What Doesn't Kill You

by Iris Johansen

  “I can kill my own dragons. That’s not why I wanted Venable to send me help.”

  “Then will you kill a couple for me? You do know that Nardik will draw a bull’s-eye around anyone with you? He may only be glancing casually at me through those binoculars, but he’s taking note.”

  “Of course, I know.” She didn’t speak for a moment. “After I make contact with Hu Chang, I’ll try to get you out of this.”

  “Everything for Hu Chang.”

  She nodded jerkily. “It has to be that way. As I said, I’ll try to—”

  “Be still, Catherine,” he said quietly. “I’ll stay or go as I please. This has always been my choice.” He gazed out at the ship. “And how can I resist meeting Nardik? He’s old unfinished business. I’m looking forward to him almost as much as I am to getting to know Hu Chang…”

  CHAPTER

  10

  BITCH.

  Nardik’s hands tightened on the binoculars. Catherine Ling was leaning back in her chair on the veranda and leisurely drinking her coffee. She hadn’t cast one look at the Dragon King after the defiant gesture that had made him want to strangle her. No, that would have been the final thing he wanted to do to her. He was going to take his time and make the pain excruciating.

  “She had no right to try to make a fool of you,” Fowler said. “You should send Jack Tan to teach her respect.”

  And that would avoid any possibility that Nardik might change his mind if he came in contact with her. Did Fowler think he couldn’t see through him? “There’s no way she could make a fool of me,” he said harshly. “And I reserve sole right to prove that to her.”

  “Then let me help,” Fowler said eagerly. “Remember Carl Falek? You said that I did a good job with him. I made it last a long time.”

  He lowered the binoculars as Ling rose to leave the restaurant. “I’ll consider it.” It wasn’t a bad idea. Fowler was a vicious bastard when he was jealous, as he had been of Carl. He was sure he would prove even more inventive with Catherine Ling. It might be more entertaining watching him work on her than doing it himself. He turned and smiled at Fowler. “You want to please me, don’t you?” He reached out and stroked his cheek. He could see the pulse leap in Fowler’s throat. “Yes, I can see you do. Then start thinking of Catherine Ling, every minute, every second.” He whispered, “It has to be very special.”

  “When?”

  So eager. Well, he was eager, too. He had been thinking of Ling as a bonus when he succeeded in getting the potion from Hu Chang. Now he was thinking that she might prove the pièce de résistance. “I’ve told Jack Tan that she has to be taken in the next two days either with Hu Chang or without. If he doesn’t do it … well, you may have another way to please me.”

  His hand dropped away from Fowler’s cheek, and he turned away and started down the deck toward the dining salon. “I believe anticipation has made me a little hungry. Or maybe it was watching that bitch at the restaurant. She’s given me an appetite in more ways than one. Tell the cook that I’m ready for dinner.”

  * * *

  “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?” CATHERINE threw open her door and glared at Gallo. “You disappear for a full day and don’t answer your phone. Even Venable didn’t know where you were.”

  “I was busy.” He came into the room and shut the door. “You put me in charge of exit strategy from the island, and I thought I might as well take care of our arrival as well.”

  “And you couldn’t have told me?”

  “Did you tell me when you decided to taunt Nardik into a fury at the restaurant? Neither one of us is good at communicating … unless it’s life-or-death.” He went out on the balcony and looked down at the waters of the harbor. “His yacht is still down there, like a cat waiting at a mouse hole.”

  “Cat and mouse. That’s what he wants me to think. It’s supposed to be a war of nerves.” She joined him on the balcony. “He’s been there ever since last night.” She smiled and waved. “Screw you, Nardik.”

  He shook his head. “I’m surprised he hasn’t made a move yet.”

  “Cat and mouse,” she reminded him. She turned and went back inside. “And I’ve seen to it that he knows where I am if he wants to see me. How do we get to the island?”

  “A seaplane will drop us off tonight on the north end of the island, and the pilot will wait for us until we come back.”

  “Tonight? Yes.”

  “I’m glad you’re enthusiastic.”

  “Waiting has been driving me crazy. I wanted to murder you when I couldn’t get in touch.”

  “I’m sure that isn’t the first time. I did a flyover of the island today, and the cottage seems to be occupied. Tan must use it as a permanent base. It’s not going to be a walk in the park. I arranged for a speedboat to pick us up several blocks from the hotel and take us to the docking area for the seaplane. It should be dark in another hour, and by the time we get to the island, we should be able to slip in and slip out with no trouble.” He made a face. “But that never happens, does it?”

  “Not in my experience,” she said dryly.

  “I left getting us out of the hotel up to you. Venable told me that you know this hotel like the back of your hand.”

  She nodded. “We’ll go down to the gift shop on the mezzanine and slip out their emergency door and down the stairs to the delivery area in the alley.” She headed for the bedroom. “I’ll get a duffel and my jacket and be right with you.”

  He nodded. “I’ll be here.”

  “You weren’t for the last twenty-four hours,” she said sarcastically.

  “Because I was off doing your bidding.” He paused. “And I thought I’d better stay away from you for a while.”

  She looked back at him over her shoulder, then wished she hadn’t. Intensity. Readiness. Lust.

  “Yes,” he said softly. “It doesn’t go away. I’m trying to work with it, but I’m going to have to pace myself.” He turned back toward the balcony. “I think I’ll go out and let Nardik see me again. We can’t let him concentrate too heavily on you. I believe in sharing.”

  She shut the bedroom door behind her and stood there for a moment. How the hell could he shake her with only a look, a few quiet words? Ignore it. Use Gallo for the task at hand and nothing else.

  Use him? Gallo wouldn’t be used for anything that didn’t please him. She should be grateful that it pleased him to help her because of a sense of gratitude. But she couldn’t even be sure that was the real reason. The sexual tension between them was so strong that it blurred everything else.

  Clear your head. Stop thinking about him. Tonight we have a job to do.

  She crossed the room and grabbed her duffel and black leather jacket. The only thing she should be concentrating on was the fact that they were good together on the hunt. We’ll need to be, she thought ruefully. Since she had no earthly idea for what they were searching.

  * * *

  THE SEAPLANE GLIDED IN SILENTLY some distance from the shore, and the pilot, Ned Talbot, called cheerfully back to them, “There you are. Couldn’t be any quieter. But you’ll have to row at least a quarter of a mile to get to shore.”

  “No problem.” Gallo was throwing the raft into the water. “Just be ready to go when I call you.” He met Ned’s eyes. “You have your orders.”

  Ned nodded. “Right.”

  Gallo turned to Catherine. “You’re sure you want to do this? It’s not very practical. You admit you don’t know what he hid in those woods. The odds are against our stumbling over whatever it is.” He added grimly, “And the odds are better that Jack Tan’s men will find out we’re on the island and come after us.”

  “I want to do it.” She jumped into the raft and grabbed an oar. She had been telling herself the same thing since Gallo had arrived at the hotel, but for the past hour she had become more and more certain that she was doing the right thing.

  Every instinct was beginning to whisper to her.

  And she usually listened to those instincts.r />
  She stared at the island’s shadowy outline, and that same feeling was surging through her.

  Okay, Hu Chang, we’re here. Now let’s see just how stubborn you are.

  “When we hit the shore, we go through the trees, skirt the cottage, then go into the woods. Right?”

  He nodded as he sat down opposite her in the raft and started rowing. “And hope there’s no sentry on the shore or in those woods.”

  * * *

  “I’M TURNING ON THE FLASHLIGHT. There’s no way we can see anything without light,” he said when they reached the woods. “I think the brush is heavy enough to keep anyone in the cottage from seeing the light. I figure we’ll examine the trees and any crevices for anything that looks out of place.”

  “That’s a good idea,” she said absently. She stood there, her gaze wandering around the wood. “You go ahead.”

  “Me?” He shot a glance at her. “What about you?”

  She nodded. “In a minute.”

  He gazed at her, his eyes narrowed. “What’s going on? You know trying to find anything in these woods is going to be a disaster.”

  Her gaze was searching the trees. “Maybe not.”

  Come on. I know you’re there.

  “Catherine,” Gallo said. “Talk to me.”

  Silence all around her.

  Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.

  “You’re right, we can’t find anything here. It’s not working.” She pulled her Glock out of her jacket pocket. “We go to plan B.”

  She pointed the gun in the air and let off four shots in rapid succession.

  “What the hell!” Gallo grabbed her wrist. “Are you nuts? You’re going to bring Jack Tan’s goons running.”

  “They should already be on their way.” She didn’t look at him. “Get out of here, Gallo. Get back to that seaplane.”

  “You are crazy. I’m not going anywhere without you.”

  “No. You go on. I’m staying here.” She raised her voice so that it rang out loud and clear. “I’m not going without you, Hu Chang. So you come out of there or watch Jack Tan’s men take me down. Do you hear me?”

  “How could I help it?” Hu Chang came out of the trees. “You’re being exceptionally noisy.” He stopped before her and shook his head. “Only you, Catherine.”

  “Shut up. This is all your fault. All you would have had to do was come out of hiding and we wouldn’t have had to come here and go to all this trouble.” Her hands clenched into fists. “You knew we were coming here. Did you follow us?”

  “No, I knew you’d come. I’ve been waiting a few hours.” He tilted his head. “And I believe I hear the uproar you meant to cause.”

  She was also hearing shouts from the cottage. “Then we’d better get the hell out of here. Do you have what you came to get?”

  “Oh yes, it only took a moment.”

  “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what it is.”

  “Eventually.” He turned to Gallo. “I believe we have not been introduced. I am Hu Chang. I understand you are John Gallo?”

  “Not the time for polite introductions,” Catherine said as she turned. “We have to get back to the plane.”

  “Not that way,” Gallo said. “The cliff side of the island.” He turned to Hu Chang. “The same way you went when you were heading for the helicopter. Only this time, you take the path down the cliff toward the sea.”

  She looked at him in bewilderment. “Why? The seaplane is on the far side of the—”

  “Don’t ask questions,” Gallo said roughly as he started to run up the incline. “I’m pissed off enough at you for making me listen like some outsider while you and Hu Chang played your games. I was supposed to be a part of this operation. Or did you forget?”

  He wasn’t waiting for an answer, and Hu Chang was right behind him. “He seems to know where he’s going, Catherine. It would be wise to follow him.”

  She was already following him. Gallo always knew what he was doing. Though she had no idea what was happening or where he was going. She just had to trust him.

  They had reached the cliff top and were going down the twisting path leading to the rocky shore. She was aware of the salt wind in her face and the sound of the surf crashing on the rocks below.

  The surf was so loud that she couldn’t hear the pursuers behind them. But at least there were no shots.

  Gallo was almost at the bottom of the path and was lifting his phone and talking into it.

  No boat. No plane. Just surf skimming the rocky shore. And the sea was so rough here that a boat couldn’t possibly get close. What the hell were they supposed to do?

  She looked over her shoulder. Still no pursuit. That was weird as hell. Jack Tan’s men should have reached the top of the cliff by now.

  Hu Chang was starting to chuckle. “Oh, very good, Mr. Gallo.”

  She swung back around and her gaze followed Hu Chang’s out to sea.

  A small submersible pod had emerged from the water a quarter of a mile out to sea.

  “Swim out to board her,” Gallo said curtly as he waded out into the surf. “The pilot can’t come any closer.”

  Catherine covered the last yards to the shore. “Tan’s men will be able to pick us off in the water as soon as they reach the top of the cliff.”

  “They won’t reach the top of the cliff … I hope.” He started swimming. “Ned is staging a distraction with the seaplane on the other side of the island. I told him to give us ten minutes if he could before he took off.”

  “How did—” Questions later. They had to concentrate on getting out of here. She struck out for the submersible. “Hu Chang?”

  But he was already ahead of her in the water and was overtaking Gallo.

  She could hear the sound of shots. But not directed at them, distant …

  They’d taken the bait.

  The hatch of the submersible was opening up ahead, and she saw Gallo enter the sub.

  “Come, come, Catherine.” Hu Chang turned and looked at her. “You’re keeping me waiting.”

  “Bastard. Get inside and out of my way.”

  He chuckled and climbed aboard the sub.

  Gallo was reaching a hand down in the water to pull her into the pod. He turned to the pilot. “Get going, Bill.”

  He scowled. “Then sit down and let me get under way. This pod isn’t supposed to accommodate four. Three is a tight squeeze.”

  “You don’t have to rely on oxygen for more than ten minutes,” Gallo said as he sat down in the other pilot seat. “Just enough to get us to the next island.”

  “And I assure you that it wasn’t my choice to inconvenience you.” Hu Chang huddled on the floor in the back of the pod. “Though this is an interesting mode of transportation. When Venable called in the F-16, he didn’t actually let me ride in it. This is much better.”

  Catherine dropped down beside him and leaned back as the pod started to move. “I’m so glad you approve.”

  “I approve of the technology,” he said quietly. “I do not approve of being hijacked. Though it’s not entirely unexpected.”

  “You didn’t leave me any choice.” To Gallo, she said, “Why?”

  “Every exit strategy should have a backup.” He added grimly, “Though I didn’t think you’d trigger the need to use it.”

  “Trigger,” Hu Chang repeated with a smile. “What a fitting verb to use.”

  “It was purely unintentional.”

  “Too bad. But I’m sure you’re clever anyway. How else would you get permission to use this submersible?”

  “It’s a research sub. I offered a sizeable contribution to their current project.”

  “Well, bribery isn’t clever, but it’s efficient.” He was studying Gallo’s expression. “I believe I’ll not discuss this until we’re back on dry land. You’re a trifle on edge.”

  More than a trifle, Catherine thought, as she glanced at Gallo. “What island are we heading for?”

  “I don’t think it has a name. It’s no
t much more than a sandbar in the middle of the ocean. But I told the pilot of the seaplane, Talbot, to pick us up there if he heard shots on the island.” He gave Catherine a cool glance. “Plan B. It appears we both had one. But mine was aimed at saving our necks, not sacrificing them to bring Hu Chang into the fold.”

  “It was a last-minute decision. I knew he was out there in the woods. I had to take the chance.”

  “But he’s quite right,” Hu Chang said. “And he has reason to be angry.”

  “Shut up, Hu Chang,” she said through her teeth. “It was a big chance, it was a risk. But I’d do it again.”

  “I know.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “As I said, only you, Catherine. But this is very close quarters for such volatility. I can feel the thunder crashing, and it’s upsetting to such a peaceable man as myself. We’ll go into it later.”

  “Oh, yes,” Gallo said softly. “You can bet we will.”

  * * *

  “YOU LOOK LIKE DROWNED RATS,” Ned Talbot said as they climbed from the dock into the seaplane. “Though I can see how you’d choose a dunk in the sea over those guys who were shooting at me. They were pretty determined. Two of them tried to get a boat out to board the plane. That’s when I decided it was time to take off. I’m glad I gave you enough time.”

  “You did the right thing. I wanted you to stall, not get yourself killed or your plane blown up.” Gallo grabbed the towel Ned was handing him and started drying his hair and neck, then dabbing at his damp clothes. “I’m going to go up in the cockpit with you. Catherine and Hu Chang can keep each other company. I’m sure they have a lot to talk about.” He headed for the cockpit.

  “He’s very annoyed with you.” Hu Chang handed her a towel, then began to dry his hair. “And me, too, perhaps. It’s difficult to tell.”

  “He likes to run things. I threw him a curve, and he doesn’t appreciate it.” She threw the towel aside. “This isn’t doing any good. I need to wash the salt off and start over.” She made a face. “Ned’s right, drowned rats.”

  “You could never look like a rat,” Hu Chang said. “This Ned was mistaken. I hope he’s better at flying than with words. Perhaps you resemble a water sprite.”