We have the others’ phones. Will text him to come back to the states. Ask Yoko to pick him up at airport. Will text details.

  At the same time, Myra was sending a text to Yoko:

  How are things with Bridezilla?

  Yoko texted back:

  I think she’s happy. Today. Tomorrow is another story.

  We need to get #4 here. Can you pick him up at airport tomorrow?

  What time?

  Flights arrive at 6:00 PM.

  No prob. Send details.

  Myra then sent a text to Annie:

  Use Darius phone. Tell Leroy to return to US Flight leaves at 3:00 PM. Look for Asian woman with sign.

  Got it. Will do. CU soon. Miss you!

  Ditto.

  Annie sent off the requested text to Leroy using Darius’s phone:

  Problems with letter. Return to US 3:00 flight leaves tomorrow. Asian woman with sign will meet you at arriving passenger doors.

  Leroy jumped when his phone beeped. It had been over a day and a half since he’d heard from anyone. He read and reread the text. Asian woman? Who was that? He sent a text in return:

  Asian woman? Who?

  The answer came back swiftly:

  Don’t ask questions. Just get on the plane and follow instructions.

  Leroy was more confused than ever. Who was this Asian woman? How come no one ever told him about her? Where did she come from? Why wasn’t Darius picking him up? What did Eric have to say about all this?

  He sent another text:

  Are you sure?

  Annie had anticipated some pushback, so she pushed harder, texting:

  Just do it.

  She practically punched the message into the phone.

  Leroy texted back:

  Got it.

  He was still confused, but he wasn’t going to piss off Darius.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  On the Road

  Kathryn pulled the rig into a large truck stop, making sure they were parked far away from the other vehicles. It was nightfall, and several other rigs were also pulling in. She made sure the back of the trailer was facing the opposite direction of the rest of the vehicles. It was time to give the cargo their smoothies. She hopped out of the cab, and Maggie did the same.

  “I’ll go get the protein shakes; you keep a lookout for any busybodies,” Kathryn instructed.

  Maggie positioned herself so she’d have a full view of the parking area. Kathryn went into the diner and ordered three Greenies for their prisoners, along with three bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches for her and Maggie. She knew Maggie could eat two. As she waited, she recognized a couple of regular long-haulers and nodded at them. It was funny how you could make acquaintances driving across the country. There was an understood respect for one another. It was not an easy life, nor was it a safe one. In addition to their phones and GPS, most of them still used CB radios. Often it was the fastest way to communicate the presence of danger, troopers, and drifters. When her order was ready, Kathryn waved at the two guys sitting at the counter. They pointed east as if it were a question. She nodded. They gave her a short salute.

  When she returned to the truck, she handed Maggie the bag of sandwiches. “Leave one for me.”

  “Ha.” Maggie put the food in the cab and went to the back to give Kathryn a hand.

  Kathryn dropped the lift and glided it up to be level with the truck bed. She lifted the tailgate. The fumes from the produce mixed with excrement was putrid. “Geez. I forgot about how rank piss and turds can stink when wrapped in a bundle.”

  Maggie could smell the stench from where she stood. “It smells toxic. Can they die from that?”

  “If only.” Kathryn pulled the bandana that was around her neck up and over her mouth and nose. Maggie handed her two of the protein drinks and a flashlight. Kathryn swept the light across the pallets of veggies. The three men were crumpled in between. She shined the light in the bulky one’s face. His lids were heavy. Must be dehydrated, she thought. She swung the flashlight toward the not-so-pretty-boy. His eyes shot open like a bullet.

  “Easy, dude. I’m not going to hurt you. Not just yet, anyway.” She shoved a straw into the small hole they left open near his mouth. “Bon Appetit!” He sucked down the liquid quickly. “Good boy.” She moved on to the bulky one and gave him a slight kick. His lids blinked like a traffic light. “Dinner.” She repeated the same routine with him, inserting the straw in his mouth. He, too, gulped it down. Kathryn returned to where Maggie was standing and picked up the third drink.

  “So far, they’re still breathing,” Kathryn said. She took the shake from Maggie and returned to the passengers. When she got close to Darius, he made a valiant attempt to kick her—but to no avail. He just made matters worse for himself. If that were even possible. Kathryn returned the favor and kicked him in the groin. The tape was so tight around his face that his lips protruded through the hole and got stuck. “Did that hurt, big boy?” He groaned in pain. “Now, are you going to behave and let me serve you dinner?”

  She could see the agony in his eyes. “Here you go. Chef’s specialty.” Kathryn stuck the straw between his bloated lips. He finished off the smoothie in less than a minute.

  Kathryn fixed the flashlight on each of their faces in turn. Satisfied they would make it another eight hours, she departed the disgusting smell. “Sorry we don’t have turn-down service. Hope the accommodations aren’t too crude for you. Nighty-night.”

  She lowered the liftgate and hopped off, then fastened it to the back. “I may have to pay for that load of vegetables. I’m not comfortable with the idea that they would end up on someone’s table after traveling with the stinko brothers.”

  “I’m sure Annie will take care of any issues,” Maggie said. “What was that noise I heard?”

  “That douche tried to kick me, so I kicked back. He must be delirious to think he could do anything while hog-tied and taped.”

  “Like I said, that smell is toxic. Maybe it’s affecting his brain.”

  Kathryn chuckled. “Well, his balls aren’t feeling too good right now.”

  They got back into the cab, reclined the seat a little, and dug into their gooey egg sandwiches. “Mmm . . . this is really good.” Maggie smacked her lips.

  “I’m telling you, they have some great comfort food at these places. One of my faves is their Thanksgiving sandwich.”

  “Ooh, do tell.” Maggie took another big bite.

  “Turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing, on rye bread.”

  “Do they serve it all year?” Maggie was thoroughly enjoying her meal.

  “They do.”

  “Oh, can I go get one?”

  “I just gave you two sandwiches!”

  “For later.” Maggie gave Kathryn a puppy-dog look.

  “Sure. Fine. Let me finish this, and I’ll go back inside.”

  They ate in silence for a few minutes before Maggie said, “I wonder what Myra has in mind for these dirtbags.”

  “I can’t even imagine. Doing this to one of us? And Myra’s daughter, no less?” Kathryn shook her head. “We’re going to see some kind of nasty.”

  Maggie giggled. “I can hardly wait.”

  Kathryn wiped her mouth and hands with a towelette. “Anything else you want?”

  “How about an order of fries with brown gravy?”

  “That’s not going to taste good cold.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, you’re not going to save it for later?” Kathryn made it more of a statement than a question.

  “Uh, no.”

  “I swear you have more than one stomach.” Kathryn hopped out of the cab and went back into the diner. The two other truckers were still sitting at the counter. She smiled at them, then said, “Traveling with a friend. She eats like a horse.”

  The two men laughed. “If you need anything, just give a holler. You got our call letters, right?” one of them said.

  “I might need for you to make a few food deliveries,” Kathryn joked. She took the sandwich and fries and paid the waitress. The guys gave her a thumbs-up.

  Kathryn thought about the days when she and her husband drove cross-country together. He was the love of her life. She tried a few times to establish other relationships, but to no avail. However, she took comfort knowing there were other drivers on the road who had her back.

  She went around to the passenger side of the rig and handed Maggie the sandwich and the fries dripping with gravy.

  “Woo-hoo! It’s been ages since I’ve had this!” Maggie exclaimed.

  Kathryn shook her head. That Maggie girl sure could eat, and she was barely 100 pounds. Kathryn got back behind the wheel and pulled out of the parking lot. They kept moving across the country. Kathryn was looking forward to a hot bath and one of Charles’s sumptuous meals. Over the years, Charles had honed his culinary skills, and it had become a new tradition—after each mission, he would prepare something lavish and delicious.

  As if Maggie were reading her mind, she said, “I wonder what Charles is going to prepare for dinner when this is over.”

  Kathryn did a double take. “I hate when you do that.”

  “What do you mean?” Maggie asked innocently.

  “Read my mind.”

  Maggie laughed. “I think it’s called synchronicity or something like that.”

  “Yeah, and a whole lot of woo-woo. Give me one of those.” She pointed to the fries. “I want to experience what this is all about.”

  “You mean to tell me after all these years of truck stops, you never had fries with gravy?” Maggie dug the plastic fork into the sloppy mess and handed it to Kathryn.

  “Oh, wow. You’re right. I had no idea!”

  “Well, keep your mitts off, lady.” Maggie polished it off in a few minutes. “Are we there yet?” she joked.

  “Soon, but not soon enough. I really dread having to feed those baboons again. I better let Charles and Fergus know to get out the hazmat suits.”

  “Ew, yeah. Remember when we had that nefarious fake doctor in the holding cell? They had to hose him down.” Both laughed. “If those jerks in the back think this is hell, wait until Annie and Myra get their hands on them.”

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Leroy

  Leroy was a hot mess. He had been on his one last nerve ever since the bank wouldn’t release the funds. It was too bad he couldn’t enjoy his extended stay in the Cayman Islands. Unfortunately for him, this would be the last time he saw anything that resembled civilization. But he didn’t know that yet.

  He checked his duffel bag several times, not that there was much to pack. He checked and rechecked his ticket and his passport. He had the jitters. What was Darius going to do to him? Who was this Asian woman? Where were they going once he landed? Too many questions and no answers. He grabbed his gear and went to the front desk to check out. Luckily, there was still enough money on the debit card to cover the hotel. He counted his cash. Just barely enough to get to the airport.

  When he arrived, he went through the same security procedures, but this time, he was wearing socks. He arrived at the gate and took a seat. He still had an hour before boarding. He sent a text to Darius:

  At airport. Boarding soon. Will you be at airport?

  Annie heard the buzz of one of the cell phones. It was the one they took from Darius’s house. She saw the text and replied:

  No. She will find you. Go to baggage claim.

  Annie had read the prison records and various reports that Fergus and Charles had pulled together. Eric stole money, Bennie was a peeping tom, Darius had a penchant for explosions, and Leroy was a bit of a pudding head. Nothing indicated he had ever committed bodily harm to anyone. Just stupid moves. He was a bit of a patsy, in her estimation. They would carefully assess everyone’s previous sins and deal out justice accordingly. Annie knew that Myra would want to handle Darius herself.

  * * *

  Leroy handed the gate attendant his boarding pass. His hands were shaking. He hadn’t advanced to the fear of flying syndrome yet. He was shaking from fear of the unknown. He had no idea what was waiting for him at the other side of the flight.

  He took his seat and buckled up. He thought he was going to hyperventilate.

  “Fly much?” the person next to him asked.

  “N-no,” Leroy stammered.

  The man sensed Leroy’s trepidation. “Don’t worry. Flying is safer than driving a car.”

  Not if you’re with Darius, Leroy thought. “Huh. Yeah. So they say.”

  “Maybe you need a drink to calm you down,” the man next to him advised.

  “I don’t have any cash with me,” Leroy replied.

  “They take credit cards.”

  “I lost mine.” Leroy thought fast for a change.

  “Well, that stinks. Let me buy you a drink when they come around.”

  “That’s very nice of you.” Leroy let out a big sigh.

  “No problem. So what brought you to the Caymans? Vacation?”

  Uh-oh. Here we go. Leroy remembered his orders not to chitchat so tried to keep his answer brief. “I was checking on a resort for my employer.”

  “Really? What does he do?”

  “He’s in finance.”

  “Really? What area?”

  “Construction, mostly.” Leroy had to think quick. Something he wasn’t accustomed to doing.

  “Commercial?”

  “Yes. Commercial.” Leroy prayed the man would stop with all the questions, so he decided to ask a few himself.

  “What do you do, sir?” Leroy said, changing the subject.

  “I’m retired.”

  Leroy was surprised. The man hardly looked like he was over fifty.

  “What did you do before you retired?”

  “Insurance. Pretty boring.”

  “Huh.”

  “Yeah, I was lucky. I bought stock in a company years ago, and it went through the roof. We cashed in and decided to enjoy ourselves.”

  “Wow. That’s great.” Leroy was always in awe of people who figured out ways to make money legitimately.

  Once the plane leveled out to cruising altitude, the flight attendant came by to take drink orders.

  “What’ll you have?” the passenger next to Leroy asked.

  “I usually drink beer.”

  “I think you need something stronger than that. You’ve been gripping the armrest since you got on board. Four Jack Daniels, please,” the man said to the flight attendant as he handed over his credit card. “Two for each of us.” She passed along the mini bottles and plastic cups.

  Leroy didn’t think he could drink one, let alone two, but he wanted to be polite. “Thank you, sir. This is most kind of you.”

  “No problem. I used to be scared witless when I first started flying. This ought to calm you down a bit.” The man guzzled his first glass in one fell swoop. He cracked open the second before Leroy swallowed his first sip. It burned his throat, but he was determined to finish it. Maybe not the second, but at least the first.

  “Come on, man. Drink up!” the man urged.

  “I like to sip mine.” Leroy was getting uncomfortable.

  “Suit yourself.” He finished the next one the same way. Down the hatch. A few minutes later, the man was snoring like a chain saw.

  Leroy was relieved. No more small talk. He could feel the alcohol warming his body, calming his shivering nerves. He pulled out the in-flight magazine and flipped through the pages. He couldn’t take his mind off wondering what was in store for him. For all of them. He hadn’t come back with a letter. The money hadn’t been transferred. And now some strange woman was meeting him at the airport. For a fleeting moment, he thought he would slip past her and run, but then he realized he had no money. He wouldn’t get far. He made up a few scenarios in his head, but none of them made sense. He finished off the whiskey and closed his eyes. Why, oh why, did he always get himself into such sticky situations?

  Several hours later, the captain let the passengers know they were making their final approach and would be on the ground in approximately thirty minutes. Leroy couldn’t check his phone yet, so he’d have to wait another half hour to see if there were any other messages from Darius, Eric, or Bennie. When the plane landed and the captain gave them the all-clear for cell phone use, Leroy checked his phone. Nothing. He shrugged. Maybe this woman got the funds somehow. Maybe things were going to work out. Maybe.

  After he exited the plane, he took the escalator to the baggage claim area. He looked around. Toward the back of the crowd, a meticulously dressed Asian woman with dark sunglasses held a sign that read: LARRY KRATMAN. For a minute, he forgot that was his new alias. Then he nodded and walked in her direction. She said nothing, just motioned for him to follow her. They walked toward a black SUV with darkened windows. She opened the rear passenger door and gestured for him to get in. She took the seat next to him. Another woman was driving, and she hit the child-proof safety lock. Leroy wasn’t going anywhere except for where they were taking him. Leroy didn’t know if he should speak or not. He chose not. He figured it wouldn’t matter what he said. The women remained quiet.

  They had driven for approximately twenty minutes when Yoko used her famous sleeper hold on Leroy. Once he was knocked out, she placed duct tape over his mouth and a burlap bag over his head. She zip-tied his hands. She almost felt sorry for him. But not that much. He seemed less of a criminal and more like a tool. They reached the farm, and Yoko and Alexis brought their passenger to the rear entrance. He was the first to arrive. When the car came to a complete stop, he regained consciousness and started to squirm. Alexis unlocked the doors, and Fergus unbuckled Leroy’s seat belt.

  “Take it easy there, mate.” Charles assisted Fergus in getting Leroy out of the car. “Steady now.” They each grabbed an elbow and steered him. “Step up.” Leroy obeyed. “Good boy. Now we’re going down a flight of stairs. Take it easy. One at a time.”

  They guided him down the stone steps. Leroy could smell the old concrete and heard the sound of keys jangling. It was a familiar sound. Like prison.

  Charles opened the cell and escorted Leroy inside. Once the door was locked, Charles helped Leroy onto a wooden bench. He began to explain. “You, sir, are in deep, deep, hot water.”