She stopped just outside the door and drew a deep breath as Cara started to play.
She had been very effective, and it had been a fairly successful evening so far. It had been imperative that she know everything possible about Eve Duncan, and she would have that advantage in a day or so after she received Jadlow’s report. It was going to be very tricky manipulating a way to get the treasure without surrendering Cara. It was going to be even more difficult to frame Eve Duncan for Cara’s death and convince her father that she had done it.
But she had started to set up the scenario tonight, and she would build on it and adjust as she went along.
It would all come together.
But it should probably be done while her father was in Beijing, so she could work freely to accomplish her ends. Three days. She had three days to prepare; and then it had to all go like clockwork.
She headed down the hall toward the kitchen to ask a servant for Cara’s lemonade. The music followed her, and she could imagine her father sitting there, held captive as he watched Cara.
Tick-tock, Cara. Enjoy every minute of all that attention he’s giving you. Your clock is definitely ticking.
* * *
“You were magnificent.” Natalie bent over Ivan and rubbed her naked body catlike over him. “So much pleasure…” She licked his shoulder. “Did I please you?”
“You know you did.” He was panting, his breath coming in gasps. “I’ve never known—where did you learn that?”
“My husband wanted me schooled in the things he considered most important. He sent me to a bordello in Istanbul for a month. I consented because I considered it almost as important as he did.” Her teeth sank teasingly into his flesh. “And you agree, don’t you? You like everything I do to you?”
“You know I do.” He looked at her. “But nothing is free with you. What do I have to pay?”
“I’ve told you I have a few problems. But it would be foolish of me to expect you to help solve them because I have sex with you. Though that would be a pleasant part of it for both of us.”
“You promised me money,” he said roughly. “A fortune in gold. I killed that professor for you. Kaskov thinks I belong to him, and he’d have me killed if he knew what I was doing. You know there are the rules.”
Of course she knew about the rules. She had used them herself on occasion. Those inflexible rules that Kaskov demanded all his men obey when he brought them into his syndicate. First among them was total loyalty to him in exchange for remaining alive and earning fees far higher than anyone else in any of the Russian Mafias. “I believe you’ve already made your choice, haven’t you?”
He didn’t answer directly. “Then when do I get the gold?”
“Soon. We’ll go get it together.” She sat up on the couch. It was time to hit him with it, get him used to the idea of the task for which she’d been preparing him. “But there’s one thing that you’ll have to do for me … My problem involves my daughter.”
“You want me to kill her.” He shrugged. “I knew it was coming. You were dropping hints from first time you let me have you. Do I have to do it? Kaskov isn’t going to like it.” He grimaced. “But what am I worrying about? I broke the rules. I’m a dead man anyway when Kaskov finds out. When do you want it done?”
“I’ll let you know.” It had been easier than she had thought it would be. He hadn’t even asked her why she wanted it done. It had always amazed her that even hardened criminals often had hesitations with killing children. It appeared that Sabak had no problems with any kind of slaughter as long as he was rewarded with sex and money. It was no wonder that he occupied a high place in her father’s organization. She had chosen well. “I just wanted to let you know that it was going to happen, so you wouldn’t be surprised. My father is going to Beijing for some kind of meeting in three days. It won’t be until then or later. I’ll ask him to let you stay here and protect Cara.”
“The gold,” he reminded her. “If I’m going to risk my neck, I want the gold.”
“You’ll have it.” His persistence was annoying her. She might have to rethink her long-term relationship with Ivan if he wasn’t as malleable as she’d hoped. But that was down the road, and there were always twists and turns available to her if she chose to find them. But now it was time to make him forget everything but the fact that she had the talent to make him dizzy with erotic pleasure. “And you’ll have me, Ivan.” She moved back over him, her hands sliding, playing, on his body. “And before I leave you tonight, I’ll make you tell me you want me more than you do that gold…”
LOCH GAELKAR
“No word from Natalie yet?” Jane looked up as Eve came out of her tent the next morning. “It’s been two days. I thought she was supposed to be so eager.”
“That’s what I thought.” Eve sat down and poured a cup of tea from the pot over the campfire. “I’ve been on pins and needles since yesterday. I’ve been wondering if something is going wrong. I called Jock, and he said that Cara is still okay.” She wrinkled her nose. “And that Natalie is spending a good amount of time humping Sabak. That’s not what I wanted to hear. She kept Salazar under her thumb for years by becoming his lover. She was the one who first talked him into kidnapping Jenny and Cara.”
“I know. You told me.” Jane reached over and squeezed Eve’s arm. “She’s got to call soon. Hang in there.”
“Tell that to Cara. She’s the one who’s the pawn in this game. I can only imagine what she’s going through.” She took a sip of tea. “And Jock said that she was worrying about us. It’s damnable that she’s—”
“How is Michael doing?” Jane interrupted.
Eve glanced at her in surprise. “Are you trying to distract me by any chance?”
“Yes, there’s no use dwelling on the negative when you have something so positive on the horizon. I’m sure your son would agree with me.”
“I’m sure he would. I have the feeling that he tries to distract me, too.” She looked at Jane over the rim of her cup. “You accepted the fact that I told you that my baby was going to be a boy without batting an eye. You’re not just trying to soothe me? You’re a very reasonable, practical person, and we both know I won’t be able to have a medical confirmation for a few weeks.”
“Screw medical confirmations.” Jane smiled. “You told me that it was a boy, and I believe you. Some things you just have to take on faith.” Her smile faded. “As I take you on faith. As I take Bonnie on faith.” She paused. “Do you know that for a long time I thought Bonnie was a figment of your imagination? I even pretended I didn’t know that you thought the spirit of your little girl was visiting you. It was okay with me that you were having hallucinations if it brought you some measure of peace and happiness. Anything that made you happy was worth it. So much for my practicality and dedication to reality.” Her lips twisted. “I had to grow up and learn that reality isn’t necessarily truth. And experience the same kind of horrible trauma you did to realize that it’s not the soul that dies. When I fell in love with Trevor, he was everything I wanted a man to be: gentle, kind, loving. Then, when he was killed protecting me, I thought my life was over. I wanted it to be over. When I realized I couldn’t let that happen, I prayed that Trevor would come back to me as Bonnie does to you, but he chose not to do it. Maybe he thought that was best for me.” She took a sip of her tea. “But you do have your Bonnie, and I believe that with my whole heart. If she tells you that Michael wanted you to know you’re going to have a son, then it will happen.”
“Trevor loved you,” Eve said gently. “You’re young, and you have a wonderful life ahead of you. He didn’t want you to stop living because he did. I don’t know how I got so lucky that I got to keep my Bonnie with me.”
Jane smiled. “Maybe because it was in the cards that Michael would need an intermediary. He seems to be a very demanding presence even now. I hope he approves of me as a big sister.”
“There’s no question of that. I chose you, didn’t I?”
; “We chose each other,” Jane said softly. “I was probably every bit as demanding as Michael. I wasn’t going to let you—”
“I just talked to Palik.” Joe had come out of the tent and was striding toward them. “And I’ll bet you’re going to hear from Natalie anytime now. Palik just got word that Kaskov is leaving for Beijing tomorrow to meet with some Chinese narcotic distributors. She’s probably waiting to make sure he’s out of the picture before she makes her move.”
“It would make sense,” Eve said. “One less force for her to have to deal with if Kaskov is gone.” She just hoped she’d hear soon. She had once compared Natalie to a black widow spider, and she could imagine her plotting, planning, weaving her web. The longer it took her, the more dangerous and intricate the trap. It had taken her entirely too long to get back to Eve this time. She made a face. “Who knows? She might decide to wait until her sleazebag father has left Moscow to make contact.”
“I doubt it. Time will be at a premium then. She’ll want to have plans in place.” He bent and kissed her. “Let me know. I’m going to the north bank to try out the new lights MacDuff received last night.”
“I will.” She watched him walk down the bank and disappear into the mist. “Joe is becoming almost as obsessed with breaking through that mist as MacDuff. I should have known that he’d be caught up in the fever. It’s too much of a challenge.”
“For all of us,” Jane said quietly, her gaze on the mist.
“I’ve noticed that you’ve been spending quite a bit of time there, too.” Eve was gazing curiously at her. “And I don’t believe that you’re helping those men rig those poles with those super-duper lights.”
Jane shook her head. “But I watch them do it sometimes. Most of the time I just walk or sit and look out at the mist.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I feel … comfortable there.”
“In blinding fog, on a bank where you can’t see what’s land or water?”
“I said I didn’t know. And you can tell land from water. You only have to listen and feel all the textures of grass and earth and leaves. It’s all there waiting for you.”
“You do realize that sounds a little strange.”
She nodded. “But then this entire hunt for Cira’s treasure has been bizarre, hasn’t it? Let’s face it, this current hunt through the mist may be strange, but look at what preceded it. As I said, we’ve all been caught. It could be that’s what Cira wanted.” She smiled, and she got to her feet. “And, after that equally bizarre remark, I believe I’ll follow Joe into the mist and think about Cira and her son and wonder what she has in store for us.” Her smile became mischievous. “And you called me reasonable and practical? That should show you how far I’ve gone beyond the pale.” She waved and sauntered down the bank.
Eve watched her disappear from view. It was true that emotions and conflict had dominated all their lives recently, but there had also been growth and healing and love. Jane had started to put the tragedy of Trevor’s death behind her and was beginning to live again. She was changing and questioning with every passing day. Eve could not know what Cara was going through right now, but she had found the friend of a lifetime in Jock, and a home and love with Eve and Joe. As for Eve, she had a son who cared enough to send her a message of comfort by Bonnie, the beloved.
Not so bad, Michael. We can get through this as long as we remember—She had a sudden thought. Did you have anything to do with all this sweetness and light I’m feeling all of a sudden?
Warmth. Mischief. Humor.
That’s no answer. I’m clearly going to have to watch out for you.
But what a wonderful gift to have the knowledge that he was here with her, even if he was trying to control her thought processes to keep her happy.
We’ll have a discussion about this later. I have a right to—
Her phone rang, jarring her out of the warmth that was Michael.
Natalie. Like ice water being thrown on her, freezing out everything else.
“I thought you were going to arrange an exchange soon,” Eve said when she picked up the call. “I told you I was having trouble holding off MacDuff from—”
“It wasn’t convenient. I decided I didn’t have to rush to make it easier for you. Not after I read the dossier on you that one of Daddy’s employees put together.”
“Dossier?” Eve repeated warily.
“You don’t like that, do you? Well, I felt it was necessary to know you very well, Eve. I needed to know everything about you that could affect me in any way. We had such a brief acquaintance that I was uneasy. I felt I had a good grasp on your character, but I had to be sure.”
“How clever of you.”
“I am clever. All the men in my life have underestimated me, but I don’t believe you did.”
“And what did you find out of any value about me?”
“That you’re smart and strong and stubborn. But you also have faults. You’re soft, very soft. I knew that, of course. Your attitude toward Cara is amazingly weak and without reason. I couldn’t see why anyone that strong would allow herself to give up so much to keep a child you scarcely know alive.” Her tone was completely without inflection. “After all, she has no real value to you.”
“She has a value. But you wouldn’t understand.”
“I hope not. Because I’m not in the least soft, nor will I ever be.”
“That’s no surprise. And how did reading your report on me help you to plan the exchange? Did it make you trust me?”
“Oh, no, that would have been a total disappointment. I fully believe that you would cheat me of my gold if you could. Because you think I’m bad, and so it would be morally right to do it. You appear to be all into morally right. Though you’ve tottered on the edge of legally right a few times. Surprising, since your lover is a detective. But you’re so emotional about keeping Cara alive that there’s no way that you’d risk her life to keep that treasure.” She paused. “And you’re so strong that you’ll find a way to get around MacDuff’s stubborn insistence on keeping part of my gold. You won’t allow him to get in the way of saving Cara. So you see, I know you very well now. I can block any move you make that’s not to my advantage.”
“You’ve referred to Cira’s treasure as ‘my gold’ a couple times in this conversation. You’re already considering it’s yours, but it won’t be yours until you tell me how I can get Cara back.”
“I was getting to that. Day after tomorrow is good for me. You’ll deliver the chest to Drostkey Park at the carousel at 4 P.M.”
“Is that Moscow? I thought you might want to make the exchange here in Scotland.”
“Why? I want to hold all the cards. Drostkey Park. Don’t worry, you’ll actually see her on that carousel. After I check the contents of the chest, I’ll have Cara brought to you. Does that sound reasonable?”
“It depends on the circumstances. You could have the park packed with Kaskov’s men.”
“No, I’m trying to leave my father out of this transaction. It could prove awkward for me. That’s why I set the exchange up in a park that caters to children. Though I admit it does have a Catherine the Great theme that appealed to me. But I can tell him that Cara was intrigued by the music on the carousel. But even if my father’s not involved, you can be certain that I’ll still be very secure. And I’m sure that Detective Quinn will make it as safe as possible for you.” She paused. “Because you must be there for the exchange, Eve. That’s part of the deal.”
“I won’t object. I want to be there.”
“Good. Then we’re in agreement. I’ll see you day after tomorrow.”
Eve’s hand was shaking as she pressed the disconnect.
Day after tomorrow.
It had to be some kind of trap, either for them, or Cara, or both.
But there had to be a way of springing the trap before it caught them. Or maybe turning the trap against Natalie. They’d have to work until they found that way.
&
nbsp; Drostkey Park.
Day after tomorrow.
Cira’s treasure chest …
She’d already started preparing the contents of that chest, but now it was necessary to make sure it would pass at least a cursory inspection.
And how to be certain Cara would be safe while all this was going on?
She started to dial Joe.
* * *
“Day after tomorrow,” Joe repeated. “It’s not much time to complete setting up, but we’ll make it do.” He and Jane had only been back at camp for thirty minutes, but he was already thinking, making plans, looking for ways and means. “The first thing we need is a complete plan of Drostkey Park and that carousel area. The second thing is a way to extricate Cara if Natalie decides that what we’re offering her is bogus.”
“Which it is,” Jane said. “But it’s not likely she’d risk an extended examination of the contents of the chest we show her while she’s in a public place. She’ll know that we may want to take any opportunity to snatch Cara away.”
“Not we, Jane,” Eve said quietly. “You’re not going to be there.”
“The hell I’m not,” Jane said. “I won’t let you go into that park to face that Medusa without me. I can help, dammit.”
“Yes, you can. But not in that park.” Eve had known this would be coming, and she had already marshaled her arguments. “Look, Natalie knows all about me now. And she thinks I’m very soft. She also knows about you and how I feel about you. The first thing she’d do if she felt threatened or suspicious would be to try to take out someone I love. I won’t provide her with a target that could hurt not only you but me.” She paused. “And maybe Cara.”
“But I want to—” She stopped as she met Eve’s eyes. “Okay, I won’t go into the park. How close can I get, and what can I do to help?”
“We’ll work it out.” She smiled. “But there’s something you can do even before we head for Russia. We’re going to need an authentic-looking chest in which to put Cira’s ‘treasure.’ She held up a finger. “One. In order for it to logically withstand the wear and tear of centuries, it will probably have to be of metal of some sort. Two. A false bottom so that we don’t have to completely fill it with coins. We’re going to have enough trouble getting sufficient coins to fool Natalie into releasing Cara. Three. It has to look aged and absolutely genuine. You’re a phenomenal artist. Can you do all that?”
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