Night and Day (19 page)

“Wait a minute,” Kaskov interrupted. “What woman?”

“Her name is Eve Duncan, and she's some kind of artsy sculptor or something.” Tears were brimming in her eyes. “I wouldn't be afraid of her except she might be able to persuade Salazar's cartel to go after Cara again and kill her this time.”

“That won't happen,” Kaskov said grimly. “She gets near either one of you, and she's dead.”

“I knew you'd say that.” She slid her arms around him. “And it may be just a horrible bluff, but I had to tell you about it. I have to know more about her in case it's not a bluff.” She looked up at him and allowed the tears to fall. “Would it be all right if I use that man, Peter Jadlow, that you hire to investigate everybody, to run a check on Duncan? Just to put my mind at rest?”

“Do you have to ask? I'll call Jadlow right away.”

“No, you've done so much already for Cara and me. I'll call him and get the report. I just wanted your permission.” Her voice was shaking. “I didn't want to bother you, Daddy. You're so busy, and you have that trip to Beijing in a few days.”

“I'll tell Ivan Sabak to double your guards while I'm gone.”

“That will be a great comfort.” She kissed his cheek. “This nightmare keeps going on and on, doesn't it? But maybe this is just some hysterical woman who wants to frighten me and doesn't have the power to do anything.”

“I don't care how much power she thinks she has. I don't like the fact that she feels free to threaten you. You're my daughter, and it's an insult to me that she believes I'm unable to take care of you.” His voice was harsh. “When I come back from Beijing, I'll take care of this business once and for all.”

“Whatever you decide, Daddy.” She smiled as she backed away from him. “Just letting me have Jadlow so that I'll know what we're up against will make me feel better. You always told me that knowledge was power. If he comes up with anything troubling, I'll be sure to let you know.”

She had what she wanted. Time to move away from demands and requests and give him something he wanted. Even though what he wanted was a festering sore these days. She picked up her phone and started dialing. “Now, I'll call our Cara and get her to run up here right away. Why don't you sit down, and I'll get you a drink while you're waiting?” She spoke into the phone, “Cara, your grandfather wants you. Come at once.” She hung up and went over to the bar across the room. “Isn't it nice, that you can snap your fingers, and Cara will be here playing for you? I'm so glad that I could give that to you. It makes me feel that I'm paying back some of the wonderful things you've done for me.”

“Does it?” His gaze was narrowed on her across the room. “Sometimes I've felt that you resented it.”

She must have slipped up somewhere, revealed too much. Think fast. “Not resented it,” she said gently. “It's just that listening to Cara playing reminds me of Jenny and how much you loved listening to her playing the piano when I brought the girls to you before.” She turned and started back across the room to him. “And that brings back the thought that my Jenny is dead, and that breaks my heart.” She gave him his drink. “I'm sure that you can understand. You understand everything about me.”

“Yes.” He lifted his drink to his lips. “I thought I did. But I'm still learning. I look at Cara, and sometimes I see you in her. Sometimes my mother, sometimes I see myself.”

“As long as you're pleased with her. After all, she's my gift to you. Enjoy her.”

“Oh, I do.” He lifted his glass to her. “I couldn't be more pleased with my gift.” He sat up eagerly, his head tilting. “I hear her in the foyer.” He called, “I'm in the mood for the Vivaldi tonight, Cara. Come in and get started.”

He was through with her, Natalie realized bitterly. But at least she'd managed to slide past that sticky spot. She forced a smile as she faded into the background as Cara came into the room. “Yes, by all means, entertain him, Cara. He's been very kind to me tonight.” She could see Cara's shoulders stiffen and the wariness in her expression. Good. She wanted her to be afraid. How would she react if she knew that Natalie had been talking to her father about Cara's precious Eve Duncan?

Not yet. Eve was a weapon she could hold over Cara, and so far it had worked very well. Just a hint made Cara surprisingly meek and cooperative at the very threat of harm to Duncan. If she knew the threat was growing and about to become reality, it might boomerang.

Cara was still looking at her, her eyes wide and wary.

The child knew how she felt about her, Natalie realized suddenly. The girl had annoyed her so much that, many times, Natalie had not even tried to hide her feelings. Oh, well, she still had the control over her, and it would be a relief not to have to pretend except in the presence of her father. “Come along, Cara.” She moved toward the door. “Do what your grandfather asks while I get you a glass of lemonade to drink during your breaks.”

She stopped just outside the door and drew a deep breath as Cara started to play.

She had been very effective, and it had been a fairly successful evening so far. It had been imperative that she know everything possible about Eve Duncan, and she would have that advantage in a day or so after she received Jadlow's report. It was going to be very tricky manipulating a way to get the treasure without surrendering Cara. It was going to be even more difficult to frame Eve Duncan for Cara's death and convince her father that she had done it.

But she had started to set up the scenario tonight, and she would build on it and adjust as she went along.

It would all come together.

But it should probably be done while her father was in Beijing, so she could work freely to accomplish her ends. Three days. She had three days to prepare; and then it had to all go like clockwork.

She headed down the hall toward the kitchen to ask a servant for Cara's lemonade. The music followed her, and she could imagine her father sitting there, held captive as he watched Cara.

Tick-tock, Cara. Enjoy every minute of all that attention he's giving you. Your clock is definitely ticking.

*   *   *

“You were magnificent.” Natalie bent over Ivan and rubbed her naked body catlike over him. “So much pleasure…” She licked his shoulder. “Did I please you?”

“You know you did.” He was panting, his breath coming in gasps. “I've never known—where did you learn that?”

“My husband wanted me schooled in the things he considered most important. He sent me to a bordello in Istanbul for a month. I consented because I considered it almost as important as he did.” Her teeth sank teasingly into his flesh. “And you agree, don't you? You like everything I do to you?”

“You know I do.” He looked at her. “But nothing is free with you. What do I have to pay?”

“I've told you I have a few problems. But it would be foolish of me to expect you to help solve them because I have sex with you. Though that would be a pleasant part of it for both of us.”

“You promised me money,” he said roughly. “A fortune in gold. I killed that professor for you. Kaskov thinks I belong to him, and he'd have me killed if he knew what I was doing. You know there are the rules.”

Of course she knew about the rules. She had used them herself on occasion. Those inflexible rules that Kaskov demanded all his men obey when he brought them into his syndicate. First among them was total loyalty to him in exchange for remaining alive and earning fees far higher than anyone else in any of the Russian Mafias. “I believe you've already made your choice, haven't you?”

He didn't answer directly. “Then when do I get the gold?”

“Soon. We'll go get it together.” She sat up on the couch. It was time to hit him with it, get him used to the idea of the task for which she'd been preparing him. “But there's one thing that you'll have to do for me … My problem involves my daughter.”

“You want me to kill her.” He shrugged. “I knew it was coming. You were dropping hints from first time you let me have you. Do I have to do it? Kaskov isn't going to like it.” He grimaced. “But what am I worrying about? I broke the rules. I'm a dead man anyway when Kaskov finds out. When do you want it done?”

“I'll let you know.” It had been easier than she had thought it would be. He hadn't even asked her why she wanted it done. It had always amazed her that even hardened criminals often had hesitations with killing children. It appeared that Sabak had no problems with any kind of slaughter as long as he was rewarded with sex and money. It was no wonder that he occupied a high place in her father's organization. She had chosen well. “I just wanted to let you know that it was going to happen, so you wouldn't be surprised. My father is going to Beijing for some kind of meeting in three days. It won't be until then or later. I'll ask him to let you stay here and protect Cara.”

“The gold,” he reminded her. “If I'm going to risk my neck, I want the gold.”

“You'll have it.” His persistence was annoying her. She might have to rethink her long-term relationship with Ivan if he wasn't as malleable as she'd hoped. But that was down the road, and there were always twists and turns available to her if she chose to find them. But now it was time to make him forget everything but the fact that she had the talent to make him dizzy with erotic pleasure. “And you'll have me, Ivan.” She moved back over him, her hands sliding, playing, on his body. “And before I leave you tonight, I'll make you tell me you want me more than you do that gold…”

LOCH GAELKAR

“No word from Natalie yet?” Jane looked up as Eve came out of her tent the next morning. “It's been two days. I thought she was supposed to be so eager.”

“That's what I thought.” Eve sat down and poured a cup of tea from the pot over the campfire. “I've been on pins and needles since yesterday. I've been wondering if something is going wrong. I called Jock, and he said that Cara is still okay.” She wrinkled her nose. “And that Natalie is spending a good amount of time humping Sabak. That's not what I wanted to hear. She kept Salazar under her thumb for years by becoming his lover. She was the one who first talked him into kidnapping Jenny and Cara.”

“I know. You told me.” Jane reached over and squeezed Eve's arm. “She's got to call soon. Hang in there.”

“Tell that to Cara. She's the one who's the pawn in this game. I can only imagine what she's going through.” She took a sip of tea. “And Jock said that she was worrying about us. It's damnable that she's—”

“How is Michael doing?” Jane interrupted.

Eve glanced at her in surprise. “Are you trying to distract me by any chance?”

“Yes, there's no use dwelling on the negative when you have something so positive on the horizon. I'm sure your son would agree with me.”

“I'm sure he would. I have the feeling that he tries to distract me, too.” She looked at Jane over the rim of her cup. “You accepted the fact that I told you that my baby was going to be a boy without batting an eye. You're not just trying to soothe me? You're a very reasonable, practical person, and we both know I won't be able to have a medical confirmation for a few weeks.”

“Screw medical confirmations.” Jane smiled. “You told me that it was a boy, and I believe you. Some things you just have to take on faith.” Her smile faded. “As I take you on faith. As I take Bonnie on faith.” She paused. “Do you know that for a long time I thought Bonnie was a figment of your imagination? I even pretended I didn't know that you thought the spirit of your little girl was visiting you. It was okay with me that you were having hallucinations if it brought you some measure of peace and happiness. Anything that made you happy was worth it. So much for my practicality and dedication to reality.” Her lips twisted. “I had to grow up and learn that reality isn't necessarily truth. And experience the same kind of horrible trauma you did to realize that it's not the soul that dies. When I fell in love with Trevor, he was everything I wanted a man to be: gentle, kind, loving. Then, when he was killed protecting me, I thought my life was over. I
wanted
it to be over. When I realized I couldn't let that happen, I prayed that Trevor would come back to me as Bonnie does to you, but he chose not to do it. Maybe he thought that was best for me.” She took a sip of her tea. “But you
do
have your Bonnie, and I believe that with my whole heart. If she tells you that Michael wanted you to know you're going to have a son, then it will happen.”

“Trevor loved you,” Eve said gently. “You're young, and you have a wonderful life ahead of you. He didn't want you to stop living because he did. I don't know how I got so lucky that I got to keep my Bonnie with me.”

Jane smiled. “Maybe because it was in the cards that Michael would need an intermediary. He seems to be a very demanding presence even now. I hope he approves of me as a big sister.”

“There's no question of that. I chose you, didn't I?”

“We chose each other,” Jane said softly. “I was probably every bit as demanding as Michael. I wasn't going to let you—”

“I just talked to Palik.” Joe had come out of the tent and was striding toward them. “And I'll bet you're going to hear from Natalie anytime now. Palik just got word that Kaskov is leaving for Beijing tomorrow to meet with some Chinese narcotic distributors. She's probably waiting to make sure he's out of the picture before she makes her move.”

“It would make sense,” Eve said. “One less force for her to have to deal with if Kaskov is gone.” She just hoped she'd hear soon. She had once compared Natalie to a black widow spider, and she could imagine her plotting, planning, weaving her web. The longer it took her, the more dangerous and intricate the trap. It had taken her entirely too long to get back to Eve this time. She made a face. “Who knows? She might decide to wait until her sleazebag father has left Moscow to make contact.”