“I generally don’t work well when I’m looking down the wrong end of a gun,” Judd drawled.
“I understand, but you see I’m a little nervous lately. Ever since my partner experienced a problem tying up some loose ends, I’ve felt more comfortable carrying this unpleasant piece of metal. Tell me, what did go wrong on the assignment we gave you, Judd?” Nick glanced at Honor in mild disgust. “Did the little bitch offer you more than we did? Or did you find her so good in bed you couldn’t bear to give her up to Leo? I always wondered what she would be like in the sack. I had intended to find out in Hong Kong but things didn’t quite work out, did they, Honor? Leo and I knew you’d flown home to Phoenix, but it took us a while to find out that you’d slipped over the border into Mexico.”
“But when you did you went right out and hired Judd to find me, didn’t you? That was quite a story you gave him, Nick, about being my brother. Leo played the distraught father, I gather.”
“The tale was a little weak in places but we understood from our sources that it wasn’t Mr. Raven’s practice to ask too many questions if the price was right. I had to return to Hong Kong to finish some business there, so after we lined Raven up I left the country.” Nick swung his sardonic gaze back to the quiet man leaning against the door. “You should have told us that we weren’t offering enough, Raven. Leo and I would have been willing to pay much more for Honor.”
“You offered enough. I did what I was paid to do. I brought her out of Mexico. It was at Garrison’s end that things went wrong. The Feds got him before I could complete the contract.”
“And just how did the Feds get onto Leo?” Nick mused icily. “Were they the ones who made the better offer? Are you playing both sides of the street, Raven?”
“It’s not too profitable these days,” Judd murmured dryly. “What with Federal budget cutbacks, government contacts just don’t pay like they once did.”
“Then what the hell went wrong, Raven? Why was Leo picked up? Why did my connection warn me about using my real passport to get into the country? Come on, don’t tell me you and Honor [_didn’t _]have a hand in that somewhere!”
“The information I got was that the Feds have been watching you and Garrison for some time. They closed in at about the same time I was bringing Honor out of Mexico.”
“Quite a coincidence.” Nick shot a scathing glance at Honor’s tense face. “So why did you hang on to Miss Knight? Just trying to salvage something from an otherwise busted deal?”
Honor took her courage in both hands, making a desperate effort to keep her voice as cool as that of the predators in the room. “When Garrison wasn’t able [_to _]pay off, Mr. Raven suddenly found himself open to other offers. I made him a good one.”
“Really?” Nick eyed her skeptically. “What are you paying him for?”
“Isn’t it obvious? To protect me from you. I knew you’d be coming after me eventually, Nick.”
“Mr. Raven, it seems, has had a lot of business lately.”
“But not much in the way of cold cash,” Judd interposed flatly. ‘The economy being what it is these days, I’ve decided on a general policy of getting the money up front. I’m sure, being a businessman yourself, you can understand my reasoning.”
Nick used the toe of his shoe to nudge the suitcase around where he could reach it with his free hand. Without taking his eyes off Judd and keeping the gun unwaveringly pointed at him, Nick leaned over and flipped open the locks. When he raised the lid of the case several neatly bound bundles of currency came into view. “Up-front money, Mr. Raven. Far more than Miss Knight could possibly afford. When I got news of Leo’s arrest I came back to close out the company’s U.S. bank account. It’s all in cash, and fifty thousand of it is yours. How soon can we leave for Mexico?”
Honor held her breath, watching Judd’s eyes go briefly [_to _]the stacks of money and then lift to meet Nick’s waiting gaze. “Just as soon as you like, Prager. For that kind of cash I’m always at your service,” he said softly.
Nick nodded grimly. “I had a hunch that might be the case.”
“But I still don’t like working with a gun at my head.”
“I can’t blame you, but you must see that I’ve got to be a bit cautious. I’m in a somewhat precarious position as long as I’m on this side of the border. I’m afraid I’ll have to hang on to the gun for a while.”
“And the money?” Judd glanced at the suitcase as Nick closed and locked it.
“It will be with us in the plane. I shall leave your share behind when I get out in Mexico. At that point I will also take Miss Knight off your hands. You’re probably growing tired of her by now anyway, hmmm?”
Honor felt a chill race down her spine as she glanced at Judd’s impassive face. But he said nothing, merely pushed himself away from the door. He didn’t look at Honor as he reached around to open it again. “Let’s go. It’s getting late.”
“Excellent, Raven. I’m in something of a hurry myself.” Prager got to his feet and picked up the suitcase. Then he motioned with the gun. “Come along, Honor. I know you’re an incurable romantic but you’re going to have to accept a few facts of life. One of them is that to someone like Mr. Raven fifty grand is going to speak a lot louder than a toss in the hay. Move.”
Unwillingly Honor’s gaze dropped to the suitcase in the gunman’s hand. Fifty thousand dollars. She wondered how often in his career Judd had received an offer of that magnitude. Probably seldom. She swallowed awkwardly and then-turned toward the door. Judd stood waiting, his expression as emotionless and unreadable as it had ever been. His gaze slid away from her as he pulled a set of keys out of his pocket.
“I have a rental car parked at the back of the house,” Nick said calmly as he shepherded the other two outside. “Might as well leave it there since the jeep is handier. You sit in front beside Raven, Honor. I’ll get in the back so that I can keep an eye on both of you.”
The drive to the deserted airfield was made in taut silence. The whistling of the night wind through the open window was the only sound. When they reached the field Judd parked the jeep near the old hangar. In the moonlight the row of small private planes stood like a pack of night creatures on the tarmac.
“I’ll have to turn on the runway lights.” Judd was already striding toward the tiny office housed at the entrance of the hangar.