The second book in the White Satin series, 1985

"What other choice do we have?" Kate argued, running her hand distractedly through her riot of short curls. Her eyes were fixed gloomily on the entrance to the waterfront tavern across the street. "We're caught between Scylla and Charybdis."

"Scylla and Charybdis?" Julio asked blankly.

"You know, the she monster of the sea and the whirlpool," Kate said, her gaze still on the door to Alvarez's Bar.

He didn't know, but then Kate was always referring to things he knew nothing about. "What Jeffrey calls between a rock and a hard place?"

Kate nodded. "If we don't go into that tavern and get Jeffrey, he's going to end up in the cockpit of the plane with a knife at his throat. Or they'll get him so drunk he'll tell them the location of the Cessna."

"If he doesn't pass out first," Julio suggested hopefully. "According to the bartender, he was pretty close to that point a few minutes ago."

"Then they'll wake him up and start all over," Kate said. She shook her head. "No, we've got to go in after him. Once we have him out of Ralph Despard's clutches we'll worry about getting him off Castellano."

"And how do we do that?" Julio asked, his lips curving in a skeptical smile. "Despard is alone at the table with Jeffrey now, but Simmons and a few of the other men are in one of the back rooms. If we make any move, they'll pour out of there and be all over us."

Kate bit her lower lip. "We can't make any obvious moves. I don't want them to realize that you're a part of Jeffrey's crew. You've always been away guarding the plane when Despard has visited Jeffrey at the cottage. As long as he doesn't know you exist, you'll be safe. I'll go in by myself."