Iris Johansen - Deadlock

Move quickly. Don't let him change his mind. "Where?"

"Tell that do-gooder Joslyn to bring you to his favorite monastery. I'll be in the woods in the mountains behind it." He hung up.

It was done.

Emily drew a deep, shaky breath as she hung up the phone. She felt limp with relief. She hadn't been sure until the last minute that he'd agree to meet with her in a place where she had a chance. She would bet she could function in that forest better than Staunton. It might be her main advantage.

Monastery?

He'd seemed sure that Joslyn would know the place. She hoped he was right. She had no time for puzzles. She had no time for anything if she was going to get out of the hotel before Garrett came back to the room. She called Joslyn. "Go down to your car in the parking lot. I'll be there in five minutes." She phoned Irana. "Now, Irana." She hung up and went to the small duffel she'd packed earlier in the eve¬ning. It contained her Glock, the Magnum she'd taken from Garrett's case, and the infrared detector she'd seen Garrett use at Nemid's.

She hesitated as she reached the door. She didn't really want to call Pauley.

She had made a deal, dammit. She had to keep her part of the bar¬gain.

She phoned Pauley's number. "Joslyn and I are on our way. Come if you can make it."

She hung up the phone.

Dear Lord, she hoped he couldn't make it, that he was so tied up with Garrett that he couldn't break free.

He would be another target, and Staunton would go after him with the same viciousness he'd shown any prey.

"MONITOR THAT PROGRAM FOR me, will you? I'll be back in fif¬teen minutes," Pauley told Garrett as he headed for the door. "I just need to go downstairs and get a snack. I haven't had anything since breakfast. Do you want anything?"

"No, why didn't you get something when you went for your walk?"

But Pauley was gone.

Garrett checked the computer. There was a program running as Pauley had said. That was a little weird. It wasn't like him to let any¬one else monitor his work.

That wasn't all that was weird. Garrett had been aware of restless¬ness, a sort of suppressed excitement brewing just below the surface all day.

No, not all day. Just since Garrett had returned from talking to Joslyn this afternoon. A connection?

Perhaps. The possibility was enough to make him uneasy. Screw Pauley's program. Garrett headed for the door to go after him.

His phone rang as he reached the elevator. Dardon.

"Look, I may be out of line, but I thought you should know. I'm down in the lobby and I just saw Emily going out the front entrance." "What?"

"You didn't know? I didn't think you'd let her go out without hav¬ing me trail behind to protect her."

"Hell, no. Catch up with her. See if you can stop her. I'll be right down." He whirled and ran down the corridor and threw open the door to Emily's room. He called Irana's room as he checked for Emily's duffel.

Irana wasn't answering.

Emily's duffel, where she kept her gun, was missing.

Shit. He whirled and headed back toward the elevator.

He was going over the sequence of events of the afternoon. Joslyn's calling Garrett and asking to see him. The visit that had yielded noth¬ing important except Joslyn's repeated apologies, which had struck Garrett as a little out of character.

Pauley's odd attitude and his leaving the room twice within a three-hour period.

Irana's not answering her phone.

Why the hell hadn't Emily waited? Yes, he'd done the wrong things, said the wrong things. He hadn't been able to help himself. He'd been almost as scared then as he was now.

Because that bastard Staunton had put her through hell and watched her writhe in pain.

And he wanted to do it all over again.

Keep calm. Keep cool. He wouldn't be able to think if he let emo¬tion riot through him.

Now the only thing that was important was to find Emily before that son of a bitch killed her.

"MONASTERY?" EMILY ASKED Joslyn as he drove the car around the corner. "Do you know what he meant?"

"Yes," Joslyn said. "The monastery Ganina Yama. It's the monastery that was built over the mineshaft where the bodies of the royal family were thrown after they were assassinated."

"Why did he say it was one of your favorite places?"

"I contribute to their charities. Dimitri always felt that the Church should have done more to protect Nicholas and his family. I didn't know that Staunton was even aware that I did it."

"It doesn't surprise me," Irana said. "Staunton seems to have de¬veloped a fascination for everything connected with Zelov and his his¬tory. He has a voracious appetite for gore and death."

"And where do we go after we reach this monastery?" Pauley asked. "I assume we're not attacking the monks."

"He said the woods in the mountains in back of the monastery," Emily said. "That's the Ural Mountains, Joslyn?"

"Yes," Joslyn said. "I'll go with you no matter what you decide. I owe it to you. But I can see that this isn't going to be simple. How do you intend to do it?"

"He wants me. But he doesn't want me dead. Not yet. I'm count¬ing on using that." She showed them the infrared detector. "And I may be able to find them before they find Irana and me."

"I know that gadget," Pauley said. "Garrett used it at Babin's place. I found it very comforting."

"I'm sure you did."

"Irana and you?" Joslyn asked.

"Your part ends when you drop us off at the monastery. I'll use ei¬ther of you if I have to do it, but you may be more of a hindrance than a help." Pauley was looking at her, and she said, "This isn't some kind of lark. I don't want you dead, Pauley. I don't want anyone dead but Staunton."

"That's very kind," Pauley said. "But I really think I can make a contribution. "

"Irana is the only one who goes in the woods with me. Staunton won't look upon her as a threat. If I show up with you and Joslyn, it will be the quickest way to have Staunton on offense. He wants to take me alive, and he'll think I'm vulnerable if Irana and I are alone in the forest."

"He'll be right," Joslyn said. "The woods at night…" He shook his head. "It can be very intimidating."

"I'm not as vulnerable as he thinks," Emily said. "I practically grew up in the woods. It's an advantage, and the fact that Staunton doesn't know I have it makes it more valuable."

"You intend to track Staunton?" Pauley asked skeptically.

"Yes. But it may end up with letting him track us. There's not a chance he won't know when we enter those woods. I'll just make sure I lose him right away so that I have a chance once he pounces." She turned to Joslyn. "How long until we get there?"

"Another twenty minutes."

"Park on the road at least five minutes' walk from the monastery." Her palms were moist with sweat as she clutched the duffel holding the guns.

It was coming closer. Staunton was coming closer. Irana reached out and took Emily's hand. "It will be okay, Emily. I feel it."

"Yes." Her hand tightened on Irana's. She mustn't be afraid. This was the moment she had been working toward. Staunton…

DARDON WAS WAITING FOR Garrett when he reached the lobby. "She was gone when I ran outside. And Joslyn's car is gone from the parking lot. How bad is it? Is Joslyn working with Staunton?"

"No, I think he's only doing what Emily asked him to do. He told me that he wanted to make amends. So he decides to take Emily right into the lion's mouth," Garrett said. "That's not what I call amends. Emily is calling the shots with all of them. Irana, Pauley, Joslyn…"

He glanced at Dardon as he headed for the front entrance. "Tell me that we've got a chance of tailing them."

Dardon nodded. "You said you didn't trust Joslyn. I knew my ass was on the line. I bugged his car right after you talked to me." He pulled out a black monitor and checked the red light. "About two miles north of here."