Hold her breath.
He was only yards behind her.
Then he was on the trail, right beside her.
She leaped forward, swinging the rope around his neck.
He screamed, his hands clawing wildly at the rope, as he dropped his gun to the ground. He screamed again, jerking his hands away in agony as he felt them burning. Then his hands were back on his throat, and he jerked the rope away from his neck and dropped it to the ground.
The sickening smell of burnt flesh. His eyes glaring fiercely at Cara as he looked down at his scorched hands. “You stinking whore.”
Then he dived to the ground for the gun he’d dropped.
No! Cara dived after him.
But he’d already retrieved it and was swinging the butt at her head!
Pain.
Svardak was on his feet, looking down at her. His eyes were blazing crazily with agony and rage as he aimed the gun. “Win? You’ll never win, you demon from hell. I won’t let you—”
A dark figure hurtled toward Svardak before he could pull the trigger!
Kaskov, Cara realized dazedly.
Kaskov between her and that bullet.
A shot.
Kaskov was falling to the ground.
Dead?
Svardak was lifting his gun once more.
He was going make certain Kaskov was dead.
“No!” She was leaping toward the gun in Svardak’s hand.
“For God’s sake, Cara! Don’t do it! Get away from him.”
Jock?
Only a few yards behind Svardak, she saw Jock moving with that deadly speed and precision toward him.
But Svardak still had that gun in his hand and he was whirling to face the new threat behind him.
Not Jock. Never Jock.
She snatched up the rope Svardak had jerked from around his neck. She threw it over the hand gripping the gun.
That horrible cry. The acidic smell of burning flesh.
And the gun was no longer a threat, it was falling nervelessly from Svardak’s hand.
Then Jock had reached him.
Jock’s face, ice cold, filled with fury and a terrible lust for pain and vengeance. It was the expression she always hated to see on his face. She still hated it. But now she understood it. She only wished that she could be the one to mete out the final punishment to Svardak.
But it was too late. Jock’s hands were on Svardak’s throat, squeezing slowly, choking, causing maximum pain. His eyes were bulging as he gasped helplessly for air. She didn’t look away. She stepped closer so that he could see her. He knew he was going to die. She wanted to be the last face he would see on earth.
His eyes were glazing over. Jock was letting him slip slowly from his hands to the ground. He was barely alive when she stepped still closer to look down at him. “Listen to me, you monster,” she said fiercely. “This is the end for you. You failed in everything you’ve ever done, and your Anna knows it. She’ll turn her back on you in hell because she’ll hate you for being so weak.” His eyes were wide as he stared up at her in horror. He was struggling desperately to speak as life was leaving him. “Can’t you see? We’ve all beaten you. No matter what you did to us, it’s all come down to this moment. Marian. All those other poor women you tortured and killed. Joe. Kaskov.” She paused. “Tribute. And retribution.” She bent still closer, and whispered, “I win, Svardak.”
* * *
“Cara.” Jock was behind her, his hands on her shoulders. “For God’s sake, are you okay?”
She whirled and went into his arms. “Jock.” She buried her face in his chest. “I was afraid he was going to kill you.”
His arms tightened around her. “You didn’t answer me. I saw that damn truck crash into the tree. And by the time I got here, I had to track you through the forest. Are you hurt?”
“No. I don’t know. Maybe a little sore.” She couldn’t let him go. She never wanted to let him go. “Joe?”
“I haven’t heard from Eve yet. But I know she got him out of the ranger station.”
She suddenly stiffened. “Kaskov!” She whirled and ran to where he was lying. “Is he dead? He can’t be dead. He saved me, Jock. He just appeared out of nowhere and took Svardak’s bullet for me.”
“I know, I saw him do it.” He knelt beside Kaskov and started to examine him. “He’s not dead. But he’s unconscious.” He opened his leather jacket. “Blood. Wound in the rib cage or upper chest. But I don’t know how serious it is—”
“Not … serious.” Kaskov’s eyes had opened. His voice was hoarse. “Do you think I’d allow that … scum to ruin my reputation? But you could have performed more efficiently, Gavin. I’m … disappointed in you.”
“Why? It gave you the opportunity to be a hero. I had to eliminate those three sentries before they reached Svardak and gave him additional backup.”
“Excuses. Excuses.” He inhaled sharply as Jock cleared the blood to look more closely at the wound. “Or did you decide this would be a good way to finally get rid of me?”
“It’s a thought.” Jock was putting pressure on Kaskov’s wound to stop the blood. “But you ruined any hope of its working by stepping in front of that bullet Svardak was aiming at Cara. Now I have to find a way to save you.”
“True.” His gaze shifted to Cara. “Look at her. She’s in agony because … she thinks that I might have … given my life for her. When I feel a little better, I’ll have to think of a way to … use that angst.”
“Be quiet.” Cara’s voice was unsteady. “For all I know, you could be breathing your last breath. You’re both so twisted that you think the fact that I’d care about it is funny. Well, it’s not funny.” She was reaching for her phone. “And I won’t laugh even after the doctors tell me that you’re not dying.” She was dialing 911. “And, Jock, don’t you let him die. I won’t have Svardak sending me ghostly messages from the great beyond to tell me I didn’t win, after all.”
“Oh, you won,” Kaskov said softly, his eyes closing. “For a novice you … did … very well … Indeed.”
CHAPTER
19
BLUE RIDGE HOSPITAL 4:30 A.M.
“He has not regained consciousness yet?”
Cara turned her head to see Nikolai standing in the doorway of Kaskov’s hospital room. His gaze was on Kaskov in the bed across the room. “He should not have taken this long. He’s very strong. Have there been any strangers in the room?”
He was in protective mode. Suspicious of everything and everyone. “You should know better than I,” Cara said. “You’ve been hovering in that hall since the ER assigned Kaskov a room tonight. I’m sure you’ve checked everyone out.”
“I am good. I am not perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. I could have missed someone.” He inclined his head in her direction. “But you are no fool. You’ve been sitting there next to him all evening, and I don’t believe you would have let someone slip past you.”
“How kind of you to give me your seal of approval,” Cara said solemnly. “You didn’t even search me for weapons.”
“Kaskov would not have approved. He makes exceptions for you.” He was frowning as his gaze returned to Kaskov. “But he should not be here. It’s too difficult to keep him safe. I could have arranged treatment be brought to him in a place where I could have controlled it.”
“It was my decision. I didn’t know how badly he was hurt. It might have taken too long to whisk him away and wrap him in the cotton wool that would have met with your approval.” She paused. She could see he was troubled, and added gently, “I wouldn’t let anything happen to him, Nikolai.”
“Not if you could help it. But he is more of a target than you can imagine. He would be much safer if he did not constantly insist on your presence.”
“I have a very good imagination. And you can discuss your opinion with him as soon as he recovers. Until then, he belongs to me.”
“And on that remarkable statement, I feel forced to stop eavesdropping.” Kaskov had opene
d his eyes and was gazing at Nikolai. “Interference, Nikolai?”
“It is true, sir.” He inclined his head. “But I apologize for expressing it. It was not my place.” He turned and headed for the door. “If you can forgive me, I will start planning to get you away from this hospital before your enemies find out how vulnerable you are.”
“Oh, I believe I can forgive you.” He smiled mockingly. “But you’ll have to consult with Cara on the timing. She appears to have taken charge.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cara said crossly. “I only meant that I wasn’t about to let you be taken away from me until I knew you were on your way to getting well. You saved my life. It was my fault Svardak almost killed you. I won’t let Nikolai take you to some high-priced surgeon who could still be crooked as a dog’s hind leg until I’m certain that you’re on your way to recovery.”
Kaskov’s brows rose. “And at that point if I start to fail, Nikolai will know the crooked physician is to blame and take action?”
“Exactly.” She shrugged. “Because the ER doctors said that your wound wasn’t serious. The only reason it took you so long to regain consciousness was that they gave you a shot to keep you out while they stitched you.”
“And Nikolai permitted that to take place?” he said silkily.
“Gavin was with her at the time,” Nikolai said quickly. “I judged him to be sufficient and that you would not want me to draw attention to myself.”
“Yes, Gavin would be quite sufficient to handle anyone who might prove to be suspect. I’m just surprised he would bother.” He glanced at Cara. “Your influence?”
She didn’t answer. “Start making plans to get him out of here, Nikolai. And tell the head nurse at the nurses’s station that he’s awake.”
Nikolai hesitated, gazing at Kaskov.
Kaskov was nodding. “It seems you have permission.”
The next moment, Nikolai disappeared from the room.
“It was bewildering to have you here when I woke,” Kaskov said. “I immediately thought of angels, and I knew that wasn’t my destination. And, since you look amazingly healthy, I assume that Svardak did you no damage after I took that bullet. Were you hurt at all?”
She shook her head. “You gave me the chance I needed.”
“You killed him?”
“No, it was Jock. But, yes, I certainly contributed.” She did not want to dwell on that moment, and went on quickly, “So it’s over, Kaskov. For you and for me.” She drew a deep breath. “And Joe is doing well. Though not nearly as good as you. The infection will take time to heal. He’s still having to fight that fever. But the doctors told Eve that he’d probably be able to go home in a few days if he kept improving. He’s down the hall in the next wing.”
“Then why aren’t you with him?”
“I was there earlier. But he doesn’t need me.” She made a face. “And Eve certainly doesn’t need me right now. She doesn’t need anyone but Joe and Michael. She barely knew I was in the room.”
“So you decided to come where you’re appreciated? Sound decision.”
“The only time you appreciate me is when I have a violin in my hands,” she said dryly. “I just didn’t want to be in their way. I’ll see enough of them when we take Joe back to the lake cottage.”
“The violin is always a definite plus, but I have found a few other qualities that I find tolerable in you.” He tilted his head. “Think about it. How could we not form an attachment that’s much more cerebrally based than an ordinary relationship? Our little jaunt tonight was intensely interesting and revealed that we had common goals.”
“To kill a demon?”
“It worked for us,” he said softly. “And you stayed with me to see that no other demons had their way with me.”
“Of course I did,” she said impatiently. “You took a bullet for me.”
“And that’s still another reason. The pact is constantly growing in substance, isn’t it? You have such a giving heart, and you can’t help but be grateful to me no matter what my motive was for doing it. I’m just pointing out that the bond between us appears to be strengthening, and you may feel yourself making choices that you ordinarily would not.”
“You’re wrong.” Yet she felt a frisson of uneasiness. She had not realized how much he’d studied and learned about her during those visits when she’d thought he was only absorbed in the music. And he was not above using that knowledge to his advantage. He was lying there in a hospital bed, and yet she could still sense the sheer power Kaskov emitted. “My choices are always based on my family and the people I love. I can’t see them changing.” She shook her head. “And I’m certainly not going to worry about it. From now on, you can take care of your own demons.” She got to her feet. “I am grateful, Kaskov. You not only saved me, but helped get Joe away from Svardak. But in the end, you were just putting a deposit down on the wrong you did all those years ago. Why should I believe I owe you anything?”
“Because it’s your nature.” He watched her walk toward the door. “And I’m too selfish to refuse reaping the benefit. Good night, Cara. Do give my best to Gavin. I imagine he wasn’t pleased at having to run interference between the ER staff and Nikolai’s men.”
“Probably not, but he did it anyway.”
“Because he knows about debts,” he said softly. “Gavin’s not like you. He wouldn’t give a damn about any wrong I inflicted in the past as long as the end result was that I kept you alive.” He smiled. “That’s the only thing that would be important to him. I wonder if I’ll have occasion to remind him of it someday?”
“No!” She whirled on him, her eyes glittering. “Leave Jock out of anything between you and me. I won’t have it.”
He chuckled. “I generally don’t involve Gavin. Sometimes he seems to involve himself. Have you noticed?”
She had noticed, and this last interference had been very painful for both of them. “Good night, Kaskov. I hope you get well soon.”
“I’ll make a point of it. I have a good deal to look forward to in the next several months. I’ll see you in Arizona.”
She closed the door behind her and stood there, her mind warily going over the conversation. Nothing that was threatening, but there were still shadings of the unknown present in every word.
Forget it.
Kaskov was a law unto himself, but he had never been a deliberate danger to her. He was just a dominant man who liked control. In the past, she had even allowed herself to occasionally be controlled by him.
There was really nothing different.
Except he had made that comment about Jock, and she hated the idea that Jock might feel he owed anything to her grandfather.
“What are you frowning about?” Jock was walking toward her from the elevator. He was grimacing. “Tell me that you’ve been released from bondage by Kaskov at least for the night and we can get the hell out of here.”
“It was always my decision.” She started walking toward him. “He could hardly call the shots with me when he already had a bullet in him.”
“I’m not sure about that.” He stopped, his gaze studying her face. “I’m not sure about anything about you any longer, Cara. It’s as if you’ve turned a new page, and I have to learn how to read you.”
“The only bad thing about that would be if you didn’t want to learn,” she said unsteadily. “For heaven’s sake, Jock, we’ve known each other for so long, and we’ve never stood still. I don’t promise not to change through the years. You’ll change, too, and we’ll argue, and we’ll have to come to terms with each other, and it will all start again. And it will keep on changing until the day we die, because that’s how long we’ll be together. So don’t tell me you’re going to start complaining about it at this early date.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” His lips indented in a faint smile. “And I wasn’t complaining, I was just making a statement. Yes, it makes me uneasy that I can’t predict what you’re going to do next, and Kaskov always sends up red flags where I�
��m concerned. But then that’s part of the challenge of loving you.” He added softly, “And what a challenge it is, Cara, one that I’ll look forward to meeting as long as you’ll let me. Now will you stop being defensive and let me take you back to the hotel and prove it to you?”
Her frown disappeared as she looked at him. He was strong and golden, and the shining she had always seen in him was brighter now. It seemed to be shimmering just for her. Lord, she loved him. He was everything she’d ever wanted, and now she was going to have him. Why had she even been worrying about Kaskov or anything else when she had so much for which to be thankful? “My thought exactly.” She was smiling brilliantly as she walked the rest of the way toward him. “And I’ve no intention of coming back in the morning. Kaskov’s on his own. Let’s get the hell out of here, Jock.”
LAKE COTTAGE THREE WEEKS LATER
“Jock’s coming, Mom!” Michael shouted up to Eve from the driveway, his gaze on the road. “May I run down and meet him as he comes around the bend in the road? Cara said he rented a really cool Ferrari this time, and I want to see it.”
“And you can’t wait?” Eve asked teasingly. For three weeks, Jock had been going back and forth from here to London and New York to see Cara and check on Joe. Each time he had shown up in a vehicle that had intrigued and excited her son. “Go ahead. But don’t get run over. Ferraris are powerful cars and not to play with.”
“I’ll be careful.” Michael was laughing as he started running down the road. “But Jock doesn’t agree with you. He says they’re great toys, and I should learn to appreciate them.”
“No use arguing with him,” Cara said as she came out on the porch. “Jock has totally corrupted him. Michael and Joe have always been fascinated with cars, and Jock figured that if he periodically brings them a brand-new supertoy, he could keep Joe from spending hours taking his own cars apart. There’s not much you can improve on a Ferrari.” She made a face. “My fault. I told him you’d been having trouble keeping Joe on invalid status.”
“Impossible,” Eve said. “And I’m so grateful to have him back on his feet that I tend to let him tinker.” She paused. “Though I think they both like working on the old Jeep better. I’ve been suspecting that Michael’s enthusiasm might be a little feigned to keep Joe from doing too much.”
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