the front door. With a squeal of rubber and a spray of gravel, a gray Opel slewed around broadside to the front of the house. The driver's door opened, and the driver fired a shot at Bourne. He missed. Then Bourne was on the front steps, and Coven went to the door, his Glock at the ready. He heard two more shots and, crouching down, swung the door open. Bourne was sprawled facedown on the steps, a stain of blood spreading over his jacket.
Coven ducked back as another shot was fired. He darted out even as he squeezed off one shot after another. The gunman ducked back inside the Opel. Coven grabbed Bourne's jacket with his free hand and hauled him over the sill. He fired off one more shot, heard the gunman put the Opel into gear and speed off. He kicked the door shut behind him.
He checked Bourne's pulse, then went to the window. Pulling aside the curtains again, he peered into the driveway but could see no sign of either the gunman or the Opel.
Turning back into the living room, he bent over to Bourne's prone form and pressed the muzzle of the Glock to the side of Bourne's head. He was turning him over when the lights flickered, dimmed, then came on again. From the basement, he heard the grandfather-clock ticking of the backup generator. He had scarcely enough time to register that the power to the house had been cut when Bourne knocked the Glock away and struck him a powerful blow on his sternum.
The man you're looking for is in Puerto Penasco, no doubt." Antonio handed Soraya back her cell phone. "My compadre, the marina's harbormaster, knows the gringo. He's taken up residence in the old Santa Teresa convent, which has been abandoned for years. He has a cigarette boat he takes out each evening just after sunset."
They were seated in a sunny cantina on Calle de Ana Gabriela Guevara in Nogales. Antonio had spent some time helping Soraya clean up, getting her ice to use in the compress she placed against the spot between her breasts where the scorpion had stung her. The reddish patch did not swell, and whatever symptoms she had felt in the desert were now mostly gone. She also had Antonio buy her half a dozen bottles of water, which she started drinking right away to fight her dehydration and more quickly move the venom out of her system.
After an hour or so, she felt better. Then she bought new clothes in a store on Plaza Kennedy, and they went to get something to eat.
"I'll drive you to Puerto Penasco," Antonio said.
Soraya popped the last bite of her chilaquiles into her mouth. "I think you have better things to do. You're no longer making money off me."
Antonio made a face. On the ride back into Nogales he had told her his real name was Antonio Jardines. He'd taken Contreras as his business name. "Now you offend me. Is this how you treat the man who saved your life?"
"I owe you a debt of thanks." Soraya sat back, contemplating him. "What I can't understand is why you're taking such a personal interest in me."
"How to explain?" Antonio sipped his cafe de olla. "My life is defined by the space between Nogales, Arizona, and here, in Nogales, Sonora. A fucking boring strip of desert that's been known to drive men like me to drink. My only concern is the fucking migras and, believe me, that's not much of anything." He spread his hands. "There's something else, too. Life here is full of neglect. In fact, you could say that life here is defined by neglect, the kind that rots the soul and infests all of Latin America. No one gives a shit - about anyone, or anything, except money." He finished off his cafe de olla. "Then you come along."
Soraya considered this. She took her time because she didn't want to make a mistake, although she could hardly be certain of anything here. "I don't want to drive into Puerto Penasco," she said finally. She had been thinking about this all through the meal. Antonio finding out that Arkadin had a cigarette sealed the deal. "I want to arrive there by boat."
Antonio's eyes glittered. Then his forefinger made a bobbing motion. "This is what I'm talking about. You don't think like a woman, you think like a man. This is what I would do."