seated himself across from the drug lord. He smiled and nodded at the older man. “It went well. The proof’s downstairs. You hear anything from Mace?”
“He’s coming. It won’t be long now.”
“Has he transferred the rest of the money yet?”
Mendoza shook his head. “We got a third up front. We get the rest when we hand over the American. You already knew that. What’s the problem? You don’t trust me now?”
Cortez feigned a surprised look. “Hey, you know better than that. I trust you with my life. It’s Mace I’ve got the issues with. I want to make sure we get what’s coming to us.”
Mendoza gave him a hard look. “You heard something?”
“No,” Cortez replied, shaking his head. “Just my gut talking. Something tells me this SOB will stick us. I’ll feel better when we’re rid of him, that’s all I’m saying. I don’t want him to put one over on you.”
“You let me deal with Mace.”
“Sure. I was just giving you something to think about.”
Mendoza cut him off with a gesture. “I don’t need it. This is all under control. My control.”
“Sure. I’m just saying this scientist is the most important thing. If I were you, I’d focus on getting the money.”
The drug lord smacked an open palm against the table and it caused a thunderous noise. “I got it, damn it! I got it! You understand me?”
Feigning surprise, Cortez held up his hands, palms facing outward in a calming gesture. “Sure. I got it.”
“Any problem with the snatch?”
“We took out at least one police officer and left two others for dead. We killed some bystanders, too. What can I say? They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“It will put them on our trail.”
“You think they weren’t going to follow us otherwise? What, we were going to kidnap a guy in broad daylight and the police wouldn’t investigate?”
Mendoza’s eyes narrowed and he leaned forward in his chair. “You should’ve paid some people off. That’s what I’m saying.”
“With all due respect, that was risky, too. The more folks we bribe, the more there are to sell us out. This was supposed to be a quick strike. In and out. It went bad.”
Mendoza’s nostrils flared and his fists clenched until the knuckles whitened. Cortez felt adrenaline spike through his system. The muscles in his neck, shoulders and legs tensed as he prepared to launch himself at Mendoza.
Before either man could act, the door opened and a small man dressed in a well-tailored blue suit stepped inside. “Mace is here,” he said.
Mendoza stood and two men helped him shrug into his jacket. He stared down at Cortez who waited for him to speak his piece.
“I want you to stay here,” he said.
“What?”
“You don’t trust this guy? Fine. But I don’t want you out there asking questions and pissing him off. You stay here.”
“Damn it—”
“Stay!”
Cortez threw up his hands and looked away from Mendoza. The drug lord smiled and, flanked by his security entourage, left the room.
Reaching into his pocket, Cortez touched a business-card-size CD that lay inside and smiled. The CD contained a copy of the Cold Earth worm that he had found hidden within the seams of the American’s coat. Cortez had known for months that his partnership with Mendoza was fragile, primarily because of the fragility of Mendoza’s mind. When he’d found the small CD during the return trip to Mexico, Cortez had known instantly that he had found a way to profitably end the partnership.
CHAPTER SIX
Denver, Colorado
The wait seemed to last forever.
Lyons and Blancanales sat in the hospital waiting room. Lyons, his face scarlet with anger, tapped his foot to some unheard manic beat and stared at the double doors leading into the critical care unit. Blancanales drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair as both men waited for information regarding their wounded comrade.
“That black-coated son of a bitch is mine,” Lyons said.
“Stand in line,” Blancanales replied. Lyons gave him a look that told him he was willing to do anything but that.
“Did the Farm get anything on him yet?”
“Negative,” Blancanales said. “They’re running all the usual traps. They found the abandoned car, or what was left of it, anyway, on the outskirts of town. Got a forensics team checking it out. And we do have some satellite photos that the cyberteam is running through its databases. Aaron said they look to have some positive ID within the hour.”
“Good. He doing okay? About Gabe, I mean?”
Blancanales shrugged. “As well as can be expected. He’s kicking the shit out of himself because he couldn’t do anything to help.”
“That isn’t right. I ought to kick his ass for even thinking that way. No one expected him to do any ground fighting. He was just there to make the contact.”
“Sure, but that isn’t how he sees it. He feels responsible for this kid and seems to think he should’ve done more. And I guess if I was in his situation, I’d feel the same damn way.”
Lyons grunted. “Maybe. But that doesn’t make it right.”
Blancanales smiled at his friend, who continued staring at the doors. “Anyway, maybe Jack can give Aaron a pep talk. You know, snap him out of it,” Blancanales said.
Lyons grunted once more and the two men fell silent.
Blancanales had just downed a Coke and some peanuts when a doctor stepped through the doors. She was petite, with blond hair and the golden tan of someone who spent a lot of time outdoors. A white lab coat covered her surgical scrubs and she clutched a clipboard to her chest. Letting the door swing shut behind her, she swept her eyes over the room and searched for the Stony Man commandos.
Blancanales uncoiled from his chair and met her halfway across the room, Lyons right behind him. The three exchanged brief introductions and handshakes. Using a right forefinger, the woman pushed her wire-rimmed glasses off the bridge of her nose and studied the chart in her left hand.
“Your friend’s been through a lot,” she said. “One slug penetrated his abdomen, but fortunately missed his vital organs. Another bullet cracked two ribs. One of the ribs struck a lung and bruised it. If you hadn’t gotten him in here when you did, he could have died within hours.”
Blancanales’s hands bunched into fists. He squeezed
