Hide Away (41 page)

“She
will
lose, Joe. We can't let her win.” She shook her head to clear it. She couldn't think of Natalie right now. She had to take care of Joe. She began to unbutton his shirt. “You're right, it's only a flesh wound. Hardly more than a scratch.” She tore up his shirt and began to dab the wound. “She told me that she'd arranged for Castino to be assassinated. She said it was supposed to be done this morning.”

“She was telling the truth. I got a text from Manez right after you left me. Castino is dead.”

She nodded jerkily. “I didn't doubt her. She's capable of anything.” She moistened her lips. “And she makes it work, Joe. She thinks she can get away with any atrocity, and she finds a way to do it.”

“But we know her now. What we know, we can beat.”

“She has Cara, Joe. We don't know what she'll do with—”

“That bitch got away?” Jock was striding down the rocky path. “I saw the helicopter from the top of the hill. She got away?”

“Yes.” Eve gestured to Joe. “After taking a shot at Joe. It's not bad, thank God.”

“Good,” Jock said absently as he strode to the edge of the cliff and looked out at the horizon. “Cara? I didn't see Cara. Is she still alive?”

“Yes. She's with Natalie Castino.” She'd finished bandaging Joe, and she rose to her feet and went to stand beside Jock. “But Natalie still wants Cira's gold. That means we can still save Cara.”

“I thought we'd done that. Hell, we blew up Salazar and his men, and I thought she'd be safe.” His voice was low but vibrating with agony. “I told her once I'd keep her safe, that she'd never have to look over her shoulder again. I didn't do enough. I should have done more.”

“We didn't know that Natalie had an escape plan. You did all you could.”

“If I'd done all I could, Cara would be here with us now. I'm going after her. I'll get her back.”

“We think Natalie Castino is going to Moscow to be with her father.”

“I don't care if she's going to hell. It's where I'll send her anyway.” He turned and strode back up the trail.

“He's hurting.” She went back to Joe. “But we can't let him move too fast. If Natalie gets spooked, she might decide that Cara's not worthwhile to her.”

“We don't know what's fast or slow right now.” Joe was getting slowly to his feet, and Eve moved closer to help him. “It's a whole new ball game, and Natalie is writing the rules.” He began walking toward the trail. “But right now I'm just happy that she seems to believe she needs you. It will be good not to have you designated as a target.”

Not at the moment, Eve thought. But Natalie had no compunctions about using people, then killing them. Salazar, Castino, Franco. It would be just as well not to bring that up to Joe right now.

And right now, Natalie also needed Cara. After she got what she wanted from holding her daughter hostage, would she hesitate about killing her?

Not for a minute.

Joe's arm slid around her waist. “It's going to be okay,” he said quietly. His hand gently moved to her abdomen. “The three of us have gone through a hell of a lot in the past weeks. We can get through the rest.”

She nodded and stepped closer to him. She needed to feel his warmth and strength. “I know that.” She did know it, but she was tired and scared and wanted nothing more than to go home with Joe and Cara and this new, ever-changing life in her body.

But there was no Cara yet.

But there would be. There would be.

She had to believe it …

*   *   *

Jane watched the EMTs load MacDuff's stretcher into the air ambulance before turning to Jock. “The doctor examined MacDuff before they moved him from his tent. He believes that there won't be any serious consequences from his injury.”

“I didn't think there would be once he regained consciousness. MacDuff is tough.” Jock started toward the ambulance. “I'm going to the hospital with him just to make sure.”

“But you're not going to stay there long.”

“No.” He looked back at her. His silver-gray eyes were ice cold and without expression. “Not long at all, Jane.” He climbed into the helicopter and shut the door.

She was still feeling the chill as she watched the air ambulance take off. Chill and despair and helplessness. “I wasn't sure that he'd be going with him,” Caleb said as he came toward her. “Jock isn't quite himself right now.”

Jane shook her head. “I knew he'd want to be with him until he was positive of his condition. He loves MacDuff.”

“But he's burning inside.” Caleb smiled faintly. “I know a lot about that.”

“I imagine you do.” Jane glanced one last time at the helicopter before she turned away. “I expected Joe to be down here getting some first aid. When Eve called me, she said that he'd been wounded.”

“Just a scratch. He's still up in the hills dealing with damage control because of several bodies that have to be dealt with. Not to mention, MacDuff's men. They were pretty upset about Colin's murder, then MacDuff's injury. And they didn't like it that they were left out of that blowup that took out Salazar.” He shrugged. “I don't blame them. I would have felt the same if I'd missed all the fun.”

“I won't even address that remark,” she said. “Eve wouldn't tell me what was happening, but I guarantee I wouldn't have thought it was ‘fun.'”

“You just did address it. In the way that was predictably your own.” His smile faded. “And if anything had happened to Eve, I wouldn't be saying that. I don't believe I would have had the nerve to send her in to face Natalie Castino and Salazar. I know Quinn didn't want her to do it. It was her choice. She wanted to be sure that Cara would be protected.”

“She still wants her to be protected.”

“We all do.” He lightly tapped his chest. “Even my callous, barbaric self.” He turned away. “And now I've got to get back to Quinn and offer my help. I'm actually becoming accustomed to being a team player. No, that's not true, but it sounds good, and I thought you'd like to hear it.” He met her eyes. “I just wanted to check to see how you were doing. I know it was harder for you to stay out of the action than it was for Colin's men.”

“Yes, it was, but it was the right thing to do.”

“Boring.” He smiled. “I promise I'll never make you do the right thing, Jane.” Before she could answer, he had turned away. “But I brought Eve down from the hills with me, and she might need someone to talk to about right and wrong. She's much more on your wavelength than I am.” His voice drifted back to her. “She's down by the lake…”

Jane stood watching him for a moment. Why was it always so difficult to look away from Caleb? He seemed to gather all the light and darkness around him until it became a part of him. She forced herself to look away and down at the lake.

But Eve wasn't at the lake as Caleb had said. She was standing beside her tent, and she was looking down at Cara's violin, which she was holding.

Not good.

“Eve.” Jane walked quickly toward her. “The air ambulance just took MacDuff and Jock to the hospital. Everything seems to be—”

“Easy.” Eve looked up and met Jane's eyes. “I'm not going to fall apart. I've just been scared and having trouble remembering that Natalie Castino isn't infallible. She's just a smart woman who is evil beyond belief.” She glanced back at the violin. “But Cara is smart, too. Smart and good and gifted. She's already survived more than anyone would think she could. She can survive this, too.” She bent down and carefully put the violin back in its case. “All she needs is help from the people who love her. She's going to get that, Jane.” She moved down the slope toward the lake. “And it's going to be enough to save her.”

“Yes.” Jane moved down to stand beside Eve on the bank. The fog was gone, but the heavy mist that always wreathed the north bank was still there. So much violence and killing had echoed through these hills in the last days, but that eternal mist was still beckoning, calling, as it had for centuries. “We'll make it enough.”

But, Cira, we could use a little help from you if you can see your way clear. This is about a child, too. Your Marcus would have liked her. You would have liked her. Don't let us lose her as you did Marcus. Please, don't let Eve lose her.

Eve was gazing out at the mist, too. “It seems … different today.” She tried to smile. “What do you think? The beginning or the end?”

Jane moved a step closer and took her hand. “The beginning,” she said. “Definitely, the beginning.”

 

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About the Author

IRIS JOHANSEN
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of
Shadow Play, Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn't Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing the Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora's Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On the Run, Countdown, Firestorm, Fatal Tide, Dead Aim,
and more. And with her son Roy Johansen, she has coauthored
Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle,
and
Silent Thunder
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