Uneven Exchange (15 page)

“Quick, carry Santiago to the car,” Camacho fired orders at two of the ranch hands as he hurried toward them. “You, stay on patrol!” he told two others. “Don’t you realize this could be a setup?”

Rico placed a comforting arm around Alexandra as they hurried to the car. As his sister, Alexandra insisted on riding in the rear seat with Santiago’s head in her lap. Camacho said he would drive, and Rico said he would ride in the front seat of Santiago’s full-sized, silver Mercedes.

“Shouldn’t we have called an ambulance?” Alexandra whimpered as she stared at Santiago’s face. It looked ashen. She honestly feared he might die.

“I can make it to the hospital in town before they can even get here,” Camacho bragged.

“But at least they know what to do,” Alexandra cried. “He barely seems to be breathing!”

“Just hang on,” Camacho yelled as he spun out of the driveway. The tires screeched in opposition when he floored the gas pedal.

***

Conner

From his treetop vantage point, Conner watched the flash of silver speed past them. He confirmed this to Kevin, who raised his mobile phone and dialed.

“Torres,” a man answered.

“They just left,” Kevin informed him. “Camacho is driving them in the silver Mercedes. They should be there in less than ten minutes.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

PHASE TWO

Alexandra

Enveloped by the steady drone of the emergency room, Alexandra, Rico, and Camacho all paced nervously, waiting for an update from the attending physician.

When Santiago was admitted, the hospital staff were clearly concerned about his condition. They rushed him into a private room for treatment, leaving the other afflicted patients who were there before him to wait. However, Alexandra suspected the personnel who had seen to him were there on the authority of Ramón Torres, a high-ranking official in the Mexican government. Torres had recruited key hospital personnel to execute his stratagem.

One by one, each member of the exhausted trio settled to rest on the lone bench positioned along the corridor in front of Santiago’s room. Against hospital rules, Camacho lit a fat Cuban cigar and puffed savagely. He then extended his hand to offer the other two a drag. Immediately repulsed, Alexandra stared at the moist saliva and chew marks on the end of the tightly rolled leaves and declined. Camacho then offered it to Rico. Although clearly less jolted by the offer, he also declined. As Camacho returned the cigar to his mouth, Alexandra inched next to Rico in a futile attempt to distance herself from her obscene companion and then pressed her head to the wall to avoid the pungent smoke. Neither maneuver proved successful on the cramped bench.

After almost an hour, two men, both dressed in white jackets, and three female nurses emerged from Santiago’s room. Only one of the men approached the anxious group while the other four people scattered. Alexandra wasn’t sure, but she assumed he was their government contact, posing as the attending physician. When the man spoke, he confirmed her assumption.

“Good evening. My name is Doctor Torres. Ramón Torres.” His manner of articulation authenticated his education. “Are you relatives of Señor Santiago?”

Camacho stood and rushed to answer. “Yeah, she’s his sister,” he said while pointing to Alexandra. In contrast to the doctor, Camacho’s inflection sounded uneducated.

Ramón Torres stepped closer to Alexandra as she stood to shake his hand. He reached for her extended palm and gave it a gentle squeeze. Alexandra immediately felt secure, as though she was under an invisible shield of protection. With Rico joining her at her side, she asked, “How is my brother?”

“His condition is stable but serious.”

They listened intently as the doctor explained. Santiago required heart bypass surgery and would have to be transported to a hospital in Mexico City.

“Why can’t you operate at this hospital?” Camacho asked.

“Our equipment is not as modern as the equipment in Mexico City,” Doctor Torres explained. “We also do not have a qualified anesthesiologist on staff at this time.”

“Do you know who Santiago is?” Camacho demanded.

Rather than being insulted, Doctor Torres humored Camacho with his response. “I understand he is the one they call the Magician. Is that correct?”

“Yeah, that’s right, and nothing better happen to him, neither.”

The doctor turned to address Alexandra. “Señorita Santiago, I can assure you your brother will receive the best treatment possible. That is our reason for relocating him to a more advanced facility in Mexico City.”

“Thank you, Doctor Torres. You have my utmost confidence.” Alexandra smiled gratefully and then added, “Please call me Daniela.”

“Your confidence is most appreciated,
señorita—
excuse me, Daniela. Now we must hurry. Please be prepared to leave within the hour.”

“Of course, doctor.”

“Hey! Wait a minute. Where’s she going?” Camacho roared.

“I have made the arrangements for Señorita Santiago to accompany her brother on the plane to Mexico City,” Torres said flatly. His irritation with Carlos Camacho was increasing apparent.

“Then I’m going too.” Camacho’s whine made him sound more like a child than a grown man.

Speaking with slight indifference, Dr. Torres countered, “That you will have to work out between yourselves. We have room for only two passengers.”

For the first time, Rico spoke. “Dr. Torres, thank you for giving us so much of your valuable time. My name is Rico, Ricardo Aleman.” Rico shook hands with the doctor, then asked, “Is there a way to make room for three passengers?”

“I am very sorry, Señor Aleman, but it is not possible. Our transport plane originally had six seats. The last two were removed to make room for the patient. That leaves one seat for me and two others.”

Alexandra watched as Camacho counted on his chubby fingers. “Hey! That’s only three. I don’t get it.”

Doctor Torres glared at Camacho’s stupidity. “The pilot,” he said curtly, finally putting Camacho in his place. “Somebody has to fly the plane.”

Without waiting for Camacho to respond, Dr. Torres returned to Santiago’s room.

“Carlos, come with me.” Rico beckoned as he led Camacho down the hall, making it look like he was away from Alexandra’s earshot. He spoke with a whisper but loud enough for her to hear. “Look, man, Daniela needs me. How about if I go with her tonight and you can fly over first thing in the morning?”

Camacho faltered. “I don’t know. You know how the boss likes us both to be around.”

“But how is that possible? There isn’t room for us both unless we leave Daniela behind. You know Santiago would be furious if we did.”

“I guess you’re right, but...” Camacho hesitated. “Well, I don’t know what to do.”

“Come on,
amigo
. This is Daniela, Santiago’s sister. She’s hurting, man, and I’ve got to be with her.”

“Okay, okay, but I don’t trust this doctor. We don’t know him, and he doesn’t know our boss.”

“Don’t worry, Camacho. You know I’ll keep a close eye on him.” Rico patted him aggressively on the back while saying, “Thanks! I’ll see you tomorrow. Remember, first thing, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, first thing. I better get back to the hacienda and make some calls.”

Camacho walked down the corridor to the far exit. Alexandra figured his pride prevented him from walking past her, especially after sounding like such an idiot. Rico approached, smiling as he held his arms out to comfort her. “How are you holding up?” he asked sweetly.

“I’m fine, thank you.” She hugged him tightly, then pulled away to look into his eyes. “You are going with me, aren’t you?”

“Of course I’m going with you.” He let forth a guttural laugh and asked, “Did you really think I’d stick you with Camacho?”

“I didn’t know. I hoped not, but I know my brother usually likes him around.”

“Not this time,” Rico said, releasing his hold to grasp her hands. “Carlos plans to catch an early flight to Mexico City in the morning. That means he’ll probably be there before Santiago wakes up.”

“Well, all I can say is I’m glad it’s you and not him.” Alexandra sighed.

“I knew you would be happy.” Rico grinned boyishly. “Do you need anything or are you set to go?”

Alexandra shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I can go like this.” She looked down at her lounging pajamas. “But a toothbrush would be nice.”

“Let me go look. There should be some kind of shop around here.”

“You mean here in the hospital?” Alexandra turned her wrist to check her watch. “Even if there is a shop, do you think it will still be open?”

“I have no idea, but what have I got to lose?”

She kissed him softly on the cheek. “You are so sweet. Thank you, Rico.”

“I’m going to remind you later that you said that.”

“Okay, Rico. When this is over you can remind me.” When she imagined Rico being taken into custody, Alexandra winced with the pain of being responsible. To her, Rico seemed like a kind and gentle man. She could easily visualize Camacho as a killer, but not Rico. Not Daniela’s Rico. Not this Rico here with her.

He noticed her shiver. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay, just exhausted. Thank you, though. I think I’ll go in and sit next to Mago. I mean, if it’s okay with Doctor Torres.”

“I’m positive he won’t mind.” Rico motioned to Santiago’s room. “We haven’t seen him come out, so the doctor should still be in there. Why don’t you check and see?”

“I will. Don’t be long, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Rico gently guided her through the door to Santiago’s room. “I’ll only be long enough to find the shop and maybe some hot coffee. Would you like a cup?”

“Ah yes. That would be wonderful.”

“Now don’t leave the room until I get back. Promise me?”

“I promise,” Alexandra whispered over her shoulder, then slowly closed the door.

Ramón Torres immediately took Alexandra’s hand and directed her into the bathroom. “I am happy to see you are safe, Alexandra Callet.”

“Words cannot express how happy I am to see you,” Alexandra exclaimed with whispered enthusiasm. Just standing next to the official gave her an immediate sense of security. She looked at his face and saw deep compassion in his eyes. Ramón Torres was not a tall man, but he projected confidence and inner strength. Alexandra also noticed how his face showed lines of aging. She guessed his age to be around sixty.
He could be my father
, she thought, instantly feeling even more protected.

“Well, we still have a long way to go, but I wanted to at least let you know you have a friend nearby.”

“Thank you. I feel much better.” Alexandra squeezed his hand. “How is Miguel Santiago?”

“The doctor tells me he will be fine once the drug wears off. The ephedrine combination mixed with such an excessive amount of alcohol really did a number on him.”

“I was worried about that. Maybe I should have waited. I could tell he had a lot to drink.”

“No, don’t doubt yourself. If you waited, you might never have had the chance. In our line of work, we have to fire when ready.”

“You sound like a man of experience.”

Torres chuckled. “Yes, a man with lots of experience. Didn’t you notice my gray hair?”

“Only the temples are gray, and don’t you know that on a man, graying temples are distinguishing?”

“Oh, I am distinguished? For that, I thank you. No wonder O’Neil calls you an angel.”

“Is Kevin here?”

“He certainly is. He is right upstairs. In fact, you will see him the minute we get on the plane.”

“So there are more than six seats?”

“Oh yes. We didn’t want to fool with Camacho tonight. He will be taken into custody tomorrow, when he boards his plane for Mexico.”

“What about Rico?” Alexandra asked solemnly.

“Rico will be taken care of tonight,” Torres answered gently. “He won’t be getting on the plane.”

“When he is around me, around Daniela, it doesn’t seem possible for him to be involved with Santiago.”

“He is, Alexandra. When Jon Dawkins was killed, Rico was there.”

“That’s horrible! Do you think Rico set the bomb?”

“No, I definitely do not. Santiago always baits the traps personally. I think he gets some sort of sick pleasure out of it.”

“Then it was you. Jon Dawkins was on his way to meet you, wasn’t he?”

Torres lowered his head. “Yes, he was.”

“I am so sorry. Please know that I didn’t mean to imply any blame.”

“I know you didn’t. It’s so hard to accept that such a good man could be killed in cold blood. Plus, Jon had a family, and I still worry about them every single day.”

“From what Kevin tells me, you’ve risked a great deal in order to bring Santiago to justice.”

“If you are trying to say there are leaks in my government, you’re absolutely right. This operation was limited to a modest circle of trusted employees. We even set decoys, just in case.”

“Will the decoys help you find the leaks?”

“They should, combined with what Santiago will have to say.”

“What if he doesn’t talk?” she asked.

Torres looked beyond Alexandra, his eyes glazed over. “He’ll talk. I guarantee you, he’ll talk.” Then, returning to meet her stare, he said, “I need to leave you and finalize our arrangements. Why don’t you relax here in Santiago’s room while I’m gone? You better remain the grieving sister until we are safely on board.”

“What should I do if he wakes up?”

“Not a chance. According to his doctor, Santiago will be out for more than twelve hours. When he does come to, he’ll feel like he has a hangover from hell.”

“Then why did you bring me into the bathroom to talk?” Alexandra whispered as they exited the closet-sized room.

“I may look like a doctor now,” he said, straightening his white coat, “but, in reality, I hate hospitals, and I can’t stand being around all these needles.” Torres gestured to the IV connected to Santiago.

Alexandra chuckled softly and then settled into a chair on one side of the bed.