Iris Johansen - Stalemate

"If everything goes right."

"I've got to make sure that you're telling me the truth."

"Don't let her go, Montalvo," Soldono said. "You know what Diaz will do to her if he catches her."

"Oh, yes. Kill her, throw her in a swamp. And someday someone will find her skull and wonder who would be so fool-hardy." Montalvo shrugged. "But that won't be me. Because I won't let it happen again. Therefore, I can't let him catch her." His gaze shifted back to Eve. "Go upstairs and get back in the shower."

"What?"

"Wash off all the lotion and soap residue. You smell very pleasant but I could tell you were coming from yards away. Some of Diaz's men have the same commando training."

She nodded. "Anything else?"

"Miguel will give you some standard-issue mosquito repellent." He checked his watch. "You have forty-five minutes."

"I'll be here." She was already moving quickly toward the front door.

"I'm afraid you will."

Soldono caught up with her as she reached the staircase. "This is crazy."

"I don't have time to argue with you. I'm going to do it. Leave me alone, Soldono."

"I can't leave you alone. You're my job. I'm supposed to be here to offer you protection." He frowned. "If you go, I go."

"Montalvo won't let you go. You're a CIA agent and he wouldn't run that risk." She was taking the steps two at a time. "I can't waste any more time talking to you. I want to see Joe before I hit the shower."

"Perhaps he can talk you out of it."

"Joe's not going to know about this." She glared at him over her shoulder. "Do you understand, Soldono?"

"I think someone should-" He broke off. "I understand."

"Good." She'd reached the top of the steps and tore down the corridor past the guard to Joe's room. She opened the door quietly. She'd expected to see Galen there but the room was empty except for Joe. She moved across the room to stand beside the bed. Joe's eyes were closed and at first she thought he was asleep.

"Eve?" He opened drowsy eyes. "I thought it was you. That gardenia body lotion…"

"Too much? Evidently I should tone it down."

"No, I've always liked it. It smells clean…"

"From yards away," she repeated Montalvo's words dryly. She gently touched his hair. "Are you still in pain?"

"Not much. They keep giving me those damn drugs to ward it off. Tomorrow I'm going to tell them to go to hell." He took her hand. "You didn't come to see me today. I missed you. Was it because you're pissed at me?"

"It was because I practically fell unconscious when I went to bed."

"You look fine now." His gaze raked her face. "You're flushed and your eyes are… I don't know." His own eyes were closing. "You look… good."

"Thank you."

"I think… it bothers me."

Jesus, if he hadn't been under the drugs he would have been able to read her without effort. She bent over and kissed his forehead. "I'm fine and you're going to be fine too. And, yes, I am pissed at you. That wouldn't keep me from coming to see you when you're ill. That's not how it works. Not when you love someone."

"Glad… I knew that, but sometimes I forget…"

He was asleep.

She gave herself another moment to hold his hand, look at him, stay with him.

Then she carefully put his hand on the counterpane and glided toward the door.

She had less than thirty minutes remaining of the time Montalvo had allotted her and she had to hurry.

Miguel was waiting outside the door. He handed her a bar of soap and a small bottle of mosquito repellent. "You're being unreasonable. The Colonel isn't happy."

"Sorry. I know that's a major crime in your eyes."

"Yes. But I will not treat you as a criminal unless your lack of reason causes harm to the Colonel." His glance was cool as he turned away. "That's not acceptable."

"Not to me either." She headed toward her room. "I don't want anyone hurt." She slammed the door behind her. She was tired of arguing and this was difficult enough. Take the shower and wash her hair, rid herself of this blasted scent and then get down to the yard.

She was running down the stairs twenty minutes later. The hall was now clear, she noticed. Everyone must be assembled outside and ready to go.

She was right. Two jeeps with engines running were parked in front of the house but she could see a truck loaded with men already pulling out of the gates.

Montalvo was talking to someone in the shadow of the far jeep and she walked toward him.

"I'm ready. No scent as you spec-"

Galen.

He smiled at her. "Hello, luv."

Montalvo turned away from talking to Galen. "Good. Get in the jeep. I'll see you at the village, Galen." He was striding away toward the jeep in front. "Or if we're lucky, I won't see you there."

Eve whirled to face Galen. "What the devil are you doing here?"

"It appears I'm going to help rob a grave."

"I told you that I didn't want you to-"

"That was before you decided to risk your neck to make sure that Montalvo's not lying to you." He grimaced. "And I have a hunch that I piqued this move on your part. I asked you last night how you knew that Montalvo was on the up-and-up about this grave-robbing scenario."

"I would have probably thought it through and known I had to verify it myself. It was in the back of my mind anyway. I was just too exhausted to make the connection. You have no responsibility about-"

"Hush. You have to have someone guarding your back and you gave Soldono his walking papers."

"Soldono ran to you and asked you to do this?"

"He didn't have to beg and plead too hard." He helped her into the jeep. "Even if you hadn't been involved I might have tagged a ride to the party. It looked like my kind of shindig."

"I don't want you coming, Galen."

"Too late."

"Someone has to be here to take care of Joe."

"I designated Soldono to hold his hand." He started the jeep. "Not that he's needed with a doctor in attendance. And you talk as if we're going to be gone for days. Montalvo is estimating six hours."

She looked at him in exasperation. "How did you persuade Montalvo to let you come?"

"My reputation isn't pure as the driven snow like Soldono's and he saw I could handle myself. It frees one of his men from babysitting you. It wasn't too difficult to convince him that I was a good addition to his merry band." He glanced at her as he followed Montalvo's jeep through the compound gates. "Now, wouldn't it be more beneficial for you to stop arguing and discuss what Montalvo and I decided would give you what you want and still keep all of us alive?"

There was no budging him. "Okay, tell me what's going to happen."

"The hill overlooking the cemetery is heavily wooded. We can park the jeep on the road, climb the hill, and stay there and watch Montalvo and his men do the deed. When you're satisfied, then we take off and hightail it out of there."

"It sounds very simple and efficient."

"Oh, did I forget to tell you that we don't use the lights for the last four miles to the hill and we might end up in a ditch? Or that Montalvo has sent scouts out to make sure there aren't any snipers on this side of the valley but he's only eighty-five percent sure that one might not have slipped by?" He glanced at her. "Do you still want to go?"

"Yes." She stared out the windshield at the taillights of Montalvo's jeep ahead of them. "I have to go."

"It should be up ahead." Galen peered through the windshield. "Christ, it's like crawling through a dark tunnel. Montalvo said there should be moonlight tonight. Where the hell is it?"

"Evidently Montalvo can't control everything. Clouds do come."

"Well, evidently he controlled the sniper situation. We got this far without being-There it is." He swung the wheel and the jeep skittered off onto a side road. A hundred yards farther he turned the jeep around. "Out. Montalvo and his men should be ten minutes ahead of us. It took longer than I thought to crawl along that road. If you want to see the show, we've got to hurry."