"P-perfectly, señor. P-perfectly. I have a family. I beg of you—"

"I respect families, so I will tell you what I want you to do to save your children's father." Jaime pushed the attachй case toward the teller. "I want you to fill this for me. I want you to do it quickly and quietly. If you truly believe that the money is more important than your life, then go ahead and raise the alarm."

The teller shook his head. "No, no, no."

He began to pull money out of the cash drawer and stuff it into the attaché case. His hands were trembling.

When the attaché case was full, the teller said, "There you are, señor. I—I promise you I won't raise any alarm."

"That's very wise of you," Jaime said. "I'll tell you why,

amigo." He turned around and pointed to a middle-aged woman standing near the end of the line carrying a package wrapped in brown paper. "Do you see that woman? She is one of us.

There is a bomb in that package. If the alarm should sound,

she will set off the bomb instantly."

The teller turned even paler. "No, please!"

"You will wait until ten minutes after she leaves the bank before you make a move," Jaime warned.

"On my children's life," the teller whispered.

"Buenos tardes."

Jaime took the attachй case and moved toward the door. He felt the teller's eyes riveted on him.

He stopped beside the woman with the package.

"I must compliment you," Jaime said. "That is a most becoming dress you are wearing."

She blushed. "Why thank you, señor—gracias."

"De nada."

Jaime turned to nod to the teller, then strolled out of the bank. It would be at least fifteen minutes before the woman finished her business and left. By that time, he and the others would be long gone.

As Jaime came out of the bank and walked toward the car,

Megan almost fainted with relief.

Felix Carpio grinned. "The bastard got away with it." He turned to Megan. "I beg your pardon, Sister."

Megan had never been so glad to see anyone in her life. He did it, she thought. And all by himself. Wait until I tell the sisters what happened. And then she remembered. She could never tell this to anyone. When she went back to the convent,

there would be only silence for the rest of her life. It gave her an odd feeling.

Jaime said to Felix, "Move over, amigo. I'll drive." He tossed the attachй case into the backseat.

"Everything went well?" Amparo asked.

Jaime laughed. "Couldn't have gone better. I must remember to thank Colonel Acoña for his calling card."

The car started down the street. At the first corner,

Calle de Tudela, Jaime made a left turn. Suddenly, appearing out of nowhere, a policeman moved in front of the car and held out a hand signaling him to stop. Jaime stepped on the brake. Megan's heart began to pound.

The policeman walked over to the car.

Jaime asked calmly, "What's the problem, Officer?"

"The problem, señor, is that you are driving the wrong way down a one-way street. Unless you can prove you are legally blind, you are in trouble." He pointed to the sign at the entrance. "The street is clearly marked. Motorists are expected to respect a sign like that. That is the reason it has been placed there."

Jaime said apologetically, "A thousand pardons. My friends and I were in such a serious discussion that I did not see the sign."

The policeman was leaning into the driver's window. He was studying Jaime, a puzzled expression on his face.

"You will be so good as to let me see your registration,

please."

"Of course," Jaime said.

He reached down for the revolver that was under his jacket. Felix was ready to spring into action. Megan held her breath.

Jaime pretended to be searching his pockets. "I know I have it here somewhere."

At that moment from across the plaza came a loud scream and the policeman turned to look. A man on the street corner was beating a woman, hitting her about the head and shoulders with his fists.

"Help!" she cried. "Help me! He's killing me!"

The policeman hesitated for only an instant. "Wait here," he commanded.

He raced back down the street toward the man and woman.

Jaime put the car in gear and slammed down on the accelerator. The car shot down the one-way street, scattering traffic headed toward them, horns angrily blaring at them.

When they reached the corner, Jaime made another turn toward the bridge that led out of town on the Avenida Sanchez de

Arjona.

Megan looked at Jaime and crossed herself. She could hardly breathe.

"Would you—would you have killed the policeman if that man had not attacked the woman?"

Jaime did not bother to answer.

"The woman wasn't being attacked, Sister," Felix explained. "Those were our people. We are not alone. We have many friends."

Jaime's face was grim. "We're going to have to get rid of this car."

They were leaving the outskirts of Valladolid. Jaime turned onto N620, the highway to Burgos, on the way to

Logroño. He was careful to stay within the speed limit.

"We'll get rid of the car as soon as we get past Burgos," he announced.

I can't believe this is happening to me, Megan thought. I escaped from the convent, I'm running away from the army, and

I'm riding in a stolen car with terrorists who just robbed a bank. Lord, what else do You have in mind for me?

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

Colonel Ramón Acoña and half a dozen members of the GOE were in the middle of a strategy meeting. They were studying a large map of the countryside.

The scarred giant said, "It's obvious that Miró is heading north toward Basque country."

"That could mean Burgos, Vitoria, Logroño, Pamplona, or

San Sebastian."

San Sebastian, Acoña thought. But I have to catch him before he reaches there.

He could hear the voice on the phone: You're running out of time. He could not afford to fail.

They were driving through the rolling hills that heralded the approach to Burgos.

Jaime was quiet behind the wheel. When he finally spoke,

he said, "Felix, when we get to San Sebastian, I want to make arrangements to get Rubio away from the police."

Felix nodded. "It will be a pleasure. It will drive them crazy."

Megan said, "What about Sister Lucia?"

"What?"

"Didn't you say that she had been captured too?"

Jaime said wryly, "Yes, but your Sister Lucia turned out to be a criminal wanted by the police for murder."

The news shook Megan. She remembered how Lucia had taken charge and persuaded them to hide in the hills. She liked

Sister Lucia.

She said stubbornly, "As long as you're going to rescue

Rubio, you should save them both."

What the devil kind of nun is this? Jaime wondered.

But she was right. Smuggling Rubio and Lucia out from under the nose of the police would be wonderful propaganda and would make headlines.

Amparo had sunk into a sullen silence.

Suddenly, in the distance on the road ahead of them were three army trucks filled with soldiers.

"We'd better get off this road," Jaime decided.

At the next intersection he turned off the highway and headed east.

"Santo Domingo de la Calzada is up ahead. There's an old deserted castle there. We can spend the night in it."

Before long they could see its outline from the distance,

high on a hill. Jaime took a side road, avoiding the town,

and the castle loomed larger and larger as they approached it. A few hundred yards from it was a lake.

Jaime stopped the car. "Everybody out, please."

When they were all out of the car, Jaime pointed the steering wheel down the hill toward the lake, jammed the accelerator down, released the hand brake, and jumped clear.