The Hunters (Presidential Agent 3)

“Absolutely. The battery in this is almost dead,” Castillo said. “I didn’t want to forget to charge it before I delivered the briefing, so I said it out loud.”

Torine smiled and shook his head.

“There’s a charger in the bathroom,” Sieno said. “That’s one of Mr. Darby’s phones, right?”

Castillo nodded and said, “Thanks.”

“I was wondering, Gringo, when you were going to get around to telling us what’s going on,” Fernando said. “But I was too polite to ask.”

“Good,” Castillo said.

Fernando gave him the finger.

Sieno returned with a cellular charger and, after some shifting of chairs, managed to get i

t plugged in and the cellular plugged into it.

“Okay,” Castillo said. “What’s going on now is that Colonel Munz’s family—his wife and two teenage daughters—are going to the States. He is concerned, with good cause, for their safety. Ambassador Silvio has given them the necessary visas. He called to tell me that Solez has just picked up their passports at the embassy and is taking them to Artigas, who is waiting for them at the terminal. They are now at Unicenter, where Yung is sitting on them. They will go to the terminal just before the ferry sails for Montevideo. Artigas will have their tickets, and they will leave the country using their National Identity Cards, not their passports. Yung and Artigas will sit on them during the boat ride, get them into the Belmont House Hotel, in Carrasco, not far from the airport, and sit on them there.

“As soon as we’re set up in the safe house in Mayerling tomorrow, we’ll take the Gulfstream to Montevideo. While Colonel Torine is getting the weather and filing the flight plan, Yung and Artigas will bring them to the airport, give them their passports, they’ll pass through Uruguayan customs, and we’ll head for the States.”

“Where in the States?” Torine asked.

“First, San Antonio,” Castillo said. “To drop off Fernando.”

“We can’t make that nonstop,” Torine said. “It’s forty-five, forty-six hundred miles from here or Montevideo. Where do you want to refuel?”

“How about Quito, Ecuador?” Castillo replied.

“That’ll work. It’s about twenty-five hundred miles from here to Quito, and another twenty-one hundred from Quito to San Antone.”

“Once we’re gone, Artigas will come here and go out to the safe house. Yung will accompany Lorimer’s body on an American Airlines flight to Miami—nine-something tomorrow night—and then on to New Orleans.”

“Where are you headed, finally, in the States?” Fernando asked. “Washington? I mean, you could drop me in Miami. You don’t have to make a special stop at San Antonio for me.”

Castillo looked at his cousin. Well, I knew this was coming.

“San Antonio’s on our way,” Castillo explained. “Colonel Munz’s family will be staying at the ranch in Midland.”

Castillo saw the look of surprise on Fernando’s face was quickly replaced with one of anger.

Or maybe contempt.

“I presume, Carlos, that you factored Abuela into your reasoning?”

Contempt. No question about it. He only calls me “Carlos” when he’s really angry, or disgusted, with me.

“I spoke with her an hour or so ago. I told her I had to hold a meeting there and asked her to stay away.”

Fernando didn’t reply.

“You can’t see the runway from the highway,” Castillo said. “No one will know anyone unusual’s there. And there will be Secret Service agents waiting for us.”

Fernando glowered at him but said nothing.

“And one of the things you’re going to do in San Antonio is make sure no one goes to the ranch.”

“For how long?” Fernando asked, icily.