Page 9 of Dangerous Liaisons

Tom’s eyes hardened. “When President Uribe declared a state of emergency as a result of Plan Colombia, the kidnap rate in Ecuador increased over twenty-seven per cent in four years—and nothing’s changed since. The Senator might as well have handed the Colombians the knife that killed his daughter.”

Jesse stared. “No good deed goes unpunished?”

The Professor reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a package of Chesterfields and a gold lighter. He shook out a cigarette, lit it, then slipped the pack and lighter back into his pocket.

After a long drag on his cigarette, he blew it out and said, “Your case is locked down tight. OIA knows we’re friends and has been waiting for you to contact me.” He gestured to the seedy room. “Hence, the need to meet here.”

Jesse caught his arm. “We’re not going to meet again until this is over.” She ignored the thought that this might be the last time she saw him. “I’d rather die than drag you into this.”

He grinned. “I don’t think it’ll come to that.”

She wasn’t so sure. “What happened to Nielson? I can’t figure out why he was out of communication range when I called from Colombia.”

The Professor blew out a puff of smoke. “Blue Leader is on extended leave.”

Jesse started. “What does that mean?”

“He and his wife are out of the country.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. Which means you won't get any help here in the States. I wish you’d contacted me from Colombia—which is where you need to be.”

“Lanton is holding on the cards,” Jesse murmured.

“The Cayman account and phone call transcripts are a damn good hand,” Tom agreed.

She gave a morbid laugh. “Hard to believe my call giving the all clear is being used against me.

“Having your second call edited to make your threat sound like it was directed at him is damning evidence. A pro edited the recording. Even I can’t recover the original. Everyone is buying the story,” Tom added. “The way I see it, you have three options. One: Get out of Dodge.”

Jesse shook her head. “Not an option.”

“Two: You can grab Lanton and force a confession from him.” The Professor lifted a brow.

Jesse laughed despite herself. “I’ve considered it.”

“A confession without concrete proof will be dismissed as coercion. After all, you are the liar, traitor, and murderer.” Tom drew on the cigarette and exhaled smoke through his nose. “Three: Trace the money trail from Green Leader to Perez.”

“That’s my only choice,” she said.

“Good. You work the Colombian end. I’ll work from the U.S. So far, I'm hitting dead ends.” A glint appeared in his eyes. “But I’m betting FARC keeps well-documented transactions for blackmail purposes.”

Jesse snorted. “Leave it to one genius to know what another genius does, no matter the language or side of the law they’re on?”

A corner of his mouth lifted. “Genius is genius.” He fished in his pants pocket and withdrew a cell phone. “Here’s a secure phone. I’m the only one with the matching decryption, but remember, even though they can’t eavesdrop, they can still trace the call, so use this only when you absolutely must.” He handed her the phone.

Jesse flipped it open. It looked like a standard Motorola model, including the power-up logo on the display. A small measure of comfort washed over her at the prospect of hearing Tom’s voice again in the near future. “How do I turn on the encryption?”

“Encryption automatically engages. My phone is number one on speed dial. My number is a private secure line. Leave your standard message on the machine. I’ll get to a safe location and call you back as soon as I can, but it might take a day or more, so be sure to check for missed calls. Call me back. If I don’t answer after one ring, hang up and we’ll repeat the procedure until we connect.”

Jesse powered down the phone, flipped it closed, then slipped it into the right front jeans pocket. “If you don’t hear from me, that means I couldn’t get anything, and had to disappear.”

She saw the alternative in his expression; or I’m dead.

“Am I to disavow any knowledge of your actions?” he asked, and she knew he wanted to voice what had been left unsaid between them far too long.

“After all I’ve gone through, if my efforts go to waste, I’ll likely return from the dead and haunt you.”

“There are worse fates,” he replied softly.

She rose and flashed an affectionate smile. “I know the perfect girl for you.”

He stood and waved off her suggestion. “I don’t need a matchmaker.”

But he did. At six-foot one, one-ninety, with a strong jaw and kissable lips, he would please any woman. Having skipped childhood and adolescence, he’d gone straight into OIA and missed all those boy-girl things that turned into men-women things. He needed a matchmaker more than anyone else she knew.

“Keep telling yourself that,” she teased.

He chuckled and drew her into his arms. “Maybe after I finish my thirty years.”

Jesse returned his hug and planted a kiss on his mouth. “When this is all over, we’re taking a long vacation in Hawaii.”

He squeezed and released her. “Good luck. You’ll need it.”

She smiled as she stepped back, then headed for the door. He was right. She needed more luck than any person had a right to expect. Her father used to say there was no such thing as luck. Grit got a person through.

The sweet smile Amanda reserved for those she loved once again flashed before Jesse’s mental vision. She had to expose Lanton and clear her name. For her sister and for the father who never asked, but depended on Jesse to take care of her sister when he knew he wouldn’t be around to watch out after his two daughters, for Green Team, for Martinez, and for Maria.