Countdown

by Iris Johansen

  A chill went through her at the thought. “That bastard.”

  “I told him no sale. I offered him the gold if I found it, and my statue, but I told him he’d have to do without you.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “He should have told you,” Venable said. “I told him that we might be able to use that—”

  “And I told you it wasn’t going to happen.”

  Jane tried to work her way through the first horror of that threat. “Venable’s right. We should explore every—”

  “Screw it,” Trevor said. “I knew you’d react like this. That’s why I didn’t tell you. I risked you once four years ago; it’s not happening again.”

  “You didn’t make the decision. I made the choice then. I’ll make it now.”

  “Reilly tentatively accepted the offer of the statue and the gold. It’s really the gold that he wants. There’s no reason to make any decision.”

  “We haven’t found the gold yet.”

  “We’ve still got time.” He glanced at Venable. “Damn you.”

  “It slipped,” Venable said. “But maybe it’s a good thing. She has to realize that every action she takes can affect us all. I’m still tempted to take her away and put her—” He broke off and then sighed wearily. “No, I won’t do it. But we all might be a hell of a lot safer if I did.” His lips twisted. “Including your Joe Quinn and Eve Duncan.”

  She stiffened. “What do you mean?” She swung on Trevor. “You told me they were guarded, safe.”

  “They are,” Trevor said. “Stop trying to scare her, Venable.”

  “Is that what you’re doing?” she demanded.

  “They’re guarded. We won’t let anything happen to them.” Venable shrugged. “There have just been reports from the agents on duty of a few signs of disturbance in the woods near the cottage.”

  “What kind of disturbance?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing concrete.” He turned back to the helicopter. “I’ve got to get back to Aberdeen. I shouldn’t have come. I was going to be all diplomatic and try to convince her that we were doing the best job we could and ask her to call off Quinn and Duncan.” He grimaced. “It didn’t work out that way. I lost it. Sabot would never tolerate or understand a slip like that. Hell, maybe I should turn in my resignation. I haven’t been a company man since this started. I’ve been too scared.”

  “Scared?” Jane echoed.

  “Why not? I have a wife and four kids. I have three brothers, a father in a nursing home, and a mother who takes care of all of us. We don’t know where those explosives are supposed to go off.” He looked at Jane. “They might be targeted at your Atlanta. It’s a big city and a major airline hub. Aren’t you tempted to run home and whisk the people you love to a cave in the nearest mountain? I am.”

  Yes, she was tempted. She’d been trying to smother that fear since Trevor told her about Grozak’s plans. “Eve and Joe wouldn’t go.” She stared him in the eye. “And you didn’t run home. You stayed here and tried to make a difference.”

  “Not a very good attempt, according to Trevor.” He shrugged and turned away. “But I’ll keep on trying until Sabot gets sick of me and gives me a pink slip. Don’t worry, Ms. MacGuire, nothing is going to happen to your people. I made Trevor a promise.” He got back on the helicopter. “I’ll call you, Trevor.”

  “Do that. Don’t come in person just because you’re angry. I’m doing my damnedest to keep Grozak from knowing that the CIA has any involvement. Did you cover your ass?”

  “I’m no amateur. The helicopter is rented in the name of Herculaneum Historical Society. We might even make Grozak a little worried that you located the gold and sent for someone to have it authenticated. From Aberdeen I board a flight direct to Naples. Satisfied?”

  “No, I’d have been satisfied if you’d just kept your mouth shut.”

  “I couldn’t do that.” Venable’s gaze shifted to Jane. “You opened a whole can of worms. You’ve no idea how fast and hard Homeland Security can act if they decide to do it. It may only be a token foray, since they don’t believe Grozak is a threat any more than Sabot does. But it will be enough to blow any cover you have. I’m probably too late, but I thought I’d try.” The door of the helicopter closed behind him.

  Trevor glanced at Jane. “You didn’t ask him any questions about me.”

  “I didn’t get a chance.” She turned toward the front door. “And I never said I wanted to ask him questions. That was your idea.”

  “What did you think of him?”

  “Sad.” She shook her head. “And very human. I believe he’ll do the best he can.”

  “We’re all doing the best we can.” Trevor opened the door for her and let her precede him into the hall. “And I could use a little of that tolerance you’re showing Venable.”

  “You should have told me what Reilly said.”

  “No, I shouldn’t. I never make it hard on myself if I can help it. I could help it this time.”

  “But I’m the one at risk. Every time I think we’re working together, I find out you haven’t told me something. Dammit, I don’t even understand how you think.”

  He smiled. “Then skim the surface. I’ll guarantee to make it worth your while.”

  She felt the familiar heat flow through her as she looked at him. He was standing there, his stance casual, but there was nothing casual about that smile. It was intimate, sensual, and devilishly seductive. Why did she let him do this to her? Christ, that tingling response had erupted out of nowhere. One moment she’d been upset, almost indignant with him, and then that physical response had come. “I’m not a skimmer. I don’t know how.”

  “I’ll teach you. I’m an expert.” He was watching her expression. “Not now?”

  “It’s not . . . my nature.” She hurried toward the staircase. “I’ve got to check on Mario and then I’m meeting Jock in the courtyard at five.”

  “He seemed upset when he left you this morning. He might not show.”

  “You were watching?”

  “Brenner wasn’t here, and I trust MacDuff but he has his own agenda. Of course I was watching. And I’ll be watching this afternoon.”

  “I don’t believe he’ll hurt me.”

  “I want to be sure.” He paused. “I’m going to the Run tonight after dinner. I want you there. Will you come?”

  “I don’t . . . know. I’m still angry with you.”

  “But there’s something else going on too, isn’t there?” His gaze was fixed intently on her face and his voice was suddenly rough with feeling. “I want it very much. So much that I’ve got to get away from you or I’ll show you right here, right now. I’ll be waiting.” He headed toward the library. “And I’m damn human too, Jane. Come and see for yourself.”

  It was five-fifteen when Jane saw Jock coming across the courtyard toward her.

  “You came back.” She tried to hide her relief as she opened her sketchbook. “I’m glad.”

  “The laird told me I should.” He frowned. “I didn’t want to do it.”

  “Because I made you uneasy?” She started to sketch. “I didn’t mean to—” She stopped and then said, “I’m not telling you the truth. I wanted you to be worried, Jock. We’re all worried, and why should you be different? We have to stop that man who hurt you. It’s your job to help us.”

  He shook his head.

  “Do you believe it’s over? It’s not over, Jock. Reilly is going to hurt a lot of people because you’re burying your head in the sand. If he does, it will be your fault.”

  “Not my fault.”

  “Yes, it is.” She searched wildly for a way to get through to him. “And it’s not only strangers he’s going to hurt. He’d be angry that MacDuff is trying to stop him. Are you going to let Reilly hurt him?”

  He looked away from her. “I’ll take care of the laird. No one will hurt him.”

  “MacDuff won’t let you. He wants to find and kill Reilly because of what he did to you. MacDuff is a
strong, determined man. You won’t be able stop him. In your heart you know that. The only way to keep him safe is for us to strike at Reilly before he can strike. But we have to know where he is.”

  “I don’t know where he is.”

  “I think you do.”

  “I don’t. I don’t.” His voice sharpened. “Stop talking about it.”

  “When you tell me about Reilly.”

  “I can make you stop.” He took a half step toward her and his hand reached into his pocket. “It’s easy. I know how to do that.”

  She went rigid. The garrote. He was reaching for the garrote. She forced herself not to take a step back. “I’m sure you know all kinds of ways to quiet your enemies, but I’m not your enemy, Jock.”

  “You won’t shut up. You bother me.”

  “And is that reason to kill? Is that what Reilly taught you? Are you still doing what he orders you to do?”

  “No! I ran away. I knew it was bad, but I couldn’t stop.”

  “You still haven’t stopped. You’re letting it go on and on. And soon it will kill MacDuff.”

  “It won’t.” His face was pale and he was no more than a step away from her. “It won’t happen.”

  “It will. Unless you help him.”

  Pain twisted his face. “I can’t,” he whispered. “He’s . . . always there, talking to me. I can’t shut him out.”

  “Try.” She took a step toward him and put her hand gently on his arm. “Just try, Jock.”

  He shook her off, his expression panicked. “Shut up. I can’t listen to you.”

  “Because Reilly told you not to do it? Because he told you to kill anyone who asked you about him?” she called after him as he almost ran away from her toward the stable. “Don’t you see how wrong it is to let him get away with that?”

  He didn’t answer as he disappeared into the stable.

  She drew a long shaky breath as she gazed after him. Close. She didn’t know how near she’d come to having that garrote around her neck, but she didn’t want to think about it. Had it been worth it? Had she made him think or would he just block her words out? Only time would tell.

  Maybe she shouldn’t have rushed him. It hadn’t been her intention, but the words had tumbled out. She was getting increasingly panicky about finding a way to stop this horror. And Jock was the only game in town right now.

  “My God, what were you trying to do, get yourself killed?”

  She turned to see Trevor coming toward her across the courtyard. “Not much chance. You were keeping guard, and I’m sure MacDuff would have sprung out of that stable like Superman if Jock had touched me.”

  “We might not have been in time,” he said grimly. “I saw him in action with one of my men when we first came here, and he was fast, very fast.”

  “Well, nothing happened.” She passed him and hurried toward the steps. “With the emphasis on nothing. I’m not sure he’ll even remember talking to me. Reilly still has him under his thumb.”

  “Then you won’t mind not talking to him again.”

  “I would mind. I have to keep chipping away at him.”

  His hands clenched into fists. “The hell you do. I want to shake some sense into you.”

  “Then you’d better work on that control. You lay a hand on me and I’ll deck you. I’ll do what I think is right.” She slammed the front door behind her. She was in no mood to argue with him. She was still a little shaken from her encounter with Jock. It had taken all her stamina to stand there and confront him. It had been hard for her to believe the stories about his deadliness when MacDuff told her about the boy. But the lethal vibes Jock had been sending out in those last few minutes had been unmistakable. He might be as beautiful as Lucifer before the fall, but he was every bit as tormented and dangerous.

  But there was no question she’d try again. Jock was unstable, but he was vulnerable. And he hadn’t hurt her. He’d been close but he hadn’t taken that final step. Who knows how hard that restraint might have been for him? Reilly had done terrible things to his mind that were still lingering.

  The fear was fading and she felt a sudden surge of heady optimism as she started up the staircase. She’d been dragging around, almost as afraid of Grozak and Reilly as Jock. It wasn’t as if the situation couldn’t be turned around. Eve and Joe were going to help. She’d made a little progress with Jock. They weren’t standing still and waiting for the worst to happen.

  She’d take a shower and then work on the background of the sketch of Jock. Then maybe she’d go and check on Mario.

  I’m going to the Run. I want you there.

  She’d backed away from Trevor when he asked her to come. Why? She prided herself on her confidence and boldness. Yet ever since she’d come to this place she’d been a complete wimp. It was time she took herself in hand and started behaving normally. The decision sent a tingle of excitement through her. The memory of Trevor standing there in the moonlight, the breeze lifting his hair, and the slight smile that had made her compare him to those wild, ancient Scots was filling her with a mixture of tension and anticipation.

  I want you there. . . .

  14

  I was wondering if you’d come.” Trevor stood up from the rock on which he’d been sitting. “I was betting you wouldn’t.”

  “It was fifty-fifty.” Jane came toward him. He was dressed in jeans and a dark sweatshirt that appeared black in the moonlight. He looked younger, less hard, more vulnerable. Yet when was Trevor ever vulnerable? “I didn’t like the fact that you didn’t tell me about Reilly’s offer. And I’ve been pretty mixed up.”

  “And you’re not now?”

  “It’s getting more clear.” She looked around the craggy rocks that bordered the Run. “Why did you want to come here this evening?”

  He smiled. “Not because I wanted to be soothed. You want to know the truth? This place is atmospheric as hell. You can almost see Angus and Fiona and their Scottish cronies. I’m a manipulative bastard, and I could see that you responded to the vibes here. I need all the help I can get where you’re concerned.”

  She felt the heat tingle through her. “Do you?”

  His smile faded as his gaze searched her face. “Don’t I?”

  “It’s not like you to be uncertain about anything.” She took a step closer to him. “And when you come right down to the basics, atmosphere doesn’t mean a damn.”

  He tensed. “And what are the basics?”

  “That life can be very short. That there’s death all around and you never know when—” She looked him straight in the eye. “I’m not going to let any pleasure go by because I don’t believe it’s the right time. There’s no right time except now.”

  “Right time for what?”

  “Do you want me to say it?” She took another step forward, until she was only a scant foot from him. She could feel the heat emanating from his body and it sent a ripple of heat through her. “I wanted to go to bed with you when I was seventeen. You were stupid and noble and you left me frustrated and empty for those four years. Heaven help me, I still want to go to bed with you, and it’s going to happen, dammit.” She laid her hand on his chest. A shudder went through him and she felt a heady sense of power. “Isn’t it?”

  “Hell, yes.” His hand covered hers and he rubbed it slowly over his chest. “I told you I wouldn’t send you away if you touched me.”

  She could feel his heartbeat beneath her palm and it was quickening, pounding. Jesus, she could feel that pounding in her own body. It seemed as if they were joined already. She leaned against him until their joined hands pressed against her breast. Dear God, she was melting. “Where?”

  “Here,” he muttered as his lips buried themselves in her neck. “Behind the rocks. I don’t care.” His tongue was warm on the pulse in the hollow of her throat. “Anywhere.”

  She was burning up. She wanted to jerk him down on the hard earth, pull him in and move against him, take all of him. Her arms slid around his shoulders. “Here,” she murmure
d. “You’re right, it doesn’t matter.”

  He went rigid and he pushed her back. “Yes, it does.” He was breathing heavily, his eyes glittering wildly in his taut face. “I don’t want MacDuff or one of the guards stumbling over us. I’ve waited this long. I can wait another ten minutes. Get the hell back to your room. I’ll be right behind you.”

  She stood there, staring dazedly at him. “What?”

  “Don’t just stand there. I promise this is my last act of nobility. After this, all bets are off.” His lips tightened. “And if you change your mind and lock your door on me, I’m going to break it down.”

  She didn’t move. She didn’t know if she could wait ten minutes, and she knew it would only take one touch to send him over the edge.

  “I want to do it right,” he said harshly. “Move!”

  What the devil. Just give in and give him what he wanted. Anything he wanted. Maybe he was right. At the moment her body wasn’t letting her mind reason any too well. She turned and streaked toward the path around the castle.

  Jock watched the light go on in Jane’s room. He had seen her run through the gates and in the front door only a few moments ago and had been wondering if he should go after her.

  Then he had seen Trevor stride across the courtyard, and his every sense had gone on alert. Trevor’s expression was intent, hard. Was he going to hurt her? Jock took out his garrote and started across the courtyard.

  “Come back, Jock.”

  He turned to see the laird standing in the stable doorway. “He’s going to hurt her.”

  “No. Or if he does, it’s because she wants it.” He smiled. “And I don’t think she will.”

  “His face . . .”

  “I saw his face. It’s not what you thought. Life isn’t always about death and hurting. Don’t you remember that?”

  Jock thought about it and then nodded. “Sex?”

  “By all means, sex.”

  Yes, Jock remembered that wild, joyous coupling. Megan in the village and then later other girls as he’d traveled from place to place around the world.