Night and Day (11 page)

“Just tell me what to do,” Cara said quietly.

“Oh, I will. First, I want you to meet someone.” She went to the French doors leading to the small garden. “Ivan!”

“Yes.” A tall, muscular, dark-haired man was at the door within seconds. “You need me?”

Dead eyes, Cara thought. He had a broad Slavic face but his dark eyes were totally without expression.

“This is Ivan Sabak, Cara,” Natalie said. “He's your personal bodyguard while you're here. I'm sure that you've seen more of my father's men moving around the estate, but Ivan is special. He knows my father will be very upset if you take it into your head to leave here. There is nothing he will not do to prevent it. Even if he's forced to hurt you, though I'm sure that you wouldn't make him do that.” She smiled at Ivan. “Isn't that right, Ivan?”

“If that's what you want,” Ivan said. “I have no instructions from your father.”

“Now you do. He wants you to take your orders from me.” Natalie turned to leave. “I'll see you tomorrow, Cara. Take care of that violin.” She opened the door. “I'm considering it a loan.”

The door closed behind her.

Cara glanced at Ivan, but he'd disappeared back into the garden.

She was alone. Relief was surging through her. No Natalie. No Kaskov. No Ivan with his dead eyes. She shot the bolt on the door.

What was she doing? She was bolting herself into this gatehouse with Ivan, who was probably a more immediate danger than Natalie or her father. It didn't matter. That bolt was more symbolic than practical. She wanted to close out all the pressures, confusion, and threats, subtle and otherwise. She turned and flew up the stairs to her bedroom on the second floor. It was a nice enough room, with carved cherry furniture and its own bath and balcony.

And she could lock that door, too.

She leaned back against the door, her pulse pounding, breathing hard. She didn't feel much safer. She went out on the balcony and looked down at the small rose garden below. Was Ivan down there somewhere? No, he'd come in from the back garden. But there was still no way she could climb down and escape. She could see three men in jeans and casual jackets within a few yards of the garden.

And what could she do if she did get away from the estate? No money. No plans.

Then she would work on getting both. But it wouldn't be tonight. She'd go to bed and try to sleep.

But she wouldn't sleep anytime soon. She was too on edge from that last conversation with Natalie. She was learning more about her all the time and every word revealed—

She wouldn't think about Natalie. She turned and put her case on the bed and took out her violin.

Her
violin. It
was
hers for the time being. Natalie and Kaskov couldn't take it away from her. She had made it hers when she was playing tonight. It was part of her, just as the music was part of her. She stroked the smooth rosewood. It felt warm to her, alive …

No, only she could bring it to life.

And she would.

She didn't have to climb down that balcony to escape. She could rid herself of Natalie and Ivan and Kaskov and the threats and terrible revelations that were all around her.

She only had to release the magic …

MOSCOW

TWO DAYS LATER

Jock looked down at the map on the table. “How many guards on the grounds, Palik?”

“Seven. Sometimes eight if Kaskov has a special job. I've heard stories that it was an armed camp when he was negotiating with the Chinese over drug distribution. But usually he—” He stopped as he saw Jock's expression. “But you're not interested in the Chinese. Sorry. You can count on eight. I don't believe he'll think it necessary to bring in extra firepower. But he did assign Ivan Sabak to her.”

“And who is he?”

“Kaskov's principal enforcer.”

“Weapons?”

“Knives. Hands. Doesn't care much for guns.”

Neither did Jock. “Why did he put her in the gatehouse?”

Palik shrugged. “It's easy to guard. Hard to extract anyone. Was he expecting someone to come and get her?”

“Maybe not. But Natalie Castino would have known it was a possibility.”

“And you're the cavalry?”

“You might say that.”

“I just want you to know that if you expect me to join in any attack on Kaskov's estate, you're mistaken. I collect information and that's all. I could put you in touch with a few good men, but it will cost you. No one wants to go up against Kaskov. They have a tendency to end up dead after being painfully dismembered.”

“I'll tell you if I need help. It's not likely.” He was gazing down at the map, memorizing the layout of both the mansion and the gatehouse. “Which is her room?”

Palik pointed to the third room on the second floor. “You'd have to go through Ivan to get to her.”

That was the least of Jock's concern. “Once I get her away from the estate, can you get me a plane and transport out of the country?”

“Not out of Moscow. Once Kaskov lets his dogs out, there won't be anyone who won't be on the hunt for you. No one is going to rent you a plane or any other kind of wheels. They'd know they'd be dead within twenty-four hours.”

“I see.” But he didn't like it. If Kaskov had that kind of power, then Eve was right. Unless he could figure a safe way to get Cara out of the country, then there was a real danger that she could be caught in a cross fire. He couldn't risk it.

“Maybe you could broker a deal?” Palik suggested.

That's what Natalie Castino was trying to do, and he might have to have Eve stall her until he could put together a plan.

Another delay.

He deliberately smothered the rage that was tearing through him. Now was the time for cool thinking and planning and gathering information that would make those plans work. He turned away from the table. “Take me to Kaskov's estate. I want to see it.”

“Don't you want to take the map?”

“No, I've got it.” He headed for the door. “I'll remember.”

“You will? I could—”

“I just want to see the place. Take me there. After that, I'll be on my own.”

He shook his head. “I can't say that I envy you. What are they paying you to do a job like this?”

Cara sitting on the stone wall at Gaelkar playing her violin.

Cara looking up at him with tears in her eyes and saying good-bye when Eve had told her she had to go on the run again.

Cara running after him through the forest because she didn't want him to face Salazar alone.

“Enough.” He headed for the door. “They're paying me more than enough.”

 

CHAPTER

5

Jock lowered the infrared binoculars and settled himself more comfortably on the branch of the oak tree fifty yards outside the gates of Kaskov's mansion. It was going to be a long night. Palik had done a good job. The buildings and layout of the estate were exactly as Palik had drawn them. It was Kaskov's guards who might be the problem. You could never predict how they would react, when they would take breaks, if one was sharper or lazier than another. But you could make a good guess if you watched long enough.

And once he knew which way they would jump, he could take them down.

He lifted the binoculars to his eyes again and focused on the gatehouse itself. He'd positioned himself so that he would be able to see the balcony of Cara's room. The French doors were closed, but he knew she was there. He'd heard her playing when Palik had dropped him off an hour earlier. Just a thread of sound in the darkness, but it was unmistakable.

She wasn't playing now, and he hoped she was asleep. She probably needed sleep. He didn't know what she had been going through, but she had to be bewildered and uncertain and frightened at this abrupt change in her life. But at least that bitch, Natalie Castino, had seen that she was given something familiar in the form of that violin she had been playing. A bribe? Perhaps. Eve had said that she was manipulative and clever. But he couldn't see Cara taking a bribe if she knew—What the hell was he thinking? Cara was just a kid and trying to function in a strange and frightening situation. But she couldn't function if she didn't know what the situation really was.

And he wasn't going to be able to get her out of here when the time came if he didn't have her prepared and ready to move fast.

Which meant he was going to have to do more than just watch and plan in the next few days.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he took it out and glanced at the ID.

Eve. She'd been more patient than he'd thought she'd be. Palik had called Joe Quinn when Jock had arrived two days ago to tell him he'd arrived. She'd tried to call Jock twice, but he'd not been ready to talk to anyone while he'd been studying the situation as Palik had presented it to him.

He answered this call. “Hello, Eve. How's MacDuff?”

“MacDuff is going at warp speed,” she said impatiently. “You knew he would be as soon as he was on his feet and halfway healed. I didn't call to give you a report on MacDuff. Dammit, it's been two days, Jock.”

“I was busy.”

“Don't tell me that. Have you seen Cara?”

“No, but I heard her. Someone gave her a violin. I assume it was her mother.”

“What? Why would she do that?”

“I think I'll have to find out. It's not safe for me not to know how she feels about Natalie. It could present difficulties.” He paused. “And there are difficulties enough as it is. I may have trouble getting her out of Moscow when I take her out of that gatehouse. I'm working on it now.”

“Where are you working on it? Where are you now, Jock?”

“Close to her.” His gaze went to the balcony. “She's asleep now. She safe, Eve. I'm watching her.”

Eve drew a shaky breath. “If you ever do this again to me, I'll come after you, Jock. You answer me when I call you.”

“Palik was in touch with Burbank.”

“Palik isn't you. I didn't have to worry about Palik's going ballistic and turning Kaskov's estate into a battle zone.”

He smiled. “No, you didn't have to worry about that. And you don't have to worry about my doing that, either. It will have to be handled quietly, with no firepower, until Cara is out of the danger area.”

Silence. “You're already getting ready to do it, aren't you?”

“Getting ready.” He looked down at the ground some sixty feet below him. “But things are a bit in the air right now. You may still have a chance to divert me if you can show me that there's a safer way to get her out. Have you heard from Natalie Castino yet?”

“No. And I've tried to call her, but she doesn't answer either. I've been going crazy between the two of you.”

“I answered your call. I didn't have anything to say until now. I was making contact with some previous acquaintances from my shady past and probing their thoughts on the matter of a safe extraction. Unfortunately, their views were the same as Palik's. So I knew it was up to me.”

“The hell it is.”

“Find me a safer way, Eve,” he repeated. “And I'll do anything you say. Maybe Natalie wasn't ready to talk to you either. But she might be getting impatient now. Unless she's changed her mind and thinks being Daddy's little girl will be enough for her. In that case, there's not going to be any safe way of getting Cara out of there if she's using her to cement relations.” He added coldly, “And I won't leave her here, Eve. She's not going to be a pawn for Kaskov or his daughter. Pawns are much too easy to be thrown away in fits of rage.”

“Don't do anything. I'll find a way to contact Natalie. Look, MacDuff and Joe are setting up infrared lights on the north bank of the lake to try to pierce that thick mist. If they work, then we'll be able to go after Cira's gold soon. It's what Natalie wants, and that will give us leverage.”

“Fine. But I'll continue to make my preparations until you give me a reason to stop. I hope you do, Eve.” He hung up.

He could understand Eve's impatience and worry and, in a remote way, even sympathize. But it was very remote, and he would not let it touch him. Eve belonged to that other life, the one that had too many rules and morals to let him be what he had to be. He couldn't save Cara if he let that life control him. So close Eve out, close all of them out. Go back to the control he'd learned from Reilly so long ago.

He leaned forward on the branch and lifted the binoculars again. He concentrated on the sentry closest to the east side of the gatehouse. Watching him move, looking for weakness … getting ready for the kill.

*   *   *

“He's cold as ice,” Eve said jerkily as she turned to Jane after hanging up the phone. “I'd rather he be angry or something. Then I could talk to him, persuade him. Or you could talk to him. You know him better than anybody but MacDuff.”

Jane nodded. “We knew this might be coming. I was hoping that the situation he found there might be a little more promising.”

“Cara is alive. No one is hurting her right now. That has to be promise enough.”

“As long as that continues, I don't believe Jock will make any quick moves,” Jane said. “And he told you that he's not ready yet. He gave us warning and a chance.”

“I don't know why we haven't heard from Natalie yet,” Eve said in frustration. She turned and moved out of the tent to stand looking out at the lake. Joe, MacDuff, Caleb, and several of MacDuff's men had disappeared into that massive fogbank a few hours before with that lab equipment she'd told Jock about. She could only hope that they would be successful. “She wanted that treasure. She was almost salivating.”

“Maybe she's just giving us a chance to find it,” Jane said quietly as she came to stand beside her. “You told her we'd found the treasure to set up a trap. It worked because you and Cara were part of that bait. Otherwise, she would have demanded proof that you'd found it. She may still want it, but she'll be more cautious now.”