Iris Johansen - Dark Summer

"So he told you to murder Lester?"

"He would have preferred to do it himself, but he said the idea of giving Enright his last hour with you was appealing. Sort of like a condemned man having a last gourmet dinner."

"And torturing me was to be Lester's final treat?" She shuddered. "What a horrible man Danner must be."

"From what I've heard, he and your ex-husband have similar tastes and characteristics. And there was always the chance that Enright would break you, and he'd get Marrok as a bonus." He smiled. "But you've spoiled that possibility." He gazed down at Enright. "Amazing. Actually, impressive. But now the ball is in my court to get you to make that call to Marrok. I won't be as easy as Enright."

She knew he didn't want to kill her. Danner wanted her alive to lure Marrok. So the gun was a threat but not one that-

"Don't even think about it," Lincoln said. "I could shoot you and make excuses to Danner later."

"It's hard not to think about it," Bridget said from behind him. "When you're such sleazy son of a bitch."

He looked behind him and stiffened when he saw the gun in her hand. "Why, Bridget, is this a double cross?"

"How clever of you to recognize one when you see it. But then you should be very familiar with the concept." She glanced at Enright's body. "He wasn't very smart, was he? Danner just used him and threw him away."

"You heard me talking about Danner? But I was going to tell you about him. Naturally, I was going to bring you in on the deal."

"Not likely. I didn't have to overhear you explaining Danner's nasty modus operandi. I recorded that last call you made to Danner."

He shook his head reprovingly. "What a suspicious bitch you are, Bridget. And what do you intend to do about it?"

"Kill you."

"I do have a gun."

"But mine is pointed at that nicely barbered head of yours. Even if you got off a shot, my finger would still pull the trigger."

"Now don't be impulsive. We can come to terms. Naturally I tried to-" He dropped to the floor, firing as he rolled to the side.

BRIDGET DODGED BEHIND THEcouch, and the bullet plowed into the cushion.

Take your time, Jordan had always told her.

I don't have that much time, Jordan.

Another shot. Closer.

But she saw Lincoln moving across the floor, trying to get behind her.

Draw a bead.

The skull is always best, Jordan had told her.

She pressed the trigger.

"DEVON," BRIDGET CALLED FROMthe other room. "I'm coming in. Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you."

Devon tensed, then instinctively reached down and picked up the lamp with which she had hit Lester.

Bridget appeared in the doorway. Her brows rose as she saw the lamp. "Or maybe I should worry about you hurting me." She put her gun into her jacket pocket. "Does that make you feel better?"

"No. You just killed a man, didn't you?"

"Yes." She glanced at Enright. "But so did you. It's true you might have had a better reason, but then maybe not. It's all how you look at things." She lifted her gaze to Devon's face, then to her open shirt. "Did Enright hurt you?"

"Of course, he hurt me. What did you expect?"

"I didn't expect anything. Enright was the one factor I didn't know about." She smiled faintly. "And I'd say that you managed to hurt Enright more than he did you." She turned. "Put down that lamp and come into the kitchen where I can put a ban dage on the cut on your head."

Devon didn't move.

"Look, I know you don't trust me. How could you? You'd be an idiot. But I don't know how I can-Yes, I do." She crossed the room and knelt by Enright's body. She quickly searched him and came up with a shoulder holster. She pulled out the Glock and slid it across the floor to Devon. "Hold on to that. It should make you feel more secure. I'm surprised he didn't try to draw it."

"He probably didn't think of it." Devon touched her breast, which was still throbbing. "He liked to use his hands on me."

"Bastard." Bridget turned away. "Pick up the gun. After all, I did promise you a weapon when you got here."

"A promise you never meant to keep."

"I meant to keep it eventually. I'm doing it now." She disappeared into the other room. "Now come and let me wash that cut before we hit the road. It's not safe here."

Devon bent down and picked up the Glock. "Why should I go with you? Maybe you're going to deliver me to Danner." Yet she still found herself following Bridget into the kitchen. Bridget was right, the gun did make her feel safer. "You set me up. I don't know how much you're lying and how much is truth."

Bridget nodded. "I know. But it's not what you think. It's not good, but I never meant you harm. You were just a way to accomplish an end."

"Stealing the dogs."

"No, getting rid of one of Marrok's enemies. You can accuse me of being ruthless and risking your neck, but I'd never betray Marrok or those dogs." She met Devon's gaze. "And that's the truth." She took down a first-aid kit from the kitchen cabinet over the sink. "You probably don't want me touching you. Will you wash that cut and stick on a ban dage so that we can get out of here?"

Devon stared at her for a moment. She might be a fool, but she found herself believing Bridget. She had known from the beginning how fanatical Bridget was about protecting Marrok. She could see her going to any extent to do that. She turned on the water and dabbed at the cut on her hairline. "You killed Lincoln."

"Yes." Bridget handed her a Band-Aid. "It was time to get rid of Lincoln before he had a chance to get rid of me. And it wasn't a falling-out among thieves if that's what you're thinking."

It wasn't what Devon was thinking. She didn't know what to think. "Why? You didn't do it to save me. You're the one who set this up."

"No, I thought you were a risk worth taking. There was a good chance I could control the situation." She put the first-aid kit back on the shelf. "I would have killed Lincoln to keep you safe, but I hoped I could time it so that I could get what I needed before that became an issue."

"What you needed?"

"I knew Lincoln was negotiating with Danner. It was only a matter of time before he made a move on his own. I decided I had to take control before Lincoln brought Danner down on Marrok. But I had to have proof."

"How did you know Lincoln was dealing with Danner?"

"I have a contact in London who managed to trace the calls between Lincoln and Danner. Not easy. The signal bounced back and forth across the Atlantic four times before Jordan was able to focus in on it."

"Jordan?"

"Jordan Radkin. My contact in the U.K." She stepped back. "Will you put that gun away now? Do you think I'm telling the truth?"

"It's difficult to judge. You change like a weathervane."

"Well, judging what you did to Enright, the gun's really not necessary." She added, "Do what you like. It's up to you."

Devon hesitated, then slowly lowered the Glock.

"Progress." Bridget headed for the front door. "Your duffel is over here where you dropped it when you came in. Tuck the gun in it so you can have it handy if you decide you want to shoot me."

Devon followed her to the door. "You still didn't tell me why you needed proof Lincoln was dealing with Danner."

"Because Lincoln is MI6. If I didn't have proof he was going to betray them and take the dogs for himself, then MI6 would come down on Marrok like a ton of bricks. Believe me, Marrok doesn't need that hassle. So I had to get a tape of a conversation between Lincoln and Danner."

"And you did it?"

"Yes, very satisfactorily incriminating. He was going to double-cross me and MI6 and go into partnership with Danner. It was very clear he was going into business for himself. I'll send the disk to MI6 right away. They don't like traitors. They'll look upon Lincoln's death as a con ve nient end to a problem." She strode ahead of Devon. "Lincoln down, Danner to go. Now let's hit the road. I don't think Danner will be on his way here since he sent Enright to do his dirty work, but I don't want to take chances." As they reached the porch, Bridget added, "We'll take Lincoln's car. I left mine a couple miles on the other side of the vineyard." She headed for the sedan parked a few yards away. "I took Lincoln's keys before I came in to get you."