Chasing the Night

Chapter 14

Eve called Joe at seven that evening. “I finished the reconstruction early this morning. I meant to call you earlier, but I went to bed and passed out.”

“What a surprise. After only working the better part of two days without sleep. Well?”

“It’s not Luke.”

“Catherine must be over the moon.”

“So am I.” She paused. “We’ve got to find him quickly, Joe. If he’s alive, he’s not going to stay that way. And Catherine will go crazy if she actually sees him in danger. Hell, so would I.” If she had been in the same position as Catherine when Bonnie had disappeared, she would have done anything to get her back. She knew exactly the torment Catherine was going through.

No, she didn’t. She’d had no real hope that her Bonnie was safe. From the beginning, everyone had thought that Bonnie was a victim who would never return. Catherine still had the possibility of getting Luke back. “Is Venable just spinning his wheels trying to get Rakovac?”

“He can’t locate him. But we’re working on a way to get around that. Venable’s been pulling strings and offering bribes to the NSA to get them to let him use their satellite to track the phone calls that Rakovac is making to Catherine. If they can latch onto his signal, they can trace the call. But the NSA is dragging their feet, and it’s driving Venable crazy. They say that they can’t focus their satellite beam indefinitely on Catherine’s phone on the chance that he’ll call. That satellite is used on thousands of other projects. They’re telling us that if we can give them a small window of certainty, then they’ll go for it.”

“Are they crazy? Those other projects aren’t as important as preventing Ali Dabala from attacking.”

“We’re running into the same problem as we did with Homeland Security. There’s doubt that there will be an attack from Dabala since Red Darkness supposedly did the Lima bombing, and they’re on the run. I want to knock their asses into-” He stopped. “Venable’s still talking, but I don’t think that it’s going to do any good.”

She could feel his frustration. “Why do we have to go through the NSA? The CIA has their own satellites.”

“Not as sophisticated as the NSA’s. Even the military doesn’t have one that’s as powerful a tool for identifying and tracking. The NSA can get us the information within a few minutes. It would take any other satellite hours to process the information.”

“That’s kind of scary. I don’t like the idea of a spy in the sky having that much power to be intrusive with private citizens.”

“It’s the world we live in. And, in this case, be grateful they have the technology.”

“If they’ll use it. Rakovac is bound to call Catherine soon.

Can’t they-”

“A small window of opportunity,” he repeated. “We have to give them a time, and they won’t give us more than fifteen minutes either way, then they’re gone.”

“Which means we’re supposed to dictate to Rakovac when he’s to call? How can we do that?”

“Work it out. We won’t be able to catch Rakovac’s next call, but set him up to call back for some reason.”

“At the exact time that you want him to do it?” she said in despair. “Do you know how hard it will be for her to-” She broke off. Stop whining. If it was their only chance, then they’d find a way to do it. “Catherine will only push him so far. She’s walking a fine line.”

“It has to be done, Eve.”

“I said Catherine wouldn’t push him. If I have to take over, I’ll do it. But I’ll tell her what’s happening and see if I can persuade her to cooperate, if only on a minimal level.” She hoped Catherine could be swayed. It was going to be difficult enough for them to fight Rakovac without having to battle Catherine. Rakovac regarded Catherine as the primary foe, and he might pay no attention to Eve. “See if you can make those idiots in the NSA get a little sense.”

“I will.” He added roughly, “Be careful how you handle this, Eve. Dammit, the last thing I want is for you to switch Rakovac’s focus to you.”

“It would be a lot easier if we could just snatch Luke from him and get him out of the equation.”

“What about the progress on the surveillance reports?”

“Kelly says that she may have found something promising. But it sounds pretty tentative to me. Of course, all of this pattern business sounds a little far-fetched to me. I don’t understand how it works.”

Joe chuckled. “And your own work is absolutely clear and not at all far-fetched or hard to understand.”

“That’s different…to me.” She suddenly grinned. “You’re right, of course. We always doubt what we don’t understand. Maybe Kelly is on the right track. I’ll talk to her and see if she’s come up with anything else.”

“Get back to me as soon as you hear from Rakovac.”

“I will.” She paused. She didn’t want to let him go yet, but she had to do it. He was busy. Now that the reconstruction was finished, she was feeling without purpose. That was very bad for her. Purpose guided her life.

But Joe made that life worth living.

“Eve?”

“Good-bye, Joe. Take care.”

“I love you.” He hung up.

And she loved him. She didn’t want him in Moscow wheeling and dealing with all those agencies. She wanted him here with her.

It didn’t matter what she wanted. They both had a job to do, and she should stop wishing for the moon.

She got to her feet and headed for the door to try to find Catherine.

I should be there with her, Joe thought, as he hung up the phone.

Yes, he thought she was safe, but who knew how the situation would change.

Everyone around Catherine was in danger. Rakovac had already threatened Eve.

Nine-eleven.

How the hell could he leave here until they had a fix on Rakovac?

Joe turned to Venable, who was sitting across the room, papers spread all over the desk in front of him. “Who directs that NSA satellite?”

“The man in charge of the program?”

“The man who pushes the buttons at the tech center.”

“That’s George Helder. Why?”

“I want to know everything about him.” He paused. “And when we set up the phone trace, I want to be in charge.”

“What? That’s my job.”

“I want to do it.” He met Venable’s eyes. “You want to save those thousands of people. I’m with you on that. But I have a hell of a lot more personal investment. Do you doubt that I’m the best man for the job?”

Venable studied him. “No.”

“Then let me do it.”

Venable shook his head. “You’re not even government. They won’t recognize that you have any authority. They wouldn’t listen to you.”

“They’ll listen to me.”

Venable smiled faintly. “They might at that. I’ll give you a dossier on Helder’s background. That’s all I’ll promise right now. And the question is moot until we have a call for the NSA to monitor. Has Catherine heard from him yet?”

“Not yet.”

But it would happen soon and the tension was beginning to tighten within him.

Damn, he wanted to be with Eve now.

“An NSA satellite,” Catherine repeated thoughtfully. “I remember that Venable’s used it before, but most of the time it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Those assholes are so uptight about their precious schedule that it’s a nightmare.”

“We don’t have any choice. Joe said he’d deal with it.”

She smiled faintly. “I’d like to be around when he does. Joe against the establishment. It would be interesting.”

“But it won’t do a damn bit of good if you don’t manage to find a way to manipulate Rakovac into calling you at a given time.”

“So that you can find those records.” Her smile faded. “I knew that was coming.”

“Look, I know you said that it was up to us to take care of finding a way to getting those files from Rakovac, that you wouldn’t do anything to compromise rescuing Luke. But this is our opportunity to grab those records and still give you a chance to save Luke. Rakovac’s probably not keeping Luke with him. He wouldn’t take the chance. We might be able to infiltrate wherever he’s hiding out and steal the plans for Dabala’s raid without his knowing. Then we can follow him to where he’s keeping Luke.” She paused. “Or if Luke is with Rakovac, we don’t have to rely on Kelly to find him. We can go in and rescue Luke, then get the records afterward.”

“So simple. So easy.” Catherine’s lips twisted. “It won’t be either simple or easy. No matter what the scenario. I can see a multitude of problems.”

“I’m not trying to persuade you that there won’t be problems. I’m just saying that we’ll have a valid chance. We don’t have that now. Help us, Catherine.”

Catherine didn’t answer for a long moment. “Do you think I don’t want to help you?” she whispered. “I’ve been ripped apart by doubts ever since I heard about Lima. I’ve spent most of my adult life fighting to keep slugs like Rakovac from destroying all the good things in life. But this is Luke. Don’t I have the right to let someone else step up to the plate, and just be Luke’s mother?”

“I don’t know anything about rights,” Eve said. “Not in a situation like this. The good of the one against the good of the majority? Someone else can decide all that philosophical bullshit. I just want to keep Luke alive and give those other thousands of victims their shot at survival, too. This could be the way to do it, Catherine.”

She looked away from Eve. “I know.”

“Then help us.”

“I’ll think about it.”

She was still holding back, not committing. “What’s your main objection, Catherine?”

“What do you think? I’d be giving up control,” she said tersely. “It’s life or death for Luke. I don’t want to put that power in anyone else’s hands. People make mistakes. I’m the only one who cares enough. I’m the only one I trust.”

It was difficult for Eve to question that argument. It was how she would feel under the same circumstances. “Then you’ll have to make up your own mind. I just want to say that I do care. Joe cares. Whether that’s enough to make you trust us to make Venable and the others toe the line will be your decision.”

“Yes, it will,” Catherine said. “I said that I’d think about it, Eve.”

Eve had done all she could. She got to her feet. “Will you let me know when he phones you?”

Catherine nodded. “Nothing has changed. I told you that I’d always be open with you.” She hesitated. “And I do trust you, Eve. You know what kind of life I’ve lived. I have trouble having faith in anyone. But the moment I met you, I realized that…” She was having trouble putting the words together. “I felt…comfortable. As if I’d come home. I wanted to stay there in that cottage and talk to you, have you tell me what you thought, how you felt. I wanted to be your…friend.” She met Eve’s eyes. “Are you my friend, Eve?”

Eve felt her throat tighten as she gazed at Catherine. So tough yet so vulnerable. “Yes, I’m your friend, Catherine.”

Catherine smiled luminously. “I thought so. I’m glad, Eve.” Her smile faded, then vanished. “But it doesn’t make any difference. I still have to think about this.”

Eve opened the door. “By all means.”

“Eve.”

“What?”

“Don’t tell Kelsov about the satellite. I don’t want him bugging me about it until I make a decision. Kelsov can be difficult. He doesn’t care about Luke. Not really. All he cares about is killing Rakovac.”

“I’m sure he cares about Luke,” Eve said gently. “How could he help it? He’s your friend.”

She shook her head. “We get along, and we have a joint purpose.” She added, “I told you, I have trouble with friendship. So does Kelsov. The closest he’s come is Natalie.”

Eve nodded. “He’s very kind to her.”

“She fills a need. She must make him feel like a god.”

“She was ready to kill Joe when she thought he was hurting Kelsov,” Eve said.

“He’d leave her in a heartbeat if he got his chance at Rakovac. I’ve had to rein him in for years to keep a balance that would keep Luke safe. He’d think that damn satellite was his way to get him at last.”

“I won’t mention it to him. You’re the only one Joe wanted me to discuss it with.”

“Thank you. I know it’s tempting to let him add his pressure to yours.”

She shook her head. “You’d probably balk and go the other way.”

Catherine smiled. “You’re beginning to know me very well.”

“I have my moments. It’s getting easier to gauge your reactions. Do you suppose that’s because I’m your friend?” The door shut behind her.

“What about these holes?” Eve asked an hour later as she sat down at the table across from where Kelly was sitting with her computer. “Yes, I know what Catherine told me, but have you pinned down when, why, and where?”

“You sound like a newspaper editor,” Kelly said. “I wanted to be on the school newspaper at college, but all my professors said that I shouldn’t waste my time. I didn’t think it was a waste of time.”

“Not if you wanted to do it.” Eve wondered how many other fun activities Kelly had been kept from doing because of that extraordinary and unique brilliance. “You should have told them to go jump in the lake.”

“It’s hard to know what’s right when everyone thinks you’re wrong.” She looked down at the yellow note pad on the table beside her. “I think the holes were the periods when Rakovac visited Luke. That was the only secret Rakovac wouldn’t have wanted Venable to know about. I was looking for triggers to his behavior that might give me a clue. I made Catherine think back and try to tell me when Rakovac’s phone calls occurred. But she couldn’t remember everything or every time he called her.”

“Of course not. For goodness’ sake, it’s been nine years. How could she possibly remember?”

“He didn’t call her that frequently. Only several times a year. Just enough to twist the knife and keep her under his thumb.” She made a face. “But there were some calls that she’ll never forget. The ones in which he hurt her the most. She was able to remember where she was, what she was doing, and the approximate date. I was able to pull those periods out of the report and do a graph that indicated where he was approximately and who he was dealing with at that particular time.”

“What good will that do? You said that probably none of these clients had anything to do with Luke.”

“Probably. We don’t know anything yet. I’m just trying to explore those black holes. I’m paying particular attention to the early days after he took Luke. He made more calls than usual to her during that period. He must have been enjoying himself.” She shook her head. “What a terrible man he is, Eve.”

“Yes. What next, Kelly? How do you connect the dots?”

Kelly smiled faintly. “Catherine said that was what you did with your reconstructions. It’s strange that we work in the same way. I thought perhaps we might.”

Eve nodded. “I keep telling Catherine it’s science combined with instinct. What about you? Do you have hunches?”

“Everyone has hunches occasionally.” She looked down at her pad. “I try not to let them get in the way. In this case, dealing with a personality and not a concept, I’m going to have to rely on Rakovac’s background and personality to help me.”

Eve leaned back in the chair and gazed at her. Kelly was really incredible. Eve kept forgetting how young the girl was. She had been talking to Kelly as if she were an adult and professional on her own level. Yet hunched over that computer, with her blond hair tied back in a ponytail, Kelly appeared even younger than her fourteen years. “Like a puzzle. But I don’t know how realizing just how much of a bastard Rakovac can be is going to help you.”

“That’s not what I’m looking at. It’s the way he reacts, his past pattern of behavior. I’ve analyzed his behavior in the last nine years, then called Venable and had him send me his entire file. He’s…remarkable.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s totally self-serving and definitely has a God complex. But I was interested in the way he handled his business interests. He’s totally without any sense of loyalty. When he was a child, his father brought him up as a rebel and later was killed in the war. You would think he would have some feelings for the cause, but it didn’t happen. He betrayed Kelsov at the first opportunity to better himself. But after the betrayal, there’s some information that he may have worked a few deals with the rebels once he’d established himself with the mafia in Moscow. You’d think he’d be afraid of getting his throat cut by the rebels after what he’d done. But he’s totally fearless. Wherever the money was, wherever the power was, he was willing to take the chance to grasp it. Later, he did the same thing with the Pakistani government on a munitions deal. He jumped back and forth between Pakistan and India. There are several other instances where he went back and managed to use a client he’d treated shoddily in the past. I don’t know whether he regards it as a challenge or if that God complex is so extreme that he just thinks that he can get away with anything he chooses to do. He uses everyone and manages to keep all his balls in the air.” She looked up from her pad. “I think that may be what he’s doing now. Taking Luke was a big risk, but he did it anyway. Now this deal with Ali Dabala is very important to him, but he’s juggling his revenge against Catherine, and he’s not willing to give it up. Very dangerous but in keeping with his past behavior.”

“And how is all this analysis helping?”

“It shows me that he doesn’t deviate from his pattern.” She added, “And that we have to expect the unexpected about where Luke has been hidden away.”

“Did you tell all this to Catherine?”

“Of course, I’d never keep anything from Catherine. She’s why I’m here.”

“But you made a deal with Venable.”

“And I’ll keep it. But it’s Catherine who is important.”

Yes, it was Catherine who was important to Kelly. The girl’s single-minded devotion and stubbornness had led her down this strange path to this house in Russia. Well, how could she blame her? Not only had Catherine saved her life, but she seemed to have chosen her to fill her loneliness that was so apparent. “I believe we all realize that’s your main priority.”

Kelly nodded. “You’re thinking that I’m some kind of nut because I’ve been following her around like a lost puppy. I know Luke’s the only one who is important to Catherine right now. It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to bother her.”

“I don’t think you’re a nut,” Eve said gently. “I think you’re loyal and brave and trying to find something or someone.” She reached out and squeezed Kelly’s hand. “And I know that Catherine cares about you.”

“Me, too.” Kelly smiled. “And she’ll like me even more after I find Luke for her.” She looked back down at her computer. “Excuse me, Eve. I have to get back to work.”

She was dismissed, Eve realized, amused. Politely but definitely. Again, she could see similarities between her own work habits and Kelly’s. She hoped the girl did not become as obsessive about her work as Eve.

She had a chance of escaping that fate. Her own obsession had been triggered by Bonnie. She only prayed that Kelly’s life would not be marred and twisted so badly that it would draw her into cocooning herself away from all the things a young girl had the right to experience.

“Then I’ll leave you to it.” She got to her feet. “You seem to be much busier than I am at present. I’ll go twiddle my thumbs.”

“The ultimate torture for you?” Kelly grinned. “It can’t last long, Eve. Something’s going to break.”

She was afraid that was all too true. Yes, she was restless and wanted to be busier, but she was aware of Rakovac hovering, waiting, just over the horizon. This was the calm before the storm.

She just hoped that storm didn’t sweep them all away.

Catherine got the call from Rakovac six hours later. She was alone with Eve in the living room and put it on the speakerphone.

“You’ve been very clever,” he said when she picked up the call. “I thought it would take you a little longer to find that skeleton. Of course, I did leave you clues. But I was anticipating your running around frantically trying desperately to find your son. I was disappointed.”

“Too bad. And that skeleton was not my son.”

“You say that with complete conviction. I take it that Eve Duncan has completed her reconstruction. I thought I gave her enough time. She’s a professional and can work very quickly under pressure. Were you tremendously relieved?”

“You know I was.”

“My words concerning Luke’s death may have been exaggerated, but your relief is only temporary, you know. He will die, Catherine.”

“But he’s not dead yet.”

“Not yet.”

She couldn’t speak for a moment as the waves of relief struck her. It was the first time he had stated uncategorically that Luke was alive. “And he’s well?”

“It depends on what you call well. I took care to make sure that he wouldn’t resemble that cute little toddler that you knew and loved. He’s a young savage. He’s killed, you know.”

“For God’s sake, he’s only eleven years old.”

“I killed my first man on a raid when I was nine. As his guardian, I thought it fitting that he follow in my footsteps. So I set him on the proper path.”

“You bastard.”

“Now Catherine, you’ve been asking me questions about your Luke all these years. Yet when I oblige you, all I get is abuse.”

He had been lying and playing cat and mouse with her emotions since the moment he had taken Luke. The only reason he was giving her all the painful details was that it didn’t matter to him any longer. “No matter what you did to Luke, you couldn’t change him.”

He laughed. “How naïve you are. Life changes everyone, and I helped the process along. You’d be surprised what a corrupt little son of a bitch he’s become. And I use that term with complete accuracy. You’d never be able to recognize any of the qualities you think Luke possessed. Are you sure that you even want to make the attempt to regain your little darling?”

“Why should I believe you? You’ve lied to me before. Maybe this is just another lie.”

“I think in your heart you know that there’s no reason for our little charade to go on. Luke is what I’ve made him. Not the child you created in your womb.”

He was speaking with absolute certainty, and his words terrified her. “I’ll never give up on him.”

“That’s what I hoped you’d say. I just thought I’d give you the opportunity to walk away from him and save your life and lives of your friends. Wasn’t that kind of me?”

“I won’t walk away. But the people who have helped me have nothing to do with this any longer. You don’t have to go after them.”

“But I do. I told you what would happen to them, and I always keep my word. You should know that by now, Catherine. Our involvement during these past years should have been ample proof. And I already have plans to have you watch their removal. Guilt and regret should add a spice to the occasion.”

She shuddered. “So many deaths. The adults are bad enough, but the children…Did you kill that little boy whose skull Eve reconstructed?”

“Oh, yes, that’s what gave me the idea of using the skeleton to lead you here. He was the youngest son of Karl Taskov, a Georgian guerilla that Russia paid me a handsome fee to hunt down and eliminate.”

“One of your old comrades like Kelsov?”

“Yes, I had my new nest to feather after I went to Moscow. And I feathered it well.”

“But why kill the son? You didn’t get money for the murder of a child.”

“He got in the way. I found Taskov on his farm with his wife and three children. I didn’t want his wife to blab to the other members of the resistance that I was the one who was doing the executions. You can never tell when it may become profitable to go back to your roots.”

He jumps back and forth. It’s part of the pattern.

Kelly had hit the nail on the head with her analysis, she thought sickly. “You killed all of them?”

“It was the practical thing to do. I buried the bodies at different locations. I had to think for a moment to remember where I’d buried the little boy.”

“Because he wasn’t important.”

“Exactly. You understand me so well. But your Luke is important. I kept very good track of him over the years.”

She drew a shaky breath. “What’s next, Rakovac? You’re calling the shots.”

“Yes, I am. Strange you should use that phrase. I called the shots figuratively with you and literally with your son. Did I tell you what a fine shot he is?”

“It doesn’t matter how you’ve twisted him. He’s still my Luke. Tell me where he is.”

“Come and get him.”

She drew a deep breath. “How? Where?”

“I assume you’re still in Russia?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t leave here without Luke. Not this time.”

“So eager. Your determination amazes me. A mother’s love…”

“It shouldn’t surprise you. That’s what you’ve relied on all these years. How do I find Luke?”

“First, separate yourself from Duncan and Quinn. I want our meeting to be one-on-one as I’ve always intended it to be. I’ll attend to them at a later date.”

“What else?”

“No arguments?”

“They’ve tried to help me. Why should I want to pull them into a trap? If they’re not with me, then they have a chance.” She paused. “And I have to make sure Luke has a chance, too. Which means I have to have my chance. You can’t have it all your own way. I’m not walking up to you and letting you line Luke and me against a wall for a firing squad.”

“How could you believe I would have so little imagination? That would be no fun at all for me. I have to have my final game of cat and mouse before I bring the two of you together. Unfortunately, I have little time so the game must get under way with speed and dispatch.”

“I’ve no objection.” She could see Eve sitting straight and tense across the room, waiting.

Make up your mind, she told herself. Do it or don’t do it. It was time to decide.

What the hell. She’d already decided. Take charge. Don’t be a victim. That would be the supreme mistake if she was going to have any chance at all. The telephone call. She had to set up the telephone call. “So I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’ll separate myself from Eve and Joe as you’ve told me to do. It won’t be easy. They’re both very protective. I’ll slip away and go to the Danilovsky Market. It’s a huge open-air market, and I can move around there in the crowd, and I’ll be able to see you or any of the slimeballs you might send after me. At two P.M., you’ll call me and tell me where I’m to go from there.”

“You’re being very demanding. I’m not sure I like that, Catherine.”

“It’s time I was demanding. What have I got to lose? You’ve had me under your thumb for years and enjoyed every minute of it. Right now I’m not afraid you’re going to kill Luke if I don’t bow down before you. You’ve already told me that you want your cat-and-mouse game to come to a glorious conclusion. You want cat and mouse? I’ll give it to you. But it can’t be all your own way. If I can grab Luke away and rid the earth of you at the same time, I’ll do it. You should be happy. It will make your game all the more exciting.”

He chuckled. “You’re magnificent, Catherine. I admit I enjoyed making you subservient. It pleased my ego. But this may be still more stimulating.”

“I’ll be at the market. Call me at two.”

“Don’t be pushy. I’ll be in touch.” He hung up.

Catherine gazed at Eve as she hung up. “I could have blown it at the end. It was hard to strike a balance. I didn’t even know if he’d let me get away with setting up the call at the market. I still don’t know if he’ll call or not.” Her lips twisted. “Or if it will be at two P.M.”

“You did the best you could,” Eve said. “I wasn’t sure until you did it that you’d actually set up that call.”

“Neither did I.” She shook her head in despair. “There are so many variables. Is he close enough so that Joe can get to his location quickly after the call is tapped? And how do we know he’ll call from where he’s staying so that we can get at those records? It’s a mobile world.”

“We need luck. But if Joe can’t find his actual permanent location, then he can at least zero in on his cell phone and go after him from that angle.”

“That’s why I’m afraid,” Catherine said grimly. “I know Venable. He wouldn’t be able to resist sending someone to pick up Rakovac to try to squeeze the information out of him. I can’t let that happen. Rakovac will do anything to win. He’d arrange for Luke to be killed if he was caught or captured. I went along with this because I know it’s right, but it’s tearing me apart.” Her lips firmed. “But Joe has to promise me that he won’t let Venable get his hands on Rakovac. He can follow him if they get the chance, but he can’t touch him until I have Luke.”

Eve nodded slowly. “You must trust Joe a lot if you’re willing to take that risk with Luke.”

“I’ve never known anyone I’d trust more. Joe is…special.” She met Eve’s gaze. “You’re very lucky, Eve.” She got to her feet. “Now I have to get on the move. I have to change, get my automatic, then go get Kelsov and have him drive me into Moscow to the market. Rakovac is waiting.” She glanced over her shoulder as she reached the door. “It’s odd saying that. I’ve always been the one waiting for something to happen, Rakovac to relent, God to send a miracle…Anything to change the status quo. But now I can move, and Rakovac can wait.”

“We can move,” Eve said quietly. “I don’t want you going to that market by yourself.”

“I have to be by myself. He has to see that I’m vulnerable.”

“I don’t like it. You may have told Rakovac you were jettisoning us, but we’re still in this with you. You were a little too sincere on the phone with Rakovac. Don’t try to make the lie true.”

“I told you that I’d always be honest with you.” Catherine was silent, staring at her for a long moment. “Thank you for everything, Eve. I meant every word I said to you. You’re very special, too.” She disappeared into the bedroom.

Dammit, that last sentence had been entirely too final, Eve thought as the front door closed behind Catherine five minutes later. Catherine wouldn’t lie, but she wouldn’t say the words Eve wanted to hear.

Eve quickly dialed Joe and filled him in on Catherine’s conversation with Rakovac. “She wants your promise to keep Venable away from Rakovac until she gets Luke, Joe. She says that she’s cooperating as much as she can, but she has to have your word.”

Joe swore beneath his breath. “She doesn’t ask much. If we don’t get a residence location, Venable will be on Rakovac like a tiger the minute we get a cell fix.”

“Catherine knows that.” She paused. “She said to tell you that she trusts you.”

“Which is the best thing she could do to tie my hands,” he said sourly. “Catherine is nothing if not clever.”

“She meant it, Joe.”

He was silent a moment. “I know she did. I’d trust her, too.” His breath expelled in a frustrated sigh. “Okay, I’ll do it. Though God knows how. I may have to knock Venable out and then hog-tie him. We’ve just got to hope Rakovac is at a location where we can find his sources, and not on the move. It will be safer for all of us.”

“Catherine isn’t concerned about safety right now. Not for herself. But I think she may be trying to close us out.”

“No,” he said definitely. “That’s not going to happen. We’re not going to let Rakovac have her. She may like to work alone, but she’ll have to learn new ways.”

“Then you talk to her. You have more influence than I do with her. You two have a…connection.”

“What?”

“Come on, Joe. It’s there in the open for everyone to see. You’re alike. It’s as if you’re two halves of a whole.” She added quietly, “I’m not trying to make anything of it. I accept it. I like both of those halves, and I don’t believe there’s any threat to me.”

“You’re damn right there’s not. And I don’t have a connection with anyone but you. You’re all I want or need.”

She felt a rush of warmth, mixed with relief. It was all very well to be adult and reasonable, but the way she felt about Joe had elements of passion and possessiveness that weren’t at all reasonable. “That’s good to know. But you should still be the one to convince Catherine.”

“Stubborn. You’re being a little too tolerant. I’d like it more if you were ready to claw her eyes out. It would please the primitive streak in me.” He paused. “Unless you’re trying to get rid of me?”

She should have known he might have that reaction. Their relationship in the past had had its moments of turbulence, but it had been relatively tranquil sailing recently. “You’re the one who has a right to walk out of our relationship. I’ve given you nothing but frustration and grief since the moment you came into my life when I lost Bonnie.”

He was silent a moment. “Hell, yes, I’ve been torn apart. I won’t deny it. The good times balance it out.”

“Sometimes.”

“Sometimes. But you’re not going to get away from me. I’ll track you down.”

He wouldn’t have a hard time doing it. She cleared her throat and tried to keep her tone light. “At the moment, your job is to track down Catherine and Rakovac. You’re sending someone to the Danilovsky Market in case she needs help?”

“Yes, but she’ll kill me if they interfere unless she’s at death’s door. That will be their orders.”

“Let me know if that satellite comes up aces. Catherine was worried that Rakovac may not keep to the time she set him.”

“Which would be one big headache for me.”

“But you can make it work?”

“I’ll deal with it.” He hung up.

Rakovac got up from his desk and strolled over to the window to look out at the garden. He was feeling the exultant blood surge through his body. The sun was shining brightly, and it was a good sign that all was going to go well.

Of course it would. Killing Catherine was the last piece in the scenario that he’d toyed with for the last nine years.

“Ali Dabala just phoned,” Russo said behind him. “He wants to know why you’ve canceled Philadelphia. He said he wanted Philadelphia.”

“He wants the whole world. Or at least the entire Christian world.”

“He said that the city has historical significance for the Americans. He mentioned the Liberty Bell.”

“Oh, for God’s sake. Screw the Liberty Bell.”

“He was very adamant. He wants Philadelphia. Why did you cancel it?”

“Because the baggage handler who was going to do the handoff on the explosives proved unstable. I had a report he was about to break. I couldn’t get a safe substitute at this late date.”

“Unstable. That’s very dangerous,” Russo said. “What if the man-”

“I took care of it. They won’t find the baggage handler’s body and the air strikes can go on as planned. I just eliminated Philadelphia from the agenda. Ali Dabala doesn’t need Philadelphia. The operation is going to go off like clockwork. He has enough cities to make him a big man in Islam.”

“Is that what I’m to tell him? He’ll want to talk to you.”

“I’m going to be busy today. Take the flack. That’s what I pay you for.”

“You’re treating me like a servant.” Russo was frowning. “I’ve been very loyal through the years. I’ve done you favors. I’ve given up a lot for you.”

He stared at him in disbelief. The whining son of a bitch. “And taken a lot in return. You’ll get your payoff as soon as I get mine. Tell Dabala the rest of the cities are golden, and I’ll give my teams in the target cities the go-ahead tomorrow on schedule.” He turned to face him. “Our Catherine has decided to take charge of her fate. She said she’s left the safe haven that Duncan and Quinn provided for her. I’m a bit skeptical, but we’ll see if it turns out to be true. She’s going to be at the Danilovsky Market this afternoon to show me that she’s done as I asked and gotten rid of Duncan and Quinn. It’s almost as if she was throwing down a challenge.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled. “Why don’t you have Borzoi take a few men to go and greet her? She’s extremely competent. It will be amusing to see if they can do the job.”

“You want her brought here?”

“I’ll make that decision when I see if they’re able to do it.”

“You said she didn’t have help.”

“As far as I know. Again, we’ll have to see.”

He turned back to the window as Russo left the study. The excitement was growing higher. Tonight. All the years, all the hatred and fear. It was going to end tonight.

You’re so close I can almost touch you, Catherine. How frantic you must be.

And desperate if she left the protection of her friends to expose herself in that market.

He liked the taste of her desperation. It had a bittersweet, coppery flavor.

Like blood.