Final Target

  “More than likely.” She stared directly into his eyes. “I’m not letting you get away with this, Travis. I won’t be dependent on a son of a bitch like you, and I won’t let Cassie be either. And when I find a way to get out from under you, I’ll call Andreas and have him pick you up so quick, it will make your head swim.”

  “I may be a son of a bitch, but at least I’m not abandoning you. I could have left you all and flown off in the helicopter by myself. It would have taken a hell of a lot of heat off me.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t.”

  “I made Jessica a promise.” He grimaced. “And you may not believe me, but I couldn’t live with myself if the kid had been hurt by all this.”

  “You’re right, I don’t believe you.” Melissa walked away from him. So much for calm and persuasion. She shouldn’t have lost her temper. She might have had a shot at changing his mind. So do what you told him you’d do. Find a way to break free. Cassie was the tether that held them all together. Cut the tether and they’d all be able to go their own way.

  How to do it?

  She had made a little progress separating herself from Cassie during the last four nightmares, but it was very slow. She hadn’t been worried because she’d thought she had time.

  Her time was running out. How soon after they arrived in Amsterdam would Travis turn his attention to the Wind Dancer? He shouldn’t be able to do anything about the statue, but, dammit, he shouldn’t have been able to get them away from Juniper either. The odds had been stacked sky-high against him.

  “Well, did you finish venting your wrath on my poor friend?”

  Melissa looked behind her and tensed. He was taller than she remembered, but those eyes were unmistakable. “You’re Sean Galen.”

  “I have that honor.” She noticed the faintest British accent as he continued. “I’m flattered you were aware of my sparkling persona. I should have known that even through the deepest drug haze I remain unforgettable.”

  “Who said I was drugged? Jessica?”

  “No, but the signs were pretty clear.”

  “I wasn’t drugged.” She sat down on the couch. “And that makes you pretty lame at reading signs, doesn’t it? How did you know I was arguing with Travis? I didn’t see you.”

  “I was in the cockpit and I opened the door as you were ripping into him. Since my discretion is legendary, I stayed put until you marched off. Could I get you a cup of coffee from the galley?”

  “No, I want to rest.”

  “You look very rested now.”

  “But we’ve already established you’re lousy at reading signs.”

  “Ouch.” He made a face. “Since I can’t admit to being wrong, I suppose I’ve got to believe you’re trying to get rid of me.”

  “I suppose you do.”

  He tilted his head inquiringly. “Why? Most people line up for the pleasure of my company.”

  “Before you shoot them?”

  His smile faded. “Now, that came out of left field. And I thought we were getting along so well. Why did you say that?”

  She looked away from him. “You’re a friend of Travis’s. Jessica said you were at Vasaro and helped him with the escape from Juniper. I can do the math.” She leaned back on the couch. “If you don’t mind, I want to rest.”

  “I’ll go away.” He squatted down beside her. “Just one question.”

  “You shouldn’t have any questions. I’m sure you overheard my entire conversation with Travis while you were practicing your legendary discretion.”

  “Yes, it was very interesting. I intend to quiz Travis on the details later. But this question has nothing to do with him.” His gaze narrowed on her face. “When I was carrying you to the plane, you looked up at me and said, ‘Don’t do it. Don’t let him, Jessica.’ What did you mean by that?”

  “How should I know? I was out of my head.” Face him down. “After all, you can’t expect someone on drugs to be coherent.”

  “Stung.” He stood up. “Serves me right. Never ask intimate questions of a stranger.”

  “That question wasn’t intimate.”

  “Wasn’t it?” He smiled. “It felt intimate. Never mind, we’ll get back to it later.”

  She watched him walk away from her. Her first impression had been correct. Galen was a very dangerous man, and the less she had to do with him, the better. Forget about him.

  Think about Cassie instead.

  Break the tether.

  How?

  There had to be a way to wrest control of those nightmares from Cassie. The girl was strong, but her loneliness was heartbreakingly evident each time—

  My God.

  Why take on Cassie at the worst possible moment? Don’t wait to be pulled into the nightmares; try to invade a gentler dream or sleep state.

  She was crazy. She’d never tried anything like that before, and the prospect scared her. She sure as hell didn’t have any idea if it was possible. But if Cassie could pull Melissa from deep sleep into her tunnel, why shouldn’t she be able to go there herself ?

  Because maybe there were rules about this kind of thing?

  Rules were made to be broken.

  So go for it. There was no time like the present, since Cassie was sleeping.

  Melissa closed her eyes. How the hell did you go about something like this?

  Concentrate . . .

  Amsterdam

  “I want the delivery in the morning, van der Beck.” Karlstadt looked out at the canal. “And there won’t be any tricks.”

  “I stand by my reputation. You know I’ve never been accused of cheating a client.”

  “I don’t like your idea of the transfer taking place in the park. For God’s sake, that place even has a playground. There will be too many people around. I’ll come to your flat in the morning at nine.”

  “Travis likes the idea of people being around. It’s easier to become lost in a crowd. It will be in the park or nowhere. I told you how it’s to be done, and that’s the way it will be done.”

  Karlstadt’s lips thinned. “Then you’d better not disappear until I have the merchandise verified.”

  “I’m sure you intend to have us followed until you finish the verification.” He paused. “Oh, did I forget to tell you that you’ll receive only half tomorrow? The other half will be sent to you in Johannesburg.”

  “What?”

  “Merely a safety precaution. Naturally, you’ll transfer half the money tonight to the Swiss account number I gave you. We’ll wait for the other half tomorrow at the park.”

  “And what if you decide to take the first half and leave me in the lurch?”

  “That’s the chance you take. However, we both know Travis has never broken his word in a deal, and he’d be a fool to cheat you. He knows you’d never give up searching for him, and he likes civilized pleasures too well to want to hide in a third-world country. The only question you have to ask yourself is: Does Travis have the merchandise?” He smiled. “And I’m sure you’ve verified that information.”

  “He has it.” Karlstadt’s voice was harsh. “The Russians wouldn’t be after him if he didn’t.”

  “Aren’t you lucky to be dealing with Travis instead of those unreasonable Russians?” He turned away. “I’ll see you in the morning, Mr. Karlstadt, and I’ll check the Swiss account tonight.”

  “Van der Beck.”

  “Yes?”

  “I’ve been hearing troublesome rumors in the last few hours about your Mr. Travis. Rumors about U.S. Secret Service and CIA involvement.”

  He’d been hearing them too, but he’d hoped Karlstadt wasn’t that deep in the loop. “I’m sure they’re completely untrue.”

  “I don’t care what Travis has done to irritate the Americans. I just want you to know it must not interfere with the deal. I would find that very annoying.”

  “He wouldn’t allow that to happen.” He paused. “Good night, Mr. Karlstadt.” He walked rapidly from the bridge and down the street. He could feel Ka
rlstadt’s gaze on him, but he didn’t look back. Karlstadt enjoyed his little games of intimidation and would have been entirely too pleased if he knew van der Beck was uneasy.

  And there was no doubt he was uneasy. There were too many strings to this deal Travis had handed him. He could handle Karlstadt, but the business with Henri Claron was making him nervous. He was getting too old to keep all these balls in the air.

  He looked up at the sky. Travis should be only hours away by now, and soon he could turn the whole business over to him. Travis was young and as sharp as van der Beck had been when he’d worked with Travis’s father. God, that seemed a long time ago.

  Only a few more hours . . .

  “You’re here.”

  Melissa could feel Cassie’s delight and excitement envelop her in the swirling darkness. “I seem to be. Though it took me long enough to get here. It takes a while to get the knack.”

  “Are you going to stay?”

  “No, I’m just visiting.”

  “Oh.” Disappointment. “Lonely.”

  “We’ve gone through that. You don’t have to be lonely.”

  “Not if you stay.” A pause. “We’re not . . . together. We need to be together.”

  “No, we don’t. We’re friends and we can stay apart and still be friends.”

  “Better together.”

  Melissa could feel the effort the child was making to draw her closer, to absorb her. Jesus, she was strong. “Stop that or I’ll have to go away.”

  “You’re going to go anyway.” Sorrow. “You told me so.”

  “But I’ll come back if you don’t make it sad for me.”

  “Together isn’t sad.” But the effort to merge ebbed and then stopped.

  “For me it is. I want to be your friend, like your mama and daddy.”

  “Gone.”

  “They don’t have to be gone.”

  “They can’t come into the tunnel.”

  “But you can come out.”

  “Gone.” Melissa could feel Cassie’s panic, like the fluttering of a captured bird. “They can’t come in.”

  And Cassie wouldn’t face coming out. But she could become accustomed to the idea. Jessica thought constant reminders helped and used them in therapy.

  “Together.” The strongest pull yet from Cassie.

  It took several exhausting minutes for Melissa to fight her off. When she finally broke free, she felt limp. “That’s it. I warned you. Good-bye, Cassie.”

  “No.” Sorrow. Panic. “Stay. Won’t do it again.”

  “Maybe I’ll stay for a little while. But it’s boring in this tunnel. No trees, no lakes. Nothing pretty . . .”

  “Safe.”

  “Boring.”

  “Not if we find the Wind Dancer. He’ll make everything— What’s wrong? You’re scared.” Panic. “Are the monsters coming?”

  “No.” Melissa tried to close out her fear. “No monsters. And we don’t need the Wind Dancer. Would you like me to tell you about my home, Juniper? You saw only the one room, but there’s so much more. There’s a pond and willow trees and an arbor where purple clematis climb. . . .”

  “Mellie.” Jessica was shaking her, Melissa realized drowsily. “Wake up. We’ll be landing in a few minutes.”

  That jarred her wide awake. She sat up and opened her eyes. “Amsterdam?”

  “No, Antwerp. Some small airport in the back-woods that Galen said is used by drug traffickers.”

  “Wonderful. Just the kind of people I always wanted to associate with.”

  “He arranged to have a van waiting for us to drive to Amsterdam.” Jessica was frowning as she studied her. “You were sleeping awfully hard. I had trouble waking you.”

  It didn’t surprise her. She had been totally exhausted when she finally managed to leave Cassie. She still felt drained. “It’s been a rough night.” She got up and headed for the bathroom. Why hadn’t she told Jessica that she’d reached Cassie? She had always hated keeping things from Jessica, but lately she seemed to be doing nothing else. Later, maybe. She hadn’t really accomplished anything, and Jessica was having enough problems with Melissa’s involvement in Cassie’s nightmares. Melissa could imagine how she’d freak if she told her about the casual visit to Cassie in a normal sleep state.

  Casual? She’d have to work up to casual. Just controlling the bond with Cassie had been a gigantic effort.

  Travis and Sean Galen were waiting when she left the bathroom.

  “Sit down,” Travis said. “We’re on the final approach.”

  “Where’s Jessica?” She sat down and fastened her seat belt.

  “Up front with Cassie. She wanted to be there in case the kid woke up and showed any signs of anxiety.”

  As if Jessica could tell if Cassie was anxious, she thought sadly. The only thing Melissa had gotten a gut feeling about was the Wind Dancer. For her sister, it was like working blind. “Okay, so tell me how you’re going to work this, Travis. I trust you do have a plan to keep us from getting shot on sight.”

  “No, I left that up to Galen. If you get shot, blame him.”

  “The hell I will.” She leaned back in the seat. “Galen?”

  “I’ve arranged to stash the three of you in a small farmhouse outside Amsterdam. I’ve contacted a few of the guys I use when I’m in Holland and they’ll meet us and act as escort. We stay at the farmhouse and protect you while Travis goes and conducts his business.”

  “How long will that take, Travis?”

  “If it takes more than eight hours, then we’re all in trouble. The CIA won’t be spinning its wheels. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d staked out every airport in Holland.”

  “More trouble,” Melissa corrected him. “Then what happens?”

  “I see what I can do about prying the Wind Dancer from the Museum d’Andreas.”

  “There’s no way.”

  “Galen?” Travis asked.

  “Difficult,” Galen murmured. “It will take money. Lots of money. You actually want to steal it?”

  “Borrowing would do. I’d need at least four hours to give Cassie a chance to respond to the statue.”

  “Forget it. It won’t work,” Melissa said flatly.

  “I’m aware of how you feel.”Travis studied her. “I just can’t figure out why.”

  “I told you why.”

  He smiled. “As I said, I can’t figure out why. But I’m sure it will come to me.”

  12

  5:20 A.M.

  The stone farmhouse was set a few miles back from the road and surrounded by trees. The interior consisted of a huge kitchen, a bathroom, and two small bedrooms, all spartanly furnished but spotlessly clean.

  “Carry Cassie into that first bedroom,” Jessica said. “After I get her settled, I need to fix her something to eat.”

  “I’ll do it.” Melissa headed for the kitchen.

  Travis put Cassie on the bed and looked down at her. As usual, he couldn’t be sure whether she was asleep or awake. “Hi,” he said softly. “This all must seem pretty scary to you, but it’s going to work out. I promise.”

  “Don’t promise what you can’t deliver.” Jessica had come back from the bathroom with a basin and a washcloth. “Particularly since she seems to be low on your agenda.”

  “I’ll deliver.” Christ, he hoped he was telling the truth.

  When he went back into the kitchen, Galen was just coming in the front door. “Secure?”

  “As far as I can tell. I have a couple of my guys scouring the area to be sure, and we weren’t followed from the airport.” He sat down at the table. “I’d keep to that eight-hour limit if I were you. You’re too hot for it to be safe to stay in one place for long. Get moving.”

  “That’s what I’m doing.”

  He dialed Jan van der Beck as he walked toward the rental car Galen’s men had brought to the airport. “I’m on my way to the park,” he said when Jan picked up. “Any problems?”

  “No, I slipped away from the apartment the min
ute Galen notified me that your departure was imminent and went to the new flat. You’re the one with problems. Even Karlstadt heard about them. The rumor is that you took something you shouldn’t have. What have you been up to, Michael?”

  “Things got complicated.”

  “I remember you saying that as a boy. And I always told you that it was you who did the complicating. Always keep it simple.”

  He certainly had done the complicating at Juniper, Travis thought ruefully. Jessica may have drawn him to Cassie, but he hadn’t had to dive in with both feet. “The Swiss account transfer?”

  “It went through. I told Karlstadt only a portion of the merchandise would be delivered this morning and that the rest would be sent to him in Johannesburg. Just in case he decided to cut our throats at the park.”

  “Smart.”

  “Of course. I’m looking forward to my cruise, and death would definitely interfere with it. You wouldn’t care to come with me? It would be like the old days.”

  “I might join you later. I’m going to be a little busy for a while.”

  Van der Beck sighed. “I can see how you might. Remember, keep it simple.”

  He chuckled. “I’ll do my best. Start packing. I’ll meet you at the park by eight at the latest.” He hung up.

  “How is she doing?” Melissa asked Jessica as she came out of the bedroom.

  “I can’t see any change.” Jessica sat down in the chair across from Galen. “I don’t think there’s been any harm done by the trip.” She wearily rubbed her temple. “But what do I know? Sometimes I think I don’t do these kids any good at all. How can I, when I can’t—”

  “Bull.” Melissa set a bowl of soup in front of Jessica. “You’re just tired. Of course you did them good. You brought me back, didn’t you? And what about Donny, and Eliza Whitcomb and Pat Bellings and Darren Jenk—”

  “Okay, okay,” Jessica interrupted and held up a hand. “I get the point. I’m wonderful.”

  “You’re darn tooting.” She hesitated. “But I’ve been wondering if you’re being a little too patient with Cassie.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s not like the other kids you’ve treated. She’s so strong. . . . Maybe she needs to be met with strength.”