Night and Day

  “Cara.” Jane didn’t open her eyes. “Sleep.”

  Cara’s lids shut. Rest. Find a way to repay everyone. But concentrate on Eve.

  Focus on Eve.

  CHAPTER

  12

  “I’m not in the mood for tears at the moment, Natalie,” Kaskov said coldly. “I prefer answers.”

  “I told you what happened,” Natalie said as she put her hand on his arm. “I even told you I might have a way to get her back. We’re still doing everything we can to find out exactly where Duncan is keeping our little girl. I’m so glad you’re home, Daddy.”

  He turned to Ivan Sabak. “Why did you fail to get her back? I gave you every tool I had to hunt them down. A bribe, Sabak?”

  “No,” Sabak said quickly. “Would I still be here if I’d betrayed you? I know the rules and the penalties.”

  “Then why?”

  “They had someone very good on the inside, and the plan was well coordinated. But we almost intercepted.”

  “Not good enough. You say she’s out of Russia now?”

  “Scotland. But well protected by MacDuff, who has contacts in high places.”

  “I can get to anyone I choose. I just have to decide if it’s worth it.”

  “Of course, it’s worth it,” Natalie said. “But I’ve been thinking that perhaps there’s a way that would be less of a risk for you … and for Cara, naturally.”

  Kaskov nodded. “So you’ve told me.” His lips twisted. “A very ugly little scheme. You have such a soft heart, it surprised me that it would occur to you.”

  There had been a hint of sarcasm in that remark. She ignored it. When all this was over, she’d be able to ease her father back to the point where she’d had him before. “I’m just a mother fighting for her child.” She smiled unsteadily up at him. Make it convincing. It might be ugly, but that was what made it perfect. “I have it all planned. All I need is a little help from you, Daddy. Let me tell you all about it, down to the last detail…”

  LOCH GAELKAR

  “Welcome home.” MacDuff smiled as he came forward to greet Cara. “You’re looking remarkably well for all that Jock has told me you’ve gone through.” He glanced at Jock, who had only nodded, then followed Jane and Caleb away from them toward the lake. “Though I can’t say the same about him. Very moody at the moment. He treated you decently, I hope.”

  “He saved me,” she said quietly. “He just didn’t like the way he did it.” She smiled at MacDuff. “And you’re looking wonderful, sir. I was so worried about you.”

  “Then we’ve both come out of this on top.” He grimaced. “Even though I was sidelined from the action because I came too close to being blown up.” He turned to Eve. “Where is Quinn?”

  “He went to see Agent Toller. He wanted to see if he could budge him on letting us go back to the U.S. and retain custody of Cara. Not much hope, but we’ll make the effort.” She smiled. “Otherwise, you may be stuck with us for a little while. We’re not letting her go.”

  “No problem. She hasn’t gotten in my way yet.” His lips tightened. “Though her mother has caused me a bit of bother. I was hoping we’d be through with her once and for all.”

  “We all were, but we’ll take what we can get.” She touched Cara’s arm. “And we got Cara. That’s a major triumph.”

  “I’m sorry that Natalie has done all those bad things,” Cara said jerkily. “I’ll try to make it up to you, sir.”

  “You’re not your mother’s keeper,” MacDuff said. “You can hardly be blamed.”

  “I know that. Jock said I have my own soul, and I believe him. But if I hadn’t been here, then she wouldn’t have had a reason to cause you trouble. I’m sorry I was here and did that.”

  He inclined his head. “Then I accept your apology. We’ll start over.” He turned back to Eve. “And I’m just as happy that you’re going to stick around and help me find Cira’s treasure. I wouldn’t want to have to keep Jane on task by myself, and I’ve always thought Jane was the key.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” Eve said dryly. “If it means anything to you, I believe that Jane is totally committed to helping you now, MacDuff.”

  “It means something. Everything that you do and say is important to Jane. And I’ve particularly noticed how protective she’s been of you lately. If you stay, she’ll stay. If you go, she’ll examine her options.”

  Eve couldn’t argue with him when Jane had insisted on coming to Moscow when she’d known Eve was going. “It’s been difficult … The situation isn’t as crucial now. We’re not joined at the hip. Jane is her own person.”

  “Still, I believe we’ll try to escalate the hunt so that Jane won’t have anything ‘crucial’ to worry about in the near future. See you at the camp.” He lifted his hand as he turned and strode down the slope toward the loch.

  Eve stared after him a moment before she started down the slope with Cara beside her. “Did all that about your mother bother you?” she asked quietly. “MacDuff didn’t mean anything personal toward you. As you know, he’s not always the most tactful man on the planet.”

  “But he’s a good man,” Cara said. “Jock wouldn’t love him if he wasn’t a good man.”

  “Did it bother you?”

  “A little, until I thought about it. Jock told me that she gave birth to me, but she wasn’t really my mother. I have to believe that, Eve.”

  “It’s the truth. Believe it.”

  “I will. But it takes getting used to.” She looked down the slope to where Jock and Caleb were standing by the lake. “And there are all kinds of things it brings out that I never thought about. It’s confusing, Eve.”

  “You’ll work it out.”

  “I have to do it.” She looked back up at Eve and said simply, “Because I can’t live without Jock now.”

  Eve felt a ripple of shock. She’d been aware that the ties between Jock and Cara had been unusually strong since their first meeting, and it was clear their time together in Moscow had only strengthened that bond. “Sometimes we have to do without people we love, Cara.”

  She shook her head. “I won’t do that. I’ll find a way.” Her gaze shifted back to the lake. “MacDuff was right about Jane. She won’t stay if you don’t. She’s worried about you.”

  Eve’s gaze flew to Cara’s face. “She is?” she asked cautiously.

  “You know she is,” Cara said. “You’re very smart, Eve. And you and Jane love each other. You’d know everything that she’s feeling.”

  “And how do you know that she’s worried.” She paused. “Did she say anything?”

  Cara still didn’t look at her. “She said that you were going to need us. She said that we have to focus on you from now on.” She moistened her lips. “It scared me. I thought maybe you were sick.”

  “I’m not sick, Cara.”

  “But would you tell me if you were? Lots of times people don’t tell kids stuff like that. You don’t look sick.”

  “I’m not sick, Cara.” She put her hands on Cara’s shoulders and turned her around to face her. “I feel fine. I feel great.”

  “Then why do you take pills?”

  Eve’s eyes widened. “Pills?”

  “Jane told me I had to focus on you. So I focused while we were on the plane. Twice you went to the back of the plane and poured a glass of water. You had four bottles of pills. You took two each time you went back.”

  Eve shook her head in amazement. “Good heavens, you should train to be a detective.”

  “Why do you take pills if you’re not sick?”

  “For a perfectly good reason.”

  “Why? I have to take care of you. If you’re sick, I have to know about it.”

  Eve chuckled. “Cara, stop it. I’m fine.” She was rifling through her handbag and pulling out pill vials. “And, at this rate, everyone in camp is going to know just how fine I am. I was trying not to let it interfere.” She put the vials in Cara’s hands. “But it appears that’s not going to happen.” r />
  Cara looked down at the vials. “Are you angry with me? Was I too nosy? I won’t look if you don’t want me to.”

  “Even though you think you’re obligated to take care of me?” She was smiling gently. “By all means, look. I believe Michael would want you to know.”

  “Michael?” Cara was looking through the vials one by one. She was frowning as she read the labels. Then she drew a deep breath of relief. “These are just vitamins.”

  “Not just vitamins. Read a little closer.”

  Cara’s brow knitted as her gaze went back to the label. “Prenatal? What’s that supposed to—” Her gaze flew to Eve’s face. “Does that mean—”

  Eve nodded.

  Cara stared at her, stunned.

  Eve laughed. “It’s fine. It’s wonderful. I’m healthy. The baby is healthy. I just take the vitamins to make sure Michael keeps on being healthy.”

  “Michael…”

  “I’m going to have a little boy, Cara. His name is Michael.”

  “When?”

  “About seven months.” She touched her abdomen. “Though I believe he’s going to be very impatient. He’s shown the signs repeatedly of wanting his own way. Maybe he’ll talk me into going along with him.”

  “No, you should do everything the doctor tells you to do,” Cara said eagerly. “I’ll help you. That’s why I’m here. Jenny told me that you were going to need me. This has to be why.”

  Eve’s smile faded. Cara had told Eve repeatedly that Jenny, Cara’s sister who had given her life for her, had come to her in dreams and told her that she was to go to Eve and take care of her. Eve had never thought it would take this turn. “Cara, the reason Jenny wanted us to be together is so that we can help and support each other, to be family, not because she wanted you to be some kind of nursemaid. You are just as important to me as Michael.”

  She shook her head. “But why now? There has to be a reason why I came to you now. It must be because of the baby.”

  “We’re going to have to have a few conversations about this.” She looked at her quizzically. “I take it you’re happy about Michael?”

  Cara smiled luminously. “Oh, yes. A baby. I’ve never been around a baby before. I’ll take good care of him, Eve.”

  “You’re not listening, Cara. That’s not the attitude you should have. That’s my job, not yours.”

  “But there has to be a reason.” She was stuffing the vitamins back in Eve’s handbag. “It has to be Michael. It has to be you.” She handed her the handbag. “Those vials are almost empty. You need to get some more vitamins.”

  “I’ve been a little busy. I’ll get around to it now.”

  “Do you want me to call someone for you? Do you have a doctor here?”

  “Yes, in Glasgow.” She held up her hand. “I’ll take care of it, Cara.”

  She nodded. “But you’ll let me go with you?”

  “I’ll think about it.” She shook her head as Cara started to speak. “Look, I don’t like the idea of your not being where you have protection. You were almost killed in Moscow, and Natalie doesn’t give up. I’m not going to put you at risk until I’m sure she can’t touch you.”

  “What about you?” Cara said. “I think she hated you before, but now it will be different.” She swallowed. “She … hates to lose. I could see it when she talked about her brother. And whenever she loses, someone dies. She lost to you.”

  “Then we’ll just have to take care of each other, won’t we?” She gave Cara a warm hug. “And we won’t take chances.”

  “But I’m not enough,” Cara said. “I’m just a kid. Could I tell Jock about the baby?”

  “I thought you were on the outs with Jock.”

  “It’s not about me, it’s about you and Michael. You should have all the protection we can give you. Nothing else matters. May I tell Jock?”

  She shook her head ruefully. “Why not? Practically everyone else knows now. So much for keeping it confidential.”

  “Jock … knows how to do things … that can protect you and Michael.”

  “Things you didn’t want to let him do for you on that plateau,” Eve said quietly.

  “Maybe he won’t have to do anything. Maybe there’s something I can do instead.” Her gaze met Eve’s. “But we have to protect Michael, don’t we?”

  “That’s not a question to ask me right now. I will protect my child, Cara.”

  She nodded. “And I will protect you … and Jock.” She smiled with an effort. “You’re right, it’s going to be fine. You’re healthy, Michael is healthy, and I’m here to take care of both of you.” She started back down the slope. “And now I’m going to go talk to Jane and tell her she doesn’t have to worry about not being able to tell me about the baby. I think it bothered her.”

  “I’m sure it did. Jane cares about you.”

  “Yes, she does.” Cara grinned over her shoulder. “And it’s not just the Eve connection. She told me so.”

  Eve watched Cara wave to Jane as she walked down the slope. It was good to see the two of them so close. Their backgrounds so similar and yet with stark, painful, differences. But both of them were honest and independent and loving.

  Eve was lucky they had chosen to have her as their “connection.”

  “I thought you’d be down at the tents settling in.” She turned to see Joe on the slope behind her.

  “I had a slight delay. Cara decided that I had some dire disease when she saw me taking my vitamins. I had to explain … in detail.”

  “And how did she take it?”

  “How you would expect her to take it. Loving, happy, excited.” She grimaced. “And protective as hell, and convinced that her job in life was to take care of me and Michael. We have some attitude adjustment to work on.”

  “Maybe not quite yet.” He took her hand as he reached her. “I kind of like the idea of everyone around you wanting to take care of you and my son.” His lips twisted. “Particularly after talking to Toller.”

  “Not a good conversation,” she guessed. “You were back entirely too soon for any progress.”

  “Well, I did succeed in staving off extradition, which he wanted to put in motion the minute he saw me. But that was only because one of the magistrates MacDuff has in his pocket was standing beside me.”

  “You couldn’t convince him that Cara was in danger while she was in Moscow?”

  “Natalie is still her mother, and we have no proof she tried to kill her daughters. Toller wants her returned to her mother and out of U.S. jurisdiction.”

  “And she’d end up dead before the day was over,” Eve said hoarsely. “We can’t let that happen to her after all she’s been through.”

  “Easy.” His hand tightened on hers. “We’ll find a way to keep her safe. We got her back from Natalie, didn’t we?”

  “For the time being. Who knows what Natalie is planning?”

  “I called Dima Palik while I was driving back from talking to Toller. The Kaskov camp is being remarkably silent after Natalie lost Cara and the chest of gold. Kaskov, himself, did some initial investigations, but he’s not been taking any overt actions as yet.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “He hasn’t given the order to kill Ivan Sabak, which would be the usual action if he suspected him of being either a failure or betraying him. Which means that Natalie appears to be protecting Sabak and herself with utmost efficiency. And she has to have offered her father something that’s appeased him in some way.”

  “What?” Eve murmured. “She doesn’t have the gold. She wouldn’t share with him anyway. All her plans were aimed at protecting herself.”

  “I’ve asked Palik to probe as much as he can. I don’t like this silence.”

  Neither did Eve. The black widow was weaving her web, and now she appeared to have the approval of Kaskov. It was enough to cause a chill to go through her. “Cara’s safe here, right?”

  Joe nodded. “MacDuff doubled the guards. Security is very tight. No one’s g
oing to try to take Cara … or you.” He paused. “But, if you’d feel better about it, I could take Jock and Caleb and we could pay another visit to Moscow. It’s time this was ended anyway.”

  “I wouldn’t feel better about it. I want you here with me, safe. It would scare me to death.”

  “We don’t want that.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “But make up your mind that it will happen, Eve. We can’t let this go on much longer.” He smiled. “Michael wouldn’t like it. He doesn’t like you upset.”

  “But he doesn’t have your background or mind-set.”

  “How do you know? There are all kinds of possibilities. Reincarnation, racial memories … After all, he has my DNA. Maybe he also has some of the other stuff, too.”

  She shook her head. “Then heaven help us, Joe.”

  “That’s what I say. You deserve everything Michael and I can give you.” He kissed her hand again. “Heaven help us, Eve.”

  LOCH GAELKAR

  THREE DAYS LATER

  The Amati violin was lying on the ground in front of Cara’s tent when she left it to go to breakfast that morning.

  She stood looking at it for a moment before she could bring herself to go over and open the case.

  Jock smiling that beautiful smile that night before Drostkey Park as he took the violin from her room at the gatehouse.

  “I’m not letting you go through all this without getting something of value out of it. You love that violin.”

  And he had kept his word.

  She swallowed hard as she gazed at the violin. She reached out and touched the beautiful, satin-smooth wood with a caressing finger.

  But he hadn’t bothered to give the violin to her himself this morning. He had set it outside her tent as if it were just a duty he’d had to perform. He hadn’t even let her thank him.

  It … hurt.

  She’d hoped the anger would go away, but it had been days, and she’d barely seen him. She could only hope with the passing of time that he’d forgive her for not being what he wanted.

  But she had to thank him in some way for not only her violin but all the other gifts he’d given her.

  You have a soul. You have choices.