It was going to be a long, long fifteen minutes.
“A Mercedes stopped at the end of the road,” Nicholas said as he ran back into the trees. “Five men and Melis. Archer and Melis are waiting by the car. The other four are on their way up.”
It was what Kelby had expected. There was no way Archer would endanger his hide until he was sure the area was secure. He started to climb the tree he’d staked out. “We let them go past on the first go-around. They’ll probably station one man to overlook the road and one or two here in the woods. We don’t take them out until Melis and Archer are here.”
“It’s a terrible temptation,” Nicolas murmured as he shinned up the tree several yards from where Kelby was located. “But I’ll try to restrain myself. I’m closer to the road. I’ll take him out.”
“I’ll play it by ear. But I want as few guards functioning as possible when they unearth that chest.”
“The birdcall?”
“Right. Owl. I saw one in the trees.” Kelby drew the camouflage brush around him as he settled on the second branch. From this viewpoint he could see both the road and the rock in the middle of the glade. Melis was standing by the front bumper of the Mercedes, and she looked small and infinitely fragile from this distance.
Don’t think about her.
Think about the business at hand. The four men Archer had sent up the trail were close. In a moment they’d be here in the trees.
Silence. Breathe shallow. Don’t move a muscle.
The man who had driven the Mercedes was standing at the top of the trail and waving a flashlight at them.
Archer muttered a curse.
Melis stared at him in surprise. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Giles is giving us the all-clear,” Archer said. “Let’s go, Melis.”
Melis tried not to show her relief. She had been tense from the moment Archer had dispatched his men to search the area. She shouldn’t have worried. Kelby had said he and Nicholas would have no problem. But it didn’t matter what she should or should not have felt. The fear was there, and she couldn’t reason it away. “Let me go back to town. You can see I didn’t set a trap for you.”
“Stop whining.” He took her elbow and nudged her up the trail. “It’s very distasteful. You’ve been very good. I don’t want to have to punish you.”
She drew a deep, shaky breath. “You won’t hurt Susie? I’ve done everything you said.”
“You’ve made a good start.” Archer’s eager gaze was on the trees, and his tone was absent. “Don’t talk to me. You’re not important right now. I’ll deal with you later.”
They had rolled the rock away and Pennig was digging. Melis and Archer stood together a couple of yards away.
There wasn’t much time now, Kelby knew.
One man at the road.
One man seven yards from the tree where Kelby was sitting.
One man about twenty yards on the other side of the glade. He was the difficult target. They’d have to take out the men on this side and then make their way to the other side. The cover was sparse and the man had an Uzi. Archer’s men on this side of the glade were armed only with handguns.
Kelby drew a deep breath, cupped his hands over his mouth, and made the sound of an owl.
A beam from the flashlight of the man closest to him immediately circled the trees. It focused on the yellow eyes of the owl in the branches of the tree next to Kelby. At the sudden glare of light, the owl gave a cry of his own and flew from the branch.
The flashlight went out.
Kelby waited.
One minute.
Two minutes.
The soft hoot of the owl. Another hoot.
Nicholas had gotten the man at the road.
His turn.
He threw the rock in his hand at the shrubbery several yards left of where the man below him was standing.
The man whirled and moved toward the shrubbery.
Fast.
Silent.
Kelby was down the tree and a yard behind the guard before he knew he was there. The man started to turn and opened his lips to call out.
Too late. The garrote twisted about his neck, cutting through flesh so that only a gasp came from his lips. He was dead in seconds.
Kelby let the body fall and gave three soft hoots to signal Nicholas. He gave a glance at Melis and Archer. Pennig had already dug at least two feet into the ground.
Shit.
One more guard to take out across the glade before it was safe to go after Pennig and Archer.
He started moving, low, fast, around the glade toward the man with the Uzi.
“I thought you said it was only a couple of feet down,” Archer said. “We should be striking pay dirt.”
“Anytime.” Melis moistened her lips. There had been nothing but silence from the trees where Archer had stationed his men. It could mean nothing. Or it could mean failure. “I’m only telling you what Phil told me. Phil hated physical labor. He told me that it was stupid to dig deep when we had a rock to roll over it.”
“I don’t love it myself,” Pennig said between his teeth as his shovel bit deep. “If I wanted to be a ditchdigger, I wouldn’t have—” He stopped. “I think I’ve hit something.”
Archer moved closer. “Dig, dammit.”
“I’m doing it. I’m doing it.” He was shoveling faster.
And they were ignoring her.
Melis took a tiny step backward toward the two pines. Then another step.
They were pulling out the chest, breaking the lock.
She took two more steps back.
As soon as they opened the chest and started going through it, she’d bolt and run.
Silence from the trees around her.
Only Pennig’s and Archer’s hard breathing as they lifted the lid.
“What the hell?”
Empty. Even from here she could see the chest was empty.
Archer was cursing and turning toward her.
She ran, zigzagging toward the pines.
A bullet seared by her ear.
Another yard. She seemed to be moving in slow motion.
A tearing pain in her left side. The force of the bullet sent her staggering the last few steps to the pine trees.
Gun. She had to get the gun. She searched wildly in the brush beneath the tree.
Archer was spewing venom, shouting for his men.
A shadowy figure a few yards from her. Another guard?
Where was the gun? It was so dark here in the shadows she couldn’t see anything.
Then she found it.
But the guard was down and Kelby was on top of him. Twisting his neck.
Archer. She had to get Archer.
She couldn’t see him. But Pennig was there, coming toward her. His face contorted with rage.
She lifted the gun and pulled the trigger.
He staggered.
She shot him again.
He fell to the ground.
Kelby was kneeling beside her, taking the gun.
She shook her head. “Archer. We have to get Archer.”
“No, we have to stop this bleeding.” His hand was unfastening her shirt. “Dammit, I told you it was too risky.”
“Archer . . .”
“He bolted when none of his men came when he called. Nicholas may be able to catch him, but he had a head start. Nicholas was on this side of the glade with me.” His voice was hoarse as he formed a compress and pressed it above the wound. “We have to get you to a doctor. I told you that—”
“Stop . . .” Lord, she was dizzy. “Stop saying I told you so. It would have worked if the chest hadn’t been . . . empty. It shouldn’t have been empty.”
“This damn blood . . .” He was cursing beneath his breath. “Where the hell is Nicholas? I need him to hold this compress while I get you back to the car. Screw Archer. We can deal with . . .”
She heard nothing else.
Red plaid drapes.
It was the first thing s
he noticed when she opened her eyes. Red plaid drapes and a cozy leather armchair in the corner of the room.
“You’re back with us?” A dark, fiftyish man in a cable-knit sweater smiled at her as he lifted her wrist and took her pulse. “I’m Dr. Gonzales. How do you feel?”
“A little woozy.”
“You received a wound through your left side. The bullet hit nothing vital, but you lost some blood.” He grimaced. “Not as much as your friend Mr. Kelby was afraid you’d lost. He was rudely intimidating. He came to my home shouting and threatening. I almost threw him out. We’re not used to that on Cadora. This is a very peaceful island. That’s why I settled here.”
“Where is he?”
“Outside. I told him that he could stay out in his car until you woke. He’s a very disturbing man.”
“And this is a peaceful island,” she repeated his words. “I need to see him.”
“A few minutes won’t hurt. I’ve given Kelby antibiotics for you, but if you see signs of infection, get right to a doctor.” He paused. “You know I’ll have to report this bullet wound?”
“I don’t care. Do what you have to do. What time is it?”
“A little after three in the morning.”
And she must have been shot sometime near midnight. “I was unconscious for three hours?”
“You were coming around, but I gave you a sedative when I cleaned and sewed up your side.”
Archer.
And three hours was a long time.
“I really need to see Kelby, Doctor.”
He shrugged. “If you insist. Though I really hate to give in to any of his demands. He should learn patience.” He moved toward the door. “Try not to let him upset you.”
She was already upset. She had killed a man tonight, she was completely bewildered about that empty chest, and she didn’t know what had happened to Archer.
The chest. Try to figure out what had happened to those research papers.
But the question she asked Kelby when he came into the room was, “Archer?”
“I should have known that would be your first thought.” He shook his head. “He was already in the car and speeding off when Nicholas reached the road.”
“Then it was all for nothing.” She closed her eyes as disappointment washed over her. “I risked all of our lives and he’s still alive.”
“Not for long,” Kelby said grimly. “We’ll get our chance. He’s not going to crawl in a hole. He’s going to be mad as hell and want to get back at us.” He smiled faintly. “And it wasn’t a complete bust. We took out four scumbags who were cluttering the earth.”
Her eyes flicked open. “Will there be trouble with the law?”
“I don’t think so. The Spanish authorities are very aggressive with arms dealers who supply terrorists, as Archer does. I’ve called Wilson to come here from Madrid and supply records and mug shots and generally smooth the way. Naturally, he won’t tell them we had anything to do with it. But I’d bet when they discover what kind of lowlifes are lying on the side of that mountain, they’ll find a way to forget they existed.” He smiled crookedly. “Because this is such a ‘peaceful’ island.”
“Dr. Gonzales seems very nice.”
“We didn’t see eye to eye. But he knows what he’s doing. He says we can take you out of here if you promise to rest for the next couple of days. I assume you don’t want to hang around here?”
She shook her head. “Will you help me get up?” She looked down at herself. “Where’s my shirt?”
“It was too bloody to save.” He took off his black shirt. “Wear this.” He helped her sit up and carefully put her arms in the shirt. “Okay?”
The room was going around and her side throbbed. “Okay.”
“Liar.” He picked her up and carried her toward the door. “But you’ll be better when I can get you home.”
Home? Oh, yes, the Trina. That was Kelby’s home, and for the past days it had become her home too. Strange . . . “Am I too heavy? I can walk.”
“I know you can. But I’m all for efficiency. It’s faster this way.” He stopped at the door when he saw Dr. Gonzales, and said curtly, “I’m taking her. Thank you for doing your job.”
“Thank you for leaving.” Gonzales smiled at Melis. “Don’t break my stitches, and stay away from violent people like this Kelby person. They’re not good for you.”
The last sentence was said to Kelby’s back as he strode past the doctor toward the car parked in the gravel driveway. Nicholas jumped out and opened the back door. “Why don’t you lie down and stretch out? Maybe you can nap.”
Melis shook her head as Kelby placed her carefully in the backseat. She didn’t want to nap. There was something very wrong and she had to think. “I’m better sitting.”
“Debatable,” Kelby said as he got in the passenger seat. “But I’m not arguing. I want to get you to the south shore where we left our tender. We’ll leave your tender at the dock, and Nicholas can pick it up tomorrow.”
As Nicholas started the car, she sat very straight and tried to block out the dull pain in her side. Think. There was a piece missing. And a question she didn’t want to ask Kelby.
She had no option. She had to ask him.
“The chest was empty, Kelby.”
“I know it, dammit.”
She moistened her lips. “Did you do it?”
She saw his shoulders stiffen, and he slowly turned to look at her. “I beg your pardon?”
“You came here to Cadora last night.”
He was silent a moment, and when he spoke, each word was precise. “We both knew how crucial it was that Archer be distracted from you. You almost got killed when he wasn’t. And you’re asking me if I came here and snatched those damn papers?”
Nicholas gave a low whistle. “Oops.”
She barely heard him. “I have to ask it. Just tell me yes or no.”
“No, goddammit, I did not take the papers.” He turned around to face the front. “And you’d better shut up until we get to the dock or I just might complete the job Archer screwed up on.”
She could feel the rage he was emitting. Rage and hurt. She couldn’t blame him. She would have felt the same.
But she couldn’t worry about Kelby. She had to think. She was beginning to get a terrible feeling. . . .
Chapter Sixteen
They were a few miles from the dock when she leaned forward and said to Nicholas, “Turn left at the next road.”
“What?”
“Just do it.”
Kelby gave her a cool glance. “Are you delirious?”
“No. Maybe. I think I know where Phil moved the papers. There’s a place on the coast. I have to go there. Please. Don’t ask questions.”
“You think the papers are there?”
“They might be. I have to go.”
Nicholas looked at Kelby.
Kelby shrugged. “Go ahead. Give him directions, Melis.”
The cottage was just as she remembered it. White clapboard with blue shutters closed tight. She opened the door and scrambled out of the car before Kelby could help her.
“For God’s sake, Melis.” Kelby caught up with her as she moved toward the cottage and took her arm. “You’re weak as a kitten. You’ll be lucky if you don’t fall on your face.”
She didn’t feel weak. The fear-driven adrenaline was surging through her.
“Why do you think they may be hidden here?” Kelby asked.
“We lived in that cottage for a few months while we were searching the area.” Her eyes were focused on the front door as she shook Kelby’s hand away from her arm. “It’s the only explan—”
The front door opened and a figure was silhouetted against the lamplight.
She felt Kelby tense beside her.
He was afraid of that unknown danger. She was afraid, too, but not for the same reason. She took a step forward. “Phil?”
“You shouldn’t have come, Melis.” He came down the two steps toward her. “I hop
ed to see you at a happier time.”
“Where? At the pearly gates? You’re supposed to be dead, Phil.”
“As Mark Twain said, the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
Kelby took a step forward. “Lontana?”
Phil nodded. “Hello, Kelby. Great job. I knew you could do it. Of course, I could have done it better.”
“What?”
“Why, Marinth, of course.” He smiled. “I’d like to shake your hand, but that’s not in the cards, is it?”
“I don’t know yet.” He took Melis’s arm again. “I do know that I want Melis to sit down. She’s been hurt.”
“Hurt?” Phil looked at her with concern. “Is it bad?”
“What the hell do you care?” Melis said. “What did you expect to happen, Phil?”
“I care very much,” Phil said. “It’s not fair of you to doubt I’d worry about you.”
“But not enough,” Melis said. “You didn’t care if you put my head on the block by moving that chest.”
“Is that how you were wounded? I hoped Archer wouldn’t try to get those papers from you.” He looked pained. “I didn’t want to do it. It was necessary. You wouldn’t help me, Melis.”
“This is beginning to reek,” Kelby said. “What the hell did you do, Lontana?”
“He staged his own death,” Melis said. “He blew up the Last Home himself.”
“Do you realize how much that hurt me?” Phil asked.
“How did you get away? Scuba gear and someone in a boat nearby to pick you up?”
Phil nodded. “I was so sad when I saw her blow. I loved that ship.”
“But it was worth the sacrifice,” Melis said. “It got you what you wanted.”
“What?” Kelby asked. “He didn’t want to deal with Archer any longer?”
“On the way here I was hoping that was it.” She met Phil’s eyes. “But I know you, Phil. You’d never have sacrificed the Last Home unless it was going to bring you something better. And the only thing you valued more was Marinth. You made a deal with Archer, didn’t you?”
“Why would you think—”
“Didn’t you?”
He nodded slowly. “I didn’t have any choice. You wouldn’t help me. Marinth was lying there, waiting for me, and I couldn’t touch it. It was your fault.”