They reached the trees just as the helicopter lifted off the ledge.
Shouts!
Shots!
Soldiers appeared at the edge of the plateau and began to run down the slope toward the ledge.
“Come on, we can’t stay here,” Catherine muttered. “We have to get down this road before they stop thinking we might have made it to that helicopter.”
They ran.
The helicopter roared over the heads of Kadmus’s men, then turned and headed toward the side of the mountain.
More shouting.
Catherine glanced over her shoulder.
Oh, God, they were loading the missile launcher.
Caudell showed himself for the briefest moment, then flew again behind the outcropping of the mountain.
A moment later, a missile blew that stony outcropping to bits.
“Enough, Caudell,” Catherine murmured. If he played hide-and-seek any longer, his chances of making it away from the mountain intact were nil.
Erin was looking back, too. “What is he doing?”
“Giving us time. Where’s this village?”
“Straight ahead. But we can’t go through it, or they’ll send word to Kadmus. He has everyone on this mountain terrified.” She nodded at a side path. “That will take us around the village. There’s a cave near there that was used by the monks for prayer vigils over a hundred years ago. Everyone has forgotten about it by now. We should be safe there for a little while.”
“If everyone’s forgotten it, how do you know about it?”
“I was told.” Erin looked at her. “By someone I trust. The cave is there, Catherine.”
Another missile explosion.
Dear God, Catherine hoped desperately that was the mountain being shattered again and not the helicopter. She turned and started down the path that went around the village. “Then let’s go find it.”
* * *
“You’re not going to like this,” Venable said when Hu Chang picked up the phone. “So I’m going to say it fast, then let you explode or offer a suggestion.”
“I will not explode,” Hu Chang said. “You’ve lost Catherine. Does Kadmus have her?”
“I don’t know. She got Erin Sullivan out of the palace, but they weren’t able to make it to the helicopter before all hell broke loose. She told Caudell to get out, and she’d contact him later.”
“But you don’t know if Kadmus captured them or if she’s still trying to get away from him. That is inexcusable.”
“It’s only been an hour. Even if she’s free, if she’s anywhere near Kadmus, she won’t use phone or radio since he could pick up the signal. I’m exploring the situation.”
“Not good enough.”
“You have contacts. Perhaps you can have them put their ear to the ground and get answers.”
“I don’t want answers. I want Catherine back in one piece. I want Erin Sullivan to survive. I want Kadmus dead. Is that understood?”
“Do you think I don’t want that, too? First, we’ve got to find them.”
“You should never have lost them.” Hu Chang was silent, trying to control himself. “You should never have lost Catherine. Now, you will do everything you can to locate her and let me know every step of the way.”
“And what will you do?”
“I will find her.”
“And you’ll return the favor and inform me of any progress you make?”
“Perhaps. If I have use for you. Otherwise, stay out of my way.”
“Dammit, I told you that we’re on the job searching for her.”
“I have little faith in you.”
Venable drew a deep breath. “Look, you’ll need me. Kadmus has a small army. If necessary, I can send a support force into the area.”
“I’ll have my own support force.”
Venable muttered a curse. “Shit. No direct confrontation. You’re not to cause an incident with Beijing.”
“Do you believe China owns Kadmus? I think not. But it would not matter to me. I find it interesting that it matters to you. And that’s why I have little faith in you.” He hung up.
He sat there for a moment, calming the anger and fear. For many years, he had worked on obtaining complete control of mind and body, and he’d had considerable success.
But not where Catherine was concerned. She was the exception to every rule.
Gradually, serenity returned, and he could ponder the options.
Contact Cameron now or wait?
Wait. He’d already told him of the possible problem. He’d get into position for action before he involved him directly. And perhaps Cameron already knew. Hu Chang was never sure about him at any given time. Cameron probably preferred it that way.
But there was one thing he had to do immediately.
He got to his feet and strode out of the study in search of Luke.
DAKSHA, TIBET
The cave was almost inaccessible. It was hidden behind a screen of trees, and once they reached it, they found the opening behind it covered by boulders and smaller rocks. It took Catherine and Erin almost thirty minutes to clear the opening enough to crawl inside the cave.
It smelled of wood rotting in a pile of against the far wall. Other than that, Catherine smelled nothing but the dirt on the floor and the moss on the stones beside the opening. She lit her flashlight and let the beam play around the space. “It’s not as small as I thought from the outside, but those monks wouldn’t have been able to do much more than pray and sleep.” The area was barely eight by twelve, and the roof of the cave was about ten feet high. “Definitely, no group prayers.”
“No,” Erin said. “But it’s safe, isn’t it? No … predators?”
“No, all the predators seem to be on the outside,” Catherine said. “Maybe a few jumping spiders. They’re the only ones that live this high up.”
“Safe…” Erin’s voice was a weak breath of sound. The next instant, she was sliding down the stony wall of the cave and closing her eyes. “I think I’ll let you take care of the spiders. I’m very … tired.”
“Erin?” It occurred to her that Erin had been very slow helping to clear the cave entrance. Catherine dropped to her knees beside her. “You had a fall back there. Were you shot? Hurt?”
“No, I’m just tired.” Erin opened her eyes. “I’ll be fine in a little while.” She tried to smile. “I’m sorry. I’m not as strong as I was before Kadmus started to work on me. It doesn’t take much to exhaust me. I’m glad I was able to keep up.”
“You more than kept up. You were ahead most of the time. You have nothing to be sorry about,” Catherine said. “You told me at the palace that there was nothing seriously wrong with you. Was that a lie?”
“No.” She paused. “I do have a dislocation in my shoulder that’s extremely painful. It slipped out of the socket again when I fell. And the index finger on my right hand is broken. The rest is manageable.”
Catherine felt a surge of anger. Just the matter-of-fact way Erin had mentioned those injuries made the thought of their being inflicted the more terrible. “That son of a bitch. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We were in a hurry. You wanted to know what condition would keep me from being able to help free myself.” She looked her in the eye. “Nothing would have kept me from doing that. If I’d had a broken leg, I would still have made it here. I didn’t have the slightest doubt that I’d hold out until we were safe.”
Catherine grimaced. “I would have had a small doubt or two if I were you. Why were you so certain?”
Erin shrugged. “I don’t know. I just knew I’d do it.”
“Adrenaline?”
“Maybe something like that.” She added quietly, “And, besides, I wouldn’t want to let you down. You seemed very passionate about getting home to your son. I’m sorry that everything went wrong.”
“So am I. But we’ll work through it.” She got to her feet. She shrugged off her backpack and dropped it to the ground. “But right now I’d better g
o back and erase any sign of our footprints. When Kadmus figures out that we definitely weren’t on that helicopter, he’s going to go on the hunt. He may have started already.” She started toward the cave opening. “I should be back in thirty minutes or so, and I’ll see what I can do about that shoulder and finger.”
“Be careful.”
“Always.” She smiled grimly back at her. “There’s no way I’d let Kadmus catch us now. You’re out of that hellhole, and you’re not going back.”
“No, I won’t let myself be taken. Not again.” She closed her eyes. “Don’t hurry. I’ll just sit here and rest until you come back.”
The finality of Erin’s words sounded ominous. She had no doubt undergone mental as well as physical torture and would take any other path rather than go back to it. Who could blame her? Catherine would feel the same. She just hoped that Erin meant that she would not give up her life but would be determined to take Kadmus’s.
“I won’t be long.” Catherine strode out of the cave and picked up a branch from beneath one of the sparse trees in the grove. She pulled out her knife and cut it down to a manageable size for her purpose. She moved swiftly back up the path.
Keep busy. Work fast. Do the job at hand. Don’t think of that bastard or what he had done to Erin Sullivan. Venable had told her that there was torture involved, but it was always different when you actually met the victim. It was doubly upsetting when the victim was Erin Sullivan, and the courage shone beacon-bright through that hideous darkness surrounding her.
“I was right to come, Luke,” she whispered as she started carefully brushing the traces of their footsteps from the stony path. “I didn’t want to leave you. I thought I’d be back almost before you missed me. But it was right that I got her out.”
But Erin Sullivan wasn’t out yet. Now they had a long, difficult way to go before they escaped. She mustn’t think of Luke or Hu Chang or anyone else right now. She had to concentrate on a plan to get them through the mountains to a point where Caudell could pick them up.
If the helicopter hadn’t been blown to kingdom come.
She didn’t think that last shot had gotten Caudell, and she hadn’t heard any more explosions as they had hurried down the path toward the village.
So assume that Caudell was alive and had told Venable that Erin was alive and free and running for her life. Catherine could not use any electronic device to request pickup unless she knew that Caudell was in the immediate area. Surely, they would stay close in case she was able to communicate.
She couldn’t assume anything except that while she remained on this mountain, Kadmus would be able to zero in on her if she tried to reach anyone. She’d have to get off this mountain, and even then, it wouldn’t be certain.
Think about it. Work it out. She was competent, and Erin Sullivan was not going to be a handicap. They’d get away from this mountain that Kadmus thought he ruled.
She just hoped she got the chance to kill the bastard before they did it.
CHAPTER
5
DAKSHA PALACE
“They weren’t on the helicopter,” Brasden said as he strode into Kadmus’s library. “I’ve interviewed several of our men who had different vantage points, and none of them saw anyone but the pilot on board. That means they’re still on the mountain.”
“I told you that was what happened,” Kadmus said impatiently. “That pilot was behaving like an asshole. He was trying to divert our attention.” He gazed coldly at Brasden. “And he was successful. You were a fool.”
“The helicopter was the biggest threat. I had to focus attention first on—” He stopped as he saw Kadmus’s expression. “I sent men to search every cranny of the mountain as soon as I suspected that they were—”
“And you haven’t found them.”
“Not yet.” He moistened his lips. “But we’ve started to question the villagers. So far we haven’t had any luck, but—”
“Luck?” Kadmus repeated harshly. “I don’t pay you to rely on luck. I want answers. Naturally, you wouldn’t get answers from those villagers. I’ve taken care over the years to make sure that they wouldn’t do anything that would be against my interests. They’d turn Erin Sullivan over in a heartbeat if she’d gone there.”
“I thought that boy you killed was—”
“He wasn’t from my village. I own this mountain.”
Kadmus believed he owned the whole damn world, Brasden thought sourly. And, if he had his way, given time, he’d do it. That was okay. Brasden would ride on his coattails and eventually find a way to steal it away from him. Right now, he’d have to play meek and subservient. He’d screwed up royally by letting Sullivan be taken away. “I thought as much, but I thought it would do no harm to interrogate a few villagers. There are a few monks and the old lama who are still there.” He paused. “I told you that it was a woman who got Sullivan out. The bitch was very, very tough. Do you have any idea who sent her?”
“I have an idea or two. Yes, she was tough. She made you look like a weakling.”
Brasden choked back his anger. “I know you’ve been questioning Sullivan about the man who gave her that necklace. Do you suppose he sent the woman and the helicopter?”
“It’s possible. Not likely. He would probably let Sullivan die before he risked himself. It’s rare that he makes any contact at all. Sullivan was the exception. If he’d sent two more people to free her, that would be two more people I could possibly break. He wouldn’t permit himself to be that vulnerable.” His hand knotted into a fist. “But I could have made Sullivan talk. I just needed a little more time.”
“I’ll get her back.”
“Yes, you will,” he said with soft menace. “Or I’ll toss you off this mountain.” He frowned. “It could be CIA who sent her. We’ve been hearing that they’ve been investigating her disappearance.”
“It was dangerous to take an American citizen. Naturally, it would cause an uproar.”
“It was safe enough for me. No one has been able to touch me in all these decades. I had to have her.”
“Why?” He paused, then said persuasively, “Perhaps it would help if I knew what value she has for you. Who are you trying to locate?”
“The only person that knowledge might help is you, Brasden. And I’m not sharing this with you.” Kadmus gave him a cold glance. “I’ve told you that my dealings with Sullivan are personal and private. Don’t ask me again.”
Brasden backed off. “Just trying to be helpful.”
“Then find her and the woman who took her. I want constant electronic surveys of the entire area. Send out patrols to monitor any possible transmissions.” He added through his teeth, “Bring her back to me. Now get out of here and find them.”
* * *
“That’s done,” Catherine said as she came back into the cave. She carefully rolled the boulders back in front of the opening. “It wasn’t that difficult. The path was almost pure stone and—” She stopped. “Were you sleeping? Is the cold getting to you?”
“No.” Erin struggled to a sitting position. “But I was dozing. I haven’t been sleeping lately.”
“I can see why, with Kadmus paying you midnight visits.” She walked over and knelt beside her. She lit her LED torch, and the cave was suddenly flooded with light. “But I’m surprised you were able to doze now. I couldn’t, not until I unwind. The situation isn’t exactly restful.”
“You told me to trust you.” Erin smiled faintly. “I do trust you, Catherine. I feel safe with you.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Now that’s a responsibility.”
“Your fault. You got me out of that hellhole, and now you’re stuck with me.” Her smile faded. “It’s going to be hard to get out of here, isn’t it? How hard?”
“On a scale of one to ten, eight,” Catherine said. “But at least it’s not ten. But don’t ask me how we’re going to do it. We’ll worry about that when Kadmus’s first feverish search activity passes us by. Providing it does pass us by.” She t
ook out her gun and her knife and laid them on the ground beside her. “And if it doesn’t, then we’ll worry about it.” She dug into her backpack and brought out the first-aid kit. “But let’s get your wounds fixed up so that you’ll be in better shape to face them. Shed that parka, and I’ll take a look at your shoulder.”
“Could you help me with it?” She unzipped the parka. “It’s still dislocated, and there’s a good deal of pain. Not as bad as the first time Kadmus did it.”
“Kadmus didn’t pop it back into the joint for you?”
“No, I did it myself the first time, but he dislocated it again. He liked the idea of constant reminder.”
“How did the dislocation happen in the first place?”
“He was using the ropes on me.”
Catherine’s gaze flew to her face. “Ropes?”
“He said it’s a torture he learned from the North Vietnamese. The arms are tied up and back until the elbows are forced together. It cut off circulation. The pain is excruciating, then he would rotate my arms until they dislocated.”
Catherine glanced away from her, trying to control her rage. She carefully pulled the parka off her. “Son of a bitch.”
“Oh, yes.” She unbuttoned her shirt. “Without question.”
“How did you manage to pop it back in by yourself? You have first-aid experience?”
“No, I’ve always thought I should go take a course. But then I kept putting it off.”
“Then how did you know?”
“Someone…” She grimaced with pain. “Told me … what to do.”
“Who?” Catherine was trying to keep her talking as she neared the final motion that would send it back into the socket. She could see the agony twisting Erin’s face. “Someone at the palace?”
“No.” She drew a deep breath.”Just do it.”
Catherine sent the bone back into the socket. Erin jerked, and cried out, “Cameron!”
“Are you okay?” Catherine asked. “I think it’s back in place.”
Erin nodded. “It will be fine. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Catherine said. “Now give me your hand.” Catherine quickly unbound the crude wrapping around the index finger. “Not a compound fracture. That’s good.” She quickly splinted it, then rebandaged. “But it’s a bad break.”