Belim Prison
Belim, Colombia

A cockroach was crawling up her arm.

Elena Kyler shuddered as she brushed it off. God, how she hated cockroaches. This cell was teeming with them, but at least they weren't as bad as the rats. . . .

Close it out. Life was not this cell. Go away from here. Think of something beautiful. Father Dominic had always told her that was the only way to endure the unbearable. But this situation was not truly unbearable. The unbearable would be to give in and let that bastard win. So she wouldn't think of anything beautiful. She didn't want to bring anything she valued into this filthy cell.

She drew the blanket closer around her. So cold. It was warm during the day, but as soon as the sun set it became chilly. The cell was damper than the huts they'd kept her in on the way here, and the blanket she'd been issued was thin and worn. She hadn't slept all night.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself.

There might be more opportunity here. These guards seemed more complacent and they didn't know her. Just get ready. The time would come.

She threw aside the blanket and started doing the warm-up that preceded her routine. She'd exercised four hours every day since they'd captured her and she was even stronger now. Without weapons, she had to be. She'd eaten every scrap of the meager rations they'd given her to maintain that strength and spent the rest of her waking time planning her escape.

She'd be ready.

San Francisco

"Is he here?" Ben Forbes demanded as soon as he entered John Logan's office. "Did you get hold of Galen?"

"He's here. Or rather he'll be here in a few minutes." Logan leaned back in the leather executive chair. "But he told me to warn you that he has no intention of taking the job. He said he's had enough of all that bull happening in Colombia."

"Haven't we all," Forbes said wearily. "But it goes on and someone has to do something about it."

"Tell that to Galen. He lost two men on the last extraction job he did down there. He doesn't like losing men. And he doesn't like working with the DEA either. He wouldn't even be coming to this meeting if you guys didn't go way back."

"Not as long as the two of you," countered Forbes. "Can't you use your influence?"

Logan shook his head. "Galen goes his own way, and you don't stay his friend by trying to change his mind."

No one knew better than Forbes that Sean Galen walked to the beat of a different drummer. He had been everything from a mercenary to a smuggler, with a multitude of other shadowy careers in between. But, different or not, he was unquestionably the best at what he did. "I need him, Logan."

"He got paid over a million dollars for the extraction of that executive he did for Folger's coffee. Can you match that?"

"Nah," Galen said, appearing at the doorway. "Not unless he's suddenly gone on the take. And that's not likely." He strolled into the room. "How are you doing, Ben?"

"I've been better." He shook Galen's hand. "But things could look up for me if you'd cooperate."

"I just came off a tough job. I'm on vacation." He sat down in the visitor's chair. "Logan and I are going deep-sea fishing."

"You'll be bored," Forbes said. "I have something more interesting for you."

"I could use a little boredom right now." Galen grinned. "And my mum always said I didn't play well with others. Particularly the feds. They always want to run the show."

"Shall I leave?" Logan asked.

"Why should we run you out of your own office?" Galen asked. "This won't take long."

Logan leaned back in his chair. "Okay. Pretend I'm not here."

That would be difficult to do, Forbes thought. John Logan was a powerhouse and not the least bit self-effacing. But then, that's what it took to reach his position in the business world. It was strange looking at Galen and Logan together. They were as different as stone and quicksilver, and yet the closeness between them was almost visible. Forbes had heard the rumors about Logan's involvement in some of Galen's extremely dubious enterprises before Logan became a successful tycoon. Those experiences had clearly forged a bond with Galen that had stood the test of time. Could he use it? "Feel free to jump in, John. I know you contribute heavily to that drug rehab center in Los Angeles."

Logan shook his head. "You're on your own."

Forbes sighed and turned back to Galen. "You wouldn't have to worry about dealing with the U.S. government. No DEA intervention."

Galen's brows raised. "You're DEA."

"I'm working on my own on this one."

"Uncle Sam won't like that."

"Tough. It's part of the deal. It's the first chance I've had to get Chavez in the last ten years."

Galen's expression didn't change, but Forbes could hear a new tone in his voice. "Chavez?"

"Rico Chavez. The Chavez cartel. I believe you've had some experience with him."

"Two years ago."

"That's when you lost your two men, isn't it? You were trying to free William Katz, that coffee exec, from the band of rebels who were holding him for ransom, but Chavez turned loose his men to help them. You weren't expecting him to do that."

"Usually it's the rebels protecting the drug lords down there. So you're going after Chavez?"

"I've been after Chavez for years. I almost got him a few times. This go-round I may have a chance, if you'll help."

Galen's gaze narrowed. "You want me to kill him?"

"No, I want him here in the States, where we can prosecute him. I not only want him, I want to know who's doing his distributing in this country."

"Chavez won't come to the U.S. He'll stay where he's safe."

"Unless he has a good reason to come here."

Galen shook his head. "You're out of luck."

"Maybe not. I got a call two months ago from a woman named Elena Kyler. She said she was with a band of rebels in southern Colombia and wanted me to help her get out and give her protection once she's in the U.S. She said she was in possession of evidence that Chavez would find compelling enough to draw him out of Colombia."

"What evidence?"

"She wouldn't tell me. She asked me to meet her at a house outside a small village near Tomaco and we'd discuss it."

"Trap. Chavez wants to take your scalp, Ben."

"I'm not stupid. I checked with my informants among the rebels and there is an Elena Kyler. Her father was Frank Kyler, an American mercenary who went to Bogotá over thirty years ago. He married Maria Lopez, a left-wing freedom fighter with the Colombian National Liberation group. They had two children, Elena and Luis. Maria was murdered by government soldiers four years after Elena was born. Evidently, Elena and her brother were raised by their father, who was killed seven years ago. Both Elena and Luis were members of a rebel group in the hills." He paused. "The hills surrounding Chavez's coca fields. So there is a connection."

"You're reaching for straws."

"I'll find out when I see her. She wants me to meet her and be ready. It's all she asked. It's worth a shot."

"It's not worth being shot."

He smiled bitterly. "Maybe it is. If we take Chavez out, it will dry up one of the largest suppliers in Colombia. That could save a hell of a lot of kids. You don't like drug dealers any more than I do, Galen."

"But I'm more of a realist than you. This would be a finger in the dam. It's a losing battle."

"Not this time." He paused. "I've got a hunch. . . . I believe her."

"Good. Then go get her yourself."

"It may not be that easy. One of my informants told me that she was on the run from Chavez, that she's disappeared." He hesitated. "The word is that she's been captured and is being held in a prison in Belim."

"A prison?"

"It's a government jail, but Chavez bribes the warden to house his special prisoners."

"Then she'll be of no use to you. If she has any evidence, Chavez will have her tortured until she gives it up."

"Chavez is at an important meeting with the Delgado family in Mexico City. She may have a reprieve for a while. I've heard he likes to do his own dirty work."

He sighed. "Don't tell me. Not just a pickup. You want me to bust her out and deliver her to you?"

"It may be necessary."

"Forget it. Stage a DEA raid."

"And have the government yell bloody murder that we were overstepping our position as guests in their country?" He hesitated before adding reluctantly, "Besides, there may be informants in the agency."

"That hurt, didn't it?" Galen said. "Hell, yes, there are informants. When there's that much money floating around, corruption is a fact of life. You're the only DEA man I've ever met that I'd trust without question." He smiled. "You're a throwback to another age. An untouchable. The Eliot Ness of the drug world."

"I don't feel untouchable." Forbes grimaced. "I feel dirty. I've been at this game too long. I want to see something good happen for once. Do this for me, Galen."

"A prison?" Galen shook his head. "Too big a risk. I don't want to lose another man to that son of a bitch. I'm going fishing."

"Think about it. It would be an interesting challenge and a chance to thumb your nose at Chavez." Forbes turned to leave. "I'll call you in a few hours. There may not be much time. I don't know how long Chavez's meetings will last." He stopped at the door and looked back at Galen. His expression told him nothing. Well, he had done all he could. He had thrown everything at him, from saving kids from drug overdoses to revenge against an old antagonist. Was it enough? Galen was one of the toughest bastards he had ever run across and as volatile as a keg of explosives. He would just have to wait and see.

"What do you think?" Logan asked when the door had shut behind Forbes.

"What do I think?" Galen repeated roughly. "I think someone's setting him up. I think Chavez is probably tired of having a man as honest as Forbes after him and is going to stage an ambush."

"Forbes isn't dumb."

"But he's desperate. He wants this too much. He's been in drug enforcement for over twenty-five years and it's the most thankless job on the planet. After all these years Forbes needs to know he's made a difference." He crossed to the window and gazed out at the bay. "Crazy bastard."

"You like him." Logan smiled. "And I think you admire him. You've always had a thing about Don Quixote."

"That doesn't mean I'm going to help him tilt at his damn windmills."

"What's the situation in Colombia now?"

"No better than it's been for the last forty years. The leftist rebels fight the government, the paramilitary fight the rebels and protect villages and sometimes the drug traffickers. The drug lords sit on their thrones and pay off everyone and probably control the entire shooting match."

"And Chavez is head of the drug faction?"

"One of them. After the breakup of the Cali drug cartel, there was no longer a kingpin. The drug trade decentralized into several groups, which was just as profitable and safer. Keeping a low profile and using the Internet is the name of the game these days. Everything's under the table. The only clear fact is that there's hardly anyone in that entire country you can trust. Because almost everyone is on the take."

"It does sound a little suspect that this Elena Kyler would choose Forbes to ask for help."

"That's the only part of this story that makes sense to me. Forbes has turned down promotion after promotion because he doesn't want a desk job that would prevent him from personally tracking down drug suppliers. The DEA respects him and lets him run his own show, and his honesty is legendary among the guerrillas and paramilitary groups in the hills." He smiled crookedly. "Believe me, they know who's corruptible and who's not. He'd be the obvious choice for Elena Kyler -- if she was for real."

"Which, of course, she's not." Logan stood up and followed Galen over to the window. "Water looks a little choppy. Maybe it's not a good week to go fishing."

"It looks fine to me. For God's sake, do you know how many extractions I've done in Colombia? The blasted place has more kidnappings than anywhere else in the world. This is not my business, Logan. Hell, Forbes can't even pay me."

"You've got enough money."

"Coming from a billionaire like you, that borders on the ridiculous."

Logan laughed. "It does, doesn't it? Well, I need it more than you do. I have a family to support." His smile faded. "The point is, you want to go."

"The hell I do." He scowled. "It's not my business. It's all a bunch of lies. It's too convenient that Chavez is in Mexico. That so-called evidence is probably bogus. The woman was more than likely bribed to lure Forbes."

"So Elena Kyler is not in that prison cell in Belim?"

"Is that supposed to bring up a pitiful picture and rouse my protective feelings? Bullshit." He stared directly into Logan's eyes. "She's probably shooting up in some luxury flat paid for by Chavez. There's no way Elena Kyler's in that cell in Belim."

Belim

It's only my body, Elena told herself. And I am not my body. I am mind and heart and soul.

"Good." The guard plunged deep inside her, pressing her into the hard concrete cell floor. "Good little whore. You like it, don't you?"

"Yes." I am not my body. I can accept this defilement. It wasn't as bad as the time she was raped, because she'd chosen this. "I like it. You're a bull, Juan."

Block it out. Go to another place, as she had during the rape. No, she couldn't do that. She had to be ready.

I am not my body.

"Christ." He arched with a guttural cry as he released within her.

The moment of greatest weakness.

Now.

She lunged upward with a cry, her arms going around his neck. "Juan!"

He was panting. "I pleased you. I made you come, didn't I?"

Her arms tightened around his neck. "What a man you are. . . ." She pulled him back down. "Come here. . . ."

"You're holding me too tight." But there was smug satisfaction in his voice. "Give me a little time and I'll be ready ag--"

She gave a twist and broke his neck.

He went limp on top of her. Jesus, he was heavy. She pushed him off and jumped to her feet, then pulled him into the shadows across the cell and draped a blanket around him. No use putting on clothes. As soon as the other guard came, she'd have to lie down with Juan and find a way to lure the man into the cell. He should be here soon. They'd flipped a coin to see who would go first with her and he'd been very disappointed.

She huddled against the wall of the cell and tried to stop trembling. She felt hurt and bruised and violated. And dirty. Sweet Jesus, how dirty. She forced back the tears.

I am not my body.

I am not my body.

"Meet me at the airport in twenty minutes," Galen said curtly when Forbes picked up the phone.

"You'll do it?" Forbes said.

"Private hangar. We're taking Logan's private jet and pilot. I told him that he could damn well contribute more than lip service. We'll land the jet at an airport outside Medellín and there will be a jeep waiting for us to drive to Tomaco. You don't report in to your superiors. You don't talk to anyone unless I okay it. I run the show. The minute you call in the feds is the minute I step out of the picture. Understand?"

"We'll talk about it later."

Galen tried to hold on to his temper. "Listen to me, Forbes. I'm pissed. I have an idea I may get nailed because I'm idiot enough to go along with you. Therefore, it's not the time to fancy-dance with words around me. I know you like to run the show yourself and you may do a good job. But not this one. This one's mine or I don't get on that plane."

Forbes was silent a moment. "I made her a promise, Galen."

"My way."

"Okay." Forbes sighed. "Your show." He hung up.

Galen put his phone in his pocket and headed for the door. It was no small victory. Forbes was stubborn and had the confidence of his years in the field. Galen had a hunch that he also had a streak of old-fashioned gallantry and that could be why Chavez had chosen a woman to bait the trap.

If it was a trap. The scales were weighted against Elena Kyler's story being legitimate, but stranger things had happened in Galen's life than the scenario Forbes had described.

Galen would have to treat it like a trap: It was the only way to keep Forbes alive.

And his own skin intact.

"Repeat that very slowly, Gomez." Rico Chavez's hand tightened on the phone. "She escaped?"

"Last night. She killed two guards at the prison and escaped in one of their uniforms."

"You fool. You relied on prison guards instead of our own men?"

"Juarez, the warden, didn't like the idea of our men having the run of the prison. He said it wouldn't look good."

"He's paid well enough so that we shouldn't have to worry about what he likes and doesn't like. Why did you stow her at the prison instead of taking her to the compound?"

"We were close to Belim, and I thought a few days in that cell first might soften her up."

"Find her."

"We're already tracking her. A woman of her description was seen heading for the hills south of Belim. She won't get away. After all, she's only a woman."

"I wonder if that's what those two guards thought before she killed them," Chavez said silkily.

Gomez realized he'd blundered. "I won't take anything for granted. I'll report as soon as we've located her."

Idiot.

Chavez's knuckles were white as he hung up the phone. He forced himself to release the receiver. He had warned Gomez to be careful, but the man had no conception what Elena Kyler could do. He was the only match for Elena. If he hadn't decided it was essential to come to this meeting with the Delgados, this disaster would never have happened.

No matter. Two more days and the negotiations should be completed and he would be free to leave. He went to the mirror and straightened the lapels of his tuxedo. He found the Delgados' fondness for formal dress almost as tiresome as their lack of ambition. It would be another night of drinking and gambling and he would be expected to fuck the blonde they'd provided to entertain him. It was always a blonde, usually tall and curvy -- and soft.

It was that softness he found most distasteful. A man was a hunter, a conqueror, and he couldn't enjoy his power if the woman was only a weak vessel. A woman should be strong and clever and have enough power of her own to provide amusement.

Like Elena Kyler.

He could hardly wait to leave here and get on the hunt.

"You've been on that phone since we've been airborne," Forbes said. "Am I allowed to ask whom you've been calling?"

"Jose Manero, for one."

"Manero?"

"He's one of the premier information gurus in the world. He's supplied me with info for any number of jobs in S.A. and the U.S. He has the best contacts in the business and has moles in practically every drug operation in Colombia."

Forbes frowned. "I've never heard of him."

"He likes it that way. You're DEA. And I'm trusting you to keep his name to yourself. I've also been getting a team together." Galen crossed out the last name on his list. "It will take twenty-four hours for all the members of the team to arrive in Colombia. That may still be okay. I called a contact in Mexico City and Chavez is still there. My man will let me know when he gets on the move." He looked down at his scrawled notes. "Belim Prison shouldn't be difficult. It's scarcely larger than a city jail, and the guards are as crooked as their warden. I'd rather put a bribe in place than have to use explosives. But explosives are quick and a bribe sometimes requires time and finesse. We'll have to see if--"

"I don't think you're going to have to worry about Belim."

Galen looked at him. "I thought that's what this was about."

"I've just called my own contact in Belim."

Galen's lips tightened. "I told you not to phone anyone unless you talked to me."

"It wasn't official and you were busy." Forbes hurried on. "There was a big stir at the prison two nights ago. Two guards killed. Elena Kyler escaped."

"I see."

"Your enthusiasm is overwhelming," Forbes said. "This will make it much easier for us. It's just a simple pickup now. We go to Tomaco and wait for her to come to us."

"Come to you, you mean. I'm out of it. I warned you, Forbes."

He stiffened. "I didn't do anything that would warrant -- okay, I didn't follow your instructions. I won't do it again. No exceptions. Okay?"

Galen didn't answer.

"Please."

Galen gazed at him for a minute and then shrugged. "You may not need me now anyway."

Forbes suddenly grinned. "You're disappointed. You dug out all that information and made all those plans and now you're not going to get to use them. Too bad, Galen."

"I'll adjust." He threw his pen down. "And it may not be as simple as you might think. She may be captured before she gets to Tomaco. It's over seventy miles from Belim. Or maybe this is just another twist in Chavez's plans to zero in on you. Or it could be she'll be so scared that she'll take off and you'll never hear from her again."

"She won't run away." He shifted his gaze to the darkness outside the plane window. "You didn't talk to her. I've never heard anyone more determined. She's on her way, Galen. I can feel it."

The mud was in her mouth.

Elena spit it out and kept crawling. The rain last night had been bad and good. The wet earth left tracks, but it spoiled the scent for the dogs. If she wasn't stupid, she'd be able to avoid the trackers.

She wouldn't be stupid. She'd avoided them for two days and she'd keep on eluding them. She'd take her time and listen and move as her father had taught her. Keep to the ground. They couldn't see you if you were on the ground. The river was only a few miles over this hill, and that would drown her scent even more.

She stopped to listen. She had to wait a moment before she could hear anything but the sound of her own heart and labored breathing.

A dog yapping, far away. Good.

But Gomez might have sent men ahead to guard the river crossing. Everyone knew that this was the only place shallow enough to cross the river for another forty miles. She had to be prepared to go around them. No, she was so tired she wasn't thinking straight. Being prepared was only defensive. She had to attack. Her father had always told her that when hunted, the only thing to do was turn hunter and eliminate the threat entirely.

She closed her eyes. More death. More blood on her hands.

Stop whining. Chavez would agree perfectly with her father's philosophy. He would think nothing of killing her after he got what he wanted. Had Chavez come back and joined that pack behind her? How that bastard would enjoy the hunt. The thought sent a thrill of pure rage through her that banished any regret. If it had to be done, then do it. Start thinking about where they would be planning to ambush her.

Her eyes flicked open and she pulled out the gun she'd taken from the guard. She started to crawl forward again, her elbows digging into the mud. Her gaze searched the woods near the river. Are you there? Are you waiting for me?

Turn hunter. Eliminate the threat.

Tomaco

The house was a crumbling three-bedroom hacienda some five miles outside the town of Tomaco. After a preliminary search, Galen permitted Forbes to go inside.

"I'm not impressed. Not the greatest pad I've ever stayed at," Galen said as he ran his finger over a dust-covered table. "I'm disappointed in you, Forbes. You should have at least provided maid service for a man of my consequences. This is where she said she'd meet you?"

Forbes nodded. "She didn't want a chance of our arrival leaking to anyone in the village. She said no one has lived here for the past six years."

"How does she know? This is pretty far from the hills where the rebels hang out."

"I didn't ask. Which bedroom do you want?"

"None of them. Neither do you." He turned and headed for the door. "I told my guys to make sure to stash bedrolls in the jeep. We camp out in the forest and keep an eye on the house from there. My mum always told me that fresh air was good for me."

"And you don't trust Elena Kyler not to have lured me to this house as a trap."

"Did I say that?" He went outside and climbed into the jeep. "Hop in and we'll hide this fine vehicle in the brush before we unload and set up camp. As compensation for depriving you of a roof over your head, I'll fix you the finest al fresco meal you've ever eaten. I'm an extraordinary cook."

Forbes got into the passenger seat. "I suppose your mum told you that too."

Galen started the jeep. "How did you guess?"