Harry wished he could have snapped a photograph of the look on her face last night when she had realized who he was. He had maneuvered her right in front of the bathroom mirror for the big moment. And for once in her life, Gena had not disappointed Harry. She’d been horrified.
He went into the living room, where Gena was tied to a chair.
“Miss me, honey?” He yanked the tape off her mouth, then cut the ropes at her ankles and wrists.
“I figure you’ve got to pee again,” he said. “And if you’re nice, I’ll feed you.”
She snatched the lapels of her bathrobe together, then rubbed her wrists to restore circulation. “How long do you intend to keep me here?”
Harry grabbed her arm and jerked her to her feet before shoving her toward the bathroom. “I haven’t decided yet.”
He leaned against the doorjamb and grinned. Watching was nothing more than a way to humiliate her. If he could have gotten a hard-on for her, he would have taken it a step further and intimidated her sexually.
Except Gena had never turned him on. She’d been a means to an end. A way to torment Rocco.
When she finished in the bathroom, he forcibly marched her to the kitchen and set her down in front of a deli bag.
“Eat,” he said. “You never know when your next meal will be.”
He moved to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. “Are you sure you don’t want one of these?”
“No.” She unwrapped the ham sandwich and inspected it.
“It’s not poisoned or drugged.” Harry slammed a bottle of water in front of her. “I need you coherent when I call lover boy in a little bit.”
Harry had retrieved the phone number Rocco had listed in the newspaper, but he was waiting until Edguardo reported in before calling Rocco. Depending on his report, the stakes could be significantly different.
Gena cast sideways glances at him while she ate her sandwich.
“You still don’t believe it’s me, do you?”
She nodded. “I believe it, even though you don’t look like Harry. What I don’t understand is why you faked your own death.”
“Simple: money. The root of all evil and the source of all power.” Harry took a sip of beer. “My old man beat that into me. He swore the government was out to ruin the poor farmers. When I went to work for the Agency it was a double slap in the face to the old man. I’d left the farm and gone to work for the enemy. Old bastard must have rejoiced when he heard I was dead.”
“He regretted whatever passed between you,” Gena said. “He died calling your name.”
“Bet you got a kick out of that. Of course, since he left it all to you, I suppose you could afford to be nice to him.”
She pushed the sandwich away, half eaten. “People change, Harry. He did.”
“That’s rich coming from you. You’ve changed, too, Gena. But how much of that change was forced on you? After you left me, you went running home
to Daddy, expecting him to bail you out. Except your daddy was broke, too. Did you check to see if the boy next door still wanted you? Or were you too drunk to drive?”
“I took responsibility for my drinking when I left you, Harry. I let alcohol control my life and I paid dearly for it.”
“I hate to ruin your illusion, but you weren’t even in control of your own addiction, Gena.” He moved around the kitchen. “Oh, sure, you had a tendency to overdrink to begin with, but that just made you easier to manipulate. I slipped you drugs, Gena. I spiked your gin with grain alcohol. You’d end up so drunk, you couldn’t walk, yet you’d beg me to call Rocco so you could apologize for losing his baby. Then I’d remind you it was your fault. And you’d beg me to punish you, because you thought you’d been careless. But it was an ectopic pregnancy, Gena. You’d have miscarried sooner or later.”
She lost all color. “You’re lying.”
“No, this is too rich to make up. I always wondered if you’d find that out by getting your old medical records, but obviously you didn’t.”
Tears ran down her cheeks. “Why did you do it? I thought you were my friend.”
Harry leaned down to her eye level. “This is more like the Gena I remember. Want me to smack you around and see if you feel better?”
“Go to hell, you bastard.”
Harry snatched her up by the throat. “Keep it up. I think I’m getting turned on.” He shook her as she struggled to breathe. “It was never about you, Gena. You were a way to get back at Rocco. And now we’ve
come full circle, because you’re going to be the one to help me bring him down.”
Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
October 7, 7:00 P.M.
Rocco hadn’t expected Ian Brown to agree to Travis’s demands. First, Ian had wanted a deal that included a reduced jail term. Travis had offered to recommend a life sentence.
“Instead of the death penalty? For what I’ve done?” Ian said. “You’re bluffing.”
Travis had proceeded to list the crimes Harry would be charged with, including murder. “And as Harry’s accomplice, you will be tried as an accessory to all these, in addition to treason.”
Then Travis had rattled off a few names of well-known traitors. All had life sentences. “The best deal you can hope for is a better federal prison than Su-perMax. Could you handle twenty-three hours a day in solitary?”
Ian eventually had agreed to cooperate. The messages back and forth with Harry had seemed to take forever, but Travis played the scenario perfectly.
They had rushed to get Ian south of the border only to have Harry tell him to get a room and wait for instruction tomorrow morning.
No one had expected Harry to wait until then, which was why Rocco was hiding in the closet of Ian’s motel room. He and Catalina Dion had posed as tourists and checked into a room shortly before Ian arrived.
Dante, Max, and Travis were scattered nearby in vehicles as they waited and watched.
Rocco’s deadline expired in four and a half hours. Travis felt certain that Harry would make a move on Ian before that deadline was up. Rocco prayed Travis was correct.
While Rocco waited in the cramped space of the closet, he tried to figure out Harry’s motive. Money was obvious, but it didn’t explain everything. Rocco had decided that Harry was out to get him personally, until Dante and Max mentioned the same thing. After all, Harry had left Dante and Max for dead. Or had he? Had Harry known they were alive and purposely sold them out?
Outside the room Rocco heard a noise.
Ian had the television on which made it harder to hear, but when the noise repeated, Rocco realized what it was. Someone had unlocked the room door.
He peered out the small crack and watched as the door eased open a half inch and then shut when the visitor realized the security chain was in place. Rocco texted an alert to everyone on the team.
Now, someone knocked on the door. Ian muted the television and cautiously approached the door, looking first at the closet as if he expected Rocco to answer.
“Ask who it is,” Rocco whispered into his microphone.
Ian nodded as if forgetting he was wired for sound.
“Who’s there?” Ian called.
“Housekeeping,”afemale voice called. “Clean towels.”
“Tell her you didn’t order any,” Rocco instructed.
“I didn’t ask for towels.”
“These were delivered to the front desk, senor.
With a note that you were expecting them,” the woman went on. “I have the note, too.”
Catalina texted Rocco. TWO PEOPLE OUTSIDE DOOR. She had a camera hidden in the hall, so next came a picture.
Rocco recognized the man outside the door as the same one who’d abducted Gena in Sugar Springs. The man who’d driven the black truck.
“Open the door slowly.” Rocco moved into position.
As soon as Ian released the chain, the door flew open and the man strode in, a handgun pointed directly at Ian.
“Who are you?” Ian began.
Rocco stepped out of the closet. The man turned just as Rocco fired a Tazer. The man dropped his gun and fell to the floor, writhing uncontrollably.
Rocco swept the man’s gun out of reach as Dante, Max, and Travis pushed into the room.
Max covered Ian, while Dante and Travis pulled the intruder to his feet.
“Where is Gena?” Rocco demanded.
The man shrugged. “
No habla Ingles.
”
“No speak English,” Dante said. “Cat, we need you in here.”
Catalina slipped inside the room. “The maid is handcuffed in the hall, but I don’t think she’s involved,” Cat said.
“Ask him where Gena is,” Rocco said.
Cat translated. “He says you have no authority here. And if he doesn’t call his partner in the next few minutes, Gena will die.”
Rocco surged forward, but Travis held him back. “He’s got a point. We can seek extradition.”
The man laughed now, switching effortlessly to English. “Yes, call the local authorities so they can tell you exactly where to stick your extradition papers.”
Travis tapped his earpiece. “We’re ready for you.”
The door opened as Rey Salvador and two Mexican police agents came in. Rey flashed his INTERPOL credentials. “This man, Edguardo Pina, is wanted for the murder of one of my agents in Monterrey.”
Edguardo shook his head and glared at Rocco. “You’ll regret this.”
“Not as much as you,” Rey said. “I’m also booking you for the murder of one of the Rialto cartel’s couriers. How long do you think you’ll last in jail with that charge?”
“I’d rather be extradited!” Edguardo snarled.
Travis nodded. “You cooperate with us and we can arrange that. He’s all yours, Rocco.”
Rocco listened as Edguardo called Harry, or Bob Munson, as Edguardo knew him.
“I have Senor Brown,” Edguardo told Harry. “He wasn’t happy to see me.”
“No bugs or wires?” Harry asked.
“Looks clean. I watched his room a while before I went in and I’ve been driving now with no tails.”
“Come on back,” Harry said. “Tell Ian I’m looking forward to meeting him at last.”
Edguardo gave Rocco the address and a sketch of the floor plan, then rode with the Mexican agents and Rey Salvador.
Rocco and Dante drove Edguardo’s car to the location. As soon as they had word that Travis and Max had the front and rear doors covered, Rocco pulled
up the street and pressed the garage door opener. As soon as Rocco parked, they climbed out of the car.
“Ready?” Rocco had his gun out.
Dante nodded as he opened the door leading into the house. They rushed inside together, a move they’d done a hundred times before.
“About time.” Harry came around the corner and into the kitchen.
“Freeze!” Rocco shouted.
Harry darted out of sight before Rocco could fire a shot.
“Give it up, Harry.” Rocco eased toward the corner. “We’ve got the place surrounded.”
“Rocco!” Gena called out from another room. “He said for you to come in alone.”
Dante shook his head. “He’ll blow you away.”
Gena screamed.
“I’m coming in.” Rocco tucked his gun at his back and stepped around the corner with his hands raised.
Gena was seated in a straight-backed chair, her hands and ankles bound. She wore a white bathrobe. He noted the bruises at her neck.
Harry stood behind her, a gun pointed at her head. “You really want to risk her life?”
“You won’t make it out of here alive,” Rocco warned.
“I’m counting on it. You really think I want to be taken alive? You know what they’ll do to me?”
“Keep him talking,” Travis Franks’s voice said through Rocco’s earpiece.
“Do you think you deserve anything less?” Rocco said. “You’re a traitor!”
Harry laughed. “If you’re trying to piss me off, you
can stop. I’m finished, and we both know it. This is my last hurrah.”
“You always were a cowardly SOB,” Rocco said. “It’s one reason we never got along.”
“No! Kerri Ford was the reason we never got along.”
Rocco tried to recall who Kerri Ford was. The name was familiar, but he wasn’t sure why.
“Kerri Ford,” Rocco repeated.
Come on, Travis, give me a hint.
“Jesus Christ. You don’t remember Kerri?” Harry tightened his grip on Gena’s shoulder, causing her to flinch in pain. “See, Gena. I told you that he was a male whore—that he’d fuck anything. Kerri Ford worked at the Blue Halo in Phoenix.”
Rocco did remember Kerri. Blond, big smile. Big flirt. Harry had talked about her all the time. Until she died.
“I remember Kerri,” Rocco said. “Sweet girl. No one believed she was the type to commit suicide.”
“I wanted to marry her,” Harry said. “And then you had to ask her out. She was sure you loved her because you’d slept with her. And you don’t even remember her name!”
“Max will take him out when he moves clear of Gena,” Travis said in Rocco’s ear.
“How did it feel when I stole Gena?” Harry said. “Too bad you were never around to see our game.”
“You mean the one where you beat her, Harry? Nice game.”
“Even that lost its fun,” Harry said. “Because you were gone. Hell, you weaseled out of everything.”
“Sometimes things don’t work out like we plan.”
“No shit. Do you think you could have survived
what Dante and Max went through? You were supposed to be on that mission, not Max! It should have been you!” Harry leaned lower, closer to Gena. “Tell him good-bye, princess.” Then he pressed his lips to Gena’s temple and kissed her.
“Fuck you, Harry,” Gena said as she slammed her head backward, straight into Harry’s nose. He jerked away, screaming and swearing.
Rocco fired his gun. Harry fell backward with the force of the shot. Immediately, Dante swept in the room and moved to where Harry was rolling on the floor in pain.
Rocco raced over to Gena and began cutting away her bindings. She stood and Rocco snatched her up and carried her into the next room.
“Is he dead?” Gena asked.
Rocco shook his head. “I wanted to kill him for what he’d done to us, to you. But when I heard him admit what he did to Dante and Max, I realized he needed to live. To answer to them and for everything else he’s done wrong. Harry wanted me to kill him so he would avoid standing trial and going to prison.”
Max rushed in to where Rocco and Gena stood. “Travis wants to know if Gena is okay.”
“Tell Travis she’s perfect.”
“Tell Travis she wants to go home,” Gena added as Max headed out the door.