"Maybe the church on the cemetery grounds."

Yes. She tried to sound uncertain. "I don't know…"

"I'm tired of fooling with you. It's the church or the deal is a wash."

She waited a few seconds and then said reluctantly, "I suppose the church would be safe enough. I won't have the skull with me but it will be close by. When I see that you're the only one in the church, I'll go and fetch it. And I'm going to ask the helicopter pilot to skim over those woods across from the cemetery and use infrared to make sure there's no one waiting to put a bullet in the copter's gas tank when we take off."

"My, how suspicious you are."

"I won't even deign to answer that one. I saw what you did to Miguel. You're a butcher."

"Montalvo likes the boy. I had an idea it would bother him."

"Then you'll be glad to know it did. He won't leave his side."

"And that should make it easier for you to deliver the skull," he said mockingly. "He won't miss you in his bed."

"Nothing about this is going to be easy. I'm dealing with a man who's plotting and planning how to get what he wants and still manage to kill me. Even when I get Joe safely to Bogota, I'm going to have to come back and face Montalvo, who is going to be mad as hell I spoiled his plans."

"That's true. He may kill you."

"He won't kill me. We're too good together. But I'm going to have to handle him carefully."

"Only for a little while. I told you I intended to arrange his death within the next few weeks. You'd do better to stay in Bogota."

"I'm touched by your concern," she said sarcastically. "But I'll manage my own business, thank you."

"I don't care about your shoddy little affairs. You and Quinn are nothing to me." His voice became cold. "I want the skull delivered by midnight tomorrow night. If it's not, I'll send Quinn back to you in a dozen separate baskets."

Don't let her voice show the terror that thought brought. "You're beginning to lack imagination. The crucifix was much more effective."

"Are you mocking me? You believe you're so strong and intelligent. I detest women who think they're as good as men. In the end they find out how weak they are."

"Like your mother, Diaz? It takes a real man to kill the woman who bore and raised him." Shut up. She had what she wanted. She didn't want to ruin everything because he infuriated her. "I'll be at the church tomorrow at midnight. If I have any trouble getting the skull, I'll-"

"No ifs," he said harshly "You will do it." He paused. "You may be through with Quinn but you have a fondness for Jane MacGuire. Did you think you could hide her away from me forever?" He hung up.

He was bluffing.

Jane was safe.

Jesus, but she had to be sure.

She phoned Venable. "Diaz just mentioned Jane and he sounded very confident."

"She's safe." He added, "Okay, we think her safe house was compromised. One of the agents was followed back to the house but he noticed the surveillance. They pulled out of the area a few hours later and she's been relocated in Flagstaff."

Close. Damn close. "And they weren't followed to Flagstaff?"

"My guys are careful, Eve. Stop worrying about your daughter and start worrying about yourself. What you're doing at Diaz's place is very risky."

"Not if you get that helicopter on the ground at the right time." No, he was right, it didn't matter if everything went like clockwork. It was still going to be dangerous. "I have to do this, Venable."

"I know," he said wearily. "I wish we could help more."

"Soldono explained the delicacy of CIA negotiations," she said sarcastically. "You wouldn't want to offend any slime-balls like Diaz."

"It's a dirty, fixed game. We do what we can to make the stakes as low as possible for the winners. Call me when you leave the compound and I'll make sure the helicopter is in the area." He hung up.

Jane was safe. Venable was doing what he could to help her. She had managed to back Diaz into the corner she needed him to be in. Everything was as good as it could be, considering that nothing could possibly be good as long as Diaz had Joe.

"It's the church," Diaz said to Nekmon as he hung up the phone. "Tomorrow at midnight."

"Where do you want men positioned in the village?"

"Nowhere. She's pulling in the CIA to get them out. We don't want an incident in my territory." He smiled maliciously. "Much better to have it closer to Montalvo's compound. Then we can claim he ordered it shot down because he was angry with the bitch. He has ground-to-air missiles and the CIA knows it. Station a man in the ruins of that tower thirty miles from here. She'll think she's free and clear and then we'll incinerate the whore."

"You're going to let her get on the helicopter?"

"Why not? It's the best way to get rid of the bitch. The CIA won't be a problem as long as we don't directly interfere with their agents. Kill a CIA agent and the Agency will be very difficult to deal with." He got to his feet. "Have you found Galen yet?"

"We picked up a phone signal in the woods about ten miles from here."

"And you didn't catch him?"

"He was gone by the time we got to the source," Nekmon said. "He seems to be moving constantly. But he's not leaving the area."

"Perhaps he's looking for a way to rescue his friend Quinn," Diaz said. "I'm going to be most displeased if he manages to get in my way tomorrow night. You don't want to know how displeased, Nekmon."

"He won't be an obstacle," Nekmon said. "I give you my word. By the way, Quinn has regained consciousness."

"Good. I was afraid I was going to have to bargain with a corpse. Is he going to live?"

Nekmon nodded. "As you know, he was somewhat damaged in the struggle to take him. Do you want to see him?"

Diaz thought about it. He was tempted to give Quinn a reason to remember him. The Duncan woman still had some feeling for the bastard or she wouldn't be going to these lengths to free him.

No, better not. Everything should be smooth on the surface when they met at the church.

"Later." He moved toward the door. Spilling blood was exciting, heady, and energizing. But sex was almost as good and he still had the young farm girl here at the castle. She was proving very amusing. She had started out as a frightened doe but recently he had noticed flashes of spirit when the pain had been too great.

Yes, she would be a suitable substitute for the satisfaction he would relinquish from toying with Quinn.

Soldono was on the veranda when Eve tracked him down that evening.

"I've been looking for you," Eve said. "I need your help. Where can we talk?"

"Problems?" He took her elbow and guided her across the veranda. "This is as good as anywhere." He shook his head.

"Now that poor Miguel has been taken out of guard duty, surveillance isn't what it used to be."

"You told me that you could get me out of the compound and back to the village without Montalvo knowing about it."

He went still. "Is that what you want to do?"

"No, but if you can do that, I figured you could help me in another way. I want you to arrange a meeting with Armandariz for me. I can't go to him. It's too far and Montalvo would find out and track me down. Armandariz will have to come fairly close to the compound."

"Why do you want to see him?"

She grimaced. "I have to convince the neurotic bastard that I lied to him and erase everything that Montalvo wanted to accomplish. To top it off I have to persuade him to give me back the reconstruction."

Soldono whistled softly. "I can see why he'd want to track you down. Montalvo might just put a bullet in you."

"I'll take the chance. It's the only way I can save Joe. Montalvo doesn't give a damn about him. Can you do it? You've dealt with the rebels, haven't you?"