Night and Day (17 page)

“Not stuck.”

“Isn't it? You were restless as hell while Caleb was gone.” She grimaced. “But then so was I. Forget it, I guess I'm having guilt feelings because I haven't seen any way to get to Cara.” She put her coffee cup on the ground. “And now it's time I gave Natalie a call and told her that she has her proof. That should make both of us feel better.”

“I could call her for you.”

“No, you couldn't. She's made this between the two of us.” She took out her phone. “But if you're available for a little TLC after I finish, I'd appreciate it.” She was quickly dialing the number. “She always makes me feel … dirty.”

“Always available. Always here for you.”

He was smiling at her, and she felt a rush of warmth go through her as she looked at him. Always. What a wonderful word.

Natalie was picking up the call. “I was expecting to hear from you before this,” she said curtly. “Why are you stalling? Either you have proof or you don't. If you don't, I'll have to make other plans.”

“You gave me two days.” Eve realized she sounded defensive. The immediate attack had thrown her off guard. And that last sentence was a definite threat against Cara. “And you have to realize that I'm not in sole control of Cira's gold. MacDuff was hard to convince.”

“But you convinced him, didn't you?” Natalie asked with dulcet sweetness. “Because you're so soft and caring. Do you sleep with him? You'd find him much more compliant if you did. Money is important, but sex is always the clincher with a man.”

“No, I don't sleep with him,” Eve said, trying to keep control of her temper. “But MacDuff is a good man, and he's willing to negotiate to get Cara back for me.”

“Negotiate? I want it all.” She paused. “If I find that you haven't lied to me. Where's your proof, Eve?”

“I have it in my hand right now.” She looked down at the leather pouch. “Where do you want me to send it?”

Silence. “You really have it?”

“I told you I did. Take a look at it, then call me and we'll deal. It will be a small package. Where do you want me to send it?”

She thought for a moment. “Don't send it directly to me. Send it overnight to a post-office box in Moscow in care of Ivan Sabak.” She rattled off an address. “Did you get it?”

“I got it,” Eve said. “You must trust this Sabak if you're willing to involve him.”

“I don't trust anyone. But I can control him. Just as you should be able to control MacDuff and everyone else around you.” She paused. “What's going to be in that package?”

“I prefer to surprise you.”

“Tell me.”

“Let me know when you want to deal.” Eve hung up.

“Who is Ivan Sabak?” Joe asked.

“I have no idea.” She reached for her pen and scrawled down the address Natalie had given her. “Probably someone Natalie recruited to use to do her dirty work. She's lacking in backup at the moment. She's like a black widow spider killing off all her mates. She got rid of Salazar, Franco, and her dear husband before she hopped on that helicopter and took off with Cara. Now she needs reinforcements.” She shuddered. “I'm sure he's competent in all the lethal arts.” She straightened her shoulders and tried to shake off the fear and depression the thought brought. “But let her try to control this Sabak to her heart's content. Our job is to get these coins into Natalie's hands as soon as possible and try to set up an exchange. Let's head for Glasgow and try to find the quickest overnight service available from there.” She got to her feet. “And then call Jock and let him know what's happening and check on this Sabak.”

*   *   *

“Ivan Sabak?” Jock repeated. “Yes, I know who he is. He's Kaskov's most competent goon and has an impressive record of kills. He's also acting as Cara's guard at the gatehouse.” He paused. “And in the past few days has become Natalie's sex partner.”

“Cara's guard,” Eve said. “I don't like that, Jock.”

“Neither do I,” he said grimly. “No one has more access to Cara than Sabak. And now the chances are he's no longer working for Kaskov but his daughter.”

“But it could be that her having influence with Sabak would make it easier for her to arrange for Cara to leave the estate if she'll agree to a deal.”

“And do you really think she's going to do that?”

“It could happen. If it was worth her while to do it.” Eve added wearily, “But that's what this is all about, to make her think it's worth her while. Do I trust her not to hurt Cara? No, she'll do whatever she thinks will give her long-term protection. And that would be for Cara to just disappear in a way that would not incriminate Natalie with the law or her father. But if she can't arrange that, then she may just give us a chance to snatch Cara while she's trying to snatch that chest of coins.”

“I'm glad that you realize that this may be a long shot.”

“I've always known that. But if we can get Natalie to remove Cara from beneath her father's protection, then you won't have to do it. It will solve the biggest problem you've been worrying about. Getting her out of Moscow itself. Isn't that true?”

He was silent. “Aye, it's true.” He added brusquely, “Very well, we'll give your coins a chance to do their magic. And I'll be at the post-office box in Moscow when they pick them up and watch reactions.”

“It might work, Jock,” Eve said. “If it does, it's safer for Cara.”

“You've told me that before. And I agree … if it works. Good-bye, Eve.” He hung up.

Eve was still not sure that she could trust him not to act on his own, Jock thought as he stared out into the darkness. She had a right to her doubts. Watching Cara go through this had strained his self-discipline to the max. There were times when he was on the verge of breaking. Every night, he went over the best possible kill cycles for the guards. Someday would he just stop planning and do it? So easy. It would be so easy …

Music.

Cara was on her balcony, playing her violin.

It was the Tchaikovsky. Ever since he had gone to Cara that night, she had played that concerto first when she got back to the gatehouse in the evening. She was trying to reach out, to tell him she was fine, and everything was all right.

It was
not
all right.

Not when Natalie was seducing Cara's guard in the same house where she was keeping her daughter prisoner. Not when Jock knew that could be a prelude to Cara's death.

He felt the rage start to spiral within him, the heat building. Crush it. Ice it.

But that was dangerous, too, if he wanted to go along with Eve's wishes for the time being.

Because when the ice came, so did the killing.

PETROVA STREET

MOSCOW

“Eve Duncan told the truth,” Ivan Sabak said as he handed Natalie the box when he got back in the car after retrieving it from the post-office box. “It's very small. We have to hope what's inside is big enough to be important to us.”

Us. Natalie had wanted him to feel involved, and this was a sign that Ivan was heading in the right direction. “Eve isn't a fool. She wouldn't go to this trouble if she didn't believe that I'd be satisfied with the result.” She was tearing into the box as she spoke. “It has to be—” She broke off as she saw the leather pouch. “And she may be right. Last night I was going over in my mind the possibilities of what she could send me, and this was close to the top of the list.” She opened the pouch and carefully poured the coins into her palm. “
Yes.
”

“Not much treasure. Four coins,” Sabak said. “And they don't look very valuable. Old. Very old.”

“That's what they're supposed to look like,” she said impatiently. “But I have to make sure they're old enough and could be genuine. And that she's not trying to slip something over on me.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

“When I decided she might possibly be going to give me a sample of the coins, I made an appointment at the university with Feodor Dostkey for this afternoon. He's a professor of ancient history and an expert at numismatics. He'll be able to tell me what I need to know.” She reached for her phone. “I'll confirm it with him now, then we'll be on our way to the university.”

“You said you didn't want anyone to know about this.”

“And he won't know about it after I get his report.” She put the pouch in her handbag. “I'll sit in his office while he makes his examination and tells me what I need to know. I've made the appointment at the end of his school day, and he should be on his way to his home after that.” She looked at Ivan. “I can't be involved. I'll walk down to the cab stand two blocks from the university and go home from there.”

His gaze narrowed on her face. “What are you telling me to do?”

She smiled brilliantly at him. “What you're so wonderfully good at, Ivan. But it has to look like an accident, and neither one of us must be implicated.” She put her hand on his inner thigh and rubbed it slowly, sensuously. “Can you do that for me? For us?”

He nodded. “If you're certain that it has to be done. Kaskov wouldn't like me to be involved in the killing of a professor. It could bring out all kinds of flak from the local government. He's always told me that we have to stay under the radar.”

“Then you have to be good enough to be sure we are.” She leaned back in the seat. “I can hardly wait until I get back to the gatehouse tonight and can tell you what happened.” She smiled. “And, if it's good news, then we'll celebrate. Shall I tell you how?”

“No.” He started the car. “I'll make you show me. Again and again and again.”

*   *   *

“I can't tell you how grateful I am for your time. Thank you, Professor Dostkey.” Natalie shook his hand as she opened the door of his office to leave. “My brother will be so happy that you verified what he thought that he'd found on that farm in Estonia.” She tucked the report he'd given her into her handbag. “Evidently it's a find that happens only once in a lifetime.”

“At least, as far as the drachma is concerned.” Dostkey frowned. “But you shouldn't be walking around with that coin. Wouldn't you like me to put it in my safe until you can arrange security?”

“How kind you are. But no one knows I have it but you.” She shook her head. “And I'm completely bewildered that it's so valuable. I'm sure no one but an expert like you would know how much I have to lose in that little pouch. Again, thank you, Professor.”

“It's been a pleasure.”

He stood watching her as she walked down the hall and out of the building.

Natalie could feel the heat flush her cheeks as she hurried down the walkway toward the street.

Two million dollars. Or perhaps more. The professor hadn't been certain what it would bring at auction.

That much money for one little coin. It seemed impossible. The other coins had also been valuable, but that drachma was the prize.

She couldn't believe Eve would have known the value and still sent it to her with the other coins. How many other coins of equal value were in that chest?

Excitement was soaring through her, making her breathless at the possibilities revealed in that small pouch. She had to play it cool. She
had
to have that chest. It would give her everything she wanted in life. Money, power, and, most of all, freedom. No more having to plead and use tears or sex to get what she wanted. All her life she'd had men telling her what she had to do, what she had to be, to make them happy. What about what made her happy?
She
was the one who was important. And that chest full of gold would guarantee that everyone knew it. She would never have to be anyone's wife or lover or daughter ever again.

But she could not let her father know what she was doing, or he might either confiscate the chest or try to keep her from using Cara to get it. Either would be possible.

So make a plan that would get her everything she wanted and not hurt her in any way.

She could do it.

But Cara, alive, would always be a threat to her. She could not turn her over to Eve no matter what sleight of hand she had to perform. So that added to the complexity of her problem.

Natalie
had
to have that treasure chest.

Cara
had
to die.

And Eve Duncan would have to be destroyed before either of those goals could be met.

Now concentrate, plan, make it happen.

*   *   *

“Natalie took the pouch to an expert at the university,” Jock told Eve when he called her. “She just left his office, and she was practically walking on air. I believe she definitely took the bait.”

“Who wouldn't? It was multimillion-dollar bait,” Eve said dryly. “And we made sure it had potential to dazzle. Now we have to see what ploy she'll concoct to get her hands on it. I'll give her a day to call me, then I'll call her and see if I can push it.”

“I imagine she can do a lot of damage in a day,” Jock said. “I'd push it before that.”

“One day,” Eve said. “I know you're impatient, and so am I. I just can't let her know she has all the control.”

“She doesn't,” Jock said coldly. “I have the control. Just give me the word.”

“One day.” She hung up.

Jock watched Natalie's taxi turn onto the road leading to Kaskov's mansion as he kept a safe distance behind her.

On the surface, Eve's lure had been successful and had the potential to give them a chance to safely extricate Cara. Beneath the surface, Jock could see all kinds of jagged rocks in the waters ahead.

And he'd better make sure he knew the sharpness of those rocks and the depth of those waters before Cara was overwhelmed by them.