Final Target (20 page)

"I'll bring the van around to the back and make sure there's no one around." Galen moved toward the door." If I don't phone you, bring Cassie down in five minutes."

Jessica handed Melissa the cup of coffee. "Drink it. You look like hell."

"I don't need it."

"Drink it, Mellie."

Melissa smiled faintly. "Yes, ma'am." She took a few swallows and handed the cup back to her. "Satisfied, Saint Jessica?"

"Yes." She turned to Travis. "How do we get Cassie into the museum without being seen? Carrying her around is sure to attract attention."

"We park the van in the alley and go in through the back entrance. Galen says the artifacts room is right down the hall."

"The guards?"

"Two, and they've been bribed. One at the back entrance and one at the door of the artifacts room. Inside the room is a door leading downstairs to a storage area in the basement. Galen is stationing one of his own men at that door just in case."

"Christ, I hope everything goes smoothly."

"Jessica…"

Jessica turned to Melissa. Her sister's eyes were glazed and she took a staggering step forward. "Jessica…"

"Catch her, Travis," Jessica said.

Travis sprang forward as Melissa's knees buckled and she started to fall.

Melissa's gaze clung to Jessica's face in horror. "No…Jessica."

"Shh." Jessica plumped the pillow on the couch. "Don't worry, Mellie."

"Dear God. You don't know what-" She slumped in Travis's arms, unconscious.

"What the hell?" Travis murmured.

"A sedative in the coffee," Jessica said. "Put her on the couch."

"You drugged her? Why?"

"This was going to be too hard on her. You saw how upset she was about the Wind Dancer. This way she'll wake up and it will all be over." She draped a throw over Melissa. "And there was a possibility she might have interfered. Cassie deserves this chance."

Travis gave a low whistle. "You're pretty damn tough."

"You knew she could be a problem. Are you saying you weren't tempted to do something like this?"

"I was tempted." He looked down at Melissa. "But I couldn't do it."

"Why not?"

"It seemed like dirty pool. A fighter like her deserves an even match." He brushed the hair from Melissa's forehead. "I like the shrew when she's not stabbing me with her little poison darts. I decided I'd rather have the problem than the solution."

"And I decided to not take the chance and protect both Mellie and Cassie." Jessica checked her wrist-watch. "Time to take Cassie downstairs."

"How long will Melissa sleep?" He turned toward the bedroom. "She took only a couple of swallows."

"I didn't expect anything else. I gave her a hefty dose. Four to five hours." She brushed a loving kiss on Melissa's cheek and whispered, "It's for the best. Good night, Mellie."

12:45 A.M.

Paul Guilliame was a thin, graceful, dark-haired man in his late fifties. He was also extremely nervous.

"Come in. Come in." He nodded to the guard outside the artifacts room and gestured for them to enter with one fluttering hand. "I must be insane to do this. Four hours. No more."

"We're not pushing it. Just find a chair for the lady," Galen said. "And then go get a drink to steady your nerves."

"I'm not leaving the premises," Guilliame said. "And what's that child doing here? You never said anything about a-"

"The clock's ticking. If you want us out of here, leave us alone and don't interfere," Travis said. "Where's the Wind Dancer?"

"On the worktable opposite the sarcophagus."

Jessica's gaze had already fastened on the statue. "My God" she murmured. "I've seen pictures of it, but it's different seeing it in person. It's wonderful."

"Where do you want the chair?" Guilliame was carrying one from across the room.

"A few yards from the statue," Jessica said.

He put the chair where she'd indicated and hurried out of the room.

Jessica sat down and held out her arms. "Put Cassie on my lap, Travis."

"I can hold her."

"No."

"She trusts me."

"But I'm the one who's been trying to persuade her to come back. You've just been a security blanket. I want her to realize that everything's different now."

He placed Cassie on Jessica's lap, facing the Wind Dancer." Now what?"

"We sit and we wait." She pulled Cassie closer. "Open your eyes, sweetheart. He's here. He's so beautiful, it almost makes my heart stop. I can see why you love him so much. Please open your eyes…"

"He's here!" Cassie's cry of joy tore through the haze surrounding Melissa. "I've found him. She keeps saying I have to open my eyes to see him, but I know he's here. You come and we'll see him together."

Darkness. Haze. Lethargy.

"We can stay here. He'll keep us safe. She wants me to come out, but we don't have to. We'll go deeper. He took me away once. He can do it again. And he'll come with us. I know he will."

She should say something. But she couldn't think. Why couldn't she think? The mist was deep and heavy as molasses. "
What are you talking about
?"

"The Wind Dancer, silly."

Fear jolted through Melissa, tearing the fog. "
What
?"

"I told you. He's here. I've found him."

Her heart was starting to beat like a jackhammer. "
Where
?"

"Jessica brought me to him."

Jessica.

The coffee.

Nol

"Melissa, come on. I've found him, but I don't want to leave you here. Come with me."

She had to open her eyes.

"Melissa."

"Don't go with him, Cassie."

Open your eyes. Open your eyes. Open your eyes.

Finally her heavy lids lifted. Blue curtains. The apartment. Hazy. Everything was hazy.

Sit up. Move.

Too hard.

Move.

It took her five minutes to sit up and another five to get to her feet.

One thing at a time. Get to the door.

What if she couldn't make it? She had to stop Jessica.

"Melissa, where are you?"

"I'm coming. Wait for me."

She fumbled in her pants pocket for the number she'd copied from Jessica's phone book. Now get to the phone.

Jesus, she couldn't see the numbers on the phone. It took her three tries before she dialed the number correctly.

"Hello," Andreas said.

"Cassie…Jessica. Museum d'Andreas."

"What? Who is this?"

"Melissa. Now. Go now." She hung up. They might not get there in time. They might not get there at all.

Take the purse; it had the gun Galen had given her. Get to the street. The museum was only four blocks away. She could do it.

One step at a time.

"Melissa, I'm going to open my eyes. I have to see him again. He's so beautiful."

Panic shot through Melissa. If Cassie saw those emerald-green eyes, then Melissa would see them. She didn't know if that would make any difference, but she couldn't chance it.

"No. Don't open your eyes. Wait for me."

"I'll try. Hurry."

One block.

She couldn't make it. Too tired.

"I can't wait any longer, Melissa."

"Yes, you can. You can do anythingyou want to do."

Two blocks.

She lurched and fell against the brick wall of the building next to her.

Straighten. Go on.

"I'm opening my eyes."

"No!"

"I have to do it."

And then Melissa saw it.

Emerald eyes staring out at the world with ancient wisdom. The statue was standing on a beat-up wooden worktable in a huge, cluttered room. A catwalk. Paintings. Travis was standing to one side of the worktable beside an Egyptian sarcophagus.

"I told you." Cassie's excitement was swirling around both of them like a cloud of static electricity. "He's here. He's here."

One more block. The museum was just up ahead.

The emerald eyes, but no pool of blood. It could be different. It had to be different.

She turned down the alley.

"Jessica is happy. She thinks because I opened my eyes that I'm coming back. She's talking to me, telling me the Wind Dancer would want me to do that."

"She's right, Cassie."

"How do you know? He took me away. It's safe here."

"But you can't see the Wind Dancer as you're doing now." Was she making sense? She was so scared, she couldn't think. All she could see were those emerald eyes.

But no pool of blood. No pool of blood. Make it different. Please, no pool of blood.

She was climbing the stairs to the back door, holding on to the railing.

So hard. Such a long way to the top.

She leaned against the door to gather strength. Another minute and she'd be in the hall. It was okay. She'd made it and nothing had happened. She'd not even been stopped by the guards.

The guards.

Where were the guards?

She pushed open the door.

Blood. Staring eyes. Two bodies.

The guards.

"Why aren't you talking to me, Melissa?"

"
Close your eyes, Cassie
." She was lurching down the hall. Jesus, another body beside the door to the artifacts room. Blue suit, not a guard. Guilliame? "
Listen to me, I want you to close your eyes
."

"Why? Then I wouldn't be able to see-What was that sound?"

"What sound?"

"Popping. Heard it before. Heard it before." Melissa could hear the panic in her voice. "Michael is running downstairs toward the other door. He's leaving me."

"
Close your eyes
."

"Wind Dancer. I can't stay here. He's got to take me away." Terror. "I'm falling, Melissa."

"Why are you falling? Are you hurt?"

"I don't know. I'm on the floor. Closing my eyes. I'm going away
…"

"
Why are you on the floor
?" She threw open the door. "
What's happen
-"

And then she saw it.

The emerald eyes looking down.

The pool of blood spreading on the floor until it touched the child's shoe.

Scream after scream tore from Melissa's throat.

She didn't know how she got across the room, but she was falling to her knees. Stop the blood. She had to stop the blood gushing from Jessica's chest.

"Mellie?" Jessica was looking up at her. "Help…Cassie."

"Cassie's fine." She was pressing her hands on the wound. "You'll be fine too."

"She was almost…back. I know it. I-did it, didn't I?"

"Of course you did." Oh, God. So much blood. "Now stop talking."

"He's beautiful…" Jessica was looking up at the Wind Dancer. "I can see why Cassie…" A thin trail of blood trickled out of one corner of Jessica's mouth." Beautiful…"

She slumped sideways.

"No!"

Chapter Sixteen

"No use, Deschamps's gone," Galen told Travis outside the museum. "And we'd better get out of here too. Those sirens sound close. It's probably what scared the bastard off."

"Son of a bitch." Travis's hands closed into fists. "He knew this place like the back of his hand. He knew exactly where he was going when he jumped down from that catwalk. How did he get past those guards?"

"That's what I want to know" Galen said grimly. "I'll go find out while you check on Cassie and Jessica. Two minutes and we're out of here."

Travis ran back into the museum and skidded to a stop when he reached the artifacts room. "Oh, shit."

"She won't wake up." Melissa lifted her head, her mouth smeared with Jessica's blood." I can't make her breathe." She covered Jessica's mouth with hers again.

"Melissa." He knelt down and put his fingers on Jessica's throat. "It's no use. She's gone."

"Don't you
say
that." She frantically blew into Jessica's mouth. "I won't let her be dead."

He checked Cassie. No wounds. The child hadn't been hit. He hadn't been aware that either of them had been shot when he'd run after Deschamps. He'd glanced at Jessica, but she'd been sitting upright in the chair with the child in her arms.

The sirens were louder. "Melissa, we have to get out of here."

She ignored him.

"Out." Galen was beside them, swiftly picking up Cassie. He glanc ed at Jessica. "Dead?"

"Yes."

"No," Melissa said at the same time.

Galen nodded. "Dead. I've locked the doors and I'm taking Cassie out through the basement." He carried Cassie toward the steps. "If we don't get moving, we're all going to end up in jail. Both guards are dead, and so is Guilliame. My man Cardeau was killed too. I found him behind some boxes in the basement. You either get Melissa away from here or leave her."

"She'll come." Travis pulled Melissa away from her sister. "Let's go, Melissa. You can't help her."

"I can help her. I can stop this."

"Melissa, you're lying to yourself. Jessica's dead and you'll be dead too or in prison if you don't come with me. Then we'll never be able to punish the man who did this to her. Do you think it's right to let that happen?"

She stared blindly at him.

"Travis!" Galen called out.

"We're coming."

Melissa whispered, "Dead?"

Travis nodded. He pulled her to her feet. "Come on, Cassie will need you."

"She said 'Help Cassie.' "

"That's right." He pushed her toward the stairs. "But you can't do that unless we get out of here."

"Dead." She suddenly stopped and looked back at Jessica. "Oh, God, it's real." She shuddered. "I wanted it to be another dream." There was a world of pain in her voice.

"Come on, Melissa."

Her gaze slowly moved to the statue. "Bring him."

"What?"

"Bring him."

"No."

"I'm not going without him. Pick him up and bring him."