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drink any water. You re going to have to untie us if you want us to carry the
girl anywhere.
The look on Falcon s face suggested that he hadn t considered that part of
the plan. His eyes darted across the room, as if he had no idea where the
solution lay. Okay, forget what I said about it being both of you. One of you
is going to carry her. Again, he pointed with his gun, this time only at the
weatherman, which made him gasp. You carry her, said Falcon.
I can t carry her by myself, the weatherman said.
I can, said Theo.
Who asked you? Falcon said sharply.
Theo said, The girl may be alive, but she s deadweight. If you want it done
right, not to mention quickly, then let me do it.
The part about quickly seemed to register with Falcon. All right, big
mouth. You got the job. But if you try to run for it&
I know, I know. It s a bullet in the back.
That s just for starters, said Falcon. He pulled his strand of beads from
his pocket, rolled the little balls of metal around in his hand, then added,
You can t even imagine what will happen to the ones you leave behind.
JACK HESITATED BEFOREhitting speed dial on his cell phone. It suddenly
occurred to him that, depending on how Paulo s latest plan played out, this
might be the last time he would ever dial Theo s cell.
Theo wasnumero uno on Jack s speed-dial list, which Jack liked to think said
less about his love life and more about the kind of friend he had in Theo.
Having a bad day in court and needing a guy who really knows how to pour a
drink? Dial 1 for Theo. Your classic Mustang s been torched and you want to
find the punk who did it? Just punch 1 for Theo. Is your client a hit man who
needs to show his attorney a little more respect? Theo again. There was no
limit to what Theo would do for Jack, which only exacerbated Jack s feeling
that he wasn t doing nearly enough for Theo in his hour of need. For most
people, it probably would have made perfect sense to follow orders and stand
aside so that the police could do their job. That wasn t Jack s style,
however. Couple that with the guilt Jack felt about having gotten Theo into
this mess in the first place, and Jack was glad to take on a more active role
in the rescue operation.
He hit speed dial, and Falcon s voice was on the line. Are you coming to get
the girl, Swyteck?
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Is that what you want?
I couldn t have made it any clearer. You and Paulo. The dumb leading the
blind. He laughed way too hard at his own joke.
That s a real knee-slapper, Falcon.
Lawyers, he said, his laughter ending with a scoff. No sense of humor.
It s hard to laugh when you know the truth.
What s that supposed to mean?
I know who you are.
Well, that makes one of us.
I know all about Marianna Cruz Pedrosa.
What s there to know? It s just a phony name on the access list to my safe
deposit box.
No. I know much more than that.
You re so full of crap.
I know about El Oso.
Jack wished that he could have seen Falcon s reaction, but it was almost
unnecessary. The silence on the line was profound.
Finally, Falcon said, Exactly how much do you know?
Enough.
How much is enough?
Enough to keep my friend Theo alive. Unless you d like me to share what I
know with the media.
What makes you think I care?
The fact that you changed your name, lied about being from Cuba, went and
lived in a burned-out car. The fact that you climbed up on a bridge and got
arrested for trying to talk to the mayor s daughter, and then holed yourself
up in a motel room with hostages, and yet for some reason, you ve never
mentioned your dark side to anyone. Or should I saydarkest side.
Falcon s voice took on an edge, rising with agitation. I ll mention it when
I m good and ready.
Or I ll steal your thunder and do it for you.
You keep your mouth shut!
No problem. Just keep Theo and the other hostages alive.
He didn t respond right away, but Jack could hear him breathing out his
anger. Don t push me, Swyteck. I don t like it.
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Nobody s pushing you. All I m saying is that if you harm any of the
hostages, you lose your stage, your soapbox, your platform whatever the hell
it is you re angling for.
How do you know I want a stage?
Because none of your other demands makes sense. And I don t think you re
anywhere near as crazy as you lead people to believe.
Falcon s tone changed again, less argumentative, more respectful of Jack s
insight. I like you, Swyteck. Deep down, I really like you.
I m truly honored.
That s why I want you and Paulo to come get the girl.
Fine. But then what?
Then& Falcon s voice trailed off, and for a moment Jack thought he d lost
him.
Falcon? Then what?
Then, it s curtain time, Falcon said, and the call ended.
chapter 56
The drive back to the mobile command center was practically unbearable for
Alicia. At least a half-dozen times, she had to fight off the impulse to jump
onto I-95 and just keep going. She had no particular destination in mind. It
was simply about getting away. Running, however, was rarely the answer. With
the lives of at least four hostages still hanging in the balance, it wasn t
even a remote option.
She switched on the car radio and caught the tail end of a news update at the
top of the hour, delivered in rapid-fire cadence.
The hostage standoff between police and the homeless man accused of stalking
Mayor Mendoza s daughter now enters its eighteenth hour, the announcer
reported, with no outward signs of progress. At least four hostages remain
holed up in a motel room with the gunman, one of whom is now believed to be
Walter Finkelstein, better known as Walt the Weather Wizard, the colorful
meteorologist with Action News in Miami. More news at the bottom of the hour.
Alicia switched off the radio. To her knowledge, the identity of the hostages
had yet to be released. The leaks were starting. With more than a little
concern, she wondered what other secrets might find their way into the media.
She returned to the staging area just before dark and found a parking space a
few car-lengths down from the mobile command center. The rain continued to
fall, though no longer in the blinding sheets that had made her drive to
Coconut Grove so treacherous. Still, completely overcast skies and plenty of
threatening dark clouds made for a premature dusk. Darkness came early in
December, and on a miserable day like today it would come even sooner than
usual, which gave her an uneasy feeling. She was no expert in hostage [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] - zanotowane.pl
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