Iris Johansen - Eight Days To Live

“No problem. It will just take a little while. But it would be best if you don’t use your phone. The Sang Noir may have the souls of beasts, but they’re techno-savvy. We wouldn’t want your ‘hunter’ to be taken down before he could come to your rescue.”

“You’re telling me that they could be monitoring my cell?”

“They have the right equipment if they’re within a hundred yards.”

“And they could know that Eve and Joe are on their way to MacDuff’s Run?”

“Yes, but MacDuff has already arranged to have them watched until they’re safely within the gates.”

Relief surged through her. “Then get me away from them. I have to call Caleb.”

AN HOUR LATER JOCK PULLED into the parking lot of the Bleinart Inn, a small stone hotel some distance south of Paris. “This should be safe enough. We’ve lost our tail.”

“I’d say that you would have managed to lose anyone following us,” she said dryly. “I’m dizzy from all those blasted turns.”

“I’m very good at losing anyone after me. It was part of my training.” His lips twisted. “What good is an assassin if he can be traced?” He turned off the ignition. “This place looks decent enough. I’ll go inside and check us in. That will allow you to have privacy for your call.”

“Thank you, Jock.”

“The sooner you make the call, the sooner I’ll know what this is all about.” He got out of the car and grabbed the suitcases. “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”

She hesitated as she pulled out her phone. It wasn’t a call that she wanted to make. Seth Caleb had always been an unknown quantity to her. She had known him for only a matter of days while he was on the hunt for a serial killer who had threatened Eve. Yet their time together had been filled with darkness and a disquieting fascination.

Darkness.

Yes, that described Caleb. The darkness of the unknown, of violence, of death, of power. A few weeks ago, when he had left Eve’s lake cottage, Jane had been glad to see him go. She had felt as if she had stood on the edge of an active volcano and looked down into the fiery depths. But then she had been permitted to walk away.

Permitted? Why had that word occurred to her? She ruled her own life. Caleb had no control of her.

But if she’d wanted him to go away, why had she kept his cell number in her phone?

Because there was sometimes a use for darkness and the people who dealt in it.

So stop analyzing my motives. I’ve already made my decision. Call Seth Caleb.

She dialed his number.

He answered the phone on the second ring. “Surprise. Surprise. What’s wrong, Jane?”

“Why do you think there’s something wrong? You told me you couldn’t read minds.”

“I can’t. But you’ve always been wary of me. And rightly so. It would take a serious problem to nudge you into calling. Is it Eve?”

“No. Yes. It may be trouble for Eve unless I can get a handle on this.”

“And you think I can help you. Why?”

“You’re a hunter. I need to find a man. Quickly.”

“I assume you want him alive?”

“Of course.”

“There’s no ‘of course’ about it. Most of the people I hunt I don’t allow to live.”

She smothered the tingle of shock at the carelessness of the statement. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t known that about him. “I need information, not for you to kill the bastard.”

He chuckled. “And I was looking forward to giving you a gift of that magnitude. Not his head on a platter? Since the moment I met you, I knew that it would take something extraordinary to impress you. Information is too easy.”

“Not this time. I’ve had enough of decapitated-” She had to stop as memories flooded back to her. She had to steady her voice. “All I want is for you to find Ted Weismann so that I can question him. Will you do it?”

He was silent a moment. “Decapitated… You picked up on that too soon. I wonder why? I think that perhaps there may be an opportunity in this to impress you after all.”

“No, I don’t want you involved in anything but the search. I don’t want to be responsible. It’s ugly, Caleb.”

“I’m used to ugly,” he said. “And I’m touched that you’re trying to protect me. And you won’t be responsible. If I want to do you a favor, then I’ll do it. It’s always my choice, Jane.”

“I don’t want a favor,” Jane said. “Favors always have to be returned, and I’ve never been able to trust you not to have a hidden agenda.”

“That’s because you’re so clever. Of course I do.”

“Set a price, Caleb.”

“I’ll think about it,” he said. “In the meantime, I think I should get to work and try to find this Weismann. What can you tell me about him that might help?”

“Not much. He belonged to Sang Noir, a murder-for-hire group, but he’s now on the run. He was with their cell headquarters in Rome until the past few days. He’s manipulative, money-hungry, and doesn’t give a damn who dies as long as he can squeeze enough cash out of Venable.”

“Venable. CIA?”

“You know him?”

“No, I’ve heard of him. But our paths have never crossed. Over the years I’ve dealt with any number of intelligence agencies. They’re a rich source to tap for information. I would probably have gotten around to Venable eventually.” His tone was thoughtful. “Sang Noir. I did have an encounter with them several years ago. I was forced to remove one of their members. Well, not exactly forced, it was a pleasure.”

“Then I’m surprised you’re not on their hit list.”

“They had no idea I had anything to do with it. I made sure it looked like natural causes. Poor man had a brain hemorrhage.”

She shivered. The casualness of his tone was chilling, but no more than the possibility that he could cause those hemorrhages. It shouldn’t have bothered her. Knowing what she did about the Sang Noir, she knew the man had probably deserved death.

“Get over it, Jane,” Caleb said softly. “You came to me. Accept me for what I am.”

“I do. Most of the time. Sometimes it’s harder than others.” She had to move on. “Where are you? How soon can I expect some word from you?”

“I’m at my house in Switzerland. After I left Eve’s lake cottage, I had a desire to go to my villa on Lake Lucerne. In many ways it’s probably even more beautiful than your lake in Georgia.” He paused. “But it was the company, not the scenery that I found lacking. I missed sitting on that porch with you.”

She had a sudden memory of Caleb sitting on the top step of those porch stairs. Dark, intense eyes gazing out at the water, high cheekbones, sensual, beautifully shaped lips, the faintest indentation in his chin. Though only in his late thirties, dark hair slightly threaded with gray at the temples, his body relaxed but still radiating strength and power. Everything about him had always been high-impact. That impact had stunned her when she had first met him and was affecting her right now even though she couldn’t see him. She repeated, “When will I hear from you?”

“I’ll get to work right away. I’ll head for Rome and see what I can find out. I still know where to find a few of the members of the group. As I recall, there was nothing complicated about them. Neanderthals with high-powered weapons. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Where are you?”

“I’m at the Bleinart Inn outside Paris, but I don’t know how long I can stay here before I have to move on.”

He was silent for an instant. “That sounds remarkably as if you’re on the run. Are you?”

She ignored the question. “Get back to me as quickly as you can.”

“Oh, I will. But I don’t like the fact that you’re not telling me everything. You know how curious I can be.”