YES.
Catherine turned off the listening apparatus of the Celltec and carefully adjusted the calibration.
This version of Celltec was fantastic, she thought. The spy equipment had been around a few years, but the CIA had refined and improved it beyond recognition of the first one she had used. The software enabled her not only to tap into Queen’s conversation with Black, but latch on to Black’s line and transmit a virus into his phone. It amazed her that, even as BlackBerrys and iPhones and other smartphones had become as powerful as many desktop computers still in use, they still lagged so far behind in antivirus technology.
The Celltec system contained malware code that could infect many of the most popular phones. Once implanted in the phone’s operating system, the virus could take location info from the phone’s GPS chip and continuously relay it back to her Celltec handheld unit. But if Black was using an unfamiliar or unsupported phone, she would be totally out of luck.
Please let him be using one of the smartphones Celltec could access.
Time to see if it worked.
She held her breath as her finger hit the red button.
Come on…
The red light came on!
And it was beeping.
And there was a square indicated on a map that had come up on the Celltec.
She had him.
And then he vanished from the screen!
Calm down. He had probably only passed out of the cell-tower area. If she drove where she’d seen the last indication, she’d probably pick it up again.
Now what to do with it. Let it lead her to Black right now.
Or wait until he was in a position where he could more easily be taken? Cara’s life could be in the balance.
Catherine couldn’t judge until she found out what had transpired in that call of Black’s to Gallo.
She quickly dialed Eve. “You heard from Black. Did he try to make a trade?”
“He’s in the process. He’s going to check out the acreage around the cabin and make sure it suits his purpose… and is free of traps. How did you know we’d heard from him?”
“I managed to get a fix on his phone when Queen contacted him a little while ago.”
“The miracle of technology,” Eve said. “A fix. Can you spot his location?”
“There’s a good chance. This miracle isn’t foolproof. It can go in and out depending on signal dropouts between cell towers. But I think he’s on the move.”
“John and I are hoping he will be. It may distract him from doing any harm to Judy’s daughter.”
“I could distract him,” Catherine said grimly. “Just give me the chance. I’ll cut his heart out.”
“Only if you can find him, and you said that it was an iffy proposition.”
“So you want me to hold off until I have a clearer focus at him? Okay, I’ll do it. But I don’t want to put it off too long. You didn’t see what he did to Judy and her mother. He liked what he did, and that kid isn’t going to be safe until he’s dead.” She was moving toward her rental car in the parking lot as she spoke. “I’ll see you in a couple hours. If Black is heading your way, then I’m going to be right behind him or ahead of him.”
“We’re not in the cabin any longer. John said we’d be safer moving from site to site in the woods.”
“I’ll find you. I’m good in the woods. I spent the last three years chasing drug smugglers in the jungles of Colombia.” She had reached her car and took out her keys. “Just make sure Gallo is certain who’s tracking him before he goes on the attack.” She hung up.
The car door swung open before she could unlock it!
She ducked to one side, drawing her gun.
“Yes, it’s always wise to know who’s the enemy,” Joe said. “I seem to be included in that number. Get in the car, Catherine.”
Oh, shit.
She went around the car and got in the passenger seat. “I don’t have to ask who told you I was here. Venable?”
“We’ve worked together many times before and have an understanding.” He added grimly, “And the understanding is that I’ll break his neck if he holds out on me about anything connected with Eve. You might take heed of that understanding, Catherine. I’m very close to that point at the moment. I thought I could trust you.”
She could see how near Joe was to violence. She had seen that tension before, tension that could erupt in lethal explosiveness. It had just never been aimed at her. “You can trust me. That doesn’t mean that I won’t do whatever I have to do to help Eve. After St. Louis, I had to be sure that she’d work with me.” She met his gaze. “And she wouldn’t do it if you’re part of the deal. No risk for Joe Quinn. You mean too much to her. We both know that’s true.”
“Do we? It’s hard for me to embrace the concept since I’ve been feeling like the invisible man.”
“Joe.”
“Okay, I may know why she’s doing it, but it still sucks. It can’t go on. I have to be able to be near her, protect her.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I want to break something, someone. Hell, I want to smash the entire world.”
“Oh, that’s going to help.”
“Dammit to hell, what do you expect me to-” He stopped and drew a deep breath. “I didn’t say I was going to do it.”
“Well, that’s a relief. At least you’re going to limit the damage.”
“I’m counting to ten,” Joe said. “And then you’re going to stop being a smart-ass and tell me where Eve is right now. Then you’re going to tell me exactly what’s going on.”
She thought about it. “The problem still exists. You’ll block my ability to take care of Eve if I get you closely involved. She’ll shut me out, and she’ll shut you out. Solve the problem for me, Joe.”
“I don’t want to solve-” He stopped. “You tell me where she is, and I promise not to go to her. She doesn’t even have to know I’m in the vicinity. I just won’t let Black near her. Is that good enough?”
“It’s going to bug the hell out of you.”
“You’ve got that right. But I’ll do it. The alternative is to choke you until you tell me what I want to know. That’s tempting, but I don’t think that you’d break, and I’d be wasting my time.”
“Heaven forbid you waste your time, Joe.” Why was she hesitating? Joe would keep his word, and all her sympathies were with him in this hellish situation. She had hated having to close him out. Other than her husband, she had never worked with a partner, but Joe would have been her first choice. “It may not be too difficult keeping your distance. Eve and Gallo are luring Black up to Gallo’s property in the woods.”
Joe’s gaze was immediately narrowed on her face. “Place. Conditions. Situation. Talk, Catherine.”
THE LAKE WAS STILL, THE WIND barely causing ripples on the dark surface.
“See the pretty water, Cara?” Black said as he got out of the car. “It looks deep, doesn’t it? I may let you go into the lake later.”
“I can’t swim,” Cara whispered. “Mama was going to teach me.”
“That’s only a small problem. But I’ll have to consider whether I want to do it. Even deep lakes can’t always be trusted with treasures like you.”
His gaze wandered over the low hills surrounding the lake. Thick shrubs, tall pines, and evergreens, and no sign of habitation except for the small cabin a few miles to the west. Gallo would not have remained in that cabin, so he must be somewhere in the woods.
Did I chase you out into the night, Gallo?
I know about hunting prey in the wild. I’ve played this game in a good many countries with prey like little Cara. How good are you? Black wondered.
Not good enough. He had gotten smarter, stronger than when Gallo had come close to killing him that day in Pakistan. Black was ready for him now.
He turned back to the car and jerked Cara out of the car by the ropes he’d tied about her wrists. “Come on. I need to find a place for you, then I need to look around.” He paused a moment, his gaze on the lake. Still, deep, welcoming. “No, I can’t trust you to the lake. There are other places…” He reached for his phone. “But now I believe we need to invite some company to this lovely wilderness. Shall I call my good friend, Queen? He was most upset that I took you from your nice safe home. But he’s such a practical man. Be very quiet, and I won’t be angry with you.” He dialed Queen. “I’ve done as you suggested and called Gallo. Now we only have to set the trap. Where are you?”
“Still in Milwaukee.”
“Then get your ass out of there and come up north to the great outdoors. I need your help.” He gave him the directions. “You want your ledger, come and get it.”
“That’s where Gallo and Duncan are?” Queen asked with barely contained eagerness.
“Yes, somewhere in this five hundred or so acres I’m gazing at right now. We may have to go hunting unless you can draw them into a trap. Are you good at hunting, Queen?”
“No, I hire people like you for jobs like that.”
“Me, and men like Gallo. It’s rather like the hand of fate that you hired both of us so long ago, and now we’re all meeting here.” He smiled. “I won’t object to postponing my hunt if you can think of a way to lure Gallo and Duncan to me. After all, I’m going to have a spirited hunt and chase later. Think very hard on the way here and come up with something brilliant.”
“I won’t have to think hard. Gallo wants you to die. I just have to offer you to him in a way that he’ll think moderately safe. I’m on my way, Black.”
“Good-bye, Queen. Safe trip.” He hung up.
The first rabbit hurrying toward the trap, he thought in amusement. Queen would be trying his best to screw Black all the while he tried to snatch the ledger. But he didn’t have the expertise to deal with Black and Gallo. They would be out of his league.
He looked down at Cara Clark. She looked pale, even more fragile than she had hours ago when he’d left Milwaukee. It was disappointing. He hoped in the final stages that fear would make her more interesting. “That was a boring conversation. Nothing new. Nothing interesting. But I guess I shouldn’t expect it. Do you know who I just talked to?”
She shook her head. “You said… Queen.”
“That was his name, but not his state of being.” He took the rope and started down the trail. “I just talked to a dead man, little Cara. He didn’t know it, but he’s a dead man.”
“I’M BECOMING ATTACHED TO your little paradise, Gallo. It has everything that I require,” Black said, when Gallo answered the phone. “I believe this place will do quite well.”
Black was here!
Eve came out of the shallow cave where Gallo had set up camp, her gaze instinctively flying to the bank of trees surrounding them. Stupid. Just because he was on the property was no sign that he was hovering this close to them. But it might be just what Black would do. He seemed to have no fear.
“I checked out the cabin,” Black said. “Have I driven you into the wilds? You’re a hardy specimen, but what about your Eve Duncan? It’s not kind to expose a lady to such rough country. Tell her to come to me. I’ll take care that she doesn’t suffer.”
“Where should I come, Black?” Eve asked.
“So eager?” Black said. “Maybe she’s a fitting mate for you after all, Gallo.”
“Tell us how we can get Cara Clark,” Gallo said.
“For a start, you have to keep to the proper order. As soon as Queen arrives, I’m going to send him to you to get the ledger. You’ll give it to him and send him back to me.”
“The hell I will. Once you have the ledger, you’ll kill the child.”
“You think you’ll have no bargaining power? But you will, you know. I’d much rather have you to gut than that ledger. That will be step two. Believe me, I wouldn’t risk not being able to draw you to me. Of course, I’ll insist you be accompanied by your Eve. After all, she has a vested interest. I can’t wait to have a discussion with her. No, I have plans for the little girl that involve you. The only way I would change them is if you get stubborn and don’t give Queen the ledger. Then I’d have to do a reversal and kill Cara first. I will do that if you spoil the splendid scenario I’ve developed for Cara’s end.”
And Eve had no doubt he meant every word he said.
Gallo glanced at Eve and shrugged. “It seems we have no choice at present.”
“Where are you now?” Black asked.
“I’m not a fool, Black. Send Queen down the south path around the lake. I’ll come to him somewhere along that stretch. If I see you following him, then Queen will have a long walk for nothing.”
“He’ll be alone. I’m saving my energy for the big push. But don’t make the mistake of trying to follow him back to me. I’ll let you know when he arrives here.” He hung up.
“Is he lying about keeping Cara alive?” Eve asked.
John shook his head. “There’s no way to be sure, but it’s consistent with what we know about Black. He wants it all. She’d still be valuable to him if he thought he could use her as bait for a trap.”
But John had been right. The choice had been too slim to take a chance on refusing Black.
“He made me feel helpless.” She took out her phone. “But we’re not helpless. He doesn’t know about Catherine. That’s an ace in the hole. There has to be a way of getting around this. I’m calling Catherine.” She dialed quickly. “She said she might be able to find him with that gadget. Let’s give her an opportunity.”
Catherine answered almost immediately. “I’m about four miles from the property. Trouble?”
“Black just contacted us. He’s sending Queen to pick up the ledger, then he’ll have plans later that include John and me. We can’t do anything about Queen, but Cara Clark should be safe for a while even after he picks up the ledger. He has plans for her, and they’re probably as diabolical as he is. Lord, I hope she’ll be safe. But we have to know where Black is on the property fast.”
“I’ll find him. Don’t do anything until I do.”
“No promises. Judy’s little girl won’t stand a chance unless we play this right. Just line up that high-tech phone gadget and locate Black. We’ll take it from there.”
“I’ll call you when I know something.” She hung up.
Eve turned to John. “It will give us an edge if she’s able to track him. I’m just praying that she can.”
John shrugged. “Gadgets can be fluky. I’d rather trust old-fashioned scouting.”
“Catherine is smart. We’ve got to give her a chance.”
“If she blows it, and Black catches her, then the kid is dead.”
Eve knew that was true, but the actual voicing of it sent panic soaring through her. “She won’t blow it. She’s a professional. And she cares about that kid, dammit.”
John didn’t answer as he turned away. “I’m going to scout around the immediate perimeter and make sure we’re secure. Stay here and keep your hand on your weapon.” He disappeared into the shrubbery.
Eve leaned back against the huge oak tree and stared after him into the darkness. She couldn’t blame him for being doubtful. Catherine was only one person, and even the most skilled professional would have difficulty in the situation in which Eve had tossed her. Eve just had to trust her.
But she had problems with trust, and Catherine had only appeared in her life recently.
Before Catherine, she had let only Joe come close to her.
Joe.
A pang of aching loneliness swept through her. She had tried to push thoughts of him away, but they were suddenly all around her. She wanted desperately to see him, touch him. She wouldn’t feel such panic if Joe were here. He was a rock, a north star to guide her.
God knows she needed that steady north star in these woods.
Don’t be selfish, she thought in disgust. What she needed didn’t matter. It was right that she had made sure Joe wouldn’t be involved in the madness Black was weaving around them.
But that didn’t stop the loneliness.
“DID YOU PULL UP THE MAP, Joe?” Catherine asked.
“Yep, I’ve got it.” Joe was squinting at the map he’d accessed on his computer from the county records. “The deed had to be redone when the property was sold a few years ago to Gallo. It should be accurate.”
“Print it out. You can hook up the computer to my portable printer on the backseat.”
“Right.”
“We’re about a mile from the property now. I think we’d better ditch the car and start hiking.” Catherine pulled onto a side road and drove a mile or so until she found a turnout that would completely hide the car and pulled deep into the brush.
Joe pulled out the map from the printer. “Let’s go.”
She flicked off the headlights. “And where are we going?”
“I’m checking terrain. There are three areas where Black would be unlikely to set up camp. There’s a marsh to the east, high hills on the north tip of the lake, and a stretch to the southwest that was cleared of timber and would be very exposed.” He was circling the areas as he spoke. “Anywhere else is a possibility.”
“That still leaves a hell of a lot of territory for us to cover.” She looked away from him. “We could try to follow Queen back after Gallo hands over the ledger.”
“You’ve been working with Venable too long. Are you willing to risk Cara Clark’s life if Black finds out that someone is tagging Queen?”
“Not unless there’s no other option.” She shrugged. “You’re right, my mind-set is different from yours. Let’s get going.”
She took the Celltec device out of the car and pressed the access button. No light. No red button. “Dammit, I can’t get any response. But Eve says he’s here somewhere. Maybe we’re out of cell-tower range.”
“Whatever.” Joe was moving quickly through the brush. “I’m not going to wait for your gadget to kick in while he could be killing Eve and the kid.”
And neither was Catherine. She jammed the Celltec in her pocket and followed him.
“QUEEN IS ON HIS WAY,” BLACK told Gallo. “Don’t keep him waiting. The poor man isn’t really equipped anymore for the rough life. He’s gotten soft since his early years in the military. Hiring people like us to do his dirty work has sapped his strength.”
“But not his greed.”
“No, that goes on forever. I’ll see you shortly, Gallo.” He hung up.
John turned to Eve. “Stay here.” He got the ledger from his duffel. “And look sharp.”
“I’m going with you.” She held up her hand as he opened his lips. “I won’t get in your way, but I won’t be left behind.”
“Have it your way.” He turned and moved toward the lake. “But if I go down, you don’t stay around and try to save my neck. You take off and do any rescue attempt from long distance.”
She didn’t answer.
“I mean it, Eve.”
“If you go down, you’re out of it, and I make my own decisions.” She added grimly, “So if you want your way, you’d better not go down, John. Where are we going to intercept Queen?”
“The path winds a good three miles through heavy brush that starts about a half mile from here.” He was walking fast, almost trotting. “I’ll reconnoiter the area on both sides of the trail to make sure Black hasn’t staged an ambush, then wait for Queen to show.” He frowned. “And you will get in my way. I’ll have to worry about you.”
“Then park me somewhere close to the path and come back for me after you make sure the area’s clear.” She kept pace with him. “That’s as far as I’ll go, John.”
He gave her an exasperated glance but didn’t reply.
Five minutes later, they entered into the thick shrubbery that John had mentioned. There was bright moonlight, but the lake path was barely discernible given the overhanging foliage and twisting turns.
John nudged her deeper into the shrubbery. “Don’t move.”
Then he was gone.
Could she trust him to come back for her? He was being too damn protective.
But John appeared beside her several minutes later. “Come on.” He took her arm and was half pushing her down the path. “Queen will be coming around that second curve up ahead in a few minutes. I want to be there ahead of him.”
She pulled her arm away and reached in her jacket for her gun. “Then stop protecting me and go get him. I’ll be right behind you.”
John moved rapidly ahead of her and around the turn.
Her heart was beating hard as she ran after him. Queen might not be as deadly as Black, but he was totally without conscience, and that itself was dangerous.
She stopped short as she came around the turn.
Queen was standing in the center of the path staring warily at John Gallo.
Queen glanced at her as she came into view. “Eve Duncan? I don’t believe we’ve formally met, but I feel as if I know you intimately. You must think she’s expendable, or you wouldn’t have brought her along, Gallo. Black will kill her, you know. Probably in front of you if he thinks you have a passion for her.”
“I know he’ll try.”
Queen smiled. “I’ll bet on him. He’s remarkable in his field. Of course, he has one glaring fault. He’s unpredictable. His bloodlust is so extreme that it sometimes dominates his reasoning. I’ve had a few problems with him on that level lately, but I’ve worked them out.”
“Congratulations,” Eve said dryly. “Maybe because you’re two of a kind.”
He shook his head. “He’s only a tool. We’re nothing alike.” He turned back to Gallo. “The ledger.”
John reached into his pocket and pulled out the ledger. “Catch.” He threw it to Queen. “For all the good it may do you.”
“Sour grapes? You mustn’t be bitter that I’ve finally won the prize.” Queen pulled out a small pen flashlight and was shining it on the first pages of the ledger. “Okay, no tricks. Not that I’d ever suspect you of trying to cheat me.” He tucked the ledger in his jacket. “Now I’d better get back to Black. We wouldn’t want him to get nervous. He meant it when he told you he’d kill the kid.”
“And will still kill her if no one stops him,” Eve said.
“You may try. Black is looking forward to it. He’s planned something special.” Queen added viciously, “I wish I could be here for the show. I’d like to see you taken down, Gallo. But it’s safer for me to take the ledger and ride off into the sunset.” He turned and started back down the path. “May you both rot in hell. Good night and good-bye.”
He disappeared around the curve of the path.
“It’s so tempting,” John murmured. “It would only take me thirty seconds to reach him and break his neck.”
“Judy’s daughter,” Eve reminded him.
He reluctantly tore his gaze away and turned on his heel. “It was only a thought.” He headed back in the direction of the cave. “We’ve got to hope that Queen isn’t as adept as he thinks about handling Black. Come on, let’s go back and wait for Black’s next call.”
NO SIGN OF EITHER A CAMPFIRE or a lantern.
Joe shinnied down the pine tree to where Catherine waited on the ground. “Nothing.”
She nodded. “I didn’t think we’d get lucky.” She glanced down at the Celltec. “And this thing is giving us zilch.” She punched the cell-tower locator button. “It indicates there’s possible tower access in the south and east. Maybe we’ll get lucky.” She started striding through the brush. “I guess we strike out to the south and try there.”
Joe moved ahead of her. “Dammit, it took us over an hour to search this quadrant.”
She was as bitter and discouraged as he. Time must be running out. She had hoped that they’d be able to get on Black’s track right away. “Maybe we can split up and each take-” Her phone rang.
Eve.
“We’ve just turned over the ledger to Queen. Tell me that you’ve got Black pinpointed.”
“I wish I could,” Catherine said. “We’re moving south now. Let me know if Black calls you.”
“There’s no ‘if’ about it. He’ll call,” Eve said. “But we can’t control the when. I hope it’s not right before he kills Cara. He’d probably enjoy having us on the line when he did it.” She paused, then added shakily, “Find him, Catherine. He killed Bonnie and so many others. We can’t let him kill anyone else.”
“I’ll call you as soon as we spot him. Take care, Eve.”
“And how is she supposed to take care of herself tonight?” Joe asked savagely, as Catherine hung up the phone. “She’ll be so busy trying to save that kid that she won’t think of herself. And I’m not there to do it for her.”
“John Gallo is there,” Catherine said quietly. “She’s not alone, Joe.”
“No, she’s with a man who will bring Black down on her without a second thought. Hell, Gallo may be worse than Black for all we know. Why couldn’t we convince her of that?”
There would be no sense in arguing with Joe right now. He wouldn’t be able to think logically until he had Eve safe. And Catherine wasn’t sure she wanted to argue. There were moments she was as scared as he was at Eve’s situation.
She shoved her phone in her pocket and moved forward through the brush. “South, Joe.”
“I’VE GOT IT,” QUEEN SAID jubilantly as he strode into the camp. He pulled the ledger out of his pocket and waved it. “No trouble at all. He forked it over without batting an eye. Gallo was meek as a church mouse.”
“I’m glad you were pleased. I know he gave you a bad time on occasion. It’s always good to get your own back, isn’t it?” He glanced at Cara sitting a few yards away. “Aren’t we happy Mr. Queen got what he wanted?”
Cara was staring at Queen, her eyes wide. “But you said he was-”
“Soon.” Black turned back to Queen. “I’m trying to teach our little friend the connection between cause and effect. But she’s a bit confused. I believe I’m going to have to demonstrate.”
Queen’s smile faded. “Well, I’ll leave you to your… lesson. Now that I’ve got the ledger, I’ve no need to stay here any longer. I’d just be in your way.”
“That’s correct. It’s true I don’t need you any longer.”
“And the remainder of your fee will be deposited in your usual Grand Cayman account. I’ll be in touch when I need you again.”
Black smiled. “I believe you’re taking me for granted. I really don’t appreciate your doing that. I’ve decided I’ll do a little freelancing on my own.”
Queen stiffened. “As long as you don’t get yourself in a situation that I’ll have to pull you out of. I can’t allow you to be arrested.”
“Because I know too much?” He spoke to Cara again. “You see, knowing a great deal can be either a good thing or bad depending on the point of view. You can see that Colonel Queen is breaking into a sweat because he thinks it’s a bad thing.” He glanced back at Queen. “We’re confusing her again. She has so little time that I hate to have that sweet head in a whirl.”
“We’ll talk later,” Queen said curtly. “I’ll call you.”
“But that would defeat the purpose. I think it has to be settled now.” He pulled a pistol from his jacket. “For the good of Cara.”
Queen’s eyes widened in panic. “What are you doing? We have a deal. You’d be lost without my help. The police would pick you up in a heartbeat.” He was backing away, his hand inching toward his shoulder holster beneath his jacket. “I’ll double the fee for your next job for me. Put the gun away.”
“I wish I could. I don’t like guns. They lack the personal touch. But in this case…” He shot Queen in the stomach. “I’ll make do.”
Queen screamed and clutched his belly.
Black aimed and shot him in both knees.
Queen fell to the ground, groaning with pain.
Black moved leisurely to stand over him. He fired into Queen’s chest. “You see, even though the pain is there, it’s still only a remote pleasure for me.” He added, “So I might as well just end it.”
He shot Queen in the head.
He turned to Cara. “Dead man. Just as I told you.”
Cara was staring in horror at the remains of Queen’s skull, which had been almost entirely blown away. She started to cry.
“I’m getting very tired of all that weeping.” He reached down and plucked the ledger from Queen’s jacket and stuffed it in his own. “I think it’s time we started the hunt.”
“FIVE!”
Joe stood frozen, listening for more shots.
“East,” Catherine said tensely. “A little toward the north, but definitely the east.”
And there weren’t any more shots.
Joe whirled and started at a run toward the eastern quadrant of the property.
“You think it’s Black?” Catherine was right behind him.
“Good chance. I’d bet that Queen is no longer with us.” He hoped desperately he was right, that none of those bullets had been aimed at Eve or Judy’s daughter. “But at least we have a clue to his location. Now, if we can get there before he moves on-”
“And it’s east. There’s a chance of cell-tower access. We might be able to zero in on him. But we don’t have much time. He’ll know those shots are a giveaway.”
Which meant Black didn’t care, that he thought he could afford to let Gallo and Eve know where he was. A trap?
But he didn’t know Joe and Catherine were there and tracking him. That could be an advantage.
If there was such a thing in this ugly game.
“EAST.” EVE’S HEAD LIFTED, her gaze flying to the trees. “Those shots came from the east, John.”
He nodded and jumped to his feet. “Black.” He grabbed his rifle. “Will you stay here?” He answered his question. “No, of course not. Then stay close, dammit.”
He took off at a dead run.
“WE HAVE TO HURRY ALONG NOW,” Black told Cara as he jerked her after him up a low hill by the ropes binding her wrists. “Those shots were not only unsatisfying, they were dangerous. But what is life without a challenge? Gallo and Eve will be hot on our trail, so I think that I should make them play the game on my terms. I always have to control the play. Queen didn’t realize that, did he? I was right to shoot him, wasn’t I?”
Cara was sobbing. “Dead. Ugly.”
“Yes, death is ugly. But the art of killing is beautiful. It’s power and excitement and everything that life is about.” He pulled her the rest of the way to the top of the rise to stand beside him. “And that’s what you’re going to give me, Cara. Not that shallow little jolt of pleasure I felt with Queen.” He pointed to the high hills bordering the north tip of the lake. “Do you know what’s behind those hills? A little town, houses, stores, a church. I couldn’t touch you there. You’d be safe. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Oh, yes, I can see you would. You’re not at all grateful for the kind way I’ve treated you.” He untied her wrists. “Go on, run. The path is clear to the hill, then you’ll have to scramble through the brush on your own. Try to get to all the people who will save you from me. They’ll even take you to your mother.”
She didn’t move, frozen. “You’re letting me go?”
“Yes.” He squatted in front of her, his eyes holding her own. “But I’ll be coming after you. If you stop, if you hide, I’ll find you and I’ll cut you to pieces like I did your grandmother. You remember that, don’t you?”
He could see the pulse jumping with terror in her throat.
“Yes,” she whispered. “She screamed, but nobody could hear her…”
“But everyone will be able to hear you if I catch you.” He leaned closer. “Run, little deer…”
She gasped and whirled and flew down the path.
Black stood up and watched her run, stumble, fall, and jump to her feet to run again.
He smiled.
The prey had been put to flight.
Now to bring in the other prey to complete the hunt.
He dialed Gallo.
“You sound short of breath. I suppose you heard the sounds of Queen’s demise. Are you hurrying toward me in hopes of saving little Cara?”
“You didn’t kill her?”
“Not yet. That was only Queen, though Cara was a little upset with all the blood. She started sobbing again. You’d think shock would kick in and stop that nonsense. It was annoying me. So I sent her packing.”
Silence. “What are you talking about?”
“I told her that she’d only be safe if she reached the town behind that high hill at the end of the lake.”
“There’s no town there, you bastard.”
“I know, but I had to give her incentive to keep her running. I couldn’t have her collapsing and spoiling the hunt.” He paused. “Just as I’m giving you incentive to join the hunt. If I track her down, Cara will die. Unless you find her in time. Or unless you kill me. Though I’m betting I’ll take you and Eve Duncan out, then be free to finish Cara Clark. Would you like to give me odds?”
“No, you don’t have a chance. I’m going to kill you, Black.”
“You might if you were the same man you were when you came close to killing me all those years ago. You had a divine insanity that gave you power. You knew what you were and what you had to do. Now you don’t even remember that glory, you’re confused and weak.” He chuckled. “But I can’t talk to you any longer. Cara is almost out of sight, and I have to start the chase. But she’s such a little girl I won’t have trouble catching up with her.” He hung up.
“I’m coming, Cara,” he murmured as he started down the path. “I can almost hear your heartbeat. Run…”