Page 100 of Honor ’N’ Duty

A muscle in Colon’s cheek began twitching. “What about my $20 million?”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” The man flipped to the final page of the ledger. “Here’s the entry for the $20 million. See this column? There’s a password for every account. But in the bank column, there’s only a two-letter code. MA, OA, KA, IA, the list goes on. There’s an account number for the $20 million and a bank code: OA. But I have no idea what that stands for or where it is. There’s no way to find the money. It could be anywhere in the world.”

Colon reached behind his back and pulled out a Glock. He stalked over and rammed it against Kade’s forehead. “Tell me where it is.”

Kade’s heart jackhammered faster than an AK-47 spewing out rounds. “You want something from me…I want something from you. Looks like we’re at an impasse.”

He was playing a dangerous game of chicken with a man who might very well blast him full of lead. The only question was which of them would flinch first.

Chapter Thirty-Three

First, she had to get Rosa to safety. Then, she had to help Kade.

But how?

Even if she was correct, that Diego was the only one left in the cabin, he had a gun. Not only didn’t she have one, but she had absolutely nothing available to her that might constitute as a weapon. Except her body. And the element of surprise.

Sitting in the chair, Diego was barely six feet away from where she perched on the edge of the bed facing the window. She stood. As expected, the movement caught his attention.

“Sit down,” he ordered.

“My leg is cramping.” She shook her leg out, pretending to limp slightly as she started pacing back in forth in front of the window.

Diego leaned forward in the chair. “I said, sit down.”

“Oh, come on.” She stopped to massage her thigh. “It’s really cramping. Besides, where would I go?”

Grumbling, he settled back in the chair and readjusted the butt of the gun sticking out from his waistband.

After shaking her leg out one more time, she resumed pacing again between the side of the bed and the window. With each circuit, she inched just a little closer to where Diego sat.

A dark shadow caught her eye outside the window, barely visible in the distance through the trees. Something black. A bear? Wonderful. If she could get herself and Rosa out that window, she might very well have to fight off a black bear.

By the time she’d made half a dozen circuits between the bed and the chair, Diego seemed to pay her less attention.

I can do this. I can.

Never in her life had she intentionally inflicted harm on another human being. But this sonofabitch sat between her and freedom.

She uttered a quick gasp and snapped her head up, pretending to hear something. “What was that?”

Wait for it.

“What?” Diego’s eyes narrowed.

“Oh my God.” She pointed to the door, hoping this guy fell for her lousy acting job. “It came from inside the cabin.”

Wait for it.

Diego stood, then set the radio on the chair and pulled the gun out. He went to the door and placed his hand on the knob. When his back was completely to her, she dug deep and summoned up the courage she prayed was in there somewhere.

Now!

She raced forward, hurling her body against Diego’s. His forehead crashed into the wood door with a loud crack. She jumped back, fisting her hands and readying to punch him in the face.

To her shock, he slid to the floor. Blood spurted from his nose, and there was a bloody gash in the middle of his forehead. The gun remained in his hand, but his fingers had loosened on the handle.

For a second, she stood there, breathing heavily. I did it. I actually did it!