Iris Johansen - Eve

The beeper went off immediately, then the small screen lit up with coordinates and squared an area. “Jackpot,” Catherine whispered. “The boulders. He’s behind the boulders.”

Eve’s gaze flew to the four huge boulders blocking the path. Steep incline on one side falling to the lake, open terrain on the other, where Cara was climbing. “There’s no way to get to him!”

“There’s a way,” Catherine said slowly. “Just not for us. We have to hang tight.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Gallo said roughly. “You stay here, and I’ll go off the path in the shrubs until I run out of cover, then take off after the kid. You give me protective fire until I can grab her and get her behind that stand of trees.”

“Too risky,” Catherine said. “Hang tight. We’ll have a chance if-”

“Gallo!” It was Black shouting. “I’m tired of waiting for you. I know you’re out there. Perhaps you need a little encouragement.”

A bullet caused the rocks to splinter two feet from where Cara was climbing.

She looked back with panic and frantically tried to climb faster.

“The next bullet will hit her heel. It will probably take her foot off. Do you want to see that, Eve?”

“No,” Eve shouted. “Don’t shoot her, Black.” She turned to Gallo. “You go after her the way you said. I’ll go up the path and try to distract him.”

“Come on,” Black called. “And bring Gallo with you. I was disappointed that I was going to have to use a rifle. This will be much better.”

“I’ll go slow,” Eve said. “I’ll talk to him on the way. Get to her, John.”

Catherine was cursing. “Dammit, stall. Don’t do this.”

“No choice,” Eve said. “He meant what he said. I’m not going to let him blow off body parts while we watch. Go, John. Once she’s safe, we can go after Black.”

“Son of a bitch. You’re right, no damn choice.” John ducked into the shrubbery and was gone.

“Eve, listen to me. I know you’re frantic about the kid, but there’s another chance to-” She shook her head. “But I don’t know if it will be in time.”

“If you get a shot, take it, Catherine.” Eve started down the path. She shouted. “Hold your fire, I’m coming, Black. Gallo doesn’t think Cara is important enough, but I do. Maybe after you have me, you’ll be able to persuade him.”

“Oh, yes, I can be very persuasive with your kind of collateral.”

“Keep on talking to him, Eve,” Catherine said curtly. “Stall. Joe should be here anytime.”

“Joe.” Eve stopped on the path as shock seared through her. “What are you talking about, Catherine? Joe?”

EVE DUNCAN HAD STOPPED INthe middle of the path and was looking back over her shoulder, Black saw, annoyed. What was happening? Was Gallo trying to talk her out of coming?

“I mean it, Gallo,” he shouted. “Don’t play with me. Maybe I should blow off your lady’s foot instead of the kid’s. I’m aiming right now.”

“But you’ll never pull the trigger.”

His head jerked around to see the man who’d spoken crouched on the rock behind him. He received a wild mixture of impressions as the man jumped him. Bare-chested. Barefoot. Brown hair plastered and damp.

Then he was knocked to the ground and the attacker was on top of him and jerking the rifle out of his hand. It went off as he threw it to one side.

Black was cursing as he reached for his knife in his arm holster. “Who the hell are-” But he knew who he was. “Quinn.” His knife plunged up at Quinn’s abdomen. “Son of a bitch, how did-”

Quinn grabbed his wrist and twisted the knife to one side. “Give it up, Black. I don’t want to kill you yet. You have questions to answer.”

Black kneed him in the groin and rolled out from underneath him. “I’m not going to die, Quinn. I’m never the one who dies.” The edge of his knife tore across Quinn’s upper arm. “I’ll kill you all.”

“The hell you will.” Quinn’s knife sliced down and entered Black’s chest.

Black shrieked.

Quinn sat back on his heels, his breathing hard, harsh. His eyes were glittering wildly in his set face. “Don’t die. I was careful. That shouldn’t have been fatal. I won’t have you dead. I still have a use for you.”

EVE TORE AROUND THE BOULDER and stopped short.

Joe was sitting beside Black, covered in blood.

Joe’s blood?

“Joe?” she whispered. “My God.”

“Stay away from him,” Joe said. “He’s not dead yet, and a viper can kill you with his dying strike.”

“To hell with him.” She came forward anyway. “All that blood…”

“A lot of mine. Most of it is his.”

“Where?”

“Arm.” He bent over Black. “You stay awake. You keep alive, dammit.”

“Oh, I’m alive.” Black’s voice was hoarse, vicious. His eyes were glaring up at Joe. “She’s soft. She won’t let you kill me.”

“I will kill you. It’s only a matter of time.” Joe turned to Eve, and said fiercely, “But he can’t slip away yet. I won’t let him.”

“Joe!” Catherine had come around the rocks. Her gaze went immediately to Black. “Good job. But you should have finished him.” She glanced back at Joe. “Do you need any help?”

“Not now.”

“Then I’m going up the hill and grab that poor kid and bring her down. Eve can take care of you.” She turned and disappeared behind the rocks again.

Eve took another step closer to Joe. “Let me-”

“No, I don’t need you to take care of me.” Joe’s eyes were boring into Black’s. “All I need is for you to listen while this bastard talks to me. It has to end. We both have to be free. He’s going to tell me where he buried Bonnie, or I’ll start cutting him to pieces.”

“Bonnie…” Black was gazing up at him maliciously. “You want to know… where Bonnie is? Screw… you, Quinn.”

“You like making people hurt, don’t you? That kid up on the hill. Her mother.” Joe put the point of the knife at his throat. “You want pain? I’ll show you pain, Black.”

“Joe.”

He didn’t take his gaze from Black. “You’ve got to know, Eve. He’s got to tell you. Where’s Bonnie?”

Black spit in his face.

“Where?” Joe didn’t move the knife to wipe away the spittle.

“Let me have him.” Eve hadn’t realized that Gallo had come and was standing a few yards away. His expression was as grim and savage as Joe’s. No, perhaps more savage. “He’ll talk to me.”

“Gallo.” Black’s gaze was glittering with ferocity. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you. Were you so afraid of me that you had to send Quinn to do your dirty work?”

“Shut up, Black.” Gallo’s voice was almost guttural. “I just came from seeing what you did to Judy’s daughter. She’s so terrified Catherine couldn’t get near her. She’s like a wild animal.”

“But that was the purpose,” Black said. “The hunt wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining if she wasn’t sufficiently primed.”

Joe jabbed him in the throat. Blood ran. Black flinched and began to curse.

“Where did you bury Bonnie?” Joe was ignoring everything around him but his one objective.

“Tell us,” Gallo said.

Uneasiness had suddenly supplanted the mockery in Black’s gaze as it flew to Eve. “Torture? Aren’t you going to stop them?”

“Did you stop when you killed all those children?” Eve said unevenly. “Did you stop when you killed Bonnie? I want to bring my daughter home. Tell me where you buried her after you killed her.”

His lip curled. “Bitch. Gallo’s bitch. I should have killed you when I had the chance. You and your Bonnie and-” He broke off with a cry as Joe’s knife bit down again. “Okay, take him away. I’ll talk to you.”