He didn’t answer, and she realized that he had left the room.
Keep calm. Relax. She was so damn weak. Emotional and physical tension would make the healing process slower, and she must get well. She had to get to Eve.
Eve …
* * *
DAMMIT, THE BASTARD HAD GOTTEN away.
Caleb felt the anger tear through him as he looked out to sea. It was too late. He probably hadn’t had a chance to get the son of a bitch. He’d made his choice to either go after the shooter or try to save Jane.
There hadn’t really been a choice. He would not give up Jane.
But it didn’t stop the rage. The blood was pounding through his body, and he could feel the throbbing of the vein in his temple.
Not good.
He had to regain control before he saw Jane again. She was wary of the savage thread that was an integral part of his character. Even if that savagery had been instigated by the attack on her.
Caleb lifted his head as he heard the sound of the plane coming in from the south.
The air ambulance, he thought as he whirled away from the small inlet. It was about time. It had been less than forty-five minutes since he’d left Jane, but it had seemed longer.
He started to run toward the airfield. No use going back to the animal hospital. He’d meet them at the airfield. Maybe by that time, he’d be under control.
Run.
Use every muscle, every breath.
Block out the bloodlust …
CHAPTER
6
THE SMALL AIR AMBULANCE WAS taxiing toward the hangar when Caleb came over the hill.
No sign of a vehicle or van yet.
Good.
He was almost calm enough to act civilized. Just a little more time, and he would—
“Where have you been?”
Caleb stopped and slowly turned toward the man who had come out of the rain forest.
Quinn.
He stiffened and felt the familiar wariness sweep through him that any encounter with Joe Quinn ignited. Quinn was always a threat both because of his basic character and his position in Jane’s life. He drew a deep breath. “I’ve been looking for the shooter. What do you think I’ve been doing?”
“There’s never any way of knowing. And did you find him?”
“No.” He started down the road toward the aircraft. “He had a speedboat drawn up onshore in an inlet a couple miles from the airfield. I saw where he pushed off. He didn’t waste any time after he shot Jane.”
“How did you know about the inlet?”
He shrugged. “I went to the hangar where he took his shot and started tracking him.”
“On these hard dirt roads and the rain forest? Impressive.”
“Not really. But I am good at it.”
“I bet you are,” Joe murmured.
“Yes, you can bet on it.” He met Joe’s eyes. “Just as I can bet that you chose to come here for the same reason I did. You needed a start, and you thought that the hangar would furnish you with something to go on.”
“I was actually hoping to use your ‘talent’ to help me track him. I thought it would save time.”
“Use me?”
“You don’t like the word? Yes, I’ll use you, Caleb. I don’t like the idea of you with Jane. You’re not only unstable, you’re uncanny as hell. It’s her choice, but I might as well get something out of this.” He smiled without mirth. “Now, did you find anything at that inlet that I can use to get to the bottom of this?”
“No.”
“Are you lying to me?”
He glanced back over his shoulder. “It’s always a possibility, but as it happens I’m telling the truth.” He suddenly smiled. “But you made the question too specific. It gave me an out.”
“Specific.”
“I didn’t find anything at the inlet. But I found something at the hangar. They have security cameras, Quinn.”
“What?”
“I thought that would interest you.” He pulled out a security video disk from his jacket pocket. “We just might get a break.”
Joe took at step closer and held out his hand. “Give it to me.”
Caleb stepped back. “I don’t think so. You don’t like to share.”
“Give it to me, Caleb.” Joe’s voice was soft but laden with menace.
“Don’t push me, Quinn.” Caleb said. “You don’t want to do that.”
“The hell I don’t. I’m mad and I’m scared and the two women I love may be targets of some creep who doesn’t give a damn how wonderful they are. I’ll push the world off its axis if I need to do it.”
Caleb hadn’t expected Quinn to admit to that vulnerability. The bastard was tough as nails. But maybe he should have expected it. Every man had a weakness, and Eve and Jane were clearly Quinn’s. “I can see dire consequences if you interfere with gravity. Maybe we can work out a way to accommodate both of us.”
“I don’t want to accommodate you. You’re interfering with a police investigation.”
“That’s true, but I’m sure you don’t have jurisdiction down here.” He added recklessly, “And I think you know I don’t give a damn about your precious law if it gets in my way.”
“Give me that security disk.”
“I plan on doing that. You have the contacts to identify anyone the security camera picked up. I could do it eventually, but it would take me more time.”
Joe held out his hand again.
“No, a promise. You get in touch with me the minute you identify this bastard.”
“You’d trust me?”
“If you gave your word. You’re one of those rare individuals who actually value their word. Jane wouldn’t feel as she does about you if you weren’t straight.” He gazed directly into Joe’s eyes. “Promise me.”
Joe hesitated, then shrugged. “I promise. If you don’t try to kill him before I get to him.”
“I never ‘try’ to kill anyone.” He handed him the disk. “And I’m too irritated at what happened to Jane to not concentrate on finality. He shouldn’t have made that clumsy attempt on someone who is mine.”
“You arrogant son of a bitch. Jane doesn’t belong to anyone but herself.”
“Doesn’t she?” He pretended to think about it. “You might be right, but then you might not. You don’t really know, do you? Possession is so complicated. The nuances are—” He broke off as he saw the veterinary van come around the bend in the road. “At any rate, I won’t do any permanent damage to him until I find out all the answers. Is that good enough for you?” He didn’t wait for an answer as his pace increased as he walked toward the van. “But I warn you, I’m not going to wait around for you to make your move.”
He heard a muttered curse from behind him, but his attention was now focused on the van that had pulled up before the air ambulance.
He started running again as the van’s doors opened. Devon jumped down and headed for the plane. A moment later, the stretcher bearing Jane was being lifted from the vehicle.
He felt the rage that he’d managed to control once more stinging him as he was again reminded of her helplessness. That sniper might not have taken her life, but he had temporarily taken her strength. From the moment he had met Jane, he had been aware of her endurance and strength, and it had struck a chord in him that was almost as powerful as the basic sexual attraction that had drawn him. He had known she could fight him in any arena, and it had excited him. He had tried to keep himself from looking beyond that excitement and that strange sense of possession that it brought with it.
Or wondering if there was anything beyond it at all. He’d had many women, and none of them had stirred him the way Jane did. He had not been able either to walk away or let her go. What he was feeling now was confusing, and he had felt not only anger but something deeper, stranger, when he had thought she might be dying. He refused to examine that emotion more closely. It was foreign and far too dangerous.
Better to embrace the rage and the possessiveness.
Yes, he could deal with those emotions. Protectiveness was a natural result of thinking of Jane as belonging to him. And rage? Rage was his brother, the impetus that had driven him, saved him, defined him.