Hide Away

  One ring.

  Two.

  Three.

  Then Natalie Castino picked up the call. “Eve Duncan? I can’t tell you how glad I am that you called me back. I was so afraid that you wouldn’t. You’ve decided to help me?”

  Her tone held the same heartbreaking agony that it had the first time she’d called Eve. She was still playing the same role she’d assumed before. Poor victimized mother just trying to get her child returned to her. It seemed incredible that Natalie would still think that ploy would work.

  But in order to get anywhere with the woman, Eve would have to jar her out of that role. “I was hoping that we might be able to help each other. But that can’t happen unless you’re honest with me, Natalie. There is no ransom, is there? It’s all a hoax. You and Salazar were in together on the kidnapping of the girls.”

  Silence. “How can you say that? I wouldn’t harm my own daughters.”

  “I don’t expect you to confess. You’re entirely too clever to incriminate yourself on the phone. I just want you to know that I’m aware of who and what you are. Though God knows I don’t understand how you could do it. Jenny and Cara were extraordinary human beings and very lovable.”

  “Who would know that better than me, Eve?” Natalie said gently. “That’s why I’m trying to save my Cara. If I’m not mistaken, I believe that you’re trying to do the same thing. Why else did you call me?”

  “Not to play your old game. I want to offer you a new one that would have advantages to both of us. Are you with Salazar now?”

  “How did you guess? He forced me to come to meet him. He thought I might be useful in negotiating the ransom. I had no choice.”

  No agony. Her voice was smooth and almost without expression. She was not going to say anything incriminating but she was clearly willing to talk around the subject.

  “Can he hear you now?”

  “No, I demanded some privacy.”

  “He has Cara. I want her back.”

  Silence. “But I’d know if he had her, wouldn’t I?”

  “I believe you do know. She was chloroformed and taken to Salazar. He’s going to kill her if you don’t step in.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I’m talking about your daughter. I’m talking about death. I’m talking about your saving her.”

  “Everyone knows I’d do anything to save her.” She paused. “Are you begging me, Eve? You don’t have to beg me. Just tell me about this new game you wanted to offer me. The one you said might help all of us.”

  “Cira’s treasure. It’s a game centuries old, and that makes it all the more precious. MacTavish told Franco that some of those coins in the chest are priceless, but I’m sure an enterprising woman like you would be able to find a buyer. I’ve heard you like power, and money like that could put the world at your feet.”

  “And you’re offering to give me this treasure?”

  “I’m offering a trade.”

  “You’ve … found this chest?”

  Make it sound totally convincing. “Yes.”

  “And you’ll give it to me for Cara?”

  “I will.”

  “Why? She’s just a child. She can’t be of any value to you.”

  For the first time, Eve realized exactly what she was dealing with in Natalie Castino. That question was asked with complete sincerity. Cara had no value for Natalie, and, therefore, she couldn’t see any value in her for anyone else. Natalie was clearly a complete sociopath. And, therefore, it would be difficult for Eve to explain her affection for Natalie’s daughter and make her believe it. “I’ve never cared anything about the treasure. But I don’t want Salazar to get what he wants. He’s caused me a good deal of trouble. Not to mention that he’s tried to kill me.”

  “You’re foolish not to want the treasure. But I can understand how you’d want to get back at Salazar.”

  Yes, Natalie could identify with anyone not giving her what she wanted. “So you’ll deal with me?”

  “How can I? I don’t have Cara.”

  Eve smothered her exasperation. It was clear Natalie would never do anything to incriminate herself unless she knew she was perfectly safe. Eve could see how she had been able to deceive everyone about her innocence all these years.

  “If you had Cara, would you deal? Hypothetically?”

  “I do like money. It might be an answer for many troubles in my life. And, of course, I’d always want my dear child safe. But Salazar is a very dangerous man, and he might kill me if I got in his way. It’s a very difficult situation.”

  “Give me an answer.”

  “And you might spread lies about my part in these negotiations for my daughter.”

  “You don’t think you can handle my ‘lies’?”

  “Oh, I could handle them. It would just be a bother.”

  “Give me an answer.”

  Silence. “When would I get this treasure?”

  “You get Salazar to release Cara, and I’ll take you to where we hid it on the lake.”

  “That’s not exactly … safe for me.”

  “That’s the only way we can handle it. Your child is not that important to me. I might decide I want the treasure after all. Take it or leave it.”

  Another silence. “Naturally, I’ll do everything possible to save my daughter. But you’ve got to keep Salazar from hurting me. I’ll call you and tell you when and where to come.” She hung up.

  It was done.

  Eve drew a relieved breath as she hung up. It had been both harder and easier than she had anticipated. It was difficult trying to understand Natalie’s thinking and make her believe that Eve was on the same page. It had been easier than she thought to make Natalie go for the deal itself. But Natalie was clever, and there might be all kinds of hidden agendas in her acceptance.

  But the deal had been struck. Now all she had to do was tell Joe.

  And to sit and wait for Natalie’s call.

  * * *

  “She wanted a deal?” Salazar asked when Natalie hung up. “You look very pleased with yourself.”

  “I am very pleased with myself. They have the treasure and want to trade for Cara.” She glanced at the girl slumped unconscious on the ground by a tree. “She may prove very valuable in more ways than the obvious.” She smiled at him. “Unfortunately, you weren’t included in the deal. Eve Duncan wants me to persuade you not to kill Cara, then set her free. Do you think I’m that persuasive, Salazar?”

  “You made the deal?”

  “It seemed the thing to do. We get Eve Duncan and the treasure. We already have Cara. A win-win situation.” She glanced at Franco. “You’ve already come through for us by finding Cara. Do you think you can get Eve Duncan to tell us about the location of the treasure?”

  “It won’t be a problem. Women break easier than men.”

  “How very sexist. You just haven’t been exposed to the right women, has he, Salazar?”

  “When are you going to call her back?” Salazar asked. “I want this over. I’ve lost three men tonight. MacDuff’s people must be better than we thought.”

  “I’ll give it an hour. I want to make her sweat.” She tilted her head. “Though she might not. I believe I’m beginning to have respect for Eve Duncan. How very strange. I don’t remember ever respecting another woman before.” She shrugged. “Oh, well, I’ll still make her wait. I have to keep my word…”

  CHAPTER

  15

  “I’ve located Salazar’s camp,” Jock said when he called Eve and Joe thirty minutes later. “Salazar’s here, and so is Franco. Cara is still alive. They’re keeping her knocked out. Every time she rouses, someone is there with that damn chloroform.” He paused. “And that damn bitch just sits and watches them do it.”

  “How many men does Salazar have in that camp?” Joe asked.

  “Including Franco, six.” He paused. “Caleb and I could take them down.”

  “Not without a risk to Cara,” Eve said. “You kno
w that Jock.”

  Silence. “I know that. It’s the only reason I’m calling you and not doing it.”

  “Because it’s the right thing to do.” She added, “But they’re probably all going to be on the move soon. If you can unobtrusively eliminate a few of them on the trail, it would help.”

  “Oh, I can do that.” He paused. “That woman in the camp, the one who’s laughing and talking and letting them drug Cara. She’s Cara’s mother?”

  “Yes, Natalie Castino.”

  “Can she be one of the ones I take down?”

  “No, we need her.”

  “I don’t need her. Cara doesn’t need her.” He added harshly, “Okay, okay. Maybe later.” He hung up.

  “He appears to be upset with our Natalie,” Joe murmured. “Let’s hope she survives to show up at our meeting.”

  “She will. Jock’s not going to do anything to jeopardize Cara. This is very difficult for him.”

  “It’s difficult for all of us,” Joe said. “And I’m not blaming Jock for wanting to rid us of Natalie. I’m feeling the same way right now.”

  “She’s keeping Cara alive. That’s all that’s important. Look, he’ll take out a few of Salazar’s men on the trail. You can set up an ambush once we find out where Natalie is arranging the meeting. We agreed that was the best way.”

  “But not the only way. That way involves you in the middle of the action.”

  “Joe.”

  “I’m being honest with you. If I see another solution, I’m taking it.” He turned and walked away from her.

  * * *

  “Six A.M. Three hours from now. The top of that craggy hillside that you can see from the lake. You show up alone and unarmed,” Natalie Castino said when Eve picked up the phone an hour later. “I wasn’t able to talk Salazar into releasing Cara, but I can guarantee we’ll be there. I can guarantee that she’ll be alive. After that, it’s up to you. But I’ll expect you to keep your part of our agreement regardless.”

  “You want Cira’s gold.”

  “It will help. I’m a woman who has to make her way in a man’s world,” she said softly. “If I’d have been in control, I might never have lost my girls. I’m sure you can understand, Eve.”

  “Perfectly.”

  “I thought you would. We have some differences, but we’re alike in many things.”

  God forbid, Eve thought. “You mean, we both want our own way.”

  “Exactly. I’ll see you at six, Eve.” She hung up.

  “Alone and unarmed,” Joe repeated. “She’d have to be crazy to expect you to go along with that.”

  “She doesn’t expect me to go along with it. You heard her. She said it was up to me.” She smiled without mirth. “Or up to you, Joe. You have a little over three hours. Work it out.”

  He was already heading to the clearing where he could look up at the hill. There was still a light fog wreathing the slopes that plunged toward the lake, but the rising sun was shining weakly through the clouds to light the craggy, sparsely vegetated glade near the top. “It will be hard as hell to stage an ambush up there.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Unless…” He was silent for a moment. “Why not? He’s supplied us with everything we need…” He took out his phone. “I’ve got to call Jock back. I have something for him to do.”

  Joe was already thinking, planning, analyzing, Eve realized. She just hoped he’d come up with something that was relatively risk-free.

  Risk-free? There was nothing that was going to be without risk in the next few hours.

  She could only hope that they’d all survive.

  * * *

  Eve and Joe didn’t start out for the meeting with Natalie and Salazar until over two hours later. It took them close to an hour’s climb before they reached the final approach to the glade where they were to meet them.

  “You know what to do.” Joe’s voice was sharp with tension. “Don’t deviate, Eve. I may not be able to avert at the last minute.”

  “You make this sound like a SEAL raid,” she said. “I have every intention of following your orders, Joe. But I can’t guarantee I won’t have to ‘deviate.’”

  “I know.” He stopped. “I can’t go any farther with you. Jock says Salazar has planted sentries in those trees up ahead. Jock and Caleb should be somewhere up there, too. But they’re in place. I can’t chance being spotted and endangering you. When you go into those woods, you have to appear totally alone.” He looked at her, his hands clenching. “You don’t have to do this, dammit.”

  “I know I don’t. But I have to do what I can to save her.” She said quietly, “I left Cara with Jane when I went up to the road to help you. I don’t know if it would have made any difference if I’d been there with her when she got so upset when Jock left to go after Salazar. I might not ever know. But I chose you, Joe. This time I have to choose Cara.”

  “Change your mind. We can find another plan to—”

  “Too late.” She gave him a quick kiss and started down the trail. “That would be deviating.” Don’t look back. She didn’t want to see him standing there, or she’d want to run back to him. Just concentrate on what lay ahead.

  And hope that Natalie’s greed was greater than her obsession for protecting herself.

  Because if it wasn’t, Eve would probably be shot by one of the sentries Salazar had planted as she entered those trees ahead.

  * * *

  Joe watched Eve until she disappeared into the trees before he started to move. He’d go to the edge of the forest and wait for the action to start.

  He hated it. Even Jock and Caleb were closer to Eve and might be able to see if there was trouble. But there shouldn’t be trouble, he told himself. He’d spent two hours up here making preparations before he’d gone down to the camp to bring Eve. He’d briefed Caleb and Jock against what he’d thought was every possible thing that could go wrong.

  But it was always the things you didn’t think could go wrong that invariably did.

  It was the unexpected that could get you killed.

  Could get Eve killed.

  His phone was vibrating.

  A text.

  He went still. Jock? Caleb?

  Relief. Manez from Mexico City. Not what Joe had been worried about. Surely not the unexpected blow that could put Eve in greater danger.

  He read the text.

  Shit!

  * * *

  “Hello, Eve.” Natalie Castino smiled brilliantly at her as Eve walked out of the stand of trees into the glade. She was dressed in a cream-colored silk blouse, khaki designer trousers, and fine leather boots. She looked beautiful but totally out of place. “Salazar wasn’t sure that you’d come, but I told him that you were a woman who knew what you wanted. Have you actually met Salazar?”

  “Only by reputation. We’ve chatted.” She stared coolly at Salazar, who stood there with an AK-47 held casually in his arm. “And he hired Walsh to kill Cara and me. I understand he still has a price on my head.” She looked at Franco. “You’d know about that?”

  “Search her,” Salazar told Franco.

  She stiffened as Franco came toward her. But she stood still and unresisting as his hands ran over her. When he stepped away from her, she glanced quickly around the clearing to get her bearings. The glade was surrounded by trees except for the cliff to the west that was rocky and contained several large boulders. Then her attention turned to Natalie Castino. Salazar. Franco. She had only seen photographs of them, but they were so familiar to her, she knew so much about them, that she felt as if she had known them for years. The only true strangers were two dark-skinned men dressed in boots, camouflage pants, and jackets, and carrying rifles. According to Jock, there were two more of Salazar’s men acting as sentries in the forest. Eve couldn’t be concerned about them. They were the responsibility of Caleb, Joe, and Jock. She had to focus on what was going to happen in this glade.

  Cara. Where was Cara?

  Cara was lying beside the trail, as if she’d been tossed
there like some kind of garbage, Eve thought angrily. She looked smaller and more delicate than usual. Or maybe Eve was just more aware how fragile Cara’s situation was at this moment. “Have you hurt her?” She strode over to Cara and fell to her knees beside her. “Cara.” She gently brushed back Cara’s dark hair away from her face. “Cara, it’s Eve. Can you hear me?”

  Cara didn’t move.

  “Cara.”

  “Eve?” Cara whispered. Her lids slowly opened. “So … sorry. Jock?”

  “He’s fine. So are you. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  “No … Sorry…” Her eyes closed again.

  “She’s right, it’s not going to be okay,” Salazar said to Eve. “Not unless we get what we want. Maybe not then. You offered Natalie a deal. If it was true, there might be some reason to keep you alive for a while.”

  “She actually told you everything?”

  “Are you surprised?”

  “No, nothing she could do would surprise me.” She glanced at Natalie. “But I thought there was a possibility that she might wish to surprise you.”

  “Why would I want to do that?” Natalie asked as she took a step closer to Salazar. “We’re used to protecting each other, aren’t we?”

  “Yes.” His gaze narrowed on Eve. “Why did you say that?”

  “I was stating the obvious. She impresses me as a woman who doesn’t like to be taken for granted.” Don’t challenge them. There were things to be done. She frowned as she gazed down at Cara. “She needs to be moved over on those rocks. The grass is too wet here. All this dampness has to be bad for Cara.”

  “She’s fine here,” Salazar said flatly.

  Eve tried not to show panic. Cara was lying too close to Salazar. And he wasn’t going to let her be moved. Try Natalie, the wild card. She turned to her. “Cara needs to be moved.”

  “Does she?” Natalie gazed at her curiously. “I think you really do care about her. How very odd.” She turned to Franco. “It won’t hurt to do as she asks. Take the girl over to those rocks.”

  Franco glanced at Salazar. He didn’t move.

  “Franco,” Natalie said. “Do it. You heard me.”

  He hesitated, then shrugged and strode over to where Eve was kneeling beside Cara.