Hazardous Duty (Presidential Agent 8)

“Yeah,” Pena said thoughtfully. “So, what do you want from me?”

“Can you cover my back when we go to Drug Cartel International?”

Pena visibly collected his thoughts before he replied.

“If you go there, the cartels will know about it within an hour.” He paused to let that sink in, then went on: “I can cover your back. But I won’t, Carlito, unless I have your word that you and Sweaty get on your airplane the minute we get back and get the hell out of here.”

As visibly as Pena had, Castillo visibly framed his answer. Pena saw this and took advantage of it.

“I don’t want t

o see your heads hanging side by side from that bridge I mentioned, Carlito.”

“It’s that bad, huh?” Castillo asked.

Pena nodded.

“My God!” Roscoe said.

“Your head hanging from the bridge, Roscoe, I could live with,” Pena said. “But I have a soft spot in my heart for Romeo and Juliet.”

“Okay,” Castillo said.

“That’s your word of honor, Carlito, right?”

Castillo nodded.

“Say it.”

“Word of honor,” Castillo said.

“Okay.”

“Is there time to drive there and back today? I don’t think flying in would be too smart.”

“That would depend on what you were flying,” Pena said. “If you had a Black Hawk helicopter, you could make it to Drug Cartel International and back before supper.”

“Sorry, Juan Carlos, I don’t even know where mine is. It’s not where I left it after we grabbed Ferris, and the CIA’s satellites can’t find it.”

“The CIA’s satellites?” Danton and Pena repeated just about simultaneously.

“Natalie Cohen was afraid it would wind up in the wrong hands and asked Frank Lammelle, the DCI, to find it for her.”

“It didn’t wind up in the wrong hands, Carlito,” Pena said. “You should listen to Sweaty and stop underestimating people.”

“You’ve got it?” Castillo asked.

Pena nodded.

“I can have it on the roof here in fifteen minutes,” Pena said. “Then we will go to Drug Cartel International, Roscoe can take your picture, and then we will come back here. Where, your luggage having been packed while you were gone, and loaded aboard your airplane, you can immediately take off for… Where did you say you were going? Budapest? Agreed?”

Castillo, after a moment, nodded.

“Only one thing I can think of,” he said. He turned to the Sienos.

“Where do you want us to drop you off?” he asked.

“What?” Paul Sieno asked.