No One to Trust (23 page)

“It’s not a bad idea,” Dominic said.

She supposed it would be all right for Dominic and Barry to leave the airport for such a short time. It would keep Barry
from becoming bored and fidgety. It was just weird to think of pleasure excursions in connection with their mission here. But it was no more weird than being forced to bring a child on that same mission. “Ten minutes.”

“Right,” Josie said. “Trust me. I have grandchildren of my own. I’ll give him a bang-up tour.”

She did trust the woman. It was strange that she would feel so at ease with a woman she had just met, but Josie McFee inspired confidence. She was a woman in her fifties with graying hair, a plump build, and an animated manner. “I’m sure you will. Just don’t drop down too close to that castle.”

“No danger,” Galen said. “This entire city is controlled by Disney, including the airspace. They’re very sensitive to anything that would disrupt the family fun.”

“We’re going down.” Josie banked the helicopter. “We’ll be on the ground in a couple minutes.”

It seemed less than that when the helicopter settled on the tarmac.

“There’s the car. I’ll go check it out. Wait here.” Galen jumped out of the aircraft and ducked beneath the whirring rotors to run toward the hangar.

“Want to sit up front with Josie?” Dominic asked Barry. “You can see better.”

Barry’s face lit up. “Could I?”

“Sure,” Josie said. “Come ahead.”

Dominic was already out of the copter and lifting Barry into the copilot’s seat. “There you go.” He fastened the seat belt. “Now, you pay attention to everything Josie does and maybe you’ll learn how to fly this bug.”

Barry’s gaze was eagerly wandering over the controls. “Wow. It looks like a spaceship.”

“Not quite.” He caressingly touched Barry’s hair and then stepped back. “I think I dropped a slip of paper when I got out. Will you see if it’s on the floor, Elena?”

He was right; there was a square piece of paper on the floor. She bent to retrieve it.

“Have a good trip.” He slammed the door and waved at Josie.

Elena stared at him in disbelief. “Dominic!”

The helicopter was lifting, turning, and leaving Dominic standing below.

“Land, dammit.”

“I can’t hear you,” Josie shouted over her shoulder. “And I don’t think you want my copilot to hear. You have a note to read.”

Elena took one final, enraged glance at Dominic walking toward the car where Galen waited. It was a damn conspiracy.

The note.

She unfolded the piece of paper.

Tears stung her eyes as her hand crumpled the note. “Damn you. Damn you, Dominic.”

Josie glanced over her shoulder. “Sorry. I obey orders, and Galen’s the boss.”

But Galen hadn’t been the boss in this case. After years of staying in the background, Dominic had stepped forward and was running the show.

God, she was scared.

“What the hell?” As he opened the door, Judd stared quizzically at the police uniform Galen was wearing. “You’ll pardon me for telling you that uniform doesn’t suit you. It requires a certain air to carry it off.”

“People seldom question police officers.” Galen entered the room and dumped the large box he was carrying on the bed before striding over to the window. “You checked out the rooms in this hotel?”

“I’m not even going to bother to answer that question.” He followed Galen to the window. “The sniper was in the third room to the right, fifth floor of the Kissimmee across the street. Pat Reilly, former IRA, pretty good.”

“Not good enough?”

“All passion, no intellect. His demise won’t inconvenience us. I left a
DO NOT DISTURB
sign on the door of his room.” He gestured to another room on the sixth floor. “That one has me a little worried. No one was in the room last night and I checked it again two hours ago, but the drapes are drawn now. It’s not impossible that someone could pick the lock and take up residence.”

“A second shooter.”

“We’ll see. No time to go over there now. I’ll have to handle it from here.” He handed Galen his binoculars. “Two men just delivered Luis Kyler to the bench beside the koi pond. He’s not a pretty sight.”

Galen focused the binoculars on the man on the bench. Luis Kyler might once have been a handsome young man, but he was now so painfully thin that his neat gray suit hung on him. His face was bruised and swollen, and he was sitting on the edge of the bench as if too nervous or too hurt to lean back. “He can walk?”

Judd nodded. “He was getting some support, but he’s mobile.”

“Then that’s all we need. His guards left?”

“Out the back gate.”

“I’ll do a walk-through just to make sure. Then I’ll let Dominic go after Luis.” He handed Judd the binoculars. “It should all be over within fifteen minutes.”

“If we’re lucky.” Judd picked up his rifle from the bed and went back to the window. “And if you don’t foul up getting us out of here. I’d bet that street out there is crawling with Chavez’s men.”

Galen opened the door. “No bet.”

“What’s in that box on the bed?”

“Your disguise.”

“Disguise? That box is kind of big for a police uniform.” He crossed back to the bed, opened the box, and looked inside. He started to laugh. “My God, you’ve got to be kidding.”

“Ready?” Galen asked Dominic. “You can change your mind. I’ll go in and get him.”

Dominic shook his head. “He wouldn’t trust you. Besides, you’re the getaway man.” He smiled. “That sounds like one of those old gangster movies.”

“The garden is clean and Judd is on watch, but that doesn’t mean something unexpected might not happen.”

“You forget I spent years with the guerrillas. I know that nothing is safe.”

“This had better be pretty damn safe,” Galen said grimly. “Or Elena will go for my jugular.”

“Stop worrying and go do your job.” Dominic opened the garden gate. “And let me do mine.”

Dominic was inside the garden.

Judd’s gaze focused the telescopic sight of his rifle as Dominic moved down the path toward the koi pond.

He was moving quickly, almost eagerly, as he saw Luis Kyler.

Judd suddenly caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. He swung the rifle to the window on the sixth floor of the hotel.

Had the curtain moved?

Dear God, the boy looked terrible, Dominic thought as he drew closer to the bench. “Luis.”

Luis’s eyes widened. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to take you away.”

Luis struggled to his feet. “You’re not supposed to be here.” His voice was shrill. “Elena is supposed to be the one. It has to be Elena.”

“We’re going to get you away from here. You’ll see Elena soon.” He stepped closer. “Come with me, Luis.”

“Go away, Dominic. Tell Elena to come.” His eyes were glittering feverishly. “It has to be Elena.”

“You’re hurt. You’re not feeling well. Listen carefully. Elena is waiting for you. You have to come with me.”

“I can’t go. I have to do what they say. They won’t give me anything unless I do what they say.” His voice was shaking. “They haven’t given me anything in two days. I have to have it.”

“Coke?”

“Heroin.”

Dominic felt sick. “We’ll get you off it.” He took Luis’s arm. “Come on.”

Luis pulled away from him. “That’s what I’m afraid of. I can’t take it. I’m … hurting. Send Elena.”

“Why?”

He pulled a pistol from his jacket pocket. “I have to shoot her. I have to shoot Elena.”

Dominic stiffened. “You don’t mean that.”

“They said I had to do it. They said they’d give me my injection if I did it. I have to do it.…”

“She’s your sister. She loves you.”

Luis looked at him in wonder. “Doesn’t matter. Why should it matter? I have to do it.”

Dominic was filled with horror. “Give me the gun, Luis. This isn’t you speaking. Give me the gun.”

“You always interfered. You should have made her come. It has to be her.”

He reached for the gun. “Don’t let Chavez and his drugs do this to you. Let me help you.”

Luis’s lips twisted. “You should have made her come. You’ve ruined everything.”

His finger pressed the trigger.

Pain ripped through Dominic’s chest. Dear heaven, he was shot, he realized. He stared at Luis in disbelief.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s your fault,” Luis said shrilly. He pressed the trigger again and again. “You should have made her come.…”

Three shots.

Dammit. Galen jumped out of the truck and ran into the garden.

Another shot.

Dominic was on the ground and Luis was standing over him.

One more shot and Luis crumpled to the ground.

Where had it come from? No time to check. He had to get Dominic out of here.

He fell to his knees beside him. “Come on, Dominic. Let me help you up. We’ve got to—”

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Judd waddled slowly out of the hotel.

The street was humming with activity. Four police cars were parked outside the hotel, and guests were streaming out and being ushered down the block.

Galen was standing beside a truck parked at the curb. Emblazoned in green letters on the side of the white truck was
ORLANDO BOMB DISPOSAL
.

“Get in.” Galen opened the door to the back of the truck. “We have to get out of here before the real bomb squad arrives.”

“I’m going to get you for this.” Judd scowled at him through his protective visor. “I look like someone from outer space.”

“Someone had to be the bomb tech.”

“And you nominated me.” He threw his gun case in the truck. “Hell, I don’t think I can even climb into this truck. You called in a bomb threat?”

“It was the only thing I could think of to make sure that the police cleared everyone from this area. It wasn’t easy. I had to construct an entire scenario that would convince them to send a disposal unit. I thought the truck would protect Luis and Dominic.” Galen helped him into the back of the truck. “You can get rid of the suit as soon as we get out of town.”

“I hope so. It’s hot as hell.”

“Was there another gunman?”

“Yes, the window on the sixth floor. I took care of it.” He paused. “Is Dominic dead?”

“Yes, he’s dead.” Galen slammed the truck door.

Galen parked the truck beside the hangar and stared blindly at the helicopter.

Move, damn you. Tell her. Get it over with.

He heard the truck door open behind him and Judd get out. A moment later Judd was standing beside the driver’s window. “You stay here. I’ll send her to you.” He turned and sprinted toward the helicopter.

Yes, separate her from Barry. If he hadn’t been so bummed, he would have thought of the boy himself.

Elena was coming toward him. She was walking slowly, warily, as if afraid of stepping on a land mine. She knew something was wrong. But, Jesus, she didn’t know how wrong.

She stopped and looked at him. Maybe she did know. He had to say the words anyway.

He reached over and opened the truck door for her. “Get in. You won’t want Barry to see you.”