Hunting Eve (40 page)

“And sincere. Don’t forget sincere.” Kendra hesitated. “And, right now, I sincerely wish I didn’t have to disturb you. I told her that it wasn’t the time, but she wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Margaret. I just got a call from her. She told me that I had to go and get you and bring you to her.”

“What?”

“I know. I know. You’re grieving, and Margaret is being Margaret. I argued, but she wouldn’t shut up about it. She said you had to come.”

Jane shook her head.

Kendra sighed. “I knew you wouldn’t do it. So did she. But she said to tell you that if you were grateful to her for saving your dog, Toby, that you had to come.”

Jane gazed at her, puzzled. “This is hard for you. You didn’t want to come and ask me. Yet you did it. Why?”

“Because it’s Margaret, and sometimes she’s Thelma to my Louise crashing into the Grand Canyon. And sometimes she’s weird and kind of wonderful, like the good witch from Oz. I don’t know which Margaret it is this time.” She shrugged. “So I thought I’d take a chance on causing you more grief and go along with her. Will you come?”

“Where is she?” She looked around but didn’t see her in the group fighting the fire. “The last time I saw her was when she came down the mountain with me. Why did she have to phone you?”

“You’ll have to ask her. I told you, she said you had to come to her. She couldn’t come to you.” She jerked her head at the thick grove of trees to the north. “She’s out there somewhere. Yes or no?”

Jane didn’t want to go anywhere. She wanted to curl up in a ball and just ward off the loneliness and pain.

Toby. Margaret had saved Toby, and now she was asking one simple act in return.

Jane got slowly to her feet. “Take me to her.”

Kendra nodded. “If I can find her.” She turned and headed into the trees. “She gave me directions, but I’m not as woods savvy as Margaret. She’ll hear from me if I get lost.”

Jane quickly followed her. “How far is it?”

“Ten, fifteen minutes.” She was climbing; they had gone through the trees and were now in the foothills.

Jane glanced back over her shoulder at the fire. It appeared even more intense from this distance. What was she doing wandering out here when everything that mattered was back in that town?

See Margaret.

Pay the debt.

Get it over.

“She should be up ahead,” Kendra said ten minutes later. “In that grove of birch.” Her pace quickened. “Margaret!” she called. “Answer me. I’ve stuck my neck out for you, and it had better be worth it.”

“It’s worth it,” Margaret called back. “Of course, it will require a little work from you to help make it worthwhile. I can’t do everything.”

“Margaret, what the hell is going on?” Jane called wearily, as they entered the birch grove. “I really didn’t want to come out here tonight.”

“I know. But I couldn’t come to you.” The next minute she said, “I hear you. You’re getting close to me. Slow down, and don’t make any sudden movements.”

“What?”

“I think we should do as she says,” Kendra said, as they strode deeper through the trees. “I have a hunch she may be the good witch tonight.”

Margaret giggled. “But I’m always good, well, almost always. And particularly tonight. I’m just around the next corner. Slowly…”

Jane moved around the corner.

She stopped, her eyes widening with shock.

Margaret was sitting on the ground only a short distance away. Lying half-on her lap was a magnificent gray-and-white wolf who lifted his head, his green-amber eyes shining warily as he saw Kendra and Jane.

“Shh,” Margaret said softly to the wolf. “It’s fine. You’re safe.” Then she smiled at Jane, a smile full of warmth and love that lit her face with joy. “It
is
fine. It’s wonderful. We have a chance to make it right.”

“Margaret?”

“She’s not dead, Jane.” Her voice was vibrating with the same joy that illuminated her entire being. “Do you hear me? Eve is
alive.
”

LOOK FOR

SILENCING
EVE

BY IRIS JOHANSEN

ON SALE OCTOBER 1, 2013

ALSO BY IRIS JOHANSEN

Taking Eve

Sleep No More

Close Your Eyes
(with Roy Johansen)

What Doesn’t Kill You

Bonnie

Quinn

Eve

Chasing the Night

Shadow Zone
(with Roy Johansen)

Eight Days to Live

Blood Game

Deadlock

Dark Summer

Quicksand

Silent Thunder
(with Roy Johansen)

Pandora’s Daughter

Stalemate

An Unexpected Song

Killer Dreams

On the Run

Countdown

Blind Alley

Firestorm

Fatal Tide

Dead Aim

No One to Trust

Body of Lies

Final Target

The Search

The Killing Game

The Face of Deception

And Then You Die

Long After Midnight

The Ugly Duckling

Lion’s Bride

Dark Rider

Midnight Warrior

The Beloved Scoundrel

The Magnificent Rogue

The Tiger Prince

Last Bridge Home

The Golden Barbarian

Reap the Wind

Storm Winds

Wind Dancer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IRIS JOHANSEN is the
New York Times
bestselling author of
Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn’t Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing the Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora’s Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On the Run, Countdown, Firestorm, Fatal Tide, Dead Aim, No One to Trust,
and more. And with her son, Roy Johansen, she has coauthored
Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle,
and
Silent Thunder
. Visit
www.irisjohansen.com
.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

HUNTING EVE. Copyright © 2013 by Johansen Publishing LLLP. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.stmartins.com

Cover design by Rob Grom

Cover photograph by Shuhui Yang

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

Johansen, Iris.

    Hunting Eve / Iris Johansen. — First U.S. Edition.

        pages cm

    ISBN 978-1-250-01999-8 (hardcover)

    ISBN 978-1-250-02000-0 (e-book)

  1.  Duncan, Eve (Fictitious character)—Fiction.   2.  Tracking and trailing—Fiction.   3.  Secrets—Fiction.   4.  Suspense fiction.   I.  Title.

    PS3560.O275H86 2013

    813'.54—dc23

2013009108

eISBN 9781250020000

First Edition: July 2013