Killer Dreams (7 page)

Royd and Jock were sitting in Royd’s Toyota and both men got out when they saw her.

“I’m sorry, Sophie,” Jock said quietly. “It must have been a hell of a shock for you and Michael.”

“How’s he doing?” Royd asked.

“Fine.” She took a deep breath. “No, not fine. You’ll be glad to know I had a talk with him.”

“You told him everything?”

“Almost everything. He didn’t need to know about Caprio.” She looked at Jock. “Or precisely what Sanborne did to you and Royd. I generalized.”

“Smart,” Royd said. “He might have confused us with the bad guys. I’m sure he’s mixed up enough.”

She nodded grimly. “Mixed up enough to think you’re like the Terminator. I set him straight and told him you were definitely flesh and blood.”

Jock chuckled. “Not a bad simile. The Terminator protected the kid in the last two movies.”

“And was a prime villain in the first. I’m sure he prefers you, Jock,” Royd said. “You’re the iron hand in the velvet glove.”

“I’m sure he likes me best too,” Jock said. “What’s not to like?”

Sophie gave him a cool glance. “The fact that the two of you were sitting out here probably making plans before coming in to face me.”

“True,” Jock said. “But we also thought you might need some time with Michael.”

She turned to Royd. “How did you know that the house was going to blow?”

“I didn’t. I thought it was a good possibility. It was a little too coincidental that there would be a gas leak the night after a failed attempt on your life.”

“The leak was four blocks away.”

“And therefore you would feel safer about it. But when the house blew, it would make it much less suspect to the authorities.” He tilted his head. “Weren’t you a little suspicious?”

“Yes, I was going to call the gas company as soon as I got into the garage.”

“You wouldn’t have gotten into the house. The garage was full of fumes. There was a device on the floor that would cause a spark when you rolled over it. One spark would have been enough.”

“How did you know?”

He was silent a moment. “It’s what I would have done. What I was trained to do.”

Shock rippled through her. She shouldn’t be this stunned. She glanced away from him. “Of course.”

“Don’t look away from me.” Royd’s voice was suddenly rough. “You’d better be damned glad I knew what was happening or you and your son would be dead.”

She forced herself to look back at him. “I’m glad of anything that keeps Michael alive. And I don’t have any right to condemn what I was instrumental in teaching you.”

“Dammit, I didn’t mean—That’s not what I—”

She interrupted. “That doesn’t mean I’m not mad as hell that you let my house be blown up. If you guessed what was going to happen you could have just told Michael and me to get out of the car. You didn’t have to release the brakes and let it roll into the garage. You wanted the house to blow.”

“That’s right, I did.”

“Why? And why did you tell me to take Michael and go? Why didn’t you want us to be seen?”

“I thought we might gain an advantage if everyone thought you were dead.”

“What kind of advantage?”

“Time.”

She thought about it. “But when they search the ruins, they’ll know we weren’t in there.”

“It will take a little while. That fire will burn for a while because it was fed by the gas. And then it will be too hot to explore the ashes until they’re sure it’s safe and there are no pockets of gas that could ignite and injure the firemen. There was a terrific explosion and they’ll realize if you were inside that you couldn’t survive. Any search would be for body parts and that would take a hell of a long time to be absolutely certain. If we’re lucky and you weren’t seen leaving the area, we’ll have a chance.”

“A chance to do what?”

“Get Michael away from here.” Jock paused. “Get Michael away from you, Sophie.”

She stiffened. “What are you talking about?”

“Michael’s almost died twice in the past twenty-four hours and he wasn’t even the target. As long as he’s anywhere near you, he’s going to be in danger.”

“You want me to send him away?” Her hands clenched into fists. “I can’t do that. He needs me.”

“He needs to stay alive,” Royd said. “And you need to be free to move without worrying about him.”

“Shut up. This isn’t any of your concern. You don’t know what—” She stopped. It was his concern. She had made it his concern when she’d destroyed his life by creating REM-4. “You haven’t been with him when he’s had one of his night terrors.”

“I have been,” Jock said. “You trust me, don’t you?”

“What are you saying?”

“I want to take Michael back to MacDuff’s Run with me.”

“Scotland? No way.”

“He’ll be safe there. MacDuff will make sure of that.” He smiled. “I’ll make sure of that. And I’ve taken care of Michael when he’s had a night terror while you were working. We got along.”

Michael thousands of miles away…

“I’d be scared to death.”

“Then you’d better decide what’s more important to you,” Royd said. “I promised to keep both of you safe, but this would make it a hell of a lot easier for me.”

She closed her eyes as waves of sick fear surged over her. She had rarely been more than five miles away from Michael since she’d gotten out of the hospital after her parents’ deaths. “He’s my son. I can take care of him.”

Neither man answered her.

Of course they didn’t. It had all been said. She was being a selfish bitch in the name of maternal love. She couldn’t do that to Michael. She opened her eyes. “Have you talked to MacDuff about this?”

“Yes,” Jock said. “The minute Royd called me and told me what happened. MacDuff didn’t give me any arguments.”

“That’s not good enough. I don’t want Michael to be grudgingly accepted.”

Jock shook his head. “Once the Laird is committed it won’t be like that. He’ll take Michael as one of his own.” He grimaced. “And, believe me, MacDuff has a very strong sense of family.”

“I need to talk to him.”

“I thought you would. Will tomorrow morning do? MacDuff arranged for Michael and me to leave on a private plane at nine tomorrow.”

Good God, everything was moving too fast. “Michael doesn’t even have a passport.”

“MacDuff is overnighting a British passport for him.”

“What?”

“Under the name of Michael Gavin.” He smiled. “My young cousin.”

“A phony passport?”

Jock nodded. “MacDuff was in the Marines and lived a rough-and-tumble life on occasion. He’s acquired a few contacts that have proved useful.”

“Crooks,” she said flatly.

“Well, yes. Extremely skilled crooks. In this life it’s often necessary to bypass red tape and bureaucracy.”

She was silent a moment. “I’ll talk to him. I’m not promising that I’ll let Michael go.”

“You’ll let him go,” Jock said. “You can talk to him every day and you’ll know that I’ll guard and care for him.” He shot a sly glance at Royd. “Though I’m no Terminator.”

“The hell you’re not.” Royd said to Sophie, “Do you want me to make myself scarce while the two of you break it to the kid?”

She thought about it. “No, Michael isn’t going to want to leave. He’s worried about me. He mustn’t see me as being alone.”

He smiled faintly. “You’ve already made up your mind. You’re only working on finding the best way to implement it.”

She turned and opened the door. “The best way is to call Domino’s for pizza and then have Jock talk to Michael while we’re eating it. He’ll listen to him.”

“And what do I do?” Royd asked.

“You sit and look stern and responsible.” She gave him a cool look. “And if you have to talk, you curb that damn bluntness and try not to say anything that will start him worrying.”

“Why don’t you go to bed?” Michael asked as he turned over to look at her sitting in the easy chair. “I’ll be okay.”

His eyes were glistening in the darkness and his body appeared stiff beneath the blanket. Christ, it would be a miracle if he didn’t have a night terror tonight after all he’d been through, she thought. First the explosion and then the emotional hours of having Jock try to persuade him into going to Scotland with him. It was incredible to Sophie that he’d finally given in and agreed. “I’m not tired. Go to sleep, baby.”

He didn’t speak for a moment. “You’re afraid because I don’t have the monitor. You’ll stay up all night because you’re scared not to do it.”

“It’s only one night. Jock promised that MacDuff would have one at the castle by the time you got there.”

“That’s not going to help you tonight. I should be the one to stay awake. I’m always causing you trouble.”

“You don’t—Yes, you have problems, but so does everybody.”

“Not like me.” He paused. “Am I crazy, Mom?”

“No, you’re
not
crazy. Why would you think that?”

“I can’t stop. I try and try but I can’t stop the dreams.”

“If you talked about them, it could help.” She reached forward and took his hands. “Don’t close me out, Michael. Let me help you fight.”

He shook his head and she could feel his withdrawal. “I’ll be okay. I feel better now that I know that Grandpa wasn’t crazy. Or that he was crazy, but it wasn’t his fault. I used to worry about—I didn’t understand. Grandpa loved me. I know he did.”

“I know he did too.”

“But I didn’t understand how it could happen.”

“You’d have had to be an Einstein to understand. It took me months to work it out and I knew more than you did.”

He was silent a moment. “I know Sanborne has to be punished but I don’t want you here. I don’t want you to do it. He’ll hurt you.”

“Michael, we discussed this.”

“He’ll hurt you.”

“I won’t let him. He won’t hurt either of us. But yes, he has to be punished. And it’s not safe for either of us as long as he’s free.” As long as he was alive, she amended silently. “You trust Jock, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And he told you I’d be safe. He said that Royd was very good at taking care of people.”

He nodded. “And he’s a SEAL.”

Thank heaven for that, she thought. Michael had latched on to that part of Royd’s past with alacrity. “So everything’s going to be fine.”

“Yeah.” His grasp was nervously opening and closing on her hands. “Do you suppose God forgave Grandpa for what he did?”

“I know Grandma would have forgiven him. I’m sure she would intercede. It wasn’t his fault.”

“I guess so.” His grasp tightened, hard. “It wasn’t your fault either. Stop thinking that.”

“Go to sleep, Michael. You have a long flight tomorrow.”

“How long will I have to stay there?”

“I don’t know. Not long.” Lord, she was going to miss him. “But we’ll talk every day.”

“What time?”

“Six o’clock Scotland time.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

Michael didn’t speak again but she knew he wasn’t asleep. Every now and then his hand would flex in hers.

Go to sleep, Michael. I’ll be here for you.

But he knew that was true, that she’d be there for him no matter what happened. She hadn’t realized until tonight that he’d been afraid he was going insane. Yet she should have known. What was more reasonable to a boy who thought his grandfather was a madman?

His hand was relaxing, going limp. Sleep, at last?

She leaned back in the chair. She was tired but she couldn’t close her eyes. She could sleep after she put Michael on that plane. She should call and make sure MacDuff had the right monitor. She needed to talk to him anyway. She trusted Jock but she had to be sure that MacDuff seemed to be everything Jock had told her.

“Mom?” Michael said drowsily. “Stop hurting….”

“I’m okay, Michael,” she said softly.

“You’re not. I can feel it. Don’t hurt. It’s not your fault….”

He was asleep.

She bent forward and gently kissed his forehead before leaning back in the chair.

7

R
oyd watched Michael jerkily climb the steps to the private jet with Jock. “He’s going to blow,” he said quietly. “It’s beginning to hit home.”

Dear God, she hoped not. Michael had been silent all the way to the airport, but it was normal for him to be unhappy. “Maybe not. Jock was very persuasive.”

“He’s going to blow,” Royd repeated. “Be prepared for it.”

How could she be prepared for—

Michael was turning, lurching down the steps and tearing across the tarmac. He hurled himself into her arms. “I don’t want to go,” he whispered. “It’s no good. No good.”

Her arms tightened around him. “It is good,” she said unevenly. “I’d never ask you to go if it weren’t for the best.”

He was silent for a moment and then pushed away from her. His eyes were glistening with tears. “You promise you’ll be okay? You promise nothing will happen to you?”

“I promise. We’ve gone through all this.” She tried to smile. “And Royd has promised you that too. Do you want us to sign a contract?”

He shook his head. “But things happen. Sometimes crazy things.”

“Not to me.” She stared him in the eye. “Are you backing out of going?”

He shook his head again. “I wouldn’t do that. I want to stay with you but Jock says you’ll be safer without me.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Then I’ll go.” His arms tightened around her in a desperate bear hug before he turned to Royd and said fiercely, “You take care of her. Do you hear me? If you let anything happen to her, I’m coming after you.”

Before Royd could reply he’d whirled and was running toward the plane, where Jock was waiting. A moment later the door closed behind them.

Royd chuckled. “I’ll be damned. I think he would. I believe I’m beginning to feel very close to your son.”

“Oh, shut up.” She wiped her eyes, watching as the plane taxied down the runway. She felt as if she were being torn apart. It was for the best, she had told Michael. And she’d talked to MacDuff earlier this morning and he’d promised to keep her son safe. But that didn’t make it any easier. She waited until the plane was no longer in sight before she turned away. “Let’s get out of here.” She headed for the parking lot. “Have you talked to your friend Kelly?”

“I couldn’t reach him last night. He told me that he wouldn’t contact me unless it was safe for him.” He fell into step with her. “If Sanborne’s busily eliminating everyone connected with REM-4, getting near those files must be becoming increasingly difficult.”

“Does that mean you’re not going to make the attempt?”

“Don’t be stupid,” he said coldly. “It means that I’m going to wait until I have a sure thing.”

“And what if you don’t have a sure thing? What if he gets away with those records and sets up his little foreign stronghold?”

He opened the car door for her. “Why, then I’ll find him and blow his hideaway to hell and back.”

His tone was uninflected and his face without expression, yet she felt the force that was driving him as if it were tangible. She drew a deep breath and changed the subject. “Where are we going? Back to the motel?”

He shook his head. “We’re leaving the city. I’ve made a reservation at a motel about forty miles from here. I don’t want to risk a chance of someone seeing you and recognizing you. According to the news last night, you and Michael are presumed dead. I want you to stay that way as long as possible.”

“I suppose I can’t let my ex-husband know that Michael’s alive?”

“Hell, no.”

She hadn’t thought so. “It’s going to be hard for him. He does love Michael.”

“Tough.” He backed out of the parking space. “What about you? Does he still love you?”

“He’s married again.”

“That isn’t what I asked.”

She shrugged. “I had a child with him. How do I know how much feeling he has left?”

“How about you?”

She glanced at him but he wasn’t looking at her. “What?”

“How do you feel about him?”

“That’s none of your business. Why would you want to know?”

He didn’t speak for a moment. “Maybe I’m probing for possible weaknesses. It would be the smart thing to do.”

“Are you?”

“No.”

“Curiosity?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Then screw your damn curiosity. All you have to know is that I’m not going to run to Dave and let him know that Michael and I are alive.” She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. “And I’m tired of talking to you. It’s like hacking my way through a field of briars. Wake me when we get to the motel.”

The room at the Holiday Inn Express was clean and spare, but it had a few more amenities than the motel where they had stayed the night before.

Royd handed her the key after he’d glanced around her room. “I booked an adjoining room.” He smiled faintly. “Michael would be upset if I wasn’t within calling distance.”

She tossed her purse on the bed. “I need some clothes. Everything I had to wear was in that house.”

“I’ll go out and buy you something.” He studied her. “Six?”

“Eight. Size seven shoes. And I’ll need a laptop. I’m going to take a shower and then nap.” She headed for the bathroom. “Will you see if there’s any news about our recent demise?”

“Anything you say.”

“How accommodating. One would never associate you with the man who destroyed almost everything I had in the world.”

“I promise I’ll replace everything of value.”

“You can’t do that. I don’t care about furniture and appliances, but what about my photo albums? And my son’s souvenirs and toys he cherished?”

“No, I can’t replace those,” he said quietly. “I guess I didn’t think about them. I grew up in eight different foster homes and no one was interested in taking any family pictures. But I’ll try to make it up to Michael. Only you can decide if the time we bought was worth what I took from you.”

Of course it was worth it. Michael was flying away to safety. “You did what you thought best.”

“Yes, I did. But that doesn’t mean I did it in the best way. I’m not perfect.” He nodded. “I’ll pick up some Chinese on the way back. I’ll lock the door. Don’t open it to anyone but me.”

The door shut behind him.

Don’t open it to anyone but me.

His words had been said in an almost casual tone but the meaning wasn’t casual. She was still a target and that no doubt pleased Royd. Why wasn’t she more afraid? She felt tired and on edge but there was no fear. It was probably because Michael was no longer in danger. She could cope with anything as long as she didn’t have to worry about her son.

She stepped beneath the shower and let the warm water rush over her body. Michael would be fine. No one could take better care of him than Jock.

Unless it was Royd.

Why had that thought popped into her mind? Royd was everything that was barbed and deadly. He had none of the gentleness that masked the threat that Jock presented to the world. He was blunt and single-minded and had as much sensitivity as a charging rhino.

Yet he had known that Michael would erupt in that last moment.

Judgment, not sensitivity. She had never doubted he was intelligent.

Don’t think about him. She’d take these few moments to relax and gather herself together. She was upset and angry and was beginning to feel the first pangs of loneliness. Michael was always with her, either in person or in her thoughts. Every day ended and began with her son. Now she was cut off from him and it hurt.

Then stop whining and do what you have to do. It was the only way they could be together again. She wasn’t only a mother. She was a woman with a brain and a will.

And that will had to be directed squarely at Sanborne.

Royd was sitting in a chair across the room, one leg slung over the arm and his head leaning against the back.

Tiger, tiger, burning bright.

“Awake?” Royd sat up straight and smiled. “You were out cold. I wonder how much sleep you’ve missed over the last couple years.”

She shook her head to clear it before she sat up and wrapped the sheet more firmly about her naked body. “How long have you been here?”

He checked his watch. “Three hours. And it took me a couple hours to gather you a wardrobe and a duffel bag.”

Five hours. “You should have woken me.” She swung her feet to the floor. “Or gone to bed yourself.”

“I wasn’t in a hurry. Though I seem to be making a habit of being the one to wake you, don’t I? But this time I was enjoying it.”

“That’s a bunch of—” She broke off as she met his eyes. Sensual. As sensual as the way he was lounging. Lazy, catlike, totally sensual. She tore her gaze away. “Then you’d better find something else to amuse you. I don’t like any intrusions on my space, Royd.”

“I’m not intruding. I haven’t moved from this chair since I came in here. I’ve just been watching you.” He smiled. “Sorry. I’ve been in the jungle for too long.” He stood up. “I’ll go back to my room and heat up the Chinese in my microwave. Your clothes are in those two shopping bags across the room. I hope they fit. I tried to choose something with a little style.” He said over his shoulder, “But you’ll never find anything that you looked better in than that sheet.”

She stared after him. Jesus, her cheeks were warm and her breasts beneath the sheet were suddenly full and sensitive. She felt—She didn’t want to think about how she felt. And she didn’t want to think about the man who had made her feel like that. It was crazy as hell anyway. She’d always been drawn to men who were intelligent and civilized, like Dave. Royd might be intelligent, but there was nothing civilized about him. He made up his own rules and ignored everything else.

It was okay to feel like this. That uncontrolled response was purely biological and normal, considering that she’d not had sex since months before her breakup with Dave. She’d been caught off guard and probably would have had the same reaction to anyone under the same circumstances.

Maybe not anyone. Royd had a bold sexuality that—

Forget it. That moment wouldn’t be repeated. She stood up and headed across the room to the shopping bags. Get dressed, pack the rest of the clothes in the duffel, and go into Royd’s room and eat dinner. By the time they finished it might be time to call Jock and talk to Michael.

“I’ve just seen the evening news,” Boch said when Sanborne picked up the phone. “For God’s sake, the police still don’t know whether they were in that house when it exploded. Or if they do, they’re keeping it under their hats.”

“They had to be in it. The cop who stopped the car recognized their photos. Remnants of that same car were found in the ruins and on the lawn.”

“No bodies, dammit.”

“The force of the explosion. We’re looking at body parts and they’re not going to announce a death until they’re certain. It could trigger a flurry of lawsuits against the gas company and cause a panic in the neighborhoods where the leak existed. It will take time.”

“Excuses, Sanborne? Your Caprio must have fouled up and now you don’t have proof that your men followed through to correct the blunder.”

Sanborne kept hold of his temper. “I can’t phone any of my contacts with the police. I can’t be associated with her in any way. Can’t you see that? I’ve had Gerald Kennett call the hospital and she hasn’t phoned in. She usually checks up on her patients at weekends. The staff is shocked and worried.”

“That’s not enough. She’s not stupid. She could be hiding out. She must have close friends she’d contact. Pump them.”

“I have to be careful. I can’t have them call the police claiming harassment.” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m way ahead of you. I sent one of my men, Larry Simpson, to interview the neighbors and the kid’s soccer coach, posing as a newspaper reporter. None of them have heard from her.”

“The ex-husband?”

“I have someone on the way to Edmunds’s house now. Satisfied?”

“No, I’ll be satisfied when the police announce that Sophie Dunston was blown to hell.” Boch paused. “Ben Kaffir has been in touch with me. He’s interested in REM-4 but he’s playing footsie with Washington and he won’t commit until we prove that he’s not going to be named in any investigation. The Dunston woman has already caused too many problems.”

“She won’t cause any more,” Sanborne said. “Be patient. Give me another day and you’ll see that you’re worrying needlessly.”

“I’m not worrying. I’m heading for Caracas to make final arrangements. If I find out that you’ve screwed up again, I’ll come back and take care of her myself.” Boch hung up.

Sanborne leaned back in his chair. Much as he’d like to let his anger have free rein, Boch was not too far out of line. He’d been truthful about the death reports taking a long time, but he was uneasy after Caprio’s disappearance. The delay in announcing the deaths might indicate that they were trying to identify body parts, but it might mean a slip-up. Things weren’t going as smoothly as he’d planned and he didn’t like it.

Royd?

Christ, he hoped not. He didn’t need to have to contend with that bastard at this crucial time.

Okay, assume Royd wasn’t on the scene and muddying the waters. Assume the woman and her son were dead, as he’d told Boch.

Try to get confirmation.

He looked down at his notebook, underlined the last name on the list.

Dave Edmunds.

Royd had put the Hunan chicken on two paper plates on the small table by the window and he was pouring wine into a second glass when Sophie came into the room. “I bought red wine. Is that okay with you?”

She nodded. “But I’d rather have coffee.”

“I’ll make a pot later.” He gestured to a chair. “It’s supermarket vino and you won’t be able to tolerate more than two glasses anyway. I assure you I’m not trying to make you drunk.”

“I didn’t think you were.”

“No?” His lips twisted. “I believe everything I do or say may be suspect. I detect a certain wariness. Sometimes I act on impulse, but I’m not going to jump you.”

“Because I’m too important to you to draw Sanborne and Boch.”

“That’s right.” He smiled. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have a chance.”

She sat down and picked up her fork. “I’d have a chance. Jock was a very good instructor.”