Текст книги "Your Next Breath "

Автор книги: Iris Johansen

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Erin was silent, thinking. “Santos would have the money, power, and the killers needed to bounce all around the world as needed to accomplish those three kills. And the attempt on me wouldn’t have been easy. I was working on a mountain in Tibet. Not the usual target for one of Santos’s goodfellas. He had to be motivated.”

“Santos can definitely motivate,” Catherine said. “And he’s not going to stop. He’ll try again, Erin. Stay with Chen Lu.”

“Not likely. Chen Lu’s palace is beautiful, and she’s wonderful, but I don’t belong here. I’m coming to you, Catherine.”

“Bullshit. Stay away from me.”

“I can’t do that. You didn’t stay away from me when I was being tortured and hunted down like an animal.”

“I was just doing my job.”

“No, you weren’t. It might have started out that way, but by the end, you were doing it because you wanted me to stay alive. Life is a great gift. I won’t be cheated of trying to return the favor.”

“Erin, I don’t—”

“And I won’t be cheated of the justice that sniper deserves for murdering that village priest. As soon as I make sure that Les Caudell is going to be okay, I’m on the next plane to you.”

“That’s not safe.”

“Then have Venable make it safe.”

“Look, stay there. I’m going to be on my way to Tibet to track down that shooter anyway.”

Silence. “I don’t think that will be necessary.” A flicker of expression crossed Erin’s face. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Of course, I do. He’s my only lead to—” She caught another flicker of expression, and her eyes narrowed. “Why won’t it be necessary?”

“I don’t think that sniper will be around much longer.”

“Erin.”

“Les kept blacking out on the way to Hong Kong.” She moistened her lips. “And I don’t know how to fly a helicopter. I had to find a way for both of us to survive.”

Catherine knew what was coming. “So you asked for help?”

Erin made a face. “Cameron. I yelled his name like a banshee. Just the way I did when I was being tortured by Kadmus. I was praying he was still linked to me.”

It was one of Cameron’s bizarre and annoying psychic abilities to be able to go into a mind if he chose and either read or take control. He had been able to do that with Erin when she was being tortured, to keep the pain at bay. “You should have known he would be.” She made a face. “He considers you one of his chosen ones whom he has to guard.”

“Things could have changed. I never accepted what he had to offer. I was lucky he was there for me before when I needed him.”

“And how did he help you this time?”

“I told you, I don’t know how to fly a helicopter. Cameron came in and took me through every motion, everything I had to do to get us to Hong Kong. I couldn’t count on Les. Though he did manage to land when we got to the city. Cameron was able to leave me about five minutes before that time.”

“Came in” Catherine knew what that meant. Erin was telling her that Cameron had linked with her mind and virtually took over, as he’d done when he’d made Erin impervious to pain while she was undergoing those months of torture when she was being held captive by Kadmus. Cameron was probably the most skilled and talented psychic that either of them would ever encounter. Catherine had had experience with the psychics the CIA had recruited. She’d even attended a workshop in Rome to teach her how to deal with foreign agents who might possibly be able to read minds. None of Venable’s parade of gifted psychics could hold a candle to Cameron. He was totally unique in that area. Not to mention having several other lethal talents that were exceptionally intimidating. “He took over right away?”

“Yes, thank God. He told me exactly what to do. I was pretty scared, Catherine.”

“Since you were probably bouncing around on air currents and dodging mountaintops, I can see that you might be,” she said dryly. “So you think that in between making sure that the two of you got safely to Hong Kong that Cameron was gathering information about how you got into that position?”

She shrugged. “Cameron always knew what I knew when we were linked before. This time I know he was angry. I could feel it.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s going after that shooter.”

“It doesn’t mean he’s not or sending someone else to intercept him. He has a good many men in Tibet.” She added quietly, “It would be a waste of your time to come here. It’s a very long trip, it will all be over by the time you get off that plane.”

She was probably right, Catherine thought with frustration. Particularly if Cameron was as disturbed as Erin had said. No one could take action with more lethal efficiency than Cameron. “I don’t want that shooter dead. I need information. Cameron will ruin everything.”

Erin was silent.

What could she say? Catherine thought. They both knew Cameron would do exactly as he wished. “Can you reach him?”

Erin shook her head. “Only if I’m in need. Otherwise, the contact always comes from him.” She paused. “Can you? Most of the time after the two of you came together before, he contacted you, not me.”

“Because we were both in warrior mode trying to keep you alive.”

“Really.” Erin’s brows lifted. “I suppose that was part of it. Try it. He might be willing to listen.”

“I will.” She grimaced. “It would be pleasant if I could just pick up the phone and call the blasted man. But he probably wouldn’t answer his phone unless it suited him. And it wouldn’t suit him if he thought I’d be interfering in what he thinks is his business. I hate this psychic crap. I’ve told him I don’t want to deal with it.”

“Evidently, you may have to.” She looked over her shoulder. “I think the surgeon is finished with Caudell. I’m going to go and get a report. I’ll call you later from the airport.” She disconnected, and the screen went blank.

“I assume you are not going to Hong Kong,” Hu Chang said, as Catherine closed the computer. “And that Erin is not being cooperative and obeying you. Unfortunate, but I’ve always told you that you can’t run quite all the world to suit yourself.”

“The pot calling the kettle,” she said through clenched teeth. “And I needed Erin to do just this one thing, so I could stop worrying about her ending up dead.” She added, “But she’s heading for the airport as soon as possible. So we have to make it as safe as we can. I’ll call Venable and have him assign an agent to her from the moment she leaves Chen Lu’s palace.”

“A commercial flight is not wise. Have him get her passage on one of the military planes heading for the States,” Hu Chang said.

Catherine nodded. “And then you meet her flight and find a way to keep her as far away from me as possible.”

“Not an easy task.” He held up his hand as she started to protest. “But I’m superb at meeting challenges.” He turned and headed for the door. “However, I believe I will leave the challenge posed by Cameron in your hands. Unless he proves a danger to you. Then I’m at your service.”

Cameron was dangerous but not to her, she thought as the door closed behind him. To her he’d been more troublesome than a danger. Though their encounters, admittedly, had an element of threat to both her physical and mental well-being. Their sexual chemistry was too raw and wild, and he had made her feel possessed, almost … weak. She had never felt like that with a man before. It was one of the reasons she had been glad Cameron had been called away and out of her life. Not that she wouldn’t have been able to handle it. It was just easier this way.

But Cameron was back, and nothing was going to be easy.

He was angry, Erin had said.

So what? She didn’t need to worry about what he was feeling when her world was falling down around her.

Screw you, Cameron.

She punched in Venable’s number to try to set up a way to keep Erin safe from that disaster.

*   *   *

“Dammit, I’ll do everything I can,” Venable said sourly. “It’s not easy to get a civilian on a military flight at the last minute. Get her to stay with Chen Lu.”

“That’s not going to happen. Keep her safe, Venable.” Catherine paused. “Or Cameron will do it. You don’t want him to intrude on your space. All your control will be out the window.”

Silence. “Cameron is involved?”

“You didn’t get Erin off that mountain without incident. You should have known he’d be upset.”

“Ask me if I care. I’ve got more things to worry about than whether your old friend Cameron is going to get in my way. It may be time to take him down anyway. The only reason I haven’t done it yet is that his aims usually coordinate with the Company’s.”

“And you’ve found him annoyingly ghostlike when he’s in action. Look, neither of us wants to have to deal with Cameron. So get Erin into the U.S. and keep her from being taken under Cameron’s protective, big-brother wing.”

“It might be possible.” He knew damn well he’d do it, but he didn’t want Catherine calling the shots. She had a tendency to always want to run the show. He hadn’t known when he’d picked her up from the streets of Hong Kong and trained her as an agent that she’d be this dominant. Though he should have realized that when he saw how brilliant and intuitive she was in every aspect of the job. She was his best agent in the field, and he found it worthwhile to put up with her total independence—most of the time. “I’ll assign an agent to her right away and try to set her up on a flight.”

“Do that.” She hung up.

Which sounded remarkably like an order, he thought. So much for letting her think she wasn’t calling the shots. He turned to Agent Jed Stone, who was on the computer at his desk across the room. “I’m going to need passage for a civilian out of Hong Kong right away. Get me Colonel Radcliff.”

“Right.” Stone checked his directory and started to dial. “Would I be out of line to ask for a name? It’s not for Agent Ling?” He grinned. “I’ll volunteer to personally escort her. God, she’s gorgeous. I picked her up from the airport in Atlanta once, and it was a memorable experience.”

And Venable remembered how impressed Stone had been. He was sharp and enthusiastic but young enough to be dazzled.

“Oh, she’s memorable all right,” Venable said. “And very magnetic. But I don’t have to remind you that Jantzen just got killed because Ling got a little too close to him.”

“Not her fault,” Stone said. “I’m glad you’re pulling out all the stops to protect her.”

“The lift is for Erin Sullivan,” Venable said curtly. “And, of course, I’d protect Ling. She’s one of us. Do we have any more information about Santos?”

“Not yet.” He broke away and spoke into the phone for a few moments. He turned back to Venable. “There’s a plane leaving Hong Kong four hours from now. Okay?”

“We’ll make it okay.”

“Confirmed,” Stone said to his contact on the phone and hung up. He looked at Venable. “Anything else?”

“No.” He changed his mind. “Yes. Check and see what’s the latest we have on Richard Cameron.”

Stone accessed the computer. “Not much. He was under surveillance in Copenhagen, but he disappeared from there two weeks ago. We think he may be in Beijing.”

“Oh, shit.”

“A problem?”

“Cameron is always a problem. I’d hoped he was still in Europe.”

“We have no record of his contacts in Europe. But then we didn’t start shadowing him until he was in San Francisco.” He frowned. “I wasn’t with you in San Francisco. I was still in the Atlanta field office.” He was reading the screen in front of him. He gave a low whistle. “He blew up a fireworks factory in the middle of the city and walked away without even being charged? Did we intervene?”

“No, Cameron appears to have much more influential friends in his corner,” Venable said sarcastically. “Which is why we may have to take him down. Too much power corrupts.”

“What friends? I don’t see anything here that spells out much about—”

“Because we don’t know much. For years, we’ve just been hearing vague reports about Cameron from our agents in Tibet and India. It’s all guesswork and trying to put vague stories together.”

“So why are we even interested?”

“Because Catherine Ling is interested. Because Cameron got her and Erin Sullivan out of Tibet after Ling rescued Erin from that prison at Kadmus Palace.” He shrugged. “It seemed impossible at the time, but he did it. When we went in later and started asking questions about Cameron, I became … intrigued. He appears to be some kind of bandit or warlord or mystic who moves from place to place in the mountains. He has commando units and sophisticated weapons at his disposal. There are rumors of kidnappings of young, brilliant technicians and a few killings of Chinese agents.”

“Only rumors?”

“That’s all anyone has on Cameron. Here’s another one: He’s supposed to be backed by a huge conglomerate that has world political ambitions and put him in charge of the security of their operation. He’s known as the Guardian.”

Stone chuckled. “Shades of Marvel comic books.”

“Yeah, maybe. I’m glad you find it funny. Catherine Ling does not. The Agency was supposed to drop all protective services for Erin Sullivan when she arrived safely in the U.S. Catherine wouldn’t do it, and she teamed with Cameron to give Erin protection.”

“And it worked?”

“If you call blowing up half a block of prime real estate working. But Cameron managed to bribe his way out of trouble.” He grimaced. “Which has a significance that’s intimidating. I don’t like anyone who has that kind of power. With backing like that, you can fund revolutions and hire armies. That’s why I decided to take a closer look at Cameron.”

“Why not let Ling investigate him?”

“I might, but not until I have something concrete to show her that he’s a threat. She wasn’t pleased when she had to do without our help in San Francisco.”

“But she’s only an agent, sir. You’re her superior, and she should be guided by you.”

God, he was young.

“Absolutely right. Next time you see her, remember to tell that to Catherine Ling.”

CHAPTER

3

“Catherine?” Sam knocked on the door of the study, then opened the door. “Sorry to disturb you, but I have orders from Hu Chang.” He smiled. “And I’ve learned that it’s always wise to obey him. Otherwise, I tend to have egg on my face. He said you need an intervention.” He came into the room and studied her face. “And this time I believe he’s right on. You’ve been in here going over those Santos files for four hours. You need a break. Why not let me take a turn at the computer? You can rest your eyes and your brain and spend a little time with Luke.”

She glanced out the window and realized it was already dusk. She had been so intent on researching Santos that those hours had flown. “Why didn’t he come and tell me that himself?” She rubbed her eyes. “Is he with Luke?”

“No, he just left. He said to tell you that he was on his way to San Francisco to meet Erin’s plane. He said something about meeting the challenge.” He held up his hand as she opened her lips. “Luke’s not alone. The extra agents I called in are here. I’ve told them that Luke’s never to be left alone. They’re very good men, Catherine. I’ve sent their qualifications to your computer, and you can check them out.”

“But they’re not Hu Chang, and they’re not you. I want someone who cares. It could make a difference.”

He nodded. “Okay, I’ll go back to him right away. But there’s no reason why I can’t do research while I’m with him. Tell me what you need.”

Why not let him help? She was getting more and more frustrated going at this blind. “I’m gathering info about Santos’s possible residences, any of his men we can squeeze to tell us anything. Any weakness of any sort. He thought of his wife as a strength, but he was obsessed with her. That could also be a weakness. I’m looking into their relationship.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what I’m looking for. I just have to find him. I just need to do something.”

“Got it.” He smiled. “Now go to the kitchen and have a bite to eat with Luke. He’s rising to the emergency and made you a fantastic lasagna straight from the freezer. Then go to bed and try to nap. It’s better than being bleary and missing something you should catch about this Santos scumball.”

Her brows lifted. “Is all this Hu Chang’s orders?”

“Let’s call it a combined effort.” He turned to leave. “After all, I have to keep you sharp. Hu Chang tells me that I’m on your list of people who it would hurt you to lose and therefore a target. That makes it doubly important that you’re in the best shape possible to get this asshole. It’s sheer self-preservation on my part.”

“Yeah, sure.” She added quietly, “I’m really sorry, Sam.”

“We’ll get through it.” He turned at the door and inclined his head. “And may I say I feel honored to be included on that list?”

Then he was gone.

And she was sitting there with stinging eyes staring after him. Sam O’Neill was a good guy, and she was lucky to have him in her life as well as Luke’s.

And Santos wanted to take him away from her, too. One by one, he wanted to strip away the people she cared about and leave her in pain and defenseless.

No way.

But the reminder of that threat sent a bolt of panic through her. She wanted to reach out and touch, hold those she cared about tight and close.

Luke.

She jumped to her feet and strode toward the door.

She needed to see him, sit across the table from him, watch the expressions on his face, have him smile at her as he’d done over that silly hat.

It was going to be okay. She wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Santos wouldn’t put a finger on him.

But she couldn’t stop the panic until she was once again with her son.

“Hey, Luke,” she called as she moved down the hall toward the kitchen. “I’ve been promised lasagna. Did you make the garlic bread to go with it?”

*   *   *

“Good night, Catherine.” Luke turned at the door to his bedroom to look at her. “Sam told me you need to get some rest, too. Are you going to do it?”

“Sure.” Then, as he stood there looking at her, she made a face. “At least, I’m going to my room and take a shower. I’ll see after that if I can function efficiently. I’m feeling very frustrated, and I need to get a handle on this guy. It’s not enough just to protect the people I love. I’ve got to get rid of him.”

He smiled. “Like you got rid of Rakovac?”

“Exactly like that.” Though all the psychologists would have told her she shouldn’t have told a twelve-year-old child that she would kill this man who had threatened them. Too bad. She had tried to wrap Luke in cotton to heal him and make him forget when she had rescued him from his kidnapper, but she’d had to give it up. Luke had grown up with Rakovac, a monster who had abused him and tried to make him into a murderer and thief, too. He understood life and evil more than most adults and had told her that if she had not killed Rakovac, he would have done it. “Don’t worry. I’m going to keep you safe, Luke.”

“I’m not worried.” He grinned. “But I’m absolutely not going to let Sam come in and sleep in his sleeping bag in my room. And not any of those other guys, either.”

“Did Sam suggest that?” Catherine smiled, too. “It’s not a bad idea, but he should have known you wouldn’t go along with it. Don’t blame him. I made it pretty clear that I wanted everything that could be done to be done. So don’t be surprised if you find him out here in the hall when you come down to breakfast.”

“That’s okay.” He looked at her door across the hall. “Because then he could watch out for you, too.” He paused. “This Santos is a real bad guy?”

She nodded. “Sorry, Luke. I seem to have stacked the cards against you when I brought you into the world. Every time you turn around, you’re facing one of these ugly crooks I have to get rid of.” She tried to smile. “No PTA or Soccer Mom for you. Maybe the next reincarnation.”

“You’d do that if I wanted you to do it. But it would be boring. I like you better as a soldier or cop. CIA is kind of like both.” He opened his door. “I just have to get you to let me help you…”

And that was her greatest fear, she thought, as she watched the door close behind him. She could surround him with guards, but they would do no good if he slipped away from them. Only one solution. Just find Santos and get him out of their lives.

She turned and went into her own room. Take a shower. Get a short nap. Then back to work.

But first she’d try to call Cameron again to tell him to keep his damn hands off that shooter …

*   *   *

“Wake up, Catherine. I’m in a hurry and, dammit, you keep interfering.”

Cameron, she realized drowsily. A very impatient and annoyed Cameron.

She opened her eyes.

Not her bedroom, she realized. Cameron was playing his mind games and furnishing her with the setting of his choice. But it wasn’t a firelit library as he’d done with her before. There was a fire, but he appeared to be in some sort of cave. He had a cup in his hand, and she could see the steam rising from the black coffee. He was dressed in a black leather jacket and jeans and was leaning against the craggy stone wall. Dark hair, high cheekbones, wonderfully sensual lips, and blue eyes that appeared icy against his deep tan. Tall, lean, with possibly the most beautifully muscular body she had ever seen. Hell, he was beautiful, period.

And she had better stop thinking that because one of his more annoying psychic gifts was the ability to read minds if he chose. She didn’t want to give him any more ammunition than necessary when he was so angry with her.

“And you think I’d use it against you?” He frowned. “Maybe you’re right. I’m mad as hell that you didn’t tell me right away that there was a problem. You waited until Erin was forced to do it.”

“It was my problem. I was handling it. Venable sent an agent to get Erin.”

“I know all that. It didn’t work out too well, did it?”

“No,” she had to admit. “There was no time. It was the best I could do, being half a world away from her. Could you have done any better?”

“Maybe.” He grimaced. “Maybe not. I guess you did okay.”

“No, I didn’t do okay. She almost got killed. The best I could do wasn’t good enough. Do you think I don’t realize that?”

His gaze narrowed on her face. “And you’re feeling guilty and responsible.”

“Yes, about her and everyone else who is unlucky enough to be my friend.” She glared at him. “And get out of my mind. You promised me that you wouldn’t do that to me. Keep your word, dammit.”

He shrugged. “I’m out now. It’s always tempting. I did slip when I first joined you. I get reckless when I’m angry.” He suddenly smiled. “But only with you. Sometimes it frustrates me not to know which way you’re going to jump. Though I always hope it’s going to be into bed with me. You’re the exception to every rule, Catherine.”

Sensual and erotic memories were flooding back to her as she stared at him. She could feel the heat tingle through her body, tightening the muscles of her stomach, causing her breasts to swell. She could remember lying naked on his lap, his fingers moving inside—

“I’ve missed you, Catherine,” he said quietly. “I don’t remember ever missing a woman after I’d left her. But I missed you. I wanted to come back and show you how good we could be together.”

“Sexually?” she asked. “No argument. But life isn’t only sex, and we’re hardly compatible on any other level. I told you when you were running off to Copenhagen that I wasn’t going to go with you and be your mistress. I’m CIA. I have a job to do.” She looked him in the eye. “And that job might be to go after you and take you down someday. We don’t think alike, Cameron. You believe the world is trying to blow itself up and going to hell. You want to prepare a new civilization by hiring superbrains, stealing knowledge, and storing it away so that we’ll have something to go back to. Me? I believe you may be right, but I’m going to work my ass off to try to keep that blowup from happening. Don’t get in my way.”

“It might be impossible not to do that.” He tilted his head. “But we’re both warrior stock, Catherine. We’d probably enjoy that, too. The idea … stimulates me. But then, everything about you stimulates me. I’d wake up in the middle of the night and want you there beside me. Do you remember my mouth on—”

“It’s over,” she said curtly. “And the last thing I want to think about right now. I have more important concerns.”

“What can I say? I’m only a man, and there are no more important concerns than sex. Well, maybe long-term, but never on the current scale.” His smile faded. “Okay, let’s get down to it. Why did you phone me four times?”

“Why did you ignore me four times?”

“I don’t like cell phones. I was irritated with you, and I wasn’t ready to make contact.”

“You mean in your own special way, where you have all the advantages?” she asked sarcastically. “But you slipped up, that’s a very crude set you’ve created for me. Was it supposed to bring up thoughts of rough, tough cavemen?”

“No, I wasn’t in the mood to play games. I just brought you to where I am.”

She went still. “And where is this cave?”

“Tibet.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “I thought you were in Copenhagen. Didn’t your committee send you there?”

“That was an easy problem to solve. I went straight from there to Beijing.”

“Why? Did they have a few brilliant computer whizzes you wanted to ‘liberate’?”

“Perhaps. Whatever I was doing is classified, Catherine.”

She dismissed the question. “Venable will find out. So what are you doing in a cave in Tibet?”

“I’m waiting for a helicopter to land to pick up our shooter. He’s on a plateau about five minutes from where I am.”

She inhaled sharply. “You found him?”

“I sent my men out questioning and searching the minute I got Erin to Hong Kong. I put an urgent on it. And I boarded a flight out of Beijing within the hour.” His brows lifted. “Would you expect anything else? Erin is one of mine. No one is permitted to touch her.”

“I’m afraid she doesn’t accept that designation,” she said dryly. “She’s an independent journalist and belongs only to herself, not to you, not to your committee.”

“And we respect both her independence and her vision. It’s what made her a Pulitzer Prize winner. It’s what made us have an interest in acquiring her for our project.”

“She turned you down, Cameron. She doesn’t want to be part of your ‘perfect’ future world.”

“Not at the moment. But as she becomes more discouraged and disillusioned at what’s happening around her, she might change her mind. She came close a few months ago.” He shrugged. “If she doesn’t, so be it. I still chose her, and I have to protect her. It’s my job.”

“As the Guardian?” she said mockingly.

“It’s what I am,” he said simply. “It took me a long time to decide I’d accept the responsibility. I take it seriously.”

“I’m sure you do. Everything from killing and blowing up fireworks factories to rescuing idealistic reporters from the bad guys.” She changed the subject. “Does this shooter have a name? Venable hasn’t been able to trace him yet.”

“Carlos Nagoles.” He smiled teasingly. “And my techs were able to track and identify him within eight hours. It’s wonderful what you can do without government red tape. He’s a killer for hire who works principally out of Hong Kong and Beijing. Very efficient. Very expensive.”

“You’re sure he’s the sniper?”

“Quite sure. I don’t make mistakes like that, Catherine,” he said gently.

“I thought he might have ties to the South American drug cartels.”

“And he might, but he’s freelance.” He paused. “You thought he might be connected to Santos.”

Her eyes widened. “How do you know about Santos?”

“Erin didn’t know enough about what was going on with you, so I had to tap Hu Chang. I would have gone to you, but I was pissed off that you hadn’t told me yourself.” He paused. “I’m still pissed off.”

“And, of course, Hu Chang told you everything he knew.”

“He’s a wise man. He wanted to enlist all the help he could to protect you. But we’ll go into that at another time.” He straightened. “I have to leave. I hear the helicopter. By the way, when we intercepted the message from the pilot to Nagoles, he mentioned that he’d been sent by Santos to pick him up. If you had any doubts it was Santos who was targeting you, that should put them to rest.”

“Wait. Do you have help to take Nagoles down?”

“It’s only a helicopter pickup. Nagoles is hiding in the rocks near the plateau. When the helicopter lands, he’ll surface, and I’ll have him.”

“Is that a no?”

He got to his feet. “I’m touched by your concern.”

“Cameron, listen,” she said urgently. “I don’t want this Carlos Nagoles dead. I want to ask him questions.”

“I thought that might be why you were trying to contact me.” He was heading for the cave opening. “I don’t promise you anything, Catherine. Santos’s errand boy piloting that helicopter will definitely go down. Nagoles? He tried to kill Erin. I’m not going to let him get a chance to do it again.” The glance he gave her over his shoulder was cool, narrowed, and razor sharp. “If you’re lucky, I might place a few questions to him. Emphasis on might.”

“Damn you. I need to—”

But the cave was suddenly gone.

And so was Cameron.

She was only surrounded by the shadowy darkness of her familiar bedroom.

And Cameron was somewhere on that mountain in Tibet, running toward the shooter.

And she wanted to be with him.

Who knew what kind of firepower the pilot on that helicopter would have?

Why was she worried? Cameron was totally remarkable and could certainly take care of himself.

And the bastard had refused to give her any reassurances about Nagoles. Cameron would do things his way and to hell with what she wanted. Which meant that she might lose her chance to get the information she needed about Santos’s location. So it was ridiculous for her to feel anything but anger at Cameron.

And stupid of her to still want to be on that mountain with him.

*   *   *

Cameron could feel the blood coursing through his veins as he ran down the rocky path to the plateau. Seeing Catherine again had made every sense come alive. Long, dark hair, sleek and shining, a slight tilt to those dark eyes that were bold and fierce and brimming with life against the gold of her skin. A mouth that was shaped as beautifully as the rest of her features. A slim body that was still sensual, sexual as well as strong. He loved her strength as much as that sexuality. In spite of his anger, she’d had the same explosive sexual effect on him as she’d had from the moment he’d met her. Sex and obsession. As Guardian, it wasn’t wise for him to form obsessions, but Catherine had definitely become an obsession. That was why he’d resented the fact that she’d not come to him for help when she’d been targeted. She had left him out, and it angered him … and hurt.