Eight Days to Live

by Iris Johansen

  “She assures me she cannot.”

  “But do you believe her?”

  “I believe she thinks she cannot.”

  “That’s no answer.”

  “You want an answer?” MacDuff smile was suddenly reckless. “I think there’s a chance that someday she’ll be able to tell me where to find it. Look, Jane didn’t just happen into my life. She came here because of all those dreams she was having about my ancestress, Cira. Yes, she was a student and fascinated by stories of Cira and her escape from Herculaneum during the Vesuvius eruption. But that wasn’t what drew her here. It was the dreams. And in those dreams there was a chest of antique gold coins. It figured prominently in them.”

  “But her dreams didn’t tell her where the chest was hidden.”

  “Because Jane didn’t care about the gold. I care about the gold. I won’t let my family home go to strangers.” The passion vibrated in his voice.

  “But dreams, MacDuff?” Her brows lifted mockingly. “I wouldn’t judge you to be one to pay attention to such nonsense.”

  “Is it nonsense? I don’t believe you think that’s true. No one knows Jane the way you do, Eve.”

  She was silent. “I know that sometimes she’s had dreams that were . . . strange. Most of them had to do with the past and people she had never met. But she hasn’t had any dreams like that for a long time that I know about.” She smiled faintly. “And my hardheaded Jane would deny with her last breath that they were any different from the run-of-the-mill dreams you or I have.”

  “Then I’ll deny it for her. You’re right; I’m not a man who believes in foolish flights of imagination. But this is different. Those dreams started a chain reaction that not only enabled us to kill that bastard Thomas Reilly but brought Jock home to heal and become whole again. That’s good enough for me. There has to be a reason that happened. I know that Jane was sent to help me keep MacDuff’s Run from going out of the family. Someday she’ll understand that, too.”

  “And in the meantime it suits you to keep her alive,” Eve said dryly.

  “No, I’ll keep her alive because she’s deserving and a part of my family. I have feeling for her,” MacDuff said curtly. “The gold is a separate matter.” He stared her in the eye. “And I wouldn’t have been honest with you if I hadn’t intended you to share what I said with Jane. I know how close you are. Tell her what you wish. It’s not going to make a difference. I think in her heart she realizes that she’ll have to come back and finish our story. Soon. I have a feeling that it’s coming around full circle.” He was silent, then asked, “Do you wish to know anything else?”

  She studied him for a moment. He was full of arrogance and contradictions, but he was being honest with her. He was no threat to Jane even though he might want to lure her here for his own purposes. She had wanted to make sure of this piece of the puzzle. She was already feeling very powerless stuffed away in this castle. “You really believe Jane is your distant cousin?”

  “You saw the portrait of Fiona.” He smiled. “But I think she resembles the woman she was having dreams about much more.”

  Eve smiled as she remembered that she’d speculated on that very possibility with Jane earlier. “Cira, who founded your clan?”

  He nodded. “Anything else?”

  “Yes, one more question.”

  “What?”

  She made a face. “Will you take me to that tower you’ve given me as my studio? You said it was close to my room? I need to get to work. It’s the only way I can keep myself from jumping on a plane and going to Jane.”

  SEVEN

  “JANE.”

  The call was soft, invading her sleep with a gentle whisper.

  “Jane.”

  More persistent, but still only a quiet summons.

  But the summons was there and she reluctantly turned over and opened her eyes.

  And was instantly jarred wide-awake.

  Seth Caleb was sitting in a chair only a few feet from her bed.

  “What the hell!” She reached over and switched on the lamp on the bedside table.

  Caleb smiled. “I suppose you had to turn on the lamp, but I really prefer the moonlight streaming in that window. You look wonderful by moonlight, Jane.”

  “What are you doing here?” She sat up in bed and glared at him. “Dammit, I locked that door.”

  “And it was a very good lock. Better than most hotels. It took me longer than I thought it would.”

  “You could have called me from the lobby. You didn’t have to invade my room.”

  He shrugged. “It seemed easier. I’m a hunter.”

  “But you’re not hunting me.”

  “Not at the moment.” He smiled as he rose to his feet and picked up her terry robe draped over the chair. “Besides, I wanted to see how well protected you were here at the inn. I’m good, but so are some of the men in the Sang Noir.” He handed her the robe. “Where’s Jock Gavin?”

  “Next door.” She took the robe and slipped it over her short T-shirt. She immediately felt less vulnerable, and she had an idea that he had known it would have that effect. “And no one knows I’m here at the inn.” She frowned. “How did you know about Jock?”

  “Since you were so miserly with information I had to take it upon myself to find out what was going on. I just added it to my search-and-probe agenda.”

  “I told you all you needed to know.”

  “But not all I wanted to know. There’s a huge difference.” His gaze wandered around the room. “No coffeemaker. Too bad. I could use a cup. It’s been a long day.”

  She glanced at the clock on the nightstand—3:40 A.M. “Then you went overtime. It’s the middle of the night.”

  “I don’t mind overtime when the adrenaline is flowing.”

  She could almost see the adrenaline electrifying him. Lord, he was so alive. His dark eyes were glittering, and she felt as if she’d get an actual shock if she came near him. Yet that didn’t stop her from wanting to reach out and touch him, absorb that shock until it became part of her. She had forgotten that sheer energy and magnetism that was like a living force surrounding him. Perhaps she had wanted to forget it. “And is the adrenaline flowing, Caleb?”

  “Oh, yes.” He was prowling around the room and stopped at the table by the window. He picked up her sketchbook and gazed down at the sketch she’d been working on last night. “Is this Gavin?”

  “Yes.”

  “Interesting. You have him looking out at the world with a mixture of wonder and cynicism. Complicated. But then considering his background, Gavin would probably be exceptionally complicated.”

  “He’s a good man,” she said fiercely. “Complicated? He went through hell and back. He was lucky to survive with his sanity. Yes, he has a right to be complicated.”

  “You’re passionately defensive of him.” He gazed at her thoughtfully. “And he risked his life to keep you alive. But he wasn’t in your bed tonight, so the relationship must be different than I first suspected.” He dropped the sketch back on the table. “Good.”

  “It’s none of your business what our relationship is,” she said. “The only thing I asked you to do was to find Weismann. You didn’t have to come here. Go find him.”

  “I’ve already started. You said you wanted a report. I’m here to give it to you.”

  “Already?”

  “You were in a hurry.” He dropped down in the chair again. “And so was I. I didn’t like the fact that anyone had you on the run. It felt like a personal offense.”

  She gestured impatiently. “What did you find out about him?”

  “I interviewed two members of the Sang Noir. One of them, Sevelli, was marginally helpful. He wasn’t one of the core group, but he was able to fill me in on the situation surrounding you as he knew it.”

  “Core group?” She nodded as she remembered. “Yes, Jock told me about them. The eight who are sort of in the elite inner circle.”

  “Actually, seven, now that Gavin took one of them out of
the equation. The others are criminals Millet picked up from the criminal underbelly.” He shrugged. “It seems that the elite eight couldn’t handle everything themselves. Murder, mayhem, and general destruction require a few peasants to do some of the dirty work. That’s why they were considering letting your friend Jock Gavin into the group.”

  “And Weismann?”

  “According to Sevelli, Weismann was an outsider, too. He had belonged to the Sang Noir for two years longer than Sevelli, but he was definitely not one of the core. And now the word’s gone out that he’s a traitor and has to be tracked down . . . along with your Jock Gavin.” He shook his head. “But, according to Sevelli, you’re the one who has everyone in the Sang Noir in an uproar. What have you been up to, Jane?”

  “Nothing. Not a damn thing. But I have to find out what they think I’ve done. Couldn’t you have asked one of this core group questions? Then I wouldn’t have had to find Weismann.”

  “But I wasn’t in your confidence to that extent, was I? I had my orders.” He nodded. “I explored that possibility after I talked to Sevelli, but I couldn’t get any of them alone to have a discussion. They’re very close-knit. I didn’t have time to arrange another opportunity. But Sevelli did give me one piece of information he thought interesting. Weismann had been flying to Paris frequently to visit a woman. Sevelli saw him twice at the airport with her when he was on jobs for Millet. Tall, beautiful woman. And a very affectionate couple. He was curious and did a little digging to find out who she was. I think he was considering blackmailing Weismann if the opportunity presented itself. But he decided to share the information with me. After all, family is more important than money.”

  “Family?”

  He smiled. “Why, Sevelli thinks of me as a brother.”

  Why had she even asked the question? But that weird gift he possessed was still too new to her to accept easily. “And what else did your ‘brother’ tell you?”

  “The woman’s name is Adah Ziller, age twenty-nine, a citizen of Syria. She’s a human resource executive for Med-Coastal Oil.”

  “And you think she might know where he is?”

  “It’s worth exploring.”

  “Then why aren’t you doing it? Why waste time coming here?”

  “Because I knew you’d be on edge about having to spin your wheels waiting for me to come through for you. I got to know you very well while we were in Atlanta together. I didn’t want you to have to suffer through all that angst unnecessarily.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I thought you’d prefer to come with me to see Adah Ziller. She has a house in a subdivision near Versailles. It shouldn’t take us more than an hour to get there.” His brows lifted. “If you want to go.”

  Yes.

  “Of course, I want to go. Weismann might even be with her.”

  “There is that possibility.”

  She jumped to her feet. “Wait here while I shower and dress.” She stopped as she reached the bathroom door. “I have to tell Jock.” Then she had a very satisfying thought. “No, you knock on his door and tell him.”

  His gaze narrowed on her face. “Are you throwing me to the lion, Jane?”

  “Yes, you’re being so condescending about Jock’s being so ‘complicated.’ You deal with him. I think you’ll be surprised at how simple and direct he can be when he chooses.” Then she looked him in the eye. “And I don’t want you to do anything that’s even a little off kilter. Jock is not your brother, and I don’t want even a hint that he’s feeling like ‘family.’ ”

  “You won’t. That wouldn’t be in the least clever on my part. Besides, it’s not according to code. I’ll just brave Jock Gavin and try to survive until you get out of the shower.”

  She gazed at him searchingly. Could she believe him?

  “Don’t worry.” He said softly. “I won’t let your lion eat me, but he’ll be the same lion when you see him again.”

  She nodded slowly. “Jock was almost destroyed by a bastard who tried to twist his mind to suit himself. I’d never forgive anyone else for doing it.”

  “I know you wouldn’t. That’s why you should feel perfectly at ease.”

  Would she ever feel perfectly at ease with Caleb? Did he really want her to be comfortable with him? It was clear he was accustomed to power, and sometimes you had to give up one for the other. “I don’t know you well enough to be at ease with you, Caleb.”

  “I’m trying to rectify that.” He started to turn away. “How long will you be?”

  “Not over twenty minutes, tops.” She suddenly turned back to him. “But do you think going to see Adah Ziller will really do any good? Just because she had sex with him doesn’t necessarily mean Weismann would confide in her.”

  “No, that’s very true.”

  “Yet you said that you thought she was an avenue worth exploring. Why?”

  “Because I’m curious as to why Weismann went to bed with her at all. So was Sevelli. That was why he thought the relationship might have the potential for a cash return for him.” He opened the hall door. “When one other interesting fact that I found out from Sevelli was that Weismann is gay.”

  WHEN JANE CAME OUT OF THE bathroom fifteen minutes later, she found Jock and Caleb both in the bedroom.

  Her gaze flew to Jock’s face.

  Tension. Edginess. Exactly what she should expect to see.

  Caleb shook his head as he studied her face. “I told you I’d be good. You have no trust.”

  “I’m sorry, Jane,” Jock said. “I let you down.”

  “What?”

  “He got into your room. That means it could have been someone else. I should have—”

  “Oh, for goodness sake. What could you do? Sleep across my threshold? I was safe, Jock.” She glanced at Caleb. “From everyone but him. I’ve been thinking about it, and I don’t usually sleep that hard. I should have heard someone coming into the room. You did something to make sure I didn’t do that, didn’t you?”

  “How suspicious you are.”

  “Didn’t you?”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t want to frighten you. It was just a little stroking.”

  “Don’t you ever do that again. I don’t want to be stroked by you.”

  “Now that’s a challenge.”

  She looked back at Jock. “You can see that there was nothing more that you could have done tonight. I don’t believe the Sang Noir would be able to produce a cat burglar who was also able to shuffle perceptions around.”

  He shook his head. “No, I can’t see that, Jane. All I see is that I didn’t do my duty to you. Because I can’t believe that Caleb can really do that.”

  Of course he can’t, she thought helplessly. She had confronted him with a situation that would have been rejected by anyone. To make it worse, she had given him all of fifteen minutes to dress, pull himself together, and come to terms with his guilt about neglecting what he considered his duty. Then she had thrown Caleb into the mix to increase the tension.

  “Do you want me to prove it to him?” Caleb asked her.

  “No, leave him alone.”

  He held up his hand. “Don’t get upset. Just offering.” He turned toward the door. “But if you don’t want my help, then we’d better get going. I want to be at Versailles before dawn.”

  She didn’t move. “Jock, did he explain everything to you about Adah Ziller?”

  “Yes, but there were other ways he could have found out that information. Bribery, intimidation . . .”

  “I’m not arguing with you. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page. It doesn’t matter how we got there.”

  Jock gave Caleb a cool glance. “It matters.” He turned toward the door. “But if he has a lead, let’s follow it. It’s more than we had before.”

  “I’LL DRIVE,” CALEB SAID, as they reached his BMW. “You two can ride together in the backseat. As I said, it will take nearly an hour to get to Adah Ziller’s house. That should give you time to come to terms w
ith my presence in your midst. Pretend I’m not here.”

  Jane got into the car. “I will.” It was a lie. There was no way that Caleb could be totally ignored. But she wasn’t about to be less than blunt about anything connected to him when she was talking to Jock. “I suppose you researched Adah Ziller the minute you found out that she was Weismann’s bed partner. What do we know about her?”

  “Good-looking, intelligent, grew up in Syria, one of seven children. Her father is a merchant and sent her to England to be educated. She’s ambitious and has been climbing the ladder in Med-Coast Oil for the last seven years. This move to Paris is a promotion. She’s head of the human resource department here.”

  “Syria,” Jane repeated. “Didn’t you tell me that’s where Millet grew up, Jock?”

  He nodded slowly. “Yes. Interesting coincidence.”

  Caleb started the car. “And the word is that she slept with at least two vice presidents of the company to help herself get ahead.”

  “As well as Weismann,” Jane murmured. “Busy woman.”

  “Ambitious woman,” he said. “With connections.”

  “And is that why Weismann slept with her? Or did Millet send him to worm himself into her confidence?” She frowned. “But why did she sleep with him? He was a criminal, for God’s sake. Did she know he had a connection with Millet? It would have been logical for him to have lied to her, but what could he offer her? Was it purely physical?” She turned to Jock. “Caleb said that Weismann is gay. Do you know if he swings both ways?”

  Jock shrugged. “I told you, I didn’t have much to do with him once he managed to get me accepted into the group. I suppose most women would think he was very good-looking and his personality was pleasant enough, smooth. As I told you, I know Millet sometimes sent him as an advance man to scope out his jobs. Particularly when there were women involved. But I didn’t even know he was gay. He probably didn’t advertise it. Millet is a macho bastard, and he wouldn’t have accepted it very well.”

  “Then Weismann could have had sex with her for the usual reasons.”

  “As far as I know.” Jock frowned. “But I think it’s more likely that Millet sent him to her because he wanted something and couldn’t get it himself. Weismann is a manipulator, and the woman is ambitious. Put them together, and you don’t come up with a grand passion.”