The Hostage (Presidential Agent 2)

Then Bradley searched the room for a socket into which the cellular charger could be plugged. He found one behind the bedside table, plugged in the charger, and connected it to Castillo's cellular, which chirped encouragingly.

"There you are, sir," he said.

"Good man," Castillo said, and reached for the cellular.

When connected to the cellular, the cord was not long enough for Castillo to use it standing up, or, he immediately learned, even when he was sitting in a folding metal chair.

He sat on the floor next to the bedside table and punched in a long string of numbers from memory.

There was not an immediate answer, and he had just decided it was seven o'clock-supper time-in San Antonio and the kids were making so much noise the phone couldn't be heard, or that the El Patron of the Casa Lopez was watching O'Reilly on Fox and didn't want to be disturbed, when a voice impatiently snarled, "What?"

"Don Fernando?"

"Si."

"This is Don Carlos."

/> Castillo heard Fernando Lopez, his cousin, exhale in exasperation. Then Fernando said, "I wondered when you were going to check in, Gringo. You're all over television."

"Excuse me?"

" 'Live from our Fox man in Buenos Aires. Long lines of Argentines wait patiently outside the National Cathedral to pay their last respects to J. Winslow Masterson…' "

"Jesus!"

"And since you're el jefe of what's going on down there, we've all been sitting here hoping to catch a glimpse of Uncle Gringo on the tube."

Castillo heard, faintly but clearly, two female voices.

One said, "Don't call him that in front of the children, for God's sake." Castillo recognized the voice as that of Maria, Fernando's wife.

The second said, "Fernando!" in a tone suggesting both annoyance and sadness. Castillo recognized that voice, too. It was that of his-and Fernando's- grandmother, Dona Alicia Castillo.

"As you walk out of the room, Fernando, so Abuela can't hear this conversation, answer this question carefully: Was my name or picture or the phrase 'President's agent' or anything like that on the tube?"

Castillo heard Fernando say, "I can't hear him. I'll go in the library."

A moment later, Fernando said, "Okay."

"Answer the goddamn question."

"No."

"Then how the hell did you know about me being el jefe?"

Fernando hesitated, long enough for Castillo to find the answer to his own question.

"I'm going to burn that bigmouthed sonofabitch a new anal orifice."

"Calm down, Gringo," Fernando said.

"Fuck you, too."

"When you're through with your tantrum, let me know."

"Jesus Christ, he's a federal agent! He should know better than to run off at the mouth!"

"Let's start with why he's in the DEA."