Page 101 of Canyon of Deceit

“Yes. But I doubt if it’s possible.” He ended the call and my phone rang within a minute.

“Rurik, I need you to call Jurg Falin. Tell him I’m ready to meet up. Alone. No one will be with me or know about the meeting.”

“Terrible idea. He cannot be trusted.”

“I’m willing to risk it.”

“Why? You’re asking for an early grave.”

“To get your daughter back. Stop the bloodshed.”

“The issue is a bigger problem between Jurg and me,” Rurik said. “If possible, I’d have ended this long ago.” He sighed heavily. “You’d be walking into a trap, and you’ve escaped death too many times.”

“He wants to talk to me, and I have no clue why. But he knows I care about Alina while Blane and Major Montoya are determined to make arrests for all the crimes. I’m trusting my intuition on this. He’s done well enough on his own building up criminal charges. Tell him I want a face-to-face. My choice of location. None of his bodyguard types.”

“Blane and Major Montoya agreed to this?”

“That is my business.”

“They have no idea?”

“Do you want Alina back or not?”

“You’re on your own with this. I’ll call, but I need to know where this will take place.”

I checked the map on my phone. A McDonald’s sat about a mile from my location. I gave the address to Rurik and suggested one hour. “I’m waiting here until you hear from Falin.”

FIFTY-NINE

Seated in a corner booth at McDonald’s, I waited for my meetup with Jurg Falin. My emotions caused me to shiver as though I’d stepped into a walk-in freezer and couldn’t move. Thoughts of leaving tapped me on the shoulder, then Falin walked in alone at the precise time, dressed in jeans and a pullover. He slid into the booth across from me.

“Your face looks like you lost a fight,” he said.

“But it’s not over.” I smiled and folded my hands on the table. Blane had instructed me to listen, to learn what motivated the other person.

“Your phone, please.”

“It’s in my backpack.” He said nothing, and I reached inside and handed it to him.

He examined my phone and powered it off, then slipped it inside a sealed Faraday bag, preventing my phone from being traced.

“Satisfied?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Chandler said you were a worthy opponent, and while he didn’t deserve to live, I respected his opinion about you. I figured sooner or later you’d discover the tracker. It’s been a few places, but currently at a hotel with FBI agents who think they can trap me.” Falin’s narrow eyes, bald head, and rectangular face were by no means appealing,but he had a manner of confidence that some women admired. Me, I respected his intellect and took nothing for granted.

“I’m tired of this game and needless situation, and I’ve drawn one conclusion. I’ll do anything to have Alina returned. How can I help you to make this happen?”

Falin regarded me as though I planned to trick him. “You care about her. I watched you with Alina in the cave.”

“Yes.”I need help, Lord.“She has a strong spirit, intelligence, and is very lovable.”

He lifted a brow. “Like her mother, Alina has many of the same mannerisms.”

“Her courage comes naturally.”

He leaned back in the booth. “Rurik doesn’t deserve her.”

Odd response. “Why?”