Final Target

  “I’ll try not to be long.”

  She hesitated. “Fifteen minutes.” She followed him down the front steps. “I wanted to speak to you too. I had a talk with Mellie last night. She told me the Wind Dancer was what Cassie was searching for in the tunnel. She seems to have an idea pursuing that lead will be bad for Cassie.”

  “And what do you think?”

  “I think we have to grab any straw we can to help her. I made Mellie promise not to try to steer Cassie away from the statue.”

  “I imagine she had a few problems with that,” he murmured.

  “She agreed.” She glanced at him. “You don’t seem surprised.”

  “I think we both knew your sister’s reaction was a little extreme.”

  “Then why didn’t you follow up?”

  “Why should I? I knew you’d do it and you would have only resented my accusing her of anything.”

  “Yes, I would have.” She stopped as they reached the pond. “She didn’t mean any harm. She was only concerned for Cassie.”

  “And that’s your concern too.”

  “Of course.”

  “You love your sister very much, don’t you?”

  “That’s no secret.”

  “And you wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to her.”

  She went still. “My God, are you threatening Mellie?”

  “Yes, I suppose I am.” He turned to look at her. “I have to leave here soon. I’ve got to get back to Amsterdam. I’d like to take you, Melissa, and Cassie with me. It’s the only way I can think of to salve my conscience at leaving.” His lips twisted. “And I admit the package deal will make getting out of here easier.”

  Panic shot through her. “You can’t leave.”

  “ I can’t do anything else.”

  “The hell you can’t. Andreas won’t let you.”

  “I’m going, Jessica.”

  “Cassie will die.”

  “Not if you come with me.”

  “And Mellie.”

  “She’s been getting stronger. She might survive even if Cassie doesn’t.”

  “You son of a bitch.” She brought her trembling hand to her lips. “It’s crazy. For God’s sake, you’re talking about kidnapping Cassie. They’ll find you, lock you up, and throw away the key.”

  “Not if we find a way to heal her.”

  “We? You think I’ll become involved in this criminal madness?”

  “Do you have a choice? You’re crazy about Cassie and Melissa. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to them.”

  “Nothing will happen to them.” She glared at him. “You’re staying and we’re going to go on just the way we have been.”

  “Not quite.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If Cassie has a nightmare, I won’t come to help her.”

  “What?” She stared at him in disbelief. “You have to come.”

  He shook his head.

  “You may be a bastard, but you couldn’t refuse to help Cassie when she suffers.”

  “It’s your call and your responsibility. I’ve told you I’m willing to help her . . . on my terms.”

  “You’re bluffing. You’re not that cold.”

  “When I have to be, I’m colder than you could ever imagine.” He stared directly into her eyes. “Am I bluffing, Jessica?”

  Oh, God, she was afraid he wasn’t. His face was without expression, but his eyes . . . She had gotten to know him over the past weeks; he wasn’t capable of letting Cassie go through a nightmare without helping. “You’re bluffing.”

  “I’m sorry. I hoped to make it easy for all of us. I wouldn’t mention this to Melissa. It will only worry her. After all, you’re rolling the dice for her well-being too.”

  “I’ll do what I like.”

  “No, you’ll do what’s best for the people you care about. That’s what I’m banking on.”

  Her hands clenched as she watched him walk away. Damn him. Damn him.

  He was bluffing. He had to be bluffing.

  The next night the lights came on in Cassie’s room.

  The phone in the gatehouse rang.

  “Get over here,” Jessica said. “Now.”

  “Nightmare?”

  “Yes.”

  He hung up the phone.

  Don’t call back.

  Don’t go to the manor.

  Don’t think of that little girl.

  He went back to the window.

  And waited.

  Thirty minutes later he saw Jessica running down the driveway. He opened the door and waited for her.

  “You son of a bitch.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks. “You bastard.” She grabbed his arm. “You come with me.”

  “ No.”

  “You’ve got to come—”

  “I don’t have to do anything. I do what I choose to do.”

  “I’ll have Fike come down and drag you up there.”

  “And I’ll sit in the chair by her bed and not say a word.”

  “You couldn’t—” She stared at him in disbelief. “You could. My God, you’re going to let Mellie and Cassie . . .” She turned and ran back up the driveway to the house.

  Jesus, he felt sick.

  Don’t give in. You’ve gone this far. If you give in tonight, you’ll have to do it again tomorrow or the night after.

  Five minutes.

  Ten minutes.

  The phone rang.

  “All right, you bastard.” Jessica’s voice was shaking. “I’ll do anything you want. Just get up here.”

  “I’ll be right there.” He started up the driveway at a dead run.

  Christ, it had been even more ugly than he’d imagined it could be.

  “What happened, Jessica?” Melissa’s voice was weak. “It went on for so long. . . .”

  Jessica didn’t answer as she took her pulse. “How do you feel?”

  “Like hell. He didn’t come. . . . It took so long. . . .”

  “Your heartbeat’s still a little erratic, but it’s coming back to normal now.” She drew Melissa’s coverlet up around her shoulders. “And Cassie’s fine too.”

  “She wasn’t fine. She’s grown to depend on him. I tried to break away and talk to her, but she wouldn’t . . . accept me. When I’m part of her, I’m part of the terror . . . not the salvation.” She moistened her lips. “He’s . . . the one she identifies as the savior.”

  “Some savior.” She brushed the hair back from Melissa’s forehead. “Are you going to be okay if I leave you and go back to Cassie?”

  “Sure. Where was he, Jessica?”

  “He got here a little late.”

  “ Bad . . .” Her eyes closed. “So bad. We were so scared. He should have come sooner.”

  “It was bad.” Jessica moved toward the door. “But it won’t happen again. He’ll be here right away next time.”

  “Good. We . . . couldn’t breathe and our heart hurt. . . .”

  “It won’t happen again,” Jessica repeated, and closed the door behind her.

  Son of a bitch. She blinked her stinging eyes and started down the hall toward Cassie’s room.

  Fike straightened away from the wall. “Gee, I hoped the little girl was getting better. This was the worst I’ve ever heard her.”

  “She’s better now.”

  “Mr. Travis is still in there with her. He usually helps, doesn’t he?”

  “Usually.”

  “He told me you almost lost her this time. I’m crossing my fingers that she comes around.”

  “Thank you, Larry. I’m sure she will.” She opened the door and went into the bedroom.

  Travis was sitting on Cassie’s bed and glanced up at her. “How’s Melissa?”

  “How do you think she is?”

  He squeezed Cassie’s hands. “Good night, sweetheart. I’ll see you soon.” He got up and moved out of Cassie’s hearing. “Melissa’s probably tired and very weak. Right?”

  “You couldn’t expect her to be anything else.” He
r hands clenched into fists. “You could have killed them.”

  “You wouldn’t let that happen.”

  “That’s what you counted on. You gambled on me giving in to keep them from suffering and maybe dying. How could you do that?”

  “It was necessary.”

  “The hell it was.”

  “Think what you like. We all have our own agendas.”

  “Then why did you muscle into ours?”

  “You invited me in. And can you honestly say that you weren’t glad to have my help? When I didn’t come tonight, I just returned the situation to the way it was.”

  “To get your own way.”

  “To get my own way.” He gazed directly into her eyes. “I hope you won’t force me to do it again. Because I will do it, Jessica.”

  “I know you will.” She folded her arms across her chest to stop them from shaking. “And as soon as I can find a way to do without your help, I’m going to hang you out to dry. I hope they send you to prison for the next hundred years.”

  “You’d better be darned sure Cassie is cured first. You wouldn’t want me to be out of her reach. Did you tell Melissa anything?”

  “No, only that it wouldn’t happen again. She’ll not be satisfied with that answer when she’s stronger.”

  “Then you’ll have to stave her off. Melissa’s fully capable of throwing a wrench into my plans, and that would be bad for all of us.”

  “I’m not going to lie to her.”

  “Would you rather we leave her here, where you can’t keep an eye on her? I don’t know if she’d still be connected to Cassie at a distance, but I wouldn’t want to chance not being able to monitor her.” He paused. “But perhaps you would.”

  “You asshole.”

  “I didn’t think so.” He started for the door. “Handle it any way you have to.”

  “Wait.”

  He looked back over his shoulder.

  “You’re not going to do this to us without paying. I’ll cooperate with you, but I want your promise that if we get out of here, you’re not going to drop us in Amsterdam.”

  “I told you I wouldn’t do that.”

  “And I want another promise. I want you to arrange to take Cassie to the Wind Dancer and make sure she has some time with it.”

  “That won’t be easy. And why should I? I’ve already won, Jessica.”

  “Because you owe it to us, you bastard.”

  He was silent a moment. “Good point. Okay, you have my promise. Just be aware if we’re caught at the museum, they could shoot me or take me off to jail. Either way, it will be bad for everyone.”

  “It would almost be worth it.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t mean that.”

  He was right. She didn’t mean it. There was no way she would sacrifice Cassie and Melissa just to punish Travis. She gazed at him in despair. “This is so crazy. Change your mind. You can’t get away from here.”

  “Yes, I can. But you’re not going to like the way I do it.”

  She stiffened. “What do you mean?”

  “If I tell you, you’ll argue and then worry about it until it happens.”

  “Are you going to kill someone?”

  “Not if they don’t try to kill me. I’ll give you the game plan right before we start moving.” He left the room.

  Dear God, what was she getting into? If they didn’t get shot, they’d be hunted like criminals. They would be criminals, and she couldn’t see Jonathan Andreas being lenient where his daughter was concerned.

  And if the escape didn’t work, it would all be for nothing. She’d end up in prison and Cassie and Melissa might be lost.

  The escape had to be successful. The stakes were too high. Would Travis keep his promise to help cure Cassie? She’d have to worry about that later. As she’d have to worry about his plan to escape from Juniper.

  Jesus, she hoped no one got hurt.

  10

  The phone at the gatehouse rang at 12:17 A.M. two nights later.

  “Get up here right away. She’s having an episode,” Jessica said when Travis picked up the phone. “And no games tonight, Travis.”

  “All the games are over. I’ll be right there.”

  Larry Fike was frowning with concern as he watched Travis come down the hall a couple of minutes later. “It sounds like a bad one again. Good luck.”

  Travis nodded grimly. “We’ll need it.”

  Cassie’s scream tore through the room as he opened the door.

  “How long?” Travis asked as he crossed to the child’s bed.

  “Ten minutes,” Jessica said. “Thank God, you came right away.”

  He took Cassie’s hands. “Come here, Jessica.”

  Jessica stepped closer. “What?”

  He didn’t look at her as he said in an undertone, “Find an excuse to send Teresa away.”

  She stared at him in bewilderment.

  “Do it.”

  She turned to Teresa, who was standing by the door. “Go get me a hypodermic from the medicine chest downstairs.”

  “You think you’ll need—”

  “I hope not. I want to be prepared. Just get it.”

  Teresa hurried out of the room.

  “How long will it take her?” Travis asked.

  “I don’t know. Last time I looked, there weren’t any hypodermics in that chest. She’ll look around and then go to the one on the third floor.”

  Cassie screamed.

  “Do something. Talk to her.”

  Travis dropped Cassie’s hands and stood up.

  “What are you doing? Talk to her.”

  “We’re leaving, Jessica.”

  She froze. “Not before you take care of her.”

  He opened his jacket, took out his laptop computer, and dropped it into Jessica’s medical bag.

  Cassie screamed.

  “Talk to her. Can’t you see she’s hurting? She’s screaming, dammit.”

  He turned to her and said quietly, “She has to scream, Jessica.”

  “What?”

  “I can’t help her. She has to scream.”

  “Is this some kind of power play? I told you that you’d won.”

  He closed the medical bag. “It’s no power play.”

  “She’s hurting. Mellie’s hurting.”

  “Run out in the hall and tell Fike that you’re having an emergency. Cassie’s having a seizure and you need an ambulance to get her to the hospital. Give him this.” He handed her a piece of paper. “It’s the number of the emergency room at Shenandoah General, the closest hospital.”

  “Don’t do this to Cassie.”

  “And tell Fike to notify the President.”

  “Talk to her.”

  “Not yet. The sooner you put her in the ambulance, the sooner I can help her.” He gave her a push. “Go to Fike.”

  “Damn you.” She was sobbing as she ran into the hall.

  Cassie screamed. The cry held all the agony and fear a child could feel.

  He could stop it. God, how he wanted to stop it.

  He walked to the window and stared blindly at the iron gate through which the ambulance would come.

  He was wrapping Cassie in a blanket when Jessica came back into the room. “Fike?” he asked.

  “He called the hospital. He’s on the line with Andreas now. The ambulance should be here within ten minutes.”

  “Go get your sister and bring her down to the ambulance.”

  “How am I supposed to get her on her feet? She’s probably in as much shock as Cassie.”

  “That’s your problem.” He picked up Cassie. “I’ve got enough on my plate.”

  “It’s not going to work. You may get out of the gates, but there’ll be a truckload of Secret Service at the hospital.”

  “It will work,” he said as he passed Jessica. “Get Melissa downstairs.”

  Fike was outside in the hall. “Can I help?” He flinched as Cassie screamed again. “Christ, that poor kid.”

  Trav
is nodded. “You can make sure there’s security at the hospital.” He started down the hall. “And a carful of your guys to follow the ambulance.”

  “We’ve already taken care of the hospital.” Fike ran down the stairs ahead of Travis. “And you can bet I’ll be in that car following the kid.”

  “Good.”

  “What are you trying to do?” Jessica whispered, stunned.

  “This way they think of us as a team.” He heard the distant wail of a siren. “There’s the ambulance. Get Melissa.”

  Cassie was already being placed in the ambulance when Jessica half led, half carried Melissa down the front steps.

  “Jesus,” Fike murmured when he saw Melissa’s dazed, tearstained face. “What’s wrong with—”

  “You know how close she and Cassie have grown.” Jessica pushed Melissa into the ambulance. “She wants to go to the hospital with her.” She turned to Teresa as she climbed in after Melissa. “I’ll call you from the emergency room.”

  The EMT slammed the door shut and ran around to the passenger seat. The siren wailed as the ambulance tore down the driveway with the Secret Service car following.

  Jessica whirled on Travis. “Now help her,” she said fiercely.

  “I’ve every intention of doing that.” Travis knelt beside Cassie, gathered her hands in his, and began to talk to her.

  Within five minutes she started quieting and Jessica felt the tension ebbing out of her. No matter what happened to the rest of them, Cassie and Melissa were easing.

  Travis checked his watch. He broke off in mid-sentence, got up, and looked out the back window at the Secret Service car behind them. “Too close,” he muttered.

  Even as he spoke, the ambulance took on more speed. Jessica fell sideways as the vehicle screeched around the curve in the road.

  Bluff on one side. Steep slope on the other.

  Travis glanced out the back window. At least two hundred yards separated them from the car now. The ambulance tore up the hill. A gentler slope ahead led to a stand of trees.

  “Come on. Come on,” he murmured. “Now.”

  The highway behind them exploded. Fifty yards of concrete jettisoned into the sky. The escort car swerved to avoid the yawning hole torn in the tarmac, then whipped off the road and down the steep incline.

  The ambulance careened down the gentler slope and into the trees.

  “Hold on to your sister.” Travis had Cassie in a secure grip as the ambulance bumped over the rough ground.