Operation: Midnight Rendezvous Read Online Free PDF Page B

resources to check all the local hospitals to see if any bullet wounds have been reported. Find out who her friends are. Check with family members. Pay them a personal visit. Make sure they know she is a fugitive and the full force of the law will come down on them like a ton of bricks if they do not cooperate.”
    “All right.”

    Grinding his teeth, the man crossed to the topographical map pinned to the wall. He glared at the area circled in red. He studied the river. “There’s a marina at the mouth of the river.”
    “That’s correct.”
    “Have you checked with the harbormaster?”
    “I’ll take care of it personally. Right away.”
    He reached out and put his hand on the other man’s beefy shoulder. But the ice in his eyes belied his serene expression. “We’ve been good to you.”
    “Yes, you have.”
    “The benefits have been rewarding?”
    “The benefits have exceeded my expectations.”
    “If you want things to remain that way, find the woman and the boy and eliminate them. Are we clear?”
    “Crystal.” The man was sweating when he left the room.
     
    B ENEATH THE YELLOW LIGHT of the banker’s lamp Madrid studied the photo. The poor resolution and lighting made it difficult to make out details. Either the camera had been hidden or the photographer had been rushed. He wished for his computer and photo enhancing software. Unfortunately none of that was available, so he was going to have to make do with his naked eye.
    The photo showed seventeen young women, most of Asian descent, crowded into a small, dark room. At least nine of the women were bound. Two had visible facial bruising. Were they being held against their will? If so, by whom? Where had the photo been taken?
    In the background he saw what could be a baremattress. A beat-up bucket. There were no windows, and only one wall was visible, made of what looked to be some type of corrugated steel.
    He wondered if Angela had snapped the picture from a tiny camera hidden on her person. Had this been part of her mission? Had her cover been blown and she’d been murdered before she could report back to the agency?
    “What the hell were you onto?” he whispered.
    The floor creaked behind him. In one smooth motion Madrid snagged the pistol off the desk and spun. Surprise rippled through him at the sight of Jessica Atwood standing at the bedroom door.
    Her eyes flicked to the gun leveled at her chest and she went white. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
    Frowning, he set the pistol on the desk. “You’d be wise not to sneak up on a man when he’s armed.”
    She wore an oversize T-shirt and a pair of drawstring pants she must have found in the dresser. Her feet were bare. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Another thing he shouldn’t be noticing.
    He’d left her sleeping with Nicolas a couple of hours earlier. He wished she’d stayed in the bedroom. She was pretty, and he didn’t want her distracting him from his work.
    He turned back to the photo.
    “My fever broke,” she said. “I’m feeling better. Clearheaded.”
    “The antibiotics must be working.”
    A pause. “What are you doing?”
    Madrid didn’t answer. He didn’t want to engage her;he still wasn’t totally convinced she was innocent. On the other hand, the more he thought about the circumstances surrounding Angela’s death, the more he came to believe there was something sinister going on in Lighthouse Point. Something that went far beyond Jessica Atwood.
    “Does it tell you anything?”
    He turned, gave her a look he hoped conveyed his annoyance. “What?”
    “The photo.”
    Realizing he was staring—and that she’d noticed—he tore his gaze away from her and looked at the photo. “Maybe.”
    “Hard to tell much with the graininess and bad lighting.” She came up beside him and looked at the photo. “They look scared.”
    That was the first thing that had struck him, too—the terror in the women’s eyes. “I’ll bet the farm they’re being held against their