Iris Johansen - Eight Days To Live

“Wait.” She moistened her lips. There was no way of appealing to him on anything but practical reasons but she didn’t want him walking away. “This isn’t smart. Your damn hunting may be good tonight, but you’re bound to be outnumbered.”

“Oh, I won’t be alone.” He started across the rocky ground toward the encampment. “Jock Gavin and MacDuff are going hunting, too.”

EVE DIDN’T OPEN HER EYES until late the next afternoon.

“Hi,” Jane said softly. “How do you feel?”

Eve smiled. “I don’t know. How should I feel?”

“Groggy. The doctors here at the hospital gave you massive antibiotics and put you under to do a little repair work on your shoulder. It’s going to be fine. Joe was here with you up until ten minutes ago. He went outside to take a call from Venable.”

“Groggy sounds about right.” Her hand tightened on Jane’s. “What happened to Millet? I was pretty out of it last night.”

“Millet and Roland are dead. The temple was blown to the stratosphere. A number of Millet’s men managed to get away, but Caleb, Jock, and MacDuff went after them.”

“Caleb found a few soul mates?” A faint smile touched Eve’s lips. “I imagine Joe would have been right there with them if this wound of mine hadn’t put a crimp in his plans.”

“You’re probably right. But Caleb doesn’t know the meaning of soul mate. He’s out there all alone.”

“Alone? I never thought about Caleb like that. But I guess you’re right.”

“Don’t start feeling sorry for him. It’s his choice.” She changed the subject. “I’m not sure what happened to all those people who were clawing to get out of the temple before it blew. Some of them were probably able to get away if they had immediate transport. Some of them were rounded up by MacDuff’s men and Venable’s agents. As far as I’m concerned, they can rot in the desert.” She paused. “But Venable thinks he managed to snag all the photos that Millet had taken at the Offerings from the wreckage. So they might get a surprise when they manage to get home. There are going to be some very unhappy people.”

“And how do you feel?”

“Tired, grateful.” She said, “Oh, yes, very grateful. I was scared up to the very end. I was afraid I’d lose you.”

“You shouldn’t have been afraid. You’ll never lose me. Love doesn’t work that way. It goes on forever.”

“I understand the concept. I’m not at a stage right now where I can believe that. I’ll have to work on it. I had enough trouble just with all this dream stuff.”

“But you made it happen for us.”

“Did I?” She leaned back in her chair. “I’ve been sitting here thinking about that. Did I do it, or did Caleb help it along? He said he couldn’t influence dreams, but should I believe him?”

“What do you think?”

“He’s an enigma. But I think I do believe him… tentatively.” She gazed thoughtfully down at their joined hands. “But that leaves me with another puzzle.”

“The Judas coins.”

She nodded. “You told me you thought that the dreams all those years ago about the treasure that had the Judas coins had something to do with the recent dreams I had of Judas and those sacrifices.”

“I said I didn’t know but that it was possible.”

“And I remember you said when you came to MacDuff’s Run that you felt that it was right, and you had an odd feeling you were going to be part of what was happening there.” She looked up at Eve’s face. “You were part of it, a big part, Eve.”

“Yes.” She wrinkled her nose. “But I’d rather have had a more passive role.”

“I don’t think so. You were about to go out and search for trouble when Millet appeared on the scene.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Caleb once asked me if I thought the reason I was having the Judas dreams had anything to do with those people at the Offerings. That I was being influenced by their vibes. I told him no way.”

“You’ve changed your mind?”

She shrugged. “Those Offerings have been going on for centuries. Then out of the blue one person is influenced by them?”

Eve shrugged. “I don’t know. So much sin, so much wickedness.”

“But maybe it was time for them to end. Evil can’t go on forever. Yet it seemed to be doing that. Judas’s guilt spawned two thousand years of horror. I wish we knew more about him. Why? He must have loved Jesus at one time. How did it all go wrong? I know people can convince themselves of anything, but what would trigger that betrayal? And all those other deaths committed in the name of Judas…”

“And you were an instrument to stop them?”

“Who, me?” She shook her head. “I wouldn’t presume. I was just there at the right place and the right time.”

“And the right dream.”

She chuckled. “Okay, the right dream. But I probably won’t have any other dreams like those again. I hope I don’t.”

“But MacDuff hopes that you do.”

“Too bad.” She squeezed Eve’s hand and stood up. “Now I’ve got to go find Joe and tell him that you’re awake. My cell doesn’t work in this hospital.”

“Joe…” Eve was already closing her eyes. “Yes, I’m tired but I want to see Joe.”

And Jane was already fading out of the picture as she usually did when Eve and Joe came together. That was okay. It was good that Eve had a rock like Joe in her life. Jane wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Jane.”

She looked back over her shoulder to see that Eve’s eyes were open. “Do you need something?”

“The coins. What are you going to do with the coins?”

“I have no idea right now. First, I’m going to call Tischler and have him meet me in Atlanta and let him examine the coins as I promised. Providing he doesn’t feel he has to get permission from the Israeli government.”

“And if he does?”

“If he doesn’t promise to keep it confidential, he’ll never see those coins again. No more deaths. I’m not going to let this become a bone for everyone to fight over. Even if I have to bury them in a cave as Hadar did.”

“There’s always the Vatican.”

“They’re having their own problems. But they may have the power we need. Though they may choose not to believe the coins are authentic. I don’t know. I’ll worry about that later.” She opened the door. “All I want to do now is to go to the lake cottage with you and Joe and forget that any of this happened.”

“You won’t forget.”

“I know,” she said soberly. “Not ever. But maybe after a while it won’t hurt as much. Being with you and Joe at the lake always makes all the bad things seem to go away.”

“For me, too.” Eve smiled. “Let’s go home, Jane.”

JANE GOT A CALL TWO MINUTES after she stepped out of the hospital. Lina Alsouk.

“I’ve been trying to reach you,” Lina said impatiently. “The call didn’t go through.”

“I was at the hospital with Eve.”

“How is she? The head nurse said she was doing well when I called an hour ago.”

“She’s awake now. Joe is with her.” She paused. “I meant to phone and check on you, Lina. Things just seemed to get out of hand.”

“So Jock told me. I’m fine, better all the time. MacDuff wouldn’t let them take me to the hospital. I’m being coddled and nursed by MacDuff’s people.” She hesitated before adding grudgingly, “It’s not too bad.”

“I’m sure it’s not. MacDuff is probably feeling guilty about your injury.”

“He should feel guilty. He let them take Eve. Where is she going after she leaves the hospital?”

“Home to Atlanta.”

There was a silence. “Then I’m going, too.”

“What?”

“Oh, I won’t get in her way. I’ll just be around when she needs me.”