Eight Days to Live

by Iris Johansen

  “Of course, I do.”

  “I’m turning up the volume so that you can share every precious word with me,” Millet said.

  The next moment, Eve came on the line. “You know that I don’t want you to give in to this monster. I’ll work it out.”

  “No, we’ll work it out. How is your wound? Did they change the bandage?”

  “No, but I’ll survive. Stop fretting, Jane.”

  “Fretting? I’m not fretting. I’m scared to death. I never dreamed that I’d get you into this mess.” She paused. “Though even if I had dreamed it, I wouldn’t know enough to get you out. I don’t know where you are, how to get to you. I feel helpless, Eve. Like I did when I was a kid, and I’d come running to you to make everything all right.”

  Eve was silent. “I’ll try to do that now, Jane. But I imagine that in the end, it will be up to you.”

  “Very touching.” Millet was back on the line. “But she’s right, it’s up to you. I’ll call you in six hours. I hope she’ll still be able to speak coherently.” He hung up.

  That last threat was meant to drive me to panic, Jane thought as she hung up. It came close to succeeding.

  “Did she understand what you were saying?” Jock asked. “It was pretty obscure.”

  “It was the best I could do. He was listening to the conversation. I think she understood that she wasn’t alone, and I wanted her to find a way to let us know where she was in the temple.” She shook her head. “But I can’t be sure. I’m not going to rely on it.” She got to her feet and moved to the window and stood staring out into the darkness. She had to take a moment to steady her nerves before she dove into what she knew must be done. Professor Tischler was loading his equipment into his car, she noticed. He must have left the house while she was on the phone talking to Millet. She hadn’t even realized that he had passed through the room. “Eve called Millet a monster, and that’s what he is. He wants to hurt her, Jock. I can’t let him do it.”

  He crossed the room to stand beside her at the window. “He won’t do anything critical. She’s important to him.”

  “Critical? I don’t want him to touch her. But I can’t stop it. I’m not there. He won’t listen to me. And he believes anything he does to her will help bring me down.”

  “Then what are you going to do?”

  She reached for her phone. “I think it’s time that I brought someone on board who he will listen to.” She looked up the number in her directory and dialed.

  “How delightful to hear from you,” Roland said. “Though I admit I expected it. My friend, Millet, said he was going to phone you and make you an offer you couldn’t refuse.”

  “It wasn’t an offer, it was a threat. You knew it would be.”

  “Millet is a little on edge. Time’s running out for him. If he doesn’t produce you after he promised the members, then he’ll lose prestige. He’s seen other Guardians start that slide, and it scares him. He doesn’t want someone to suggest that he’d make an excellent Offering.”

  “I can’t imagine a more fitting ending for the bastard.”

  “Neither can I. But he has his uses, and he’s not sharp enough to cause me any real problems.” He paused. “But you didn’t call me to listen to my assessment of Millet. You have your own by now. What is it? Begging? Pleading? Tears?”

  “He’s going to hurt Eve. He may be doing it now. I want you to stop him.”

  “Do you? But you have to understand that Millet derives a monumental amount of pleasure out of exercising that side of his character. It’s one of the ways I have of controlling him. So it wouldn’t do for me to attempt to curb him.” He chuckled. “As a matter of fact, I recall I once suggested that Eve Duncan would be a wonderful candidate for his games.”

  “You bastard.”

  “You’d do better with pleading than name-calling. Though neither is going to do you any good. I’ll have to let Millet run his course unless you can persuade me that it would be to my advantage to stop him.” He added softly, “You know what I want, Jane. I think you’re on the trail and may be very close. If you’re close enough, then we may have something to talk about. I do hope that’s the case because otherwise Eve Duncan doesn’t stand a chance. I won’t lift a finger.”

  “I didn’t expect anything else of you.”

  “Then tell me what I want to know. Are you going to be able to find the coins?”

  “No.” She paused. “I’ve already found them.”

  He inhaled sharply. “The hell you have.” Then he said, “You wouldn’t be trying any desperation tactics, would you?”

  “I am desperate, or I wouldn’t have called you. That doesn’t mean that I’m not telling the truth. I’m going to send you three photos.” She pressed the button on her phone to make the transfer. “Look at them, then we’ll talk.”

  “Oh, I intend to look at them . . .”

  She waited.

  He came back on the line. “Interesting,” he said cautiously. “But that doesn’t mean I can be sure they’re authentic. And I can’t decipher the script on that scroll.”

  “I couldn’t either. But I’ve been informed that in the upper right-hand corner is the name Judas followed by the letters I and S. You’re a powerful man who has been hunting for the Judas coins for years. You have to have contacts who can look at these pictures and tell you whether or not they’re counterfeit. Call them and tell them to get the hell over there right away.”

  “I’ll consider it.”

  “Don’t consider it, do it,” she said fiercely. “I’ll not have that son of a bitch torturing Eve because you can’t get your act together. And if he kills her, there won’t be a chance in hell of your getting your hands on the Judas coins. I’ll throw it into the ocean before I let you have that pouch.”

  “No reason to become so upset. I believe I can accommodate you.”

  “No more than an hour, Roland. And while you’re checking up on me, find a way to keep Millet busy and away from Eve.”

  “Don’t give me orders, Jane.”

  “One hour, Roland.” She hung up.

  “You were very tough.” Jock handed her a cup of tea. “I was impressed. Now sit down and relax for a little while. It’s been a roller-coaster night for you. But I think that Roland knows that he’s been in a battle.”

  “Only a skirmish.” She sipped the tea and dropped down on the couch. Yes, she would try to relax. It was the intelligent thing to do. Certainly not the easiest thing when her nerves were strung this tight. “But the war has officially begun.”

  ROLAND CALLED HER FIFTY-FIVE minutes later. His voice vibrated with excitement. “Where are they?”

  “You got a confirmation on the coins?”

  “I got a highly probable. The expert I called in said the script appeared to be carbon-based as was common during that period. But it’s not the correct number of coins.”

  “Don’t be greedy. I could tell you where the other two coins went.”

  “Where?”

  “I could tell you. I won’t do it without a cast-iron deal.”

  “Where is that pouch?” he asked. “And I’ve been told that writ of sale could disintegrate if care isn’t taken.”

  “Safe. Hadar stuffed it in a bottle near the Field of Blood. I couldn’t chance opening it, so I had someone do opaque digital X-rays. It’s now protected in an airtight container. If you want to verify, you’ll have to have your expert do a digital scan when I hand it over. I guarantee it will remain intact if you agree to my terms.”

  “You’re not in a position to dictate terms. You’re too vulnerable. Millet has Eve Duncan, which means I have Eve Duncan.”

  “Those are my terms. I want Eve freed, and I want both of us to walk away from this nightmare. If you can find a way to rid the earth of Millet, I’d consider it a bonus.”

  He was silent for a moment. “And I get the coins and the scroll with no conditions?”

  “With no conditions.”

  He suddenly chuckled. “Good
God, I wonder if Eve Duncan will ever appreciate how valuable her life has turned out to be. You’re willing to give up billions.”

  “Her life has a value you can’t even imagine, Roland.”

  “I couldn’t be happier that you feel that way. In fact, I’m positively giddy. Do you know how long I’ve searched for those coins?”

  “You told me it was years. I don’t give a damn. When can we arrange a trade that doesn’t involve either Eve or me ending up on that slab in the temple?”

  “I’ll have to think about ways and means. You may well get your bonus if I can’t figure a way to pluck Eve out of Millet’s hands.”

  “You’d better think fast. Millet gave me six hours to agree to his terms. I only have a little over four hours left.” She paused. “Did you call Millet and tell him that Eve’s not to be touched?”

  “If I gave him orders, then he’d be certain to do the opposite. I phoned and let him brag a little, then said that you’re obviously an overemotional woman, and if you saw signs of mistreatment, you might blow up and ruin the trade. He can’t afford to have that happen. He’ll back off.”

  “You told the truth. I’m very emotional, and I’ll react accordingly. You might remember that when you make your plans on getting Eve out of Millet’s hands.”

  “I remember everything about you.” His voice lowered silkily. “You’re an unusual woman. I enjoy emotion. I was disappointed that I had to throw you to Millet to butcher. I much prefer the prospect of getting together with you at some future date. I could show you a few very exciting games.”

  “In your dreams.” She hung up before she realized what she had said. Dreams, again. That response had come out of nowhere.

  “He’s going to cooperate?” Jock asked.

  “He’s telling me that he is. He could go either way. He wants the coins so bad that he can taste it. But if he thinks he can get the pouch without endangering his position within that cult, then he’ll have no compunction about serving me up to Millet.” She added wearily, “I realize we can’t trust him. I just had to have his help with Millet to keep Eve safe while we scramble to help her.”

  He smiled. “And are we prepared to scramble?”

  “Yes, call Gillem and tell him that I’ll need a helicopter to take me to Damascus.

  His smile faded. “You’re going to Caleb?”

  She nodded. “That pilot, Faruk, is the key. I have to make sure that Caleb doesn’t break the man before he can unlock the doors to the temple.”

  “I’d prefer to go with you.”

  “Why? To protect me from Caleb? I thought you were over that.”

  “I don’t believe he’d hurt you intentionally. But he’s volatile, and it might happen. I can’t predict what he’s going to do. It makes me uneasy.”

  She couldn’t predict Caleb either. “He can get Faruk to tell us about the location and layout of the temple. He may be able to use him to take us in with some of those members he’s supposed to be flying in. That’s worth being a little uneasy.”

  “But you don’t want me with you.”

  “We’ll need what amounts to an army if we have to attack that temple. Wait until you hear from Venable that they’ve arrived in Damascus, then join them. Millet will have all his top goons there for the Offering.” She smiled. “You’d make a fantastic general, Jock.”

  He shook his head. “That’s MacDuff. I’m better at guerrilla tactics. You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure.” She did not want to have to referee any conflict between Caleb and Jock. She could handle Caleb better on her own. The intimacy that was growing between them wasn’t easily understood. Not even by me, she thought. She couldn’t afford any interference. Every moment was a challenge. He held a power she had to learn to wield if she was to get through this nightmare.

  And, together, they could find a way for her to dream again.

  Day Seven

  CALEB STROLLED UP TO HER helicopter as it came into the small airport on the outskirts of Damascus, where he’d told her to land. “I’m flattered.” He helped her out of the aircraft. “I only left you a matter of hours ago. You obviously couldn’t wait to be with me again.”

  “You’re right,” Jane said dryly. “Waiting for anything isn’t on my agenda at the moment.”

  “And you wanted to be here to remind me that I mustn’t follow my natural instincts. You didn’t trust me.” He reached out and gently touched her cheek. “How wise you are, Jane.”

  Her skin was warm, tingling beneath his fingers. She wanted to step closer . . .

  She shook her head to clear it and stepped back. “I thought I could be more useful here than waiting in Tel Aviv. As I told you on the phone, everything is in motion now.”

  He glanced at his watch. “And in an hour you should be receiving your call from Millet.”

  She nodded. “He’s not going to allow me much time. I’m not going to be able to stall him. We have to find a way to get Eve out before whatever time he gives me runs out.”

  “That’s why I’m here, isn’t it? Faruk? It shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Can you get him to actually take us to the temple?”

  “As I said, no problem.”

  Hope suddenly surged through her. It was the first bright beacon in all the hours since she’d found the coins. “Then we’d better go find him. Did you check his home address on the Net?”

  He nodded. “But we won’t bother to go there. After all, you’re pressed for time.”

  “What do you—” Her gaze narrowed on his face. “This airport. Faruk uses this airport?”

  He nodded. “He has two cargo planes parked in that hangar over there.”

  “You couldn’t have just told me that’s why you wanted me to come here?”

  “It was convenient. You had to land somewhere.” He glanced away from her. “And maybe I was a little irritated that you tied my hands. I didn’t feel like sharing.” He smiled. “Not that way.”

  Intimacy.

  Push it away.

  “Too bad. This isn’t about you . . . or me. It’s about Eve. Have you contacted Faruk yet?”

  He shook his head. “He’s not here. He went to downtown Damascus after he came back from dropping off Millet and Eve. He should be back soon. I spent the last hour or so talking to mechanics and Nasra, the receptionist at the office, gathering information. Faruk seems to be pretty ordinary. Early forties, unmarried, quiet, doesn’t talk much to the other pilots or mechanics. He’s considered a good pilot. Definitely not a troublemaker.”

  “Just a good-old-boy cult member who likes to watch people stabbed to death.”

  “How often have you read stories about serial killers whose neighbors say they can’t believe their friend is the same man who did those killings?”

  “Point taken. Where do we wait for Faruk to appear?”

  “Definitely out of sight.” He drew her into a hangar a few yards from the small brightly lit main office. “If your picture was circulated among the cult members, Faruk has probably seen it.” He leaned back against the metal wall. “We don’t want to put him on his guard. It will make things difficult.” He saw her expression and smiled. “No, I’m not on the attack. I’ll handle him gently. You’ve slapped my hands. How could I do otherwise?”

  “Let me count the ways. You let me come blindly on his turf. You weren’t worried about his recognizing me then.”

  “I was on watch. And I knew he wasn’t due back yet. I took a chance.” He made a face. “Though maybe I wanted an excuse to go after him. Who knows?”

  “All I want from him is information. Faruk’s a pilot, not one of Millet’s killers. He’s no real danger.”

  “We’ll see.” He was studying her. “You look as if you’ve been stretched on a rack. One touch, and you’d break. How long do you think you can go on?”

  “Until we get Eve back.” She gazed out at the tarmac. “And I won’t break.”

  His intent gaze remained on her face. “It makes me angry seeing y
ou like this, you know.”

  Her gaze shifted back to his face. “Why?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve been wondering that myself. I thought I’d left all that protective bullshit behind me. But it appears that there are some tendrils of emotion that can’t be uprooted. You . . . stir me.”

  She stared at him, speechless.

  “I just thought you should know.” His lips twisted. “You’re always saying you don’t understand me. Now you can see in what direction I’m heading. I don’t think it’s just the sex. I wouldn’t have let you take me off the hunt for Faruk if it was only that.” He held her gaze. “Though I could be wrong. I keep thinking of all the ways I want to have you.”

  She was suddenly vibrantly, physically, aware of everything about him. His hand resting on the doorjamb, the muscles of his chest and shoulders relaxed but possessing a catlike readiness, his eyes . . . Her chest was so tight that she couldn’t breathe. “And that’s supposed to make me understand you?”

  “Maybe not. I thought I’d try. Sometimes, I think, I get lonely. Though I thought I’d put that behind me, too.” He suddenly chuckled. “But understanding me might cause you to shun me even more. Maybe I should count my blessings.”

  She was feeling an aching, almost tender, impulse to reach out, to comfort. It bewildered her. Surely no one on earth had less need for either of those emotions. He had even laughed at himself as he had said those words. Somehow that only made them more poignant. “ I . . . don’t shun you.”

  “Because I keep coming at you. It’s easier for you to come to terms than push me away.”

  Damn, he could read her. “Right now I can’t deal—”