Vendetta Page 6

  “Catherine has no way of knowing until she gets to that meeting. She only knows that Claire Warren is usually in charge of antiterrorist projects and worked with your father on several assignments. She just doesn’t want you to be where she can’t reach you if she’s caught up in something.”

  “But I appear to be caught up in something as well,” Rachel said. But it was good to know that she had Catherine and Hu Chang in the background waiting to help. “I made a deal with Brandon. High stakes. If he comes through for me, I have to come through for him. I made a promise.”

  “I do not like the sound of that.”

  “The only thing that would stop me is if he belonged to Max Huber. You said that you didn’t think he did.”

  “I don’t think he belongs to anyone but himself, but that does not make anything he does less dangerous. Ask those men in the triads who went up against him in Hong Kong.”

  “Tell Catherine I’ll call her if I need her help. You’ll let me know if you find out anything disturbing about Brandon?”

  “Yes.” He paused. “Catherine is not the only one uneasy, Rachel. You will keep in touch with me.” He cut the connection.

  And that last sentence had been as full of power and dominance as any words he had ever spoken to her, she thought as she hung up. Hu Chang was too clever to insert any element that would make her wary of him. He preferred to play on the love she felt for him and the respect that was always there. It was a sign of his concern that he’d decided to pull out the big guns.

  And they’d had the desired effect in that they’d reminded her of both how much she owed him and the strength and power he’d exerted all those years ago to heal her. Though she’d been too defiant and caught up in the hideous nightmare to admit she was broken.

  But Hu Chang had known. He knew all about pain and nightmares and how to stop them from happening. She had realized that almost from the moment he had walked into her cell at that Taliban prison in the mountains of Afghanistan …

  SAZKAR PRISON

  LOGAR PROVINCE

  AFGHANISTAN

  They were coming again.

  Rachel tensed as she heard the footsteps coming down the hall.

  Two of them. At least two men.

  Don’t scream. Don’t cry.

  They liked her to do that.

  Don’t give them anything that was part of who she was.

  They were unlocking the door.

  She instinctively cringed back against the wall.

  That was wrong. They also liked the fear.

  Only one man came into the cell.

  He was different. Asian descent. Dark hair pulled back from his face. Black tunic.

  He stood there gazing at her, not moving from the doorway. “How do you do, Rachel. My name is Hu Chang. I am not here to hurt you. May I come closer, so I don’t have to have the guard outside hear us talking? I find him most unpleasant. I’m sure you do, also.”

  She stared at him in bewilderment.

  “I will take that as permission.” He moved toward her.

  She stiffened, freezing against the wall.

  He instantly stopped. “No? Well, this is close enough.” He dropped gracefully to the floor and crossed his legs tailor-fashion. “Let me get the important things that concern you out of the way. I do not belong to the Taliban or any group affiliated with them. I am here to help you get out of here and return to your father. I understand Venable has not been allowed to come and see you, and I’m sure you find that distressing. The Taliban had issues with your father being the one attempting to free you since he was both CIA and had a personal involvement. Therefore, they proved stubborn and difficult. That’s why I am here. You will find me very helpful. I was asked by a member of the Afghanistan government to do this since there has been no agreement between the State Department and the Taliban regarding your release. I have a certain influence in both camps.” He paused. “I understand it has been over five months since you were brought here.”

  She didn’t answer. She was too stunned and dazed to fully comprehend what he was saying. Was it a trick? A joke to raise her hopes, then dash them? In the early days, they had done that before they had become angry and more vindictive.

  “It’s true, Rachel,” Hu Chang said quietly. “I will prove it to you over the next weeks because it will probably take that long for me to be able to get you free of these people. But I need to know a few things about your captivity so that I can intercede and make you more comfortable here while I negotiate your release. Will you talk to me?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “You don’t trust me? I can see why you would have problems.” He was silent, then said gently, “You’re only fifteen years old, and your life is suddenly a cruel place. I regret that it happened, but I will not pity you. I can see by looking at you that you would not welcome it. You’ve realized that the only way to control the pain is to become stronger with every episode that hurts you. I learned the same lesson when I was close to your own age.” He smiled. “So until you can trust me, may I suggest that you listen and choose to answer only the questions that you believe won’t hurt you if I should be stupid enough to betray you? Does that sound reasonable?”

  It did sound reasonable. It could still be a trick, but what if it wasn’t? What if there was hope? She swallowed hard. “Yes.”

  “I will start with something that I know would cause you pain if they used it.” His face was without expression. “The ambush.”

  She felt a ripple of shock. She had not been expecting that.

  “You were driving to a village outside Kabul where your mother did charity work with an orphanage. Your car was ambushed by the Taliban, your car disabled by an IED, and then your party attacked. Your mother, your younger brother, and the four soldiers accompanying you were killed. You were not killed because they needed a hostage to bargain for Taliban prisoners being held by your father. Is that correct?”

  The words were spoken almost completely without emotion. In a way, she was almost glad that was the case because she was able to keep the memory at a distance since it was as if the experience belonged to someone else. “Yes,” she said jerkily. “You must know all that if you are who you say you are. And I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Nor shall we. I just have one question before we go on to something else.”

  She glared at him. “Then ask it.”

  “Did your captors mention your mother’s and brother’s deaths while you were here?”

  She was silent. Bullet-ridden bodies. Her brother Kevin, with no face. “Yes,” she said hoarsely. “Pictures. They had pictures … of how they looked … that they showed me every now and then.” The memory was suddenly too close, smothering her. “No more,” she said fiercely. “I won’t talk about it.”

  “Not now. But we’ll have to talk about it later. But not until you’re ready.”

  “I’ll never be ready.”

  “Yes you will, but perhaps not for a long time.” Then he was gazing at her appraisingly. “You’re very thin. Do they feed you well?”

  She nodded.

  “No, tell me.”

  “Twice a day.” She added defiantly, “And it tastes like slop.”

  His lips indented at the corners. “I don’t promise to improve the quality as long as there is quantity. Water?”

  “Once a day.”

  “Accommodations for bathing or showering?”

  “No.”

  “You hesitated there. Would you like to tell me why?”

  She didn’t speak.

  “Very well, let’s go on. Have you been subjected to torture while you’ve been here?”

  “Not lately.”

  “When?”

  “The second month I was here. They were angry that they weren’t getting the prisoner exchange they wanted from my father.”

  “What form of torture?”

  “The whip. Almost always the whip. They broke my hand once, but they set it right away. Properly ap
plied, a whip doesn’t leave marks unless it breaks the skin.”

  “And that was important?”

  “Of course it was important,” she said impatiently. “They didn’t want any proof of mistreatment. It would have been grounds to break off the talks.”

  “Are they still doing it?”

  “No, not after I learned not to show the pain.” She met his eyes. “Not after I learned that was the way to cheat them.”

  He nodded slowly. “That was very clever of you. But I’m sure there was a substitution.” He was silent, his gaze holding her own. “Let us talk about the bathing accommodations again.”

  “You said I didn’t have to talk about anything that—” She suddenly exploded, “But you still want to hear about it? I’ll tell you. You can’t hurt me. None of you can hurt me.” Her eyes were blazing into his own. “At the end of every week that my father refused their terms, the guards were given a night to rape me. But I was so disgusting and dirty that they’d take me down the hall to the shower to make me worthy of their attention. Because if you’re careful, rape doesn’t leave marks either.” She was breathing hard, her heart pounding. “But that didn’t matter, none of it mattered. I just had to be sure I didn’t let what they did make me the helpless animal they wanted to make me. I didn’t let them hurt me. I’ll never let that happen.” She was shaking. She had to stop. Never show weakness. “Is that what you wanted to know, Hu Chang?”

  “It is what I needed to know,” he said quietly. “Is there anything else you would like to tell me so that I can ease your time here from now on?”

  She shook her head. She wouldn’t have been able to answer if she’d tried.

  He nodded. “Very well. So here is what will happen in the next weeks. Your food will not be good, but perhaps not slop. You will have unlimited water. There will be no torture, no matter how frustrating I prove to your captors.” He paused. “You will be taken to the shower once a day and left there for thirty minutes, then escorted back to your cell. Your guards will have to meet with my approval, and no one will touch you again. Do you believe me?”

  She shook her head.

  “Then I will clearly have to prove myself to you. It will be no problem. I’m an exceptional human being, as you will soon find out.” He rose to his feet with one fluid movement. “Two things you should know about what we’re going to be together as we go forward. One, I will never betray you. Two, I expect you to always be everything you can be. I will accept nothing less.” He moved toward the door. “And you’re wrong, Rachel. You have been hurt, but I didn’t tell you I’m also a magnificent physician who can show you the way to heal yourself. Are you not lucky to have me in your life? You’ll find my arrival far outbalances all the terrible things that have happened to you in this place.” He knocked on the door to indicate to the guard he was ready to leave. “We’ll spend many hours together in this cell so that you can learn to appreciate me. I will bring fine books so that your mind can leave these bars behind. According to the report I have on you, you’re quite brilliant and curious. We have that in common, and I’ve decided that I have need of someone of your strength and endurance in my life.” He met her eyes. “So it’s a foregone conclusion that we will be the best of friends, Rachel. Think about that instead of the trials that you were given to make you strong enough to vanquish all the forces that challenge you.” The door was opening. “Good day. I will see you tomorrow, and we will talk more.” He suddenly chuckled. “And perhaps I will let you talk without answering questions then. It just seemed wise to impress you with your change of circumstances and my own inimitable character.”

  “Wait.” She moistened her lips. “Is it true? You’re not lying?”

  He shook his head. “That would violate the first rule of our friendship. I will never betray you.” He glanced at the guard. “And you might say farewell to this man. He does not please me. You will have someone else by the end of the day.” He turned and left the cell.

  The door swung closed behind him.

  She was still shaking, she realized. Was the nightmare almost over? No, she must not get her hopes up. Nightmares couldn’t just be banished by one man who walked into this cell and told her everything she wanted to hear. Safety. Comfort. Freedom.

  And one more thing, the knowledge that she was right about not being destroyed by these last months. That she could take something away that was far more valuable than what had been done to her.

  Together with the knowledge that she was not alone.

  “It’s a foregone conclusion that we will be the best of friends, Rachel.”

  Hu Chang had said those words, and in that moment, she had believed him.

  Not that she could trust that to be true yet.

  But she found herself thinking that perhaps it might be true. He had said he would see her tomorrow.

  And maybe she’d know tomorrow if it was true …

  * * *

  The best of friends.

  Yes, that was what they were today, what they had started to build on that foundation all those years ago, Rachel thought as she stared at the soft green walls of the lounge. He had kept his promise never to betray her. She hoped she had never shown him less than being the very best she could be.

  No, that wasn’t true. She had been a fool and certainly not her best when she’d made that hideous mistake with Huber four years ago.

  But perhaps she could find a way to correct that mistake if Brandon gave her a way to do it.

  She was too tired to think about it now. She would try to sit here and wait until Brandon let her know what had happened with Phillip. She leaned her head against the wall next to her and closed her eyes. She would rest just a little while, then go check on Maria again.

  Maria who was young and had her whole life in front of her now …

  * * *

  “Wake up, Rachel.”

  It was Brandon, she realized vaguely, and his voice was sharp with displeasure. Well that was no surprise. It was how he’d spoken to her since the moment he’d erupted into her life. Except that moment when he’d looked down at Maria and smiled …

  “Rachel!”

  His hand was on her shoulder.

  Her lids flew open, and she looked up at him. It was all zooming toward her out of the fog of sleep. Brandon had come back. He was frowning. That was bad, wasn’t it? “Phillip?”

  He didn’t answer. “It’s difficult to have my people guard you when you decide to sleep here in the lounge instead of staying in the room with Maria. Anyone could have given you an injection and whisked you out of the—”

  “Phillip?” She grabbed his arm. “Did you get Phillip?”

  “Yes.” He pulled her to her feet. “He’s down in ER being patched up. They should be nearly finished with him. I stayed with him until I was sure there was no internal damage, and then I came after you.” His tone was biting. “First, I went to Maria Perez’s room, where you should have been, and Blanca said that she hadn’t seen you for hours. So I started looking for you.”

  Hours? She looked at her watch. 1:40 A.M. It had been hours. “I just closed my eyes for a moment. I was waiting to hear from you after I knew Maria was going to be— You could have called me.”

  “He passed out from blood loss in the helicopter on the way here. I needed to make certain I was turning over a negotiable product to you.”

  “But he’s okay?” Her gaze flew to his face. “You’re sure?”

  “The EMTs in the ambulance had his blood type ready for a transfusion when the copter landed. That appears to have taken care of the problem.” His lips twisted. “But I assume you’re going to want to go down and see for yourself?”

  “Yes.” She was already heading for the elevator. “None of your men were hurt?”

  His brows rose. “I’m surprised you’re inquiring.”

  “Of course I want to know.” Her finger stabbed the elevator button. “I sent those men out there. I was the one responsible. Anyone hurt or killed is my guilt.”
She glanced at him as she entered the elevator. “I’m not like you or my father and think that because someone is paid to take risks, it’s all right to send them out to do it.”

  “Then you’ll be glad to know that you’re almost guilt-free.” He said as he followed her onto the elevator and pushed the button. “There were a few minor injuries on our side, but nothing that should cause you sleepless nights. However, I can’t promise you the same for Morales’ men. I didn’t stop to get any body counts when we raided the camp and took Sanford. Would you like me to go back and do it? Perhaps you’d like to take a One World team and set up a hospital area to—”

  “Oh, shut up. Maybe I did sound…” There was no maybe about it. She’d sounded smug and opinionated and heaven knows what else. It was clear that they didn’t think anything alike, but she’d had no right to accuse him of being callous after what he’d just done. “Thank you for saving Phillip. He’s worth saving.”

  He gazed at her speculatively. “Professionally or personally? I’ve been wondering about where all that passion came from.”

  She blinked. “You think we were lovers?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “No, we’re friends and colleagues.” She looked at him. “And I know how prisoners can be treated. Even if they didn’t kill him, there could be scars that might not heal.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Like your scars?”

  “No, but then I had Hu Chang.” The doors opened, and she moved out of the elevator toward the ER. “Not many people are that lucky. It would be better if he didn’t have to go through it. He should be—”

  The ER door had swung open, and a nurse was pushing Phillip out in a wheelchair.

  “Phillip!” She ran forward and bent down to hug him. “I’m so glad to see you,” she whispered. She straightened and looked down at his face. Pale, dark circles beneath his eyes, a bruise on his left cheek. But he was smiling unsteadily at her. “How bad?”

  “What you see is what you get.” He nodded at his extended right leg. “The bastards weren’t gentle, but they didn’t do much more than threaten. They were too busy running around trying to find you.” He glanced at Brandon and grinned. “And he wasn’t gentle either when he was jerking me out of there, but I suppose I have to forgive him. How is your arm?”