“Right.” Catherine turned on her heel and hurried out of the kitchen.
Eve hesitated. She didn’t want to leave him. Joe was on edge and still in battle mode. There had already been one violent encounter tonight, and she wanted him away and safe.
“Get going, Eve.” Joe didn’t look at her as he strode out of the kitchen. Anger, frustration, and tension were in every line of his body. And who could blame him?
And she could do nothing about it now but trust that he’d control the impulse to let loose an emotional flood.
She turned and moved out of the kitchen in search of Catherine.
CHAPTER
14
“THE PLACE IS DESERTED, COLONEL Queen,” Lieutenant Sagalin said. “The house was lit up like a Christmas tree. Hot coffee in the kitchen, the office looked like a tornado had hit it. But no one is around.”
“No sign of Gallo? Or Eve Duncan?”
“A woman’s jeans and shirt in the bathroom of one of the upper bedrooms. Gallo’s clothes were in his bedroom. Our informant said that Gallo took off before Catherine Ling and Joe Quinn got here.”
Queen’s hand tightened on the phone. What the hell? He hadn’t expected Gallo to go on the run. If anything, he’d expected his men to find Quinn’s and Ling’s bodies, along with Eve Duncan’s in the house. Why had Gallo run?
Paul Black? Black had had time to get there from San Francisco. Queen knew how terrifying he could be. Yes, that might be it. Perhaps Gallo wasn’t as invulnerable as Queen had thought. He felt a rush of relief. Black had made his choice, and that choice wasn’t Queen.
And if Gallo had gone on the run, there was no chance that he would have left the ledger at the house. He would have taken it with him. He could only hope that Black was on Gallo’s trail.
“What do we do now?”
It was probably too late to do more than cover all the bases. “Go to the library and take every file you find and load the computers in your vans and bring them back here.”
“Anything else?”
Queen had a sudden memory of Gallo sitting in that luxurious library, taunting him. He’d acted like some kind of snooty English lord of the manor instead of the vicious, murdering bastard Queen knew him to be. And Queen had been forced to listen and choke on his fury.
But the situation had changed, and that meant the rules had changed. Screw Gallo.
“Burn the damn house down to the ground.”
* * *
JOE, EVE, AND CATHERINE HAD reached their car and were on their way down the mountain when Catherine looked up at the rearview mirror. “My God.”
Eve glanced at the mirror, then quickly over her shoulder. Gallo’s beautiful mountain house was burning, the flames licking the surrounding trees and leaping for the sky. “Why?” she whispered. “It was such a lovely house.”
“Frustration,” Joe said. “Revenge. It was evident that Queen hates Gallo.”
Yet it seemed strange to Eve that Gallo, who had been the clear victim of Army Intelligence, would be so hated. “They wanted to hurt him. I wonder what they would have done if they’d found Hanks or Judy in that house.”
“Queen isn’t stupid. He’d be careful of any move that might draw attention.”
Eve shook her head. “And that fire doesn’t draw attention?”
“They’d find a way to do it so that it looked like an accident,” Catherine said. “It’s not difficult.”
And Catherine would be adept in those methods of destruction, Eve knew.
“You’re upset.” Joe’s gaze was on her face. “It’s just a house, Eve.”
“No, it was a home. I think it meant something to John. He told me he’d had it for ten years. How would you feel if someone burned down the lake cottage?”
“Mad as hell.”
“And I’d be sad.”
“And you think Gallo would feel as you do. You’re identifying with him.”
She shrugged. “I think it would mean something to him. I think he’s been hurt enough.”
“You’ll forgive me if I’m a little lacking in sympathy. I went through hell imagining everything he could be doing to you. I can’t identify with him at all.”
That was very clear. The entire situation was complicated and barbed with emotion on both their sides. “I’m not saying it wasn’t wrong of him to do what he did. I’m saying that what he went through may have contributed to his making the mistake.” She changed the subject. “Where’s the plane waiting, Catherine?”
“At a private airport about thirty miles from here,” Catherine said. “You should be back in Georgia in about four hours.”
“That’s good.” She leaned back in the seat, her gaze once more on the flaming ruin in the rearview mirror. So much ugliness and destruction. It was beginning to touch everyone and everything around her. Tonight, Joe had been wounded, and it might have been horribly more serious.
And it had been her fault that he had been hurt. He had come to the rescue as he always did, as he would always do. Because Eve would not stop, could not stop, as long as Bonnie and her killer were out there.
And someday Joe’s selfless giving would end tragically. It was only a matter of time.
She could feel the tears sting her eyes as her every emotion vibrated in rejection of that thought.
No.
She couldn’t let it happen.
* * *
PAUL BLACK STOOD ON THE north slope and gazed at the flaming fury of the burning house.
Pity. It had been a nice house, and now Black would have no chance to go in and search it. It appeared that Queen, as usual, had been ruled by his emotions and not his head when he’d given the order to put it to the torch.
It annoyed him that Queen was getting in his way even before the hunt had begun.
He leaned back against a tree and watched Queen’s errand boys get into their trucks and start down the mountain. He was no longer in any hurry. He had missed Gallo but had watched all the other people pour out of the house. He had license numbers and photos of all of them. He’d e-mail them to Queen and have him identify them. Then he’d carefully choose who was to receive his attention.
Find a mate, find a cub, find a bait so succulent it was impossible to resist. There was always a way to trap the prey. Like the prey Black had just devoured. Pretty little Daniele, who had followed him from the airport as if he was the Pied Piper once he’d offered her the right bait.
The flames were burning hotter now. He felt as if he could feel them from where he watched. He liked fire. Everyone spoke of the fires of hell, and he had always thought he would have no problem there. If there was a hell, he was sure he would become the archdemon and rule it. If there was no hell, perhaps a man like him could live forever. Sometimes after a kill like tonight’s he felt as if he could take enough lives that they would give him the power he needed to carry on.
He should go soon. There would be police and firemen coming to put out the fire. But perhaps he would take a few more minutes to enjoy it. As he stared at the yellow-orange flames, he thought he could see the faces of all the prey he had taken through his life like a giant kaleidoscope, moving in and out in a blurring haze. He could not make out all the distinctive faces, but he recognized the Samoan teenager he had gutted only last week. And of course, the little Daniele from the airport. She was still fresh in his memory.
But the power she had given him was already fading, and the hunger was beginning anew. He needed a new kill, a strong kill.
Gallo?
Yes, Gallo would be strong.
Or perhaps, if Black was lucky, the road to Gallo would be paved with a river of blood.
* * *
“HOW ABOUT A COFFEE?” Catherine asked Eve as she unbuckled her seat belt after the plane had gained altitude. “I could use one. The adrenaline has seeped out of me, and I need a replacement.”
“No, thanks.” Eve was looking out the window. “I might try to sleep.”
“Whatever.” Catherine moved d
own the aisle to the coffee bar in the front of the plane. She had just poured coffee into the Styrofoam cup when Joe came out of the cockpit. She handed him the cup and reached for another for herself. “You don’t look like you want to sleep, either. How’s the arm?”
“Throbbing.” His gaze went to Eve. “She okay?”
“She’s very quiet, Joe.” Catherine poured herself coffee. “But I can’t blame her. We’re not on her wavelength right now. All she would get would be an argument, and after what she’s been through, that’s not what she needs.”
“He has her hypnotized,” he said grimly.
“No one hypnotizes Eve,” Catherine said flatly. “But I agree he must be clever as hell. He’s managed to tap into the one passion that could blind her to everything else.”
“Bonnie?” His lips tightened. “But maybe there could be another passion just as strong. She told me that she was different when she knew Gallo.”
Jealousy. Catherine had been afraid that demon would raise its head. Joe was one of the most confident men she had ever met, but an all-consuming passion like the one he had for Eve would have primitive roots. “But she’s grown up; that girl doesn’t exist any longer. No, it’s only Bonnie you have to worry about.”
“Only Bonnie.” Joe lifted his cup to his lips. “That’s like saying only a Cat 5 tornado.” He leaned back against the cockpit door. “And if he’s using Bonnie, then I need to move fast. I have to find him before he contacts Eve again.”
“Maybe he won’t contact her. He left her when he knew we were coming.”
“Which was the smartest thing he could have done. He put himself in the position of avoiding confrontation and hurting people she loved. Now, by running away, he’s also lost his home, friends, and way of life. And Eve is feeling sorry for him, dammit. How the hell can I fight that?”
She smiled. “You’ll manage. You’re already thinking about it. What are you going to do?”
“Go after Hanks. I had to let him go, but he’ll be easier to find than Gallo. I’ve just been on the phone with a friend in the Bureau and asked him to e-mail me a dossier and any records of Hanks’s relationship with a John Gallo.”
“Hanks said he didn’t know where Gallo is.”
“Even if it’s true, he’s been with Gallo for years. I might be able to trace, connect, and reach a possible destination.”
“I’d think Judy Clark would be a better source.”
“Then you go in that direction. She’s very loyal and fierce about Gallo. I’d rather deal with Hanks.”
Catherine smiled and nodded. “A regular pepper pot.”
“He seems to have a way with the ladies,” Joe said dryly.
“Judy didn’t impress me as being able to be swayed by charm. Neither is Eve. It could be they’re seeing something there that we can’t.”
He finished his coffee and threw the cup in the waste container. “You’ll have to tell me whether they’re right when you meet him.” He started down the aisle toward Eve.
Catherine watched him sit down beside Eve and fasten his seat belt. Eve smiled slightly, then looked back out the window, where the purple clouds were being touched with the gold of dawn.
Yes, Eve was definitely quiet and a little remote, Catherine thought. Eve was thinking, weighing, and feeling very much alone.
That could be dangerous.
* * *
WHEN THEY REACHED ATLANTA, Catherine walked Eve and Joe to their rental car before getting back on the jet to be flown home to Kentucky. She fell back with Eve as Joe went around the car to get into the driver’s seat.
“If you need me, call me,” she said quietly. “I’m here for you no matter what. I may argue with you, but in the end I’ll do whatever you want me to do. That’s what friends are all about. Don’t close me out.”
“I know you and Joe want the best for me.”
“You’re thinking of us as a team. We worked together because it was necessary.” She made a face. “And because a lot of the time we think alike. But we’re not joined at the hip. Remember that, Eve.”
“I will.” She opened the passenger door. “Have a good trip home, Catherine.”
“I’ll be placing a few calls to Venable and seeing if I can get a handle on where to find Hanks and Judy Clark.” She gave Eve a hug and looked at Joe as he started the car. “Take care of that arm, Joe.”
“Right, say hello to Luke for me.”
“If I can tear him away from the Lost Cities of the Ancient World. Since he found that book, he’s been glued to it.” She stepped back. “I think he may be planning on finding a couple of them. Luke is so independent, it wouldn’t surprise me if he got a plan together and took off on his own. But I’m going to work at it and make sure he includes me in that expedition. That may be my chance at bonding.” She turned back to the plane. “I’ll call you if I find out anything from Venable.”
Eve watched her as Catherine climbed the steps and boarded. Then she glanced at Joe. “She’s already in work mode again.”
Joe shrugged. “She’s CIA. And she has a personal interest. I’m glad to have her on board.”
She smiled faintly. “Because you think alike.”
“Yeah.” He drove out of the airport lot onto the street. “With some exceptions. She’s more inclined to giving the benefit of the doubt.”
He was talking about John Gallo.
She didn’t answer. It was difficult defending John, and she was too tired and drained to make the attempt.
She turned away and watched the skyscrapers and domes of the great city flow by the window.
* * *
“WHY DON’T YOU TAKE A NAP?” Joe asked Eve as he unlocked the door of the cottage. “You didn’t sleep on the plane at all.”
“I tried.” Eve looked at the blue-and-white notice she’d taken off the door. “FedEx tried to deliver my skull from Texas. I’ll have to call them and tell them to redeliver.” It seemed such a long time ago when she’d waited out on the porch for that delivery. She put the notice on the kitchen bar. “You didn’t stop at a hospital to have that wound looked at.”
“I’ll do it on the way to the precinct.”
“You’re going in to work?”
His brows lifted. “I do have a job.”
She gave him the ghost of a smile. “When I don’t interfere with it.”
“You could hardly help it in this case, could you? I’ll shower and change and be out of here.” He went past her down the hall.
She went back out on the porch and sat down on the swing. She would try to sleep in a little while, but she was too wired right now. She would sit here and let the peace of this familiar, beautiful place sink in and quiet her spirit.
Had Gallo gotten in the habit of going back to his place in the mountains for the same reason? To heal wounds and quiet his soul after the storms of life? But he no longer had a place to go for sanctuary now.
And she was identifying with him again. She mustn’t do that if she was to get what she wanted from him. Joe thought Gallo was the enemy, and perhaps that was true. But not for the reason that Joe feared.
She set the swing gently rocking, watching the morning breeze stir the tops of the trees.
Help me, Bonnie. I don’t know what to do. Everything is more of a mystery than I dreamed. I believed him, but is it true? If it’s not a lie, did you come to love him? And if you loved him, does that mean I have to help him? You healed his wounds and kept him sane. Is that what you want from me?
No answer.
No sudden wonderful, loving vision of her daughter to give her any of those answers.
Of course not.
Bonnie never came on demand, dammit. That would be too easy.
So work it out for yourself, Eve thought. That’s what life is all about. No easy answers.
“What are you thinking?” Joe stood in the doorway, looking at her. “You’re frowning.”
She forced a smile. “I was thinking that there are no easy answers. And that I was
ready for a lightning bolt to flash down and illuminate all the darkness.”
“But that would be an easy answer.” Joe moved over to the swing and stood looking down at her. “Did I ever tell you how beautiful you look with the sunlight on you?”
“You’re blind. I’ve got to have circles under my eyes, and my hair looks like a haystack.”
“It doesn’t matter. You glow from inside out. And then the sun touches you, and it shows how your eyes shimmer with life and every character line.”
“Those are called wrinkles, Joe.”
“Those are called beautiful.” He bent down and gently brushed her lips. “Trust me.”
Lord, she loved him. She pulled him down and held him close. “Why are you saying this? Why now?”
“Because I looked at you, and I remembered that, no matter how many problems we have, it would be worse being apart,” he said gruffly. “I can’t be easy. It’s not my nature. But it’s my nature to love you.” He kissed her quick and hard and released her. “That’s all. Remember that when I’m being a surly son of a bitch and out to hold on to you through hell and high water.” He turned and ran down the porch steps. “Go to bed and try to get at least a little sleep before you call FedEx to bring back that skull. You don’t need to dive into work without any rest. I’ll call you later and bring home dinner.”
She watched him get into the car and back out of the driveway.
No, he’d never be easy. Joe was brilliant, complicated, and wary. He made friends with extreme caution and kept them forever. Dear God, how lucky she’d been that he loved her and wanted to keep her in that same golden circle.
Joe’s car turned the curve in the road and disappeared from view.
As a golden circle could be broken, as a life could so easily be lost.
Joe …
The key John had given her. Why hadn’t she told Joe and Catherine about it? At first, it had slipped her mind, but later it had been a conscious decision. But why had she made that decision?
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