The door opened and closed. A pair of black combat boots hit the ground. A cough and a groan. It was the type of yawn a man emits when he stretches his arms after a long drive. A lock snapped shut. The driver had locked the car, Bobby thought. The combat boots moved.
Pain wracked Bobby’s shoulders and arms. It shot up into his brain and overwhelmed him. Only when the driver pulled off the highway did Bobby realize the magnitude of his agony. His daydreams had distracted him. But now that he was on the verge of getting a rest, his life seemed to depend on it, as though he couldn’t have hung on another minute if the driver hadn’t stopped.
He counted to three to make sure the driver had entered the convenience store. Then he eased himself to the ground and released his grip on the stabilizer bar.
Relief spread through his torso. He stretched his legs. A delicious release of energy tingled his thighs. He savored a moment of joy. He was still alive.
He rolled out from underneath the truck. Rose to a crouching position. Checked his watch. It was 3:17 p.m. They’d been driving for two hours. A rush of adrenaline. He’d hung on for two hours. He would hang on for another two hours if necessary. He could do it. He could and would do whatever was necessary to stay close to Eva.
Bobby circled to the back of the truck. Tried the door but it, too, was locked. Peered into the window but the driver had spray-painted it black. Bobby leaned into a seam between the back door and its frame.
“Eva,” he said in Ukrainian. “It’s me. Adam. I’m going to get you out of this. Just like that night in the Zone. Do you hear me? Just like that night in the Zone.”
Bobby glanced around for a sign in English that might reveal his location but he couldn’t find one. Everything was written in Japanese, except for the English added to a sign in the store’s window.
Policeman droppings inside.
Bobby reached into his pocket for his mobile phone. He’d hoped to be able to tell Nadia his location.
His pocket was empty. The cell phone was gone.
It must have fallen out during the drive. It could have happened anywhere. Now he had no way to contact Nadia on the go. He had to hope he would find a public phone and have the opportunity to call her.
A shadow flashed in the convenience store. The driver. Bald head and black leather jacket headed for the counter. He could not have looked more Russian unless he’d been wearing a fur hat. He was buying two tall cans of some sort of refreshment, two bottled waters, and three bags of snack food. He dumped his haul on the counter.
Bobby slid back under the truck and assumed his former position. The driver returned and filled the tank with gas. Then he climbed into the truck. Footsteps clanged above Bobby in the cargo space. Bobby guessed he was giving his captive some water.
The engine rumbled. The undercarriage shook. The gear shaft groaned. The tires rolled.
Bobby tightened his grip. He closed his eyes and once again focused on memories of a girl. A girl he’d dreamed of calling his own. A girl who was supposed to be dead and now was sitting bound and gagged above him.
Or so he prayed.
CHAPTER 24
Nadia sat down beside Johnny at a corner table in the hotel restaurant. A busboy brought them a tray containing two damp hand towels. Nadia unrolled hers and used it to wipe her hands. Johnny applied his towel to his face, as she’d seen other men do at Japanese restaurants. He breathed into the towel for a moment before wiping his hands clean.
Nadia turned her cell phone to vibrate and placed it on the table beside her. “Whoever answered Bobby’s phone had a bit of an accent, but all he said was hello. It wasn’t enough for me to place it.”
“But he wasn’t an American,” Johnny said.
“I don’t think so. I asked who he was but he hung up. I tried calling two more times but there was no answer.”
“What do you make of that?”
“Either the Russians have him and they don’t want to talk, or someone else has his phone.”
“It might have fallen out of his pocket.”
“I hope so.”
“Let me give it a shot,” Johnny said. He reached out for her to hand him the phone.
“How is that going to be any different?”
“It’s not. But it’s like opening a jar or something. When your friend or loved one can’t do it, you always think you’ll have a better shot.”
“The problem is, Charles Atlas, we’re not trying to open a jar.”
A waiter interrupted them. They ordered bottled water, green tea, and a massive assortment of sushi. Shrimp tempura and grilled chicken skewers to start.
Johnny placed the call after the waiter left.
Someone answered. Nadia could barely hear his voice but it sounded like a man. Was it the same man who’d answered when she’d first called?
“Hello,” Johnny said. He stared at Nadia as he spoke. “The phone in your hands belongs to a friend of mine, Bobby Kungenook. Would you please tell me who you are and how you got his phone?”
Johnny listened. A frown spread on his face. He pulled the phone from his ear. The sound of laughter emanated from the earpiece. He pressed the phone back to his ear.
“Don’t hang up,” Johnny said. He repeated his hello a couple more times, then shook his head and ended the call.
“Who was it?” Nadia said. “What did he say?”
“It was a kid.”
“A kid? What do you mean it was a kid?”
“Some Japanese kid. Great English, but you could hear his accent when it came to pronounce an L. It sounded just a bit like an R. The Japanese can’t pronounce the L.”
“What did he say?”
“He said ‘Godzilla’s fathers are under arrest.’”
Nadia tried to make sense of the words. “What is that supposed to mean? Is that a reference to Bobby?”
Johnny started to chuckle but stopped himself. “No. It’s a reference to the movie. The original Godzilla is very famous in Japan. It was made here in 1954. Legend has it the producer and director were arrested when they were overheard plotting the story on top of a Tokyo skyscraper. People thought they were terrorists planning to destroy the city. Later, people said it was a miracle the film got made given Godzilla’s parents were arrested.”
“So what does this mean? Is it code for something?”
Johnny gave her a sympathetic smile. “The phone fell out of Bobby’s pant pocket and some kid found it. That’s all it means. The kid probably knows some basic English. He’s with his friends — that would account for the laughter in the background.”
Nadia imagined a kid finding a phone on the road. “If the phone fell out of his pocket and a kid found it, the truck couldn’t have been in the Zone, and it couldn’t have been on a highway. They had to have pulled off the road. To a rest stop or something like that.”
Nadia’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen. Looked up at Johnny. “It’s Bobby’s phone.”
Johnny shrugged.
Nadia answered it. “Hello?”
Complete silence.
“Hello?” Nadia said. She could hear frustration creeping into her voice. “Would you please tell me where you found this phone?”
A few seconds of silence followed, and then she heard the same kid’s voice. “The oxygen destroyer must not be used!”
“That’s a line from the movie,” Johnny said. “Hang up.”