Jenny and Sheila appeared on the trail. Jenny was struggling with her bag and Annja grabbed it from her.

Tom frowned. "She's supposed to carry her own load."

Annja shrugged. "I'm more physically fit than she is. She's a desk jockey. Pushes paper all day long."

"If that's so, then why is she out in the field?"

"Change of pace," Annja said. "You want these things hauled properly or what?"

"Of course I do."

"Then let me get her load. She can hand them down to me from the cave entrance and I'll carry them the rest of the way."

Tom eyed Jenny. "You okay with that?"

"Sure."

"All right." He looked at Annja. "Just don't forget that the gun is trained on you all the time. There's something about you that I don't trust. And if you give me the slightest reason to do it, I'll gun you down. And then your physically inept friend there won't have any choice but to carry the bags. Understand?"

"We've been through this already," Annja said. "I'm not trying anything. I just want to get this over with. Maybe you'll find some compa.s.sion in your heart and let us live. Tie us up for all I care and get your head start. There's no real reason to shoot us, though."

Tom smiled but Annja knew he wasn't really going to consider it. "I'll think about it. If you keep your end of the deal, who knows? You might just get out of this alive."

Yeah, right. But if Annja could keep him thinking she wasn't going to try anything funny, it might give her the chance she needed.

As she and Jenny walked back down the trail, Annja kept b.u.mping into her friend. As she did so, she whispered. "You'll have to take out Sheila."

"What?"

"I can't handle them both at the same time. And Tom's the more dangerous one. That shotgun can kill us both with one shot."

"I can't do it. Sheila's bigger than I am," Jenny said.

"Just get close enough and kick her hard in the knee. When she goes down, stomp her hand and get the gun away. I'll come to you as soon as I can but I'll have my hands full dealing with Tom."

"You two keep quiet," Tom said from behind. "Don't make me start feeling all nervous inside."

"I was asking her how her ankle was," Annja said. "Stop being paranoid."

They marched back to the cave and Jenny climbed back up. Sheila followed. After a minute, Jenny reappeared, grunting under the strain of another heavy bag. She tossed it down, which made Tom hop around, waving the gun.

"Don't throw the d.a.m.n bags! If the contents spill, it'll make a huge mess and we won't get our money. Hand them down carefully!"

Jenny looked meek. "Sorry. It slipped."

"I'll bet it did." Tom shook his head and then looked at Annja. "You'd better tell your friend not to screw this thing up or else she'll be the first one who gets shot. You understand me?"

"Perfectly."

Annja picked up the bag and started walking back to the car. She would have to make her move soon. Tom was already growing impatient with the handling of the drugs. He could snap at any moment.

Annja took a deep breath and walked up the trail. She wondered where Joey was. Had Tom killed him? Had he stowed the body so Annja and Jenny wouldn't see that he'd killed a child? Or was Joey still alive and rounding up some sort of rescue party?

It was probably too much to hope for given everything that they'd been through. And yet Annja felt something deep inside that told her Joey was okay.

But where was he?

For that matter, what were the odds that Simpson and Baker were somewhere close by, hunting their elusive Sasquatch? If she could run into them right now, armed as they were, it would help things tremendously. Even their sudden appearance would be enough to give Annja the opening she needed to take down Tom.

She could always explain things to Simpson and Baker later after it was all over.

But for now, she needed an opening.

I'll have to take him on the trail, before we get back to the cave entrance. When we're away, Jenny can take Sheila out.

Annja approached the Tahoe and laid the next bag in the back. She looked over her shoulder at Tom. "How many more of these things are there?"

"About two dozen."

"That's a big shipment of stuff. How did you get it into Canada?"

Tom shook his head. "I don't smuggle it into Canada. I just take it over the border and then get it into the hands of the distributors in this part of the country. I have no idea how the drugs get into Canada. My job is a small one, but it's a critical part of the supply chain."

"So who's going to replace you when you and Sheila take off for parts unknown?"

Tom shrugged. "I don't know. It's not really my problem."

"Isn't it, though?" Annja frowned. "If I was a drug supplier and I had a good thing going, I wouldn't want my supply lines being disrupted because one of my mules decided that things were getting too hot and they wanted to bail. I'd make them stay."

"I've already discussed it with the bosses. They don't have a problem letting us go. They're even loaning us their jet."

"Really? Is there a bomb on the plane?" Annja asked.

"Why would you say that?"

"You think drug kingpins are just going to let you walk away? They can't afford to have anyone who knows their program out there in the world. You could get busted for a speeding ticket and flip like that. Their best option is to kill you. I can't believe you seem so shocked by that idea. Maybe you really are stupid."

"Maybe you underestimate the relationship we have with our network of people."

"Or maybe I underestimate how naive you and your sister are. Although, to be honest, she strikes me as a shade more intelligent than you. At least where matters of the heart aren't concerned."

"All right, that's enough out of you. Get back to the cave."

Annja nodded. The next time through she'd do something. She'd signal Jenny at the handoff that the time had come for them to make their move.

Chapter 35.

Annja walked back to the cave, aware of how much more the sky had been blotted out by the arrival of the dense black clouds overhead. Drizzle was falling and she shook her head to ward off some of the spray. I'm spending more time on this venture being wet than any of the other ones I've been on thus far, she thought.