Page 47 of Wired Courage

“Ugh! Why didn’t I just fuckin’ die in that torture room! Damn it!” Jake punched the tiled wall of the shower, and the pain did more to sober him up than his homegrown water treatment had.

Time to man up.

He got out. Dried off. Wrapped in a towel. Opened the door and peered out cautiously.

“Thank you, God.”Not that God had anything to do with the current fiasco . . .

The hookers had gone, leaving nothing but the smell of perfume and sex behind.Ugh, again.

He stalked across the room and cranked up the air conditioning to clear out the funk, poured himself a Styrofoam cup of coffee, and called Room Service for breakfast and aspirin.

After he’d shaved, dressed, eaten, and swallowed the hotel’s aspirin with a whole pot of coffee, Jake picked up his phone and called Sophie’s number.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Day Twenty-Eight

Malee was changing Momi, cooing over her grand-niece as she diapered the infant in a spot of sunlight by the window, as Sophie set a bowl of steaming noodles down in front of Pim Wat.

“I don’t know how you expect me to eat this with my hands tied behind my back,” Pim Wat complained.

“I’m sure you can kill with just a spoon,” Sophie said. “We’re not taking any chances, Mother.”

“I’ll feed you.” Armita, her eyes cold as a dead fish, approached Pim Wat.

The satellite phone rang.

“Are you sure?” Sophie cut her eyes to the phone. Jake’s number lit the screen.

“I’m sure.” Armita held a pair of chopsticks like they were a dagger. “I’ll make sure she gets what she needs.”

“All right.” Sophie snatched up the phone. “I need privacy for this call.”

She took the phone into the bedroom and shut the door, falling back against it and sucking in a breath for courage. She punched the On button.

“Jake! Are you all right?” Sophie put a hand to her throat, steadying her squeaky tone. “I was so worried!”

Jake cleared his throat. “I’ve been better.” His voice sounded raspy.

“You’re safe. That’s all that matters.” Sophie walked across the room to her cousin’s sumptuously draped bed and got on top of it, folding her legs into lotus position. “I got Momi back! Armita stole her from Pim Wat and messaged me.”

“That’s great! How’s the little bean doing?” They’d called Sophie’s baby that, all through the pregnancy. Tender memories of that time thickened Sophie’s throat, and she had to clear it to answer.

“Momi is fine. Thriving and putting on weight, actually. Armita took good care of her. And yesterday, we captured Pim Wat.”

“Yeah, McDonald sent me a text.” Jake’s voice had gone remote again. “I’m sure that was an interesting situation.”

“Jake. Why didn’t you call me the minute you had access to a phone?” Sophie’s voice was a cry of anguish. “I was frantic!”

“Some things happened in the compound.”

“McDonald told me you almost died. I’m so sorry.” Sophie waited, rubbing the scar that ran up her cheekbone, but he didn’t say anything more. “He also told me Pim Wat killed everyone but you and Hamilton,” she prompted.

“Yes. It was . . . bad. I’ve seen some things in my time, and what your mother did was right up there with war crimes.”

“I’m so sorry.” Sophie’s eyes stung. “Thom Tang—Rhinehart. I can’t imagine.”

“Pim Wat had me tortured to death. I died, Sophie.” Jake sighed, heavily.

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