Mind Game

by Iris Johansen

“So she’s been saying.” His lips tightened as he glanced down at the computer screen. “But just because she’s willing to sacrifice you on my altar, I find I’m not inclined to do it. She doesn’t realize that you have a certain value to me that would be made totally invalid if you ended up dead.…”

  5:40 A.M.

  “Go get cleaned up and grab something to eat,” Caleb said as he opened the door of the aircraft after he’d landed at a private airport near Athens. “I have details to arrange and a few calls to make before we head for the island.”

  “Are you going to try to slip away from me?”

  “So suspicious.” He smiled. “I wouldn’t stand a chance. I may be a hunter, but you have a determination that’s beyond belief. I was merely being considerate. You look completely exhausted and I don’t want you fading away on me.”

  “I’m fine.”

  He shook his head. “Go in the terminal and eat.” He was going down the stairs to the tarmac. “I’ll come and get you at the restaurant when I’m ready to move.”

  “How far are we from Zakyos Island?”

  “About an hour and forty minutes by speedboat.”

  “I knew you couldn’t take the jet, but I thought that you’d choose a helicopter.”

  “Too noisy. I have to take a look at the coastline of San Leandro, and a speedboat will probably be more efficient and definitely less suspicious.” He turned and looked up at her. “You did your job. You gave us a chance to get to her.” His lips tightened. “Now take a break and let me do what I have to do if I’m going to let you go into that house without me. Okay?”

  It wasn’t okay. Her nerves were stretched taut and she wanted to move at warp speed now that she could almost see a way to free Lisa.

  “I know.” Caleb’s gaze was on her face. “I want it, too. Just give it a few hours, Jane.” He turned and strode into the terminal.

  Jane stared after him and then slowly followed him down the steps. Follow. That was the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted to take the initiative and move forward. But it wasn’t what she wanted; it was what was good for Lisa. Caleb was a hunter, and the lethalness of his talent had been proven over the years. She had brought him into this not only because of his love and connection to his sister but for that very skill. She knew the fundamentals of self-defense because Joe had taught her from childhood, but she was an artist, not a warrior. She was very much afraid that it was a warrior who would be needed before this was over.

  So she decided to accept that she would have to follow for a while and grit her teeth until the situation changed.

  * * *

  “Come on.” Caleb strode up to her table at the restaurant two hours later and threw down some bills. “We need to get on the road. I want to lease the fastest speedboat in the harbor and be at that island by late afternoon.” He turned and headed back toward the door.

  Jane jumped to her feet. “It’s not as if I was holding you up.” But she didn’t like this sudden urgency. Caleb appeared both grim and electrified. She caught up with him at the door. “What’s wrong?”

  “Leon Santara.” He showed her a photo on his phone of a tall, fortyish, sandy-haired man in a khaki jacket and army boots. “Or Gilbert Monlagi, as he’s known in half a dozen countries in Europe and the Middle East. According to my contact, he was getting a little too notorious, so he’s been using the name Santara for the last two years and trying to stay under the radar.” He held the door open for her. “He’s what’s wrong. Very, very wrong.”

  “Bad?” she whispered.

  He followed her toward the taxi waiting at the curb. “Born in Naples. Grew up on the streets and became a thief and drug runner, then later a mercenary in Africa, where he combined both careers. He was with the death squads in Angola and took money from the Iranians and the Taliban. These days, he sells his services to the highest bidder, usually works with his own team, all of whom are very competent.” His voice was harsh and he wasn’t looking at her. “He likes what he does. He likes the money and he likes the power. Santara won’t hesitate to kill, but he prefers to make sure that his victim suffers enough to be aware who holds that power. He may be hurting Lisa to get what he wants from her, but he’s enjoying it.” He paused. “And he’s been known to lose control on occasion.”

  “You’re afraid he’ll kill her.”

  He didn’t answer directly. “I think we’d better get her out of there fast. He’s no longer an unknown element, and what we know isn’t good. Considering that Lisa is probably constantly provoking him, it’s the only way we’ll keep her alive.” He opened the taxi door for her. “It’s just as well, I don’t believe either one of us could wait around and take the thought of the punishment he may be inflicting.” He got into the cab. “So we head for the harbor and get to Zakyos Island as soon as possible.”

  ZAKYOS ISLAND

  IONIAN SEA

  The sun was low on the horizon when Caleb and Jane anchored the blue-and-white speedboat in a bay on the far side of the island. He jumped onto the beach and lifted her out of the boat. “You know what to do?”

  She nodded. “For heaven’s sake, of course I do. You went over it with me in detail. I go to the inn up on the hill and ask if we can have a room for the night. I say you’re an accountant who’s also a fanatical fisherman and you heard that the fishing was particularly good here. I tell the reception clerk that you’re talking to the fishermen down here at the beach and sent me ahead. Then I sit down in the pub and ask casual questions of any guests or employees about whether there are any strangers or other interesting tourists on the island. Just to make sure that there aren’t more men who were sent here besides the three that Lisa knew about on San Leandro.” She made a face. “But all that sounds fairly unimportant and like you’re trying to get rid of me.” She stared him in the eye. “Are you?”

  “Yes, for a little while. I’m going to go over this island so that I’ll know it like the back of my hand myself. I’ll try to recruit a couple men from here to help us. But everything I asked you to do was absolutely of value. It just might not be absolutely necessary. But then again, it might.”

  “But you’re not going to get back in that speedboat and go get Lisa without me?”

  “Tempting.”

  “Caleb.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve been thinking about Lisa, and you could be right about her reactions,” he said grimly. “And if I force it, I could damage her. So I’ll have to figure out a way to make it as safe as possible for you. You just have to do exactly what I say or I won’t be able to keep myself from doing what I want and not what you want. Understood?”

  She nodded. “I know how to obey orders. I grew up with Joe Quinn, a police detective, remember? The orders just have to make sense to me.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. Sometimes I have problems communicating that concept.” He handed her sketchbook to her. “I promise I’ll be only a few hours. Go up to the inn and play artist.”

  “I don’t play artist. I am an artist.” She started up the twisting road that led to the inn. “But I’ll do a sketch or two to lend authenticity when I’m in that pub.” She stopped and looked around her. Zakyos was incredibly beautiful. Set like a jewel in that deep azure blue sea, it was green and flowering, with that golden Greek ambience that was like a heady wine. “Be careful. This place is like something from that movie Mamma Mia! When something is too good, it sometimes hides a rotten core.”

  “Now that sounds entirely too cynical coming from you. Who have you been hanging around with?”

  “I won’t answer that.”

  She heard him chuckle, but when she looked back, he was gone.

  This island might be as balmy, golden, and breathtakingly wonderful as she’d told Caleb, but she was as uneasy as she’d said. It seemed impossible that this magical small island could be the place that Lisa had seen from that tower window. Had she made a mistake? There were so many islands, so many—

  A gray stone house looming over
the cliff, dominating everything around it.

  San Leandro.

  Jane had turned a corner in the road and was suddenly facing the gray stone house with the tower across the expanse of blue sea. She could see the white-capped mountains in the background. It was as if she’d been given an answer to all those doubts.

  She stood there staring, her heart beating hard. Was Lisa in that tower room now? If she looked out that window, could she see Jane standing here only miles from where she stood?

  No, it wasn’t likely that she’d be able to make out a figure on this road from that far away. But the thought gave Jane a feeling of closeness to Lisa that was banishing the uneasiness and uncertainty that had been plaguing her.

  “We’re here, Lisa,” she whispered. “We’re coming for you. You’re not alone anymore.”

  9:40 P.M.

  “Paid in full.” Jane smiled as she tore off the sketch she’d done of Risto, the young teenage boy who worked in the kitchen. “Save it. Once I’m famous, you’ll be able to sell it for a small fortune.”

  He shook his head and grinned. “No, I’ll keep it forever and tell everyone that I won it playing darts with a beautiful woman who was foolish enough to bet against the great Risto. That’s a much better story.” He looked critically at the sketch. “Yes, you’ve made me as handsome as I really am. It’s clear you wish to do more with me than just draw my face.”

  “Oh, does she?” Caleb had appeared in the doorway of the pub. “But I might have a few objections to her doing that.”

  Risto stiffened as soon as he saw Caleb.

  Jane couldn’t blame him. Caleb’s tone was casual, but there was seldom anything casual about Caleb. Power. Electricity. Force. Possessiveness.

  Risto said quickly, “I meant no offense. She is—”

  Jane interrupted. “He knows you didn’t, Risto. He’s obviously a little bad-tempered at the moment. And no one has the right to make objections but me.” She smiled at him. “Take your sketch and go back to the kitchen. Maybe tomorrow you can play against my friend here and beat him, too.”

  Risto nodded quickly, grabbed his sketch, and vanished in the direction of the kitchen.

  She turned to face Caleb. “That wasn’t necessary. You didn’t need to intimidate him. He’s only a boy.”

  “Who kept you entertained.” He shrugged. “You’re right: I’m a little bad-tempered at the moment. The sight of you spinning your web and drawing him to you annoyed me.”

  “Spinning my web?” She gazed at him incredulously. “I’m no vamp and you know it. I was being me and trying to do exactly what we agreed I’d do.” She drew a deep breath. “Okay, why are you so bad-tempered? What went wrong?”

  “Nothing. I accomplished everything I set out to do.” He paused. “And perhaps a little more. I just knew that you were going to fight me on a couple things.”

  “What things?” She stiffened. “We’re still going after her tonight?”

  “Yes.” He turned on his heel. “But not right away. You got a room for us? What floor?”

  “There are only two floors.” She headed for the stairs, which curved upward on the left side of the reception desk. “No elevator. It reminded me of the hotel I stayed at when I was a student.” She unlocked the door and preceded him into the room.

  He glanced around the room at the simple white wrought-iron bed with its blue-and-white embroidered spread, the rocking chair, the mirror over the sink in the corner, the white-framed French doors leading to a balcony against the far wall. “Nice. I can almost see you sitting there on the balcony drawing. I would have liked to have known you then.”

  “Are you stalling?” She turned to face him as he closed the door. “What aren’t I going to like?”

  “I have to know everything about that tower room and where Santara is in the house and his schedule. And I can’t rely on waiting for Lisa to reach you using those sketches anymore. I’m going to need the information fast and clear so that I can act.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “You’re going to go visiting. Visual. Auditory. The works.”

  “No,” she said flatly. “You said that could happen only if you were there to link us. Tonight’s going to be difficult enough. I told you what her reaction would be to you.”

  “Yes, you did.”

  “So I won’t do it.”

  “Yes, you will.” He paused. “Because I lied.”

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  “I lied. I thought it was important that I be there to influence Lisa, so I lied to you.”

  “You son of a bitch.”

  He nodded. “I thought it was worth a try. I was going to give it a day or so and then give in on the link if I didn’t get what I wanted. Or sooner if I saw an urgent reason for it.”

  “But it was going to be your decision. You were tying my hands and anchoring me to those sketches.”

  “For a little while.”

  She was struggling to smother the anger tearing through her. “Damn you, I don’t know if I can forgive you for this, Caleb.”

  “That was the chance I took,” he said simply. “But I should point out that it was important to me or I would never have done it. I knew it might take me a long time to regain what little trust you have in me.”

  “That goes without saying.”

  “But I said it anyway because you have to realize that I knew exactly what I was doing. I have to get Lisa out of there no matter what I have to give up.”

  He meant every word. No mockery. No mask. Jane could see that for once Caleb’s emotions were raw and visible for her to see. She stared at him for a long moment and then turned and walked toward the French doors that led to the tiny balcony. “A very long time, Caleb.” She looked out at the moonlight shimmering on the dark sea. Get a grip. She couldn’t afford this anger. “But there’s no way that I’d punish Lisa because I’m furious with you. I believe you were aware of that. So tell me what’s going to happen tonight.”

  “In about two hours, we take the speedboat to an inlet on the beach at the foot of cliff. It’s about a mile and a half from the house. I located the three men Lisa mentioned. Actually, there were four more. Four on sentry duty on the path leading to the mountains, one patrolling along the cliff, the other two in the back garden.”

  “You went over there to San Leandro already? You said you wouldn’t do that.”

  “I said I wouldn’t go after Lisa without you. I had to see what we were up against. Now I know.”

  She kept her gaze fixed on the sea. “Only half a lie this time?”

  “Yes.” He went on quietly, “You wait in the boat while I take care of Santara’s men. Hopefully, you will already have found out where Santara is in the house, so then you go in and bring Lisa out to me while I take care of him.”

  “All by yourself?” she asked. “What the hell do you mean? I thought you intended to try to recruit a couple men on the island to help.”

  “I did. But that’s for later. They’d get in my way during this initial bit.” He added soberly, “And if they made a mistake, they could get Lisa killed.”

  “‘Initial bit’? It doesn’t seem like a ‘bit’ to me.”

  “I can handle this, Jane. It’s not as if I’m going to have to defend myself from an assault by those men. It’s just a matter of picking them off one by one.”

  “That’s right, you’re a hunter,” she said bitterly. “You know all about things like that.”

  “Yes, I do. I’m an expert. And we’re both going to be grateful that I am.” He was silent. “Are you ever going to turn around and look at me?”

  “I don’t want to look at you.”

  “But I want to look at you.” He was close behind her now. “It’s going to be a rough, hard night and looking at you makes me remember all the good things and not the ugly ones. Do you know, I actually feel as if you fill me and complete me. Isn’t it bizarre you would have that effect on a man like me?”

  “I have no idea, sinc
e I don’t know if you’re telling me the truth.”

  “Ah, there’s the rub.” He turned her around to face him. “But let’s pretend that I’m telling you the truth this time.” His dark eyes were holding her own and she thought she could see a reflection of the sea in them. “Yes, that’s what I wanted.…”

  “Let me go, Caleb.”

  “I’m only indulging myself a little,” he whispered. “I wouldn’t be fool enough to take more than you’d permit at a time like this.” He was pulling her across the room, toward the bed. “But you might as well be comfortable when I link you with Lisa.”

  “Now?” She couldn’t look away from him. That overpowering persuasiveness and charisma were in full force. He was smiling and she felt as if he were wrapping her in dark velvet. “It’s time to do it?”

  “Yes.” He was pulling her down on the bed and holding her with the most exquisite gentleness. “It’s time.” His fingers were moving with mesmerizing tenderness on her throat and then up to stroke her temples. “Find out everything I need to know. Prepare Lisa.”

  “And how … do I do it?”

  “I have no idea. That’s up to you.” The velvet surrounding her was no longer dark, but glittering and swirling around her. “You don’t trust me, but I trust you, Jane.…”

  CHAPTER

  7

  The tower room was darker than Jane had drawn it in her sketch.

  That was the first thing she noticed when she opened her eyes. She drew a deep breath and tried to get her bearings. It was like Caleb to throw her into this situation where she had no experience and no way to judge what was real and what was not.

  Okay, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t been down this road before. Except that then, the entire scenario had been orchestrated by Caleb as a sexual fantasy. This time, that wasn’t the case. But she still felt everything about her was absolutely real, nothing dreamlike about it. So assume that and accept it, she told herself.

  And get the job done.

  She looked around her again. Yes, there was the narrow window overlooking the cliff. The room was also more cluttered and there were also books on the far wall, which Lisa had not been facing.