Eve started at him in bewilderment.
What was happening?
Doane fell to his knees, then tumbled face-forward onto the ground. Only then did Eve see the large knife protruding from his back.
And twenty feet behind him she saw Joe, still in his throwing stance.
Shock. Disbelief. Joy.
“Joe…”
“Stay there. He’s not dead yet.” He rushed up the trail and kicked the gun away from Doane’s still-twitching hand. Then he turned to Eve, and his voice was shaking. “Are you okay?” He didn’t wait for an answer but crushed her in his arms. “You don’t have to answer. I heard you with Doane. You’re very much okay.” He kissed her. “And if you aren’t, I’ll make you that way. God, Eve…”
“I know…”
“It’s not good form to indulge in public demonstrations of affection.” Zander came out from behind the cluster of boulders. “Particularly in the presence of a botched assassination.”
Joe’s eyes narrowed. “Botched?”
“Well, he’s not dead yet, is he? I was making my way around to do it right when you came on the scene.”
“He’ll be dead within a few minutes.”
Zander nodded. “And it wasn’t a bad throw. You were probably better when you were in the SEALs.”
Joe muttered a curse and turned to Eve. “I’m not alone. I brought friends. Catherine and Gallo are on the other side of the house. We split up to search when we didn’t find you in the house. Jane is on the way.”
Zander was smiling at Eve. “You were truly ingenious, Eve. I’m very proud of you. I hope you had an equally inventive story ready to keep Doane from wanting to kill me. Just in case your little distraction didn’t work.”
“I would have had to be Scheherazade to block him from that obsession.” She shuddered. “From the very beginning, you were the real target.” The tension and horror of the last moments were hitting home.
No, more than that. From the time Doane had taken her from the cottage and the people she loved and started her down this nightmare path of madness and terror, she had been the victim fighting for her life. It was incredibly difficult to believe that she was not still that victim.
“Eve.” Joe’s gaze was on her face. “It’s over.”
“Is it? I don’t think so. Not quite yet.” She walked over to Doane, who was still on the ground, gasping for breath. She looked down at him. All those days of torment and captivity, of trying to hold on to sanity, of fighting being the victim.
He had to realize that she had never been that victim, that she was the one who had won.
Eve knelt beside him. “Just so you know, Doane…”
He looked up at her with bloodshot eyes.
She bent lower and whispered, “I really am that good.”
Doane looked incredulously at her, an expression that froze forever, as one last breath escaped from his body.
* * *
JANE COULD FEEL HER CHEST tightening with tension as she looked out at the moonlight gleaming on the sea. She had just entered the hills, and the cottage should be somewhere beyond them on this road.
Was Harriet ahead of her?
Or had she already reached the cottage?
Was Eve dead?
Jane wouldn’t think of that possibility. She would just keep going and hope.
She rounded the curve and saw the cottage in the distance. It was brightly lit, but Jane could see only one car parked on the beach in front of it.
And it wasn’t the Cadillac Escalade Harriet had been driving. Relief surged through her, taking her breath. Harriet hadn’t reached the cottage. Not yet. Eve could still be safe.
But where was Harriet? She’d expected her to be delayed but not—
Her phone rang. Catherine.
“Eve’s safe, Jane.” Catherine’s voice was shaking. “We got to her in time.”
“Thank God. I can’t believe—” Jane had to stop as emotion overcame her. “How is she? He didn’t hurt her?”
“Not physically. We’ll have to see how much of the stuff he threw at her had any mental effect.” She paused. “Joe killed Doane.”
“Good,” Jane said fiercely. “Harriet?”
“No, she’s not here yet. Doane got a call from her that she’d had trouble halting the bleeding in her wound. She was supposedly approaching the hills at that time.”
“I’m coming out of the hills now. I can see the cottage.” She said slowly, “The only answer is that she’s behind me.”
“Stay where you are. We’ll come up to—”
“No.” She pulled off the road into the trees. “There’s probably not time. And the last thing we want is for her to see you all coming after her and panic. She still has that detonator.”
“All the more reason for—”
“No, Catherine.” She hung up.
No, Catherine. I have to be the one to do it. She has to be mine.
She got out of the car and pulled out the revolver Caleb had given her at the sand dune. That seemed such a long time ago.
A lifetime ago. Trevor’s life.
She moved away from the car, so she would have a clear view of the road.
Come on, Harriet. I’m waiting for you.
She listened.
No sound.
It would come.
She would come.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three.
A sleek, powerful roar in the distance.
The Cadillac.
Closer. Closer.
Right around the bend.
She prepared herself and raised the gun.
Make it count, Joe had always said.
The Cadillac came around the bend.
Blam! Blam!
She blew out the two front tires.
The Cadillac went skittering across the road, and it was so close she could see Harriet’s strained, angry face behind the steering wheel. Then the car was down in the ditch, and Harriet was scrambling out of it.
“You took a long time to get here,” Jane called out. “That was Trevor’s fault. When he shot you, he already had three bullets in him, but he still managed to pull that trigger.” She heard Harriet cursing. “I hope he hurt you. Because I intend to hurt you, Harriet.”
A bullet struck the metal fender of the car a foot from Jane’s head.
“I told you that it was only a postponement,” Harriet said viciously. “I’m glad that you showed up so that I can put an end to you. Then I’ll go to that cottage and kill your precious Eve.” She pulled out the cell-phone detonator. “And then I’ll tend to Kevin’s last bit of business.”
Kevin’s business. A million deaths …
Death.
Trevor …
Don’t think of Trevor now. Her hand had to be steady.
She moved carefully into position.
Another bullet shattered the driver’s mirror a few feet away.
“That was close, wasn’t it? I told you I was a good shot.”
“Yes, you did, didn’t you?” Jane said. “And you are. But it won’t do you any good. You won’t kill me, and all your other plans are going to go down the tube. Doane screwed up, and Zander and Eve are free.”
Silence. “You’re lying. I talked to James not fifteen minutes ago.”
“Doane is dead.” She aimed carefully. “And so are you, Harriet.”
“What are you talking about? You’re the one who—” She screamed as her right hand exploded. The detonator dropped to the ground.
Jane quickly aimed again. She fired four shots in quick succession.
Harriet screamed again and bent double in the dirt.
Enough. It was done.
Jane got to her feet and slowly walked over to where Harriet lay on the ground.
Harriet was gazing dazedly up at her. “I’m going to get up in a minute. You … couldn’t have hurt … me. Not you…”
“Oh, I hurt you. You were boasting how well Kevin taught you to shoot.?
?? She stared fiercely down at Harriet. “He taught you to kill. Joe taught me to shoot, too. I got pretty damn good. But it was to protect myself. Everyone thought that in the end I would never have the killer instinct. I didn’t think so either until I met you.”
“I’m not going to die,” Harriet said as she struggled desperately to sit up. “You’re not strong enough to kill me. I’ll find a way to survive. I always have, and I always will.”
“You’re already a dead woman. I aimed very carefully. One shot to blow your right hand off so that you wouldn’t be able to press those buttons. One shot to the other hand to get rid of your gun.” She added with cruel malice, “And three shots in your abdomen and chest, just like Trevor’s wounds. He died very quickly. Since that stump of a hand is bleeding even heavier than his wounds, you should die even sooner. No one can save you. Not your Kevin. Not Doane.”
“I’ll save myself.” A trickle of blood was running from the corner of her mouth. “Bitch. A weakling like you will never—” She trailed off as pain overcame her. “Why do you think you could ever—destroy me? You’re like those silly children Kevin had to have. Weak. Worthless…”
“I have destroyed you.”
“Liar.” Her eyes were glazing over. “James told me he thinks Kevin … is becoming part of him. I … laughed at him. Kevin wouldn’t want him. He’s not strong enough. Not like me. I’m the one Kevin always…” Her eyes were closing. “Kevin, help—me. I always—helped you. Sweet, sweet, beloved … Now you have to—help me.” She roused herself, and her words came strong and biting with venom. “Kill her!”
For an instant, Jane felt an icy chill. And then it was gone.
And so was Harriet.
Her eyes were wide-open, staring blindly up at the night sky.
Jane stood there looking down at her for another moment. No regret. No guilt. She only wished Harriet were still alive so that she could do it again.
The true killer instinct.
Eve.
Jane picked up the detonator, turned, and slowly headed down the beach road toward the cottage on the hill. She could see the lights in the cottage casting a glare over the driftwood graveyard. Then the shadowy figures that she thought were Catherine and Gallo.
And standing on the hill beside the cottage she saw Eve, with Joe beside her.
She kept her gaze fixed on Eve as she started to climb the hill. The agony and numbness were still present, but the love and warmth of all their years together was suddenly there before her, within her. All the death and sorrow surrounded her, but Eve was alive, and that was enough for right now.
Eve stepped away from Joe and held out her arms. “Jane?”
And Jane went into her arms and laid her head on her shoulder.
Are you watching, Trevor? It’s what you’d want for me.
Yesterday … Today … Tomorrow …
* * *
THE SUN WAS RISING IN A GLORIOUS, blinding burst of orange over the ocean, and Eve stood on the beach, lifting her face to the morning breeze.
Freedom.
It seemed so long since she had felt this sense of freedom from threat and ugliness. She had held that smothering fear at bay, but it had always been there in the background, waiting to pounce and take her down. Now she was almost afraid to lower her guard.
But if she didn’t embrace freedom, then Doane would win.
She would not let him win.
She glanced back at the hillside, which was crawling with police and forensic teams digging up those driftwood graves. They had already found one poor little victim from the directions she’d given them. They were still searching for the other child.
“You don’t have to stay here.” Joe was walking down the beach toward her. “Let the police do their work.” He slipped his arm about her waist. “I want to take you home.”
“And I want to go home.” She leaned back against him. “But I need to finish it, Joe. I can’t walk away.” She looked at Jane, who was sitting on a craggy rock down the beach. “But she shouldn’t be here. She’s hurting, Joe.” She shook her head. “And she’s changed.”
“Yes.” He brushed his lips against her temple. “And so have you.”
“What? No, I haven’t.” She frowned. “How?”
“You’re stronger. I can see it, feel it.”
She was silent. “I thought maybe I was just getting harder. I hated Doane for having the power to do that to me.”
“Not harder. It’s just that everything that’s not essentially you has been peeled away. What’s left is strong … and beautiful.”
She tried to laugh. “You’re prejudiced, Joe.”
“I’ve studied every nuance and quality that makes you who you are. No one is a better judge.” He suddenly whirled her around in his arms and buried his face in her hair. “And I love every single bit of who you are.” His voice was hoarse with feeling. “God, I’m glad to have you back. I was going crazy.”
The pain and passion in his voice was thick with intensity, and it shook her to her core. “Me, too.” Her arms tightened around him. “Doane and Harriet caused so much pain … and maybe the worst thing they did was giving birth to Kevin. All the evil in both of them seemed to be embodied in him. Even after he was killed, the evil seemed to grow. It reached out to me and you … and Jane. Oh, God, Jane.”
“Give her time. She’ll survive.”
“No choice.” She paused. “Trevor has no family. I offered to have him buried at the lake on that hill beyond the woods. Is that okay with you?”
“Of course it is. Is it okay with her?”
“I think so. She’s hurting too much to make many decisions. I’ll broach it to her again after we get home.”
“That’s a good idea.” He didn’t speak for a moment. “Zander wants to speak to you. He asked me to tell you.”
“He’s still here? I thought he’d gone. He disappeared after all the police and CIA agents got here.”
“That shouldn’t surprise you. He’s uncomfortable with law enforcement.” His lips twisted. “And they’re uncomfortable with him. Most of them would prefer he not be around for them to worry about.”
“You included?” she asked quietly.
“I would have said yes several hours ago. The arrogant bastard runs his own show, and he took a big chance with you.”
“And now?”
“He saved you. We might not have gotten here in time, and he saved you. What the hell am I supposed to say? I’m still pissed off at the way he did it, but he did do it. So that means I have to be in his corner.” He pushed her back away from him. “So go up and talk to him. He said to take the path that goes behind the cottage.”
She nodded and turned away. “Why don’t you go up to those rocks and sit with Jane? She won’t want to talk, but she’ll like it that you’re there.” She didn’t wait for an answer but started across the beach toward the hills.
The path wound behind that driftwood graveyard down the hill and around to the next hill. It was only as she turned the last bend that she saw the smoke curling from a small fire.
Zander was sitting cross-legged in front of the fire, and he looked up as he saw her. “Does this remind you of that campfire we shared in Colorado?” He smiled. “That seems a long time ago, doesn’t it?”
“Not really. Not to me.” She sat down opposite him. “And I don’t think you asked me to come here to reminisce. That’s not your style, Zander.”
“And why do you think I did want to see you?”
“I don’t know. But I know why I wanted to see you.” She paused. “You saved my life. I wanted to thank you.”
“Don’t be maudlin.”
“Gratitude is not maudlin. And you’re not accepting it at all graciously. But, then, I didn’t expect anything else. It’s too human and probably makes you feel uncomfortable.”
“Very perceptive. You’ve gotten to know me entirely too well. It’s time we parted company.”
She stiffened. “By all means, don’t stay
around anyone who might make you feel something besides curiosity and boredom.”
“My thought exactly. That could be very dangerous for me. Look what happened with you. I got a busted arm and almost ended up dead.”
“I never asked anything of you.”
“I know,” he said softly. “That’s the problem.” He looked across the fire at her. “You make me ask it of myself. How much more dangerous that is, Eve.”
She couldn’t look away from him. He had become so close to her. How could that be when she still didn’t understand him? He was an enigma that she wasn’t sure she could ever solve. But she wanted to solve it, she realized with sudden desperation. She wanted to understand him. “So you’re telling me that you’re leaving? I didn’t expect anything else. It’s not as if you have anything to keep you here.”
He nodded. “That’s right. Nothing at all. Nothing has changed.” He smiled. “And I didn’t bring you here to bid you a fatherly farewell. As you said, not my style.”
“Why did you bring me?”
“I have a good-bye gift for you.”
“What? Now that’s truly maudlin, Zander.”
“No one would ever describe this gift as maudlin.” He reached behind him into the tall grass and brought out a leather case. “I don’t think you would either.”
She stiffened. She knew that case too well. “Is this your idea of humor?”
“Would I be that cruel? Well, I would, but not to you, Eve.” He unfastened the case. “No, this is a true gift. You’re never going to forget these days with Doane, but you have a chance of its gradually blurring. But not if you know this is somewhere in the world.” He drew out the reconstruction of Kevin and studied it. “You did a magnificent job on him. He’s been with you every minute, in your mind, under your fingers. The stuff of nightmares…”
“Yes.” She forced herself to look at the reconstruction. Is it over, Kevin? Has your power to silence vanished? Have you faded back to the hell from where you came?
No smothering sense of evil.
No reaching out to grasp and take.
Has he gone, Bonnie?
“He frightened you?” Zander’s gaze was narrowed on her face. “Why?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” But the fear was gone, she realized. Bonnie’s answer?