Jack ignored the question and said, “Let’s find a washroom to clean up. Then go sit on the Spotted Owl.”

“Speaking of that, how come you’re not dirty?”

“Had an old pair of coveralls in the trunk. Bought them last year for Danny when he had to do surveil-lance from a pile of garbage.”

“Would have been nice if you had thought to provide me with a pair,” she said, gesturing to the dried mud on her sleeves. “Not to mention, my shoes are ruined.”

It was six-thirty when Laura used the binoculars to scan the motel from a lot across the street. “How long, you figure?” she asked.

“There’s a bloody smear on the sidewalk outside the door. Someone should notice.”

Damien thanked Vicki when she poured him another cup of coffee, then went back to reading the morning paper. It was nine o’clock in the morning. Buck and Sarah were still in bed, but Katie was up and chatting with excitement about going to an afternoon birthday party. Vicki had promised to take her shopping for new clothes for the event.

Damien leapt from his chair when Katie toppled her glass of orange juice, sending the liquid over the edge of the table.

“Sorry, Dad! It slipped!”

“It’s okay,” he grumbled. “Quit talking and get a cloth.”

Vicki smiled at her husband and said, “It’s a pretty big event. Not every day that your much older friend turns nine.”

Damien rolled his eyes, then said, “Right. Older by what? Five months?”

“We’ll leave in a few minutes, honest,” said Vicki, kissing Damien on his forehead as he sat back down.

Damien received a message on his BlackBerry. It was from Lance. The message was coded but told him that the shipments had gone as planned last night.

Is this good news or bad? Good news is I’ll be getting my money back. Bad news is there’s little doubt as to who will be the new national president.

“See ya in about two hours, Papa Bear,” said Vicki, giving him another kiss on the top of his head.

“Goodbye, Daddy.”

Damien wrapped one arm around Katie and gave her a hug and then a kiss. “Tell Mommy that she’s not to spend more than five dollars on you,” he said.

“Daddy!”

Damien chuckled, but his joy turned sour as soon as Vicki and Katie left. The Toad isn’t the type to want anyone with brains around who could question his actions once he takes over. Surprised he isn’t here gloating right now.... Hope his hangover kills him.

Vicki found a place to park, then opened her door to get out. She was thinking that her life had been blessed. Her family was happy and healthy, and her husband had climbed his way to the top of the ... corporate ladder. She smirked when she thought of it as a corporation. But that’s what it is, isn’t it? An international corporation continuing to expand around the world. This thing with the new mortgage and The Toad ... somehow it would work out. It always did.

She had turned in her seat and placed one foot out of the Hummer when a man’s fist buried deep into her midriff. The air exploded from her lungs and her body doubled over as the force of the punch rammed her backwards across the seat.

Vicki gasped for air as she tried to scream, but the man’s fingers and thumb formed a claw to dig deep into her throat and squeeze until she felt her windpipe begin to collapse. She lay still, hoping he would stop. He stopped squeezing but kept the pressure on her throat.

Vicki saw other men moving about. She saw a man gripping Katie by the throat. Katie’s bulging eyes briefly stared down at her as she was dragged out of sight to the rear of the Hummer.

“Think we’ve got action!” said Laura. “The maid stopped her cart outside the door.”

“Too bad,” replied Jack. “I was just starting to doze off.”

“She’s kneeling down and looking up ... now she’s standing ... knocking.” Laura passed the binoculars over to Jack.

“Using her pass key,” he said, then lowered the binoculars. “Guess you don’t need binos to see that!”

The maid ran across the parking lot to the office. Jack and Laura looked at each other and then slumped low in their seats.

Vicki and Katie were gagged, blindfolded, and bound, with their wrists taped together behind their backs. Vicki guessed that her Hummer had been driving for half an hour before it stopped. Then she heard the sound of a large overhead door close.

Moments later they were both hauled out and the tape was ripped from their eyes. Vicki saw that they were in a small warehouse. The strong smell of coffee was in the air and burlap sacks were piled on various pallets.

Two men held Vicki and Katie by the arms and roughly jerked them along to a pallet that contained only a few bags. Then they were shoved and fell beside each other onto the pallet. The two men stood over them, watching as Katie cried and choked through her gag.

Then two more men approached. One was carrying bolt cutters. The other rolled Vicki over onto her stomach and then grabbed her hands. She tried to scream but the gag prevented any real noise as she twisted and rolled her body. She managed to roll over, digging her fingers into the sack for support and kicking upwards with her feet.

The men stood up, then looked at each other and laughed. They spoke to each other in Spanish.

Vicki did not know these men. Perhaps it was better that she didn’t.

They were hand-picked from an army of desperate, violent men who wanted a share of the narco dollars. Carlos did not pick them because of their limited knowledge of English or even their willingness to do anything he asked. He picked them because they were likely insane. They inspired terror and would do anything asked of them. It was simply human nature to pick people who are like you — albeit not as intelligent.

Seconds later, both men were on her again. She fought and kicked hard. Katie got to her feet and kicked one of the men. He punched her hard in the mouth and she fell to the ground and didn’t move.

Vicki quit kicking. Tears blocked her vision and she allowed herself to be rolled back over onto her stomach. She was conscious of the taste of coffee beans on her lips from where a sack had been torn. She felt a man’s grip on her fingers and the cool metal of the bolt cutters as the pinchers tightened on her finger. For a brief instant, her brain refused to accept that the sound she heard, like celery being crunched, had come from her own body. For a moment it was as if her brain had detached itself from her body. She heard her own muffled cry as if it came from someone else, but then she felt incredible pain and knew the voice was hers. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying in vain to block it out.

chapter twenty-four

Connie Crane and her partner arrived at the motel and a uniformed officer waved to them from the doorway of one of the units.

“Call came in about forty minutes ago,” he said as they approached.

Connie glanced at her watch and replied, “About nine-thirty, then?”

He nodded and stepped aside to allow them to enter.

Connie did a brief examination of the room while her partner fished wallets from each of the two victims. One had a pistol in his belt, and Connie saw a Mac-10 pistol lying on the bed in the adjoining room.

The radio response to their inquiries came back within seconds. Both victims were listed as probation-ary member of Satans Wrath out of Montreal.