“You’re wrong,” he said quietly. “I told her the truth.”
“Oh, you had something to do with it,” she said curtly. “And so did I. Cara believes you, so I have to do it, too. But that wacko who’s responsible has targeted both of us, and that means we both did something to piss him off. It’s logical that it’s tied together.”
“You and I?” he said mockingly. “What good company I’m keeping. However, since Cara will surely blame me if you get hurt or killed, it would be wise for me to remove you from the equation.”
“That’s not going to happen since my family has been threatened, and so has Cara,” she said grimly. “So we’re going to continue to keep company until we catch that son of a bitch and my family is safe.” She went on quickly before he could reply. “I’m going to play my phone call from Norwalk for you now. You listen and see if you recognize the voice or if anything he says strikes a chord.”
“As you command. I’ll record it, too, for further review.”
She started the recording and leaned back in her chair. She glanced at Joe, sitting across the room. “I know you want to jump in and talk to him yourself.”
“You bet I do.”
“Not now. I’m right, Joe. He understands targets and also that Cara will be upset if he doesn’t listen to me.”
“I know.” He smiled. “I’ll have my turn.”
“No question.” The recording had finished, and she went back on the line. “Did you recognize his voice, Kaskov?”
“No. Heavy Irish accent. I would have remembered it. But I’ll let my men listen to it and see if they recognize it.” He paused. “Crazy. You’re right, he’s wacko. He’ll be dangerous to handle. He won’t care.”
“And I think he has some kind of master strategy or something. He’s been planning this for a long time.” She sketched in the connection with Sylvie and Darcy. “That’s what I was asking Norwalk about.”
“And the reason Jock Gavin hopped a plane for Nice,” Kaskov added. He was silent for an instant. “You handled this poorly, Eve. You let him see how frightened you are. Men like Norwalk drink fear in like blood. It excites them, and it’s addictive. They want more and more.”
She knew he might be right. She’d been able to sense Norwalk’s intense pleasure as he’d threatened her. “He made me angry.” Admit it. “And, yes, he frightened me. Michael, Cara, Joe … No one is safe from him. He will do it, Kaskov.”
“Yes, he will. I have no doubt of it. So what do you want from me, Eve?”
“I want you to find out what he’s planning, and why, and how I can stop him.”
“The stopping is easy,” he said coolly. “I’ll kill him. The finding and trapping is what’s difficult. Norwalk has a head start, and he’s not stupid. He managed to confuse the issue, and hide his agenda for quite a while.” He was silent. “And as far as you’re concerned, he wins every time he takes out anyone you care about.”
“And wouldn’t he win out over you if he took out Cara?”
“Yes, but you can see I have a much narrower target area.”
Yes, she could see that. “But then you have a much narrower life.”
Silence. “It’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it? Your situation may prove complicated for us both. I suppose you wouldn’t consider sending Cara to me for safekeeping?”
“I’ve already been considering it.” She saw Joe stiffen and put up her hand to stop him from interfering. “It was my first thought when I realized she’d be in danger. You’re not the guardian I’d choose in a million years, but I believe you could keep her safe at that place in New Orleans. Jock said that estate where you live in Moscow is almost impregnable.”
“He should know. I believe he was planning an invasion at one point. So send her to me.” Silence. Then he added, “You have my word I’ll send her back to you when the threat is over.”
“Your word? I have no idea what that’s worth.”
“Neither do I. It ebbs and flows with the situation. But I think that I’d be forced to keep it in this case. Cara can be so difficult.”
“Yes, she can. Which is why I can’t send her to you. The minute she finds out what’s happening, there’s no way that she’d leave us. She considers us family.”
Another silence. “So I’ve been told. As you say, difficult. Will Quinn permit me to send another guard to the property? That will have to do until I find a way to persuade Cara that her allegiance should be with me.”
“I don’t see any reason why not. Except that you’ve already lost one man, and it may not do any good. Norwalk evidently had no problem taking him out.”
“And I don’t like that. Norwalk must be very good. Oh, well, I’ll find out.”
“You’ll do it?” she asked quickly. “You’ll find out what I need to know?”
“My dear, Eve, it’s also what I need to know, remember? It’s that advantage thing again. I’ll know everything there is to know about Norwalk in twenty-four hours. And hopefully neither of us will be dead in that time, and neither will anyone of importance to either of us. Will that be satisfactory?”
“I’m not certain. I don’t know if I can trust you to call me and tell me what’s happening. I believe your instinct would be to take care of Norwalk yourself.”
“Quite right. That might be the most efficient way.”
“Your way. I don’t want him disappearing and not be sure what had happened. I need to know my family is safe. I don’t trust you or anyone else. Do you think we’re going to stop going after Norwalk because I’ve brought you into it? I want you to contribute, not dominate. You find the information, you call me, Kaskov. Understand?”
“I understand you may be every bit as difficult as Cara,” he said dryly. “I’m not at all sure that your influence on her should continue to be tolerated. I’ll have to think about it.”
“You do that,” Eve said. “In the meantime, you get your ass busy gathering the information that might keep her alive. We’ll expect that call from you in twenty-four hours.”
Silence. “And what would you do if you didn’t get it?” he asked silkily.
She could hear the edge, and she should back down. She knew he was one of the most dangerous men on the planet. But she was tired and scared, and he had to know that she would go to any lengths to stop Norwalk. “I’d go after you. I’d find a way to make you do it,” she said wearily. “It’s the only thing I could do. I need you, Kaskov.”
He didn’t answer for a moment. “Yes, you do.” Then he added crisply, “So speak with more courtesy to me the next time we talk. You mustn’t hurt my feelings. Most people find that an exceptionally foolish thing to do.”
“I can see how they might. Do you want me to apologize? You probably deserve it.”
“No, I believe we’ll chalk it up to stress. I’d judge you’re much more diplomatic in the usual way. I recall even when your life and that of the child were on the line all those years ago, you behaved well. We seem to come together at periods that aren’t in the least usual.”
“Don’t count on my behaving in a civilized manner right now. And there’s no way you’ll see diplomacy when we find Norwalk. He said he was going to kill my son.” She had to get off the phone. Stressed wasn’t the word for what she was feeling right now. “Good-bye, Kaskov. I’ll expect your call.”
“And you’ll probably get it.” He paused. “But I’m not certain what else you might get, Eve. I don’t take orders, and I don’t remember the last time I wasn’t in control. You should keep that in mind.”
A warning? Who could be sure? Kaskov was always an enigma. “I’ll remember.” She pressed the disconnect.
She looked at Joe and made a face. “I didn’t handle that well. Do you think I’m on a hit list?”
“I think you were skating on extremely thin ice,” he said quietly. “But I don’t believe I’ll have to go take him down to keep him from turning loose the big dogs on you. There were a few moments where it came close.”
“But
you believe he’ll do what I asked?”
“Yes.” He got to his feet and came across the room. “But if something changes, I don’t know which way he’ll jump. No one knows with Kaskov.” He reached down and pulled her to her feet. “But what I do know is that there wouldn’t have been those few harsh words if you hadn’t been stretched to the limit.” He took her in his arms and rocked her back and forth. “And I believe that’s why Kaskov didn’t blow. No one speaks to Kaskov that way, particularly if they’re asking favors.”
“It was to his advantage to do—” She nestled her head in the hollow of his shoulder. “Advantage. There’s that word again. If he really cares anything about Cara, he would have wanted to do it anyway. But who the hell knows what he’s feeling?” She lifted her head. “What do we do now, Joe?”
“Oh, I finally get asked my opinion?” He smiled down at her. “You’ve been exploding on all cylinders and making outlandish decisions since I walked in that door. Now I get to join in?”
“Not so outlandish. And it was Michael … and Cara.”
“And your maternal instincts were turning you into a female terminator. I could see it happening before my eyes. Maybe Kaskov could sense it, too.” He kissed her gently. “It’s okay, Eve. I believe it’s dangerous dealing with Kaskov on any level, but it could be a smart move. I just wasn’t prepared to roll the dice anytime soon.”
“He’s a target. Even if Cara wasn’t involved, he’d have reason to go after Norwalk.”
“But he’s had decades of making deals and looking the other way if it was to his ultimate advantage. He’s a brilliant man and not driven by revenge or violence unless it suits him.”
“Well, I did roll the dice,” she said grimly. “And I just have to hope we don’t end up with snake eyes.”
“We’ll hedge our bets.” He checked his watch. “Jock should be arriving at the airport any time now. We’ll see what he has in mind.” He turned her toward the door. “In the meantime, let’s go down and sample Michael’s homemade ice cream. Or rather, I’ll sample it. I’ll keep Michael occupied and you can have some later. I think it’s time you played that recording for Cara and Darcy.”
CHAPTER
8
BELLE GRACE MORGANA, LOUISIANA
“The woman was not respectful,” Nikolai said quietly. “Do you wish me to do something about it?”
“No.” Kaskov smiled as he gazed down at his phone. Nikolai had been with him for many years, and he was sometimes even more conscious than Kaskov of the dangers of his being thought weak by the people around him. There were rules that must be followed, or the organization could disintegrate into chaos. And since he was the organization, that meant he would disappear when that chaos occurred. “It will not happen again. Eve Duncan was disturbed. She didn’t realize there would be consequences. Nothing must happen to her.” He met Nikolai’s eyes. “Nothing.”
“I only asked,” Nikolai said. “Brazoff was also in the room and recording that phone message. He’s not been with you long enough to realize that sometimes you have agendas that supersede the rules.”
“Then make certain he does realize it.” He smiled. “Which I’m sure you were going to do anyway, my friend.” He moved toward the window and gazed out at the gardens, which gave way to the lush shrubbery of the bayous a short distance away. “You heard Sakov is dead. Find out if he has family and send him home to them.”
“Yes, sir,” Nikolai said. “Do I have your permission to increase the guards around this property? There seems to be a threat to you.”
“When isn’t there a threat?” He added mockingly, “Yes, by all means make it even more of an armed camp than it is already. I can’t have that madman take me down. It would be a terrible end to my illustrious career.”
“My thought exactly, sir.” Nikolai was smiling faintly. “And we should find this Norwalk and not wait for him to pounce? It would be more efficient to set a trap.”
“Yes, it would.” He turned and pressed the remote button on his stereo. “But that would mean I could lose more than I gained.” The strains of the Tchaikovsky concerto Cara had played at the concert in Connecticut swept through the room. “We’ll do both. Find him, then I’ll make up my mind whether to do it the safe, efficient way or keep my word to Eve Duncan.”
ATLANTA AIRPORT
Jock’s phone rang as he was coming down the jetway.
Joe Quinn.
He waited until he’d reached the gate area before he answered the call. “I just arrived. I should be at the lake cottage in thirty minutes. Is Cara okay?”
“Probably not as well as before Eve told her about the call she received from Norwalk,” Joe said. “We were trying to spare her until we had a handle on what to do, but that usually doesn’t work with Cara.”
“What call?” Jock asked harshly. “And why the hell didn’t you phone me?”
“You were on a plane heading here anyway. We had enough to do without bothering to keep you in the loop. Kaskov’s man, Sakov, was killed today, throat cut. Bloody footprints leading to a car parked near the freeway.” He paused. “And it’s no coincidence that Eve got that call from Norwalk later on the same day. I’m sending you the recording, and you’ll see what I mean. Check it out while you’re on the road here. I want you up to speed by the time you talk to Cara … and Eve. Eve made a few decisions that—” He broke off. “Later. She’ll tell you herself. Just get here, and we’ll talk about possible damage control. The important thing to realize is that Norwalk isn’t hiding in the shadows any longer. He’s on the attack.”
“How can I realize anything until you let me hear that damn call that—” He stopped as his phone buzzed. “Hold on. I’m getting a text.” He punched the button for text access. “It’s from Benoit. I’ll be—” He started to curse. “Son of a bitch!”
“What’s wrong?”
“What could be wrong? Certainly not with your estimation of the current situation,” he said through his teeth. “Yes, Norwalk’s definitely on the move, and taking no prisoners. Benoit just got a report that Raoul Napier was found shot in his hotel room in Nice last night. And this morning, the Pierpont Funeral Home was blown up, taking father and son and any evidence that might remain with them to the Pearly Gates.”
* * *
He was here!
Cara was waiting on the porch when the headlights of Jock’s rental car speared the darkness of the risers of the steps as he pulled into the driveway. But she couldn’t wait anymore. She ran down the steps as he got out of the driver’s seat.
It seemed forever since she had said good-bye to him at the airport in New York. Just a few days, but too much had taken place in those days. She had been worried and sad and empty inside without—
“Jock!” She threw herself into his arms and held him with all her might. “I’m so glad you’re here. So many bad things … Joe said he told you, but there’s Darcy and Silvie and now Eve … Is it my fault that Eve’s going through all—”
“Shh.” His hand was over her mouth. “None of it is your fault. Norwalk is a crazy son of a bitch who wants to hurt Kaskov by hurting you. It was what I’ve been afraid would happen for years. As for the rest with Eve, I haven’t a clue. But we’ll find out and make it right.” He took his hand away and smiled down at her. “I promise.”
He was making it right just by being here and smiling that smile, she thought. She drew a deep breath. And it was okay that she wanted to touch him. He was touching her with affection and tenderness as he always did. Nothing had really changed. Best friends, she repeated to herself. Best friends forever. She took a step back and smiled at him. “I knew that. I just wanted to hear it from you.” She took his hand and pulled him up the steps to the porch. “Except about Eve. It could be that her taking me in caused Norwalk to target her, but she believes it’s something else.” She made a face. “I hope she’s right. It may be wishful thinking on her part, too. I’m in good company.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Eve wants to see you right away. But I wanted to see you more, so I waited out here until you came roaring up the driveway.” She chuckled. “I knew you wouldn’t be in any mood to give me anything but frowns after she talks to you about Kaskov.”
He stiffened. “Kaskov?”
She nodded. “She told Joe that telling you was her responsibility. But I’d bite the bullet for her if she’d let me. She’s had a really bad time with Darcy after that damn call from Norwalk.” Her lips tightened. “He killed Sylvie for nothing, Jock.”
“Or to make a statement.”
She shook her head. “It sounds like nothing to me. And I don’t need to tell you how it sounded to Darcy. She loved her, Jock.”
Jock’s gaze was on the door. “What’s it have to do with Kaskov?”
She nodded. “And you can’t get that out of your mind, can you? Go on. You’re not going to like it, but she was right, Jock. And don’t you give her a hard time, do you hear me? I’m not the only one that she has to worry about, that we all have to worry about.”
“She was right?” He repeated as he was heading for the door. “If you’re that defensive, I don’t think I’m going to agree.”
The door closed behind him.
She didn’t think he would agree either, she thought as she turned back to look at the lake. Particularly since he’d been proven right about the threat being targeted at her and Kaskov. Yet she could see how Eve would go to any lengths to make sure Michael was safe after that hideous threat to him. Cara felt the same way. She’d do anything to keep that monster who had killed Sylvie away from Michael.
“Cara.”
She turned to see Darcy coming out the door. “Hi, come and keep me company. Are you hiding out from all the flak flying around in there? Do I need to go in and throw Jock out?”
“No, Eve can take care of herself.” Darcy came out and stood beside her as she added absently, “Though I can see why you’d feel so protective of her. You love her. Defending her is also a way of defending your life with her. It’s almost a form of self-defense.”