Lazar's Intrigue (The Jack Lazar Series) (23 page)

“Jack,
please. I know you’re in pain. I know all you want to do is sit here and hold
her. But her death means nothing if we don’t get out of here.”

“I
can’t.”

“Yes
you can.”

“What
will they do with her?”

“She’s
gone, Jack. That’s not Sarina anymore. It’s just the package she used in this
life. You must let it go.”

Jack
brushed his hands over Sarina’s eyes and lowered her carefully to the ground,
his face wrenched in agony, the tears flowing down his face. He ran his hand
through his hair as he continued to stare at her, and he strained not to cry openly,
his breath catching over and over.

Ben
took the two automatic rifles from the dead guards and placed one of them in Jack’s
hands before leaning over again to grab four grenades and all the fully loaded
clips. He distributed the armaments between the two of them and pulled Jack
toward the door.

“I’m
going to get you out of here and back to the States,” Ben promised. “I know I
can’t take away everything that’s happened, but I promise to make things right.
You just have to trust me.”

“Okay,”
Jack responded in a daze, hardly able to think of a reason not to believe him. Besides,
what choice did he have?

Ben
peered around the corner of the building and reared back. “There are only two
men out there,” he strategized under his breath. “And there’s a Jeep parked a
few feet away. All we need to do is kill the guards, take the Jeep, and we’re
out of here.”

“Wait,”
Jack said. “Sarina and I came here to make a difference. And I’ll be damned if
I’m going to let her die without doing something to avenge her death.”

“Jack,
that’s just the adrenaline and dopamine talking now. Think logically about what
you’re saying. There’s only the two of us here and…”

“I
don’t give a damn! My life means nothing to me now. We have to do something. Please!”

Ben
seemed to recognize that Jack was steadfast with his commitment, almost as if
Sarina had bequeathed her misguided determination to him.

“Okay.
There’s an industrial warehouse just a hundred yards or so beyond the office
building where they process cocaine. I’m sure you saw it when you walked up
here. Everything he sends to the States goes through there. If we destroy it,
it’ll cost him millions, and I’m sure it will put a hitch in the operation for
a while. How’s that?”

“Yes.
That sounds good.”

“All
right. Let’s take out the guards first and then get the Jeep. After that we’ll
head over to the warehouse and hopefully find some way to blow the damn thing
up.”

Jack
closed his eyes and struggled hard to concentrate on what they were doing. “Okay.
Good. I’ll follow your lead.”

They
stepped from the adobe shack in tandem and discharged their guns toward the two
guards and easily dropped them to the ground.

Ben
ran to the Jeep and took a look inside. “Shit. No keys.” He ripped open the
underside of the dash and hot-wired the vehicle just like Sarina had done
earlier, starting the engine quickly as Jack took the passenger seat.

They
drove toward the processing facility, lights off, and let the moon provide an
eerie beacon of light to guide them. Ben cut the engine as they approached the
building and coasted silently to a rest beyond the parking area. The perimeter
of the facility was dimly lit, and a couple of soldiers dutifully paced around
it. The interior was completely dark, and Jack assumed the hour was still too
early for the plant to be operating.

Ben
studied the situation as Jack continued to struggle with his state of mind.

“That’s
it,” Ben whispered. “The propane tank. Do you see it?”

Jack
snapped back into reality. “What? Uh, yes. I see it.”

“We’ll
need to scale around the side of the building by foot and get close enough to
throw a couple of grenades. Hopefully by the time they realize what’s happened
and get a fire truck out here, the building will be gone.”

Jack
nodded. “Got it. Let’s go.”

Quietly,
they stepped out of the Jeep and walked through the jungle brush, their rifles
held in firing position. The nighttime insects offered an almost deafening
backdrop of ghastly noise that muffled the sound of their footsteps as they
reached the perimeter of the brush about a hundred feet from the tank. They
watched as one of the guards turned the corner of the building and began pacing
along the side, heading toward the rear.

“Okay,”
Ben whispered. “As soon as he turns around and goes back toward the front of
the building, let’s each throw a grenade toward the tank. One of them is bound
to set it off.” He extracted a grenade from his pocket. “Have you ever used one
of these?”

“No,”
Jack shook his head. “But it’s just like you see in the movies, right?”

“Yeah,
exactly. You just hold it like this and pull the pin. Just be sure to keep the
lever down until you throw it.”

“Right.”

They
watched the guard as he stopped near the back corner of the building and lit a
cigarette. He stood there for a few seconds while enjoying the first few drags
and finally turned to retrace his steps.

“Now!”
Ben whispered loudly.

The
grenades sailed from their hands and rolled to a stop in opposite positions
underneath the tank before detonating simultaneously. The blasts caused a rift
in the tank, making it spew fire like a flame thrower, and it instantly caught the
side of the building on fire. Moments later the tank exploded, causing the
ground to shudder as Jack and Ben sprinted across the open area toward the Jeep,
the heat of the blaze almost unbearable.

Ben
pushed Jack to the dirt as one of the guards ran toward them, and he rolled on
the ground with his rifle in hand, the bullets catching the target across the
chest and knocking him backward.

Before
Jack realized it, Ben had pulled him back to his feet, and they were running
again. He didn’t know what was giving him the strength to carry on, and he
questioned with every step whether he would actually make it back to the Jeep,
but he just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

The
Jeep had started again, and they were heading for the entrance to the compound,
the vehicle bouncing up and down on the poorly maintained dirt road and kicking
gravel everywhere. Jack turned to look at the warehouse building behind them, and
it was already half engulfed in flames. He rejoiced in their accomplishment,
satisfied that he had done at least something to avenge Sarina’s death.

“We’re
coming up on the guardhouse!” Ben yelled over the engine’s throaty growl. “Let’s
give the new guy everything we’ve got!”

With
vacant obedience, Jack rested his rifle on top of the windshield and prepared
to fire. He pulled the trigger just before they reached the gate house and
ripped the windows to shreds as the guard ducked inside to avoid being hit.

Ben
tossed a grenade through the open doorway as they passed by, and it exploded
before the guard could step out far enough to return fire. Jack looked back to
see the man thrown lifelessly to the side of the road as the little building
collapsed into pieces.

Manning
the guardhouse at Antonucci’s compound was an extraordinarily hazardous job, he
thought.

Soon
there was nothing but the steady hum of the Jeep’s engine and the humid wind whipping
against them as they cruised along the barren road toward the airport.

The
images of Sarina’s death flashed through Jack’s brain over and over again as
they drove along, and he struggled to reconcile his feelings of loss with an
intense desire to get back home. He knew it was completely rational for him to
move on without her, but it was nonetheless impossible to shake the feeling of
guilt. It was an emotional roller coaster certain to continue for a long time.

But
one thing was consistent. He missed her terribly.

TWENTY-FOUR

The
morning sun had found its way into the eastern sky by the time Jack and Ben
reached Medellin’s José María Córdova airport, and the humidity rose from the
asphalt in delicate streams of white vapor. The scent of jet exhaust permeated
the air, and somehow Jack found the familiarity of it comforting.

Ben
parked the Jeep in the main lot and ripped apart the wires below the dash to
kill the engine.

“Okay,”
Ben said. “Let’s talk about how we’ll get you back to the States.”

“Okay.”

“Do
you have your passport?”

“No.
I left it in the vehicle Sarina and I drove to Antonucci’s compound.”

“That’s
okay. It makes things a little more complicated but not impossible.”

“Good.
So what’s the plan?”

“The
only way to get you out of here today is to pretend you’re my prisoner. Otherwise
you’d have to work with the American Embassy in Bogotá to get a new passport,
and that would take a week or two.”

Jack
raised his hands. “If that’s what it takes to get me out of this third-world
hellhole, let’s do it. Just tell me what I have to do.”

“Okay,
I’ll cuff you to my wrist and take you to the immigration office where we’ll
fill out some paperwork. The procedure is pretty standard, and I’ve done it
before. Then we’ll arrange for a couple of tickets on the nine o’clock flight
to Houston where we’ll connect to Los Angeles. After we’ve cleared customs and immigration
in Houston, we’ll dispense with the handcuffs and the whole extradition
façade.”

“I
can live with that. Let’s go.”

Jack
felt completely lost as Ben led him through the main terminal to a government
office area and began to negotiate with the Colombian immigration officials in
Spanish. Jack kept reminding himself that the ordeal would be over soon, and he
just needed to patiently cooperate with the process. He looked around the room as
the men spoke, and it seemed like everyone glared at him like he was some sort
of horrible criminal. Or perhaps it was just his imagination.

Still,
despite the minor humiliation, the immigration process proved itself relatively
painless, and before long Jack and Ben were airborne, heading for Houston.

The
familiar surroundings of a US airliner with charming flight attendants provided
some welcome comfort, even in coach class, and Jack gazed contentedly out the
window as the plane pulled away from the lush landscape beneath them, soaring
higher and higher until it sifted through the scattered clouds and revealed
only the crisp sky beyond. Soon they would be on American soil, he reminded
himself, and he vowed to remain there indefinitely.

Within
only a few minutes the trip to Colombia felt like it had been a dream. The
altercation at Antonucci’s compound was like something he had seen in a movie
or imagined in his mind. Yet despite how his brain endeavored to play its
deceptions, Jack still couldn’t shake the sobering fact that he lost Sarina in
that terrible place. He searched for something else to concentrate on, and soon
he began to wonder about the quiet man seated next to him.

Despite
Ben’s allegiance with Antonucci against the DEA, Jack knew Ben wasn’t such a
bad guy. Otherwise he wouldn’t have helped Jack escape from Colombia. And
judging from his attempt to save Sarina, not to mention agreeing to Jack’s
crazy scheme to blow something up in retribution for her death, Ben clearly had
some sort of devotion to her as well.

“Ben?”
Jack inquired. “Just for the record, I didn’t know you and Sarina were living
together until a few days ago, so I had no idea I was interfering with your
relationship. In fact, I thought she wasn’t attached to anyone.”

“You
thought right. She was never committed to anyone, ever. Not to me or anyone
else. Not even to you, my friend.”

Jack
forced a chuckle. “She was a fascinating woman, huh?”

Ben
smiled. “That’s an understatement.”

“If
you don’t mind my asking, how did you learn to deal with her sleeping around? I
mean, why didn’t you just leave? Seems like it would have been the easier thing
to do.”

“Not
really. Things with Sarina were never that simple. There came a point where she
lost interest in me, which was just a matter of time with her where any man was
concerned. But as long as I didn’t make a fuss, she was perfectly happy to hang
around, and I kinda liked having her there, even if she didn’t sleep with me
anymore. Still, I guess it bothered me more than I realized.”

“I
just don’t understand how you people think,” Jack said. “DEA agents, I mean. It’s
like you’ve taken the human element out of day-to-day life, and you spend your
time playing an endlessly competitive game where morality and compassion have
no meaning.”

“I’m
sure it’s a completely different world from what you’re used to,” Ben
confessed. “Not that it’s my place to say, Jack, but it sounds like you had no
business being in a relationship with someone like Sarina in the first place. Just
like you said, her entire value system was different than yours, and it’s no
wonder you got so torn up about her death.”

“God.
Didn’t you?”

“I
lose people close to me all the time. Sure, Sarina was special, but I’ve
learned to deal with it. The human elements you were talking about? We just
can’t afford to let them be part of our lives.”

“How
is that even possible?” Jack remained silent for a few moments. “Who knows. Maybe
you’re right. Maybe Sarina and I should have never started seeing each other to
begin with. ”

“Well,
it sounds like you were more or less thrown together from the start.”

“That’s
true.”

“So
let’s talk about our deal,” Ben said, clearly determined to change the subject.

“Our
deal?”

“Yeah,
you know. I scratch your back, and you scratch mine.”

“Sounds
good in theory, but could you be a little more specific?”

“I
saved your life in Colombia, and I’m getting you back home, so you can pretend
you didn’t hear anything about my involvement with Antonucci. That way I can go
back to being a trusted DEA agent, no questions asked, and you can go back to
your own life.”

Jack
nodded. “Fine with me.”

“Thanks,”
Ben said appreciatively.

“But
what about Antonucci? There’s got to be some way I can help you nail that
bastard to the wall. After what he did to Sarina, I’d think you’d really want
to get him back.”

“As
much as I’d love go after him, Jack, I think it’s time to cut my losses and let
the new team take over the case as planned. Besides, once we’re back in the
States we can’t just go around blowing things up like we did in Colombia.”

“It
doesn’t have to be anything like that.” Jack pondered the situation for a
moment. “For instance, there’s got to be a way we can create havoc with the
business alliance he’s trying to set up with Benson Kohler. You heard who he’s
having dinner with tonight. Surely there’s something we can do to screw things
up.”

“I
wouldn’t know how to do that. But trust me. After I turn over the evidence I
have, he’ll get taken down. Count on it.”

“But
what about all the friends he has in the government and the court system? Isn’t
there a chance he’ll end up walking no matter what you charge him with?”

“There’s
always that possibility. Yes.”

“Then
let’s hit him where it really hurts. In his bank account.”

Ben
scratched the side of his head as if thinking hard. He apparently hadn’t
considered the tactic Jack was suggesting. “We could arrange to arrest
Antonucci at Benson’s house tonight. That would stir things up.”

“Boy,
I’d love to see that. In fact, maybe I could get there just a few minutes
before your team arrives so I can see the look on Antonucci’s face when he
finds out I’m still alive.”

“That’s
a good way to get killed, Jack.”

“Do
you really think Antonucci’s going to pull a gun in the middle of a dinner
party?”

“There’s
no telling what he’ll do.”

Jack
shook his head. “I think he’s too cool a customer for that.”

“How
you figure?”

“Well,
first, he’s not going to screw up a business deal by shooting someone in front
of his prospective partners. And second, the shooting itself would be an open-and-shut
murder case with a dozen eyewitnesses. He’ll try to talk his way out of the
situation instead.”

“You’re
probably right about that. But it still sounds risky to me, Jack.”

“And
I’m willing to take that risk, so it’s totally on me.”

“What
exactly do you have in mind?”

“Just
cancel my arrest warrant and turn me loose as planned when we get to LA. I’ll
go home and clean up, perhaps put on my tux so I blend into the party crowd,
and then I’ll get to Harry Benson’s house around eight o’clock. You just wait
until eight fifteen before you move in with your team and arrest Antonucci. I
promise I’ll be careful.”

“I
don’t know…”

“Do
it for Sarina. Please.”

Ben
sighed deeply. “All right. I suppose I can do this one last thing. For Sarina. I
know she’d appreciate it.”

“Yeah,”
Jack replied, satisfied. “She sure would.”