Sign of the Cross

four people, and they didn’t want to split up. That left only two options: hide in the warehouse or turn themselves in.

And guess what? All of them voted for number two.

Of course, that’s misleading. The truth was, they weren’t actually going to surrender. Payne felt if he offered Boyd as a sacrificial lamb, then he could buy Jones enough time to pull off a miracle. At least Payne hoped he could. If not, he knew he’d regret the decision for the rest of his very short life.

After finalizing their plans, Payne dragged Boyd into the middle of the darkened street where they stood, looking skyward, as two Bell helicopters settled in a neighboring lot. The insurgence of rotors kicked up enough wind and dust to rival a cyclone. But it didn’t stop Payne from seeing, thanks to his custom-fit sunglasses. Not only did they shield his eyes from the elements, but they concealed his true emotions, which would be even more important if his ruse was going to work.

‘It’s time to begin,’ Payne shouted over the tumult. ‘Don’t take this personally.’

He put his hand on Boyd’s back and shoved him to the ground, knowing that they were being watched by Manzak and his friends. He continued his charade, dropping to one knee and double-checking the cord around Boyd’s wrists. Boyd played along by squirming and making girly noises that sounded like they belonged at a sorority pillow fight. Payne let him know he was overdoing it by slapping him in the back of the head. ‘Knock it off, Suzie, and start acting like a criminal.’

The hatch on the front chopper swung open, and Manzak climbed out. Not smiling. Not waving. Not giving Payne a thumbs-up or any signs of approval. In other words, he was the same stoic bastard that had shown up in Pamplona. Part killer. Part robot. All asshole. Unfortunately, the biggest problem for Payne was he didn’t know if Manzak was going to honor their original deal. Sure, Payne knew he wasn’t the real Manzak, but the truth was, he still could’ve been with the CIA since he had enough clout to pull Payne out of prison. For all he knew, maybe Manzak was a name the CIA gave out to several undercover operatives just to confuse people.

If that was the case, it was definitely working because Payne was confused. He didn’t know if Manzak was going to take Boyd back to CIA headquarters and milk him for information, or if he was going to shoot him in the back of the head the moment they left Payne’s side. The truth was, he didn’t know who or what to believe, and neither did Jones. They didn’t know if Boyd had done any of the things that they had been told — the forgeries, the smuggling, the exploding bus — or if he was the victim of an elaborate setup. Simply put, Payne and Jones didn’t know shit.

Anyway, Manzak shouted, ‘Nice work, Payne! I’m impressed by your efficiency.’

‘And I’m impressed by your clairvoyance. How’d you know we had him?’

‘We have our ways. And they’re rarely wrong.’

‘I’m glad you’re on my side,’ Payne said without smiling. ‘So what’s the next step?’

Manzak moved closer. ‘I need to debrief you before you’re officially done.’

Payne wondered if he meant that literally. ‘Then what are we waiting for? Which one of those choppers is mine?’

‘You’ll be in the first one with me.’ He took another step forward. ‘But first I’ll need to check you for weapons.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘Listen, Jon, I know how you must feel. But I can’t let a nonagent on board without searching him. It’s departmental policy.’

Payne stared at Manzak for several seconds, tempted to make a nasty scene, even though he realized it would hurt his plan in the long run. So instead of doing anything foolish, he placed his hands on top of his head and reluctantly agreed to the search. ‘Try not to touch my ass, OK? I don’t want to make Buckner jealous… Speaking of which, where is the big lug? I miss our conversations. He’s quite the intellectual.’

‘He’s shutting down the chopper. He’ll be out to greet you shortly.’

‘Oh, I thought maybe he was at home, making you dinner.’

Manzak forced a laugh. ‘You know, I find your humor ironic, especially since you’re the one with a boyfriend. Where is Jones, anyway? Getting his nails done?’

‘Well, I’ll be damned! You made a joke! Not a funny one, but still a joke. Wait until I tell D.J. He won’t believe me.’

‘You still haven’t answered my question. Where’s your partner?’

‘He’s around the corner in our Ferrari. One signal from me, and he’ll pull forward with the girl. That is, if you even know about her.’

‘Of course we know about Maria — and your Ferrari. Although for safety’s sake, it might be best if they stayed where they are.’

‘Oh yeah? Why’s that?’

Instead of answering, Manzak pulled a Hantek detonator from his coat pocket and pushed the button. A second later, the Ferrari erupted in a massive explosion, one that shot flames and debris high above the warehouse roof, literally propelling the frame of the car more than twenty feet in the air. But that was just the beginning. The fallout pelted the surrounding terrain like meteors, igniting the adjacent buildings and shaking the ground beneath their feet like a California quake.

Normally, Payne would’ve flinched. Or grabbed Boyd and made a mad dash for cover.

But not tonight. Not when the flames in the sky paled next to the fire in his eyes.

He’d been set up, and he finally had the proof that he was looking for.

Without saying a word, he took a step toward Manzak, looking forward to the popping sound his neck would make when he twisted it 360 degrees like that bitch from The Exorcist. Unfortunately, Payne’s assault was interrupted by the swarm of bullets that buzzed over his head. Warning shots that had come from Buckner’s gun as he emerged from the chopper.

‘You vill stay still,’ he growled in a thick European accent. ‘I be seein’ to zat.’

Manzak grinned at his arrival. ‘Now you know why he didn’t talk in Pamplona. Otto’s still working on his English, but you can’t beat him as a bodyguard.’

His bodyguard? Who the hell were these guys? Payne knew they weren’t CIA the moment they blew up the Ferrari. Instead, he assumed they were part of the Italian crew that had covered up the two accidents. But now that he’d heard Otto’s accent, that didn’t seem likely. Otto/Buckner wasn’t Italian. German maybe, but definitely not Italian.

Shit, Payne thought, how many countries were involved in this mess?

‘Pick up ze doctor an’ bring him to me!’

Payne was tempted to flip him off, but one look at the Russian assault rifle in Otto’s hands changed his mind. If he’d felt like it, he could’ve ravaged Payne with multiple 5.56 mm rounds with the touch of a finger. Which put a whole new spin on the term Otto-matic weapon.

No, he decided, it would probably be best if he picked up ze doctor an’ kept his mouth shut.

At least for the time being.

Less than twelve hours before, Jones had been staring at Maria’s picture and dreaming of the romantic possibilities. Now he was lying next to her in the darkness, unsure if either of them were going to survive.

Jones said, ‘Since we’re risking our lives together, I figure we might as well introduce ourselves. My name’s David Jones. D.J. for short.’

She shook his hand. ‘Maria Magdalena Pelati. Kind of rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?’

‘Pelati?’ He considered her name for a few seconds but figured it had to be some kind of a coincidence — especially since she spoke with a faint English accent. ‘Is that Italian?’

She nodded. ‘I’ve lived in England for most of my life, so I don’t really consider myself Italian. Or English for that matter. Hell, I don’t know what to consider myself.’

‘How about exotic temptress?’

Blushing, she smiled at his comment. ‘Works for me.’

‘Good! Now that your identity crisis is over, let’s get down to business. See those two helicopters over there? I need to take one of them out.’

‘And how are you going to do that?’

‘Sorry. You’re going to have to wait and watch. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.’

She sighed, disappointed. ‘Fine, but can you at least tell me when you’re going to