Eve - Iris Johansen [68]
“And how did he get it?”
“He made the U.S. government pay generously for his six years in prison. Then he took the money and did a tour of gambling casinos around the world and ran up his cash reserve into the stratosphere by counting cards.”
She frowned. “How did he do that?”
“Card counting? He taught himself in prison. He was always smart, and he had a lot of time on his hands. It kept his brain sharp. It was real bad there.” He paused. “And it was one of the ways he kept himself from hanging himself in that cell.”
She could picture his desperation, the searching for anything to occupy the mind and replace the horror surrounding him. “I see.”
“No, you don’t,” Hanks said baldly. “You can’t. I was only in that place for five months before John took me with him when he escaped. I’ll never forget it. The smell, the heat, the pain. I still wake up in a sweat. And John was in there six years.”
She was silent, trying to understand the scope of that horror. “He told me … he’s crazy. Is it true?”
Hanks didn’t answer directly. “Aren’t there times when we’re all a little crazy?”
“You’re dodging. He said you might try to protect him.”
“He has … moments. Uncontrollable fits of rage that’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. John said that those fits are like those he’s read about in histories of the Vikings. Berserker. They don’t come as often these days.”
“And Queen and Army Intelligence know about them, too?”
“Yes; in the beginning, they encouraged them.”
Her eyes widened. “Why would they do that?”
“They aided his performance.” He stopped before a bedroom door and turned to face her. “After he got out of prison, they were still trying to use him. They sent him out on missions that involved assassination or extraction of personnel from hostage situations.” His lips twisted. “He was very good at it. Picture Rambo on speed. And that berserker bullet could cause him to go into almost superhuman overdrive.”
“They knew he had mental problems, and they still sent him out?”
“John thought they probably wanted to get him killed with the least amount of trouble. He didn’t care. It didn’t matter if he lived or died. During that period, right after he escaped Korea, he had a bloodlust that wouldn’t stop. All he wanted was the opportunity to vent it.”
Bloodlust. Berserker. And that period right after he’d gotten out of prison was when Bonnie had been taken.
“I can see you drawing into yourself,” Hanks said quietly. “You wanted to know. He told me to tell you.”
“When did he stop working for them?”
“After a couple years. Maybe he worked it out of his system. Or maybe he managed to heal himself. They sure weren’t going to do it for him.”
“But he evidently still has a connection with them.”
“Yes, but now the tables are turned. They don’t use John, he uses them.”
“And why do they allow it?”
He shrugged. “That you’ll have to ask him. I’ve never discussed it with John. There are some things I’d rather not know. It’s safer for me. If I had to guess, I’d say he knows where a few very dangerous bodies are buried. At any rate, Queen jumps when John snaps his fingers.” He opened the door. “If you need anything, give me a call.”
“How? I don’t know your blasted codes.”
He smiled. “I won’t be far. John said that I was to take care of you.”
“And keep me from escaping?”
His smile faded. “It will only be for a little while. I think you’re safe.”
“Think? What if I’m not?”
Hanks didn’t answer.
“John said you were loyal. That covers criminal activities? Why? Does he pay you that well?”
“He took me out of that prison. He didn’t have to do it. I had a shattered leg and a fever. He had to carry me a good portion of the way to the coast. He would have been safer on his own.” He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’m loyal.”
That couldn’t be more obvious. John had clearly bought that loyalty in a way that would ensure that it was unbreakable.
“Any more questions?” Bill was smiling again. “Last chance.”
“One more.” She met his gaze, bracing herself. “Were you in Atlanta with John that month before