Iris Johansen: Chasing the Night

He hesitated, then said slowly, “Books. Mikhal burned them.”

“Then we’ll get you more. As many as you like. I’ll make sure you have an entire library of your own.”

Another silence. “Where? Where would I have to go?”

“We could decide that between us. I used to live in Boston, but I haven’t really had a home since I lost you.”

“I’ve read about Boston in one of my books. They had some kind of crazy tea party there.”

“Yes, they did. You used to live there, too, when you were a little boy.”

Another silence. “Would we go there right away?”

“I have to go somewhere else first. I promised a friend, Hu Chang, I’d go to Hong Kong and have a dental procedure done. He seemed to think it was urgent. But after that, we’ll go wherever you want to go.”

“Hong Kong.” He tasted the words. “It sounds…funny.”

“It’s not a funny place. Oh, I guess it could be. But where I grew up, it wasn’t. I was on my own.”

“Like me.”

She nodded. “Like you. Will you-” She stopped. “I want to push you because I want you to come so badly. But you’ve been pushed enough since you left me. I won’t do that to you.” She impulsively took a step forward, reaching a hand out to touch him. She saw his face tense, become even more shuttered. Her hand fell to her side. She whispered, “It’s so hard, Luke.”

He gazed at her. “I don’t know you,” he said again.

“I don’t know you anymore either. Sometimes getting to know someone can be an adventure, like reading a wonderful book. It could be like that for us.”

“A book? Maybe.” He paused, thinking. “If I don’t go with you, I can just walk out of here? You wouldn’t stop me?”

“I don’t want to let you go. Please. I’d rather you let me find somewhere safe for-”

“You wouldn’t stop me?”

She swallowed, then said, “I won’t stop you.” She added, “But I can’t lie to you. I’ll have to find a way to watch over you even if you leave me. I’ve just found you. I can’t let anything happen to you.”

“Nothing can happen to me now that Mikhal and Rakovac are gone.”

“Czadas and Rakovac were monsters, but there are other monsters out there. I could help you to recognize them.” She held up her hands helplessly. “You see, I can’t stop trying to persuade you. Will you think long and hard about coming with me, Luke?”

He stared at her for another moment. “Yes.” He turned on his heel and headed for the door. “I don’t want to be here anymore right now. You’re confusing me.”

Catherine stared after him as the door closed. “I was clumsy. Did I drive him away, Eve?”

“You weren’t clumsy,” Eve said as she came down the stairs. “You were honest and had more restraint than I would have had. You can’t blame him for being confused. His whole world has changed in a few hours. And I don’t believe that he’s going to run away from here right now.”

“I’ll see that he doesn’t.” Kelly moved past them and headed after Luke. “He won’t run away from me. I annoy him, but I’m no threat.”

“Be careful, Kelly,” Catherine said. “We have to give him space.”

Kelly snorted. “You’re both treating him as if he’s made of glass. Luke is probably stronger than all of us.”

“I hope that she’s right,” Catherine said, as the door shut behind Kelly. “I pray that she’s right.”

“She’s right.” Eve hesitated. “If Luke decides not to go with you, he can come to me, Catherine.”

“Thank you.” Catherine’s lips twisted. “You’re always offering to take in my strays, Eve. At least Kelly is civilized. I don’t know what kind of problems you’d have with Luke.”

“But you’d accept them in a heartbeat.”

“Oh, yes.”

“So would I.” Eve smiled luminously. “He’s alive. This one, we managed to bring home alive, Catherine. Do you know how wonderful that is? What difference does it make that we’re having a little trouble getting him to decide where that home is going to be?”

Catherine took her hand and smiled back at her. “No difference at all. What am I thinking?”

“We’ll work it out,” Eve said. “But now we need to go and see if that thumb drive is giving Venable and Joe the information they need.”

When they walked into the study, it was clear that the thumb drive had been the key they’d hoped it would be.

Venable was on the phone barking out orders. Joe was printing out from the computer. Another one of Venable’s men was on another phone, with a list in front of him.

Eve asked the question anyway. “You got it?”

Joe nodded. “It was to start tomorrow at six P.M. Eastern Standard Time. A simultaneous attack that would make sure that at least ten of the targeted thirteen cities would be affected.”

“Ten?” Eve was stunned. “So many? How is that possible?”

“Precise planning. They wanted to strike a massive blow, and it’s been in the works for a long time.” Joe’s lips twisted. “And Rakovac no doubt had been invaluable to Dabala’s cause.”

“Bastard,” Catherine murmured.

“One who we’re all grateful is no longer walking the earth,” Joe said. “You did well, Catherine.”

“It was my pleasure.” Catherine’s gaze was on Venable. “You don’t have much time. It’s close to nine P.M. here. That means it’s already one P.M. in the U.S. That only gives us five hours. Give me something to do to help. There have to be phone calls to make. Agents to whip into shape.”

“We had to pull the FBI into it. We have no authority within any of those cities. I called the director, and he gave us permission to call the FBI field agent in every targeted city with the name of the airline employee who was going to facilitate the boarding of the explosives. They’ll keep the explosive handoff from happening,” Venable said. “We’re hoping that we can keep our movements quiet from Dabala so that we can pick up the suicide bombers at flight time.”

“I’m calling my own FBI contacts,” Joe said. “Those FBI agents may have other contacts for you to call for them. Venable is delegating as much as possible, but I’d rather trust it to you.” He handed her a list. “Get to work.”

Eve held out her hand. “Give me one, too. I’ll leave Catherine to whip everyone into shape. I’ll just make sure that they know why it’s being done so she can go on to the next one.”

“Right.” Joe handed her the list and went back to the printer.

They didn’t finish the phone calls till close to midnight. Even then, Venable was still on the phone with Homeland Security when Eve, Joe, and Catherine walked out of the house to get some fresh air.

The air was not only fresh, it was chilly.

The coolness felt good to Eve. She took a deep breath. “I think we got to everyone. Lord, I hope no one slipped through the cracks.”

“We had the identity of the cities. Their airports will be on alert, too. It’s all we can do,” Joe said. “And if there’s a leak, maybe it will scare off Dabala from trying to ram through an attack.”

“Maybe,” Eve repeated.

“Probably,” Joe substituted. “It’s been a lucky night. I don’t think that luck’s going to go sour on us now. We’ll know pretty soon.”

“Where are Kelly and Luke?” Eve’s gaze was wandering around the grounds. “I haven’t seen them since Kelly stopped by the study about midnight. She said Luke didn’t want to come back inside, and she’d stay out here with him.”

“I don’t blame him for not wanting to go back into that house. It was a prison,” Catherine said. “Hell, I’d probably camp out in a tent if I were him.”

“Not surprising,” Joe said. “I recall you camped out at our place in one. He evidently shares your-” He stopped, his gaze on the hill leading down to the lake. “There’s Kelly coming back. I don’t see Luke.”