Iris Johansen - Eve

The woman was still trying desperately to speak.

“I’ll fix that.” Catherine undid the gag. “Now I’ll stay here with you and hold your hand until the ambulance gets here.”

“No.” Judy’s voice was rasping. “Help-find-her.” Her eyes were glittering wildly in her parchment-colored face. “Took- Don’t let him-”

“Shh.” Catherine squeezed her hand. “You said he was gone.”

“But-he-took-her.”

“Who?”

“Cara.”

Oh, dear God. Of course, the little girl. Judy’s little girl.

“I’ll be right back.” She released her hand. “I’ll go check.”

Judy was shaking her head as Catherine ran out of the room. She climbed over the banister and ran up the steps to the second floor. The doors were all open wide. The second room down the hall was a child’s room. Pink princess coverlet on the bed. A Disney clock on the wall.

No little girl.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

She quickly checked the other bedrooms.

No little girl. No Cara.

She drew a deep breath.

Damn him.

Then she ran out of the room and a moment later was in the dining room.

“Gone.” The tears were running down Judy’s face. “Cara.”

Catherine took her hand again. “We’ll find her. Do you know who took her?”

She shook her head. “We went to bed-early. Then he was just-there. We didn’t even know him.” The tears were flowing harder. “Mama.”

“I’m sorry.” What else could she say? There weren’t words to express the horror Judy had gone through and was still experiencing. Catherine knew the panic of losing a child to a monster. “I’ll help you find your child.”

“I think… I’m dying. What if-I die? No one may ever find her.”

“I told you, I’ll find her.”

“Promise me.” Judy’s gaze was desperately holding Catherine’s. “Promise-”

“I promise.” She only hoped she could find the child alive. “But she’ll need you after she comes home. You’ve got to be quiet and do everything you can to get well.”

“Needs me…” Judy’s eyes closed. “I’ll… try…”

Catherine heard the sound of sirens in the distance.

Lord, let them get here in time.

CATHERINE CALLED JOE AND FILLED him in from the waiting room at the hospital.

“Could you get a description?”

“I didn’t try yet. Neither did the police. She’s in surgery. She may not make it, Joe. Whoever did this wanted to leave her enough alive to send a message. But he didn’t give a damn what kind of damage he did with that butcher knife.”

“Son of a bitch.”

“That’s what I say. He took the kid, Joe. Anyone who would do what he did to those two women would think nothing of torturing and murdering a kid.”

“And you’re mad as hell.”

“I keep thinking of Luke and how I felt when my son was taken.”

“You have a copy of the photo of Paul Black that Eve gave us. Can you show it to her as soon as possible?”

“I’ll have to find a way to get in to see her. The only reason the police didn’t take me in for questioning was that I’m CIA. They may still do it if they get enough heat. The murder of Judy Clark’s mom was ugly and senseless, and that scares people.”

“Let me know.”

“Any leads on Eve?”

“Not yet.” He hung up.

Catherine sat back down and sipped her coffee.

Joe had been curt and on edge, and who could blame him?

The violence was escalating by the minute, and it all seemed to be heading toward Eve.

What if it wasn’t Paul Black who had committed these atrocities? It could be someone else that Queen had hired.

And what would she do if she found out from Judy that it was Black? The taking of Cara Clark opened a whole new avenue of threat. Why was the child taken and not murdered? Why had Judy been left alive to tell them? The kidnapping would be a weapon that might be impossible to overcome. She knew the helplessness and fear that could cripple you when you thought that your action could result in the killing of the helpless.

And that action had not been aimed at Judy Clark. She was almost certain that Eve was the target. Eve would do anything that she had to do to save a child.

And so would Catherine. Give her the chance, and she’d cut the bastard’s throat. She felt a surge of sheer savagery at the thought.

Keep cool. She would sit and drink her coffee and wait for news on Judy Clark. If she lived, then Catherine would show her Black’s photo and get an ID.

And plan what she would do to the son of a bitch who could perpetrate a hideous act like this.

“WAKE UP.”

Eve opened her eyes to see Gallo’s face above her. He smelled of soap, and his hair was wet as if he’d just stepped out of a shower.

He smiled. “I just called room service for breakfast. I thought you’d want to shower and brush your teeth before they get here.”

“I do.” She glanced at her watch. Seven thirty. She wasn’t surprised she’d slept so late. She had talked about Bonnie far into the night. And even after the words had ceased to flow, she hadn’t been able to sleep. She had lain beside Gallo in the darkness, answering an occasional question, suddenly remembering something she had forgotten to tell him. It had been a strange and supremely intimate night. By releasing all those memories of Bonnie, she had created a cocoon of togetherness for which she had not bargained. She had always clung to those memories, shutting everyone else out. Now they no longer belonged only to her.

She sat up and swung her feet to the floor. “Maybe I wasn’t followed. It could be your trap is a dud, John.”

“I admit that I expected the situation to move a little faster.” He met her gaze. “But I’m glad it didn’t. Thank you, Eve.”

She pulled her gaze away. That overpowering intimacy again, the feeling of being part of him. “It doesn’t mean anything more than that I felt you shouldn’t be cheated of something I treasure.” She moistened her lips. “I have a tendency to be selfish about Bonnie. While she was alive, she was everything to me. After she was gone, I still couldn’t let her go.”

“That’s pretty clear. You’ve been searching for her killer since the day she was taken.”

“No, I mean I couldn’t talk about her, not even about the good times. I held the memories close as if I was afraid of losing those, too.” She looked away from him. “I guess it was time I stopped being afraid and realized that sharing only makes them richer. So maybe I have something to thank you for, too, John.”

“You’ve not talked to Quinn about Bonnie?”

“Of course.” How could she explain? “But he didn’t know her, couldn’t love her. He only knew her as a cause of sorrow and danger to me. And I couldn’t tell him all the things that might have brought him closer to her.” She smiled as she got to her feet and headed for the bathroom. “But maybe I can now.”

He chuckled. “So a night in bed with me is going to bring you closer to Quinn?”

“Yes.”

His smile faded. “I hope it does if that’s what you want. I want you to have everything you want, Eve. But you have to know that there’s no going back after last night.” He held up his hand as she opened her lips. “Don’t say it. I’d like to think that I could replace Quinn, but I wouldn’t even try. You have someone who can give you stability, and that’s something I know nothing about. I’d never take that away from you.” He grimaced. “But he can’t take away the closeness we have together, either. And neither can we, Eve. We’re joined in a way that’s… remarkable. You know it, and so do I.” He turned away. “I don’t know what it means or how we’re going to resolve the situation. But it had to be said.”