Killer Dreams (20 page)

Okay, Gorshank was useless to them. But maybe he’d left some record, some clue that would help them. It wasn’t likely. Devlin was usually very careful when it came to cleaning up a job.

But he had taken a long time with Gorshank and only finished him off a short while ago.

He stiffened. How short a time? Had he been interrupted? Royd had checked out the rest of the house before he’d approached Gorshank and it had seemed neat and orderly. Not as if someone had gone through it searching for anything incriminating.

What if he’d heard Royd and Sophie on the porch, finished Gorshank, and then escaped through one of the windows? None of the front-facing windows was open.

The windows leading to the backyard? It was—

Then he heard the shot.

A gleam of metal in the hand of the man leaping toward her!

Sophie lifted her gun and fired it as she fell to the ground.

She heard the thunk of the bullet as it struck the man.

He stopped in his tracks, his face twisting with pain. “Bitch.”

And then kept on coming.

She rolled to one side and shot again.

Missed.

Aim, Jock had told her. Don’t get flustered. Make sure the shot counts.

How could she take time to aim when he was coming toward her? It had to be Devlin. He was staggering, moving slowly, but the creepy bastard had a bullet in his chest and he didn’t seem to feel it. And the look on his face…

“Bitch. Whore.” His tone was dripping malevolence. “You can’t hurt me. Your hand is shaking and you’re scared silly. But I can hurt you in all kinds of ways. Do you think the kid is safe? Franks will be able to pluck the boy from the police easy as pie. Sanborne said I couldn’t be the one to take the boy. I was too unstable. I might destroy his best card. He’s right. But you’ve made me mad so I think I’ll step in and see how the boy likes how I—”

She aimed. She wouldn’t miss this time.

She didn’t get the chance.

Royd’s arm snaked around Devlin’s neck from behind. “Go to hell, Devlin.” He broke his neck.

Sophie heard the crack and then saw Devlin’s eyes glaze over. Royd let him go and he fell in a lifeless heap on the steps.

Royd was beside her, falling to his knees. “Are you okay?”

No, she wasn’t okay. She could still see the expression on Devlin’s face and she probably would for the rest of her life. Evil…

She nodded jerkily. “I’m not hurt. But I shot him and he kept on coming. It was like something from a
Frankenstein
movie.”

“You shouldn’t be surprised. I told you Devlin had a high pain tolerance. And you knew what he did at the croft.”

“Seeing him…was different.” Stop shaking. She mustn’t be this weak. Devlin was dead. She had to pull herself together.

“Let go.” Royd’s voice was rough but his grasp was blessedly gentle as he pulled her into his arms. “He’s not going to hurt you. He’s not going to hurt anyone again.” His hand was pressing her head into the hollow of his shoulder. “And he was no mythical Frankenstein monster, so I don’t want you letting him haunt you. I brought him down, and if I hadn’t been here, you would have killed the son of a bitch yourself.”

Her arms tightened around him. “Yes, I would. I had to do it. He was talking about Michael….” She suddenly stiffened. “I think he was talking about Sanborne sending someone after Michael. Franks, he called him. He said that Michael could be plucked from the police with no trouble. Devlin was sent here instead.”

“The police…” His tone was thoughtful. “The only way the police could become involved is if they took Michael from the castle and held him for extradition to the States.”

“But Scotland Yard didn’t push for a search of the castle when we were there.”

“MacDuff can be very persuasive. But Sanborne must have found a way to bribe someone pretty high up to make the move.”

She pushed herself away from him. “I have to call Jane and warn them.”

“They knew it was a possibility, Sophie. They’re already prepared.”

“Don’t tell me that,” she said fiercely. “They don’t know that someone is on the way to get him.”

“You’re right.” He pulled her to her feet. “Come into the kitchen and away from Devlin and make your call. I have to search through Gorshank’s desk.”

Gorshank. She’d almost forgotten him in the emotional turmoil of the past few minutes. “Is he dead?”

He nodded. “We must have almost caught Devlin in the act.” He pushed her inside the door. “Make your call. We have to hurry. Someone might have heard those shots.”

“Then the police will be on their way.”

“Not necessarily. You’d be surprised how many people choose to ignore neighborhood violence. They don’t want to be involved. They prefer to think it’s some kids setting off firecrackers.” He headed for the hall. “But just in case there’s a conscientious soul out there, we’ll hurry.”

He disappeared from view.

She dropped down in the kitchen chair and drew a deep breath. Perhaps she should turn on a light. It was dark in the kitchen. But it had been darker outside facing Devlin. Twisted and ugly and dark. Death out there on the porch. Death in the next room. Don’t think about it. Think about what she had to do.

No, it would be better not to turn on the lights. She could see well enough to speed-dial the number of MacDuff’s Run. She pulled out her phone.

“Calm down. I know you’re scared. You have a right to be.” Jane had listened to Sophie without interrupting. “Bastards.”

“Warn Campbell to be on the alert. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Wait a minute. Let me think.” Jane was silent a moment. “No, don’t come. I’m bringing Michael back to the States.”

“What?”

“If Sanborne manages to get the local police to come in and get Michael for extradition, the chances are that his men will be able to get their hands on him. We won’t be able to protect him. Hell, we may not even be able to find out where he is.” Her voice was filled with frustration. “Where the devil is MacDuff when we need him?”

“On the way here.”

“Well, I’m not counting on him being able to pull strings from long distance. I’ll take care of it myself.”

“You can’t leave the castle. You’ll be seen.”

“There’s a way out. I’ve used it before.”

“Jane, I don’t like it.”

“I know. The idea of stone walls around Michael is very comforting,” Jane said gently. “But he’ll be safe where we’re going. Joe will have every cop on the force keeping an eye on him.”

“Atlanta?”

“It will give him the greatest security. Trust me, Sophie. In this world, stone walls can be too easily breached by money and political pull. We need Michael out.”

“Maybe if we call MacDuff, he can—” She was reaching for any way that wouldn’t put Michael into danger even for a moment. Jane was right. The image of stone walls was very comforting. “I have to think about it. I’ll call you back.”

“Not too long.” Jane hung up.

“Come on.” Royd was coming through the door. “We should get out of here.”

She nodded and rose to her feet. “Did you find anything?”

“I think so.” He was pulling her past Devlin’s body sprawled on the steps. “And I called MacDuff and told him to get his friends with the CIA out here to get rid of Devlin. We may not want Sanborne to know he’s dead yet.” His gaze was on her face. “What’s happening with Michael?”

“Jane wants to take Michael back to Atlanta. She says she can get him out of the castle without being noticed.” She tried to keep her voice steady. “I’m scared.”

“Did you give her the go-ahead?”

She shook her head. “I have to—”

“If you trust her, tell her to move.” He opened the car door for her. “I don’t like the idea of the government becoming mixed up with Michael. When there’s red tape involved, it’s too easy to get to someone being held supposedly for their own safety.”

“You seem very sure. Have you done it?”

“Once. Syria.” He got into the driver’s seat. “But you don’t want to hear about that.” He started the car. “Any more than I want to tell you.”

No, she didn’t want to hear how easy it was to reach someone surrounded by police or military. And she didn’t want to visualize Royd being the one to do it. Twice she had watched him kill men and there had been a frightening sleek efficiency about every action. Yet she had to ask. “Sanborne?”

“No, it was when I was in the SEALs. Call Jane back and tell her to get Michael out of there.”

“Have you heard of this Franks?”

“Simon Franks. Not as good as Devlin, but he knows what he’s doing.” He paused. “And he’ll do whatever Sanborne tells him. He’s not like Devlin. He’s a drone.”

“Christ.”

“That may not be a bad thing. He wouldn’t cut Michael’s throat unless he was ordered to do it. Devlin would do it for the pleasure and then worry about making it right with Sanborne later.”

“I can’t believe we’re sitting here talking about those men killing my son.” Her voice was shaking. “You may not have any feeling for Michael but it’s a little more difficult for—”

“Who said I didn’t have any feeling for the kid?” Royd asked roughly. “I like him. I don’t love him. I haven’t had the chance to get to know him that well and love doesn’t come easy to me. I’d be lying if I told you anything different. But don’t treat me as if I were still the numb retard I was when I left Garwood.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I’m feeling too damn much these days.”

She had hurt him, she realized. She hadn’t thought she had the ability to give Royd pain. He was too tough. The callousness had been ingrained over the years. Or had it? She was constantly discovering something new about Royd. “I didn’t mean to imply that you—”

“Forget it,” Royd said. “I just wanted you to know that the only reason I’m telling you about Franks is not to scare you but to let you know what you’re up against.” He pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot. “I told MacDuff we’d meet him here. If you’re going to make your call to Jane, you can do it while we’re waiting.”

“Bully.”

His lips twisted. “It goes with the territory.”

She hesitated. God, she didn’t want to make that call. Stop being a coward. Do what was best for Michael. She quickly dialed the number.

Ten rings. No answer.

Her heart was beating hard, her hand was shaking as she dialed again.

No answer.

17

T
he headlights of several vehicles speared the darkness as they approached MacDuff’s Run. They were still far away but moving fast.

“Ten or fifteen minutes,” Joe said as he turned away from the window back to Jane. “It looks as though Sophie was right about them trying for extradition.”

“What else could they do with a defenseless child?” Jane asked. “And since the scumbag who told Sophie had a bullet in him I don’t believe he’d have much reason to lie.”

“No.” He rose to his feet. “And that means that we move.”

Jane felt a surge of relief. “You agree?”

“I’ve seen too many prisoners chopped by other prisoners not to know that no security house is entirely safe.” He jerked on his jacket. “And Sanborne has enough money to play God.” He started for the door. “We’ll take over now. It will be a relief to be back on home turf.”

“Thanks, Joe.”

“Don’t thank me. You know I didn’t want you involved with MacDuff again. I had to come to make sure that nothing happened to you.”

“Liar. You didn’t want anything to happen to a child.”

He shrugged. “That too. And Eve would never have forgiven me if I’d turned my back on either of you. I’ll meet you downstairs in fifteen minutes. Go get Michael. I’ll talk to Campbell and tell him to stall.”

Jane flew up the stairs and threw open the door to Michael’s room. “Michael, wake up.” She gently shook him. “We have to go.”

He opened sleepy eyes. “Mom?” He stiffened as he recognized Jane. “Is Mom okay?”

“She’s fine. I just talked to her. But we’ve got to get out of here.” She went to his closet and threw jeans and a shirt at him. “Hurry. Joe says we have to be out of here right away.”

“Why?” But he was throwing on his clothes with the speed of light. “I thought we were going to stay for—”

“I did too.” She was tossing clothes into his backpack. That would have to do. She glanced out the window. The headlights were closer. She hoped Joe’s estimate was correct. “It didn’t work out that way. If we want to keep your mom safe, we have to keep you safe. And that means doing what we have to do.” She opened the door and jerked her head. “Come on. We’ve got to travel. Joe’s waiting.”

He was racing down the stairs. “In the car?”

She ran after him. It was difficult to keep up, she thought ruefully. She’d forgotten how fast a young boy could move. “No, we’re not taking the car.”

He glanced over his shoulder, puzzled. “No? How?”

She lowered her voice melodramatically. “You’ll see. A secret passage. Isn’t that exciting?”

His eyes widened. “Really?”

Michael might be old for his years but the lure of the mysterious obviously appealed to him. What boy wouldn’t be intrigued?

“Really. But you’ve got to be quiet and do everything I say.” At the landing, she glanced out the window. The lights were closer. Damn.

She passed Michael and grabbed his hand. She flung open the door. Joe was standing talking with Campbell in the courtyard.

“About time,” Joe said grimly. “Get going, Campbell. Stall and give us at least five minutes. I hope to God that’s enough time.”

Sophie tried to call MacDuff four times after she failed to reach Jane.

He wasn’t answering either, dammit.

“What the hell’s happening?” She dialed Jock. He didn’t pick up.

Panic was soaring through her. “What if they picked up Michael? I should have told Jane to get him out.”

“Easy,” Royd said. “MacDuff and Jock should be here any time now.”

“Then why isn’t someone answering? So much for technology.” She dialed Jane again. Her hand clenched on the phone. “It’s turned off. No voice mail. The damn thing’s turned off.”

“That doesn’t mean that she didn’t do it herself for a good reason.”

“I know that.”

MacDuff pulled into Wal-Mart twenty minutes later and Sophie was across the parking lot before Jock and he could get out of the car.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone? Do you know what’s happening at the castle?”

“The answer to the first question is that I was busy. I had some calls to make. The answer to the second question is there’s nothing happening at the castle right now.” MacDuff opened the car door and got out. “Except there are a number of very frustrated officials streaming over my property trying to find your son.”

“They won’t do it, Sophie,” Jock said gently as he got out of the passenger seat. “Jane has him safely out of the castle and heading for the airfield outside Aberdeen.”

Sophie felt dizzy with relief. “You talked to her?”

“We had no choice.” MacDuff grimaced. “As soon as she got the boy a safe distance away she was on the phone blistering me for going off when she needed help to get away from my ‘crumbling heap of a castle.’ Then she ordered me to arrange transport to Atlanta and make sure the boy was properly guarded until he got on the plane.”

“Could you do that?”

“That’s why we were on the phone,” Jock said. “It took a few calls and a little arranging but we set it up.” He checked his watch. “They should be boarding a plane in about ninety minutes. I’ll be called the minute the plane takes off.”

“Good.” Her knees felt weak and she leaned against the car. That ninety minutes would seem like forever. “Atlanta. That’s so close to here. Do you suppose I could see him?”

“Maybe. Let’s think about it,” Royd said from behind her.

“I want to see him.” Her gaze flew to his face. “You think he’ll still be in danger?”

He didn’t answer the question directly. “I believe Franks won’t give up. Sanborne won’t let him give up.” He turned to MacDuff. “Did you get rid of Devlin’s body?”

He nodded. “That was one of the calls I made. They’re sending the local boys to take care of the cleanup.”

“No problem?”

“Devlin had a long record even before Sanborne tapped him for Garwood. They’re willing to cooperate for the present. The CIA is very leery of what happened to those men who’d been brainwashed at Thomas Reilly’s compound, where Jock was kept before being sent to Garwood. They don’t want a bunch of suicide bombers running all over the U.S….” He paused. “Why do you want Devlin to just disappear?”

“It may be better if Sanborne doesn’t know that we found out about Gorshank.”

“Why?”

“It could buy us time. If we don’t know about Gorshank, we couldn’t know about the papers I found in Gorshank’s desk.”

“Papers?”

“Diagrams of a water-purifying installation.” He smiled. “On an island called San Torrano, off the coast of Venezuela.”

“You did find it,” Jock murmured. “Hot damn.”

“Do you still want to go after Sanborne? Devlin was your target and he’s dead.”

“And I’m not pleased you cheated me out of killing the bastard,” MacDuff said grimly. “And hell yes, I want to go after Sanborne. He sent Devlin to kill and maim and then managed to turn the police of my own country against me.” His lips tightened. “And I don’t like the idea of anyone trampling over my property. They can just stay away from MacDuff’s Run.”

“There’s your answer.” Jock’s gaze was narrowed on Royd’s face. “And I have a hunch that you already have an idea as to how you want to use us.”

“I wouldn’t presume.”

“The hell you wouldn’t.”

He shrugged. “I do have a glimmer of an idea but I have to think about it for a while. There are a few factors that are turning me off.”

“What factors?” When Royd didn’t answer, Jock’s gaze shifted to Sophie and rested there for a moment. He slowly nodded. “Okay. Let us know as soon as you decide.”

“I will.” He took Sophie’s elbow and nudged her toward their car. “In the meantime, keep Sophie up to date on Michael.”

“Absolutely.”

“What factors?” Sophie asked. “Stop being so damn enigmatic. If you know a way to go after Sanborne, tell me.”

“I intend to tell you.” He grimaced. “Bastard that I am, there wasn’t really any doubt about that.” He opened the passenger door for her. “But not yet. I have to call Kelly and tell him to expect us down there right away. And then we wait until we know that Michael is safe.”

She watched the glow of the red taillights of MacDuff and Jock’s car disappear around the corner. “What are you up to, Royd?”

“What I’ve been up to since Garwood.” He dialed Kelly on his phone. “Nothing new. Using everyone. Risking everyone. All for the sake of bringing down Sanborne and Boch.” He spoke into the phone. “We’re taking a flight out of Atlanta. Get the launch ready and find out everything you can about an island called San Torrano.” He hung up.

“I’ve never heard of San Torrano,” Sophie said.

“It’s probably the size of a postage stamp. Boch and Sanborne wouldn’t want to use an island that was well known.” He started the car. “The smaller, the better.”

“We’re going to Atlanta? I can see Michael?”

“Why ask me? There’s no way I could keep you away from him.”

“I meant it’s safe for me to see him?”

“God knows.”

“Royd, what the devil is wrong with you? You’re being an ass.”

“What’s wrong with me? I’ve been remembering you lying on the steps of that house with Devlin coming at you.”

She frowned. “Why? It was horrible but it’s over. I wouldn’t think you’d be one to dwell on the past.”

“Are you nuts?” he asked harshly. “What else are we doing? We can’t move forward because we’re stuck in the mire. Only this time you were almost sucked down in the quicksand. I should pull you out on safe ground and walk away from you.”

She looked away from him. “You did pull me out. You might have saved my life. And if you want to walk away I can’t stop you. But I’ll follow you. We’re coming too close.”

He was silent a moment. “And I’d let you.” He pressed on the accelerator. “Now be quiet and let me plan how I’m going to risk your neck this time.”

“Did they get hold of the boy?” Boch asked.

“Not yet,” Sanborne said. “They weren’t at the castle. But Franks has questioned one of MacDuff’s men and found out who was taking care of him. It won’t be long.”

“Stop fooling around and just have Franks kill her,” Boch said harshly. “We can go with the REM-4 we have on hand.”

“It’s too chancy. Can’t you see the situation has changed? I’m not going to risk my investment with an inferior product when I can solve the problem.”

“I need a foolproof demonstration and we only have a week.”

“It will be enough time. No one knows REM-4 like Sophie Dunston, and Gorshank’s initial experiments were successful. He just couldn’t follow through.”

“And tried to cheat us.”

“That’s been taken care of. We should be hearing from Devlin at any time.” He was tired of soothing Boch. “I have to go now. I have a few things to wrap up before I catch my flight for the island tomorrow. When will you be there?”

“Two days. Why are you going down so soon?”

“I have to be on site when we get the woman. I’ll be in touch when Franks gets his hands on the boy.” He hung up.

And they would get Sophie Dunston. She would come meekly when he had the boy. Women seemed to have a weakness where their children were concerned. It always filled him with wonder. Even his own mother had possessed that weakness. Until she had started to shy away from him when he was a teenager. Shortly after her desertion he had learned to pretend that warmth that was so important to everyone around him, but it was too late to bring her back under his power. She had avoided him until the day she died.

Not that it mattered. She had taught him a lesson about human nature and women in particular.

And that would be very valuable in dealing with Sophie Dunston.

Royd’s phone rang when he and Sophie had almost reached Joe Quinn’s lake cottage outside Atlanta. It was MacDuff.

“Campbell just called.” His voice was taut with anger. “Charlie Kedrick, one of his men, was picked up in the village. Presumably by Franks or one of his men. He’s dead.”

“Shit.”

“And it wasn’t an easy death. They tortured him. Whatever they wanted to know, he probably told them. It wasn’t much but he knew Jane MacGuire’s name and who she was. She’d been at the castle before. That means that they’re probably tracking down Jane and the boy right now.”

“How long do we have?”

“It depends how quick Franks moves.”

“He’s going to feel as if he has egg on his face, so he’s going to try to make amends with Sanborne.”

“Then you’ll be lucky if you have more than a few hours. Where are you?”

“On the way to the lake cottage. You said that Michael should be here soon.”

“And so should Franks. Stay where you are. Jock and I will be there in about forty minutes.”

“No, I’m not going to risk Sophie that close to Franks and his men. It could be a bloodbath.” He made a U-turn. “I’m turning around and heading for the airport.”

“No!” Sophie grabbed his arm. “What’s happening?”

He didn’t answer her. “You go to the lake cottage, MacDuff. Tell Jock I’ll call him right back.” He hung up and told Sophie, “Franks has found out that Michael is with Jane and he knows who she is. That means that he may be on his way here soon.”

“Then what the hell do you mean you’re not risking me? I’m not going to go off and leave Michael now. Turn around and go back.”

“After I talk to you.” He pulled to the side of the road. “Then if you still want to go to the lake cottage, I’ll take you. Will you listen?”

“I want to go to—” She stopped. “I’ll listen. Hurry.”

“We have an opportunity here.” He looked straight ahead. “We need to get on San Torrano and find a way to destroy the installation and REM-4. Boch is no fool. He’ll have security all over the island.”

“So?”

“We need an inside man.” His lips twisted. “Or should I say ‘inside woman.’”

She went still. “What are you saying?”

“Sanborne wants to get his hands on you. That’s why he’s after Michael. I’m saying I want to hand you to those bastards on a silver platter.” He closed his eyes. “May God forgive me.”

Shock jolted through her. “I don’t—” She stared at him in bewilderment.

He opened his eyes. “What do you expect of me? I’ve told you before I’m neither kind nor civilized. You practically offered yourself on the sacrificial altar.” His knuckles turned white as his hands clenched on the steering wheel. “Why wouldn’t I take you up on it?”