On the Loose (25 page)
Authors: Tara Janzen
Zach drew a long breath. “Yes,” he said finally. Lily Robbins had been wearing all sorts of jewelry the night she'd shown up at his plantation, soaking wet from a rain storm, packing a guerrilla
capitán
's engraved pistol, and obviously in more trouble than he'd thoughtâand he'd thought she'd been in plenty.
And dammit, he'd found the catalyst, the connection, and the reason he'd been called all the way back homeâa damn piece of macramé.
“It's entirely likely Ms. Robbins has your key,” he finished, even as he wondered why in the hell a schoolteacher would have taken a cheap bracelet off a dying man.
“Likely enough to send you to find her and look for it,” Kesselring agreed. “There are a few more things you need to be aware of, though. First, the only individuals on this end who know of the key's existence are the four of us in this room. Second, we consider it entirely possible that Devlin was photographed after he was captured. Third, there are some pretty clever folks who serveâahâother interests, and those folks just might figure out that he left without something he arrived with. If we can guess what it is and where it is, then so can they. Best case, you locate Ms. Robbins, recover the bracelet, it turns out to be what we think it is, you return without incident, and that's the end of it. Worst case...”
“I get it,” Zach said. And he did, dammit.
“You'll maintain your current identity and use your existing resources for this, at least to begin with,” Van Zandt said. “Alex will brief you on the risk assessment, operational details, and options. Do you have further questions for Charles or myself?”
“No, ma'am,” he said, not even considering asking what was in the file.
With another short nod, Van Zandt left the room. Kesselring was close behind her, leaving Zach with Alex and what would undoubtedly become an hours-long briefing.
Alex gestured toward a door at the other end of the room, and Zach followed him out into another hallway.
“Report only to me on this,” Alex said.
“Yes, sir.” It was an order, not a request.
“And this was sent down from State for you.” The older man handed him a sealed envelope.
Zach opened it while they walked, and pulled out the single sheet of paper. There were six words on it.
A fleeting grin curved his mouth.
Geezus.
He read the note again, then refolded it into the envelope and stuck the whole thing in his pocket.
Geezus.
“I don't know what's in the letter,” Alex said, “but considering where it came from, I can guess. The State Department is in this thing up to their neck, right along with us. They're the ones who pulled the DOD in on the Salvadoran deal. It was all back room politics, down to the inclusion of one of the DOD's covert operators, Smith Rydell. The important thing for you to remember is that when Amanda spoke about âexisting resources,' she meant everything. You've got ties to Rydell's team in Denver, Special Defense Force. Use them. Shake these guys down, if you need to, and make sure we come out on top. After our briefing, you'll be leaving from Dulles and heading to Denver ASAP.”
“Yes, sir.” He didn't have a problem with going to Denver before he picked up the woman in Albuquerque. He sure as hell didn't think he'd be shaking down the SDF team, though, at least not as his first order of business. Later, if Lily Robbins didn't pan out, he'd do whatever it took to get the job done.
But going to Denver was a good idea.
His grin returned for another fleeting second. He thought it was a damn good idea, but not for any reason Alex would understand, because for all his Ivy League education and brilliance, Alex was no mechanic.
ON THE LOOSE
A Dell Book / November 2007
Published by
Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents
either are the product of the author's imagination or
are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2007 by Tara Janzen
Dell is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the
colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
eISBN: 978-0-440-33674-7
v3.0