Nightshine: A Novel of the Kyndred by Lynn Viehl

building?” he asked when the chief hung up the wall phone.
    Carasegas nodded. “You may use the private line in my office.”
    Genaro knew Carasegas probably kept the line tapped so he could acquire whatever blackmail he used to stay in power. A quaint tactic, one that had been obsolete for forty years on the other side of the border, but that, too, would serve Genaro’s purposes.
    “Very well.” He picked up the only bag he had brought with him from the States. “I’ll need the line and your office for the next thirty minutes.”
    “I should tell you that this additional surveillance will be expensive,” the chief warned, his expression more calculated now. “For such sensitive work, I can use only certain men, and they expect to be paid well.”
    “Here is five thousand U.S.” Genaro removed two bundles of bills from his jacket and dropped them into the chief’s hands. “I will provide another five thousand when Taske and Marena have been recovered, and the final ten thousand when you place them and the man claiming to be Agent Frasier in my custody.”
    “You are very generous, Señor Genaro.” The money vanished into the chief’s jacket. “Come, I will show you to my office so you can make your call.”
     
    Charlie’s legs didn’t want to stay vertical anymore, so she walked up to where the sand was dry and sat down, hugging her knees with her arms. After a moment Sam came to sit beside her, and they both watched the waves as they rolled in.
    “How long have you known who I am?” she heard herself ask.
    “I don’t know who you are.” When he saw her face, he added, “Until a few moments ago, I thought you were an ordinary woman caught up in a scheme to abduct me, or that you had been brought along only to provide me with whatever medical attention I needed.”
    A surge of bitterness made her smile. Of course he thought of her existing only to serve his needs. He probably thought the rest of the world did, too. “What changed your mind?”
    “The shooting on the bridge, being brought to this island, and the manner in which we’re being treated now suggest that we were both deliberately targeted for reasons other than my wealth and your skills,” he said. “This man knew we were Takyn.”
    “How could he have known that?” Charlie demanded. “And if he doesn’t work for GenHance, then what possible reason could he have for snatching us?”
    “I don’t know.” He picked up a shell and tossed it at the water. “But until we have those answers, we will have to be cautious.”
    Samuel knew more than he was telling her. Charlie had spent years treating patients who deliberately concealed things out of embarrassment or fear; she knew when someone was holding out on her. At least she wouldn’t have to play friends to coax it out of him. As soon as the sun set she was going to find out exactly what Samuel Taske was thinking, and there was no way on earth he could stop her.
    “I’ve already met Aphrodite, Vulcan, and Delilah in real life,” Samuel said tentatively. “I doubt you’re Sapphira; I believe she lives somewhere in Canada.” He leaned forward, trying to catch her eye. “Are you going to keep me in suspense?”
    She wanted to put him in traction for the next six months. “You were right about that new Melissa Ether-idge CD.” She studied his face. “I loved it.”
    At last he looked as stricken as she felt. “You’re Magdalene.” Unbelievably his expression went from shocked to amused. “You’re nothing like I imagined you’d be.”
    Her shoulders stiffened. “I expected you to be a little bald guy with horn-rimmed glasses and a pocket calculator.”
    “Well, in my mind you were a freckled, ponytailed, much younger version of Julia Child.” He tried to charm her with another of his slow smiles. “You are a remarkable cook. I could happily live on nothing more than your dessert recipes.”
    “You’d just become a type-two diabetic.” To keep from punching him in