Black Ops Chronicles: Dead Run (17 page)

“No, we aren’t.” Levi let out a bone-weary sigh. “I’ll explain everything, but I think you’d better sit down first.”

As Jonas returned to his chair, Levi crossed to the hutch and poured two snifters of brandy. “About nine months ago a man named Jose Vargas was murdered, along with his wife and two daughters, ages five and eight,” he began. Handing one snifter to Jonas, he brought the old man up-to-date on everything he’d learned.

“I spoke with her attorney, Karl Parks,” he said when he’d finished. “He’s worried about her and told me what he could without breaking client confidentiality. An agent named Tanner convinced his cohorts in the FBI that Tess shot the Vargas family as well as the two FBI agents at the safe house. They’re out for blood. Parks knows she can’t run forever, but he’s afraid if we bring her back, she’ll face the death penalty.”

“Oh, sweet baby Jesus!” Jonas exclaimed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

“According to Nick’s men, Special Agent Tanner’s on Nick’s payroll.” Levi kept his voice level, but it cost him. He hated dirty cops. “Tanner’s also gotten the CIA involved in looking for Tess.” Hesitating, he sipped his drink, but it did little to calm his rage or make the next words easier. “Jonas, Nick put a half-million-dollar contract out on her.”

“He
what
?”

“It gets worse.” Levi raked a hand through his hair. “The reason for the murders was that Vargas told the CIA about some of Nick’s...I guess you could call them his extracurricular activities.”

“And those would be?”

“You won’t like it.” When Jonas started to protest, Levi held up a hand. “I’m going to tell you. I just want you to be prepared. So take a deep breath and try not to let your blood pressure go through the roof.”

Jonas rolled his eyes, but he sat back and waited.

“Nick’s people weren’t eager to talk to me.” Levi said, stalling. “So I had to persuade them.” Draining his glass, he rose to pace off his frustration. “I’m afraid the penthouse is a bit of a mess. You’ll have to send a crew in to get rid of the blood and bullet holes.”

Jonas winced. “Knowing you, it was as hard on you as it was on the men you were questioning.” When Levi just shrugged, he added, “I’ll arrange for the crew. Now tell me the rest.”

With another deep breath, Levi took the plunge, blurting it out in a rush. “Nick’s made a deal with a Middle Eastern terrorist group to exchange entry into the U.S. for drugs. Mainly heroin from Afghanistan. The rendezvous takes place tonight at a house halfway between La Paz and
Cabo
San Lucas. Nick had a secret compartment built on
Nick’s Folly
and he plans to smuggle the terrorists into the U.S. aboard the boat.”

Jonas surged to his feet, his hands clenched into fists, the veins at his temples prominent. “Drugs and terrorists! My own grandson? Where the hell was Tony in all this? I thought he was supposed to keep Nick out of trouble.”

His reaction was just as Levi had feared it would be. Alarmed, he took Jonas’s arm and eased him back into the chair. “Easy, old man. Calm down. Having a heart attack won’t make things better.” He waited until Jonas’s pulse had slowed. “Tony’s hands are dirtier than Nick’s,” he continued. “The drug scheme was his idea. He’s the contact for the terrorists and the main force behind the hunt for Tess.”

“What do you mean, the main force?”

“He told Nick that Tess knew about their plans, although I’m sure she doesn’t. If she had, she’d never have gone to Baja.”

“But why eliminate Tess?” Jonas demanded then shook his head. “Of course. She must have agreed to testify against Nick.”

“Probably. You know how she feels about kids. What would you have expected her to do?”

“I would’ve expected her to come to me—or to you.”

“Come on, Jonas. How’s she supposed to know you’d have taken her side over Nick’s?”

“Well, she knows how I feel about the murder of innocents. And she knows how you feel about her.”

“Maybe so, but apparently she didn’t trust either one of us enough to believe we’d protect her from Nick.” That still rankled, and Levi didn’t bother to hide the pain.

Jonas patted his arm. “We have to make allowances for the fact that she was scared and confused.” A spasm of fear flickered in his eyes. “You’re sure she’s okay?”

“Yes. For the moment.”

“But if she and Nick are both in Baja, then—”

“The last time Nick called his men here in Salt Lake, Tess had escaped again. She’s gone to ground, and he hasn’t been able to find her. Yet.”

“How’d she get involved in the first place?”

“As far as I can figure, she’d become disenchanted with Nick. He must’ve sensed her backing away and took her with him when he committed the murders.” Rage threatened to overwhelm him, but Levi fought it back. “Either to scare her into staying with him. Or to guilt her into it.”

Jonas groaned. “What kind of a monster have I raised?” he asked, pressing a hand to his eyes. “We’re
Mormons
for Christ’s sake.”

Levi couldn’t stop his snort. “And I’m sure the leaders of the Mormon Church are just thrilled about that.”

“I pay my tithes and offerings,” Jonas snapped, lowering his hand so he could glare at Levi. “And the Church is the reason I restrict the family to victimless crimes.”

“And the Mormons are
okay
with this?”

“They haven’t said, and I haven’t asked.”

“And I thought ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ only applied to the military.”

Jonas rolled his eyes again then shrugged. “The truth is, the Church doesn’t usually hassle people who pay their tithing.”

“Yeah? Well, they probably figure if you’re obeying that commandment, you’re obeying all the others as well.”

“Probably.” Jonas got up and paced. “Though that would change if they knew I was involved in the KSS.”

Huh
? Levi thought, unsure he’d heard correctly. “What’s the
KSS
, and why would the Mormons care?”

Stopping in mid-stride, Jonas blinked. “Oh, Christ,” he muttered. “I shouldn’t have said that.” He hesitated, frowned. “Still, if I can’t trust you, there’s no one I can trust.” He studied Levi a moment. “I assume you know not to repeat this.” When Levi nodded, the old man continued. “
KSS
stands for Kolob Secret Service. It’s an ultra-secret group of vigilantes dedicated to protecting the Church’s reputation—among other things.”

“I see. And what’s your contribution to this group?”

“I specialize in
...
I guess you could call it creative solutions.”

Levi arched an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

“Even an ‘organization-that-doesn’t-exist’ needs funding, Levi. Money has to be collected and distributed so that it doesn’t cause suspicion. I make it all invisible.”

“In other words, you whitewash their dirty money.”

Jonas sucked in a breath and sat back down. “If you want to get technical, yes. And when necessary, I arrange evidence so that innocent people aren’t suspected for crimes committed by the KSS.”

“Money laundering
and
evidence
tampering?”
Levi shook his head. “Tell me, what part of ‘victimless crimes’ do they fall under?”

“What I do for the KSS is harmless,” Jonas insisted, lifting his chin. “I consider it a service to the Church and, along with the money I donate, it should earn me at least some leniency.”

“Jesus, I know the Mormons ask their members to give a good chunk of change, but surely you don’t think you can buy your way into
Hea
—” Levi stopped himself. He
sooo
didn’t want to get into a debate on morals and religion right now. “Look, we don’t have time for this discussion while Tess is in danger.”

“Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s get back to Nick.” Jonas sighed. “He knows my religious beliefs don’t include drugs and terrorism. Or the murder of innocents.”

“Apparently, he doesn’t care. So what do you want to do about him?”

“I’m not sure.” Jonas’s hands rose and fell. “Since it involves terrorists, will one of your friends in the CIA help us? Can you get ahold of any of them?”

Levi considered the question a moment. “My friend Max is an expert on those raghead bastards, so he’d be ideal for this. The problem is, he’s usually off in some third world country. And I’ve got no way to contact him, other than leaving a message with the chief of station and waiting for Max to get back to me.” And there wasn’t time. “But don’t worry. Although I’m not the expert Max is, I can handle anyone who gets in my way. You just have to decide what you want to do about Nick.”

“Give me a minute.” Getting to his feet again, Jonas paced in front of the fire. “If Nick isn’t stopped, he’ll do permanent damage to our family,” he said at last. “And it looks like the only way to control him is to put him in jail. He’s twenty-six years old, for Christ’s sake. It’s time he grew up. Bring him back and I’ll contact the authorities. We’ll let him face the music.”

“What about Tess?” Levi held up a hand before Jonas could answer. “You know that whatever you say, I’m going after her. But I won’t bring her home to be used as a scapegoat by the FBI.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t left for Baja already.”

“Nick’s men were stubborn. Took me most of the night to crack them open. I’m afraid the doctor’s got his hands full.” Levi muttered a soft curse. He just didn’t understand criminals. “Anyway, once I got the information, I had to bring you up-to-date and gather up the gear I’ll need. But make no mistake, I’ll be leaving shortly.” His eyes bored into Jonas’s. “I won’t let Tess go to prison.”

“No, of course not. Neither will
I
.” Jonas paused, lips pursed. “I’ll handle the FBI. You stop Nick. But before you leave, put the word out on the street that the contract’s been canceled. Anyone who harms Tess will answer to me.”

“Already done. As soon as I heard about it.” When Jonas’s eyes widened, Levi shrugged. “I know you well enough to know you’d want me to. And even if you didn’t, this is Tess we’re talking
about
. So I’d have done it anyway.”

“I’d have been disappointed in you if you hadn’t.” Jonas crossed to a bookcase, pulled out a world atlas, and flipped the pages. “What gear will you need down there? Baja’s desert, and some places are pretty remote. So you’ll need weapons and a vehicle. Anything el—”

The intercom buzzed, interrupting them. “Excuse me, sir,” the butler said. “There’s a Mr. Graves here to see you.”

“Christ,” Jonas grumbled. “Just what I need.”

“Who’s Mr. Graves?” Levi asked.

“Bartholomew Graves. He’s my contact with the KSS. I usually only hear from him when there’s trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

Jonas huffed out a breath. “We’re about to find out.” He walked over to his desk and pushed the intercom button. “Send him in, Ralph.”

As the short, obese man waddled into the study, Levi had to make a concentrated effort not to gape.
Christ, he looks like a walrus pulling himself onto a beach
. Graves shook hands with a beaming smile. One that didn’t reach his eyes.

Jonas shook his hand. “Bartholomew Graves, Levi Komakov. Levi’s my troubleshooter.” He motioned Graves to a chair. “What can I do for you this morning?”

Graves looked over at Levi then back at Jonas. “I think we should discuss this in private, don’t you?”

“I trust Levi. He’s my friend as well as my employee. Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of him.”

“But our vow of secrecy forbids—”

“If you want to talk to me, I suggest you work around it.” Jonas’s words resounded with an iron will that brooked no argument. “Levi stays.”

“As you wish.” Graves flicked Levi another glance then shrugged. “It has come to the attention of the...of our organization that your grandson has offered five hundred thousand dollars to anyone who can kill a woman named Tess Horton. Is that true?”

“How did you hear about that?” Jonas asked.

“We have our sources. So it’s true then?”

“From what Levi’s been able to find out, it is. In fact, we were just discussing it.”

“We’ve also heard that Nick’s getting involved in terrorism and drugs. And he’s claiming he wants to kill Ms. Horton for not following the teachings of the Church.” Graves shifted on his chair. “Is all this true as well?”

Levi blinked. “You must have some bloody good sources. We knew about the terrorism and drugs, but not the reasons Nick gave for killing Tess.”

Graves ignored Levi and shook a finger at Jonas. “If this gets out, it could damage the reputation of the Church. We can’t allow that to happen.”

“And just what do you expect me to do about it?” Jonas demanded.

“Isn’t it obvious? We want you to stop Nick. And shut him up.”

Levi felt his temper bubbling up and struggled to control it. Graves didn’t care about Tess. He just didn’t want anything to soil the reputation of his church. “And how do you suggest we do that?”

This time Graves looked over at him and hissed, “Do I have to spell it out for you? You should be able to think of something.” He turned back to Jonas. “You’re a member of the K...organization, for crying out loud. And—”