And then please don’t turn around and destroy her.
“Eve.”
She turned back to Joe. “It’s going to be okay. We’ve got to believe that.” She kept her gaze from returning to Caleb, sitting so close to Jane. “I was just wondering what he was doing to her…”
* * *
Disturbance.
Jane could feel it move her, jerking her from the path.
Darkness.
Flames.
Caleb.
No!
“Yes,” Caleb said. “Why did you think I’d let you go?”
“Because Trevor’s there, he’s waiting for me.”
“Too bad. He lost you. He even knew that he’d lost you as he was dying. He wasn’t trying to take you with him. He knew better. He was trying to release you. But you’re too stubborn to let him go.”
“Not my fault. I’m in a coma. I’m dying, damn you.”
“And not fighting it. Just meekly going into the night. Meekly? Not like you at all, Jane.”
“It is if I want it to be,” she said defiantly.
“Not if it’s not what I want it to be. You’ve got a fine, strong body, and I can make the blood heal itself. It won’t be easy. Particularly since you’ll probably be fighting me, but I can do it. I will do it.”
“No, the doctors say you can’t. They told Eve that it’s not possible.”
“And Eve told me that she’s not going to accept a death sentence for you. Think about her, not yourself. She doesn’t trust me worth a damn, but she told me to bring you back.”
“She doesn’t understand. I fought it, but it’s okay if I give up now.”
“Bullshit. You’re coming back with me.”
“The hell I will.” She began spiraling downward toward the golden path that was ultrasmooth and had only one ending.
“You’re wrong. It has a hundred, a thousand endings, and I can show you all of them.”
“I can’t hear you.”
“Yes, you can. But I’ll let you rest for a little while. So shall I tell you how it will be?”
“No, I can’t hear you.”
“First, I’ll work on the healing. Santos messed you up big-time. I’ll have to pull a few rabbits out of my hat before you’ll be in any shape for that arterial graft. Then I’ll work on bringing you out of that coma. I’ll show you reasons to live that would make angels leave Heaven and come down to Earth.”
“Delusions and hallucinations.”
“Life.”
Go deeper. Caleb’s words were taking her away, making her think, making Trevor dim in the distance.
“You can’t go deeper. I won’t let you. But I’ll let you stay where you are for a little while. You have to take what you can get. But you’ll always know I’m here. It’s not Trevor who is waiting for you, it’s me…”
GUATEMALA CITY
“Catherine Ling is here, Santos,” Dorgal said as soon as Santos answered his cell. “And she’s not alone.”
“Venable?”
“No, someone else. Alfredo Ruiz showed up when I was searching the sister’s house for information. We disposed of him, but when we checked, we found out he works for Rafael Dario. I had our people check the local grapevine for who was funding them.”
“Who is it?”
“Richard Cameron.”
“The same man who took out Nagoles,” Santos said. “He appears to be moving very swiftly to help our Catherine Ling. I believe we need to know much more about him and what he is to her.” He chuckled. “She may have furnished us with another target. Wouldn’t it be amusing if I can take a lover away from her? Just as she took away my Delores from me.”
“I’m already working on finding out more about him. I’m tapping our informants in the CIA to see what they know about Cameron.”
“Good. But that’s not as important as making sure that Ling doesn’t get her hands on Montez. The sister talked?”
“It took hours, but in the end, she told us he was in the hills near San Esposito. But she died before we could get an exact location. I had to tear her house apart to find any other information. That’s why Ruiz found me there when he came looking for her.”
“I’m not interested in this Ruiz. I want to know if you found where that weasel, Montez, went to ground.”
“I have an address in a village close to the border. I’m heading there now. I’ve already sent word ahead to our men in a nearby village to move in and verify that Montez is still there.” He paused. “But I’d bet Ling and Cameron are heading there, too. Dario is a very good man, with connections all over Central America. He might not have had to question Montez’s sister. We tried to hire him several years ago, when we were hunting for one of the bastards who was skimming money on the coke deliveries to the U.S.”
“He turned us down?”
“Dario said that he preferred not to be involved with someone who would not accept it when he was forced to say no on occasion.”
“Damn right I wouldn’t accept it. You should have cut his throat.”
“It didn’t seem worthwhile at the time.”
“But now we have to deal with him. Dario might lead Ling to Montez.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Yes, you will,” Santos said softly. “This was supposed to be a simple retrieval, and now it’s becoming a problem. Get Montez and bring him to me.” He hung up.
But nothing was simple where Catherine Ling was concerned, Santos thought. He should have known that she would cause Dorgal difficulty. For the first time, he was feeling a hint of uneasiness at the thought of Ling’s moving closer to Eduardo Montez. He didn’t want him dead, but he might have to take him out rather than let Ling get her hands on him.
But that was a worst-case scenario. There were still many ways he could attack Ling and ward off her interference.
It will be fine, Delores. This is only a little bump in the road. Trust me. I’ll see that you’re protected from that bitch.
He had always protected Delores, from the time he’d first met her when she was sixteen.
She had been lush and beautiful and belonged to one of his men, Javier. One night, he had found her in his bed and what had followed had been a sexual marathon that had still left him hungry for her. He’d known even then that he’d always have to have her.
“So good.” She curled up closer to him and rubbed against him like a cat in heat. “I knew you’d be like this. I’ve been watching you. Javier didn’t like it. He said if I cheated on him, he’d beat me.”
“Screw him.”
She laughed. “Not anymore. I’d rather screw you. I have other plans for Javier.” She kissed him and whispered, “Would you like to hear them?”
“Yes.”
“You send for him. We tie him in a chair and make him watch us make love. Then you remove his penis in the most painful way possible. Doesn’t that sound exciting?”
He was getting hard just thinking about it. The blood, the pain, the emotional hell. “He must have really displeased you.”
“Not really. He was easy to handle. But I don’t like threats, and I’m through with him. He might cause trouble for us later. And I’ve watched you, and I know you like what I like. The blood. The terror.” She raised herself on one elbow. “Don’t you like the idea of making a man who’d had me into a eunuch? It would make me all the more yours.” Her eyes were glowing down at him. “I knew from the moment I saw you that we were going to be together. I want to be only yours … except when we want to play a little. This would seal it, wouldn’t it?”
“Sealed in blood.” His finger outlined her nipple. His mind was full of the picture she had drawn, and his body was excited and ready. “And then we’ll do a little more fine carving before we put poor Javier out of his misery.”
“Poor?” She chuckled. “He’ll deserve it. He’s in my way. He’s in your way. I’m your woman. You’ve got to protect me, don’t you?”