“How?”
“Why, I’m a hunter. Violent. Ruthless. Deadly. Not at all a nice guy. Ask Jane.” He turned and headed for the door. “I’ll go get that bed we stashed in the other office and wheel it in here.”
“Caleb.”
He looked back at Jane. “What?”
“You are a hunter. You proved that tonight. We might not have survived if you hadn’t.” She paused. “But that’s not all you are.”
“But you’re not sure what else I am.” He shrugged. “Maybe someday you’ll figure it out. Or maybe not.” He opened the door. “Why should I care? Enigmas are so much more interesting.”
* * *
“They did it.” Catherine turned to Cameron, her eyes shining with excitement. “I can’t believe it. They not only set up Santos, but they removed Dorgal as a threat. I only asked Eve to protect Jane and try to make it logical that I’d go along with Santos’s suggestion to put myself on the chopping block.”
“And they did much more.” Cameron smiled. “Why are you so surprised? You’ve surrounded yourself with extraordinary people. It’s natural they would behave in an extraordinary manner and go the extra distance.” His smile faded. “But there’s still a threat to Luke and the others. Dorgal might be forced to reveal Santos’s plans to kill them, but all he has to do is leave out one element, and they’re dead if Santos gives the word.”
“He won’t give the word.” But his words had quenched her exuberance. Yes, everything had gone well, but they wouldn’t be home free until Santos was dead. “Eve and the others have done their part. Now it’s time for me to do mine.” She moved over to the window overlooking the harbor. “I should be hearing from Santos soon. Shouldn’t you be getting out of here? You told me that Dario and his men had arrived at the airport.”
“I have some time. Dario is capable of equipping his team and arranging for transport to the island.”
“But you don’t like to rely on anyone but yourself.” She smiled crookedly. “You’re sure that no one can handle anything better than you do. It’s that control thing.”
“You mean arrogance.”
“I used to believe that was at the bottom of it. Sometimes, I still do. But I’m leaning toward thinking that you have a king-size sense of responsibility that won’t let you give up authority.”
“Except to you.”
“Which you still managed to skirt.” She glanced over her shoulder. “And I’m thinking that responsibility is kicking in right now, and you’re reluctant to leave me to my own devices. Get out of here, Cameron. You know I can take care of myself.”
“Of course you can.” He moved across the room toward her. “But I find I’m having a problem with letting you go right now.” He stopped before her, and his hand reached out and touched her throat. “We could change the plan. Instead of Dario and I taking out Santos’s men on the island. You could go with us, and we could—”
“No.” She stared at him in exasperation. “You know that it’s better and less risky for me to zero in on Santos. Divide and conquer, dammit.”
“Conquer?” His hand tightened on her throat before it loosened and fell away. “Why am I having trouble embracing that concept? All I can think about is Santos cutting your throat after he finishes torturing you.” He leaned forward, and his lips brushed her throat with infinite sensuality. “And not being able to do this ever again. So shortsighted of me.”
My God, the feel of him. That face, those light eyes that told so much and yet nothing at all, that strength that she wanted to draw inside her until all the madness was over.
Then he was stepping away from her and moving toward the door. “So I’ll just have to make sure that Santos doesn’t have a chance to cheat me. Go ahead and play your game with Santos as Eve told you. I’ll step in and referee if it gets too rough. Call me when Santos contacts you. It’s the least that—”
Her cell phone rang.
“Or maybe you won’t have to call me,” Cameron said grimly. “Santos?”
She nodded, drew a deep breath, and punched the access. “You bastard. What kind of monster are you? Jane was helpless.”
“You sound upset,” Santos said mockingly. “But I tried to tell you that you couldn’t stop me. How was your friend, Eve, when she told you about her dear, Jane?”
“How do you expect her to be? She’s broken. She was so sure that Jane would live, then you did this … monstrous thing.”
“Which was all your fault. I gave you the opportunity to persuade me to let her live.” His voice dripped malice. “You could have said yes, and I would have told Dorgal to scrub the assignment. Though he would have been disappointed because he knows how much I wanted her dead. However, I gave him the pleasure of taking her photo after she was killed. I’m sending you a copy. So beautiful, so peaceful.”
“I don’t want to see it. The idea of Dorgal’s gloating over—”
“You’re getting rather throaty.” His voice hardened. “You don’t want to see her photo? Would you rather see a picture of your son? Only he wouldn’t look peaceful or beautiful after I killed him. I have other more violent plans for him. There might not be enough pieces to put together to stage a photo shoot.”
“Shut up!”
“Frightened? It’s coming. I have it all planned. I wanted to pick them off separately, but I made contingency plans. He has a day, two at most, and he’ll be dead.”
“No!”
“Yes. Nothing and no one can stop it.” He paused. “Except you, Catherine.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Jane MacGuire is dead. I warned you. Was that a bluff?”
Silence. “No.”
“Then why should I bluff about your fine son?” He paused. “I’m sending you another photo, and I’d advise you to look at this one.”
She felt a chill. “Why?”
“You’ll know.”
She heard a ping from her phone, and she accessed the photo.
Luke. Smiling.
But his head was in the sights of a rifle.
She inhaled sharply, and she didn’t have to pretend the panic she was feeling. She had thought he was safe. How had he become a target?
Just take one chance, and I’ll have them.
Luke must have taken that one chance.
“You’re not speaking,” Santos said mockingly. “I believe I’ve made my point.”
She swallowed. “What do you want from me?”
“Justice. Revenge. Pleasure. Step into my parlor, and I’ll have all of those things.”
“And where is your parlor, Santos?”
“I believe you’re getting close. Dorgal’s men tracked you and Richard Cameron to Port of Spain after Pablo delivered Montez to me. Of course, it would take you years to find me. By that time, you will have lost all of the people you love and also your life. So sad.”
She forced herself to look away from that photo. “I love my son. But you can’t expect me to just let you kill me. I’d have to know that I’ll have the chance to save myself and him.”
“By killing me?”
“Are you afraid, Santos?”
“Of a stupid bitch like you?”
“I wasn’t too stupid to kill your Delores. She wouldn’t be afraid to give me my chance.”
He was silent. “No, she wouldn’t. And I should have expected you to try to bargain with me.”
“All I want is a chance.”
“And maybe you’ll have it. Or maybe not. Go to the docks and walk down to the warehouse area near Beetham Road. Don’t bring Richard Cameron, or I’ll give the word for the boy to die. Only you, Catherine.”
“I’m going to bring a weapon.”
“No weapon. I want you defenseless.”
“Delores wasn’t defenseless.”
“No weapon.” He hung up.
“You heard him, Cameron.” She looked back down at the photo. “Dear God, Luke was within a heartbeat of having his head blown off. My home is surrounded by guards. Hu Chang wasn’t even afraid to let him go with him to check on the sentries. How did they get a bead on him?”