Arctic Fire (39 page)

“I didn’t meet anyone there. I swear to God.”

“Liar!”

“No, no, I just went there to have a beer by myself. That’s all!”

“That’s not what the bartender said.”

“Huh?” Of course the bartender would remember him talking to Turner, Speed Trap realized. Who was ever going to forget a guy like Ross Turner? “Oh, oh,
him
,” Speed Trap said loudly, trying to make it seem like he’d just remembered Turner. “He was just some guy in the bar. He was there when I got there. I’d never seen him before in my life and—Oh,
God
!” Speed Trap gasped.

Maddux had nailed him with a crushing right fist to the stomach that felt like a bowling ball had hit him squarely in the gut going a hundred miles an hour. Maddux was small but he packed a hell of a punch, and for what seemed like an eternity Speed Trap couldn’t breathe. Finally, the air began seeping back into his lungs as Maddux grabbed his long blond hair and roughly pulled his head back.

“It hurts, it hurts,” was all he could gasp as he stared up helplessly into Maddux’s cold eyes. “It hurts so bad.”

“But you can keep it from hurting again if you tell me everything you told that guy.”

“We just talked about a bear hunt I went on last year when I shot this trophy bear on Kodiak.” Speed Trap tasted blood as he spoke. “That’s all. I swear it was.”

“Did you float a raft out the back of this ship to Troy Jensen the night he went over the side?”

Speed Trap shook his head hard. “No, no,” he answered, trying to watch Maddux as the man walked behind him. But he couldn’t turn his head far enough to see what was happening. “I’d never do that. I’d never—”

Speed Trap’s lies were interrupted when a clear plastic bag came down over his head roughly and wrapped tightly around his neck. Within seconds he could feel himself starting to suffocate as the plastic went down his throat deeper and deeper with every breath. But there was nothing he could do about it. All he could do was watch Sage and Grant watch him pass out. All he could do was pray they’d help him.

“Mr. President,” Stein began as soon as he moved past the Secret Service agents who were posted inside the suite doorway of the Los Angeles hotel, “you’ve got to listen to me.”

“What is it?” Dorn snapped as he straightened his tie in the mirror. “What do you want now, Rex?”

“I spoke to the agent in charge, and she’s very concerned about this speech tomorrow. You’ve got to reconsider. It’s not too late to move the thing inside.”

“This is California, not Texas. People are born here with a big liberal ‘L’ stamped on their foreheads. You know, ‘medicinal’ pot, hippies, Hollywood, and all of that. No one’s coming after me out here, I assure you.”

Stein could hear the rage creeping into Dorn’s voice for the first time since he’d taken on the job as chief of staff. But he didn’t care. His number one responsibility was to do what was best for the country, and therefore what was best for the president. If Dorn wanted to get angry, so be it.

“Sir, I’ve got to—”

“No more,” Dorn hissed, ordering the Secret Service detail outside the suite and into the hallway with a curt wave. “That’s it,” he continued when the door was shut and they were alone. “You raise this issue again, Rex, and I’ll fire you on the spot, so help me God. You’re really becoming a major pain in my ass.” Dorn hesitated. “Maybe I’ll fire you anyway. The powers that be who hired you for me a year ago can’t control me anymore. I’m too popular. It’s my show now, and there’s nothing they can do about it.”

Stein stared at the president, wondering what he was supposed to do. Dorn was right. He could do anything he wanted now and none of the party heavyweights could do a damn thing about it at this point.

“Yes, sir,” he said quietly.

“Did you call Beckham?” Dorn demanded. “Did you find out if Carlson sent the information over to him?”

“No, not yet.”

“Well I suggest you do,
damn it
. When I give you an order like that I expect you to carry it out immediately. One more screwup like that and I will fire you, Rex. And I’ll make sure you never work in Washington again.” Dorn’s eyes narrowed. “I never liked you, but at least I respected you.” He shook his head. “But I don’t even respect you anymore. Now get the hell out of here.”

“You OK?”

“I’m fine.”

Jack and Karen were standing on the dock where Turner’s seaplane was lashed, waiting for the big man to come out of the general store that overlooked the pier. He was inside, using cash Jack had given him to pay for the spot the plane had been using.

Karen hadn’t looked up when he’d asked her that question, Jack realized. She usually looked him straight in the eye whenever she answered him about anything…but not this time.

“I’m glad Troy’s alive,” she said softly.

“
Could be
alive,” Jack reminded her. “The only thing Ross said was that Bobby Mitchell admitted to floating a raft to Troy out the back of the
Arctic Fire
the night the other guys threw him overboard.” Jack was trying to be low key about all this, but he had to admit he was damn excited. Just the possibility that Troy might still be alive had sent his spirits on a rocket ride. “But Mitchell couldn’t tell if Troy made it into the raft. It was too dark.”

“I guess we’ll find out. But I’ve got a really good feeling about it, Jack. I think you’re going to see Troy again.”

“We both know the chances are still so small,” Jack cautioned. “Mitchell said they were still forty miles northwest of Akutan when they threw him over. Even if Troy made it into the raft, the thing could have flipped over or sunk or just headed out to sea.”

Karen shook her head. “It didn’t sound like Ross thought that was the case while we were walking over here. He seemed to think with the winds and the tides that were going on that night the raft would have gone to shore somewhere east of here. He said he’d checked into all of that, and he was pretty sure the raft wouldn’t have been taken out to sea. Right?”

She was still looking down at the ground. “What is it?” Jack moved in front of her. “You seem…well, you seem kind of sad.”

“It’s nothing.”

He ran his fingers through her hair. They’d made love the other night in Missoula when they’d gotten back from the bar. It had been awesome, and afterward he’d held her in his arms until they’d gotten up a few hours later to drive to Seattle. It had seemed like the most natural thing in the world to hold her like that too. They’d fit together all night like two puzzle pieces, which was a new experience for him. Every other time he’d held a woman all
night, he’d gotten up in the morning with a stiff neck and an arm that was fast asleep.

He hated to think it, but it was almost as if she now regretted what she’d done. And that was going to hurt so badly if it was true. He’d already started missing her when she was gone for just a few minutes. He was hooked on her, and he didn’t like thinking that she wasn’t hooked on him. Especially after she’d told him she was the other night. She didn’t seem like the kind of woman who’d change her feelings like that so quickly. But, when it really came down to it, he didn’t know her that well.

“It’s something, Karen.”

“I was just wondering what I’d do if somehow Charlie’s still alive too.” She touched Jack’s arm. “I guess I’d have a problem on my hands. I guess we both would.”

He couldn’t even bring himself to think about that possibility. “Well, I guess—”

“Come on,” Turner called loudly as he emerged from the store’s entrance. “Let’s get out of here. Let’s go find Troy.”

Jack watched Karen hop down onto the pontoon and climb into the plane. He shook his head. How could he possibly hope that Charlie Banks was dead? How could he be that terrible a person?

“You’re not shooting my son!” Duke yelled at Maddux as he barged his way past Sage and Grant into the
Arctic Fire
’s galley.

Maddux swung the barrel of the pistol quickly away from Speed Trap’s forehead and straight at Duke. It stopped Duke in his tracks five feet from his son, who was still tied tightly to the chair and beginning to sob.

“It’s a matter of national security,” Maddux answered matter-of-factly. Speed Trap had just finished telling him everything. “Your son must die.”

The kid had admitted floating the raft to Troy that night on the Bering Sea, and to telling a man named Ross Turner the same thing a few minutes ago at the Fish Head Pub. He’d also informed Maddux that Turner was working with Jack Jensen and that they were heading out in a seaplane right now to look for Troy. If those two found Troy first, everything Maddux had worked so hard to execute might be stopped a foot short of the goal line, and Roger Carlson would have died in vain. Maddux simply could not accept that outcome.

“I have no choice, Duke.”

“Please don’t kill me,” Speed Trap begged, starting to cry hard. “I don’t want to die.”

“
You’re not killing him!
” Duke shouted. “Don’t worry, son,” he called past Maddux.

“I have to,” Maddux said evenly. “And if you try stopping me, you’ll all be killed by the men waiting for me on the dock.” He nodded to the dock side of the ship. “Speed Trap too, so what’s the point? You might get me, but they’ll definitely get you. And it won’t be pleasant. They’ll make you pay.” He glanced quickly at each of them in turn. “You know me, you know what I do, and you know I’m telling you the truth. Don’t fuck with me. You’ll live to regret it…and then you’ll die.”

Duke shook his head as he glared at Maddux. “I don’t care. You can do whatever you want to me, but you’re not killing my son.”

“Get back, brother,” Sage urged. “We knew what we were getting into with these people. We didn’t have a choice. We owed the bank so much money from that other boat that sunk.” He shook his head sadly. “Speed Trap shouldn’t have gotten involved in this, Duke. He shouldn’t have thrown that raft out the back of the ship. It’s terrible, but it’s his own damn fault.”

“Troy saved his life,” Duke shot back angrily, taking a step at Maddux. “What did you expect my boy to do?”

“Get back,” Maddux ordered. “
Now.
”

Maddux was worried he was going to have to shoot Duke too—which could cause a major problem because Sage might not be able to handle seeing his brother go down. A nephew was one thing, but a brother might be different. And Maddux had to get out of here. Jack Jensen and Ross Turner were widening their lead on him with every second. He could feel them getting ahead, and he could feel himself starting to panic—and he never panicked.

“Let him go!” Duke shouted, taking a step toward Maddux, then two steps back when Maddux brought the gun up quickly with his finger on the trigger. “
Please.
”

“Stay back!” Sage yelled.

“
Don’t kill me!
” Speed Trap screamed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it. But I’ll never tell anyone.”

“See,” Duke yelled, “he’ll never say anything! He’ll never say a word!”

Maddux swung the gun at Speed Trap and then back at Duke, who came at him again and then retreated again.

“Don’t kill me, don’t kill me. Please, God, don’t kill me!”

“I can’t have this,” Maddux muttered to himself. “I can’t have this right—”