“If you like.” He followed her across the room as she’d intended. “Or you might paint my special garden down there on the bank of the lake.” He pointed to a wrought-iron fence with an ornate gate. “That would please me more. It has much more meaning to me.”
“Why?”
“It’s a poison garden. Almost all the plants contain the ingredients for poisons that are completely deadly. I created it to honor the poison garden the Medicis planted in Padua.” He chuckled. “They evidently found it necessary to have an abundant supply constantly on hand. Now, there’s a subject that has true drama and power. Sometimes I take a leisurely stroll through it in the evening. I can’t wait to take you with me and see if it inspires you.”
“I believe I’ll pass.”
“I might not permit you to do that.” He was no longer smiling. “You’ll do as I wish, when I wish.” Then he suddenly shrugged. “It’s not worth arguing about now. I don’t care. You might not be here that long.”
Jane tensed, her gaze flying to his face. He was still looking out the window and the strong sunlight revealed the excitement in his expression. Oh, yes, his mood had definitely changed from that brutality-charged period after he’d hung up from Caleb. “Why wouldn’t I? Why are you feeling more positive?”
“The situation might have changed.” He looked at her, his eyes glittering. “I’m almost sure it has. Because I received a call from Caleb this morning. It was a very brief call, but promising. He said he’d been thinking about Cira’s treasure, and the possibilities were beginning to intrigue him. He said he’d get back to me with terms after he did research and made his decision.” The excitement was growing by the second in his expression. “I think I’ve got him. He called me back in less than eight hours. That must mean something. Seth Caleb has always been so sure he can do anything he sets out to do. I dangled a prize in front of him that anyone on earth would be excited about. I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist trying to reach out and grab that treasure.”
Jane tried not to let him see her surprise. She had not expected that quick a response from Caleb, either, and had no idea what it meant. She just knew she had to maintain and reinforce the attitude toward Caleb she had shown Luca last night. “And he told you that he hadn’t made a decision yet,” she reminded him. “He’s just holding out a carrot. Why don’t you change your demand to something more reasonable?”
“Shut up!” His hand closed with brutal force on her arm, his eyes blazing. “I won’t hear that negative trash from you. I don’t want anything else. Cira’s treasure was always the endgame, from the time I heard that you’d helped MacDuff find it. You’re nothing in comparison. I can find another artist, that’s what a patron does. You and your work only exist because I permit it. But I need the kind of fortune that treasure will bring me.” His eyes were blazing down at her. “And I’ll get it. I can make this work. I just have to be careful with Seth Caleb.” He turned on his heel and headed for the door. “And not let you ruin it for me!”
She watched the door close behind him, absently rubbing the bruise already forming on her arm. Luca’s volatility appeared to be increasing with every passing minute, and a good deal of the poison he was spewing appeared to be aimed at her. Which was perfectly natural. He’d been bound to be disillusioned to realize the woman he’d studied for years and thought he knew would prove to be so troublesome. Add the knowledge that he must be nearly convinced that she was worthless to him in the role he’d cast her for—to serve as a weapon against Caleb—and it must be a double blow to him.
“He was angry.” Tomas’s eyes were big in his pale face. “Did he hurt you?”
“No.” She pulled her hand away from the bruise and strode back to the bed. She smiled down at him. “He’s a bully and bullies can’t hurt you unless you let them. Not on the inside. You just close your eyes, think good thoughts, and push it away. Maybe a little on the outside, but that goes away after a while.”
“Sometimes it’s more than a little.” Tomas’s voice was low, a mere wisp of sound. “My father is a bully, isn’t he? Mama says he’s my father and whatever he does is right, but then why does she cry?”
He looked bewildered and so fragile it was breaking her heart. And how could she tell him how to understand the kind of punishment that he’d undergone from Alberto, or the fear that had driven his mother. “She’s confused and frightened. And she’s so wrong, Tomas. Nothing he did to you was right, but she might be afraid that it would be worse for you if both of you fought him.” She took him in her arms and held him close for a long moment. He clung to her desperately. It was almost like holding Michael, so warm and soft and endearing, but he was smaller and thinner than her brother. And Michael had never had to suffer the torture this boy had undergone. Then she gave Tomas a quick hug and said huskily, “And there are times a bully can turn into a monster and you have to fight monsters. There’s no other choice but fight or run.” She smiled with an effort. “You’re a little young for fighting monsters, though, so that’s why we have to run.” But she had to try to keep his mind busy and not let him dwell on the monsters waiting in the shadows. She sat down again in her chair and opened her sketchbook. “We’ll start with having you tell me all about your village and anything else that you remember about this tower and all the lakes and roads and secret places that you boys like to explore…”
* * *
Fiero Castle
“I’ve sent you the security and architectural plans,” Palik said when Caleb picked up his call. “You should be getting them any minute.” He paused. “Tell me that you’re not going to use them to do what I think you’re going to do. That could mean big trouble for me.”
Caleb ignored the question. “The plans are up to date?”
“Of course. Aren’t they always?” Palik added gloomily, “Which means you are going to do it.”
“I’ll need personnel files of bank employees including background and psychological testing they underwent for the job. Plus the guard scheduling setup for at least the next two weeks.”
“Two weeks?”
“With the emphasis on the next seven days. I’d like to have it even sooner. I hate leaving Jane with that bastard any longer than necessary. But if I go after the treasure, it will be intricate as hell, and I just don’t know how quickly I’ll be able to work it.” He added harshly, “I might not have to do it at all, if you can track Luca down and get me a location. What do you know about the helicopter?”
“None with that description at any of the private airfields in north Italy. He must own the helicopter and have his own pad. I’ve sent men to scour the lake country asking everyone in the area if they’ve seen a copter of that description and when and where.”
“And did you locate the boy, Tomas?”
“Do you realize how many boys are named Tomas in Italy?” He added quickly, “But I’ve traced an Alberto Nazaro who used to live in a village near the village of Fiero. A few years ago he packed up his wife and son, Tomas, and moved out almost overnight. No forwarding address. And that same year, several other families also moved away. Same circumstances.”
“It sounds as if Luca was staging a gathering of the cult brethren.” Caleb swore beneath his breath. “They couldn’t have been members of the original cult, but they might have been a splinter group who went into hiding when they heard I was going after Maria’s killers. Luca must have taken them under his wing and kept contact after Jelak was killed.”
“That makes sense,” Palik said. “And, because the families drifted away one by one and there were no actual indications of a new cult forming in this area, it didn’t send up any red flags to Donzolo when I hired him to watch for signs.”
“Until Luca decided to set loose the hounds,” Caleb said grimly. “And Alberto’s son is named Tomas?”
“The neighbors weren’t sure, but that’s what they thought. He was only a little kid, and Alberto never let him play with the other children in the neighborhood.”
�
��That’s close enough for me,” Caleb said. “But all those families couldn’t have just disappeared. Someone must know where they are. They’ve got to be somewhere here in the lake country. Find them.”
“Here? You’re still in Italy? That’s good, I was afraid you were already in Edinburgh casing the bank for yourself. The longer I can keep you away from there, the better.”
“I’ve told you how to do that. Now I need to talk to Barza. Is he there?”
“Yes, dreading the minute you were going to ask for him. I’ll give him my phone.”
The next minute Nicco Barza came on the line. “I don’t know where Davron is,” he said quickly. “I can’t help it. It’s not my fault. He’s scared and he won’t talk about it. He said that Luca is crazier than ever since he brought all those freaks in that cult together and it wouldn’t take much to make him snap.”
“But Davron’s talking to you now?”
“He’s talking to me. I told you that we were good together. I think it’s a relief for him to talk to someone who’s not under Luca’s thumb. But if I put pressure on him, he might panic and stop taking my calls.” He paused. “Besides, I don’t want to pressure him. He was good to me. I don’t want to get him killed, Caleb.”
“I need that information. We made a deal.” But he was thinking quickly, weighing options. “But you might be right about him panicking. Okay, I’ll go along with you for the time being. It might be just as well for you to omit the pressure and be the sympathetic listener. But you’d better nudge him diplomatically to let you know everything happening there, particularly with Jane MacGuire. I want him to feel as if he can run to you to bare his soul if Luca puts the screws on him.”
“Would you help Davron if he did?”
“No, I don’t give a damn about Davron. He was with Luca when Jane was taken. That means he’s high on my list.” He paused. “But I’d let you broker a deal with him that might save his neck if he can give me what I need. That’s as far as I’ll go.”
Barza was silent. “Even if he proves to be a good source of information? Davron said something about Jane MacGuire when I talked to him the last time. He said he didn’t know how long she was going to last. Luca is…he gets impatient. He hurts her. She keeps making him angry.”
Caleb went still. Eliminate the chill. Smother the rage. “Did he say anything else?”
“No, but you said you wanted to know anything he said about her. I thought I should tell you.”
“Yes, you should,” he said hoarsely. “Let me talk to Palik again.”
“I heard what Barza said,” Palik said warily when he came back on the line. “I take it this is going to change our schedule.”
“I’m going to be ready to move in five days max. I want the info in thirty-six hours.”
“Shit!”
“My feelings exactly,” Caleb said. “But if I can manage to pull a plan together that will satisfy that son of a bitch, you can get your ass in gear and get me what I need.”
He cut the connection.
* * *
Tower House
Three Days Later
“Come on!” Luca threw open the door of Tomas’s sickroom and strode toward where Jane was sitting by the bed. “Leave the brat. You have to go with me.”
Jane stiffened. “Why?” Luca’s entire being seemed electrified, his eyes wild. Her first thought was for Tomas. “I won’t go anywhere until you—”
“You’ll go where I tell you.” He grabbed her wrist and jerked her to her feet. “I don’t know why Caleb wants to talk to you, but he said the deal is a go and I’m not wasting time listening to you right now.”
Caleb. This wasn’t about Tomas, she realized with relief. The boy was safe for the time being. She was looking over her shoulder as Luca pulled her from the room and trying to indicate that reassurance to Tomas. She didn’t know if she succeeded because Luca was now dragging her down the long hall. “Where are we going?”
“My study.” He threw open a door and pushed her inside. “Go sit down and we’ll see what Caleb has to say.”
The computer was on the desk in front of her as she sat down before it.
Caleb.
She had been expecting to see his face on Skype, but it didn’t keep her from feeling a jolt of pure relief at the sight of him. All the tension of the last three days was flowing out of her. He was alive. He was well. Nothing else seemed important. Why had it ever been important?
Try not to let Luca see what this moment meant to her. She kept her voice steady. “Hello, Caleb. Here we are again. We’ve got to stop meeting this way.”
“Actually, I regarded it as necessary this time, Jane,” he said without expression. “I had to make sure you were up to giving me what I wanted.”
“I did what you told me to do. I brought her,” Luca said impatiently. “Now stop yammering and tell me how we’re going to do this.”
“I’m the one who’s going to do it,” Caleb said. “Your only involvement will be to furnish what you need to transport the treasure out of Scotland…after I’ve permitted you to collect your share of the spoils.”
“Share?” Luca repeated. “All, Caleb.”
“Not likely. I might be doing this as a challenge, but I want a sizeable fee for my trouble. Not too much. Only a third of the treasure.” He paused. “And I’ll also take the Judas coins.”
“The hell you will.” Luca was swearing beneath his breath. “The coins Judas was given to betray Christ? They’re priceless.”
“And they’ll be very hard to dispose of in the usual way. You know that there are arguments going on whether or not they’re the authentic coins. All kinds of religious and antiquity experts will be fighting over them and trying to dispute their validity when MacDuff lets them be examined. Much better to take a bigger share of the rest of the treasure and let me have the coins. I’ll sit on them for a decade or so and then quietly sell them to a private collector.” He added, “What are you arguing about? It’s a good deal. In three days, I’ll deliver Cira’s treasure into your waiting hands.” He smiled recklessly. “Except for my small tokens to prove that I was the only one in the whole damn world who could pull it off.”
“Arrogant bastard.” Luca’s lips twisted. “I might not have to give you anything. You were very eager for me to get Jane in here today. A few threats, a little torture, and I could write my own terms.”
“Are we back to that again?” Caleb shook his head mockingly. “You’re a slow learner, Luca. I don’t let women dictate anything in my life but the usual pleasure.” His glance shifted back to Jane. “Sorry, but you always knew that was true. That’s why you sent me away. I want you to know that I thought you were magnificent. Sometimes I came very close.”
“I’m touched,” she said dryly. “Then may I ask why you had Luca drag me in here? You said it was necessary.”
“I had to see you. I expected Luca to do a certain amount of damage, but if it was too much it might ruin my plans.” His gaze was scanning her face. “Bad bruise on your jaw. It’s healing but it should still be visible for the next several days. That might be enough. Anything else?”
“Ruining your plans,” Luca repeated. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll get to you in a minute.” Caleb’s gaze was still on her face. “Anything else?”
“A few more bruises here and there. Like most bullies Luca likes to beat up on women.”
“Nothing visible?”
What on earth was he up to? It was obvious from Luca’s frown that he was puzzled, too.
“Not unless I stripped down to my birthday suit,” she said. “Nothing visible.”
“I don’t believe that would be necessary.” His glance went to Luca. “I admit I thought there would be more signs of mistreatment. Then I would have had to figure a way to strike a balance. But I think you’ve got that balance right now, and that means you’ll have to keep your hands off her until you turn her over to me tomorrow, Luca. You might get carried away and go too far. Mac
Duff has a temper and you could spoil everything.”
“MacDuff? What’s all this about? Why should I care if he has a temper?” Luca added coldly, “And stop trying to give me orders. I’m in charge here. And I have no intention of turning Jane over to you tomorrow.”
“But you will,” Caleb said softly. “Because she’s not a weapon you can use with me, but MacDuff is a different matter. He might be a tough bastard, but he has a weakness for Jane. You’ve researched him enough to know that’s true. He regards her as a close friend, and she was responsible for him finding Cira’s treasure. He’s grateful enough to do almost anything for her…if handled correctly.”
Luca went still. “Ransom?”
“No, you’ve made your statements too bloody for him to trust you in a ransom situation. He won’t go that route.” He smiled. “But MacDuff is a true Scot and we can play on that side of his character. He’s descended from a long line of Highland raiders, and he sometimes has problems being as civilized as his august title calls for. He was in 45 Commando Royal Marines, where he won a whole chestful of medals. When he was younger, he brought home an Olympic gold for archery. And he spent decades traveling and searching for that family treasure until he found it. All of this means he gets easily bored these days, and if I offer him something to liven up the situation, I can see him stepping up to the plate.”
“And just what are you offering him?” Luca asked.
The Persuasion Page 32
