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someplace to talk. But after six tries he still had no success making contact.
Swearing in gutter Spanish, he punched in another number, determined that
someone would feel the heat of his anger.
* * * * *
Javier hurried to the side of the hangar to answer his cell phone. He had a very bad
feeling about what he was going to hear.
 Stupido! Nando s voice exploded through the phone like a bomb.  You miserable
little cockroach. You are worthless, you hear me? A piece of garbage.
 I-I don t know what you re talking about, Javier stammered.
Jesu Cristo! Now what?
 If you weren t my cousin s son, I d be feeding you to the fish right now, piece by
piece.
 I don t understand. Javier shifted from foot to foot, trying to fight the roiling in
his stomach.
 They re gone, pendejo. The damn hostages are gone.
Javier wanted to throw up. How could this be? He had heard the men talking, seen
them leave.
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F-Stop
 I am sorry, he said, not knowing what else to say.
 Do not think you will rest easy over this one, Nando told him.  El Jefe would like
to see your ass roasted over a slow fire.
 Please, Nando, he began.
 You should go to church and pray to the Virgin Mother that you are still breathing
when this is over.
* * * * *
Troy was keeping a sharp eye on the hostages. He really wanted to get them to an
emergency room, not fully convinced they shouldn t get more medical attention. But
everyone was anxious to get home as quickly as possible. He finally told Dan that for
the trauma they d been through, they were holding up remarkably well and after
checking them each once more agreed to no hospital. He taped Eli s ribs and made a
note to remind Kat to keep an eye overnight on her sister. He figured the big crash
would come once they were all inside their own homes.
They stopped to pick up the Gulfstream, leaving Rick and Troy to ride back in the
helicopter with Ed. He would take the Black Hawk back to their private airfield outside
Baltimore. It was mid-afternoon by the time the rest of them landed in San Antonio. The
SUV Mark had driven to the airfield was still where they d parked it. Dan managed to
score a second one from the private terminal manager, at the same time letting him
know the plane would be back in the hangar. They transferred everyone to the two
vehicles while Mike parked the plane.
Mark had called Anthony Delaware en route, told him they had the hostages and
asked him not to tell anyone yet that they were free. He said they d be bringing them to
the Wright building shortly and would he please keep everyone there. He knew they all
wanted showers desperately, and something to eat that resembled real food, but needed
to wait until they confronted the person who d set this all in motion.
For the first time Mark and the agent exchanged the information they had. Mark
also brought him up to speed on how and why the plan was hatched and who was
behind it. Sort of. Delaware grudgingly asked for suggestions.
When Mark told him his plan, he was only too willing to agree. Obviously tamping
down any hostility he felt, he said they d all be waiting in the conference room.
 Anything to save his ass, Mark told the others.
The hostages had all freshened up on the plane and Dan and Mark had handed out
spare clothes they kept in the plane s bedroom. They even managed to find shorts and a
shirt for Lissa.
Mark had hooked up the little printer and printed out everything Andy had sent to
them. Then he handed it to Dan, who sat quietly to one side with Eli, in two of the
comfortable chairs, reviewing the material. Eli had swallowed some aspirin in the
helicopter but refused Troy s offer of a pain pill.
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Desiree Holt
 I want to be alert when I read what you ve got, he said,  and plan what I m going
to say to those bastards.
Troy tried again to get everyone to the emergency room before they did anything
else but the Wrights were determined to confront the people who d planned this and
the man who d put it together. Eli could barely control his anger.
Mark offered to drop Lissa and Sydney off at their home before going on to Wright
International but they refused, insisting they be present when it all went down.
When they walked into Pelley s conference room, several pairs of eyes stared at
them, taking in the tall, grim-looking strangers and the Wrights and Mari in their
bruised, battered condition. Dan scanned the table, noticing who looked relieved and
who looked shocked, then let Mark take the lead, since he d been the one dealing with
the FBI.
Delaware stood up from his seat at the table and grudgingly held out his hand.
 Anthony Delaware, he said.  Thanks for doing my job for me. Politics, you know.
His voiced was tinged with both bitterness and regret.
 Mark Halloran. And no problem. He nodded at the group behind him, indicating
each in turn.  My partners. Eli Wright and his family and Mari Culhane. Faith Halloran
and Mari s sister, Katherine.
Delaware shook hands with each of them.  You have to know how glad we are to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]