anyone here who might be willing to help us?”
“No one I’d permit to do it. A day before you came, a boy from a village on the next mountain came to try to rescue me. I’d helped some of his distant family members at the earthquake site. So brave … so young.” She tried to steady her voice. “Kadmus shot him. His body is still in the courtyard below my window. I won’t let that happen again. I’m on my own.” She suddenly smiled. “No, I’m not on my own. I have you, Catherine.”
“Yes, you have me. But under the circumstances, it might be better if you have a few more people in your corner.”
“Better for you, too,” Erin said, troubled. “You wanted so much to get home to your son.”
“I’ll still get home to him. It will just be a little later.” She finished her bar. “And it’s not as if he’s not being well taken care of. I have a friend, Hu Chang, who is extraordinary, and Luke adores him. My son probably isn’t even missing me.”