"What do you want me to do? Drug him? Lock him in his room?"
"No, Joe would find a way to get free. He's very smart and savvy."
"That leaves you very few options, doesn't it?"
"You know damn well it does."
"Then tell me what you're going to do."
"Are you mocking me?"
"Because I'm smiling? I'm smiling because I believe I'm going to be made a very happy man. Am I right?"
"I'll do your reconstruction. Go after the skull. Bring it here."
"The conditions?"
"You keep your word about finding Bonnie. And you go after the skull immediately, no waiting for just the right moment. I want to be able to start working on her tomorrow night."
"Why?"
"I believe you know why. The sooner I get her done, the sooner you're able to go after Diaz. Joe can't possibly be in any kind of shape to tackle Diaz for another week or two. By that time, with any luck you'll already have blown Diaz and his scumbag cohorts to hell."
"What a charming plan." He chuckled. "But you've set me quite a tight timetable. How do you know I can meet it?"
"You came damn close when you set yourself that deadline with Marty. You like challenges. This is one you've been preparing to meet since your wife was killed. I imagine you've been going crazy twiddling your thumbs, waiting for your chance."
"At first. But I've learned patience. It was forced on me. Just as it was with you, Eve."
"I'm not going to be patient about this. Joe's not going to go after Diaz. He said I was caught in the middle between you and Diaz, but it was my choice to come down here. I won't have Joe caught in the cross fire." She leaned forward, her voice lowered to steely softness. "I'll give you what you want and you'll keep your promises, Montalvo. You'll move and move fast. Not one hair of Joe's head is going to be singed while you two tear each other apart. Do you understand?"
"You couldn't be more clear." He threw aside the sheet and got out of bed. He bowed slightly and started for the bathroom. "Speed you shall have. And I'll try to have Diaz taken out before Quinn can totter from his sickbed."
"Not 'try.' You'll do it." She shrugged. "Use one of your damn missiles if you have to."
"My, how violent you can be when your emotions are involved. Quinn isn't the only one who's protective."
"It goes with the territory."
He smiled over his shoulder. "Or the history? I told you past history was a strong foe to overcome." He disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door. A moment later she heard the shower.
It was done. She was committed. She'd spurred Montalvo to kick his attack on Diaz into high gear. Not that he'd needed kicking. She'd seen how passionately eager he could be when he wanted something.
How would that eagerness translate in bed?
She felt a ripple of shock at the thought. It had come out of nowhere. She couldn't remember the last time she'd even had a sexual thought about a man other than Joe.
It meant nothing, she assured herself quickly. She was a woman who'd spent the last fifteen minutes in a room with a strong, virile, naked man. She was not a nun and it was natural that instinct would rear its head. It didn't mean that she loved Joe less or that she would ever act on that instinct. It was like watching Brad Pitt in a movie and thinking maybe it wouldn't be so bad to-
Dismiss it. She had gotten what she wanted from Montalvo and it wasn't a quickie in that monster of a bed. Joe would be safe. She might have a chance at finding her Bonnie.
If everything went well for Montalvo and his men tonight. It all rested on him being able to fade into that village and snatch the skull before Diaz knew he was there.
She stood up and started toward the bedroom door.
A big if, she thought worriedly. A terribly big and forbidding if.
9
When Eve reached the hall, she met Galen coming out of Joe's bedroom.
His gaze went beyond her to Montalvo's door. "A late-night rendezvous or an assassination attempt?"
"Neither. And you're not being funny. What did Joe want with you?"
"You have an idea or you wouldn't be cozying up to Montalvo in the middle of the night."
"Joe wants information. He wants your help when he's able to go after Diaz. Anything else?"
"He wants me to keep you from involving yourself any further with Montalvo while he's incapacitated."
"He's asking a hell of a lot from you."
"No, he's not." He smiled gently. "My friend Eve Duncan was shot and almost killed. Everything Quinn asked I would have done anyway."
"I'm not going to let him go after Diaz." She met his gaze. "I'm not going to let you go after him either."
"How are you going to stop us?"
"I'm turning Montalvo loose on him. It's his battle. Hell, it's his war. Soldono says that he has no compunction about letting these criminals kill each other."
"But I believe you don't quite think of Montalvo on the same level as Diaz."
"That's because I know him. Diaz is still a mystery. It doesn't change the principle."
"Then I should have no trouble convincing you that you should shy away from Montalvo. Right?"
"Wrong. I'm going to do the reconstruction. He'll be retrieving the skull tonight and I'll do the work with as much speed as I can."
Galen gave a low whistle. "Quinn's going to have a relapse."
"No, he's not. Because you're not going to tell him anything. As far as he's concerned, you're doing what he asked you to do." Her lips twisted. "Including keeping me away from Montalvo. I'm only telling you what's happening because I know that you'll find out anyway. I can keep Joe in the dark for a limited time because he's going to be tied to that bed for a while. I just hope it's long enough for Montalvo to persuade the rebels to move against Diaz."
"Don't count on Quinn's recovery going along with your timeline. He asked me to bring him some hand weights so that he won't lose strength while he's lying in bed. He says that with my help he thinks he can get out of bed in the next two days."
"Shit."
"Even if he makes it out of bed that doesn't mean he's going to have the strength to stay on his feet. It could be days before he's even mobile."
"And it may be much sooner. I know how determined Joe can be. He's an irresistible force when he's focused on anything."
"Then you'd better work very quickly indeed. I've learned one thing working with Quinn during the past days. He won't be stopped unless you put another bullet in him."
"How comforting."
"I'm not sure I want to comfort you. I'm leaning toward going along with Quinn on this one. You believe what Montalvo told you but that doesn't mean either Quinn or I do. How do you know he's told you the truth about anything connected with that skull? It might be better for Quinn and me to go after Diaz ourselves." He shrugged. "We're not greedy. We don't have to take down Diaz's entire operation as Montalvo wants to do. We'd be happy with putting a neat bullet hole between his eyes. That's possible for a two-man job."
"Damn you, Galen. You know how dangerous it would be to get that close to Diaz."
"But we wouldn't have to depend on someone we have no idea we can trust. That's also very dangerous."
"You're saying I can't count on you?"
"You can count on my help. I'm not saying how that help will be given."
She took a deep breath to smother her anger and frustration. "Tell me what I can count on. Are you going to tell Joe that I'm doing the reconstruction?"
"No. I think you'll be telling him about that. Unless you're not planning to visit him in his sickbed, you're not going to be able to hide that you're working. Not from someone who's as intimate with you as Quinn. I've watched you doing a reconstruction. You're not even in the same world."