Your Next Breath

  “How do you expect her to be? She’s broken. She was so sure that Jane would live, then you did this … monstrous thing.”

  “Which was all your fault. I gave you the opportunity to persuade me to let her live.” His voice dripped malice. “You could have said yes, and I would have told Dorgal to scrub the assignment. Though he would have been disappointed because he knows how much I wanted her dead. However, I gave him the pleasure of taking her photo after she was killed. I’m sending you a copy. So beautiful, so peaceful.”

  “I don’t want to see it. The idea of Dorgal’s gloating over—”

  “You’re getting rather throaty.” His voice hardened. “You don’t want to see her photo? Would you rather see a picture of your son? Only he wouldn’t look peaceful or beautiful after I killed him. I have other more violent plans for him. There might not be enough pieces to put together to stage a photo shoot.”

  “Shut up!”

  “Frightened? It’s coming. I have it all planned. I wanted to pick them off separately, but I made contingency plans. He has a day, two at most, and he’ll be dead.”

  “No!”

  “Yes. Nothing and no one can stop it.” He paused. “Except you, Catherine.”

  “You’re bluffing.”

  “Jane MacGuire is dead. I warned you. Was that a bluff?”

  Silence. “No.”

  “Then why should I bluff about your fine son?” He paused. “I’m sending you another photo, and I’d advise you to look at this one.”

  She felt a chill. “Why?”

  “You’ll know.”

  She heard a ping from her phone, and she accessed the photo.

  Luke. Smiling.

  But his head was in the sights of a rifle.

  She inhaled sharply, and she didn’t have to pretend the panic she was feeling. She had thought he was safe. How had he become a target?

  Just take one chance, and I’ll have them.

  Luke must have taken that one chance.

  “You’re not speaking,” Santos said mockingly. “I believe I’ve made my point.”

  She swallowed. “What do you want from me?”

  “Justice. Revenge. Pleasure. Step into my parlor, and I’ll have all of those things.”

  “And where is your parlor, Santos?”

  “I believe you’re getting close. Dorgal’s men tracked you and Richard Cameron to Port of Spain after Pablo delivered Montez to me. Of course, it would take you years to find me. By that time, you will have lost all of the people you love and also your life. So sad.”

  She forced herself to look away from that photo. “I love my son. But you can’t expect me to just let you kill me. I’d have to know that I’ll have the chance to save myself and him.”

  “By killing me?”

  “Are you afraid, Santos?”

  “Of a stupid bitch like you?”

  “I wasn’t too stupid to kill your Delores. She wouldn’t be afraid to give me my chance.”

  He was silent. “No, she wouldn’t. And I should have expected you to try to bargain with me.”

  “All I want is a chance.”

  “And maybe you’ll have it. Or maybe not. Go to the docks and walk down to the warehouse area near Beetham Road. Don’t bring Richard Cameron, or I’ll give the word for the boy to die. Only you, Catherine.”

  “I’m going to bring a weapon.”

  “No weapon. I want you defenseless.”

  “Delores wasn’t defenseless.”

  “No weapon.” He hung up.

  “You heard him, Cameron.” She looked back down at the photo. “Dear God, Luke was within a heartbeat of having his head blown off. My home is surrounded by guards. Hu Chang wasn’t even afraid to let him go with him to check on the sentries. How did they get a bead on him?”

  “I don’t know.” Cameron shook his head. “My men said it was safe, too. The two blocks around your home were checked out, then sentries were constantly on guard. No one could have gotten this close to Luke.”

  “But they did. I’ve always known that the young think they’re immortal, but this terrifies me. I may never let him out of my sight.”

  “And you’ll lose him.”

  “But he’d be alive.” She shook her head to clear it. “Okay, I know he was probably unprotected only for an instant. I can’t even tell where the photo was taken. But it was enough…” She had to concentrate, but all she could think about was Luke. “It could happen again. Santos wanted to show me how vulnerable he was no matter what I did to save him.”

  “Everyone is on alert, Catherine. But when I leave you, I’ll call Hu Chang and tell him that neither Luke nor anyone else is to leave the house until we tell them it’s okay.”

  “Good.” And she had to pull herself together if they were all to survive. “And nothing will happen to them. Not if we handle this right.” She got her jacket from the closet. “No weapons. I expected that.” She took off the ankle holster for her dagger and handed it to him together with her gun. “You were on the island. Can you find a place that I’ll have access to them?” She made a face. “Providing I’m able to use my hands.” She had a sudden thought. “The tomb. He’s bound to take me there for one reason or another. Either to show me that I wasn’t able to destroy his Delores or to kill me in front of her. Is there a place there where you could hide them?”

  “I wasn’t inside the tomb.” He nodded. “But I was thinking that there might be action there, so I took a good look around. There’s a large, oval, granite stone heaped with flowers outside the bronze door. I remember seeing gardenias…”

  “Fine. Gardenias. I’ll remember.” She slipped on her jacket. “Don’t follow me, Cameron. You get my boy shot, and I’ll kill you.”

  “I know that.” He stepped closer, and his fingers gently touched her cheek. “Nothing will happen to you or him, Catherine. I promise you.” His fingers lingered an instant longer, then dropped away from her. He turned away. “See you on the island.”

  She watched him walk out the door. Her cheek felt warm where he had touched her. Not the searing heat of sex but something deeper, stronger, that made her stronger because of that fleeting instant of bonding.

  She’d had a moment where she’d felt uncertain and weak, and he had sensed it and shown her that she was neither.

  And now it was time for her to go and show Santos.

  BEETHAM ROAD AND SOUTH QUAY

  “Not a great neighborhood. I could have staged an ambush anywhere in the last two blocks,” Dario murmured to Cameron as they moved along the alleys bordering the warehouses. “We should get closer to Catherine if you want to intercept.”

  “I don’t want to intercept,” Cameron said. “And if I got any closer, she’d know I was following her.” His lips tightened. “Or someone else would know, and that can’t happen. Catherine would not be pleased. She threatened to kill me.”

  Dario’s brows rose. “Then you have a right to be careful. If she’s like my mother, she’d keep her word. If you’re not going to intercept or interfere, why are we following her?”

  “I need to be sure that we haven’t miscalculated. Santos almost certainly will send someone to capture her. That’s why he told her to come here. But what if he decides to come himself and take her out on the spot?”

  “Is that likely?”

  “No, he’s giving up a hell of a lot of torment by cutting down his victim list. He’ll want to take his time with Catherine. But there’s always a possibility. If Santos doesn’t come, who will he send?”

  “Juan Pablo. He’s the one who brought Montez here. Santos uses him more than any other of his men except Dorgal.”

  “Would you recognize him?”

  Dario nodded. “I’ve run into him a time or two in Trinidad and Jamaica. Pretty nasty. Do you want me to take him out?”

  “No. I told you, I can’t interfere.”

  “But you will if it’s Santos and not Pablo.”

  He nodded shortly. “Then it won’t be a capture, it
will be a murder. And even if it’s Pablo, I may have to intervene. Catherine is supposed to let them take her with only a token resistance.”

  Dario gave a low whistle. “And you don’t believe she’s capable of doing that? I tend to agree with you. She would find it impossible to give in meekly to Pablo. But that would make her resistance appear more authentic.”

  “If he doesn’t kill her.” His gaze was fixed on the brief glimpses he was getting of Catherine, who was almost two blocks ahead of them. She was moving slowly, warily, her head lifted as if she was listening.

  Soon.

  He could feel his tension growing as he waited for the attack to come.

  The attack he couldn’t stop.

  If Santos was there, the attack would stop before it began.

  Catherine would die.

  And then Cameron would kill Santos before he breathed another breath.

  More warehouses.

  Shadows.

  Crates.

  Trucks.

  Machinery.

  It should happen here, now.

  Catherine thought so, too. He could read her body language, the tension, the hesitation, as her gaze searched the darkness.

  She was passing a huge crane.

  Shadows … moving!

  Leaping out from behind the crane!

  Three, no, four men.

  Catherine whirled and the heel of her boot caught one of her attackers in the throat. She leaped forward, and her fist plowed into another man’s belly, and then her foot shot backward and caught the man behind her in the groin. He fell to his knees.

  “Give it up, Catherine,” Cameron murmured beneath his breath. He knew the instinct that was driving her. That was one of the primary reasons he had followed her. But these men had weapons, and she had none.

  The man she had kicked in the groin was now on his feet and drawing his gun.

  “Shit.” Cameron drew his own gun.

  But the man wasn’t firing. The butt of the gun was coming down with vicious force on Catherine’s head.

  Her legs buckled, and she fell to her knees. The next moment, she was crumpled on the dock, unconscious.

  The man who had struck her was cursing, and he took a step forward. He lifted his foot and kicked Catherine viciously in the rib cage.

  “Son of a bitch.” Cameron’s gaze was fixed on the man’s face, memorizing every feature. “Who is he? Do you know him?”

  “Juan Pablo,” Dario said. “She was fairly incredible, wasn’t she? I can see why you were worried. That was no token. But I think she made him a little angry.”

  “That’s nothing to what he made me,” Cameron said. He watched as one of the men picked up Catherine’s limp body and carried her down the dock. He could feel the rage tearing through him. He had to forcibly resist the temptation to go after them. Stick to the plan. Go with Dario and his men to the island and bring Santos to his knees.

  And slaughter that prick Pablo later.

  CHAPTER

  15

  Pain.

  “Wake up, bitch.”

  Catherine’s head jerked as she was struck on the side of her cheek.

  She tried to open her eyes.

  Another blow, this one splitting her lower lip.

  “I don’t want you lying there like a zombie. Open your damn eyes.”

  Santos. It had to be Santos. Catherine forced her lids to open.

  Santos’s face was only a foot away from her own, and his eyes were blazing, his lips drawn back from his teeth like a feral animal. “Yes, that’s what I want. Pablo shouldn’t have hit you. I’m the only one who’s permitted to cause you pain.” He raised his hand and whipped it again across her face. “Maybe later. Maybe when I get tired and just want to watch your final throes of agony.”

  “How … dramatic. Was that supposed to intimidate me?”

  He hit her again.

  Okay, don’t taunt him. She had to stop him from hitting her until she could clear her mind. Where was she?

  Sand. She was lying on … sand. Darkness. Palm trees. She could hear the ocean’s surf close by. She must be on the island.

  Yes, there was a speedboat anchored a short distance away, and three men standing, watching Santos. She recognized one as the man she’d kicked. The other two she didn’t remember.

  How long had she been here? Had Cameron had time to get around to the other side of the island yet?

  Ask.

  “I don’t remember anything after I was struck on the head. How long have I been here?”

  “Too long. A couple hours. I thought Pablo might have spoiled everything. I couldn’t wake you.”

  “I could have shot her.” One of the men stepped forward. “I only hit her.”

  “Shut up, Pablo,” Santos said. “I wanted her to be clearheaded and able to appreciate everything I’m going to do to her. Go on up to the tomb and wait for me.”

  She watched the man scurry up the beach. “Two hours. He must have hit me very hard. Though I’m sure you were ever so gentle about bringing me around.”

  He hit her again.

  Two hours. It could be long enough for Cameron. She would have to see.

  “You’re suddenly very quiet,” Santos said softly. “Are you feeling how alone you are? All your friends, and none of them can help you now.” He reached down, grabbed her arm, and jerked her to her feet.

  “At least I have friends,” she said. “You have no one, Santos. No one cares whether you live or die.”

  “They care. Because I’m the one who says whether they live or die.” He pushed her down the beach toward a path winding beneath the overhanging palms. “But now it’s time for me to take you to Delores. You’ve kept her waiting. I meant to have more time with you on my own, but you’ve spoiled that.” He shrugged. “Oh, well, perhaps I’ll enjoy it even more thinking how she would feel when I begin on you. Delores was always more imaginative than I was when it came to discipline. She could stretch punishment out for days, and she would try so many new toys…”

  “I’m sure that she was everything you say she was.” She gave him a cool glance. “And I couldn’t be happier that I blew her away. I wish she were alive, so that I could do it again.”

  Rage. Twisting, ugly, rage that contorted his features. “She is alive,” he hissed. “You’ll see. You couldn’t kill her. You’re not good enough. She fooled you. She fooled everyone. She’s alive. She’s only waiting.”

  “You’re crazy,” she said. “And Delores was just as crazy to lead you down the path toward such a bizarre scheme. It’s all pretense and lies, and you can’t even see it.”

  “Pretense? Lies? Was it a lie when I showed you that photo of your son? You didn’t think so. I could sense your fear. Delores would have loved that moment.” He smiled. “As she’ll love the moment when I give the order for your Luke to be shot.”

  She stiffened. “I’m here. I’m the one you want.”

  “But I have to feel your pain. You keep it so well hidden that it takes a great deal to make you reveal it.”

  “That was a freak incident when Luke was targeted. Hu Chang takes good care of him. He’ll find the man you’ve planted outside my home stalking Luke. I’ve told him not to let my son leave the house for a while. It might never happen again.”

  Santos laughed. “No? You think he’s just skulking in the shadows and dodging your people? That photo was taken through a window while Luke was in his bedroom. I have a shooter in the attic of an old Victorian house over a thousand feet away. Donald Lambell is an expert marksman I hired in Iraq and he answers only to me. I didn’t even trust Dorgal to know about him.”

  Panic raced through her. Oh, God, and the fact that they’d told Hu Chang to keep Luke inside had actually set him up for the shooter.

  Don’t let Santos see the fear that was tearing at her. He was waiting for a reaction. Don’t give it to him. “And I thought that you and Dorgal were soul mates. Both tarred by the same brush.”

  “Delores never trus
ted him. Why should I? She’s the one who hired Lambell in case I ever had to use him to take Dorgal out if he becomes too troublesome.” He smiled. “So you can see, Lambell is my ace in the hole. If Dorgal’s men can’t make the hit, Lambell will do it. I called him last night and told him to be ready for the kill. So all your safety measures are going to be for nothing. As soon as I give the word, he’s going to blow your Luke’s handsome head off.”

  Catherine felt sick. He was so terribly certain.

  And he could see what she was feeling in spite of every effort to keep it from him. “Yes, that’s what I want from you. Horror. Your worst nightmare. No more photos. I might just let you get a Skype shot when he pulls the trigger. What a terrible feeling. And you wouldn’t be able to give him his chance to live, as I gave Delores. No Dr. Montez for your son. No chance for him. No chance for you. It gives you a different perspective, doesn’t it?”

  “It makes me wonder if there’s a hell that’s horrible enough for God to send you to.” She swallowed. “It won’t happen. You’ll fail, Santos.”

  “Shall I take out my phone and give the word?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “You’re frightened. I like that. But I’ll wait until we’re with Delores to kill the boy. She was always one to appreciate the turn of the knife.”

  “She’s dead, dammit.”

  “Only in your eyes. But you may change your mind when you see her.” He gestured up the hill. “You see that granite tomb? Isn’t it splendid? The finest black granite, the doors crafted of Italian bronze. Everything about it is meant to be a frame for a queen. My queen. You were so interested in Montez and what he was doing for me. Now you can see for yourself.”

  “Montez is here?”

  “Of course. I would have had him killed in Guatemala if I hadn’t wanted him as an insurance policy for Delores.”

  “And for you.”

  “Yes.” He shrugged. “But I have no intention of needing his services.”

  “Neither did Delores.”

  “But she was always more cautious than me. I went along with her, and I’m glad I did. For her sake. I intend to live for a long, long time before I need Montez. But when I do, he’ll always be here … waiting. Just as he’s doing now. You see him standing there by the door of the tomb? I thought you should see that you’d failed with him, too. He came to me last night and told me that he wouldn’t cause me any more trouble if I spared him and his family.”