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Suddenly the office door burst open. The heavyset drug lord came in and gaped with astonishment. He had two security guards with him with submachine guns. All three fell to their knees, faces pressed to the marble-tiled floor.
“Any word from DC?” Jacob asked into the phone. He didn’t mind if those men knelt for an hour. They knew his power. He was the reason they were wealthier than the gods and would soon be ruling throughout the Americas.
“Nothing, sir. All is in readiness for Friday. The other jaguar priests will arrive tonight. The ones you asked for.”
“Is there any suspicion?” Jacob asked.
“Our man in the Secret Service said everything is go for Friday. The pandemic meeting is happening on schedule. Every person attending has been cleared. Your contact, the staffer, will be waiting for you by the mirror. Say the code word, and she’ll bring you straight to the Situation Room.”
“Excellent,” Jacob said. “You are sure President Parker will be there? He will lead the meeting himself?”
“Yes, sir. It’s all arranged.”
“I want you to find where they’re hiding Mr. Roth. He’s in DC. Do a better job of finding out where.”
“I will, Mr. Calakmul. We’ll get him. We have spies posted all around Washington, and just this morning there was a spotting of a man with two boys in a Marriott by the NASA building. They didn’t totally meet the description, but we’re looking into it.”
Jacob snorted and ended the call. He set the phone down on the desk and eyed the three men prostrate on the ground. He was feeling vengeful. Petty, even. But the drug dealer had overhead too much. He was now a loose thread.
“I said I don’t like pistachios,” Jacob murmured. “Kill your boss.”
And they obeyed. Without hesitation.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MARKET SQUARE RESIDENCES
WASHINGTON, DC
January 9
With trembling fingers, Roth took the phone from Lund. Was it really his daughter, or a trick from Jacob Calakmul? Lucas and Brillante gathered near him, eyes eager, hopeful, and worried.
“Suki, are you okay?” Roth breathed into the phone, turning his back to the others in the room. He couldn’t bear to see his sons’ disappointment if the hope turned out to be false. He walked to the nearest window and looked out at the wintry sky.
“I’m okay. We’re okay.”
Roth squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and then looked at the caller ID on Lund’s phone. It was a number from Naples, Florida. “We?”
“I’m with Mom and Jane Louise. We escaped last night.”
Roth’s knees gave out. It was too much, too sudden. He found himself on his knees on the floor, Lucas and Brillante holding his arms. He just sat down right there, pressing his back against the wall. The boys hunkered down next to him.
“You’re with Mom?” he asked incredulously.
“Yes! She’s right here. And Jane Louise too.”
“J-Jane Louise?”
“Jacob kept her alive, and Mom’s been taking care of her. Now that we’ve left the Yucatán, Mom’s blood sugar is spiking again. I tried to heal her with the magic, but it didn’t work. I think it only heals injuries, not illness. Maybe that’s why the Maya couldn’t stop the smallpox from spreading . . . or maybe I just don’t know the right words to use. We got to an urgent care center in Florida, and they rushed us to a hospital to get some insulin.”
“What town?”
“Um . . . the town of Naples. I’m borrowing this phone from a nurse.”
Monica knelt down in front of Roth, staring at him. He could see she was startled by his reaction.
“How did you get away?” he asked. The relief was so great he could hardly take it. His heart was pounding. His ears were ringing extra loud.