Your Next Breath

by Iris Johansen

  “Information. Blackmail. Or he may possess a treasure Santos wants to get his hands on.”

  “But he didn’t go after Montez for the past two years. Santos wasn’t that eager.”

  “Not until he thought he might lose Montez. He wasn’t going to tolerate you scooping him up. Interesting…”

  “But you’re the one who hired Dario. No hint of CIA this time. Now he’s going to find out that you’re the one interfering in his plans. Which means you’re a target, too.”

  “My, my, how unfortunate. Remind me to worry about that.”

  “Well, I’ll worry about it,” she said sharply. “Maybe I shouldn’t. It was bound to happen. But it’s just one more—” She broke off. “I told Hu Chang that there was no reason for you to be a target and, if you were, that you could take care of yourself. But now there is a reason. I gave it to you.”

  “And you were also right. I can take care of myself.”

  She nodded. “Correct. I’m being foolish. You would have dove into this mess anyway the minute it was clear Erin was a target.”

  “Very foolish,” he said. “But you persist in thinking that Erin was the primary reason. Not true, Catherine.”

  She wasn’t going there. “Close enough. You were outraged that anyone would threaten her.” She suddenly remembered something. “You even used the same word Dario used. Mine. One of mine. Good God, you’re as possessive as he is. No wonder you hired him. You’re just like him.”

  “Wrong.” His face was suddenly alight with humor. “We have several serious differences in viewpoint.”

  “Such as?” she asked warily.

  “On no account in this world would you ever remind me of my mother, Catherine.”

  CHAPTER

  8

  ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL

  ATLANTA, GEORGIA

  “Where is she?”

  Eve straightened to attention in her chair as Seth Caleb blew into the waiting room like a category five hurricane. “Where do you think she is?” She got to her feet. “I told you that she was in a coma. She’s down the hall in ICU.”

  “She’s still alive?”

  “Yes, same condition.”

  “Then I’ll talk to you later, Eve.” He turned on his heel. “I’ve got to see her.”

  “No.” She stepped in front of him. “One: The doctors and nurses get touchy about having someone examine one of their patients. Particularly if they have no credentials. I’ve arranged to have the staff permit you visiting privileges at ICU, but do not step on toes. Two: Her security is so tight, one of the guards might take you down if you get too close to her. They even look at me and Joe suspiciously. You can’t just blunder in there without advance preparation.”

  “I never blunder. I’ll take care of the hospital personnel.” He tried to go around her. “And no security guard is going to keep me away from her.”

  She reached out and grabbed his arm. “And is that supposed to help? By all means, let’s cause a ruckus that will make—” She stopped as she felt the tension, the suppressed energy that was almost electrifying in the arm she was holding to restrain him. His dark eyes were glowing, flickering wildly in his taut face. It was an extraordinary face, surrounded by close-cut, dark hair; high cheekbones; full, sensual lips; and those eyes that were totally riveting and dominating and had always intrigued her. He was somewhere in his thirties, tall, muscular, with an almost catlike grace. She had never been able to decide if he was good-looking or not because the sheer power and fascination he projected was the only thing that mattered when Caleb was confronting you. As he was confronting her in this moment. Caleb was never cool or tame, but his fierceness was nearly tangible in this moment. She had told Joe she would handle him, but this was not a good start. Try to calm him.

  Oh, to hell with it. She wasn’t about to deal with Caleb’s problems. They had enough problems of their own. “I’m not about to let you go into that ICU and cause Joe any more upset than he’s going through right now. You know Joe. Face him with the kind of vibes you’re broadcasting, and he’d automatically go into defense mode. We’re both in a superprotective state about Jane now anyway.”

  “You phoned me. You wanted me here,” he said harshly. “Now take me as you find me.”

  “No, I won’t do it. Why should I?” She gestured to the chair next to her. “Now sit down, and we’ll talk, then I’ll let you go and see Jane. But not until I think you’re ready.”

  “That decision was out of your hands the minute you told me she was dying.”

  “Not unless you want to knock me down to get past me. And neither one of us thinks that Jane would want you to do that.”

  His hands were clenched into fists at his sides. “I need to get to her.”

  “And you will.” My God, she had been aware of his savage anger and determination, but now she was seeing much deeper. Wild despair, hurt, incredible disbelief that this could happen to Jane, that he couldn’t have somehow prevented it. “Now sit down and you’ll be able to break free of me that much sooner.”

  He didn’t move for an instant, then dropped down in the chair. “Talk to me. Get it over with.”

  “Okay, first I’ll tell you why it happened and what we’re up against. Because even if you manage to save her, the fight won’t be over. You didn’t ask me any questions, and I didn’t tell you anything but the bare minimum to get you here.”

  “I didn’t care. I still don’t care. I just need to keep her alive.”

  “I’ll be as brief as I can. But you will listen, Caleb.” She quickly and concisely filled him in on the details that had brought Jane to this state. “That’s why the security is so tight. Santos could decide to send someone to finish the job at any time.”

  “That won’t happen.” He repeated the name. “Santos. I’ll remember. I can’t deal with him right now. But I’ll remember.”

  “That’s not why I told you about him. I gave that job to Catherine. She made me a promise. You just have to have the full picture, so that you can do what you have to do.”

  “So you’ve given it to me. May I go to her now?”

  “In a minute.” She paused. “I think you should know something else. Santos may not be the only one you may be fighting to bring her back from that coma. When we found Jane in that car covered in blood and so terribly near death…” She paused. “It’s crazy, but she was smiling.”

  Caleb stiffened. “And?”

  “You know how depressed she’s been since Trevor was killed. Almost suicidal.”

  “Jane’s too strong for that bullshit.”

  “But maybe not too strong to accept what she deems as fate.”

  He was suddenly smiling recklessly. “Then I’ll have to convince her to change her mind, won’t I? Being killed by that son of a bitch, Santos, isn’t her fate.” He met her eyes. “And Trevor was never her fate. He can’t have her.”

  “She loved him,” Eve said gently. “He was everything she wanted in a man.”

  “Do you think I don’t know that? Trevor had the good looks of a movie star, he was brave, he was intelligent. He was also gentle and civilized and a great guy who she could trust and live within never-never land forever.”

  “That’s a difficult combination to beat, Caleb.”

  “But I would have done it if Trevor hadn’t been killed. I didn’t get the chance. I knew it was going to be hell when he was dying.” His lips twisted. “Do you know even then he was trying to protect her? He wanted me to take care of her. He wanted me to be him. There was no way I was going to do that.”

  “But it seems that you’re going to have to do what he wanted anyway,” she said sadly.

  “My way. Not Trevor’s.” He got to his feet. “Are you going to take me to her or not?”

  She nodded. “I’ll come with you. I don’t want you to disturb Joe any more than he is now. We’ll leave you alone with Jane for a little while. Though I don’t know how much good it will do with her in a coma.”

  “I’ll stil
l be able to reach her.”

  “How? As far as I’ve heard, you’re no psychic.”

  “I don’t need to be. I can control the blood. The mind and the blood interact on so many levels. She won’t be able to hide from me.”

  “That still sounds very—”

  “I’ve done it before with Jane. Of course, not precisely in this kind of situation. I was angry with her once and I— Never mind. Needless to say she was annoyed with me, but I definitely was able to get below the top layers of consciousness to what was underneath.”

  “I can imagine she was annoyed,” she said dryly. “No wonder she’s so wary with you.”

  “We’re wasting time. Just take me to her and leave us alone. Jane and I don’t need anyone else.”

  “Maybe you don’t. But Jane is different. She cares about people.”

  “And you think I don’t?”

  “I think you care about Jane. That’s the only reason I brought you here.” She studied him. “And perhaps Trevor found something in you on the day he died that could be a salvation for Jane. Or maybe he saw what was coming and was hedging his bets.” She shrugged wearily. “But right now, you’re the only game in town for us. So I’ll play it the way you want it played.” She paused. “As long as I see no harm in it for Jane.”

  He nodded curtly. “And after I save her, you’ll try to send me on my way. I understand it. I’m no Trevor. I’m not safe.”

  That went without saying, she thought as she stared at him across the room. She could almost sense the darkness and flames surrounding him. But there was also power and feeling so intense that it took her breath away. She could understand why Jane had always been drawn to Caleb. The difference between him and Trevor was incredible, but there was a part of Jane that reached out for adventure and danger and the mysteries of life. But that power Caleb emitted was giving Eve hope and lifting her spirits in a world of despair.

  “I’ve never thought you were safe, Caleb.” She moved across the room and followed him into the hall. “I’ll deal with that later. After you bring my Jane back to me.”

  “No, after that it will be up to Jane.” He strode quickly down the hall. “Just as it always was and always will be…”

  * * *

  “You whisked me out of there as if you were afraid I’d deck him,” Joe said as he gazed through the glass of the ICU room from the hall. “I told you that I wouldn’t object to your bringing Caleb here. Not if he had a chance of saving Jane.”

  “You wouldn’t object,” Eve said as she watched Caleb pull a chair closer to Jane’s bed and sit down. “But you would have interrogated him and made him more impatient than he is right now. You have a perfect right to do that, but Caleb is explosive, and I didn’t want to cause a disruption. This is a medical facility. You have better things to do than cross-examine Caleb.”

  “For instance?”

  “Talk to the doctors and nurses and run interference for him. Caleb is liable to do anything he wants to do at the moment. He’s wilder and less disciplined than I’ve ever seen him.”

  “I couldn’t judge,” he said dryly. “You didn’t let me stay around him that long.”

  “No, we have to leave him to it. Neither of us can help her.” She stepped closer, tucking herself against his strength. “I wanted to stay in there, too. It was hard to go.”

  Joe slid his arm around her. “But we’re together out here in the cold.” He pressed his lips to her temple. “Come on. Buy me a cup of coffee, then we’ll go and try to convince the medical staff that Caleb isn’t as weird as we know he is. Maybe we can tell them that he’s a psychologist trying a new technique to reach her in that coma.”

  “It’s as good a story as any.” Eve looked back at Caleb, leaning forward, holding Jane’s hand, his gaze fixed intently on her face. His entire body and mind appeared to be focused, riveted, on her.

  Heal her, Caleb.

  Heal her body. Heal her mind. Heal her heart.

  And then please don’t turn around and destroy her.

  “Eve.”

  She turned back to Joe. “It’s going to be okay. We’ve got to believe that.” She kept her gaze from returning to Caleb, sitting so close to Jane. “I was just wondering what he was doing to her…”

  * * *

  Disturbance.

  Jane could feel it move her, jerking her from the path.

  Darkness.

  Flames.

  Caleb.

  No!

  “Yes,” Caleb said. “Why did you think I’d let you go?”

  “Because Trevor’s there, he’s waiting for me.”

  “Too bad. He lost you. He even knew that he’d lost you as he was dying. He wasn’t trying to take you with him. He knew better. He was trying to release you. But you’re too stubborn to let him go.”

  “Not my fault. I’m in a coma. I’m dying, damn you.”

  “And not fighting it. Just meekly going into the night. Meekly? Not like you at all, Jane.”

  “It is if I want it to be,” she said defiantly.

  “Not if it’s not what I want it to be. You’ve got a fine, strong body, and I can make the blood heal itself. It won’t be easy. Particularly since you’ll probably be fighting me, but I can do it. I will do it.”

  “No, the doctors say you can’t. They told Eve that it’s not possible.”

  “And Eve told me that she’s not going to accept a death sentence for you. Think about her, not yourself. She doesn’t trust me worth a damn, but she told me to bring you back.”

  “She doesn’t understand. I fought it, but it’s okay if I give up now.”

  “Bullshit. You’re coming back with me.”

  “The hell I will.” She began spiraling downward toward the golden path that was ultrasmooth and had only one ending.

  “You’re wrong. It has a hundred, a thousand endings, and I can show you all of them.”

  “I can’t hear you.”

  “Yes, you can. But I’ll let you rest for a little while. So shall I tell you how it will be?”

  “No, I can’t hear you.”

  “First, I’ll work on the healing. Santos messed you up big-time. I’ll have to pull a few rabbits out of my hat before you’ll be in any shape for that arterial graft. Then I’ll work on bringing you out of that coma. I’ll show you reasons to live that would make angels leave Heaven and come down to Earth.”

  “Delusions and hallucinations.”

  “Life.”

  Go deeper. Caleb’s words were taking her away, making her think, making Trevor dim in the distance.

  “You can’t go deeper. I won’t let you. But I’ll let you stay where you are for a little while. You have to take what you can get. But you’ll always know I’m here. It’s not Trevor who is waiting for you, it’s me…”

  GUATEMALA CITY

  “Catherine Ling is here, Santos,” Dorgal said as soon as Santos answered his cell. “And she’s not alone.”

  “Venable?”

  “No, someone else. Alfredo Ruiz showed up when I was searching the sister’s house for information. We disposed of him, but when we checked, we found out he works for Rafael Dario. I had our people check the local grapevine for who was funding them.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Richard Cameron.”

  “The same man who took out Nagoles,” Santos said. “He appears to be moving very swiftly to help our Catherine Ling. I believe we need to know much more about him and what he is to her.” He chuckled. “She may have furnished us with another target. Wouldn’t it be amusing if I can take a lover away from her? Just as she took away my Delores from me.”

  “I’m already working on finding out more about him. I’m tapping our informants in the CIA to see what they know about Cameron.”

  “Good. But that’s not as important as making sure that Ling doesn’t get her hands on Montez. The sister talked?”

  “It took hours, but in the end, she told us he was in the hills near San Esposito. But she died before we could g
et an exact location. I had to tear her house apart to find any other information. That’s why Ruiz found me there when he came looking for her.”

  “I’m not interested in this Ruiz. I want to know if you found where that weasel, Montez, went to ground.”

  “I have an address in a village close to the border. I’m heading there now. I’ve already sent word ahead to our men in a nearby village to move in and verify that Montez is still there.” He paused. “But I’d bet Ling and Cameron are heading there, too. Dario is a very good man, with connections all over Central America. He might not have had to question Montez’s sister. We tried to hire him several years ago, when we were hunting for one of the bastards who was skimming money on the coke deliveries to the U.S.”

  “He turned us down?”

  “Dario said that he preferred not to be involved with someone who would not accept it when he was forced to say no on occasion.”

  “Damn right I wouldn’t accept it. You should have cut his throat.”

  “It didn’t seem worthwhile at the time.”

  “But now we have to deal with him. Dario might lead Ling to Montez.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Yes, you will,” Santos said softly. “This was supposed to be a simple retrieval, and now it’s becoming a problem. Get Montez and bring him to me.” He hung up.

  But nothing was simple where Catherine Ling was concerned, Santos thought. He should have known that she would cause Dorgal difficulty. For the first time, he was feeling a hint of uneasiness at the thought of Ling’s moving closer to Eduardo Montez. He didn’t want him dead, but he might have to take him out rather than let Ling get her hands on him.

  But that was a worst-case scenario. There were still many ways he could attack Ling and ward off her interference.