W. Griffin - The Hostage

"Three-Zero-One on the ground at three five past the hour," Torine said into his microphone. "Close me out, please. And taxi instructions, please."

"Air Force Three-Zero-One, this is Keesler Ground Control. Halt in place at the termination of your landing roll. Be advised that you will be met by a follow-me vehicle. Be advised that you will be met by a vehicle which will take Major C. Castillo from the aircraft to his ground destination. Acknowledge."

"Keesler," Torine responded, "Three-Zero-One understands halt in place at termination of landing roll. Further understand follow-me vehicle will be there. Further understand Major Castillo will be taken by a second vehicle to his ground destination."

"That is correct, Three-Zero-One."

The copilot touched Torine's shoulder and then pointed out the window. An Air Force blue pickup truck with a FOLLOW ME sign mounted on the bed and a GMC Yukon were sitting side by side on a taxiway access ramp.

"Dotterman, you heard that?" Torine asked.

"I'm by the side door, Colonel."

Torine turned to Castillo.

"Why do I think your ground destination is that 747?"

"Keesler," the copilot said into his microphone. "Three-Zero-One is halted on the runway."

"We have you in sight, Three-Zero-One," ground control replied.

"Colonel," Dotterman announced, "here comes a Suburban and a Follow-Me. The Suburban sees me. He's coming up this side of the fuselage."

"That's probably a Yukon, Dotterman," Torine said.

"What's the difference?"

"I don't know," Torine confessed.

"People getting out of the whatever-the-hell-it-is," Chief Master Sergeant Dotterman reported.

When Colonel Torine started to unfasten his harness with the obvious intention of leaving his seat, Castillo got off the jump seat, folded it out of the way, and stood in the cockpit door. He felt Mrs. Masterson's eyes on him. He met them for a moment, and then looked away.

Thirty seconds later a tall, slim, Marine lieutenant colonel in dress blues, to which splendor had been added the golden aiguillettes worn by aides to the commander in chief, appeared at the head of the stairs.

He glanced at Castillo then headed straight for Mrs. Masterson.

"Mrs. Masterson, I'm Lieutenant Colonel McElroy, an aide to the President. What's going to happen next is the aircraft will taxi to a hangar. Ambassador and Mrs. Lorimer will come onboard at that time…"

"I'm Special Agent Willkie of the Secret Service," a stocky man announced in Castillo's ear. "Are you Mr. Castillo?"

Castillo was annoyed at the interruption. Mrs. Masterson had locked eyes with him again, and had been paying far more attention to him than to the President's aide.

And she wasn't angry. It wasn't a "Now you're going to get yours, you sonofabitch" look.

It was an "I need your help" look. Or a "We have to talk" look.

Or both.

What's going on?

And now this sonofabitch is in the way!

Castillo stopped himself at the last split second from pushing the Secret Service agent out of the way.

"I'm Castillo."

"Will you come with me, please, sir? The President would like a word with you."

Castillo nodded.

Special Agent Willkie started down the stairs. As Castillo turned to follow him he looked at Mrs. Masterson again. Their eyes locked again.

She looks distressed, almost frightened.

She doesn't want me to leave.

Mrs. Masterson stood up and pushed Lieutenant Colonel McElroy to one side and called, "Mr. Castillo!"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"May I have a moment alone with you, please?"

"Yes, ma'am. Of course."

She brushed past McElroy and walked up to the cockpit opening. She got so close that Castillo backed up, which pushed him right up against Torine.

"What can I do for you, ma'am?" Castillo asked. "Is something wrong?"

She looked up at him. He saw tears forming.

"I was afraid to say anything in Buenos Aires, Mr. Castillo," she said. "My priority was keeping my children safe."

He nodded.

Elizabeth Masterson took a deep breath.

"But now we're out of Argentina. We're here." She paused, and then went on, slowly and carefully, as if she had rehearsed what she was going to say: "The people who abducted me wanted me to tell them where my brother is. They said that unless I told them, they would kill my children, one at a time. And they said they would kill my children and my parents if I said anything about it. And then they killed Jac-" Her voice caught. She swallowed and went on, "Then they killed my husband to show me they mean what they say."

"And you don't know where your brother is, do you?" Castillo asked, gently.

She shook her head.

Castillo put his hands on her arms.

"Listen to me, Mrs. Masterson. You have my word that no one is going to hurt your children. Or your parents. Or you…"

"I just didn't know what to do. That's why I didn't-"

"Mr. Castillo, the President is waiting!" Secret Service Special Agent Willkie impatiently announced.

"He's just going to have to wait," Castillo snapped, and then looked down at Mrs. Masterson again.

She was shaking her head and smiling through her tears.

He looked at her quizzically.

"I knew I was going to have to tell somebody," she said. "And I guess I was right in choosing you."

"I don't under-"

"How many people do you think there are who, on being told the President of the United States is waiting for them, would say, 'He's just going to have to wait'?"

"That just may be an indication that I act impulsively," Castillo said.

"No, Mr. Castillo. What it is is that you're what Alex Darby told me you are."

He looked at her quizzically again.

She explained: "One really tough sonofabitch, and just the guy you need in your corner when you're really in trouble."

"Well, if you believe that, ma'am, please believe I'm in your corner."

"Mr. Castillo, for God's sake, the President is waiting!" Special Agent Willkie called.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Castillo said.

She reached up and kissed his cheek, said, "Thank you," and went back to her seat.

Castillo looked at Colonel Torine.

"You heard all that, right?"

Torine, his face stern, nodded.

"Would you come with me, please? I may need a witness."

"Sure," Torine said, turned his head and raised his voice. "Bill, I'm leaving the aircraft. It's now yours."

"Yes, sir."

When Special Agent Willkie saw Colonel Torine follow Castillo down the stairs, he looked at him in surprise, and then announced, "The President said nothing about wanting to see anyone but you, Mr. Castillo."

"Well, then I guess he'll be surprised when he sees Colonel Torine, won't he?" As soon as they were standing on the runway beside the Globemaster, Special Agent Willkie spoke to his lapel microphone.

"Mr. Castillo insists on bringing the pilot with him."

"Not 'the pilot,' my friend," Torine said, not very pleasantly. "Colonel Jake Torine, U.S. Air Force."

"He says his name is Torine," Special Agent Willkie said to his lapel microphone.

Thirty seconds later, Special Agent Willkie said, "If you'll get in the Yukon, please, gentlemen, I will escort you to the President."

They had been in the backseat of the Yukon about thirty seconds when Torine touched Castillo's shoulder and pointed out the window.

Castillo looked and saw soldiers armed with Car 16 rifles forming a perimeter guard around the Globemaster.

"I didn't know they trusted Air Force guys with loaded guns," Castillo said.

Torine smirked. "Those aren't Air Force guys, wiseass. They're soldiers, almost certainly Special Forces and probably Delta Force. And at least one of them is Gray Fox. That is Sergeant Orson, isn't it?"

Castillo looked. One of the soldiers was a tall, blond sergeant first class named Orson. The last time Castillo had seen the Gray Fox communicator/sniper was in Costa Rica, where Orson had very professionally taken out two of the terrorists who had stolen the 727.