Mind Game

by Iris Johansen

  No, her fault. She’d reacted with the same heat and recklessness she’d previously warned Lisa of showing with Santara. But Jane had maturity and she should have been able to control herself. Now, by holding up a mirror to Teresa Romano, she had earned her hatred.

  But the hatred is only for me. Caleb will be able to take care of himself, she told herself. If there were going to be repercussions, she’d be the one to suffer them.

  And then she’d only be back to where she’d been in the beginning—facing her own responsibility for getting herself out of this nightmare and not relying on Caleb or Lisa or anyone else.

  She went to the sink and splashed water on her face. If she stayed here for a few minutes, the probability was that Teresa would have left the room when she came back out. That vengeful anger would still exist, but who knew if it wouldn’t have been there anyway. The queen bee must have no rivals, even if she’d arranged and manipulated to use Jane.

  She decided to spend the evening resting and healing and then go out on the balcony and try to see where Santara’s men who had been ordered to shoot her on sight were located. And worry about what Caleb could do to keep Lisa from making the same reckless mistakes as she had just made.

  GRAND HYATT HOTEL

  DUBAI

  “How is she?” Lisa ran out of the bedroom the minute she heard Caleb’s key in the lock. “Was Teresa telling you the truth?”

  “About Jane? Yes. She’ll be fine by tomorrow.” He was looking around the suite. “Are you alone? Where’s Palik?”

  “Here.” Palik was coming out of the kitchenette. “Your sister was asking too many questions and not accepting no for an answer, so I decided to make myself a drink to get away from her.”

  “I told him that you’d tell me anyway. It was just about the hospital and this Haroun,” she said impatiently. “I thought maybe I could do something about seeing Haroun and finding out more about him.” She added quickly, “If that’s what you want.”

  “Big if,” he said drily. “What’s Lisa doing in this suite, Palik? I told you not to put her anywhere near me. I’m being watched.”

  “She’s in the penthouse, above this floor. But it can be reached by the same service elevator. She insisted that she had to be close to you.” He made a face. “She’s a pain in the ass, Caleb. I didn’t sign on for this.”

  “Yes, you did. Keeping her alive is the most important job you have.”

  “No,” Lisa said quietly. “Keeping you alive is his most important job. I’m not the one running around dodging Santara, and playing Teresa’s games. So that’s his job and mine, too. I’ll be a pain in the ass until this is over. I’ll just be your pain in the ass and I’ll never be stupid.” Then she was smiling sweetly at Palik. “And I’ll do everything you tell me as long as it makes sense. You were treating me like a kid. Okay?”

  “Maybe.” He shrugged. “Do you want me to order room service, Caleb?”

  “No,” Lisa answered for him. “Not until I go back upstairs. He won’t want anyone to know that he had a visitor in the suite. You could make some coffee.” She made a face. “But not that thick black stuff. I’ve never been able to take it.”

  He stared at her for a moment. “It’s a fine brew once you get used to it. What does a kid know?” He disappeared back into the kitchen.

  “Treat him gently,” Caleb said. “He’s smart and useful, Lisa. Did he check the suite for bugs?”

  “Yes, right away.” She smiled. “Even the terrace and hall. That impressed me. I’ll see that we get along, Seth. We had a rough beginning because I was so afraid for you when you left me. It made me … a little aggressive. When are you going to tell me what’s happening?”

  “Right away.” He brushed his lips across her cheek. “I have to call Joe Quinn. Come out on the terrace and you can sit with me and calm down a little.”

  “I’m fine now.”

  “No, your blood is still pounding too hard and your pulse is—”

  “Okay. Okay.” She followed him out on the covered terrace and dropped down in an orange-and-beige chair. “I’m almost fine now. Why didn’t you call Joe in the car coming here?”

  “The car was bugged. I have to expect that wherever I go now. Teresa will want to know that I’m not doing anything that isn’t in accordance with our agreement. I had to wait until I was in a place I could trust was safe.”

  “But you’re not safe anywhere now,” she whispered. “You told me that Teresa is the one we had to worry about, but it’s hard for me to take it in. All those years when she was my guardian, I never realized that she was anything but a spoiled woman who only wanted to use me to increase her social status. I was impatient with her, even a little contemptuous, but I never thought she was any kind of threat.”

  “And she might not have been if she hadn’t felt threatened herself. I thought you’d probably reach your majority and walk away from her with no bad effects.” He shrugged as he took out his phone. “It didn’t happen. So now we have to make the adjustment.” He punched in Joe’s number. “I’ll put it on speaker so that I won’t have to brief you afterward.”

  “Brief me? That sounds like a military operation.” She grinned. “And you said ‘we.’ Are you starting to accept me?”

  “I wouldn’t have let you come if I hadn’t accepted that you had to be used,” he said soberly. “And because I may not be able to protect you, we have to find ways to keep everyone alive.” He made a rueful face. “Jane gave me a list of everyone who has to be saved from Teresa Romano and Santara.” Joe Quinn was picking up the phone and Caleb spoke into it. “Caleb. I was just with Jane. She’s not badly injured. A wrenched neck and bruises. Probably a mild concussion, but it’s not too serious and shouldn’t even give her a headache past today.”

  “Thank God.” Quinn was silent. “But you gave me the present report. What do we have to worry about in the future?”

  “Enough. I have to do a job for Teresa Romano, and if I screw it up or don’t perform it to her satisfaction, then she’ll probably be delighted to kill us both.”

  “Then do it right, dammit.”

  “Oh, I will, but Jane’s put a roadblock in my plans and is insisting that I don’t commit a murder to get her away from Teresa.”

  “Murder?”

  Caleb briefly filled him in on the Haroun operation. Then he added quietly, “You knew what Teresa would ask me, Quinn.”

  “Yes. I had an idea.”

  “And you’re reluctant, but like me, you feel Jane is the first priority.”

  “Yes.” Another silence. “How can we get around it?”

  “Tricky sidestepping. And you on hand to snatch Jane away at the crucial moment. The operation is to take place day after tomorrow. I need you here before that. Okay?”

  “Of course it’s okay,” he said roughly. “I’m on my way. Tell me where and when I can help.”

  “I’ll know details after I look over the hospital tomorrow.” He added, “And be prepared to grab Lisa, as well.” He met Lisa’s indignant glare across the room. “At that point, her part in the operation will be over and she’ll just be in the way.”

  “I don’t know why you let her go anyway. Eve and Cara were upset as hell when they read that note you left.”

  “What could I do?” Caleb asked mockingly. “I needed help. You and Eve are so besotted with the idea of family helping family. Lisa is family.”

  “Bullshit,” Joe said. “She blackmailed you?”

  “Yes.” He smiled at Lisa. “But I’m becoming accustomed to the idea. I’m just putty in her hands. I’ll call you tomorrow, Quinn.” He ended that call.

  Lisa made a rude sound. “‘Putty’?”

  “Yes.” He got to his feet. “Now come in and have that coffee.”

  Lisa stood up. “I’m not leaving you. Joe can take care of Jane after we get her away from them. I stay with you.”

  “We’ll see how it works out. You came to help Jane. First duty.” He said softly, “You can’t have
it all your own way. Promise me. First duty.”

  She was frowning. She was silent.

  “Promise me.”

  “I promise,” she said grudgingly. “First duty.”

  “Good. Now come and have coffee and I’ll tell you what you have to do tomorrow. You’ll get to put on that hideous black robe and veil and scout all of the women’s wellness section of the hospital. I’ll expect a full report on where every door and closet is located.”

  “You could do it yourself.” She was smiling at the thought. “Those outfits are so smothering and cumbersome, you can’t really tell if they’re worn by a man or woman. I’d like to see you in one.”

  “I imagine you would. You’d probably take photos. But as Eve would say, family is everything, and I’m going to make certain that I let you do your part.…”

  CHAPTER

  18

  JUMAIRA, DUBAI

  TUESDAY, 1:30 P.M.

  “You’re looking better.” Caleb’s gaze was narrowed on Jane’s face. “A little color and you’re more rested.” As he spoke, he was walking around the bedroom, checking for bugs. “Teresa seemed a bit short when I arrived. Is there a reason?”

  “You know there is,” Jane said tersely. “You’re checking for bugs again. I’ve been in here most of the time. They wouldn’t have had time to install anything new.”

  “I don’t believe in ‘most.’” He put away the device. “And even if you were here, there are bugs that can be put in air ducts from outside a room. Teresa likes her gadgets.” He sat down. “But you’re still clear. Now tell me why she’s angry?”

  “I said the wrong thing. What does it matter?”

  “It matters. You must have said exactly the thing that would piss her off. What was it?”

  “I’m not going to tell you. It’s over and I just have to deal with the fallout.” She met his eyes. “Me. Not you. You’re still her golden boy.”

  “Never that. Perhaps her favorite demon.”

  “Then just keep her from sending you back to hell.” She grimaced. “And if there’s a problem, just stay out of it and give me a chance to make a run for it.”

  “I intend to go along with the last instruction on your list.” His lips tightened. “I wish you’d done what I asked. She’s not as confident as she pretends and she’s likely to strike out to prove herself. You may become her target of choice.”

  “I never intended to try to annoy her. I just did it. She said something I found I couldn’t bear.” She shrugged. “I regret it, but I’m not sorry.”

  He was silent. “If it’s something that hurt you that much, I’m not sorry, either.” He smiled. “We’ll just have to find a way to keep her from arranging to cut your throat.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” She drew a deep breath. “What’s happening? Did you go to the hospital this morning?”

  He nodded. “The best place for me to be stationed is the stairwell outside the fourth-floor operating room. I’ll be close enough to where the operation is going on to be able to control it, and it’s a good escape route to the elevator on the third floor. If there’s too much commotion going on, there’s a linen closet on the third floor where I can stay until it’s safe for me to leave the hospital. There are bound to be guards all over the place both before and after, but I can get around them.”

  “How, for God’s sake?”

  “I’ll manage,” he said. “And there will be a lot of turmoil if Haroun doesn’t make it.”

  She stiffened. “But he’s going to make it. You said that you’d try to make sure of it.”

  “Yes, I did. And I will. But I’ve never gone back on the main priority, Jane.”

  “Please, Caleb.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” he said, then added, “But even Quinn agrees that one has to weigh every decision.”

  “Leave Joe out of this.”

  “I can’t because I’ve already arranged for him to be here in Dubai to whisk you out of the country. Quinn won’t be left out of that without doing me bodily harm.” He held up his hand as she started to speak. “I’ve just told Teresa that I want you driven to the parking garage adjoining the hospital at nine in the morning. I’ve told her that I want to look you over and make certain that they’ve not done anything else to harm you before I go through with the kill. Haroun’s operation is at ten. She’ll expect word before ten-thirty that he’s died on the table. When she gets word I’ve done my part in her plan, she’s to release you immediately, let you get out of the car to walk down to the exit ramp to the street, where Palik will pick you up.”

  “And you think she’ll do it?”

  He was silent. “She might, but after seeing her this morning, I wouldn’t get my hopes up. But you’ll at least be away from this house and Teresa and Santara’s men. You’ll be safe enough in that parking garage because Teresa won’t want any incidents to raise red flags while they’re investigating Haroun’s death.”

  “A body tucked in the trunk wouldn’t raise a red flag, would it?” she asked wryly.

  “It would if there was a search. Teresa won’t allow anything to spoil her big score. Even if she doesn’t order your release, she won’t have you killed until she thinks she’s found a safe place to do it. I’ll have Quinn and Palik watching that parking garage from the building across the street, and the minute they see you exit, they’ll be on your tail.”

  “Well then, I have nothing to worry about, do I?” she asked flippantly. “I’m glad that I have someone so cool and collected in control. You’re always able to—”

  “Control?” His hands were suddenly grasping her arms. “I’m getting tired of having that word thrown at me.” His dark eyes were glittering in his taut face. “I’m not at all collected and certainly not cool at the moment. I hate this.”

  She inhaled sharply as she looked at him. Darkness. Fire. Desperation. She’d seen the first two many times before, but she’d never seen desperation. And she knew she was responsible for it.

  “I was joking because I was scared,” she said unsteadily. “And I used that description because it sometimes defines you. You know that, Caleb. And, right now, I appreciate cool and collected.”

  He was staring into her eyes and she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His grasp tightened and then his hands dropped from her shoulders. “Then that’s what you’ll get.” He turned away. “But none of this will take place until they get word that Haroun is dead. You’ll be safe until after that happens.” She couldn’t see his face, but the muscles of his spine appeared taut, knotted. “And I can’t be the one to be there for you then. It will all go down too fast. Then it will be up to Quinn and Lisa to get you away from them. And it might mean that even if they can save you from Teresa and Santara, they may have to make a run for the airport and get you out of the country. Dubai might not be safe for you.”

  “You’re talking about Haroun dying,” she said harshly. “Or you being arrested and the police searching for accomplices.”

  “I’m talking about possibilities.” He turned to face her and his smile was mocking, as usual. “In my cool and collected way. That’s how it’s going to go down.”

  “But it’s not cut in stone,” she said desperately. “You’re still trying to find a way so that it won’t happen.”

  He nodded. “As I said, there’s a possibility. I’m very, very good. There’s always a chance.”

  She gazed at him in despair. “And if that chance doesn’t work, Haroun will die and you might get shot in that damn stairwell and Teresa will be overjoyed and fly off to Russia with her loot.”

  He nodded. “But you’ll have your chance to be free and alive. I’m trusting Quinn to make sure of it.” He stood up. “That’s the only thing you can count on, Jane.” He reached out and touched her cheek with gossamer gentleness. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Caleb, don’t you—”

  “Shh, trust me. I know it’s hard for you, but I might be able to pull it off.” He headed for the door. “Tomorrow
…”

  GRAND HYATT HOTEL

  TUESDAY, 2:30 P.M.

  “What the hell are we supposed to do, Caleb?” Joe asked as he strode into Lisa’s penthouse suite with Palik trailing several steps behind. “I don’t like any of the things you told me over the phone when I was coming here from the airport. Is there any way that we can just go to Teresa Romano’s house and stage a raid and get Jane out? I talked to Palik and he said he could supply enough men.”

  “We could do it. I’ve already set it up as a backup plan,” Caleb said. “Hell, I’d love to do it. But Jane probably wouldn’t survive it. Santara isn’t wonderfully bright, but he’s cunning, and his first instinct is to kill any hostage rather than give the person up. And Teresa wouldn’t put any barriers in his way if she thought she was going to lose what she’s fighting for. Jane’s managed to make an enemy of her.”

  “Shit.”

  “Seth said that getting her away from the parking garage would be easier,” Lisa said. “Though I like your way better, too, Joe.”

  “I’m sure you do,” Caleb said. “Explosions and gunfire and direct assault. What’s not to like? Except that Jane would end up dead.”

  “Don’t say that. She’s not going to die,” Lisa said. She drew a deep breath. “Okay, whatever you think will work.”

  “Quinn?”

  Joe looked at him without speaking for a moment. “And do you think that we can make it work, Caleb?”

  “It can work. It will depend on a lot of different elements and some luck.” He met Joe’s eyes. “But it’s no slam dunk. She could still die.” He added harshly, “And I won’t even be able to reach out and help her. It will all be in your court, Quinn.”

  Joe was gazing at his face. “And that’s going to kill you,” he said softly.

  “Who, me? I’m completely cool and collected about all this. Ask Jane. As I said, it’s in your court.”

  Joe’s lips twisted. “Well, if that’s the case, I’m going to spend the evening gathering information and making certain we’ll be able to spot Jane and keep track of her when they take her into that parking garage. I’ll set up video cameras in that office building across the street where we’re staking out the garage to catch every entrance and exit. I’m also going to keep on working on that backup strategy.” He turned to Palik. “I want to know how many men I can count on if Caleb’s plan comes crashing down on us. Come and talk to me about numbers.”