the more people he got involved, the greater the chance he might tip his hand, but he had no choice. With the decision made, the question remaining was whom he could trust when lives were at stake.
The light on one of the phone lines flicked red, and then the phone warbled an incoming call.
"Yeah?" he answered quickly into the handset, his eagerness showing through his normally stolid demeanor. "Is it done?" There was a long pause as he listened. He reached for the papers on his desk, scattering them around until he found the one he was looking for. "Son of a bitch! Where is she right now?"
Tossing the document down, he rose from his chair and paced to the window. "And what can we do about it?" He pulled back the heavy curtain and looked out into the night. "Where's the plane? Oh for the love of Mary...how hard is it to kill one woman?"
He threw back the curtain and rubbed his hand over his face as he listened to the voice on the other end. "This is becoming a bigger problem than it's worth. I asked for your best. Who exactly did you send?" He walked back to his desk and looked over the scattered papers. "Where is she - right now?" The answer he heard from the party at the other end of the phone annoyed him. "Then find out!"
Cori had no idea where they were going. For a while they traveled north on Highway 54, and then turned off onto a narrow paved road that she had barely seen in the dark. The pavement gave way to hard packed dirt and the rough road and abundance of potholes jarred her back, but making any kind of comment about the road conditions would have been pointless. Tired, exhausted, and beyond functional, she knew there was no point in trying to escape. Everyone knew that in Mexico, if you wanted to be safe, you didn't go anywhere after dark.
The instrument panel of the Honda gave off an eerie glow of green, enough light for her to see the driver. She had said her name was Kenzie, but she had not said anything since. She was an interesting woman, quiet and calm, but very much in control. Cori could tell a strong current was churning below the hardened surface. She watched the strong fingers holding tightly to the steering wheel as the car bounced unrelentingly down the dirt road. Cori was a hands person and she always noticed them first. She often wondered if it was because she had wanted to be a surgeon at one point in her life, though that had been a long time ago.
The mountains were to their right, which meant the ocean was in front of them, but a long way off. The moon was high and the stars were out in abundance when Kenzie pulled the car off the road and killed the engine. The dust settled, and Cori could taste it in her nose and mouth as the sounds of the motor died away into silence.
"Where are we?" Cori's voice sounded strange and raspy so she licked at her dry lips. She winced when her tongue touched the swollen corner of her mouth and tasted the iron in the dried blood. Everything was unreal, like a dream, and she was floating beyond it. Nothing about this made sense. She was not rich, and neither was her mother, but then again Kenzie had said it was not a kidnapping.
Kenzie reached into the back seat, pulled out a large bottle of water and offered it to Cori. Cori accepted the bottle and muttered a quiet "thank you" before she took a drink. There was a waiting silence inside the car, interrupted by the gurgle of water as Cori took another drink. With her thirst quenched, she reluctantly offered the bottle back.
Kenzie accepted it without a word, took a long drink, and then placed the bottle on the console between them. Opening the car door, pieces of glass cascaded to the ground as Kenzie pulled herself from the confines of the vehicle.
"Can I get out, too?" Cori asked cautiously.
Cori noticed Kenzie studying the landscape. "No," she answered finally, her tone low and emotionless as she slowly walked around to the back of the car.
With nothing else to do, Cori sat and listened to the noises
The light on one of the phone lines flicked red, and then the phone warbled an incoming call.
"Yeah?" he answered quickly into the handset, his eagerness showing through his normally stolid demeanor. "Is it done?" There was a long pause as he listened. He reached for the papers on his desk, scattering them around until he found the one he was looking for. "Son of a bitch! Where is she right now?"
Tossing the document down, he rose from his chair and paced to the window. "And what can we do about it?" He pulled back the heavy curtain and looked out into the night. "Where's the plane? Oh for the love of Mary...how hard is it to kill one woman?"
He threw back the curtain and rubbed his hand over his face as he listened to the voice on the other end. "This is becoming a bigger problem than it's worth. I asked for your best. Who exactly did you send?" He walked back to his desk and looked over the scattered papers. "Where is she - right now?" The answer he heard from the party at the other end of the phone annoyed him. "Then find out!"
Cori had no idea where they were going. For a while they traveled north on Highway 54, and then turned off onto a narrow paved road that she had barely seen in the dark. The pavement gave way to hard packed dirt and the rough road and abundance of potholes jarred her back, but making any kind of comment about the road conditions would have been pointless. Tired, exhausted, and beyond functional, she knew there was no point in trying to escape. Everyone knew that in Mexico, if you wanted to be safe, you didn't go anywhere after dark.
The instrument panel of the Honda gave off an eerie glow of green, enough light for her to see the driver. She had said her name was Kenzie, but she had not said anything since. She was an interesting woman, quiet and calm, but very much in control. Cori could tell a strong current was churning below the hardened surface. She watched the strong fingers holding tightly to the steering wheel as the car bounced unrelentingly down the dirt road. Cori was a hands person and she always noticed them first. She often wondered if it was because she had wanted to be a surgeon at one point in her life, though that had been a long time ago.
The mountains were to their right, which meant the ocean was in front of them, but a long way off. The moon was high and the stars were out in abundance when Kenzie pulled the car off the road and killed the engine. The dust settled, and Cori could taste it in her nose and mouth as the sounds of the motor died away into silence.
"Where are we?" Cori's voice sounded strange and raspy so she licked at her dry lips. She winced when her tongue touched the swollen corner of her mouth and tasted the iron in the dried blood. Everything was unreal, like a dream, and she was floating beyond it. Nothing about this made sense. She was not rich, and neither was her mother, but then again Kenzie had said it was not a kidnapping.
Kenzie reached into the back seat, pulled out a large bottle of water and offered it to Cori. Cori accepted the bottle and muttered a quiet "thank you" before she took a drink. There was a waiting silence inside the car, interrupted by the gurgle of water as Cori took another drink. With her thirst quenched, she reluctantly offered the bottle back.
Kenzie accepted it without a word, took a long drink, and then placed the bottle on the console between them. Opening the car door, pieces of glass cascaded to the ground as Kenzie pulled herself from the confines of the vehicle.
"Can I get out, too?" Cori asked cautiously.
Cori noticed Kenzie studying the landscape. "No," she answered finally, her tone low and emotionless as she slowly walked around to the back of the car.
With nothing else to do, Cori sat and listened to the noises
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