By the time she convinced somebody to accompany her back to the motel, if she ever did, Emma, Luke and Julianna could be dead.
"Everything's fine," she said, her voice too high.
"You sure?" He narrowed his gaze on her, and she felt her cheeks heat. "You seem a little agitated."
"I'm fine." She cleared her throat and forced a smile.
"I was supposed to meet a friend here and missed him. That's all. Thank you for asking."
They reached the lobby and the elevator doors slid open. Kate rushed off, frantically scanning the lobby for Luke. Once, then again.
He wasn't there.
Heart in her throat, she made her way out of the building. She stood in the center of the sidewalk, scanning up, then down. She had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. That something bad had happened to him; that John had followed him. That she'd been had.
Stepping up to the curb, she signaled a cab. It veered over two lanes, nearly causing an accident, pulling to halt at the curb in front of her. She yanked the door open.
"Kate! Wait!"
She spun around. Luke was emerging from the Daly building, and she ran to him. "Luke! Thank God!" His arms closed around her. "I got here as quickly as I could. When I couldn't find you I thought the wors-"
"I didn't call you, Kate."
She eased out of his arms and lifted her face to his, searching his expression for the Gotcha! She didn't see one and struggled for an even breath. "What are you saying?"
"I just talked to Julianna." He tightened his grip on her. "That wasn't me on the phone. I wouldn't even be here if I hadn't called the motel."
Kate felt the blood drain from her face, like an icy hand passing over her, stealing both her blood and her warmth.
John. Dear God. She brought a hand to her mouth. She had left Emma. Julianna couldn't protect her from John. Kate wasn't even certain she would try.
As if reading her thoughts, Luke held her at arm's length and looked her straight in the eyes. "Don't panic, Kate. I just talked to Julianna. Everything's fine. She's got the door locked and chained, she won't open it for anybody." He lowered his voice. "And I told her where my gun is. It's loaded."
"Gun?" she repeated, light-headed with fear.
"So she can protect herself and Emma if need be."
The cabby she'd hailed tooted his horn. "You need a cab or what?"
Luke grabbed her hand and they jumped in. The rush hour traffic was a snarl, and the ride to the motel seemed interminable to Kate. She struggled not to cry, not to completely fall apart, but all she could think about was Emma and John and what he might do to her if he got to her.
How could she have been so stupid? So gullible? She had never even questioned whether it was Luke on the phone, even though she had been unable to hear him clearly.
John knew everything, she realized, despair welling up in her chest. Where Luke had gone and probably why. That Emma had been to the doctor; that Kate would leave her and Julianna alone.
Tears flooded her eyes. If anything happened to Emma, she would never be able to forgive herself. Never.
Luke reached across the seat and covered her hand with his own. She curled her fingers around his, holding tightly. "Hang in there, Kate. She's going to be okay."
She glanced at him, then away, tears swamping her. "I'm trying, Luke. I really am."
"I found what we were looking for." She met his eyes. "Julianna's mother and Senator Jacobson were both murdered on the same night at approximately the same time. Apparently, the local boys' hands were slapped by the feds, who came in and took over. Some of the M.P.D. guys' noses were seriously out of joint. There was talk. Speculation about a cover-up of some sort."
She worked hard to concentrate on what he was saying. "So, we have what we need? You can go to Morris now?"
"Not exactly. Two problems. One, Powers killed Jacobson after Julianna stole his book, so we still don't have anything concrete to link him to the senator's murder. Second, Detective Sims did a little checking for me. Guess what Agency those feds were with?"
She swallowed hard. "CIA?"
"Bingo." Luke frowned. "I think we're being used."
"I don't understand. Why-"
"They already know about Jacobson, Kate. And Powers is still on the street."
She sank back against the seat, defeated. "What are we going to do? We have no place left to go."
"Oh, yes we do." Luke's jaw tightened. "If Morris doesn't give me what I want, I'm going to the press. We have enough to shake a few trees over at Langley. Think about it. A dead senator. A cover-up. A government assassin running amok. A little black book filled with nasty secrets. At the very least we can make Morris's life damn uncomfortable. That was what Condor was trying to tell me, they don't want the attention."
"Who told you?"
"A contact." Luke shook his head. "A friend."
The cabby pulled to a stop in front of their motel. Kate threw open the door and ran for the stairs that led to the rooms on the second level, ignoring Luke's shout to wait.
The metal stairs shuddered as she pounded up them, Luke only steps behind her.
She landed on the second level. Their adjoining rooms were located at the far end of the row; the door to their's stood ajar. Kate stopped, her life passing before her eyes. She opened her mouth to call out, but Luke grabbed her arm, silencing her. He bent his head close to hers. "Stay behind me."
She nodded, stepping back slightly to allow him in front, although her every instinct screamed in protest. He proceeded slowly, inching toward the pair of doors.
He reached them. A finger to his lips, Luke eased the door open.
The interior of the room was dim. The curtain had been drawn tight, the lights were off. Luke reached inside and flipped up the wall switch. Light flooded the room.
It was empty.
Emma! Kate rushed to the crib. It, too, was empty. A cry flying to her lips, she spun toward Julianna's room. Luke was already there. Kneeling on the floor, bending over something. Or someone.
He looked over his shoulder at her. At his expression, a cry ripped from her lips. She raced to his side.
Not Emma, she saw. Julianna. She lay in a crumpled heap, naked, her pale skin bruised. Blood trickled from her nose and mouth.
She opened her eyes.
She was alive, thank God.
Kate knelt by her side and Kate took Julianna's hand into her own. The younger woman looked into Kate's eyes, her mouth working but no sound coming out.
"When, Julianna?" Luke bent close. "When did John come?"
Her gaze shifted to Luke's. "Here already…when you…" A spasm of pain shook her, contorting her features. Her fingers convulsed against Kate's. "I…fought… too…strong…I-"
Kate swallowed hard, fighting panic. "Where is she, Julianna? Where's Emma?"
Julianna coughed, spitting up blood. "…be like you. Wish I…" Kate had to bend her head close to hear. "…please…forgive…"
She coughed again, the sound frighteningly weak, wet as she bled internally. Kate gathered her in her arms. "Don't die, Julianna," she whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Please, hold on."
Her body convulsed again, a shudder rippling over her, as if the last of her life force fought to survive against outrageous odds. Her eyes shut, and Kate tightened her arms. "No, dammit! Open your eyes. You're not going to die, I'm not going to let you! Open them!"
Julianna did as Kate commanded, the once vivid blue irises pale now, dull with approaching death. Kate could see her fight to pull away from the darkness, struggle for consciousness. She plucked at Kate's shirt, her mouth working. Kate bent close to her again.
"Please…believe…I… Save my…save Em…"
A breath shuddered past her lips. Her muscles went slack, and her head lolled back against Kate's arm.
For a moment, Kate simply held her, a kind of numbness stealing over her limbs. Then Julianna's words, their meaning, sank in. Kate lifted her gaze to Luke's.
"He can't have her," she said. "He can't!"
She got to her feet and stumbled to the adjoining room and empty crib, tears blinding her. She gazed down at the small bed, at the rumpled blanket and the soft, bright-colored stuffed bear. Emma's favorite.
"Why didn't he bring it for her?" Kate whispered. "Who's she going to hold on to? When she's scared, who's she going to hold on to?"
Kate picked up the toy and brought it to her face. It smelled like Emma. She breathed deeply, her heart breaking, her despair yawning, unimaginable.
The phone rang. They both swung toward it. It rang again, and Kate lunged, grabbing the receiver before it jangled a third time.
"Kate, love, it's John. Or as you know me, Nick."
"Where's my baby?"
He ignored her. "Surprised? Or did you figure it out?" He paused. "You did, I suppose. When you saw that photograph." He paused again. "What you did to my home, that wasn't nice. It made me very angry, Kate."
"You sick bastard. I want my daughter."
Luke came up to stand beside her. He bent his head close to hers to try to hear what John was saying. From the corners of her eyes, Kate saw that he had laid the bedspread over Julianna. She saw, too, that he had a gun.
"I like that about you, Kate. Your single-minded loyalty. But I've told you that before." He sighed. "I'm sorry I've had to involve you and the people you love. Julianna left me no choice. She was young and impulsive. And like most disobedient children, she didn't take my warnings seriously. And you were made to suffer."
Kate gripped the receiver tighter, her stomach rising to her throat. "What about Tess?"
"She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like the good senator. Sylvia always did have a penchant for paunchy old men with power. Go figure."
"But why?" Kate managed, voice quaking. "What did Tess ever do to you?"
"She caught me stealing your Rolodex, Kate." He made a sound of pain. "Your glass work was an impulse. One I deeply regret. That I destroyed works of art…it haunts me, Kate."
He was a monster. And he had her baby. "I don't care about that, I just want my daughter back."
"She's with me. Her daddy." He laughed then, the sound flat, without warmth or life. That a human could make such an emotionless sound frightened her to her core. She fought to keep from crumbling, from simply falling to pieces. The only thing that kept her from doing so was knowing that Emma needed her.
"Such a shame about Julianna," he continued. "Though I think you'll agree, she had it coming. She betrayed me, Kate. Me. I gave her everything, and she betrayed me."
"You didn't give her everything," Kate said, unable to contain her revulsion. "You took everything from her, you son of a bitch."
"Such language." He clucked his tongue in admonishment. "Kate, you of all people should understand betrayal. After the way Richard treated you? I would think you'd be thanking me."
"What have you done with Emma? I want her back."
"Funny you should say that. Because you have something that belongs to me. Something I want back." In the background she heard an infant begin to cry.
Emma. Kate brought a shaking hand to her mouth. She would recognize Emma's cry anywhere.
She was alive.
"And now I have something that belongs to you. Something you want back, rather desperately I believe."
"Don't hurt her," Kate begged. "Please don't hurt her, I'll do anything you ask. Anything!"
"Just what I was counting on, love. But please, let's save the pleas and histrionics. This is a business arrangement. If you want your item returned intact, you and Dallas meet me at 2:00 a.m. at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club in Annapolis, pier twelve. Call the cops or the feds and the little baby bitch dies."
78
Annapolis, Maryland, was located on Chesapeake Bay, about an hour from Washington, D.C. Founded in 1646, the town was known to most Americans for the navel academy of the same name. Historic and quaint, the capital of Maryland was also the sailing capital of the nation and sported no less than four yacht clubs-including Bay Harbor.
Kate and Luke arrived at Bay Harbor ten minutes early. Luke drew to a stop in the empty parking lot, shifted the car into park, but left it running. Beyond the parking lot lay the marina with its fingers of piers lined with boat slips.
The winter night was cold, quiet and impossibly dark. Kate huddled deeper into her coat, feeling small, vulnerable and afraid. The last hours had been a horror for her. Before leaving the hotel, they had called 911 and reported Julianna's murder. Then, though it had felt wrong, they'd just walked away. Quickly, not looking back. They'd had no choice.
Kate rubbed her arms. She couldn't close her eyes without seeing the image of Julianna in those last moments, as her life had slipped away. Without remembering that the man whose handiwork had caused her death now had her daughter.
Emma was in the hands of a madman.
Fear clutched at her and for a moment, Kate couldn't breathe. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could stop the images unfurling in her head. Wishing she could stop imagining Emma's cries. Ones of fear. Cries for the safety and security of her mother's arms.
Only her mother didn't come.
If Emma was still alive.
A soft sob escaped her. Kate brought a hand to her mouth, the thought of it almost more than she could bear.
As if reading her thoughts, Luke turned to her. "She's alive," he said softly. "John wants that book. He knows he won't get it if she isn't." He reached across the seat and covered her clasped hands with one of his own. "We're going to get her back, Kate. We are."
Tears flooded her eyes. She didn't trust herself to speak, didn't trust herself to meet his eyes. Because she didn't believe it, not in her heart, no matter how desperately she wanted to.
"Look at me, Kate."
She shook her head. "I can't."
"I need you to look at me while I say this. It's important."
So she did. She turned her gaze to his, her tears welling and slipping slowly down her cheeks. He brought his hand up, cupping her face, catching her tears. "I love you, Kate. I always have."
His words felt like a goodbye. She recoiled from them, tears choking her. "No, don't. Please, Luke-"
He laid his hand gently across her mouth. "We both know this guy has no plans of letting us go, book or no book, but I promise you, I'll do everything I can to save her. To save you both."
494 Erica Spindler Even if it meant sacrificing his own life.
She heard the words he left unsaid, as clearly as if he had spoken them aloud.
"If the opportunity comes for you to run, I want you to do it, Kate. I want you to take Emma and go. And don't look back. Promise me."
"I can't." She shook her head again. "I won't leave you behind, Luke. And I won't say goodbye."
"Then don't." He trailed his thumb across her cheekbone, his lips lifted in a bittersweet smile. "I'll love you forever, Kate. Nothing could change that. Not even death."
She turned, pressing her lips into his palm, sobbing. "I love you, too, Luke."
"Come here."
He held out his arms and she slid across the seat and into them. She clung to him, aware of the time ticking inexorably past, her dread growing with each second.
"It's time."
He was right, she knew. But she held back, clinging to the moment and to him. To life. She realized how precious and perfect it was, now that she faced the real possibility of death.
She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer-of thanks for all that she had been given, and one for the safekeeping of her daughter.
And then she was ready.
She met his eyes. "Let's go get Emma."
They climbed out of the vehicle, the sound of the doors slamming shut reverberating through the night, echoing on the sea air. Kate paused, her senses assailed by the smells and sounds of the harbor: of halyards pinging against aluminum masts, of the rhythmic slap of water against wooden and fiberglass boat hulls, of mast flags flappi
ng in the wind; the smell of fish and salt and the day's sun that had warmed both.
Kate sucked it all in, savoring the corporeal sensations, holding on. Last times were like that, she mused. Super-real. Exaggerated. Perfect.
Luke caught her hand and laced their fingers. "Pier twelve," he murmured. They angled toward it, passing a group of storage sheds and a rest room.
As they reached the pier, John called softly from behind them. They turned. He stepped out of the shadows not twenty feet away. He had Emma. She lay limply in his arms, a piece of silver duct tape over her mouth.
"Emma!" Kate cried in anguish, fearing the worst. At the sound of her mother's voice, the infant began to stir, then squirm, in John's arms.
She was alive! Thank God!
Kate rushed forward; John stopped her by bringing his gun to Emma's head. "I don't think so, Kate." He smiled, his lips stretching obscenely across his teeth. "The gun's cocked, Kate. It's a semiautomatic. I could put twelve bullets into your little princess in twelve seconds. Or less. Would you like that?"
A sob rose in her throat. "Don't hurt her. Please. I'll do anything."
"I know you will." Again he flashed her that horrific smile. "And I admire you for it. Such love and loyalty." He made a clucking sound with his tongue. "Richard was a fool for not appreciating you." His gaze slid to Luke. "Somehow I don't think Dallas here has the same shortcomings. Such a shame."
"Let her live," she pleaded. "Please, Nick…John, I beg you. She's innocent in all this. She didn't ask to be conceived."
He ignored her plea, turning his attention to Luke. "Where's my book?"
"I've got it," Luke answered. "And I'll give it back as soon as you hand over Emma."
John stared at him a moment, then laughed, the sound hollow, cold. "So, hero, what did you think you were going to do with that book? Decipher my code and cut a deal with the Agency? Let me clue you in, my friend, they'd have screwed you. They're a bunch of disloyal, dishonorable pricks."
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