“I ate a little of my breakfast. I was busy later.”
His lips tightened. “Arranging your escape. Then it was necessary, and the waitress didn’t mind.”
“She wouldn’t have minded if you’d asked her to cook the orders herself,” she said. “And if she’d thought it was you who was fading away, she’d have been in this booth trying to resuscitate you. She barely saw me.”
His brows rose as he leaned back in the booth. “Are you including her in my ‘zillions’ of women?”
“No, just a hopeful candidate.” She grinned at him. “Like me. But I have a much better chance than she does.”
He stiffened. “No you don’t.” He lifted his cup to his lips. “No chance at all.”
“Stop saying that. I can’t believe it. It would hurt too much.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Actually, I think I’ve made good progress. You said that from the minute you knew I was gone, you were in Reilly mode. What was your first thought in that moment when you came to pick me up at my suite?”
“What do you think? That it shouldn’t have happened. I should have been able to protect you.”
“And, did it occur to you that if you’d taken me to bed as I wanted you to do, that you’d have been beside me and not outside knocking on that door?”
He was silent. “Of course it did.”
“And it will keep coming back because you have that protective gene going on.” She frowned. “It’s not something that I want to use, but I might have to go that route. The reason you came tonight was that you were afraid that I was doing something that was out of your comfort zone.”
“Comfort zone? You’re damn right. You should be with Eve at the lake cottage. And she knows it, or she wouldn’t have called me.”
“Maybe. Eve’s almost as protective as you are. I wasn’t certain if she was going to leave me here.” She lifted her cup to her lips again. “But she’s also very clever. I told her I was going to stay and keep an eye on Joe until Svardak is captured. She didn’t like the idea, but she doesn’t like the idea of any danger getting near Joe either.” She was thinking about it. “She might not believe I’d be any real help to Joe, but she knows you would be. By sending you to me, there could be a double benefit in her eyes.”
“What are you talking about?” he said impatiently. “She didn’t mention Joe. Just that you were staying until Svardak was caught.”
“She knew I’d tell you. She’s walking a fine line and doesn’t want Joe to think that she’d doubt him in any way.”
“Doubt?” He was frowning. “Why the hell should she doubt Quinn? And what the hell does he have to do with you staying?”
“Svardak will try to kill anyone I love,” she said quietly. “He told me he would. And he zeroed in on Joe while I was at the cabin. I asked Kaskov to guard them, but Joe will be almost impossible since he’ll be putting himself in the line of fire.” She met his eyes. “Just as you would, Jock. I don’t have much hope of keeping him away from you now. You were too visible.”
“What a pity.” He leaned forward, his eyes intent. “Let me understand this. You’re staying because you want to keep Svardak from killing Joe Quinn.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, and maybe me as well? Did I forget that?”
“Yes, you did. And don’t make fun of me. I can be of value. As long as I keep close to Joe or to you, I’ll be a constant distraction.” She could tell what was coming as she looked away and put her cup back in the saucer. “Because as much as he’ll want to kill you, he’ll want to kill me more.”
“Tremendous value,” Jock said. “Why should I make fun of you? It’s a masterstroke. Anyone who saw that Skype could see how much he hated you.”
“It is a master stroke.” She was still looking down at her cup. “I worked hard to make him consider me a threat and a prime enemy while I was with him. I can use that now.”
“No!”
“Yes.” She raised her eyes and inhaled sharply as she saw Jock’s expression. “That’s the way it has to be. I’m not going to run to Eve and hide at the lake. I know I can’t stop you if you decide to go after Svardak. That’s probably what you’ve been doing since you left me at the hospital. But when you do, you’ll know you’re leaving me here and that I’ll find Joe and stay close to him … until Svardak finds us.”
She could see the myriad violent emotions flitting across his face—anger, desperation, frustration. “And what if I go after Joe myself and watch out for him,” he said through clenched teeth. “God, Joe would strangle me if he heard that. This is all crazy. But would you go to Eve then?”
“No. I won’t give you up to Svardak either. I told you, he’ll know you’re someone important to me now.”
“So you’re keeping both me and Joe tied to you in hope that we’ll be able to reel in Svardak when he goes after you.”
“No.” She had to explain it, though he wasn’t going to like this either. “I wouldn’t use you like that. That would defeat my purpose. It’s in hope that I’ll be able to reel him in. I tried to make that clear to you in the hospital. It seems a reasonable way to go about it.”
“Son of a bitch.” He was gazing at her in disbelief. “Reasonable?” He said flatly, “It sucks.”
“It has to be me,” she said quietly. “I was almost able to do it before, and I was more helpless than I’ve ever been in my life that day. I won’t be that helpless this time. I’ll see that I have weapons and a plan. It could work.”
“If neither Joe nor I cared if you’re going to come out of this alive,” he said savagely. “We do care. I care.”
“I know.” Her lips were trembling as she tried to smile. “I find that special and wonderful. But that’s what this is all about, taking care of the people I love.” She swallowed. “And making certain that I give Marian and those other victims their own tribute.”
“No, for me it’s about keeping you alive.” He was clearly fighting for control. “And finding a way to get around this idiocy.”
“You’re upset. Why don’t you cancel dinner and just take me back to the hotel?”
“Because I can’t be sure what you’re going to do at any given minute right now. I have to work through this. That means you have to work through it with me.” He drew a deep breath, then said, “We are going to have dinner, and you are going to eat well. We’ll have another cup of coffee, then I’ll take you back to the hotel.”
She nodded. “And all the time your mind will be clicking and you’ll be figuring out how to get your own way.” She added quietly, “I can’t let you do it this time, Jock.”
“You don’t know that. It might turn out to be your way, too. Stay and have dinner with me, and we’ll talk about it.”
He’d tamped down the anger and that charisma was back in full force. He was smiling that smile that she could never resist, and this was no exception. “Why not?” She smiled back at him. “I always enjoy being with you regardless of whether or not you’re plotting anything that might worry me. I just had to warn you.”
“Duly noted.” He hesitated, gazing at her face, then he reached out and covered her hand with his own. It felt warm and strong, and she found herself clinging to it. “And, as usual, you managed to disarm me just when I was ready to go on the attack. I’ll try to keep my plotting to a minimum. But I can’t deny it will be happening. You’re not helping me keep this ship on an even keel.” He released her hand and took out his phone. “But you’ll excuse me if I have to initiate the first phase of the plotting. I have to call your hotel and make a reservation. I checked while you were getting dressed, and there weren’t any connecting rooms available, but I’ll be able to get the room next door to you. I’ll have to rely on you to lock your door and keep me on speed dial. I should have booked it then, but I was hoping you’d be reasonable.”
“And that you could persuade me to pack up and follow Eve. We both realize how persuasive you can be.”
“Evidently not persuasive enough.”
“It depends.” She smi
led. “You’d have absolutely no trouble persuading me to share my room with you.”
He shook his head. “And that could result in a great deal of trouble.” Then the hotel answered, and he was talking to reservations.
She sat there and listened to him, watching his expressions. He was going to fight her, and she had to accept whatever that meant. She couldn’t expect anything else from him. She hadn’t wanted him to be a part of this nightmare, but now there was no choice. At least they’d be together for a little while longer. Life was too short not to reach out for every bit of happiness that came your way. The only thing she could do was to enjoy the moment and try to keep him safe.
And to do it, she might have to do a little plotting herself before this was over.
CHAPTER
9
HIGHWAY US 41 MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE
“Somebody’s following us, Mom.” Michael was looking over his shoulder out the back window of the Toyota. “It’s the blue Subaru that stopped at that same gas station we did outside Louisville.”
“Maybe. There are a lot of Subarus on the road these days.” She looked up at the driver’s mirror. It was the same Subaru, and it was too damn close. “Probably because of all their mushy TV commercials about love and families and such.”
“You like those commercials,” Michael said absently, his gaze still on the Subaru. “But it’s the same car. Two people in the front seat, and the passenger is a man wearing a Jets baseball cap. I noticed the last time it slowed for that traffic light.”
And Michael always noticed entirely too much, she thought. “It’s the South, and people travel from Louisville to Atlanta all the time.” But he was still looking at her, and she couldn’t leave it at that. “Are you worried about it?”
“Only if you’re worried about it,” Michael said soberly. “I just thought I’d tell you. Dad told me to take care of you.”
“And you’re doing a fabulous job. Eyes like a hawk.” She looked at the rearview mirror. “No, I’m not worried. They are following us. They’ve been following me since I left Coal Town. Cara wanted us to be sure we had a safe trip, so she had her grandfather send a couple of his employees to make sure of it. I called Kaskov about fifty miles into the trip and verified who they were. They were supposed to be unobtrusive, but I guess they’re trying to impress him.” She paused. “You might see them again during the next week or so. Cara’s been a little nervous since that terrible man took her from us. It makes her feel better to know we’re safe.”
“It will make Dad feel better, too.”
“Yes, it will. Though I haven’t had a chance to tell him about it since we got on the road. There isn’t decent cell reception in those mountains. I got through a couple times, but then I lost him. I’ll try again once we get closer to the cottage.” She glanced at him. He’d been far too quiet since she’d picked him up at Catherine’s a few hours ago. “I’ll let you talk to him again as soon as I reach him. It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk to you. He’s just very busy. We got Cara back, but we have to make sure that man doesn’t try to hurt anyone else. Your dad will do that, it just takes time.”
“I know he’ll call as soon as he can,” Michael said. “It’s just that he’s getting so close to…” He was staring out the window. “I was hoping Cara would come with you. She could be wrong. I don’t know if she can help him.”
Her hands clenched on the steering wheel. “What are you talking about?”
“He’s a very bad man.” His gaze shifted to her face. “He hurt Cara. We’re going to have to stop him before he hurts Dad.”
“It’s your dad who’s hunting Svardak. He’ll be fine, Michael.” She hoped desperately she was telling the truth. “And I’ll let you talk to him as soon as I reach him. It will be another couple hours before we get home.” She tossed the lap robe to him from the back of the seat. “Why don’t you cuddle down and try to nap for a while? I promise it’s going to be all right.”
He gazed at her a moment, then he took the lap robe and leaned back against the headrest. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” He closed his eyes. “I forget sometimes. I know your way is best … But it’s the truth, Mom. He’s too close. We’ll have to stop it…”
She didn’t answer.
He had scared her.
She was hundreds of miles from Joe, and Michael’s words had made her feel alone and helpless. She had wanted to turn the car around and race back to West Virginia.
Keep calm.
She had always known that Michael was special, but she had deliberately not probed below the surface. She wanted him to grow up happy and as normal as possible. But she couldn’t ignore those words he’d spoken tonight because the threat had been to Joe.
She pressed her quick dial for Joe.
No connection.
She drew a deep breath. That lousy cell reception again.
Give it another fifteen minutes.
No connection.
It was almost an hour before she got through.
And Joe answered in two rings.
“At last,” she said, relieved. “I’ve been trying to reach you all day. Where are you?”
“Somewhere near Wheeling, I think. I’m moving north. I stopped at the local police department and asked questions. No real answers about Svardak. But there was a carjacking and killing of a farmer in the area earlier today. A handyman was also shot, but he might live. He said that it was done by two men in their thirties who left their Chevy when it ran out of gas and took the farmer’s truck. They were heading north, farther into the Appalachians.”
“You think that they were connected to Svardak?”
“I think it’s likely it might be two of the men who managed to get away from us at Lost Canyon. I told you that there were a number that we lost after the explosion. I ran the fingerprints the police took from their car and sent it to Interpol high priority. I should be getting an ID anytime now.”
“They might not be going to join Svardak.”
“They’re rats fleeing a sinking ship, and Svardak represents a very lucrative lifeboat. If he called them, they’d probably be there for him. And they’re careless, they’ve already given me a track to follow. It’s my only lead, but I have a hunch it’s a good one. I’m getting close, Eve.”
He’s too close. She felt a chill as she remembered Michael’s words before he’d drifted off to sleep.
“How are you?” Joe asked. “Are you and Cara on the road yet?”
“I’m almost home.” She paused. “Cara didn’t come with me. She’s still at the Holiday Inn. She didn’t want to leave until you could come with her. She thinks Svardak will zero in on you.” She could hear him swearing. “I agree. But I couldn’t budge her. She said Kaskov would keep an eye on her.”
“And you accepted that?”
“I told you, she thought Svardak would go after her family. She used the Michael card on me.” She paused. “That’s why I’ve been trying to reach you. You might be the only one who can convince her to get out of there. I think she’ll come home if you come with her.”
“I have to find Svardak.”
“I know.” Don’t push. Though it was getting harder every minute. “It’s your decision. I thought you should know.”
He was silent. “If I don’t get him now, he might slip away.”
“Your decision.”
“I’ll call her and see if I can persuade her.” He had a thought. “Jock. Did you call Jock?”
“Naturally. He dropped everything and said he’d take care of it. But it might not do any good. She’s … changed. I think it has to be you.”
“I’ll call Jock, too. And I was planning on calling the precinct and arranging protection for the lake cottage. That will have to stay in place regardless of what Cara does.”
“Don’t bother. Cara took charge of that. Anyone they’d send would be stumbling over Kaskov’s men. Now she’s only worried about you.” Don’t ask him to come home. Don’t tell him to get the hell
away from those mountains and come back to her. “We’re fine. I’ll take care of everything here. You take care of yourself. Let me know what you decide after you talk to Cara.”
“You know I’ll call her right away.”
“Not right this minute. I promised I’d let Michael talk to you when I finally got a connection. Heaven knows when I’ll get through again. I love you. Be safe.” She gently shook Michael, and he was instantly awake. Had he even been asleep? “Your dad,” she whispered as she pressed the speaker on the dashboard. “He’s okay. No problem.”
“Hi, Dad.” Michael sat up straighter in his seat. “Mom is fine. I’m watching out for her. I had a great time at Catherine’s, but I’m glad I’m going home. When are you coming?”
“Not right away. I have a few things to do here first. So you’ll have to take care of your mom a little longer.” He paused. “And take care of yourself, too. That’s important to me. I know you’re doing a good job. I promise things will get back to normal soon.”
“I think they will, too. But things change, don’t they? I heard Mom say Cara had changed. Maybe normal won’t be the same.”
Joe was silent. “Maybe it won’t. But then it would be up to us to make it even better than before. I believe we could think of ways to do that if we tried hard enough, don’t you?”
“Sure. We can do anything. It’s just easier to do it if we’re together. Come home soon, okay?”
“Absolutely.”
“And Dad…” Michael hesitated. “Are there any churches up there in the mountains?”
“There are churches everywhere. One in almost every town. When people are near all this natural beauty, they tend to want to express their appreciation. Why?”
“Churches have crosses. I can’t think of anywhere else that has crosses.”
“So?”
“Nothing. I just don’t like you being near any crosses. It … bothers me.”
Joe chuckled. “Weird. Then I’ll be sure to skip any church services while I’m up here in the mountains. I wouldn’t have the time anyway. Bye, Michael. Love you.” He cut the connection.
The Bullet Page 18
