Page 44 of The Search

She glanced at Bassett, who was curled up asleep in the chair across the aisle. He deserved to go back to his wife and kid. He should never have gotten caught up in any project with a man as dangerous as Logan. What was she thinking? But she had not really thought of Logan as dangerous until the past few days. On the surface he was a powerful and eminently respectable businessman. Bassett had probably thought himself lucky to hitch his wagon to a star of Logan’s magnitude. Well, not Sarah. She had done her job and was through with Logan.

Monty made a sound deep in his throat and she quickly bent to stroke his side. “I know it hurts. It will be over soon. We’re going home.”

“I think it’s a displaced clavicle,” Duggan said. “It must hurt like hell. You’d better not walk any farther.”

“Don’t be an idiot. I have to keep going. Give me a minute and I’ll be able to go on.” Rudzak leaned back against the tree, closed his eyes, and let the waves of pain wash over him. He had learned in prison that it was better to accept pain than to fight it. Another lesson he owed to Logan. “Did you radio Mendez and ask him to send another helicopter?”

“Yes, he said that he’d have it waiting for us at the cliffs.”

The cliffs. Five miles away. It might as well be fifty in the shape he was in. Dammit, why did the helicopter have to crash? All his plans blown in a moment. “You told him I was hurt?”

Duggan avoided his glance. “He said this wasn’t company business and that he wouldn’t chance involving his men in a confrontation with Galen. He’ll be glad to help you if you reach an area that’s relatively safe.”

He should have known. Company business was the only passion in Mendez’s life, and as long as Rudzak kept the profits coming in, the drug baron would continue to pour unlimited funds into his bank account. If Rudzak did anything that harmed business, he’d be cut loose quicker than the blink of an eye. Mendez needn’t worry. Rudzak would do nothing to damage their relationship. Money was God in this world, and he needed money to unleash a lightning bolt at Logan.

“I could call him back,” Duggan said. “Maybe he didn’t realize—”

“He realized exactly what he was doing.” Which meant he had to get to those cliffs before Galen and his team returned. “Help me up.”

Agony shot through his upper body as Duggan got him to his feet. It would be all right, he told himself. Accept the pain. Make it work for you. Turn it into hate.

He knew all about hate. Fifteen years . . .

“Do you want to lean on me?” Duggan asked.

“No.” He staggered down the trail. Keep going. Ignore the pain. Think about Logan. Plan the next move. “As soon as we get to Bogotá I want you to arrange transport to the U.S.”

“We have to get you to a doctor before—”

“That won’t take long. If it’s a displaced clavicle, it can be put back. I want to be en route by tomorrow. I don’t want Logan to feel safe.”

“And we’re going to Silicon Valley?”

Duggan was zeroing in on his principal interest. No harm; it would keep him focused. But there were so many more facets to revenge than he was capable of seeing. “Yes, but first I have to check and see if—” He stopped to get his breath as another wave of pain shot through him. Fight it. Clear your mind. “I saw a woman and a dog. . . . She helped Logan get to the helicopter. Find out who she is.”

“As soon as I can.”

“Right away. I know Logan. He can be very soft when he’s grateful to someone. I’ve exploited that weakness myself.” The pain was getting hard to suppress. But he mustn’t be discouraged just because one thing had gone wrong.

I’m coming, Logan. Do you feel my hate? You will soon. It will burn you and everyone around you to cinders.

“He’s alive,” Galen said over the phone. “We found the helicopter, but he’d managed to land it. No sign of him or any of his men.”

Logan cursed. “Keep looking.”

“I am, but it’s my bet he’s safe in drug heaven somewhere in the hills.”

“Not for long. He’ll be on the move as soon as he can.”

“But we may have a break for a little while. What’s the plan?”

“I’m working on it. But right now we have to wait for him to make a move. Have Margaret contact the FBI and ATF and tell them we’ve had an anonymous threat and to give my plants and research facilities additional protection.”

“Including Dodsworth?”

Logan didn’t answer for a moment. “No, not Dodsworth. She’s not to tell them about Dodsworth. I’ve already tripled the security there. Dodsworth will be safe.”

“Don’t sell Rudzak short.”