Mind Game

by Iris Johansen

  “Jane’s alive?” Joe said. “Thank God.”

  “And she’s going to stay that way. I’m on my way there now,” Caleb said grimly. “Though we’ve got to move fast. Teresa is going to be tying up loose ends, and one of them is Jane. We may have a little time. She delights in taking time with her cat and mouse games, and I can’t see her not doing that with Jane. But her plane is supposed to arrive to pick her up at one.”

  “And Jane won’t be with her when she leaves,” Joe said. “How long is it going to take us to get there?”

  “Forty minutes. But Santara says that Teresa had him set up protection for her until she boarded the plane. Six men, including Ganlad, who will be delivering Jane to her. It will be hard to get near her.”

  “Shit. Positions?”

  “I’ll have them for you by the time you get there. Santara is having trouble remembering. He says it’s my fault because he’s so dizzy. I’ll nudge him a little.” He paused. “But I can’t risk Jane’s still being alone with Teresa when any attack begins. End of game.”

  “So what do you do?”

  “Insert another piece into the game to keep it going. I’ll call you again when I’m closer to Mleiha,” he replied, and ended the call.

  “She’s alive,” Lisa whispered. “I was so scared, Joe.”

  “Me, too.” Joe hung up and turned to Palik in the backseat. “Do you know anyone in Mleiha that we can hire on this short notice?”

  “Can I work miracles?” Palik asked. “Maybe one or two. But I’ll lose credibility with anyone I bring in to—”

  “Do it,” Lisa said fiercely. “I’m the one you don’t want to lose credibility with, Palik.” She met his eyes. “We’re not going to lose her. Do you understand?”

  Palik nodded slowly. “I understand that you’re more like your brother than I thought.” He averted his gaze and reached for his phone. “Two. I can’t promise more than two.”

  Lisa whirled on Joe. “You’re not going to have enough people. You’re not Superman. What are you going to do? Tie me up in the backseat so that I’m safe and won’t get hurt? Take a chance that Jane will live through what’s going on in that house if one of Santara’s men rush in because we don’t stop him? Well, I won’t take that chance.” Her eyes were blazing in her white face. “Dammit, give me a gun and tell me what to do. How many times do I have to tell you? I can help, Joe.”

  He stared at her for a long minute. Then he reached down and took the gun from his leg holster and handed it to her. “Stay close and obey orders,” he said curtly. “I don’t think Jane would forgive me if I got you killed.”

  MLEIHA, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

  WEDNESDAY, 12:40 P.M.

  The first face that Jane saw when she opened her eyes was Teresa Romano’s. She was smiling as she gestured for Ganlad to put Jane down on a low scarlet paisley couch a few yards away. “Ah, now that’s timely. I didn’t want to waste a moment.” She waved a hand at Ganlad. “You may go. I won’t need you.”

  “Santara said that there might be extra money in this for me,” Ganlad said.

  “Then you can discuss it with him when he gets here. Get out.”

  He hesitated and then turned and left the house.

  “Fool.” She went to the parquet desk and picked up a sleek pearl-handled gun from the top drawer. “He should know I can take care of the rest myself.” Her smile widened. “Would you like a glass of wine, Jane? I believe that the tradition is a last meal or something like that, but I have no servants here and I—”

  “You’re very satisfied with yourself.” Jane lifted her hand and rubbed her neck. It was sore and she was a little dizzy, but she had to function. She was not going to let herself be killed by this bitch. Teresa had taken too much from everyone she had touched over the years. She had to be stopped before she—

  Oh dear God. Caleb.

  The last thing she remembered was Santara’s leaving her to go after Caleb. Was that why Teresa was being so smug? “Caleb?”

  “I’m sure that Santara told you that I’d ordered our mutual friend be taken out.”

  She stiffened. “And he did it?”

  “I haven’t had a report back yet, but I’m sure Santara—”

  “Then he might not have been able to do it.” She had to believe that. Caleb had been warned, and that might be all that was needed. “And you might not ever have a report from Santara again. You were afraid to put him up against Caleb when he had Lisa.”

  “Surprise could be everything. It was time for Caleb to go. Sometimes fate takes a hand, and this could be that time. I deserve it.” Her gaze was moving hungrily over Jane’s face, trying to extract every bit of emotion. “You’ll miss your lover? Oh yes, I can see it. But I told you that you’d never be enough for him. And you won’t miss him for long. I promise you’ll join him soon.”

  Block the panic and the pain. “Santara didn’t call you.”

  Her lips tightened. “He will, or he’ll show up here, as we agreed. He won’t let me get on that plane without my giving him his money for the kill.”

  The kill.

  Caleb.

  She wouldn’t be able to maintain control if she let Teresa keep digging, probing, using Caleb to hurt her.

  Change the subject, but keep Teresa talking until her mind was clearer and she had a plan. “That’s a very elegant pistol. Do you even know how to shoot it?”

  “Close range,” Teresa said. “I admit that I didn’t bother to learn much more. It was far easier to hire someone to do it. But you’re the daughter of a detective. I suppose you know far more.”

  Jane glanced quickly around the room, looking for a way out. Elegant furnishings that all had an Arabic flavor. French doors that appeared to lead to a terrace. Another carved door at the other end of the room. “Yes, Joe taught me, and I’m pretty good.”

  “But here we are, and all that coaching isn’t going to help you one bit. All I do is come a few steps closer and I can hit the center of your forehead with no problem at all.” Her smile was triumphant. “I win, Jane. I always win.”

  “Then why did you feel that you had to bring me here and brag about it?” Had the hypodermic been found when she was unconscious? She lifted her hand to rub her temple and felt the thin cold metal right above her elbow. One shake would bring it down to her palm. If she could get close enough to Teresa to use it. “Are you feeling insecure? Are you trying to rid yourself of everyone who you feel threatens you because you know you’re not smart enough to deal with them?”

  Teresa’s smile lost only a little of its brightness. “Insecure? Do you realize what I’ve done? I’ve gotten the best of everyone. I’m going to live the life of an empress.”

  “In Russia. You always wanted to be the queen of society and have everyone bow down to you. But how are you going to get anyone in social circles there to recognize you as anything but a criminal who just happens to have money?” She slowly sat up on the couch and swung her legs to the floor. No sudden movements to startle or threaten her. “They’ll find out about you and you’ll be a very lonely empress, Teresa.”

  “You lie.” Her eyes were blazing. “No one will find out. You can buy anything with enough money.”

  “That’s true. I’m sure that the people who cared about Haroun’s death will pay an extraordinary amount of money to find out how he died. When they do, they won’t bother with extradition; they’ll send assassins … like Santara.”

  “But I might decide to hire Santara to protect me from them.” Her lips curled venomously. “He’s been very accommodating.”

  “If he’s still alive now. You’re not sure of anything.”

  “I’m sure that you’ll be dead in about twenty minutes. Think about that, Jane. When that plane touches down, you’ll no longer be able to—” Her phone rang and she glanced down at the ID and a smile lit her face. “Oh, Santara’s still very much alive.” She answered the phone. “Tell me you didn’t fail me, Santara.” She listened and her smile widened. “By all mea
ns. I told you I’d have the money waiting for you. Five minutes.” She hung up and turned back to Jane. “You look a little sick. I told you surprise could be everything. No more Caleb. I knew when I first saw him as a young boy that he was only someone I could use and then toss away. And I did it, didn’t I? I rather like the idea of him ending up as a pile of ashes that I could scatter into the wind.”

  Jane felt sick, too. No more Caleb. Hold on. Don’t give up. It might still not be true.

  But there was less chance of that now. And if it was true, then she couldn’t let either one of these monsters walk away from what they’d done. “Santara could be lying to you.”

  “He isn’t. I tell you: I won. Caleb is nothing. He was always nothing. I just didn’t realize it. It was all my imagination that made me believe that he could make me do what he wanted me to do.” Her head lifted. “I hear Santara’s car.” She moved quickly toward the front door. “You’ll see.”

  “Will I?” Jane got to her feet and turned toward the door. She mustn’t appear to be a threat. But she was a threat now. One shake of her arm and the hypodermic would be in her palm. Teresa was going to be occupied with Santara, and this could be the moment.

  Teresa threw open the door. “Come in and show this bitch proof, Santara. Give me details. I told her that—” She frowned. “You look terrible. You’re white as a sheet.”

  “How do you expect me to look?” He strode into the house. “You’re the one who sent me after that freak.” He nodded at his bandaged arm. “He almost killed me before I took him out.”

  Jane went still. Teresa might not be aware of what that wound meant, but Jane was. If Caleb had gotten that close to Santara, then there was no way that he should be alive.

  Unless Caleb wanted him to be.

  Distraction. Caleb had sent him in as a distraction so that he could make his move.

  But Teresa still had a gun, and when Caleb made that move, he could die.

  No!

  “You heard her.” Jane moved to where Santara was standing next to Teresa. “I didn’t believe her. Details. Convince me.”

  Wait for the moment.

  “I don’t have to tell you anything, bitch.” He didn’t look at her. “Give me my money, Teresa.”

  “Maybe.” Her gaze was narrowed on his face. “Or maybe not. You’re one more end to tie up, Santara. I was going to wait until right before I got on the plane, but this will—”

  Now!

  Jane dived forward and tackled Teresa just as she raised her gun and pointed it at Santara.

  Teresa fell backward, but not before she pressed the trigger. The gun went off!

  Jane felt the bullet graze her temple as she frantically shook down the hypodermic into her palm.

  Teresa was cursing, her lips curled viciously as she pushed Jane over and then took aim again. “Do you think you can beat me? I don’t let anyone beat me. You’re just some little whore Caleb took to screw. And I took you both down. And now I’ll put a bullet in—”

  Jane plunged the hypodermic into the hollow of Teresa’s shoulder and pressed the plunger even as she dodged sidewise to avoid that second bullet.

  “What did you—” Teresa was gazing in horror down at the hypodermic sticking out of her shoulder as the gun dropped nervously from her hand. “What did—you do to me?”

  “I have no idea.” Jane was breathing hard as she stared down at her. “It’s a gift from Caleb. But I hope it’s fatal.”

  “It is.” Caleb was standing by the open French doors. “Curare, one of my favorite South American remedies. But you couldn’t wait a few more minutes, Jane? I send Santara inside and then all hell explodes in here. I gave Quinn the signal to take out her guards and I was supposed to dispose of Teresa, but you did it instead.” He crossed the room and pulled Jane to her feet. “Okay?”

  She nodded jerkily, still looking down at Teresa. The woman’s eyes were open, but she was fighting for breath. “I had to be sure. She had—that gun. She could have shot you.”

  “Kill—you.” Teresa was gasping, her eyes on Caleb. “Kill you all. I’ll win. I always win.”

  “Not today.” Jane dropped to her knees beside Teresa, staring into her eyes. “Not ever again,” she said fiercely. “And you never won anything from Caleb. Don’t think you did. He never let you take anything from him. You only gave him the weapons to kill you.”

  “No!” Her eyes were wide with horror. “I won’t die. You can’t do that to me. It’s not supposed to be this way. I’ll never let it—”

  Her face froze with disbelief, and then her mouth fell open in a silent scream.

  She was dead.

  Her eyes were still staring in horror up at the ceiling.

  Over, Jane thought as she gazed down at her. All the death and destruction caused by this woman is over.

  Caleb was suddenly tense. “Stop right there, Santara.”

  Not over.

  Santara was standing by the French doors, a gun in his hand—the gun Teresa had dropped when Jane had stuck the hypodermic in her shoulder.

  “Stop, hell.” His eyes were glittering in his pale, strained face. “You stay away from me, Caleb. Don’t you touch me, you freak. I have money in Cayman, and there’s a plane landing now that can take me out of here.” He swung the gun to cover Jane. “You take one step and I’ll put a bullet in her. I want to do it anyway. In fact, I may come back and do it later.” He turned toward the open French doors. Then he suddenly whirled back and fired directly at Caleb.

  But Caleb had already dropped to the floor, jerking Jane with him.

  Santara didn’t stay to risk another shot, but dashed out of the house.

  “Son of a bitch.” Caleb was up and after him in a heartbeat. Jane was on his heels.

  Santara was on the runway, close to the jet, and waving at the pilot to lower the steps.

  The steps swung down just as Santara reached them.

  But someone reached Santara before he could start to climb them.

  Dark hair flying, dark shirt and pants, slender body taut and lithe as she launched herself in a tackle at Santara.

  Lisa.

  Jane gazed in horror as Santara’s gun lifted, pointed at Lisa’s head as she covered him with her body, her hands flat on his chest.

  But he wasn’t pressing the trigger; he was screaming, his spine arching in horrible pain. He was thrashing back and forth, his eyes on Lisa’s face.

  Then he was still, frozen rigid with pain even in death.

  Jane stopped short on the runway, stunned.

  Then she saw Caleb beside Lisa, lifting her gently off Santara’s body. He held her for a brief moment and then set her on her feet.

  The sight shattered Jane’s shock and she ran over to her. “Dear God, Lisa.” She didn’t know what else to say as she stared at her. The shock she was feeling was nothing to the frozen expression she saw on Lisa’s face.

  “He was going to get away,” Lisa said dully. “I couldn’t let him get away, could I?”

  “No.” Jane took her into her arms. “You couldn’t do that.”

  “And he hurt people.” Her body was stiff against Jane’s. “He liked to hurt people. He hurt you, Jane.”

  “Let’s get you back to the house to sit down.”

  “Not now.” She moistened her lips and pushed Jane away. “I have to see if Joe needs me. There were still a couple of Santara’s men we hadn’t found. They might have run away, but we have to be sure. Joe says you always have to be sure.” She brushed her hair away from her face with a shaking hand. “I shouldn’t have left him. But I saw Santara and I had to come.”

  “I think Joe can do without you,” Jane said gently.

  “He shouldn’t have to do without me. I promised him I’d obey orders.” She turned and started back up the hill. Her back was rigid, as if she would crumple if she didn’t keep it very straight. “I’m fine. I can help.…”

  Jane whirled on Caleb. “Why did you just stand there? Why didn’t you say something to
her? You saw what she did and what it did to her.”

  “There wasn’t anything to say. Not now.” His gaze followed Lisa. “And she’s right to go help Joe. It will help her, too. Hunter instinct.…”

  “She’s not a hunter. She’s a nineteen-year-old girl.”

  He shrugged. “We’ll see.” He took Jane’s arm. “And now we’ll go and see if we can also help Joe and do something to make these bodies go away before we have diplomatic problems with Dubai.”

  She was immediately brought back to a horrible reality. “And get you out of Dubai before they find out about you and Haroun. I can’t let you take the blame. It wasn’t your fault. It’s mine. You did it for me.”

  “Nothing I do is any fault but my own.” He smiled faintly. “But I knew you’d feel like that. I can manage to shoulder almost any guilt, but I find I can’t permit you to do it.” He paused. “So we’re fortunate that Haroun made it through that operation with flying colors.”

  She stopped, her gaze flying to his face. “What?”

  “I told you I’d do my best.” He grimaced. “And Haroun required my best. He was a very hard sell, since I couldn’t give him names or any info regarding you. But he eventually allowed me to persuade him under certain conditions.”

  “Persuade.”

  “Oh, I used that, too. But he was more interested in getting the names of the moneymen in the royal family who had funded his assassination. I had to make a few promises to get him to arrange to fake his death.”

  She was dazed, trying to make sense of it. “But Asad Kadir, that orderly who reported to Santara that he’d seen Haroun’s body?”

  “Staged. And the rest was pure Persuasion to make his panic appear authentic to Santara.” He grimaced. “Much easier than Haroun. The bastard even had me on a time limit. He agreed to give me only five hours before the rumors that he’d died on the operating table had to be refuted. He was afraid the stock market would plunge at the news and hurt Dubai’s economy.”