Текст книги "Silencing Eve"

Автор книги: Iris Johansen

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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

“Why?”

“Because I want Eve Duncan to live. And because Zander wants me to help you. He didn’t phone me just to send me to make sure you were all right after he took you down. He’s an expert. He’d know exactly what he did to you and how long you’d be out.”

She nodded slowly. “That’s true. And how does he think you can help us?”

He shook his head. “I have no idea. I believe Zander may be a little desperate himself at this point. It’s strange that I should think that … I’ll do what I can. I’m not totally—” He stopped at a knock on the door. “That’s probably Quinn and Gallo. I’ll go let them in.”

She jumped to her feet. “No, I’ll do it.” She ran across the room and threw open the door.

“Where’s Stang?” Joe strode into the room. “Did you question him?”

“Are you okay?” Gallo asked her quietly.

“Yes, I questioned him,” Catherine said. “He doesn’t know anything. Take it easy on him.” She turned to Gallo. “And yes, I’m fine. I told you that, Gallo.” She tried to suppress the intense physical reaction that she always had to Gallo. She hadn’t seen him for weeks, and the sexual tension was strong and heated. Ignore it.

“Then if you’re fine, I’ll tell you that you shouldn’t have lowered your guard with Zander,” he said coolly. “And that you were an idiot not to tell us where you were staying.”

“I wasn’t an idiot. I had a chance of manipulating the situation if I could keep control of Zander.”

“But you didn’t keep control.” Joe’s eyes never left Stang. “And now Eve’s probably worse off because you didn’t. And how do you know Stang doesn’t know anything?”

“You’ve dealt with me before, Quinn,” Stang said. “You know that Zander doesn’t confide in me. He didn’t tell me a word.”

“And you didn’t suspect anything?”

“Of course, I did. Zander was actually edgy. I even questioned him. He said he hated to wait.”

“He was waiting for word to get to Doane so that he could set up himself as bait for Doane’s ambush,” Catherine said. “He knew that Doane wanted to kill Eve in front of him. He also knew that Doane’s wife has to be there at the execution. Zander wanted time to kill Doane and get Eve away before Harriet arrived on the scene.”

“How, dammit?” Joe asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t know. Stang says he always has a plan.”

Gallo muttered an oath. “That doesn’t help us.”

“It might help Eve,” Stang said quietly. “He doesn’t want her to die.”

“But he risks her life because he won’t trust anyone but himself,” Quinn said. “Arrogant son of a bitch.”

“Easy, Joe,” Catherine said. She knew the words were futile. He was as desperate and afraid as she was of the impetus Zander’s move might start in motion. “I may agree with you, but we just have to work around Zander.” She added grimly, “That’s what he was saying before he left. Backup. We have to find that cottage in case Zander and his wonder plan go down the tubes.” She brushed her hair away from her face. “He said we’d more than likely have between five and eight hours after Doane got his hands on him. He had to be thinking about the time it would take Harriet to get out here. We’ve got to make them count.”

“I haven’t been twiddling my thumbs trying to find that cottage,” Joe said. “When we were at the Marine Museum, I didn’t get any solid answers, but the curator did remember seeing a book on artistry in driftwood that had some unusual designs.”

“Headstones?”

“Not that he recalled, but he was fairly vague. I’ve been searching every Web site and publishing house in Washington State to see if I could locate it. No luck.” He frowned. “But I’m beginning to wonder if we’re off base.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve been assuming since the nukes are supposed to be in Seattle that the cottage is near Seattle. What if it isn’t? You couldn’t get any answer about land purchase from Langley. We can’t find any mention of driftwood that fits the description. Not near Seattle. Not in Washington State. Why not look south, across the Oregon border? Kevin would have been safer if his hideout wasn’t right on top of a target city. It couldn’t hurt to take a look.”

“Unless it’s a waste of time. Then it could hurt Eve very badly.”

“If you’ve got any other suggestion, I’m listening.”

She didn’t have any other suggestion. “We’ll try Oregon.” She moved back and sat down. “I’ll call Langley and set them to exploring the possibility of Kevin’s purchasing out of state. It might—” Her phone rang before she could dial. “It’s Margaret.” She accessed. “Margaret, may I call you back? Things are crazy here now and we’ve got to find a way to salvage it before they get worse.”

“That’s not what I wanted to hear. This will only take a minute, Catherine. Jane asked me to call.” She paused. “I think we may have big trouble.”

CHAPTER

16

Chicago

“HAS SHE MADE ANY PHONE CALLS?” Jane asked Margaret, when they burst into Caleb’s suite twenty minutes later. “Is Harriet still in her suite?”

“As far as I can tell,” Margaret said. “I heard her moving around the suite. She went to the bathroom. I heard water running. I didn’t hear the corridor door open or close.” She shrugged. “I’m glad you’re here. I listened to every nuance of sound, but I’m not accustomed to interpreting those damn machines the way you are, Caleb.”

“You interpreted what was going on between Cartland and Harriet,” Trevor said. “That’s more important.”

“Ever the kind diplomat,” Caleb said as he strode across the room toward the machines. “But not necessarily truthful.” He put an earphone to his ear and turned up the volume on the machine. He listened intently for a moment, then adjusted the sound again.

“Caleb?” Jane asked.

“Just a minute.” He adjusted the other machine and listened again. “Son of a bitch.” He threw the earphone on the table and ran toward the door. “I heard conversation from some mother with her kid walking down the corridor. Harriet’s door has got to be open!”

“How could—” Jane didn’t finish the sentence as she and Trevor ran after Caleb.

“Use the exit stairs.” Caleb was already running down them by the time Jane and Trevor reached the door. He burst out the door on Harriet’s floor and ran down the corridor.

Jane could see the mother and little girl Caleb had spoken about at the end of the hall.

Harriet’s door is open.

It wasn’t open.

But Caleb was bending and carefully pulling out a small leather change purse that had been wedged between the door and the jamb, keeping it from closing.

“Quiet,” Trevor said.

“Why?” Caleb threw open the door. “She’s not here. We don’t even know how long she’s been gone.”

“I heard her in the bathroom fifteen minutes ago,” Margaret said as she joined them. “After that, it’s anyone’s guess.” She watched Trevor going from room to room. “But did you hear that ping from the machine right before you ran out of your room?”

“Ping?” Jane repeated.

“Yeah, a ping,” Margaret said. “I was the last one to leave your room, Caleb, and I thought maybe she was down here after all.”

“Obviously, you were wrong,” Trevor said. “No sign of her. All her luggage is gone.”

“Ping,” Caleb said as he pulled out his phone. “I synced those machines to my phone apps. It could have been a signal that the GPS was in motion.” He stared at the phone. “Come on, baby,” he said softly. “Give it to me.”

“What?” Margaret asked.

“She took the box with Kevin’s letters with her.” Jane was holding her breath, her gaze on Caleb’s phone. “The GPS may be able to follow her.” Please let that happen, she prayed. Everything else had gone wrong. Let this one thing go right.

One minute passed.

Two minutes.

A soft ping, barely audible.

“Yes.” Hope flared. “Where, Caleb?”

“It’s hard to pin down.” He turned and headed for the door. “But it’s the general direction of the airport. Let’s not wait to be a hundred percent sure. She could be on a plane by that time. You drive, Trevor. I’ll monitor the GPS.”

She could be on a plane by that time.

The words echoed in Jane’s mind as she rode down the elevator to the lobby.

While they played hunt and chase and dealt with Chicago traffic, Harriet might be lost to them.

She couldn’t risk it.

She took out her phone as they got off the elevator. “We need help. I’m calling Venable. We can’t let her get away.”

*   *   *

VENABLE ANSWERED THE phone on the second ring. “It’s about time that someone decided to call to let me know what’s going on. Where are you, Jane? And what the hell is—”

“I don’t have time to give you chapter and verse,” she interrupted as she got into the car in front of the hotel. “I need your help, and I need it fast, Venable. I didn’t want to call you. I’m scared to death that you’re going to do something rash, and Eve might die. I have no choice. So please shut up and listen. You’re going to have to work fast. Catherine said that Homeland Security has teams in both Chicago and Seattle. Is there someone in that team in Chicago that you can trust to be discreet and not tip his hand?”

He was silent. “Yes, Paul Junot.”

It was comforting that the name had come so definitely and quickly to his mind. “Then get in touch with him and get him out to O’Hare Airport right away. Harriet Weber is going to be leaving the city, and we have to know how and where she’s going,” she added grimly, “Though I think we know the where.”

“Seattle?”

“You’ve got it. But once she’s there, we can’t lose track of her. That could be fatal. Tell Junot that he has to do his check without her being aware of it. The last thing we want is to have her panic.” She was trying to think. “And you’ve got to have Junot set up a private jet rental for us. We’ll probably need it as soon as we reach the airport.”

“You don’t ask much,” Venable said dryly. “And why should I do it when I don’t know what the hell is going on?”

“I’m only asking for what we have to have. We can’t let her get away.” She paused. “She’s in control, Venable. We all thought it was Doane, but she’s calling the shots, and she’s calling them now.” She heard him muttering an oath. “I’m going to hang up so that you can phone this Junot. I know you want answers, and I’ll give them to you. But not now. Not until you get that done.”

“I’ll call you back,” he said tersely.

She pressed the disconnect as he hung up. “God, I hope he can get his man out there fast.” She looked at the GPS. “Is she still heading for the airport?”

Caleb nodded. “But she’s not reached the exit yet. She could still change direction.”

But Jane had the chilling feeling that Harriet was not going to change direction. Whatever had caused her to bolt from the hotel, she had a purpose and a focus.

“She just got off the airport exit,” Caleb said. “She’s committed.”

Committed. It was a frightening word when applied to Harriet’s plans. No longer a holding pattern. She was going forward.”

“She’s not heading for the main terminal.” Trevor’s eyes were on the GPS. “She’s going to the private-and executive-plane area.”

“Which means she could hop on a chartered flight and be off within minutes after she gets there,” Jane said. “We could lose her.”

“Easy,” Trevor said. “This is Chicago. Things seldom happen that fast.”

“Venable better be that fast,” she said grimly. “I don’t know what he can do about tracking her once she leaves, but he’ll have to do it. “Her phone rang. “Venable, I was just going to call you. We just found out that she’s heading for the private area at O’Hare. We’ll be able to zero in on exactly what hangar within a few minutes. Do you have Junot out there yet?”

“No, but he has someone he trusts at the airport who can start the ball rolling until he gets out there. He e-mailed him a photo of Harriet Weber and told him to find her.” She heard him relay the info she’d given him to someone in the background, and then he was back on the phone. “He’s Don Breital. Paul says he’s good.”

“I hope he’s very good. She can’t know she’s being followed.”

“I know, you told me. No panic.” His tone was hard. “Why are you so adamant about that?”

“I told you, she’s in control.” He wasn’t going to be satisfied with that answer, and she didn’t blame him. If she had to use him, then he shouldn’t have to go at this blind. “And we can’t be sure that she doesn’t have the detonator for those nuclear devices.”

“What?”

“She told Doane she knew where it was, and we can’t be certain that she doesn’t have it in her possession. She wouldn’t necessarily tell Doane the truth. We weren’t able to monitor every minute of her time since we’ve been following her. We don’t know what happened when she went to a bank here in town.” She added wearily, “Hell, it’s possible she stopped and picked it up tonight on the way to the airport. Though I don’t believe that could have happened. We were on her tail almost immediately.”

“You believe?” Venable said sarcastically. “You suspected all this, and you didn’t call me?”

“Things were moving very fast, and we had to move with them. Most of it was guesswork, and we were trying to piece it together.”

“And you didn’t trust me.”

“How could I trust you after Colorado? I only realized tonight that I had no choice. I just knew I had to find a way to keep you from moving too fast and cause Harriet and Doane to kill Eve.” She added, “We think we know where those nukes are located. There’s no question that we’ll share that with you.”

“Thank you,” he said sourly.

“But we want something in return. Give us just two hours once we reach Seattle to follow her to where Doane is holding Eve. You can use your super-duper spy gimmicks to monitor her from a distance. Don’t do anything fancy. Don’t scramble F-18s and try to take down her plane. Don’t rush her when she lands and surround her with SWAT teams to do a precision kill and get that detonator. If she has it, she will press the button if she believes she’s losing control. And, if she finds out it’s me following her, she’s arrogant enough to not regard me as any real danger to her. It’s actually safer for you to let us shadow her.” She paused. “Please, Venable, I know Harriet Weber. Everything I’ve told you is the truth. I can understand where your loyalty lies, but just give me two hours.”

He was silent.

“She’s as fanatical as Doane about honoring her Kevin with this nuclear holocaust. Don’t make the mistake of not thinking she’ll do anything she has to do.”

Venable was talking to someone in the background again. “Breital says that a Learjet was chartered late tonight and told it had to be ready for an immediate departure.”

“Harriet’s parking,” Caleb said. “Hangar 23.”

“Hangar 23, Venable,” Jane said. “Is that the Learjet?”

He was gone for a moment. “That’s it. Gassed and ready to go. Breital is trying to find out what flight plan was filed.”

“Providing the pilot follows the plan,” Caleb said. “I’ve been known to fudge a bit.”

“I can get a satellite and radar verification of the progress of any plane in the air once we get a fix on it,” Venable said. “If I decide to let her get in the air.”

“Well, bully for the CIA,” Trevor murmured. “But you can’t keep her from blowing up herself and two very fine cities if she chooses to do it.”

“Yes, he could,” Jane said. “His friends are all for the efficiency of drone strikes. But if she had even a hint that it was coming, she’d press the button.”

“Breital just reported that a woman of Harriet Weber’s description boarded the plane,” Venable said.

“I thought as much,” Caleb said. “The GPS indicates a move across the tarmac.”

Relief flooded Jane at his words. It had been logical that Harriet would not leave Kevin’s box of letters in the car after she’d taken it from the hotel, but it was good to have it confirmed.

The airport exit was just ahead, but they still had no confirmation from Venable.

“Two hours,” Jane pleaded. “Give us a chance, Venable.”

He was silent for a long moment. “Two hours,” he said at last. “No more. And I’m making alternate plans in case there’s a screwup. You wouldn’t like my alternate plans. Junot’s already made arrangements for the plane you requested. He commandeered an executive jet that was ready to fly to Las Vegas. That plane better be a hell of a lot faster than that Learjet because you’ll have to arrive ten to fifteen minutes before Harriet Weber does.”

Jane felt limp with relief. “Thank you, Venable.”

“I won’t say you’re welcome. I’m still mad as hell with you. And I want those nuke locations.” Someone was talking to him again. “Hangar 43. Get there and get there quick. It’s a Gulfstream. Harriet’s Learjet is requesting takeoff from the tower. You’ve got to hope she doesn’t get it right away, or she might be too far ahead for you to make up the time.”

“We’re almost there,” Trevor said.

But Venable was no longer on the line, and Jane could visualize him shaking and moving, cracking orders with whiplike effectiveness. She had no problem with that awesome efficiency as long as it wasn’t leveled against them.

“I’ll give Venable what he needs to know about the nukes as soon as we’re on the plane,” Margaret said quietly. “I’ll have time to go through those security videos and see if I can zero in on a probable location.”

Jane nodded. “Give the security tape to her, Trevor.” She was glad not to have to concentrate on anything at the moment. Her mind was a jumble of fear and hope and desperation.

They pulled into the parking space by Hangar 43, and she jumped out of the car. She could see the Gulfstream, sleek and golden, like a crouching puma under the bright lights.

That plane has to be fast, Venable had said.

Everything was now dependent on their reaching Seattle before Harriet.

“We’ll do it.” Trevor took her hand as he came around the car. He smiled down at her. “Stop worrying. We’ll send Caleb up to the cockpit to take over for the pilot. I’ll bet he has a few tricks to cut some time off the trip.”

“I’d already planned on it. I’ll get us there on time.” Caleb was striding across the tarmac toward the plane. “But you’re not helping by standing around holding hands. Nauseating. Get on the damn plane.”

*   *   *

HARRIET GAZED OUT THE window of the plane and watched a plane take off from the next runway.

The pilot had told her they were fifth in line for takeoff, but she was not impatient. She was on her way. That was all that was important.

It was beginning.

She could feel excitement flush her cheeks.

She reached out and lovingly touched the box of Kevin’s letters she’d set on the seat next to her. She felt as if she could feel that beloved energy tonight. Sitting in this plane, she was remembering the plan she and Kevin had made to go away. The minute the doors of the plane closed, he was going to press in the code to set off the nukes.

But he wasn’t here to do that, she thought sadly.

I’m trying to make sure everything else is all happening just the way you’d want it to happen, Kevin.

But that memory had made her recall something else she’d meant to do on this plane before it left the ground. Of course, she would call James later and tell him she was on her way.

But this other little task was something she had been anticipating.

She reached into her handbag and drew out the cell phone detonator. It was now fully charged and ready for business.

How do you know that old detonator would still work? Cartland had asked.

She felt a little thrill go through her as her forefinger gently rubbed the T key. So much power. Is this how you felt, Kevin?

That last quotation from Robert Service was echoing in her mind from the game she had played with her son, the final quote that would complete the sequence. He had not wanted to risk it in a letter but had called her on the phone. She could still remember the sound of his caressing voice.

You measure out my breath,

Each beat one nearer death …

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

Kevin was so clever. What was a more fitting detonation code for nukes hidden in a clock tower than the ticking of a clock? She slowly pressed in the code, letter by letter, every letter bringing the excitement higher.

TICK-TO

She was tempted to type in just more letter of the code to see if the thrill became more intense.

No, she wasn’t entirely sure that the timing mechanism on the nuke might not grab the code before it was completed. Better to be safe. She reluctantly typed in the alternate code.

For a moment, nothing happened.

She frowned. What the hell was—

Then it came on the screen in bold gold letters.

TESTING. YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE UNIT.

DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE WITH COUNTDOWN?

She smiled.

Oh, yes, Cartland. This old detonator definitely works.

Driftwood Cottage

EVE HEARD DOANE’S GUTTURAL cursing on the porch, followed by his heavy footsteps.

Then the door flew open, and he staggered into the cottage.

“Did you miss me?” Doane said. “As you can see, I brought you a present.”

He was bent almost double with the weight of the man he was carrying on his back. She caught a glimpse of the sleek white hair and powerful body.

Zander. It had to be Zander.

She had been hoping against hope that Doane would fail. There had been a chance. Zander was incredibly skilled, and it had seemed impossible that Doane could take him down. But everyone had a nemesis. Evidently, Doane was Zander’s. “Did you kill him?”

“No.” He dumped Zander on the floor beside the couch. “That would have been a defeat. I told you how it was going to be.” He buried his fingers in Zander’s hair and jerked his head back. “He should be waking up anytime now. He was such a fool. All I had to do was wait in the parking lot of the hotel until he came to get in his car. He was out cold in five seconds. I gave the dart a little extra narcotic to make sure that he didn’t cause me any trouble on the way here.”

“Like you gave me a ‘little extra’? Your judgment sucks. You’d better check to make sure that he’s still alive.”

“He’s alive.” He released Zander’s hair and straightened. “I shouldn’t have worried about having to deal with him after I got him in the car.” He nodded at the cuffs on Zander’s wrists and ankles. “He can’t move. He’s helpless.” He added with soft venom, “Helpless. I love the sound of it. Can you hear me, Zander? You murdering son of a bitch, you’re helpless. I’ve won.”

“I hear you.” Zander didn’t open his eyes. “And it appears I’m at a disadvantage, but you’ve not won, Doane.”

Doane reached down and slapped him across the mouth with a force brutal enough to break the skin. “Then fight back, show me.” He slapped him again. “Show me.”

“He doesn’t have to show you anything,” Eve said fiercely. “How brave you are, Doane. Always willing to strike out when it’s only a child or a man who can’t defend himself. Is that what you call winning? Maybe in your twisted—” Her head jerked back as Doane whirled and punched her in the face.

Pain.

“Really, Eve, I don’t need you to defend me.” Zander’s eyes were open, and his gaze was on her face. His own face was without expression. “I wish you’d stop. I’m finding it a little humiliating. This situation is difficult enough for me.” His stare shifted to Doane. “I never dreamed I’d be in this position. You’re not good enough, Doane.”

“Oh, but I am. I got you, didn’t I?” He tilted his head. “And I don’t think you liked it when I hurt our Eve.” He drew back his hand and slapped her. “Perhaps I may entertain myself until it’s time for our grand finale.” He slapped her again. “There are so many ways … Kevin knew them all.”

“By all means, if it amuses you.” Zander’s tone was bored. “But don’t expect me to respond in the way you’d like. I don’t know this woman. Even if I did, it wouldn’t matter to me what you did to her. You keep thinking that because she’s my daughter, it should make a difference. She’s only the product of a one-night stand. I care nothing for her.”

“It will make a difference,” Doane said harshly. “I know the power of kinship. My love for Kevin ruled my life from the moment he was born. You may not think that it will make a difference, but when you see her die, you’ll feel the loss, the emptiness. You killed my son, you bastard. I’ve waited five years, and tonight I’ll kill your daughter.”

“I don’t know her,” Zander repeated. “How can she mean anything to me? There’s nothing you can do to her that would make me suffer.”

Eve could see the mixture of torment and anger in Doane’s expression. “It will matter when I—” He broke off in frustration. He wasn’t sure, Eve realized; his grand revenge was disappearing before his eyes. “I think you’re lying.” He forced a smile. “But I’ll assume there’s some truth to what you’re saying. You’re such a cold bastard that maybe that part of you is frozen, too.” He shrugged. “So let’s let you get to know her. Everyone around her appears besotted by the bitch. Perhaps a few hours alone in her company will rouse all your fatherly feelings.” He turned and headed for the door. “I have a few calls to make. One of them to my dear ex-wife to tell her that she’s to come running if she wants to see you die, Zander.” He looked back over his shoulder. “Don’t think that I won’t come back and check on you occasionally. You won’t get away.”

“How are we supposed to get away?” Eve asked sarcastically. “You have us both hog-tied, dammit.”

“That’s right. But one can’t be too sure.” He smiled. “However, I’ll enjoy sitting out on the porch and looking out over Kevin’s graveyard of driftwood. By the time I come back, I may have chosen the place to bury you. Side by side as is fitting for a father and daughter.”

The door closed behind him.

“Did he hurt you?” Zander asked quietly.

“Of course he hurt me,” Eve said. “What do you think? It’s what Doane does.”

“I know you can handle pain. I meant anything you can’t get over quickly. Bleeding, broken teeth, concussion. Anything we’ll have to deal with?”

She shook her head. “Bruises. One tooth feels a little loose.” She blinked her left eye. “And I’ll probably have a black eye.” She looked at him. “Your lip is bleeding.”

“I expected worse. You distracted him and took the brunt.”

“Not intentionally,” she said curtly. “I just couldn’t believe you’d been stupid enough to let him catch you. You’re supposed to be so fantastic, and here you are trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.”

“You’re angry.” He was suddenly smiling. “You mustn’t let Doane hear you castigating me. He’ll give up all hope of my coming to love you like a daughter.”

“An impossibility. Love grows and builds with time and experiences. We don’t have the time, and you never wanted the experiences.”

He was silent, staring at her. “That’s the first time that you actually sounded as if you believe I am your father. You always denied it before.”

“I don’t know what to believe.” She added reluctantly, “But I think perhaps it might be possible. Doane says that I am. He’s crazy and could be mistaken. But you say it, too, and you’re not crazy. At least not in that way.”

“I’m glad you qualified that.” He tilted his head. “But since you don’t trust either one of us, I believe that there may be another reason. Now who do you trust who has had access to you?” He studied her for a long moment. “Your Bonnie?”

She didn’t answer.

He nodded. “Yes, I think Bonnie must have vouched for me.”

“Don’t joke.”

“I know better. Did she say I was her grandfather?”

“No.”

“Then what did she say?”

“She said … if I died, you would feel … loss.”

“Oh, then she agreed with Doane. Angel and devil both coming to the same conclusion.”

“Yes.”

“Did she say anything else?”

“No, she knew I didn’t want to talk about you.”

“Why?”

She looked him in the eye. In this moment, when she didn’t know how many moments were left, she would neither evade nor lie. “It hurt me. I shouldn’t care, but I do. There were times when I was a little girl, that I’d see some other child with their father, and I’d feel … lonely. I wondered why I wasn’t good enough, why I wasn’t wanted. That was before I realized that the fault didn’t lie with me but with the man who had walked away. My mother, Sandra, didn’t really want me either, but she stayed with me, and we made it work.” Her voice was suddenly fierce. “And I would have made it work with you, too, if you’d given me the chance. Family is important. You should have given me a chance.”

“And you would have fought the world and the devil for my soul?”

“Don’t laugh. Yes, I would have fought, and I would have won.”

“I’m not laughing,” he said gently. “And I believe every word you’re saying. You know, I saw you once when you were about ten years old. You were tough and full of passion, and I could tell that either Sandra or life had created a very special person.” He grimaced. “I couldn’t claim to have anything to do with it.”

Her eyes widened. “You saw me?”

“Only once. Then I turned my back and walked away.” He smiled. “Like the selfish son of a bitch that I am.”

“You were selfish.” Her eyes were blazing. “You should have given me my chance.”

“In my twisted psyche, I believe that I thought I might be doing that. Of course, it might have been ego and self-love raising its head.”

“You walked away. Why?”

“By that time, I had risen very high in my present profession, and anyone near me could be a target of revenge from crime figures or foreign governments or any number of other individuals. You wouldn’t have been safe.”

“Bullshit. We could have worked it out.”

“You keep saying that, but perhaps I didn’t want to make the effort. Perhaps you would have been an inconvenience.”

“Is that the way you felt?”

“Yes.”

She studied him. “You’re lying.”

“I don’t know how I felt all those years ago,” he said wearily. “I was softer and not as honest with myself as I am now. Every year, I could feel myself getting harder and harder, and sometimes I thought that soon I’d feel completely numb.”

“I don’t care about your walking away from that ten-year-old girl. I never knew about it, and I’m not that little girl any longer. I want to know about now. I can see that hardness. Everyone can see the hardness. I want to see something else. You look me in the eye and tell me. Was Bonnie right? Do you feel anything for me? Loss. Would you feel loss?”

He didn’t speak.

“You answer me, Zander.”

“Difficult, Eve.”

“I don’t give a damn. You look deep and tell me the truth.”

“I feel…” He stopped and when he spoke again his voice was uneven. “What do want me to say? Let’s see, if Doane blew your brains out, would I feel a sense of loss?” He stared intently into her eyes, holding them. “I would feel such a sense of loss that he had robbed this ugly world of such a unique person that I would kill him in the most painful way possible.”