“Anyone have a suggestion?” Quinn whispered.
“Maybe we should go,” Nate said. “Let her cool down a little and come back in a few hours. One of us could keep an eye on the place, make sure she doesn’t leave.”
Quinn knew as unsatisfactory as Nate’s suggestion might be, it was probably the best solution for now. But as he reached to put the car in reverse, he heard one of the back doors open.
“What are you doing?” Nate said.
“Do not step another foot outside!” Desirae shouted. “Get back in your vehicle.”
“Go ahead and shoot me, then,” Abraham said, climbing all the way out of the car. “I’m not going to leave. Not until you’ve heard us out.”
“I said get in the car, Abraham! Right now!”
He moved around the back of the sedan and started walking toward the house, his hands raised.
“I swear to God, I will kill you where you stand.”
“Then go ahead,” he said.
Quinn opened his door.
“You get back in!” Desirae said, shifting her aim to him.
“There are people looking for you,” he said.
“I know there are people looking for me. They’ve been looking for me for years.”
“They’re getting close,” Abraham told her.
“Because of you,” she said, pointing her gun back at him.
“All I wanted to know was if Tessa was alive. I realize I should have left it alone, but I can’t take it back now.” He paused. “These are the worst kind of people. They killed a good man, a friend who was helping me.”
Surprise flashed across Desirae’s face. “What friend?”
“His name was Eli. Eli Be—”
“Becker?” she said. “They killed Eli? Oh, God. I told him to run.”
Another car door opened. “You’re the one who warned him,” Orlando said as she climbed out.
Nate, apparently feeling left out, opened his door and joined them.
Still holding her gun on them, Desirae repeated, “I told him to run.”
“He did run,” Quinn said. “He went to Florida.”
“I was supposed to meet him there,” Abraham said. “But they found him before I arrived. We followed his trail but we didn’t get to him in time. They knew he’d found some information about Tessa. They tried to torture it out of him. We don’t know how much they got before he died.”
“Oh, my God. Abraham, why couldn’t you stop? Why did you have to keep looking?”
“This isn’t Abraham’s fault,” Quinn said. “These people aren’t looking for you because he wouldn’t stop. They took another friend of ours, but we were able to get him out before they could kill him. When they were interrogating him, they never asked him about Abraham. They don’t even know about Abraham.”
“The dot-xuki computer virus at the CIA,” Orlando said. “I’d be willing to bet that’s what started it. At least this latest round.”
The front door of the house creaked open, and a scared young voice said, “Mom, what’s going on?”
Desirae looked over her shoulder and said, “Get back inside.”
“Who are these people?”
“Terri, I told you, wait in your room.”
From Quinn’s vantage point, he could see the girl standing in the doorway. Abraham, however, had to take a few steps to the side to see around Desirae.
“Tessa?” he said.
“Inside!” Desirae yelled at the girl.
But the girl had frozen in the doorway at the sound of Abraham’s voice.
Abraham took a step forward. “Tessa, I–I don’t know if you remember me, but I knew you when you were very young. My name is Abraham. I—”
“Abraham?” the girl said, her eyes widening. “Abe?”
Abraham’s own eyes were swimming in water as he continued forward. “Yes. I’m Abe.” The girl stepped onto the lanai.
“Terri, please,” Desirae pleaded. “It’s not safe out here.”
But the girl walked on as if she couldn’t hear Desirae.
“Abe?” she said again. “You…you took me on a plane.”
“A few. A couple trains, too.”
“I don’t remember trains.” She hesitated. “You promised you’d come back.”
“I wanted to for a long time, but I’m here now.” He was almost to the lanai now. “Do you still play checkers?”
A surprised half smile. “Every day,” she said. “Just like you taught me.”
Desirae’s shoulders sagged as she lowered her gun. “For God’s sake, come inside before I kill all of you.”
Houses eight and nine were both occupied by large families Gloria quickly dismissed as possibilities.
House ten, like house six earlier, appeared to be unoccupied. There was not, however, a locked gate across the entrance, so they drove all the way up to the house and had a look around.
Not just unoccupied. Empty. Whoever had lived there was gone.
The caller, perhaps? Or was this only the location the caller had used?
They let themselves in through the back door and found enough dust in the place to know that no one had been inside for weeks.
She mentally crossed number ten off the list and ordered her men back to the Suburban. They had one more house in the valley to check.
Two, she corrected herself. They still had to go back to number six.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Desirae said as they walked into the living room. “And don’t expect me to get you anything to drink.”
Orlando and Nate sat on the couch while Abraham took one of the chairs. Quinn didn’t feel much like sitting and remained on his feet. Apparently, Desirae was feeling the same.
“I can’t tell you how good it is to see you,” Abraham said to Tessa as the girl took a seat on a nearby footstool.
Still unsure about how she should react to him, she paused before saying, “Thanks.”
“I never knew what happened to you after…after we separated.”
She took a quick glance at Desirae. “I’ve been okay. Mom takes care of me.”
“How long have you been here?” Orlando asked Desirae.
“None of your business,” Desirae said. “Tell me about Eli.”
“Do you think maybe…” Quinn let the sentence hang as he glanced quickly at Tessa then back at Desirae.
Desirae considered his suggestion for a few seconds. “Sweetheart, why don’t you go to your room for a few minutes?”
“I want to stay,” Tessa said.
“I know, and I’m sorry. But I promise, I will tell you everything after.”
Tessa looked disappointed as she stood up. “Everything?”
“Yes, everything.”
As soon as Tessa disappeared into the back of the house, Desirae said, “I don’t hide anything from her. That way, she doesn’t question me if we have to do something…unusual.”
“Like living in a secret underground apartment below your mother’s house?” Orlando asked.
Desirae didn’t seem fazed by the question. “Something like that.” Her face hardened. “Now tell me about Eli.”
Abraham carried the load of the story, taking it back to when he had first approached Eli for help not long after leaving Tessa with Desirae. Quinn and Orlando added points here and there in regards to the most recent events.
“I was angry at myself for leaving her when I thought she needed me most, I guess,” Abraham said. “Apparently, I shouldn’t have worried.”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” Desirae said.
“Your turn,” Quinn said. “What happened after Amsterdam?”
“I never agreed to take turns,” Desirae said.
“Abraham needs to know,” Quinn countered. “You owe him that much. He did bring Tessa to you.”
Looking annoyed, Desirae finally sighed and said, “She wasn’t supposed to stay with me. I was head of the pickup team, that’s all. We were to take her to Mexico City and await further instructions from Carter. Those instructions never came.”