“I’ve located Salazar’s camp,” Jock said when he called Eve and Joe thirty minutes later. “Salazar’s here, and so is Franco. Cara is still alive. They’re keeping her knocked out. Every time she rouses, someone is there with that damn chloroform.” He paused. “And that damn bitch just sits and watches them do it.”
“How many men does Salazar have in that camp?” Joe asked.
“Including Franco, six.” He paused. “Caleb and I could take them down.”
“Not without a risk to Cara,” Eve said. “You know that Jock.”
Silence. “I know that. It’s the only reason I’m calling you and not doing it.”
“Because it’s the right thing to do.” She added, “But they’re probably all going to be on the move soon. If you can unobtrusively eliminate a few of them on the trail, it would help.”
“Oh, I can do that.” He paused. “That woman in the camp, the one who’s laughing and talking and letting them drug Cara. She’s Cara’s mother?”
“Yes, Natalie Castino.”
“Can she be one of the ones I take down?”
“No, we need her.”
“I don’t need her. Cara doesn’t need her.” He added harshly, “Okay, okay. Maybe later.” He hung up.
“He appears to be upset with our Natalie,” Joe murmured. “Let’s hope she survives to show up at our meeting.”
“She will. Jock’s not going to do anything to jeopardize Cara. This is very difficult for him.”
“It’s difficult for all of us,” Joe said. “And I’m not blaming Jock for wanting to rid us of Natalie. I’m feeling the same way right now.”
“She’s keeping Cara alive. That’s all that’s important. Look, he’ll take out a few of Salazar’s men on the trail. You can set up an ambush once we find out where Natalie is arranging the meeting. We agreed that was the best way.”
“But not the only way. That way involves you in the middle of the action.”
“Joe.”
“I’m being honest with you. If I see another solution, I’m taking it.” He turned and walked away from her.
* * *
“Six A.M. Three hours from now. The top of that craggy hillside that you can see from the lake. You show up alone and unarmed,” Natalie Castino said when Eve picked up the phone an hour later. “I wasn’t able to talk Salazar into releasing Cara, but I can guarantee we’ll be there. I can guarantee that she’ll be alive. After that, it’s up to you. But I’ll expect you to keep your part of our agreement regardless.”
“You want Cira’s gold.”
“It will help. I’m a woman who has to make her way in a man’s world,” she said softly. “If I’d have been in control, I might never have lost my girls. I’m sure you can understand, Eve.”
“Perfectly.”
“I thought you would. We have some differences, but we’re alike in many things.”
God forbid, Eve thought. “You mean, we both want our own way.”
“Exactly. I’ll see you at six, Eve.” She hung up.
“Alone and unarmed,” Joe repeated. “She’d have to be crazy to expect you to go along with that.”
“She doesn’t expect me to go along with it. You heard her. She said it was up to me.” She smiled without mirth. “Or up to you, Joe. You have a little over three hours. Work it out.”
He was already heading to the clearing where he could look up at the hill. There was still a light fog wreathing the slopes that plunged toward the lake, but the rising sun was shining weakly through the clouds to light the craggy, sparsely vegetated glade near the top. “It will be hard as hell to stage an ambush up there.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Unless…” He was silent for a moment. “Why not? He’s supplied us with everything we need…” He took out his phone. “I’ve got to call Jock back. I have something for him to do.”
Joe was already thinking, planning, analyzing, Eve realized. She just hoped he’d come up with something that was relatively risk-free.
Risk-free? There was nothing that was going to be without risk in the next few hours.
She could only hope that they’d all survive.
* * *
Eve and Joe didn’t start out for the meeting with Natalie and Salazar until over two hours later. It took them close to an hour’s climb before they reached the final approach to the glade where they were to meet them.
“You know what to do.” Joe’s voice was sharp with tension. “Don’t deviate, Eve. I may not be able to avert at the last minute.”
“You make this sound like a SEAL raid,” she said. “I have every intention of following your orders, Joe. But I can’t guarantee I won’t have to ‘deviate.’”
“I know.” He stopped. “I can’t go any farther with you. Jock says Salazar has planted sentries in those trees up ahead. Jock and Caleb should be somewhere up there, too. But they’re in place. I can’t chance being spotted and endangering you. When you go into those woods, you have to appear totally alone.” He looked at her, his hands clenching. “You don’t have to do this, dammit.”
“I know I don’t. But I have to do what I can to save her.” She said quietly, “I left Cara with Jane when I went up to the road to help you. I don’t know if it would have made any difference if I’d been there with her when she got so upset when Jock left to go after Salazar. I might not ever know. But I chose you, Joe. This time I have to choose Cara.”
“Change your mind. We can find another plan to—”
“Too late.” She gave him a quick kiss and started down the trail. “That would be deviating.” Don’t look back. She didn’t want to see him standing there, or she’d want to run back to him. Just concentrate on what lay ahead.
And hope that Natalie’s greed was greater than her obsession for protecting herself.
Because if it wasn’t, Eve would probably be shot by one of the sentries Salazar had planted as she entered those trees ahead.
* * *
Joe watched Eve until she disappeared into the trees before he started to move. He’d go to the edge of the forest and wait for the action to start.
He hated it. Even Jock and Caleb were closer to Eve and might be able to see if there was trouble. But there shouldn’t be trouble, he told himself. He’d spent two hours up here making preparations before he’d gone down to the camp to bring Eve. He’d briefed Caleb and Jock against what he’d thought was every possible thing that could go wrong.
But it was always the things you didn’t think could go wrong that invariably did.
It was the unexpected that could get you killed.
Could get Eve killed.
His phone was vibrating.
A text.
He went still. Jock? Caleb?
Relief. Manez from Mexico City. Not what Joe had been worried about. Surely not the unexpected blow that could put Eve in greater danger.
He read the text.
Shit!
* * *
“Hello, Eve.” Natalie Castino smiled brilliantly at her as Eve walked out of the stand of trees into the glade. She was dressed in a cream-colored silk blouse, khaki designer trousers, and fine leather boots. She looked beautiful but totally out of place. “Salazar wasn’t sure that you’d come, but I told him that you were a woman who knew what you wanted. Have you actually met Salazar?”
“Only by reputation. We’ve chatted.” She stared coolly at Salazar, who stood there with an AK-47 held casually in his arm. “And he hired Walsh to kill Cara and me. I understand he still has a price on my head.” She looked at Franco. “You’d know about that?”
“Search her,” Salazar told Franco.
She stiffened as Franco came toward her. But she stood still and unresisting as his hands ran over her. When he stepped away from her, she glanced quickly around the clearing to get her bearings. The glade was surrounded by trees except for the cliff to the west that was rocky and contained several large boulders. Then her attention turned to Natalie Castino. Salazar. Franco. She had only seen photographs of them, but they were so familiar to her, she knew so much about them, that she felt as if she had known them for years. The only true strangers were two dark-skinned men dressed in boots, camouflage pants, and jackets, and carrying rifles. According to Jock, there were two more of Salazar’s men acting as sentries in the forest. Eve couldn’t be concerned about them. They were the responsibility of Caleb, Joe, and Jock. She had to focus on what was going to happen in this glade.
Cara. Where was Cara?
Cara was lying beside the trail, as if she’d been tossed there like some kind of garbage, Eve thought angrily. She looked smaller and more delicate than usual. Or maybe Eve was just more aware how fragile Cara’s situation was at this moment. “Have you hurt her?” She strode over to Cara and fell to her knees beside her. “Cara.” She gently brushed back Cara’s dark hair away from her face. “Cara, it’s Eve. Can you hear me?”
Cara didn’t move.
“Cara.”
“Eve?” Cara whispered. Her lids slowly opened. “So … sorry. Jock?”
“He’s fine. So are you. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“No … Sorry…” Her eyes closed again.
“She’s right, it’s not going to be okay,” Salazar said to Eve. “Not unless we get what we want. Maybe not then. You offered Natalie a deal. If it was true, there might be some reason to keep you alive for a while.”
“She actually told you everything?”
“Are you surprised?”
“No, nothing she could do would surprise me.” She glanced at Natalie. “But I thought there was a possibility that she might wish to surprise you.”
“Why would I want to do that?” Natalie asked as she took a step closer to Salazar. “We’re used to protecting each other, aren’t we?”
“Yes.” His gaze narrowed on Eve. “Why did you say that?”
“I was stating the obvious. She impresses me as a woman who doesn’t like to be taken for granted.” Don’t challenge them. There were things to be done. She frowned as she gazed down at Cara. “She needs to be moved over on those rocks. The grass is too wet here. All this dampness has to be bad for Cara.”
“She’s fine here,” Salazar said flatly.
Eve tried not to show panic. Cara was lying too close to Salazar. And he wasn’t going to let her be moved. Try Natalie, the wild card. She turned to her. “Cara needs to be moved.”
“Does she?” Natalie gazed at her curiously. “I think you really do care about her. How very odd.” She turned to Franco. “It won’t hurt to do as she asks. Take the girl over to those rocks.”
Franco glanced at Salazar. He didn’t move.
“Franco,” Natalie said. “Do it. You heard me.”
He hesitated, then shrugged and strode over to where Eve was kneeling beside Cara.
“What do you think you’re doing, Franco,” Salazar said angrily. “Do as I say.”
“I’m sorry, he won’t be doing anything you tell him to do,” Natalie said as she turned and strolled away from Salazar across the glade. “He belongs to me. He has for a long time.”
Salazar muttered a curse as he watched Franco lift Cara and take her to the rocks. “What’s happening here, Natalie?”
“It’s over, Salazar. Our association has become more trouble than it’s worth. I’ve decided to terminate it.” She turned and smiled at Eve. “Or I should say, I’m going to let Eve terminate it. I’m sure she’s made all the necessary arrangements.”
Salazar went still. “She has no weapon.” He lifted his automatic rifle and pointed it at Eve. “Are you trying to get me to kill her?”
Eve was frozen as she stared into the barrel of the rifle. Natalie’s move had stunned her. “I was wrong, Salazar. She did surprise me. But I have an idea she’s trying to manipulate both of us. Are you going to let her do that?” She slowly got to her feet. “Now, I’m going to go over to Cara. This is between you and Natalie. All I want is to get the child out of here. Give me Cara, and I’ll get you that treasure. I don’t care who takes it as long as Cara and I come out of this alive.” She was moving toward the rocks. “But I’d keep my gun pointed at Natalie or Franco if I were you. As you said, you know I’m no threat.” Three more steps, and she’d be at the rocks. Jock had told her the rocks would be safe. She had to reach the rocks. “It sounded to me as if that might not be the case—” She’d almost reached the rocks where Franco was standing over Cara’s body. “With your errand boy here. Don’t you think that you should—”
Now.
She dove on top of Cara! The next second she’d rolled off the rock, taking Cara with her. Two more rolls, and they were both behind the boulders.
She could hear Salazar cursing. “Get her! Get that bitch. I want her—”
A shot.
Jock’s shot, aimed with deadly accuracy at the explosives Joe had taken from the IEDs on the road and planted a few hours earlier in the glade.
The glade exploded.
Screams. Smoke. Fire.
The rocks sheltering Eve and Cara were chipping, splintering. Eve held Cara closer, her arm over the child’s head. She could hear Salazar screaming, moaning.
More explosions.
She couldn’t hear Salazar anymore, but she heard Franco gasping, cursing, with pain. She lifted her head to see him beating at his pants to put out the flames. He looked up and met her eyes. She saw pure rage.
“I’m going to kill you.” He started toward her.
Eve frantically looked around for something, anything, to defend herself. She reached for a rock.
“Get away from her, Franco.” Natalie was suddenly beside them. Her face was streaked by smoke, and she had a tear in the sleeve of her silk shirt. “Now.”
“I’m going to kill her.”
“You’ll do no such thing. She might be very valuable to me.” She glanced at Cara. “She’s alive, Eve?”
“Yes.”
“Then she might stay that way if you cooperate.” She pulled out a pearl-handled pistol and strode through the smoke, to where Salazar lay crumpled, bloody and torn apart by the explosion. “Dead. I knew he would be the first target. There had to be a reason why you wanted to get Cara as far away as possible from him. I thought it might be a sniper. I didn’t expect you to blow everything up.”
“Salazar conveniently supplied us with the explosives from the IEDs we disarmed on the road,” Eve said. “Joe just grabbed them and came up here to give them back to him.”
“It’s a little messy, but I suppose it worked for you.” She whirled and ran back toward them. “We have to move quickly, Franco. Grab the girl and let’s get out of here. Eve’s friends will probably be all over this place in minutes.” She started running down the rocky slopes, away from the forest. “Coming, Eve?”
Eve had no choice.
Franco had lifted Cara in a fireman’s lift over his shoulder and was running behind Natalie.
Eve couldn’t let them out of her sight.
She ran after them.
* * *
This entire side of the hill was shale and loose stones.
Eve skidded, fell, got up, stumbled, and fell again. The smoke was drifting down, enveloping them as she ran. Her eyes were stinging, and she could just barely see Natalie ahead of her. She couldn’t see Franco at all, and that frightened her. He had Cara, and he was a killer who was wounded and enraged. Her only hope was that he’d obey Natalie Castino. Which was a slim hope indeed. Since Natalie was proving to be more dangerous than Franco.
“Hurry,” Natalie said over her shoulder. “We need to get out of here.”
“Why? You’re not going to get away. Joe will hunt you down, and he’s got very lethal friends. Give it up and take your chances. You said that you weren’t worried about anyone thinking you were guilty of having your girls kidnapped. You just called it a bother. Tell Franco to stop and put Cara down.”
“Presently.” Her brows lifted. “Do you really think that I’m just running blindly, that I have no plan? That’s not the way I do things, Eve. We’re almost there. Just around the next corner in the trail…”
Eve was already turning that next corner as she spoke.
She stopped short, her eyes widening as she gazed at the army-green helicopter tucked away and half-hidden by brush, rocks, and branches near the ledge of the slope. “What the hell?”
“I had to protect myself, didn’t I?” Natalie waved at the pilot, and he started the engine. “Nikolai has been sitting in the valley below waiting for the weather to clear so that he could slip in here and wait for me. He managed to do it last night.”
“Nikolai?”
“He’s one of my father’s men. My father put him at my disposal when I told him that I was trying to free my little girl. He was very worried about her. He’ll be glad to know that Salazar didn’t kill her, and I managed to take her away from him … and kill that terrible man in the process.” She smiled. “My father believes in revenge. So do I. Salazar was enjoyable, but he didn’t treat me with the respect I deserved.” She called to Franco, “Put the girl in the helicopter. I have to get out of here.”
Franco was opening the helicopter door and shoving Cara into the aircraft.
“He does belong to you,” Eve murmured.
“Oh, yes. I’ve been planning this for a long time. When I saw how clumsily Walsh was handling the hunt for Cara, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I was tired of being Salazar’s mistress and Castino’s wife. I wanted something more.” She smiled. “So I paid a visit to California. I found Franco, and I set him up to help me. He’s ambitious, you know. All I had to do was convince him I’d be grateful, and he’d be rich if he went along with me. I had a long-term plan, but some of it had to be adjusted as I went along. But Franco didn’t like Salazar, so that made it easier for me to keep him in line. He was very valuable when I was keeping so many balls in the air. When I decided that Salazar had to go down for taking the girls, Franco even pretended to be Walsh and alerted the U.S. Justice Department that the body in the grave was Jenny Castino.”
“And was it your decision to let Franco go to that hospital and try to kill Cara?”
“It wouldn’t have mattered in the long run. Salazar had the right idea for the most part. I just had to work it into my plans.”
So cold. Absolutely no feeling in her tone.
“You’re looking at me with horror. Not that I mind. There’s a kind of respect connected with that emotion. I just thought you might understand.” She shrugged. “But, as it turned out, I was glad that Salazar failed with Cara and you. When Franco told us about Cira’s gold, I realized that you were holding the key to everything I’d ever wanted, everything I deserved.”
“Dammit, I think I hear someone on the rocks on the hillside,” Franco said. “Let’s go.”
“I’m going.” She pulled out her gun. “It’s time we left, Eve.” She pointed it at her. “As I told Franco, I need you. You know where that treasure is located. It’s going to be mine.”
“What if I don’t know? What if it was a bluff?”
“Not as good, but acceptable. Then I’d still need you. Franco said MacTavish was certain that you were going to find it. You’ll find it for me.”
“Natalie!” Franco’s gaze was on the trail. “You don’t have time for this.”
“You’re right.” She motioned with her gun. “Why don’t you stay and stop them for me, Franco?”
“What?”
“No, on second thought, I’ve decided to rid myself of you now instead of later.”
“You bitch.” His eyes were blazing. “I’ve done everything for you.”
“And now you can do the ultimate.”
She shot him in the heart.
She watched him fall to the ground. “What a pity. But he really knew too much, Eve. He might have thought he could blackmail me later. My relationship with my father has to remain solid. He’s all I have now.”
“Now that you’ve gotten rid of Salazar?”
“No, I’ve burned all my bridges.” She added softly, “If all went as scheduled, at five thirty a.m. GMT, my dear husband will have been gunned down outside the apartment he keeps for his current mistress. There will be abundant evidence that the kill was financed by Salazar because of his fear that my husband would learn that he’d kidnapped and killed Jenny and Cara.”
Eve gazed at her in shock.
“I told you, I was tired of Juan Castino. I was tired of being forced to be Salazar’s lover, so I could control him. It was time I got rid of both of them and became my own woman. So I had Franco contact his sources in Mexico City and arrange it.”
“I suppose that would be the obvious solution in your eyes.”
“There were others, but I was impatient. I want to start a new life.”
“With Cira’s gold.”
“Yes. The minute I heard about it, I knew it was meant for me.” She opened the helicopter door. “Get in the helicopter, Eve.”
“She’s not going anywhere.” Joe was standing by the trail with a gun pointed at Natalie. “Back away from the helicopter and put down your weapon.”
Natalie stiffened. “You must be Joe Quinn? I’ve heard about you. Could we come to an agreement?”
“No way in hell.”
“I didn’t think so, but I could probably persuade you if I had the time.”
“Put down that weapon.”
“You’re afraid for Eve?” She turned the gun on Eve. “Yes, I can see that you are.”
“Put it down, Natalie,” Eve said.
“That wouldn’t be intelligent. He’s not going to press the trigger because he knows that even if it was a great shot, I still could kill you.” She backed toward the helicopter door. “But it appears that I’d be wise to cut my losses and avoid this confrontation. It’s not as if I still won’t win in the end.”
“Get away from that helicopter,” Joe said.
Natalie shook her head. “I’m getting on board, and Nikolai is taking off.” She looked Eve in the eye. “I have Cara. We can still come to a deal. It will be a little complicated for me, but I can keep Cara alive until you give me what I want.”
“Let her go, Natalie.”
Natalie got in the helicopter. “Or I can do what I always do and look out for myself. It will be up to you. Now I’m going to point the gun away from you and on Cara. Will Quinn take the chance of killing her?” The helicopter was lifting. “I don’t think so. Most men are so soft about children … It’s always amazed me.” She was suddenly looking out the window at Eve, and her eyes were cold. “I don’t like to lose, Eve. I did very well, but this was only a partial victory for me. I want it all. I think I need to do something to impress you with that.”
She was lifting her gun.
Aiming it.
Aiming it at Joe!
“No!”
Eve was running toward him.
Tackling him, bringing him down.
She could feel the bullet as it passed her cheek.
And as it struck Joe.
Then she could feel the blood.
* * *
“Eve.”
Her arms tightened around him.
“Eve, it’s okay.”
How could it be okay? She had felt the bullet as it struck Joe. She could feel his blood on her arm …
He was pushing her away and sitting up. “It’s only a flesh wound. My side…” He looked down at his left side. “I think you did more damage tackling me than she did with that bullet. She must be a lousy shot.”
“You’re wrong. I think she must be a very good shot.” Eve was shaking with both fear and intense relief. “I watched her shoot Franco. She knew what she was doing. She probably was doing exactly what she told me she was going to do. Showing me that she had no intention of losing.” She reached out and touched the blood on his shirt. “I guess we’re both lucky that she didn’t want to drive the point home.” She turned and looked out at the horizon. The helicopter was still in view, but it was almost out of sight.
“She will lose, Joe. We can’t let her win.” She shook her head to clear it. She couldn’t think of Natalie right now. She had to take care of Joe. She began to unbutton his shirt. “You’re right, it’s only a flesh wound. Hardly more than a scratch.” She tore up his shirt and began to dab the wound. “She told me that she’d arranged for Castino to be assassinated. She said it was supposed to be done this morning.”
“She was telling the truth. I got a text from Manez right after you left me. Castino is dead.”
She nodded jerkily. “I didn’t doubt her. She’s capable of anything.” She moistened her lips. “And she makes it work, Joe. She thinks she can get away with any atrocity, and she finds a way to do it.”
“But we know her now. What we know, we can beat.”
“She has Cara, Joe. We don’t know what she’ll do with—”
“That bitch got away?” Jock was striding down the rocky path. “I saw the helicopter from the top of the hill. She got away?”
“Yes.” Eve gestured to Joe. “After taking a shot at Joe. It’s not bad, thank God.”
“Good,” Jock said absently as he strode to the edge of the cliff and looked out at the horizon. “Cara? I didn’t see Cara. Is she still alive?”
“Yes. She’s with Natalie Castino.” She’d finished bandaging Joe, and she rose to her feet and went to stand beside Jock. “But Natalie still wants Cira’s gold. That means we can still save Cara.”
“I thought we’d done that. Hell, we blew up Salazar and his men, and I thought she’d be safe.” His voice was low but vibrating with agony. “I told her once I’d keep her safe, that she’d never have to look over her shoulder again. I didn’t do enough. I should have done more.”
“We didn’t know that Natalie had an escape plan. You did all you could.”
“If I’d done all I could, Cara would be here with us now. I’m going after her. I’ll get her back.”
“We think Natalie Castino is going to Moscow to be with her father.”
“I don’t care if she’s going to hell. It’s where I’ll send her anyway.” He turned and strode back up the trail.
“He’s hurting.” She went back to Joe. “But we can’t let him move too fast. If Natalie gets spooked, she might decide that Cara’s not worthwhile to her.”
“We don’t know what’s fast or slow right now.” Joe was getting slowly to his feet, and Eve moved closer to help him. “It’s a whole new ball game, and Natalie is writing the rules.” He began walking toward the trail. “But right now I’m just happy that she seems to believe she needs you. It will be good not to have you designated as a target.”
Not at the moment, Eve thought. But Natalie had no compunctions about using people, then killing them. Salazar, Castino, Franco. It would be just as well not to bring that up to Joe right now.
And right now, Natalie also needed Cara. After she got what she wanted from holding her daughter hostage, would she hesitate about killing her?
Not for a minute.
Joe’s arm slid around her waist. “It’s going to be okay,” he said quietly. His hand gently moved to her abdomen. “The three of us have gone through a hell of a lot in the past weeks. We can get through the rest.”
She nodded and stepped closer to him. She needed to feel his warmth and strength. “I know that.” She did know it, but she was tired and scared and wanted nothing more than to go home with Joe and Cara and this new, ever-changing life in her body.
But there was no Cara yet.
But there would be. There would be.
She had to believe it …
* * *
Jane watched the EMTs load MacDuff’s stretcher into the air ambulance before turning to Jock. “The doctor examined MacDuff before they moved him from his tent. He believes that there won’t be any serious consequences from his injury.”
“I didn’t think there would be once he regained consciousness. MacDuff is tough.” Jock started toward the ambulance. “I’m going to the hospital with him just to make sure.”
“But you’re not going to stay there long.”
“No.” He looked back at her. His silver-gray eyes were ice cold and without expression. “Not long at all, Jane.” He climbed into the helicopter and shut the door.
She was still feeling the chill as she watched the air ambulance take off. Chill and despair and helplessness. “I wasn’t sure that he’d be going with him,” Caleb said as he came toward her. “Jock isn’t quite himself right now.”
Jane shook her head. “I knew he’d want to be with him until he was positive of his condition. He loves MacDuff.”
“But he’s burning inside.” Caleb smiled faintly. “I know a lot about that.”
“I imagine you do.” Jane glanced one last time at the helicopter before she turned away. “I expected Joe to be down here getting some first aid. When Eve called me, she said that he’d been wounded.”
“Just a scratch. He’s still up in the hills dealing with damage control because of several bodies that have to be dealt with. Not to mention, MacDuff’s men. They were pretty upset about Colin’s murder, then MacDuff’s injury. And they didn’t like it that they were left out of that blowup that took out Salazar.” He shrugged. “I don’t blame them. I would have felt the same if I’d missed all the fun.”
“I won’t even address that remark,” she said. “Eve wouldn’t tell me what was happening, but I guarantee I wouldn’t have thought it was ‘fun.’”
“You just did address it. In the way that was predictably your own.” His smile faded. “And if anything had happened to Eve, I wouldn’t be saying that. I don’t believe I would have had the nerve to send her in to face Natalie Castino and Salazar. I know Quinn didn’t want her to do it. It was her choice. She wanted to be sure that Cara would be protected.”
“She still wants her to be protected.”
“We all do.” He lightly tapped his chest. “Even my callous, barbaric self.” He turned away. “And now I’ve got to get back to Quinn and offer my help. I’m actually becoming accustomed to being a team player. No, that’s not true, but it sounds good, and I thought you’d like to hear it.” He met her eyes. “I just wanted to check to see how you were doing. I know it was harder for you to stay out of the action than it was for Colin’s men.”
“Yes, it was, but it was the right thing to do.”
“Boring.” He smiled. “I promise I’ll never make you do the right thing, Jane.” Before she could answer, he had turned away. “But I brought Eve down from the hills with me, and she might need someone to talk to about right and wrong. She’s much more on your wavelength than I am.” His voice drifted back to her. “She’s down by the lake…”
Jane stood watching him for a moment. Why was it always so difficult to look away from Caleb? He seemed to gather all the light and darkness around him until it became a part of him. She forced herself to look away and down at the lake.
But Eve wasn’t at the lake as Caleb had said. She was standing beside her tent, and she was looking down at Cara’s violin, which she was holding.
Not good.
“Eve.” Jane walked quickly toward her. “The air ambulance just took MacDuff and Jock to the hospital. Everything seems to be—”
“Easy.” Eve looked up and met Jane’s eyes. “I’m not going to fall apart. I’ve just been scared and having trouble remembering that Natalie Castino isn’t infallible. She’s just a smart woman who is evil beyond belief.” She glanced back at the violin. “But Cara is smart, too. Smart and good and gifted. She’s already survived more than anyone would think she could. She can survive this, too.” She bent down and carefully put the violin back in its case. “All she needs is help from the people who love her. She’s going to get that, Jane.” She moved down the slope toward the lake. “And it’s going to be enough to save her.”
“Yes.” Jane moved down to stand beside Eve on the bank. The fog was gone, but the heavy mist that always wreathed the north bank was still there. So much violence and killing had echoed through these hills in the last days, but that eternal mist was still beckoning, calling, as it had for centuries. “We’ll make it enough.”
But, Cira, we could use a little help from you if you can see your way clear. This is about a child, too. Your Marcus would have liked her. You would have liked her. Don’t let us lose her as you did Marcus. Please, don’t let Eve lose her.
Eve was gazing out at the mist, too. “It seems … different today.” She tried to smile. “What do you think? The beginning or the end?”
Jane moved a step closer and took her hand. “The beginning,” she said. “Definitely, the beginning.”