Night and Day

  “Cara,” Eve said. “Let it go. I told you that whatever happened, you weren’t responsible. We’ll find another—”

  “Give her the antidote,” Cara said. “You’re angry at Natalie? Punish her by making her lose what she wants this time.”

  “Excellent thought. But what about what I want? You were an asset I didn’t want to do without. I looked forward to those evenings when you played for me.”

  “Back off, Kaskov,” Jock said. “The conversation is over.”

  “Is it?” His gaze was fastened on Cara’s face. “I’m not a generous man, but I do keep to my bargains. Perhaps we could come to an agreement.”

  “Give Eve the antidote,” Cara repeated. “You have to do it. She has to live. Her son has to live.”

  He was silent again, staring speculatively at her. Then he shrugged. “Perhaps this isn’t the time for negotiations. I have too many other things on my agenda at present.” He glanced at Eve. “This appears to be your lucky day. My granddaughter is determined, and I find myself reluctant to disappoint her. Very strange.” He turned away from the bar and looked at Jock. “The antidote is in the safe at the library of my estate. Suppose you and I go and retrieve it, then I’ll drop you off at the airport to meet with the rest of your party.”

  “Don’t do it, Jock,” Eve said. “You’d be walking into a trap. Directly into the lion’s mouth.”

  Jock was studying Kaskov’s face. “I think I can find a way around it. I know that estate.”

  “Jock has to live, too,” Cara said quickly to Kaskov. “Nothing can happen to him.”

  “You’re very demanding,” Kaskov said. “I’ll have to work on that. But I’m willing to be accommodating and oblige this time.” He looked at Jock. “Do I still have a chauffeur and guard at my car?”

  “No guard. He’s in the alley. The chauffeur is unconscious and in the trunk. You’ll have to drive. He’ll stay there until I pick up the antidote.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t dispose of Nikolai. He’s been with me a long time. That would have upset me.”

  “I wouldn’t have given a damn, but Cara said something that made me reconsider.”

  “You’re as exceptional as I heard you were.” Kaskov smiled faintly. “You wouldn’t care to work for me? I admire efficiency.”

  “No, I would not.”

  “Too bad.” He headed for the door. “Deadly, and you don’t look bad in a tuxedo. You’d fit my lifestyle admirably. Perhaps you’ll change your mind.” He looked over his shoulder at Cara. “Stop worrying. I believe we both understand each other, don’t we? You wanted your Eve and the child to live. It’s going to happen. I just have to handle the details.” He nodded at Eve. “But I want you out of Moscow within the next four hours. I have things to do, and you’ll get in my way. And I’m not going to go to the trouble of giving you a chance to live, then have you blow it by not acting quickly enough. Cara might be upset.”

  “I’m touched by your concern,” she said dryly. “I assure you that if you give me that antidote, I’ll make good use of it.” She paused. “I suppose I should say thank you. But it doesn’t seem appropriate, does it? You did this for some purpose of your own.”

  “Quite true,” Kaskov said. “I’ll see you at the airport.” He stopped once again, and said to Cara, “By the way, I’m not sorry to have this concert interrupted even by such traumatic events. That violinist wasn’t really worth my time. You’re much better, Cara.” He strode out of the box with Jock beside him.

  Eve felt dizzy with relief. Was it over? Had they won? Kaskov was an enigma, and there was no way she could read him. “Jock…”

  “I think he’ll be okay.” Cara was staring at the door. “If Kaskov really has the antidote, and Jock doesn’t have to—” She swallowed. “I don’t know. I’m just guessing. But I’m guessing that Kaskov is going to give you the antidote.”

  “And he wants us out of Moscow.” Eve was reaching for her phone. “We’ll definitely give him what he wants. Come on. We’ll go down to the front entrance to meet Joe and Caleb. I’ll call Joe and see how close he is…”

  CHAPTER

  17

  SKOVSKI AIRPORT

  “It’s been over two hours.” Cara drew her velvet wrap around her to block out the cold as she moved closer to Eve by the hangar. The wind was sharp, but that wasn’t why she was chilled.

  Jock.

  The lion’s mouth.

  Why had she thought that she knew Kaskov well enough to be able to know what he would do, what she could make him do?

  Because that’s why she’d been sent to help Eve and Michael, she thought desperately.

  This had to be the reason.

  I did what you wanted, Jenny. But you have to help bring Jock back safely. Let Kaskov have kept his word and given Jock the antidote. Let everything go right. I know what’s coming. I’ll do the rest. Just let Jock come back safe.

  Eve’s hand touched her arm. “Get on the plane, Cara. There’s no use standing out here in the cold.”

  “He should be here.”

  “If he doesn’t come soon, I’ll go after him,” Joe said grimly. “And that antidote.”

  “It’s not been that long,” Eve said. “We’re just—”

  Headlights pierced the darkness.

  A sleek black limousine was coming toward them.

  Cara took an eager step toward the approaching car. “Jock.”

  Eve grabbed her arm. “Wait, we hope it’s Jock.”

  The limousine came to a stop a few yards away, and Kaskov got out of the driver’s seat. “Hello, Eve. Are you a little nervous perhaps?”

  “Of course. I—” She stopped as she saw Jock getting out of the passenger seat. “Jock, did everything go—”

  “I have the antidote,” Jock said as he handed her a small black cylinder. “Kaskov was very cooperative.”

  “But he still made me drive to make sure that he could keep his eye on me,” Kaskov said with a smile. “I would have done the same thing.” He turned to Joe. “You’re Quinn? You’d better have a very good doctor to administer that antidote. Feroz was too afraid of me not to give me what I asked for, but he didn’t expect me to use it. I would trust Feroz to make a poison, but he could have been careless with the antidote.”

  “Eve has an entire hospital of good doctors,” Joe said. “Nothing is going to go wrong if you’ve given me the right thing. If you haven’t, I’ll come back for you.”

  “Oh, I’ve done what I promised.” He looked at Cara, who had drawn closer to Jock. “You were concerned about him? I’m learning more about you all the time. You seem to have an entire circle you care about.”

  Jock went still. “Get on the plane, Cara.”

  She shook her head, and said to Kaskov, “He’s my friend. All of these people are my friends. I do care about them. We’re like a family.” She paused. “We take care of each other.”

  “A family…” He stared at her for a moment. “I understand about families, but I suppose sometimes family members aren’t so loyal … or loving.” He turned away. “I’ll be in touch soon, Cara.”

  “I know you will,” she said quietly.

  Jock’s hand was on her elbow and pushing her toward the plane. “What the hell was that about?” he muttered.

  She was looking over her shoulder as Kaskov got in the driver’s seat and started the car. “He gave Eve what she needed. Everything she and Michael needed. He could have made it difficult. He didn’t do it.”

  “You’re not answering me.”

  “He’s not like us. Nothing is free in his world. Someone always has to pay. But this time it’s not going to be Eve, and it’s not going to be Michael.”

  “And it’s not going to be you,” Jock said harshly.

  “Not now. I don’t have to worry about it now. I can have time to make certain Eve is well.”

  “It’s not going to be you,” he repeated.

  She smiled at him as she started up the steps behind Eve and Joe. The moonli
ght was shining on his fair hair and those wonderful features, and he was safe, and she would treasure every minute with him. “Maybe it won’t be. Kaskov said he had a lot on his agenda. Why would he want a kid around to get in his way?” She went down the aisle. “Come on, Jock. Sit down and buckle up. We’re going to take Eve back to that hospital in Glasgow, and she’s going to come out of it as shining as Cira’s gold.”

  11:25 P.M.

  Eve’s phone rang as she watched Caleb go up the aisle toward the cockpit.

  “Natalie.” She said to Joe as she glanced down at the ID. “She must be getting impatient. What a pity.”

  “It’s almost eleven thirty,” Joe said. “Another thirty minutes before we were supposed to walk into the trap.”

  Eve’s phone was still ringing.

  “Are you going to answer it?” Joe asked.

  She had been thinking about it. She would have loved to do a little taunting of her own now that they had the antidote. Natalie had caused them all so much suffering during these last weeks.

  But Michael wasn’t safe yet. It wasn’t the time for spite or malice. It was time for hope and prayers until that capsule in her body was safely dissolved.

  “No.” She turned off the ringer. “I want to concentrate on Michael’s future, not revenge.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’m going to try not to think of Natalie again. I believe Michael will help me out there. He’s usually all for serenity and happiness. Though he did get pretty upset when he knew that she’d slipped me that capsule.”

  “He wasn’t the only one,” Joe said as he pulled out his phone. “I’m going to call the specialists and see if we can get that antidote in to be examined the minute we land.”

  “Okay.” She leaned there against his shoulder, listening as he made the calls. She was full of hope, but there was still that element of sheer terror at the thought that something could still go wrong.

  We’re on our way, Michael. I don’t know what those doctors are going to do to us, but Joe will make sure that we’ll be safe.

  There was a vibrating on the phone in her lap.

  Natalie was calling again.

  * * *

  “She’s not answering.” Natalie’s voice was shaking with rage and incredulity. “That bitch, Duncan, is ignoring me. How does she think she can get away with that? She’s going to die. I’ve beaten her. Anyone else would be desperate to get me to give her that antidote.” Her finger was stabbing the numbers on the phone again. “I’ll make her beg. Do you hear me, Ivan? I’ll make her beg to give me that treasure.”

  “I hear you.” Ivan hung up his own phone. “But we may have to chase after her to get her to give you anything. I didn’t like that she wasn’t answering and just called Nasim Feroz. He’s not answering his phone either. She may already have what she wants.”

  She shook her head. “I told him I didn’t want him to create an antidote.”

  “And Feroz would do it anyway if he thought he could sell it to a higher bidder.” His phone rang again, and he picked up and listened. “Yes, I want you to head for the airport, you fool. You have to stop them.” He cursed and hung up the phone. “Feroz is dead. Duncan won’t be coming to give us that gold.” He headed for the door. “But we might be able to stop them at the airport. Since they brought that gold to negotiate, then it may be on that plane going back to Scotland. Coming?”

  “Of course, I’m coming. Do you think I’d trust you to share that gold with me if I let you go alone?” She was running down the steps of the flat after him. “We can still do this. I’ll call Daddy from the car, and he’ll phone one of his government people and stop them from taking off.” She was trying desperately to think of a reason to give her father. She might pull the Cara card … Oh, well, she’d find some reason and make him believe it. “Do you have any men close to the airport? Call them. Get Duncan off that plane.”

  Ivan nodded. “I’ll do it. But you’d do better to get Kaskov to pull his strings. They’re much more effective.” He got in the driver’s seat of the black Mercedes at the curb. “Get in and let’s go.”

  Her hand went to the handle of the passenger door.

  “Not there,” Ivan said. “Backseat.”

  “What?”

  “Backseat,” Kaskov repeated as he leaned forward to look at her from the rear seat. “With me, Natalie.”

  She stiffened in shock. “Daddy?”

  He reached over and opened the rear door for her. “Come along. We have to hurry.”

  She was completely confused, but she didn’t like this. “What are you—”

  “Get in, Natalie.”

  She knew from that steely note in his voice that she was going to have to deal with something. It would have to happen now, when she had no time for it. She got in the car, trying to put the pieces together. “What are you doing here, Daddy? We have a small problem, but I can—” Ivan had lied to her, and he must be involved in this nightmare with her father in some way. “It’s just as well you’re here. You should know that Ivan isn’t as loyal as you think he is.”

  “I’m aware of that. But I’m going to give him a chance to make reparations.” He looked at Ivan’s reflection in the rearview mirror. “He’s always been a person who knew what was in his best interest. When I called him tonight, he realized that he really didn’t want to go out on his own when I furnish him with everything he could ever want. Drive, Ivan.”

  Ivan started the car and pulled away from the curb.

  Betrayal. “He lied to you,” she said quickly. “Did he tell you about that treasure Duncan was supposed to have found? I would have mentioned it to you, but I knew it was lies. All she wanted to do was hurt me and Cara.” She put her hand on his arm. “But we can see if there’s any truth in it, if you like.” She smiled. “We could do it together.”

  “Do you know, Natalie, I’m not particularly enthralled at the idea of that gold.” He smiled back at her. “I have more than enough in my accounts to give me anything I could conceivably want. These days, I’m more interested in control and power.”

  She couldn’t believe he could be that stupid. It was so clear to her. “But power would come with that kind of treasure,” she said gently. “Surely, you can see that, Daddy.”

  “I see many things, Natalie.” He leaned back in the seat. “A few that I’ve been ignoring because I didn’t want to admit that they might be true.” He took her hand and looked down at it. “Such a beautiful hand. You’ve always been exquisite. You really take after my mother, you know. Her face was almost as beautiful as the music she played. Did I ever mention that?”

  “You never talked much about her.”

  “Because you never seemed interested. Your brother, Alex, was more intrigued about family matters.” He paused. “He even had an affection for you, Natalie.”

  “He betrayed you.”

  “No,” he said gently. “He did not. You found Alex expendable, and you framed him.”

  She inhaled sharply. Bad. This was bad. How had he—“That’s not true.” Tears. There had to be tears. But she was so shocked, she was having trouble bringing them to her eyes. “How could you ever believe something so terrible?”

  “Because you told me.” He dropped her hand. “As you told me about Jenny and Cara.”

  “You’re crazy, I would never have told you—it was Ivan, wasn’t it?”

  “I suppose you might say he had a part in it.” He added, “But it was you. And Eve Duncan.”

  “That bitch,” she said viciously. “Lies. All of it lies.”

  “No, the truth. I can separate the truth from lies. It just takes me longer when my family is involved.” He looked out the window. “It’s one of my idiosyncrasies, that the idea of family is important to me. I’ve been alone most of my life, and I truly like the concept.”

  “You have a family. I’m your family.”

  “No, I’ve heard a recent description of what a family should be, and you’re nowhere near it, Natalie. I’m afraid I
’ll have to look elsewhere. And, if you’re not family, then all my rules of conduct apply. Unfortunately, you’ve broken quite a few of them.” He leaned forward. “Pull over when you find a place, Ivan.”

  “Right ahead, sir.”

  Natalie’s heart was beating hard. “It was all lies, Daddy. What do you think you’re going to do?” She smiled shakily. “You love me. You have to believe me.”

  “Do I? I don’t think so. I’m not the fool you thought me.” He looked at her. “And I don’t know if I still love you or just the memory of what I wanted you to be. I might never know.”

  He was sounding frighteningly final. “If you think I did something bad, you have to forgive me. We’ll give it a little time. We’ll talk about it. I’ll make it up to you.”

  “Forgive you?” He was silent, thinking about it. “I might have done it. As I said, family is important to me. Do you know that my mother sat watching and did nothing when that guard was breaking my hands at the work camp? She was too afraid.” His lips twisted. “I forgave her. Later, I gave her a good life until the day she died.”

  “Then forgive me.” Her hand clenched on his arm as Ivan pulled the car to the side of the road. “Please, Daddy.”

  He shook his head. “Alex. Jenny. Cara. It’s such very bad form to kill family, Natalie.” He opened the car door. “I can’t tolerate that kind of mistake.”

  He was actually going to do it. She couldn’t believe it. “You fool! What did any of them matter? I did everything right. Just give me another chance, and I can make you see how right I was.”

  “Good-bye, Natalie.” He slammed the car door and started walking down the side of the road. He called back over his shoulder at Ivan, “Don’t indulge yourself. You may be angry with her, but I want it quick.”

  “Yes, sir.” Ivan was out of the driver’s seat and coming around to the rear door.

  She still had a chance. The gun in her handbag …

  She dug frantically through the bag.

  She couldn’t find the gun.

  It wasn’t there!