Iris Johansen - Eight Days To Live

“But I understand there’s a man, Seth Caleb, who has joined the party,” Roland said. “My informant with the CIA had no information on him. If I were you, I’d proceed with caution.”

“You’re not me. I run my own job, Roland. You did as I asked and tracked Weismann down. Now butt out.”

“Don’t be rude. I’m handing you Jane MacGuire and Weismann. But I have a few requirements. When you gather Weismann up, I want him eliminated at once. He obviously knows too much about your business, and I can’t be sure that he hasn’t picked up any hints about our relationship.”

“I was careful.”

“I want him dead on the spot,” Roland said flatly. “Don’t even let him open his mouth.”

“No problem. But not because you want it. The son of a bitch betrayed me.”

“Remember that when you see him.” It was time to get off the phone and let Millet concentrate his venom on his prey. Roland wanted him to be primed for the kill by the time he reached that cottage. “Remember I expect my turn with the MacGuire woman. Let me know when you’ve secured her.” He hung up the phone.

Everything was falling neatly into place. When Weismann had reported in that he had located Jane MacGuire and that she might have picked up the tablet at the bank, he had known it could be a bonanza. If Weismann managed to do as Roland ordered, then Millet would find nothing but a live Jane MacGuire and a few other dead bodies. Then Roland would be able to meet with Weismann and get the tablet.

But things didn’t always go as they should, and a wise man always had to have insurance. If Weismann had failed, then he couldn’t afford to have him use that lying viper’s tongue to try to make a deal with Millet to save his neck.

He would have to die quickly… and in silence.

“I’M NOT GOING,” LINA SAID FLATLY. “This is my home. Do you know how hard I’ve worked to say those words? My home . Not my father’s, not my husband’s. My home. I’m not giving it up.”

“And I’m not letting you stay here and be butchered,” Jane said fiercely. “I won’t be responsible. You can come back when this is all over, but you can’t stay now.”

“You insult me. You’re not responsible. I’m responsible for my life. No one else.” Lina glared at her. “Now get out. Maybe these people will follow you and leave me alone.”

“It’s not likely, Lina,” Jock said. “First, they’d torture you to find out if you know where we’re going. Then they’d kill you because you translated Adah’s ledger, and you know too much.”

“Do you think this is the first time this has happened to me? People come to me when they want confidentiality. I give it to them. I run the risk.”

“You’ve never run this high a risk,” Jane said. “I won’t have you join the body count.” She added desperately, “Come with us. We can’t leave without you.”

“Then stay. I don’t care. That’s your prerogative,” she said grimly. “But get your own AK-47. You can’t have mine.”

“I couldn’t have gotten you a more desired present, could I?” Caleb had come into the cottage. “But you shouldn’t be so selfish.”

“It wasn’t a present, it was payment,” Lina said.

“And now you’re causing me to rue the day. If you didn’t have the weapon, this discussion wouldn’t be taking place.” He was walking toward her. “Because you’re not stupid. You wouldn’t try to defend your castle without that gun. So I guess all I can do is try to persuade you not to do it.”

Jane stiffened. Persuade. She had a vision of Weismann lying in the toolshed, face contorted with pain.

“No, Caleb.”

“Be quiet, Jane. This is between Lina and me. We’ve worked together for a long time.” He stopped only two feet away from Lina. “I brought you and Gavin here. I took the chance of leading Weismann here so that I could gather him in. I’m the one who has to take care of the fallout.” He stared into Lina’s eyes. “What can I say to persuade you to go with us, Lina?”

“Nothing.”

He sighed. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

He was turning away, Jane saw with relief. Thank God. She had been so afraid that he would-

“Forgive me,” he said softly.

No!

Jane took a step forward.

Too late.

Caleb had turned in one catlike motion and leaped toward Lina.

She had barely time to lift her arm before the edge of Caleb’s hand came down on her neck.

Her eyes turned glassy, her knees gave way, and she started to slump.

He caught her as she started to fall to the floor. He glanced at Jock, who had leaped across the room toward him and was in attack mode. “She’s okay. It was the quickest way to solve the problem.”

Jock stopped, and said grimly, “You almost had a bigger problem.”

“I took that into account. Grab the AK-47. Let’s get her out of here. I want her in the car and out of the valley before she regains consciousness.”

“Excellent idea.” He turned and picked up the weapon. “I’ll go start the car.”

Jane was at the door, opening it for them. Gavin ran past her toward the road. “I thought you were-”

“I know what you thought.” He passed her and carried Lina across the garden down the road. “I hate to be predictable. Come on.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.” She turned back to the room. “I have to get Lina’s computer and all the printouts.”

“Hurry.”

She grabbed the computer, pulled a garbage bag from beneath the sink and started throwing the ledger and printouts into it. She added the box with the tablet and even scraps of paper from her wastebasket.

What else? Dammit, they were taking away Lina’s life. She didn’t know what was important to her.

She opened the desk drawer and scooped the contents into the bag. Passport, some official-looking documents.

“Jane!”

“Coming!”

No photo albums in this room. That was what Jane would take first in the event of an emergency. She ran to the closet in the bedroom and threw clothes haphazardly into the bag.

She was out of time to search any longer.

She picked up the garbage bag and ran out of the cottage.

Caleb was in the backseat with Lina slumped against him.

She jumped into the passenger seat beside Jock. “Is she okay?”

“At the moment,” Caleb said. “If we can get the hell out of here. Drive, Gavin.”

“I believe that’s what I’m doing.” The car was skidding on the rutted dirt road as Jock pressed hard on the accelerator. “Maybe we’ll get lucky. It could be that we have a time margin that’s not as-”

Rotors.

A roar of sound coming in fast from the south.

“Helicopter,” Jock said. “On second thought, I don’t think that we should count on luck.”

The helicopter is almost on top of us, Jane thought in panic. The blue spears of light coming down from the aircraft were blindingly bright as it descended toward them.

“They’ve seen us. Turn off the headlights.”

“It’s a little late.” He increased speed. ‘Why don’t you take care of turning off their headlights, Caleb? That AK-47 is on the floor back there. A well-placed shot should-”

A bullet splintered the corner of the windshield!

“Move.” Caleb was rolling down the window. “It will take a couple minutes for them to turn around and come back, but they’ll line up for a clear shot at us.” He had the AK-47. “Line me up for a shot at them, Gavin. I can’t be accurate with this car moving like a bucking bronco. We’re not going to have much time. If I don’t get the gas tank the first shot, we’re going to have to get out of this car before they blow us to kingdom come. Their firepower is probably a hell of a lot more sophisticated than this automatic weapon.”