Chasing the Night (15 page)

Joe was out of the house in seconds.

But the car was already moving down the road, and he could only see the red taillights.

His hand clenched on the handle of his gun.

“Where the hell are you going, Kelsov?” he muttered.

They had no other vehicle, so he couldn’t go after him, and again he felt that irritating sense of helplessness. It had to stop.

Was Kelsov betraying them?

He had no idea, and that made him even angrier. It was definitely a surreptitious and suspicious move, but this was Kelsov’s territory, and sometimes actions weren’t what they seemed. The only thing he could do was wait and be on alert for any danger to Eve and Catherine. But he was going to have a few choice words for Kelsov when he returned.

No, he was too pissed for words. Action. Definitely action.

The decision caused the adrenaline to start pumping through his body. He felt alive and purposeful for the first time since they had landed at that airport. He’d check the barn and surrounding woods to make sure there weren’t any surprises waiting. Then he’d stake out the cottage and wait for Kelsov.

He turned on his heel and went back into the house to get dressed.

Chapter
10

The first dim light of dawn was starting in the east when Joe saw the headlights of Kelsov’s Mercedes.

One car.

No one following him.

But he had been gone almost two hours.

Forget it and approach him diplomatically at a later time?

Hell, no.

He faded into the shadows beside the door.

The car slowed and came to a stop in front of the cottage.

Kelsov got out and came around the front of the car, but didn’t come toward the door. Now he was beside the passenger seat and moving—

Someone was in the backseat!

Joe leaped forward and brought him down.

Kelsov rolled over and was reaching inside his jacket.

A knife.

“Oh, no.” Joe flipped him over and his arm encircled his neck, using him as a shield against whoever was in the car.

“Let him go.” The muzzle of a gun was pressed to the back of Joe’s head. “Hurt him, and I’ll shoot you.”

Natalie. Her voice was shaking but the gun she was holding was not.

“No. Put down the gun. I won’t break his neck if he stops struggling.”

“Screw you,” Kelsov said.

“Stop it.” The back door of the car swung open. “All of you. Stop it. Joe, he’s not doing anything wrong. Let him go.”

“Kelly?”

The girl got out of the car. Her face was pale and she was shaking. But she was standing with hands clenched, her gaze on the other woman. “And you, you’re shaking so badly that you could blow his brains out by accident. Kelsov, tell her to put it down.”

“Some accidents are sent by God.”

“And how would she feel?”

He was silent. “Put it down, Natalie.”

She didn’t move.

“Joe,” Kelly said.

He reluctantly released Kelsov.

Natalie stepped back, but she didn’t lower the gun.

Kelsov sprang catlike to his feet and whirled on Joe.

Joe blocked the first karate chop and kicked Kelsov’s legs out from under him.

“No!” Catherine was standing in the doorway, an automatic weapon in her hand. “Freeze. Or I’ll shoot you both in the knees. It’s not something I want to do since I may need you, but I’ll do it.”

Natalie swung the gun in her direction.

“No, Natalie!” Kelsov dove forward between her and Catherine. He took the gun away from her. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not okay,” Catherine said. “What is happening here?” Then her gaze fell on Kelly standing beside the car. “Oh, for Pete’s sake.”

“Hello, Catherine,” Kelly said.

Catherine whirled on Kelsov. “What’s she doing here?”

Kelsov shrugged. “Venable called me tonight just after midnight and told me she was on her way and to pick her up at the airport.”

“Dammit, why didn’t you tell me?”

“He told me you wouldn’t like it.”

“But you did it anyway.”

“It’s a tough world. Venable is valuable to me, and he doesn’t like me helping you. I have to strike a balance. I do a few things he considers as favors, and he turns a blind eye to a few things that tend to annoy him. It didn’t seem much of a favor just doing a pickup and delivery.” He turned and glanced at Kelly. “But he didn’t tell me she was just a kid.”

“But, again, you would have done it anyway.”

He nodded. “It’s a tough world,” he repeated. His expression hardened as he looked at Joe. “What the hell do you think you were doing?”

“Taking down a threat. What was I supposed to do when a prick like you sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night? Catherine may trust you, but should I?”

Kelsov glared at him. “It doesn’t matter. It’s my—” He stopped. Then he slowly shook his head. “Not unless you’re a fool. Put away the gun, Catherine. I’m not going to kill him tonight.” He took Kelly’s wrist and pulled her forward. “Here’s your package from Venable. Delivered as promised.” He turned to Natalie. “Suppose you go in and make us coffee. The task is a little mundane and tame compared to bluffing Quinn with a threat to send him to meet his maker, but we could all use—”

“I was not bluffing,” she said simply as she turned toward the door. “I could not let you die.” She went past Catherine into the house.

“I’m sorry I caused all this trouble,” Kelly said. “Venable said it would be no problem getting me here.” She smiled unsteadily. “He said all the trouble would come later. I guess he was wrong.”

“I guess he was.” Catherine stepped aside. “Come in and tell us why the hell Venable dropped you in the middle of Russia like some kind of atomic bomb.”

“He said he had to do it. He didn’t want me to come, but he—”

“Not out here.” Catherine pulled her into the house. “Good heavens, Kelly, how could you do this? I thought when you left the lake cottage that you’d be safe.”

“I know you did.” She glanced at Joe. “I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble. I didn’t know Mr. Kelsov wouldn’t tell anyone he was picking me up.”

“Then it was his fault, not yours.” He smiled. “And the night wasn’t all that bad. I enjoyed parts of it.”

“I bet you did,” Catherine murmured.

“But now I’ve got to go and wake Eve and tell her what—”

“Wake?” Eve said grimly. She was standing in the bedroom doorway. “I think you should have done that some time ago.” She glanced around the room. “I seem to be the only one who was sleeping.” She shook her head as she looked back at Kelly. “I can’t believe it.”

“You thought you got rid of me. I must be the bad penny.”

“Not bad,” Catherine said gruffly. “Just damn stubborn.” She looked at Eve. “Venable sent her.”

“Not again? Not here?”

“Don’t ask. I don’t know.” She took Kelly’s elbow and led her toward the table. “But we’ll find out. Sit down. I’ll get you a cup of coffee.”

“Thank you.” Kelly leaned back in the chair and gave a deep sigh. “I was scared. I was afraid that woman would shoot Joe.”

“Shoot Joe?” Eve sat down across from Kelly. “I believe I missed more than I thought. Talk.”

“Give her a moment,” Catherine said.

Eve nodded. “We’re standing around staring at her as if she’s a murder suspect, and we’re cops giving her the third degree.”

“More like a murder victim,” Catherine said as she put a cup of coffee down in front of Kelly. “If Rakovac comes knocking on our door. Why, Kelly?”

Kelly didn’t speak for an instant. “The same reason I’ve been giving you since I came to the lake cottage. I want to help you.”

“I’m not even going to discuss that,” Catherine said. “I’ve already told you my feelings. What I’m really asking is why Venable gave in to you and sent you here? I can see his reasoning when he sent you to the lake cottage, but he’s no reckless fool, and he does have a conscience. There’s no way he should have sent you into the line of fire no matter how much you begged and pleaded.”

“I didn’t beg or plead.” She sipped her coffee. “I didn’t get the chance. I called him right after I left the lake cottage. I was going to try to persuade him to talk to you, but every time I tried to get through to him, I got his voice mail. I thought he was trying to avoid me. Then later in the evening he phoned Agent Dufour at the motel where he’d taken me and told him that he needed to talk to me.”

“He called you?” Joe repeated. “Why?”

Kelly’s gaze never left Catherine. “Because he’s not like you. He believed that I could help you. He said to tell you that he had no choice. He said desperate situations require desperate measures.”

“And you’re the desperate measure? That’s bullshit. Even Venable wouldn’t send a kid into a situation like this.”

“He did, didn’t he?” Kelly cradled her cup in her two hands. “So that must mean you’re wrong. This hot coffee feels good. I’m a little chilly. Could I get my suitcase and find my sweater?”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Catherine took off her terry robe and draped it around Kelly’s shoulders. “Didn’t anyone tell you that Russia was colder than Atlanta? No, they just bundled you onto a plane and sent you off.”

“They were in a hurry. Venable said that he didn’t know how or in what direction you’d be traveling once you reached Moscow. He wanted to make sure that I’d be able to hook up with you. He said it would be safer for me.”

“How considerate,” Eve said dryly. “But he sent you anyway.”

“Desperate measures,” Kelly said. “And I told him I’d take the chance of missing you. He said that if I didn’t find you, he’d set me up somewhere else safe to work. I told him it wasn’t a deal unless I could be with you.”

“A deal?” Catherine said.

Kelly met her gaze. “He said you might think he was putting another roadblock in his way, but it isn’t true. He wants you to find Rakovac now, and he doesn’t care how you do it. He said the time was over for being diplomatic.”

“Interesting,” Kelsov said. “Does that mean he’s going to help us nail the bastard?”

“He would if he could.” She smiled tentatively. “That’s why he sent me. He said it was urgent. None of his agents have been able to find Rakovac, and he has to find him soon.”

“Urgent?” Catherine said. “How soon?”

“He’s not sure. A week or ten days. He doesn’t know how much time he has left. That’s why we have to get to Rakovac.”

“And why is he suddenly so urgent?” Joe asked.

She shrugged. “He wouldn’t tell me. He just said that you have to let him know when you find him.” She paused. “I have to let him know. He made me promise.”

“Part of your deal?” Catherine asked. “And what are the other details of this deal?”

“I’m to figure out where he’s hidden your son. If Luke is still alive, at some point Rakovac will be near him.” She moistened her lips. “But you mustn’t kill Rakovac. He should have either a journal or computer file in his possession. Perhaps both. Venable said he probably won’t have it on him. You may have to follow him back to his office or residence. But Venable has to have that file.”

“Why?”

“He wouldn’t tell me. But he said that Rakovac mustn’t die until we get the file.” She paused. “That you wouldn’t want him to die.”

“I can’t think of any circumstance where I wouldn’t want Rakovac to die…after I find Luke.”

“Venable said that you…” She trailed off. “I’ve given you his message. That’s all I can do. He’ll have to convince you to pay attention to it.” She took a sip of her coffee. “All I care about is that I’m here with you.”

“Why did he send her?” Kelsov asked. “I still don’t understand. Does she know something about Rakovac that we don’t?”

“No, she’s a whiz kid who sees patterns where no one else does. Sort of a juvenile Einstein,” Catherine said. “She thinks that she can find Luke…and Rakovac. Evidently, Venable believes that she can, too.”

Kelsov gave a low whistle. “Venable isn’t a gullible man. I’d listen to him. How is she supposed to do this?”

“A good question,” Joe said.

“The Rakovac surveillance file,” Kelly said. “The one you wouldn’t let me read, Catherine.”

“And now I’m supposed to turn it over to you?”

Kelly shook her head. “Venable sent me my own copy.”

Of course he would, Catherine thought in frustration. “And that’s going to send you down the right path?”

“Perhaps. Or maybe I can talk to people who know him and try to see which way he would go in certain circumstances.” She met Catherine’s gaze. “I’m not going to get in your way. I know that’s what you’re afraid of.”

“Dammit, yes, I’m afraid you’ll get in my way.” She knelt by Kelly’s chair and brushed the girl’s fair hair away from her face with rough tenderness. “And I’m more afraid you’ll get in Rakovac’s way. Let me call Venable and get him to pick you up and take you back to the U.S.”

“It’s too late. We made a deal.” Kelly smiled. “And he wouldn’t come and get me. He told me I was on my own. I think he considers me…expendable. Isn’t that the word?”

Catherine’s lips tightened grimly. “That’s the word.”

“He’s very worried about something Rakovac is going to do. I’m not very important in comparison.”

“Well, you’re important to me.” She gave Kelly a quick hug and sat back on her heels. “We’re leaving this morning to try to find the grave you saw in that photo. Can I convince you to call Venable and tell him to come and get you?”

“No.”

“Then will you stay here with Natalie and work on the file? That’s what you promised to do, and you can’t do it trailing after us through a swamp.”

Kelly shook her head.

“Use your head.” Catherine took her shoulders and gently shook her. “This is the only way you’re valuable to me. Now stay and do your job.”

“I don’t know what will happen to you in that swamp.”

“Neither do I. But I have a better chance of surviving if I don’t have to worry about taking care of you. You can see that.”

“Yes.” She was frowning. “But I don’t want to see it.” She looked at Eve. “What’s going to happen in that marsh?”

“We’re going to try to find that grave and dig up the skeleton again,” Eve said.

“Won’t Rakovac have left someone to watch the grave?”

“More than likely. We’ll have to take action to avoid them.”

Kelly’s gaze went to Joe. “I can’t see him avoiding anyone.”

Joe smiled. “You think I’m confrontational?”

“You climbed out a window and went hunting the night I came to your house.”

“I was defending my turf.”

“You looked like you were enjoying yourself.” She glanced back at Eve. “What happens next?”

“After we find the skeleton, I do a quick examination to see if there’s even a possibility that it might be Luke.”

“And if there is?”

She hesitated and glanced at Catherine. “I take the skull.”

Catherine inhaled sharply. She had known that would be the procedure. There was no way they could remove the entire skeleton. But the thought of wrenching the head off any skeleton that might be Luke’s was painful. She steadied her voice. “Of course she does. It’s the only way to handle it. She’ll have to bring the skull back here and do the reconstruction.”

“And I can’t help you do that?” Kelly looked at Eve. “Is she right?”

Eve nodded. “You don’t need me to tell you that.”

“I guess I don’t.” Her glance shifted back to Catherine. “Okay, I’ll stay here and work.” She added fiercely, “But you come back. Don’t let anything happen to you.” She looked at Natalie. “I guess you’re stuck with me. I’ll try not to be any trouble.”