Iris Johansen - Final Target

"Why?"

"If you could have seen her that night, you'd know why. She was covered with blood and gore. The trauma made her what she is now. If we get her back- when we get her back-there's no way I'd ever let her go to Vasaro again."

"I see."

His gaze narrowed on her face. "Why did you want to know about the place?"

"As you said, that night made her what she is, and it happened at Vasaro. I need to know everything I can about both. You were there because you were lending the statue to Caitlin Vasaro to publicize her new perfume?"

"I was actually lending the Wind Dancer to the Museum d'Andreas for a few months. That's why my wife and I were in Paris that night. We thought the publicity surrounding the loan would remind everyone of Caitlin's first perfume, which she named after the Wind Dancer."

"The Wind Dancer wasn't at Vasaro?"

"No, it had been couriered to the museum." He made a face. "Cassie was so disappointed, we had to set up the hologram Caitlin bought years ago. It's truly remarkable and it satisfied Cassie. Why are you so curious about the statue?"

"I went through the family album you sent me and pulled a few pictures to test Cassie's reactions. I think she had a response to the photo of her with the Wind Dancer in the library at your house in Charleston."

He stiffened. "What kind of response? What did she do?"

"Nothing physical. Nothing I can put my finger on."

His eagerness vanished. "Then how do you know she had any response?"

"It's just…a feeling."

"You think she was afraid?"

"I'm not sure. Was she afraid of the statue?"

"Not before that night. The Wind Dancer has belonged to my family since the thirteenth century. She grew up with the statue and was never happier than when she was allowed to play in the same room with it."

"It must have seemed magical to her. A golden Pegasus is the stuff a child's dreams are made of. Just the image of a horse flying through the clouds…"

"She used to make up stories about it."

"What kind of stories?"

"Oh, adventures. Her own fairy tales about flying away with the Pegasus and rescuing princes from dragons and such."

"She must have a wonderful imagination."

"Marvelous. She was very bright."

"She is very bright."

"Of course, that's what I meant." He opened the door. "I'll try anything you want me to until I decide it's not working. How do you want me to treat her?"

"Talk to her. Ask her questions. Show her you love her."

"You said that she rejects familiarity."

"It never hurts anyone to know that love is waiting. But don't show her you're upset when she doesn't respond. It will only cause her to draw away."

"That's a big order."

"You're a big man." She paused. "I'll bring you a cup of coffee. How long can you stay?"

"Two hours." He sat down in the chair by Cassie's bed and felt his heart twist as he looked at her. Come back to me, sweetheart. "1 have to be back at the White House by seven." He took Cassie's hand and his voice lowered. "But that's long enough to tell you all about what's happening, Cassie. I miss you. Your sister, Marisa, called from Santiago and told me to remind you that you'd promised to go down and help her train the new baby dolphin. She can't wait to show you what they're doing now. Your mama sends her love. You know she'd be here if the doctor hadn't ordered her to stay in bed. Do you remember that you're going to have a new little brother next month? He's proving a little rambunctious and the doctor doesn't want him coming into the world too soon. He's a strong little guy and wants to establish his place in the family. He reminds me of you and the way-" He had to stop a moment to even his voice. "Your mama says she really needs you. She wants to talk to you about names for your brother. So you just think about it and maybe you'll have a suggestion when you come back. We had some acrobats from the Cirque du Soleil two nights ago. Remember when we took you to see…"

Jessica felt her throat tighten as she stood watching Andreas from the doorway. Dear heaven, how he loved his child!

She had made progress with him tonight, but she knew he had a long way to go before he would trust her entirely. Who could blame him? She would feel the same if Cassie were her own daughter. But, in a way, Cassie was her child. They were all her children until they came back and she had to give them up. They heard her voice, and if she was lucky, there came a time when she could coax them back.

But sometimes persuasion didn't work. Sometimes it was necessary to insert a different element to help the process along. It was a hurdle she didn't want to face when she'd barely managed to earn a tentative trust from Andreas.

She could imagine the explosion if she told him she might have to take Cassie back to Vasaro.

"We've got him, sir," Danley said. "We found him in a flat on the Amstel River."

"You didn't hurt him?"

"You gave us our orders. He was actually pretty tame. He didn't give us any trouble."

Tame wasn't the word he'd use for the man he'd met at Vasaro, Andreas thought. Michael Travis had been quiet and respectful but also exuded wariness. Andreas had gathered the impression Travis was a force to be reckoned with. "How unusual."

"He knew he was outnumbered. You want me to take him to Langley?"

"No, the Justice Department. I don't want anyone to know anything about him. I'll use the tunnel from the White House at midnight tomorrow. Have him there."

"Yes, Mr. President." A pause. "He asked us to give you a message. He said if you want his cooperation, he expects cooperation in return."

"What kind of cooperation?"

"He wants you to send Air Force One for him," Danley said. "The son of a bitch doesn't seem to realize he's the one behind the eight ball."

Air Force One . Why would Travis want that concession? Arrogance? To establish a position of strength? He'd judged the man to be too smart to let conceit or arrogance guide his actions, and his message gave promise he wasn't averse to working with him. Let him have his little power play. It might make him feel more secure. "Where is the plane?"

"D.C. and ready to go."

"Then tell the pilot to pick up Travis and bring him here."

"It's not necessary, sir. With all due respect, you shouldn't give in to that bastard."

" ‘That bastard' saved my daughter's life. We're not sure he had any other involvement. Send the plane."

Paris

"You haven't found him yet?" Edward Deschamps asked. "It's been almost eight months. What kind of fool are you, Provlif?"

Provlif's hand tightened on the receiver. He wished it were Deschamps's throat. Patience. The money had been good so far, and no one knew better than he did how deadly Deschamps could be if crossed. "I have a strong lead. He has a connection in Amsterdam. A Jan van der Beck."

"Why didn't you say so?"

"You wanted concrete information. I had to dig very deep to find Jan van der Beck. They used to be partners, but Travis has been on his own for years."

"And what have you found out about Cassie Andreas?"

Silence.

"Nothing?"

"Naturally, we've been concentrating on Travis."

"Dammit, I told you, I need to know where she is."

"You can't be thinking of a second attempt on her? It would be crazy."

"That's none of your concern, Provlif. Your job is to find her."

"It's not as if she's an ordinary kid. The President put a security blanket around everything connected with her. We finally managed to trace her to a clinic in Connecticut, but the President took her from there over a month ago. We're still trying to find out who's treating her now and where she-"

"Where she was a month ago is no help to me. I need to know where she is now."