Death Echo

him before, she thought. Or someone who looks a lot like him. Mug shots? Long-distance surveillance?
    â€œWhat I have to say to you is too sensitive to be put out over a public radio,” he said.
    At first Emma thought she hadn’t heard correctly. Then she knew she had.
    Mac had really good instincts.
    â€œWhat?” she yelled.
    â€œFollow me to calmer water. There we will discuss Shurik Temuri, Stan Amanar, Bob Lovich, and the extreme danger you are in.”
    She gave Mac a do-you-get-this-dude look through the open cabin door.
    He caught the other captain’s eye and made a wind-it-up motion with his hand.
    The woman staggered from the kicker to the cockpit and fired up the big outboards.
    Mac gave Redhead II plenty of room before he followed.
    Emma came back into the cabin. “It’s not like we have a whole lot of choice. Shurik Temuri is someone we have to know more about.”
    â€œYeah. An opportunity we can’t refuse.”
    Mac hoped they were doing the right thing. Because the wrong thing was a fast way to die.

45
    DAY FOUR
ROSARIO
3:04 P.M .
    G ood work, Lane,” Faroe said over the phone. “Thanks.”
    â€œI told you I’d be more useful if I—”
    â€œGet a degree,” Faroe cut in. “Your mother and I both agree on that. Emphatically.”
    Lane groaned or growled. It was hard to be certain.
    â€œI’ll let you know if I find anything else useful,” Lane said.
    Grumbled, actually.
    Faroe was glad he wasn’t on visual. He didn’t have to hide his smile. He’d felt just like Lane when he was young.
    And Faroe was determined that Lane wouldn’t make the same mistakes his daddy had.
    â€œJust don’t tell Steele that I whispered through a couple of his databases,” Lane added.
    Faroe came to a point. “You did what ?”
    â€œI’ll make a patch before class tomorrow. When I give it to Dwayne, I’ll tell Steele. No one will be able to use that route again.”
    â€œI’m impressed. Frightened, actually.”
    Lane snickered. “I had help.”
    â€œYour ‘swarming’ buddies?”
    â€œOne of them. She’s über.”
    Faroe hesitated, but couldn’t help saying, “She’d damn well better be über quiet.”
    â€œI didn’t tell her anything that would point to St. Kilda Consulting. We give each other puzzles all the time, then race to see who gets there first, and how. If it will make Steele feel any better, she found the same way in that I did. Usually there are two or three paths, at least.”
    â€œYou’ll be the first to know Steele’s mood. Get that patch made yesterday and talk to him yourself.”
    Faroe hung up and rubbed his eyes. “This ‘vacation’ is going to be the death of me.”
    â€œWhat now?” Grace shut Annalise’s bedroom door behind her and hoped their cranky daughter would take a nap. Her sleep schedule was all over the place.
    Sort of like her parents. “Lane hacked into one or more of St. Kilda’s databases,” Faroe said.
    â€œMother of God.”
    â€œThat’s one way of looking at it,” he agreed dryly. “Father of Satan is another. But Lane’s making a patch to keep other hackers out, so I’ll give the honors to Mom rather than Dad. Lane sent the information he got to Emma’s computer. And mine.”
    Grace sat down next to him on the couch and sighed. “Have I told you lately that I love you and don’t know how I would have handled Lane alone?”
    Faroe set aside the computer, pulled Grace into his lap, and nuzzled her neck. “You would have done fine, but thanks for sharing him with me. And Annalise. If we survive them, we can conquer the world.”
    Laughing, she settled closer, letting her husband’s warmth sink through to her bones. “Flip you to see who talks to Steele next.”
    â€œTails,” Faroe said as he smoothly flipped Grace out of his lap and onto her back on the couch. Head up. “You lose.”
    Her arms tightened around his neck. “Two out of three?”
    â€œThink she’ll sleep that long?”
    â€œLet’s find out.”

46
    DAY FOUR
STRAIT OF GEORGIA
3:20 P.M .
    L ane got us a lot of stuff,” Emma said, frowning at her computer screen.
    â€œAnything useful?”
    â€œDo you read Cyrillic?”
    â€œEnough to make out road signs,” Mac said.