No One to Trust - Iris Johansen [65]
“Dammit, she doesn’t need your encouragement, Dominic.”
“You never knew him,” Dominic said. “I did. And I loved him. No, I do love him.” He smiled at Elena. “Don’t feel ashamed of still loving Luis. Forgiveness is a good thing.”
“Oh, for God’s sake.” Galen threw up his hands. “Why am I wasting my breath? You’re going to do it, aren’t you?”
“I’ve got to try,” she whispered.
“It’s a big risk.”
“Then I’ll have to find a way to make it less.”
He stared at her in exasperation for a moment and then turned away. “Okay, we go in. I’ll call Manero and have him scope out the situation at the hotel.”
“No, I go in alone. Dominic will help me, and I need someone I trust to watch Barry. I don’t like the idea of being away from him. It’s not that I don’t trust your men here, but I—”
“But no one can take care of your son like you do. I suppose I should be flattered you consider me a trustworthy babysitter.” Galen shook his head. “I’m going in with you. Dominic will take care of Barry. If you like, we can bring Barry with us as far as an airport outside Orlando and leave him and Dominic on the helicopter while we go into town. At the first sign of danger, Dominic can split with the kid.”
She thought about it. She didn’t like the idea of bringing Barry with them, but the alternative of leaving him hundreds of miles away was totally unacceptable. “Okay, I suppose that would be safe enough.”
“Safer than we’ll be.” He turned and left the room.
She couldn’t blame him for being exasperated. The situation could come unraveled in a heartbeat, and her reasons for going after Luis were purely emotional.
“It’s the right thing to do, Elena,” Dominic said.
“Contrary to what the knights of Camelot claimed, right doesn’t always beat might.” She met Dominic’s gaze. “I said I’d try, Dominic. But if I find that I’m endangering my son or there’s a strong possibility he may lose his mother over this, I’ll back out. Barry is innocent, and that weights the scale in his favor.”
He nodded slowly. “I understand. Innocence is a bright and shining thing. But someone has to save the lost ones too.”
“That’s why I’m going.” She stood up. “And now I’ve got to get a plan together. Two days isn’t a hell of a lot of time.”
Would she come?
Chavez stared thoughtfully out over the rail at the skyscrapers of Miami Beach.
The chances of Elena trading her son for that weakling of a brother weren’t high enough for him to bank on. Yet she might be lured into trying to free him if the circumstances were set up correctly. It was the kind of action that would appeal to a woman of her nature. It was a long shot, but he didn’t have many options at this point. He hadn’t been able to turn up any clues to Elena and Galen’s possible whereabouts.
“We go to Orlando?” Gomez asked behind him.
Chavez nodded. “Two days.” The setup might not yield his son, but it could rid the boy of his most ardent protector. He’d prefer her to be taken prisoner, but that might not happen. It was more likely they’d have to put the bitch down, and that wasn’t all bad. Galen might be more willing to deal for the boy with her out of the picture. “How is Luis?”
“Out.”
“Wake him up. We have to get him ready.” He paused, thinking. The situation had to be handled carefully. “And I want the bruises to be very visible, Gomez. I want her sweet, gentle heart to bleed for him.”
“Manero faxed me a diagram of the hotel and surrounding area.” Galen spread the sheet on the kitchen table. “Here’s the bridge over the koi pond where Luis is supposed to be waiting. The hotel is six stories, but the garden can only be viewed from about a third of the windows on the south side of the building.” He drew a circle around the windows facing the garden. “So this is sniper country.”
“Maybe.” Judd tapped the hotel across the street. “How much of the garden can be seen from here?”
“That’s the Mirado Hotel. Their angle is skewed. Only four rooms have a view.” Galen circled those rooms. “There aren’t any other nearby hotels with access. Of course, that doesn’t mean anyone leaving couldn’t be picked off by someone