Hide Away (33 page)

“If that's true, then you should have been relieved.”

“Except they said that they would hunt her down and kill her. They said you'd taken her to Scotland, and they told me to come here and find a way to get them the money. Only they're angry now, and they want more. They said you'd found some kind of treasure or something, and they want that, too. Is that true?”

Eve was silent a moment. “It seems that they're well informed. What would they do if you refuse?”

“They told me it would only be days, maybe hours, before they either took Cara back or shot her. Please don't let them do that.” She said in a rush, “My father looked you up, and he doesn't think you're part of this. You're some kind of sculptor or something, and you'd care if my daughter was hurt or killed. I hope he's right.”

“Yes, I would care very much.”

“Then help me, help us,” she said. “I beg of you. You've been told my husband is a terrible man, and I suppose I have to say he can be terrible in many ways. I guess I'm a little bitter toward him because he doesn't seem to love our daughter as much as I do. But Cara shouldn't suffer because of his sins. I've already been forced to lose my Jenny.”

So plausible. She was striking all the right notes. “We've been able to keep Cara safe so far. What makes you think we can't continue?”

“Because they hate my husband, and the only thing that would make them stop hunting for Cara is that money.”

“And as soon as they had it, they'd kill her anyway.”

“Do you think I'm not afraid of that? That's why I'm calling you. I want you to make a deal with Salazar. Tell him that you'll turn Cara over to my father if he gives him the money. Maybe give him that other treasure thing, too. My father will send a helicopter to pick her up with two of his most trusted men.”

“And you?”

“Of course. I can't wait to see her. Did you know in a few days it will be her birthday?”

“No, I didn't.”

“It's been so many years since I've been able to think of that day without tears. Has she ever spoken about me?”

“She doesn't remember much about you. All she remembers is her sister and her nurse, Elena.”

“I guess I can't expect anything else. But I'm still bitter about the fact that Elena never brought her back to me.”

“Bitter? She died saving Cara.”

“And I'm grateful, but she should have known I'd have found a way to protect all of them.” She paused. “But I have my chance now. I can save my Cara. If you'll help me. Will you do that?”

What to answer? Eve's mind was zooming, careening, as she tried to come up with the right thing to say. “I'm not certain if throwing my lot in with you is the right thing to do. One of the reasons that we took Cara away from the authorities in San Diego was that we didn't want to put her in a situation where she'd be sent back to Mexico to face danger from all sides. I'm still not sure that wouldn't happen. You say you love Cara, but you weren't able to prevent her kidnapping. How can you assure me that it wouldn't happen again?”

“Because my father would be involved. He loved his granddaughters. He wouldn't let anything happen to Cara now that he knows there is a danger.”

Eve was silent. “Just what are you suggesting?”

“I contact Salazar and tell him that you've agreed to bring Cara to meet the helicopter my father will send with the ransom money. It will be your responsibility to get her to the helicopter safely, but once there, my father's men will take over. He'll whisk her away and you, too, if you wish. I understand that you've made yourself a target by interfering with Salazar.”

“You could say that,” she said dryly. “And we all fly away and live happily ever after?”

“Live is the key word,” Natalie said quietly. “I've learned to value those words in the past eight years. Will I permit you to interfere with my relationship with my daughter once she's safe? I don't promise you that. What mother would give up her child because an outsider thinks she knows better than she does how to raise her? You'll have to do battle to get her back from me.”

“I don't have to do battle, I still have Cara. The choice is mine.”

“But you won't let her die, if you can help it. I can tell that you care about her … just as I do.” She rattled off a phone number. “You'll make the right choice. Call me when you do.” She hung up.

Natalie Castino was a force to be reckoned with, Eve thought as she slowly hung up. She had gone through that conversation, pressing all the buttons, changing tone, altering character, as she went along.

If she was a killer, then she was an exceptionally clever one. If she was a grieving mother, fighting to keep her daughter alive, then she might have come up with a plan to do it. Yet Joe thought that she had helped Salazar to take the girls, and he was seldom wrong.

Still, they had no concrete proof of her involvement … except for the fact that Jenny had been buried in that white eyelet dress instead of her nightclothes. No sign that Natalie had been involved in MacTavish's death. All those tears, the sobs, the agony, might be real, but in the end, Eve would have to make her own decision.

And that decision would not only concern Cara and her but everyone in this camp.

She got to her feet and left the tent and was immediately assaulted by waves of fog. She could dimly see Cara's hazy figure sitting by the fire with Jock. What would she say if Eve told her that she'd just spoken to her mother?

She wasn't ready to find out. She turned and headed for Jane's tent.

*   *   *

“Did she believe you?” Salazar asked Natalie, as she hung up from talking to Eve Duncan. “I told you it was a waste of time. You should have stayed out of it.”

“It wasn't a waste of time.” Natalie smiled. “I was plausible. I gave her something to think about. If you do your part and frighten her enough, she might run right toward me.”

“Toward us.”

“That's what I meant, of course.”

“Of course. You mentioned that treasure MacDuff's supposed to be hunting.”

“I just wanted to get a feel for her take on that chest. She didn't laugh or ridicule the idea. MacTavish might have had it right.” She glanced at Franco. “You were very clever to dig that out of him.”

Franco nodded and smiled.

“A waste of time,” Salazar repeated.

“We'll see. I certainly wouldn't want to do that. I don't want to spend any more time than necessary in these hills with those rather odorous men you've imported.” She glanced around the camp, then at the man tied and gagged across the fire from them. He was staring at her pleadingly. His face was bloody, and so was his throat. Franco had been playing with him after he'd captured him a few hours ago. She looked away from him and shrugged. “You gave me my chance. By all means, let me see what you can do, Salazar.” She got to her feet. “In the meantime, I'll call my father and tell him how upset I am that I haven't heard any more about ransom for my Cara.”

“You made two calls last night.”

“How suspicious you are. One to my father, one to my husband. My father to reinforce the myth, my husband to tell him how much I missed him and that I couldn't wait to get home to him. One must always follow through with a lie and not let it just dangle in the wind.” She tilted her head. “But you knew that, didn't you? You checked my phone after I went to sleep. One call to Moscow. One call to Mexico City. You just wanted to know why.” She added softly, “You don't trust me, Salazar?”

“I'm not a fool. Our relationship is not based on trust.”

She threw back her head and laughed. “True.” She sauntered away from the fire. “It's based on getting my sweet daughter back to me. And perhaps acquiring a few other gifts along the way.”

 

CHAPTER

13

“You don't actually think Natalie Castino is genuine?” Jane asked quietly.

“No, but I'm trying to be unbiased,” Eve said. “We don't know enough about her. Most of it is hearsay, and who knows what a mother would do to find her child.”

“You're in a very vulnerable state where that concept is concerned,” Jane said. “You might not be thinking straight.” She shook her head. “It could be a trap.”

“That was my first thought.” Eve grimaced. “I tend to trust Joe's judgment more than I do Natalie Castino's motherly love. But if it is a trap, can we turn it against them? I'm supposed to call her if I decide to help her whisk Cara away into the loving arms of her grandfather. There has to be some way we can use that.”

“But we'd need help. You have to tell MacDuff, Eve.”

She nodded. “I know that. I just wanted to talk it out and get it straight in my head before I brought him into the picture. MacDuff can be overwhelming once he makes up his mind.”

“Tell me about it,” Jane said dryly. “But that doesn't alter the fact that he's the best game in town and certainly the one with the most cards he can play. Do you want me to talk to him?”

“No, I'll do it.” Eve gave her a hug. “I have to check on whether he's located a safe house yet and whether we can travel in this fog. My guess is a big negative. And I'm getting more and more nervous about having Cara out in this wilderness.” She moved toward the door. “I'll get back to you.”

Jane followed her and watched until she disappeared into MacDuff's tent. She stood outside surrounded by the fog, which didn't appear to have abated at all. Then she turned to stare out at the lake.

The beginning or the end.

Today the lake appeared much more ominous than the day she had first seen it.

“You're very tense. It's not all that bad.”

She turned to see Seth Caleb coming toward her and automatically stiffened. “I have a right to be tense. I have more at stake than you do, Caleb.” She was suddenly aware of something different, charged, electric, about him. Not so different. She had seen him like this before when there was a threat, but it always disturbed her. “Or perhaps you haven't heard that Salazar is on the move. You haven't been around very much lately.”

“I was merely being sensitive to your feelings.” He was smiling recklessly as he came closer to her. “You were pedaling backward at top speed the last time I saw you, and I thought I'd allow you time to regroup. And I knew about Salazar at the same time you did. Perhaps a little earlier.”

“Earlier?”

“I feel things sometimes. A sort of primal instinct. And we all know how primitive I can be.”

“And how much you enjoy it.”

“I can't help it,” he said simply. “And I won't lie to you. If you expected me to stay close to the home fires and circle the wagon train, that wasn't going to happen. It's not how I operate. I took off for those hills and started hunting.”

She went still. “And did you find anything?”

“Maybe. I didn't locate Salazar's camp. They're probably moving it every three or four hours. But there are only a couple ways they could cause us problems, and perhaps they won't think of them. And I have the lay of the land now. I know where I'd strike.”

“I don't want them to strike at all. I want Eve and Cara out of here.”

“So do I.” His lips twisted. “They'll get in my way. Plus robbing the situation of any hint of fun. After all, I promised Eve I'd take care of her, and responsibility tends to be exceptionally boring.”

“How unfortunate,” Jane said. “No one asked you to take responsibility, Caleb. Eve is my responsibility.” She turned to go back into her tent. “And when she leaves here, I'm going with her.”

“Which means I'll have to tag along.” He shrugged. “But I'll try to make it interesting as well as worthwhile. In the meantime, I'll go back to those hills and see if I can discover anything else of importance.”

Jane suddenly whirled on him. “Why,” she asked fiercely. “Do you just like to take risks? You've already found out what you wanted to know. Those bastards could be out there just waiting for a chance to—” She broke off. Why ask when she knew the answers? “Do what you wish. What do I care if you want to behave like a self-indulgent child?”

“But you do care,” he said softly, his gaze on her face. “Why, Jane? You try so hard not to give a damn about me, but it just keeps coming back, doesn't it? Why do you suppose that happens?”

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “I'll get over it.”

“Oh, no, I can't allow that to come to pass.” He smiled. “I've worked too hard. Every time we come together, I get a step closer. I get to know you a little better.”

“And I don't really know you at all, Caleb.”

His smile faded. “True. I've been very careful about that, but I might have to relinquish a bit of who I am to make you feel safer.”

“And would I feel safer?”

“I don't know. It would be a risk.” The brilliance of his smile came back full force. “But then I like risks. You might learn to like them, too.” He turned and started back toward the path to the hills. “But not when it concerns your Eve.” He looked back over his shoulder at her, and she was again aware of that charged electricity, the suppressed excitement that was just below the surface. Dear God, she was beginning to feel that same reckless disturbance she saw in him, she realized. She wanted to follow him into that mist. She wanted to find the thrill of danger and adventure she could sense in him.

And he could see it. “Never Eve,” he repeated. “Never anyone you care about and protect. No risks there, I promise.”

And then he was gone.

But who was going to protect Caleb? Who had ever protected him?

Just another thing that she didn't know about Seth Caleb.

And why was it hurting her to realize that he could have been vulnerable and in pain, and she would not have been able to help him?