Dangerous Desires (33 page)

“You’re right.” He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “It’s just that I want so much for him to be alive.”

“So do I,” she said, her hands reaching for his. “So let’s just concentrate on finding him. All right?”

“Okay. So if he’s not here at this time of night, where else could he be? The infirmary? You said he had a bad bout with malaria. I know it can recur. Sometimes for the worse.”

“Yes.” She nodded, the little crease between her eyes indicating her worry. “I’d say it’s a definite possibility. But judging from what I know about this place, I’m thinking he might be much closer than that.” Her gaze met his, and the answer suddenly presented itself.

“Solitary.”

“It seems plausible. I certainly spent enough time there.”

“So what are we waiting for?” he asked, his brain clicking into gear, taking control over his harried emotions.

They hurried out of the cell down the corridor to the last two cells at the end of the block. Unlike the others, there were no bars, just cinder-block walls and a heavily studded door with a small sliding slot so that guards could check on the prisoner.

“The key doesn’t work,” Madeline said, her frustration mirroring Drake’s own. He took it from her and tried to jam it in, but it simply didn’t fit. “Use the peephole,” she said. “At least we can see if someone is in there.”

He nodded, wrenching the little piece of metal aside. It was pitch-black inside, the only light a narrow shaft from the open peephole. “Is anyone in there?” he called, careful to keep his voice low enough to keep from alerting the guards. “Hello?” Silence stretched back.

“Is anyone there?” Madeline asked, leaning close beside him as he peered into the darkness.

“No one.” He frowned. “At least I don’t think so.”

“Hello?” Madeline repeated. They both listened, and then something scraped against the wall.

“Did you hear that?” he asked, pressing his eye back to the open panel.

“Yes,” she said, stepping back. The scraping sound came again. “But I don’t think it’s coming from this cell. It’s coming from the next one over.”

She rushed forward, but Drake was faster, pulling back the sliding panel. “Tucker? Are you in there?” The cell was quiet, the darkness swallowing any chance of seeing inside.

“I know I heard it,” Madeline insisted. “There’s got to be someone in there.” She bit her bottom lip, the furrow
between her brows growing deeper. And then she smiled, and, for all the seriousness of the moment, Drake felt as if the fucking sun had come out.

Edging him aside with her hip, she stood on tiptoe to reach the little opening. “Andrés? Can you hear me? It’s Madeline. I’ve come to get you out of here.”

M
adeline?” Andrés’s careful whisper came from the back corner of the cell. “Is it really you?”

“Yes,” she replied, her heart beating faster. “I’m here.”

“This isn’t a trick?” Even though his voice sounded cautious, she could hear a note of hope.

“No. I swear. It’s really me. I’ve come to get you out.”

Andrés moved forward, the scant light highlighting his gauntness. He seemed to have aged ten years since she’d seen him last. His beard was even more matted than before, a streak of silver running through it. Beside her, she felt Drake’s muscles tense, and without thinking she reached over to take his hand.

“I’ve brought help,” she whispered as Andrés moved closer, his eyes the same clear blue as his brother’s. “Drake is here.”

“Drake?” he queried, his eyes narrowing as he frowned.

“Yes. He’s really here,” she said, careful to keep her voice gentle. She had personal experience with the disorienting effects of San Mateo’s solitary. It wasn’t easy to regain equilibrium, especially if they’d been holding him here a while. “See for yourself.” She moved back, pulling Drake forward.

“Tucker?” he said, his voice laced with emotion. “Is it really you?”

There was a pause, and then Andrés—Tucker—raised his hand, his fingers pressed against Drake’s face. “Holy shit,” he breathed, his English suddenly flawless. “I never figured on seeing you again.”

Tears pricked Madeline’s eyes as she watched the two of them. So alike. So different.

“They told us you were dead,” Drake said. “If it hadn’t been for Madeline we’d never have known any different. Why didn’t you use the card?”

“Complicated situation,” Tucker said. “But I figured if Madeline used it, sooner or later someone would trace it back to me. Just never occurred to me it would be you.”

“Well, turns out the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree. Looks like we’re in the same business, more or less.”

“So your coming here was sanctioned?” Tucker asked.

“Hardly,” Madeline said, unable to keep the anger from her voice. “Your people are still in Washington sitting on their asses.”

“My people are dead,” Tucker said, a dark shadow passing over his face.

“Oh, God,” she whispered, her heart twisting at her own insensitivity, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking… I…”

“It’s okay,” he assured her, the ghost of a smile crossing his face. “Good to see you’re still a fighter.”

“Look,” Drake interrupted, his tone unusually abrupt, “we can continue old home week when we’re safe. Right now we need to concentrate on getting you out of here.”

“The key we have doesn’t work,” Madeline said, her worried gaze still fixed on her friend. “They must have changed it.”

“They did.” Tucker nodded. “It’s electronic now. They’re switching the whole prison over. And, of course, they started with solitary.”

“Hannah,” Drake whispered into his com. “Are you getting this?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “I’m trying to find the file that triggers it now, but the computer’s turned sluggish. Which could mean someone’s on to us. Keep your eyes open.”

Madeline nodded and Tucker tilted his head inquisitively. “Ear bud?”

“Yeah. We’ve got a computer expert on the other end. She’s the one who got us in here.”

“How many are there?” he asked.

“Five,” Drake replied, “including Hannah. Plan is to get you out the way we came in. Only we’ve got to get this damn door open first.”

“Got it,” Hannah said, satisfaction coloring her voice. “Should be opening now.”

As if on cue, there was a mechanical clink and the door unlocked.

Madeline yanked it open, throwing herself into Tucker’s arms. “I was so afraid that something might have happened to you.” She pulled back, looking into his eyes. “But you’re all right. You’re really all right.”

“Couldn’t let those bastards win, could I?”

He turned to his brother, the two of them standing for
a moment in silence, and then they embraced, Madeline’s tears coming in earnest now. She’d imagined the moment many times over the last few days, but nothing she’d pictured could possibly have equaled the sheer joy she felt seeing the two of them together.

Drake was the first to pull away, his smile worth every single moment of doubt and worry. No matter what it cost her, she’d done the right thing.

“Guys,” Hannah’s voice broke into her thoughts, “I hate to break up the reunion, but there’s a guard on the block.”

“Hannah says someone’s coming,” Drake relayed to his brother.

“It’s just rounds,” Tucker said, sloughing off the ragged prisoner for the steely calm of a warrior. “Tell her to relock the door. The two of you get over there against the wall.”

Drake relayed the message and grabbed Madeline’s hand, pulling her with him to the right side of the door. Pressing their backs against the cinder blocks, they were swallowed by the shadows, as the peephole slid open, the sharp beam of a flashlight cutting through the shadows.

The light caught Tucker, who made a play of blinking sleepily as he held a hand up to shade his eyes.

Madeline’s heart pounded as she pressed closer to the wall, the silence heavy as they waited. Then, after what seemed an eternity, metal scraped against masonry as the guard closed the opening, and the three of them dared to breathe again. The man’s footsteps echoed as he made his way back down the corridor, the distant clanking of the gate verifying that he’d left the cell block.

“That was close,” Drake said, releasing Madeline’s
hand as he stepped back out into the room. “Hannah, I’m assuming you can still let us out of here?”

“I can,” she said, static rippling across her voice, “but when I do, the guy in the guards’ station may be able to see it.”

“How long do you think he’ll stay in there?” Drake asked, turning to his brother.

“Probably the rest of the night,” Tucker said. “I’m surprised you didn’t run into him when you got here.”

“We did,” Madeline said, shuddering at the memory. “Two of them. But they had other things on their minds.”

“We’re going to have to risk opening the door,” Drake said. “But we need a plan of action first, in case Hannah’s right and they figure out we’re here.”

“I’m thinking there’s a pretty good chance they already have,” Hannah interjected. “The security tape just switched back to real time, which means they found the loop.”

“Damn.” Drake moved to the doorway, gun drawn, listening for footsteps. Fortunately there were none.

“Look,” Hannah said, a touch of agitation in her voice. “I’m opening the door now, while I still can. I don’t want to risk your being trapped in there.”

“Roger that.” Drake nodded, his mind clearly already searching for alternatives. “Any way we can still make it back to the crawl space?”

“Not without sounding the alarm. At least for now you’ve got the advantage. They don’t know where you are. Or even if you’re still there.”

“Is there any other way out of this section?” Drake asked, as the door clicked open. “Without accessing the gate, I mean?”

“The exercise yard,” Tucker said, moving to stand on the other side of the door. “From there we can access the other cell block. But I’m not sure exactly what that buys us.”

“Time,” Drake said, reaching into his bag to pull out another gun. “Figured this might come in handy.” He tossed the weapon to his brother and Tucker checked the magazine and then released the safety. “How far to the door?”

“It’s at the end of the corridor,” Madeline answered. “There’s a little hallway to the right and then the door leading outside.”

“It’s about ten feet from here,” Tucker added.

“They’ve got people on the move,” Hannah broke in. “So far no alarms, but I’d say it’s time for you to get the hell out of there.”

“Copy that,” Drake said, nodding at his brother, who despite his frail appearance was moving with the fluidity of an athlete. Tucker slipped through the door, leading with his gun, Drake following right behind. Madeline waited for Drake’s signal and then joined them in the darkened corridor.

At the far end, they could hear the gate opening and suddenly the corridor was flooded with light.

“Go,” Drake said, shoving Madeline forward.

Buoyed by adrenaline, she sprinted for the passage leading to the exercise yard, Drake and Tucker on her heels. Rounding the corner, she heard bullets fly, and then the deafening sound of the alarm. Drake stopped to return fire as she pulled open the door and stepped into the yard, only to retreat into the hallway as the guard in the tower peppered the ground with machine-gun fire.

“We’re trapped,” she said. “The guy in the tower has a machine gun.”

Drake nodded to Tucker, who took his place at the corner as Drake stepped back into the shelter of the hall. “Hannah, can you hear me?”

Static filled Madeline’s ear and her heart stuttered to a stop, then Hannah’s voice broke through. “Yeah, for the time being. Someone’s trying to jam me. But I managed to patch Nash and Annie through.”

“Great time for the cavalry,” Drake said. “They’ve got us pinned in. Guns in the corridor and the tower in the yard.”

“I can take out the tower,” Annie said. “But you’re going to have to buy me a little time to get in place.”

“Will do. But make it as fast as you can. We’re going to run out of ammo. And they’ll be bringing reinforcements.”

“Roger that,” she said. “I’m on my way.”

“Nash? You there?” Drake asked.

“I’m here, but only with a little fortitude and a lot of luck,” he said, his voice fading in and out. “I managed to get out of the cellar before they arrived, so they have no idea I’m out here. But I’m totally cut off from the gate, and there’s no way I can access the van.”

“Got it,” Drake replied. “Just keep your head down and stay out of sight. We’ll figure out our next move once Annie gets the guy in the tower.”

“Plan B,” Madeline said, her gaze moving to meet Drake’s.

“Plan B,” Nash echoed. “I’ll see you on the flip side.”

Drake moved back to the corner, joining Tucker to return fire and hold the guards back.

Madeline scrounged through her brain, trying to think of another way out. The yard was totally enclosed, the building on three sides, the wall on the fourth. She closed her eyes, forcing her mind to visualize the layout. She could see the cracked cement, the plaster peeling from the walls. The scent of mangoes mixed with the pervasive smell of unwashed bodies, the sound of birds filling the air as they flitted from their nests in the eaves over the fence to the trees beyond. She’d loved watching the birds.

She stopped, eyes widening as the memory clarified.

“I think I know how to get us out of here,” she said. “Hannah, check the blueprint. On the west side of the yard. Northwest corner. I think there’s access to the roof. A ladder built into the wall. I’ve seen birds roosting there.”

“I’ve got it,” Hannah said. “And you’re right. It leads to the roof.”

“And the building is higher than the wall, right?” Madeline queried, her mind still trotting out images.

“Yes, by like six feet.”

“So, theoretically at least, we should be able to get over the wall. Assuming Annie manages to take out the tower,” she added.

“It’s done,” Annie’s voice interjected. “But they’ll send reinforcements, so you’d better move now.”

Madeline pushed the door open, stepping out into the yard, Drake and Tucker right behind her. This time the yard was quiet, but lights across the way in the east cell block meant that they didn’t have a lot of time.