A different soldier than the one who had delivered the news about Emily’s escape stood at Dario’s open office door. He lacked the air of relaxed confidence of the other man. He clasped his hands in front of him to hide the shaking.
“El Callado?”
Dario gestured to the man to enter. The man cleared his throat, but Dario cut him off before he could speak.
“Rigo is dead, yes?”
“Yes.”
“I suspected as much.”
“The case. It was taken.”
“By...?”
“One of the dockworkers. He took it and ran.”
“What an interesting turn of events.”
“Rigo’s driver said after the man took off, then a dark SUV pulled out of a warehouse and followed.”
“The NSA following a trail of breadcrumbs, I suspect. Always following.”
“Rigo put a tracker in the case.”
“Excellent. Tell Rigo’s driver to locate it and be sure to keep the tracker in range. When the dockworker stops, have him forward the location.”
“Yes, sir. Anything else?”
“Just tell the men to keep an eye on things. This was a contingency I had planned for. I’m flying to the States to resolve another matter.”
“You need to retrieve the case, no?”
“Shortly. For now, I have a hunch it’s moving in the right direction. I need the government agencies chasing their tails a bit longer. This unexpected twist could be a remarkable turn of luck. Tell the men to keep watch. I’ll instruct them if further action is needed.”
The man turned and quickly fled. Dario pushed back from his desk, crossed to the elegant bar, removed the bottle of Louis XIII Cognac from its case, and poured himself a small measure. He lifted the snifter in a small toast to the framed photo of his wife that sat behind the bar on a shelf of mementos.
His moment of peace was interrupted by the clanging ring of the secure satellite phone on his desk. He returned to his work and answered it.
“El Callado, you won’t believe it.” The man on the line was Pedro, Rigo’s driver. He was speaking quietly, and it was a bad connection. Dario didn’t, as a rule, anticipate bad news, but apprehension coated his words.
“What now?”
“I followed the tracker on the case. I arrived just a moment ago. The dockworker is talking to a group of men. They drew their guns at first, but they seem to have resolved the issue.”
“Don’t get too close. I don’t want you spotted.”
“I have moved around the block, but senõr, the girl you are looking for, Emily Webster, she’s there.”
“You’re sure.”
“Positive, El Callado. It’s dark, but I recognized her immediately. I was in the van... the last time,” Pedro rushed through, not eager to remind Dario of the failure. “She’s with the group of men in the house.”
“Stay out of sight, Pedro. Update me every hour. Your good fortune will be rewarded.”
“Of course. Thank you, senõr.”
Dario disconnected the call feeling a tremendous sense of rightness. He quickly sent a text to his pilot to inform him of the new flight plan and raised his glass once again to the photo behind the bar.
“My God, sweet Tala, you really do look after me.”