had a gun, I would have shot him. I took the drugs he had in the house and threw them down the well. Then I took off into the forest. He shot me before I could get very far. In the leg. I kept crawling but he caught up with me.' His lips tightened. 'I remember him standing over me and aiming his gun at my head to finish me off.'
'And Montalvo shot him instead?'
'Yes. He'd come looking for my father and followed him into the forest. He thought he might be a weak link who could tell him something about the death of his wife.' He smiled. 'Was I not lucky? He killed the son of a bitch.'
She shouldn't have felt that sense of shock at his words. The attitude was probably healthy. Fathers and mothers were only as sacred as their actions toward their children. She had run across many abusers in her life. She was glad that Miguel had survived and apparently managed to not be permanently scarred. 'You're lucky if you take hold of your life and don't cling to Montalvo.'
'He doesn't let me cling. He just gave me a home and a purpose. He says that purpose is important.'
And Montalvo's purpose was revenge.
And finding his lost one.
And wasn't that her purpose too?
'I'll go now,' Miguel said. 'If you need anything, call me. I'll stay close.'
'Wait.'
He glanced back at her.
'Did Montalvo send you to tell me this?'
'No. He said to bring you supper.' His lips indented in a faint smile. 'But he's very clever and knows me well. He might have guessed what turn the conversation would take.'
'I'd bet on it,' she said dryly.
'Please finish your sandwich. You need your strength.' He opened the door and left the room.
Jesus, another Montalvo in the making, she thought. And Miguel had the same tenacity and determination as his idol, together with an appealing boyishness. She liked the kid.
She finished the last bite of her sandwich. Miguel was right, no matter what path she took she'd need strength and determination to get her through the-
Her cell phone rang.
She tensed as she saw the name on the ID screen.
No, Joe. Not now.
It rang again.
Dammit, she'd told him she wouldn't answer if he called her. Why was he-
It rang again.
She punched the button. 'Joe, I can't talk to you.'
'The hell you can't. You're doing it.'
'To tell you that I'm fine and there's no reason for you to worry.'
'How nice of you to offer me that scrap of comfort. You're not fine. Not as long as you're in that compound. And I'm going to worry until I have you out of there. What do you expect?'
She expected exactly what she was getting from Joe. Anger and near-explosive frustration. 'I expect you to respect my decision.'
'Your decision? He swayed you like a snake charmer. He used Bonnie, dammit.'
'Yes.'
'Lies, Eve. You know it's lies. You knew you were following a ghost when you came down here. You just couldn't help yourself.'
'You're right, I thought he might be playing me when I got on that plane. It didn't matter. I had to take the chance.' She paused. 'But after I got here I found out that there's a chance he wasn't lying. I have to stay until I can decide if it's worth-'
'No!'
'Don't tell me no. I'm the one who has to decide. I'll call you when I do.'
'Don't hang up.' He was silent a moment and she could feel him struggling for control. 'Galen tells me that I'm blowing this. I can't afford to do that.'
'Galen? He's with you?'
'He's more with me than I'd like. He keeps interfering.'
She had a sudden suspicion. 'Joe, where are you?'
'If I used my telescope, I could probably see you.'
'Shit.'
'My feelings exactly. You should be here with me, not in that compound.'
'Go away, Joe. I don't want you here.'
'It's mutual. I'm staying. And Galen insisted on bringing everything from explosives to surveillance equipment so we can set up for the duration.'
'Joe, Montalvo's a desperate man. And he has a damn army at his disposal.'
'Then come out and save me.'
'Joe, listen to me. Montalvo's promised me you won't be harmed, but accidents happen and I don't want one of his men to get trigger-happy and shoot you.'
'How do I know you're not being held against your will? Maybe Montalvo's standing there with a gun to your head.'
'Your imagination is working overtime. I told you-'
'I don't know anything without seeing you face-to-face. I'll leave when you leave.'
'Joe, don't blackmail me. I'm not-'
'Blackmail is permitted in circumstances like this. I'll do anything I can do. And Galen says if you won't come out and save me, you can save him instead. Or make it a package deal and get double credit.'
'I'm hanging up, Joe. When you call me again, I want to hear you're in Bogota.' She pressed the disconnect.
Jesus, it was exactly what she'd been afraid would happen. Admit it, what she'd known would happen or she would never have made Joe a part of her deal with Montalvo. Yet there had been the slightest hope that her actions wouldn't impact Joe.
She stood up and went over to the window and gazed out at the dark jungle. He was there. Close. She was filled with panic and yet there was also a tingle of primitive joy. They were together. That was how it should be. Her mind had said to leave him, but there was no rhyme or reason where instincts were concerned.
Crush those instincts. Protect Joe. She could understand his doubts about her safety. Telephones were often deceptive and unsatisfactory. Yet if she tried to meet with Joe and convince him in person that he should leave, she might be tempted to go with him. She didn't know what Montalvo's reactions would be if she ran. She would have bet on violence before she'd come here. Now she knew him better and yet he'd become eve more of an unknown quantity. He was a desperate man. Desperation could be even more deadly than ruthlessness.
'Quinn's here,' Miguel said as he came into the library. 'We have a report of a helicopter sighting this afternoon. We think it landed about twenty miles north.'
Montalvo frowned. 'You're sure it wasn't one of Diaz's? He's been making his presence known lately.'
'We checked the number. Rented in Bogota to a Carmine Valdez. The pilot was to drop the clients off and then stay in the neighborhood to pick them up when they called.'
'Description?'
