Hunting Eve (9 page)

Venable walked around from the engine compartment, where one of the forensics experts was high-fiving the police officer who had supplied the five-hundred-amp jump starter. “Now what?” Venable asked Kendra. “There’s no GPS unit, so there’s no history to draw from. Was it worth all this just to get an odometer reading?”

Kendra didn’t answer, her eyes narrowed on the car stereo’s display, and pushed a button. Then another. And another. And another. And another after that.

She pulled out her phone and tapped furiously on the keypad. After a few seconds, she looked up at Venable. “This car was in southwest Colorado.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure.”

“Doane lived in Goldfork, but that’s in the northern part of the state. You’re off by a few hundred miles.”

“Do you know where Mineral County is?”

Venable shook his head. “Can’t say that I do.”

“Neither did I until about twenty seconds ago.” She held up her phone, which had a map on the display screen.

Venable studied it. “How did you get this?”

“I looked at the radio-station presets and did a Google search of all of them together. This is the only area that has six major stations with these same frequencies.”

He nodded. “I don’t think Doane has any known associates down there, but we’ll look into it.”

“Good.” Kendra stepped away from the car and thought for a moment. “So will I.”

Gwinnett Hospital

“HI, WHAT DO YOU MEAN
worrying me? This is the third time tonight I came in to see you, and you wouldn’t wake up.” Margaret plopped down in the chair beside Jane’s bed. “I was all happy to see you out of that hospital in San Juan and mending, and you decide to have a relapse. Are you trying to give me a guilt trip?”

“Stop right there.” Jane scowled at her. “I just got that line from Joe, and I’ve had enough. I didn’t want to come here, and now they’re threatening to keep me here for
three
days. I’m not going to put up with it. It’s just a minor infection.”

“Which you wouldn’t have contracted if you’d rested and let yourself heal.”

“That’s what Joe said. And those doctors. To hell with all of them. I couldn’t have done anything else.”

“I know you couldn’t,” Margaret said quietly. “But it’s a little different now. That’s a nasty infection, and if you don’t get over it quickly then you’re going to distract everyone around you who is searching for Eve. You don’t want to do that.”

“I’ll get over it,” Jane said. “It’s just some freaky bug that—”

“Do you want to cut down the chances of Eve’s being found because it’s not you who finds her?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Are you crazy?”

“It’s been suggested a few times.” Margaret grinned. “But no one can prove it.” Her smile faded. “I’m just saying you’re being selfish. I’d probably be the same way, but that doesn’t make it smarter or less self-serving. You’re in everyone’s way right now.”

“Damn you.” Jane’s hands closed into fists. “Get out of here, Margaret.”

“That’s the fever talking.”

“That’s me, wanting to punch you.” She glared at Margaret. The girl was sitting there, her face glowing and her eyes shining with that gentle, shrewd, almost loving, understanding. But Jane didn’t want to be understood; she wanted out of there. And she had a dreadful feeling that she was wrong and Margaret was right. “I can’t stay here.”

“You’ve already made the decision.” Margaret leaned back in the chair. “You’re too intelligent to do anything stupid that might hurt Eve just because you want your way. I’ll call Joe and tell him that you’ve thought about it, and you’ll stay here until they release you.”

“I’ll make my own calls,” Jane said. “And I’m not the only one who likes to have her own way.”

“True.” Margaret chuckled. “But I don’t have an infection or fever or any of those annoying things. But I’ll stay out of your way for a while so that I won’t irritate you. This must be my night for avoiding confrontations. I promised Joe I wouldn’t stick around and risk arguing with Kendra Michaels.”

“I can see that happening,” Jane said dryly. “She’s a sharp scalpel, and you’re one of those water wands that sense belowground springs. Did she find out anything from the submerged car?”

“I have no idea. I didn’t wait to find out after I found out you were on the way to the hospital.” Her head tilted. “See, you were already interfering then. It’s good you decided that you weren’t going to do it any longer.”

“Stop rubbing it in. Lying here, not able to—I’m out of here as soon as I get the okay.” Her teeth sunk into her lower lip. “It’s going to kill me.”

“I know,” Margaret said softly. “Will it help you to know that I’m not just going to be around holding your hand? You can’t go on the hunt, but I’ll do it for you. I’m leaving your beautiful lake to see what I can find on my own.”

“No, it doesn’t make me feel better. I don’t want you wandering off and getting yourself hurt or killed.”

“It was going to happen anyway. You said that you’d let me help you.”

“Help. I was going to be there to—”

“Take care of me?” Margaret’s eyes were sparkling with humor. “Jane, I’ve been taking care of myself since I was a toddler.” She got to her feet. “And deep in your heart, you’re glad to have a surrogate while these good people are keeping you prisoner.” She headed for the door. “I’ll call you every now and then and let you know what’s happening with me. If you want to keep yourself busy, you should find some way to research or find—”

“Stop telling me what to do,” Jane said. “Look, can I talk you out of this? Is there any way?”

“Not a chance.”

She meant it, Jane realized. She had seen how determined Margaret could be. “Then I’ll stop trying to do it. But you’d better call me, dammit.”

“Or you’ll worry yourself into another fever spike. I was only trying to keep you from being too on edge. I’ve already arranged for a safety wall and distraction, but you need to keep your mind working so that you’ll feel useful and—”

Jane frowned. “Safety wall?”

“To keep you from changing your mind and trying to come rescue me as well as Eve.” She stopped at the door. “Good-bye, Jane. Heal quickly.”

“You bet I will.” She paused. “And you’re right, I must not be a very good person because I do want someone, anyone, to move ahead with searching for Eve while I’m stuck here.” She moistened her lips. “But you have to be careful. Don’t you dare do anything that would get you hurt.”

“I won’t. I promise.” She turned to leave.

“Margaret.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be with you as soon as I can.” She was silent a moment. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. You’re a very special person.”

“That goes without saying. But it’s nice to be appreciated in a way other than the obvious.” Margaret laughed and left the room.

Jane lay there gazing at the door. She was still clenching her fists, and she forced herself to relax them. As Margaret had said, she had made her decision, and she had to do what she could to get well as soon as possible. Keeping her temperature sky-high because she was upset didn’t fall in that perimeter.

Control frustration.

Block the thought of Eve.

Neither of those things would be easy.

One of them would prove impossible.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

Okay, call Joe and tell him that she was calmer now and would try to obey the doctor’s mandate. She had been rude and completely rebellious before he had left.

She was still rebellious. It wasn’t fair that everyone around her was going to be able to go into action while she stayed in this hospital and pampered herself.

She took a deep breath. She could feel the heat and weakness attacking again.

Keep busy. See if she could find something worthwhile to do for Eve. As Joe, ask Venable, go over all the leads they had and see if she could find a way to do that.

She reached for her phone and dialed Joe.

*   *   *

WHAT THE HELL WAS
Seth Caleb doing here?

And he was there, Jane thought drowsily. It wasn’t the fever. He was sitting across the room in a chair by the door. She could feel him in the darkness.

But it wasn’t totally dark. She could see the light pouring through the door from the hall picking up the threads of silver in his dark hair.

And she could feel the vibrance, the tension that was only slightly masked by that lazy indolence he adopted on occasion. She was still half-asleep but that tension was reaching out and touching her, stirring her.

“You’re awake,” Seth Caleb said. “I tried not to wake you.” He chuckled. “No, that’s not true. I wasn’t careful at all. I was getting bored, and I wanted you awake to entertain me.”

“What are you doing here, Caleb?” She lifted her hand to brush the hair away from her forehead. Her head was no longer hot. The fever must be dissipating, thank God. “When I opened my eyes and saw you, I thought I was back in that hospital in San Juan…”

“Oh, that night you were shot and I stayed with you after you came out of surgery to guard you?” He turned on the lamp on the table beside his chair, and a soft light flooded the room. “That was memorable for me, too. I behaved with exemplary restraint. Don’t you think so?”

“No. I don’t remember any restraint.” She watched him come toward her. Grace. Power. Darkness. Sexuality. She had always thought Seth Caleb was the sexiest man she had ever met. His face, his dark eyes that seemed to be almost hypnotic. But that power and sexual magnetism also brought with it a disturbing wariness. She had always been aware of that danger below the surface during the years she had known him. Eve had even warned her about him, though at one point that power and violence had saved Joe. But Jane had still called on him to help her take her critically ill dog, Toby, to an experimental research facility on an island in the Caribbean. He had given her support and strength during that hideous time as well as the period when she had been in the hospital with that bullet wound inflicted by Blick. That didn’t mean she trusted him. He’d be the first one to admit that he was capable of manipulating any situation to suit himself and get what he wanted. And he had not been hesitant to tell her that what he wanted was a sexual liaison with her. “You tried to seduce me when I was barely out of the anesthetic.”

“Not really. I only offered you a little mental stimulation that would have brought you extreme pleasure. I knew that you’d resent me later even if you enjoyed it, so I backed off. It wouldn’t have been worth it.” He was standing by the bed now, and she could see him more clearly … and feel that automatic tensing, melting, that was always a part of her response to him. “I decided a gradual assault would be better and let you become accustomed to the idea.” He reached out and touched her cheek. “But if you persist in landing yourself in the hospital, I may have to get more aggressive. I’m very impatient.”

“What are you doing here?” She moved her cheek to avoid his touch. “You were at General Tarther’s house in Virginia.”

“Which became an exercise in futility. I told you I’d go there to guard him.” He grimaced. “Unfortunately, he was murdered before I even arrived. You heard about that, I assume?”

“Yes, Venable’s agent he had guarding the general called him and reported that the general had been shot. We expected to hear from you.”

“Why? I didn’t think it would be necessary. I set about questioning neighbors and trying to get a description of the shooter.”

“And did you?”

“Yes.”

“Blick?”

He nodded. “One woman who lived down the street caught sight of a man of his description the day the general was shot. I was going to try to do some more scouting to get a description of his vehicle when I found out I had to come back here.”

“Why? You’re not needed here, Caleb.”

“That’s not what Margaret told me. I was ordered to show up here at the hospital tonight.”

“Margaret? She called you? Why the hell would she—”

“
I’ve already arranged for a safety wall and a distraction for you.
”

“I may murder her.” She struggled to sit up in bed. “Go away, Caleb. I don’t need either a safety wall or a distraction. I don’t need you.” She glared at him. “And stop laughing.”

“Was that going to be my duty? Margaret didn’t mention anything but making sure that I stay with you until you were released.” He tilted his head. “Safety wall doesn’t fit my personality, but I suppose I can rise to the occasion, and distraction is one of my best talents.”

“This is not amusing.”

“It depends on where you’re standing.”

“I’m not standing; I’m lying in this bed, and I’m not going to have you forced on me until the doctors let me go. In spite of what a kid like Margaret decides is good for me. What right does she have to try to run my life?”

“Maybe it has something to do with that Chinese proverb about a person who saves your life belonging to you.”

“Bullshit.”

“Well, I tried.” He moved back to his chair across the room. “Personally, I’m glad she chose me to watch over you in her place. She could have called Mark Trevor. After all, he was your lover for a few years. He’s supposed to be arriving in Atlanta soon, isn’t he?”

“Yes. And I don’t need him either. All I want is to get out of this hospital and find Eve.”

“And you will,” Caleb said. “I’ll help you. There are ways to do that I’ve never shown you. I’ve been thinking. I donated my blood after you were shot. That may offer a few options.”

She gazed at him warily. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing that should alarm you.” He smiled. “It’s not as if you didn’t know that I have a few bizarre talents and idiosyncrasies.” His smile faded. “Though that may subconsciously be what’s alarming you. Is it? Tell me, do you have nightmares about vampires?”

“Don’t be absurd,” she said curtly. “You’re no vampire. You’ve just got this blood … thing. You’re just … weird.” More than weird, she thought as she looked at him. What would it feel like to be able to control the flow of blood in those around you? She hadn’t believed it when she, Eve, and Joe had first become involved with him. He had been searching for the man who had killed his sister, and when he found him, he caused the man’s blood to trigger death in the most painful way possible. And the medical examiner had never been able to declare it anything but a natural death. Caleb had told her later that the fatal gift had been passed down in his family for centuries. “And I don’t dream about you at all.” That wasn’t quite true. She’d had a few very hot, carnal dreams for which she had been certain that Caleb had been deliberately responsible. She had an idea that power to move the blood might also have influence over mental and sexual responses.