He turned on a burner on the gas stove and then took two large knives from a wooden block and set the blades into the flame. Searching through the cupboards, he found a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Then he poured a cup of water and splashed it across the man’s face.
One way or another this guy would talk.
Fifteen minutes later and Jake was back out in the rain walking around the block toward the front, keeping his eyes open for the Fiat and Elisa. He always felt somewhat guilty making someone talk. He’d been on the receiving end of that kind of conversation, and it was always a game with no real ending. You could twist a guy’s dick off and get total crap for intel. Or you could deceive the guy and get everything you wanted to know. The first way was quicker, though.
He came up from the blind spot on the passenger side of the Fiat and grabbed the door handle. It was locked, but his action made Elisa jump from behind the wheel.
She clicked open the door and Jake got in, a pain shooting into the wound on his side.
“What happened?” she asked.
Jake showed her Sara’s iPad. “It was there but Sara wasn’t. Turns out she was there earlier in the day, but the Greeks took her somewhere else.”
Elisa gave him a desperate expression. “Where is she, Jake?”
He shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know. There were two men in the house and they didn’t want to give me any information.”
“Are you sure they’re not holding out?”
He explained how he could be very persuasive at times, leaving out the details of his actions, including the fact that he’d shot one of them in the shoulder. But both of the men would live and that’s probably more than they would have allowed for him if the roles had been reversed.
Jake said, “One of the men eventually said he was sure they still had her in town.”
“How are they sure?”
“The Greeks let it slip that they would meet up with a boat in the morning.” He checked his watch and realized they had about at least seven hours before morning light, and the wind and rain was starting to subside. His friends in high places would let him know the position of the Greek billionaire’s yacht. “We just need to position ourselves to intercept them before they can get Sara to the yacht.” And that could be more difficult than at first thought. There were three ways to get out to the yacht. The yacht could pull into port, or the Greeks could bring Sara out to sea in a boat or a helo. Too many options for just the two of them to cover without help from the Agency.
They drove back to the motel in Augusta and Jake stood overlooking the ocean out the back window. The sea was starting to calm down. If they couldn’t find Sara in Siracusa, they would have to intercept before she got to the yacht.
Elisa nuzzled up next to Jake. “What are you thinking?”
“I know you can fly fixed wing aircraft.” He turned to her. “But can you fly a helo?”
“No. Why?”
“Because I have a feeling we’re going to need a ride to the yacht. And that means either a helo or a boat. I can handle a boat. Are you up for that?”
She glanced out at the ocean. “I have to tell you something.”
“You mean the fact that you’re really on leave right now?”
Surprised, she said, “How did you know?”
“I guessed as much,” he said. “Otherwise you probably would have some help with this case. Did your agency pull you from the case?”
Wrapping herself with her own arms, she twisted away from him, a look of concern seeping from every expressive muscle on her face.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
Elisa lowered her chin to her chest and closed her eyes. Finally she looked at him and said, “I don’t know why, but they told me to back off of Petros Caras. He obviously has some pull within our government.”
Jake put his hands on her arms. “Every billionaire in the world has pull with their government, along with many foreign governments.”
“Money corrupts,” she concluded.
“No. People are corrupt, Elisa. There could be a dozen reasons why Petros Caras is being protected. But I don’t care about any of them. I’ve been paid to find and bring Sara back to America. And I plan on doing just that. I don’t give a flying fuck if you’re on vacation or working the case under orders. In fact, I find it more compelling that you’re still working this case despite your agency telling you not to do so. It means you’re a little like me.” He smiled and squeezed her arms.
She fell into his arms and started to sob against his shoulder. He knew enough about women to let her finish before he continued to talk with her. Finally she pulled back and Jake wiped her tears away.
“I’m such a little girl,” she said, sniffling.
“Don’t worry about it. It just makes you more…human. Believe me, I’ve met some cold people in this world. You’re not one of them.” He hesitated and considered his options. Maybe he shouldn’t keep involving her in his case. She could lose her job, or worse. “Maybe I should just continue this on my own.”
She immediately shook her head. “No way. I must see this through to the end. This man thinks he can steal our ancient artifacts just because he’s a billionaire. I won’t let him.”
“Despite the wishes of your own government?”
“Because of that. I won’t stop until I find out why they told me to stop. Under whose orders?”
He smiled. “All right. Then I just have one thing to ask you.”
“Yes?”
“Your contact within this Greek’s organization. She’s on his yacht right now isn’t she?”
Elisa nodded her head.
“When did you last hear from her?”
Thinking for a moment, she finally said, “Just before we were attacked in Siracusa. I was on the phone with her, but she had to get off in a hurry.”
“Do you think she was compromised?”
“No. Even if they got her phone and looked at the number she had called, it would lead to a home for old people outside of Prague where her actual step-mother is a resident in early dementia.”
Nodding approval, Jake said, “Nice job. What does she look like?”
She slapped his chest.
“So I don’t shoot her by mistake.”
“Oh, right. She’s taller than me and very beautiful. She was a model for years. That was her cover with Czech intelligence.”
“All right.” He rubbed the growing stubble on his chin. “Now, have you ever stolen a boat?”
“Of course not.”
“Well, there’s a first time for everything.”
He explained what he had in mind and they spent the next hour planning out their action. But before they could proceed Jake needed just one more bit of information from the Agency — the current location of the billionaire’s yacht and an intercept point.
24
The codeine was wearing off now because the pain in her right leg was keeping Toni awake. That and the sway of the yacht. She had nearly lost her lunch in a garbage can a few times, but had been able to keep from throwing up through sheer willpower. She hated the taste of puke in her mouth.
So, when someone came to the door and Toni could hear the latch above slide open, she was awake enough to prepare her defense. Without a gun, she had only a few options — the crutches, her good foot, or her bare hands. None of which were very appealing to her.
In through the dark came a tall figure, the door closing behind quietly. All Toni could see was an outline of a body, and she guessed someone was coming to her for a sexual encounter. A crutch in her hand, she was about to strike when the figure stopped out of range.