“Likewise,” he said softly. “See you soon, Jane.” He hung up.
He could be right, she thought as she put her phone away. She’d gone without sleep, and when they’d found Cira’s treasure, she’d lost an essential motivation that had driven her life. Maybe her reaction to Caleb’s call had been extreme.
But so had his reaction been, for God’s sake. He was probably flying back to Scotland even as she’d been talking to Joe. There was no doubt he’d been worried. And why not? He’d almost lost Lisa a short time ago. He wasn’t about to risk that again if he—
Macauley was muttering a curse, his eye on the rearview mirror.
“Bastard. Get off my tail.”
She glanced at the side-view mirror. Macauley had a right to be pissed off. That yellow Hummer was only a couple yards behind them. She hadn’t been aware of anything when she’d been talking to Joe, but now she realized that Macauley had seemed tense and irritated for quite a while. “I agree. What an ass. Can you pull off and let the driver get ahead of us?”
He shook his head. “Ditches on both sides. Maybe in the next ten miles or so.”
But the yellow Hummer was speeding up.
The next minute, it hit the bumper of the Range Rover!
It spun sideways and Macauley was barely able to keep it on the road. “I’m going to kill him,” he said through his teeth. “I’ll beat the—”
The Hummer hit them again, harder.
The Range Rover spun again, this time toward the ditch.
And the Hummer was now right beside them, ramming them in the side.
Once.
Twice!
That driver has to be crazy, Jane thought as she lurched hard against the control panel. What was he doing?
And then she saw what he was doing. Because she saw who was doing it.
Santara.
Santara was driving that Hummer.
And he was smiling at her.
And then he swung his steering wheel forty degrees to the right and rammed their Range Rover at full force.
It was already on two wheels, and the additional blow sent it barreling toward the ditch.
Macauley was cursing, trying to right the car.
Too late. It’s going to be too late, Jane thought as she watched in horror, realizing what was going to happen.
The Range Rover skidded off the road at high speed, turned over in midair, and landed on its roof in the ditch.
Pain!
Darkness …
*
Jock saw the fire devouring the Range Rover as he turned a corner on the highway. “My God.”
“Macauley?” MacDuff asked.
“And Jane,” Jock said jerkily. “Jane was riding with him.” There were two police cars and a fire truck pulled over behind the wreck of the Range Rover. He sped up and screeched to a stop behind them. He jumped out of the Toyota and brushed aside the uniformed policeman who was trying to keep him from running toward the wreck. “Keep them out of my way, MacDuff. I’ve got to see if I can get anyone out of that inferno.”
“You won’t. Don’t even try, sir.” A young policeman, covered with mud and soot, had come out of the ditch. “The driver was pinned by the air bag and was pretty bruised and broken up. But he made it out of the car and we found him trying to crawl up to the road. He’s in the ambulance over there. We’re trying to put out the fire now, but I’m afraid that it really doesn’t matter if—” He abruptly broke off. “Are you family?”
“Why doesn’t it matter?” MacDuff demanded. “Finish what you were going to say, dammit.”
“Maybe you should talk to my superior. He’s over there with the EMTs and two witnesses who were in a car right behind the Range Rover.”
“Why?” Jock took a step closer to him. “Now.”
The policeman took a hasty step back. “We got a look at the other three victims through the window before the tank blew. All three men were deceased. It appeared that they’d been shot in the head at close range.” He saw Jock’s expression and said, “They were family? I’m sorry for your loss. I shouldn’t be the one talking to you. Lieutenant Parren is interviewing witnesses over there. You’d better go see him.” He turned and almost ran back to the police car.
“Shot at close range in the head,” MacDuff said. “Execution-style?”
“Santara.” Jock was gazing at the blazing vehicle. “They were family. How long did they work for you?”
“Since I was in the Royal Marines. I know all their families,” MacDuff said. “Three men. Not a woman. Jane wasn’t in that car when it blew.”
“But that doesn’t mean that Santara won’t make an example of her later, when he has more time. I don’t think there’s any doubt she was the target.” Jock turned on his heel and headed toward the EMTs’ truck. “Let’s go and see if we can get any information from those witnesses. I don’t want to have to go back to camp and tell Joe and Eve that Jane’s been taken until we know everything we can possibly know.”
*
“I must have talked to Jane only minutes before it happened,” Joe said to Jock. He added bitterly, “She was worried about us. I told her I’d take care of everyone. I didn’t take care of her, did I?”
“Because no one thought that Jane would be a target. She was always afraid for Lisa.” Eve moved closer to Joe. In this nightmare, she wanted to feel his warmth. “It doesn’t make sense.” And men who acted without reason terrified her. She had seen too many deaths committed by impulse and revenge on the innocent. “What did the witnesses say, Jock?”
“Not much. Only that they saw a yellow Hummer drive the Range Rover off the road. It turned over and the driver of the Hummer got out with two other men and ran down the ditch and opened the passenger-side door. Then they heard shots and saw a woman being carried up the ditch and thrown into the Hummer. A few moments later, the gas tank of the Range Rover caught fire.”
Eve’s fingers dug into Joe’s arm. “Carried?”
“She seemed limp, probably unconscious.”
“She was in a car turned upside down,” Eve said jerkily. “She could have a concussion or spinal damage or heaven knows what other injury.” She remembered another word Jock had used. “And thrown? You don’t throw people when they’re hurt or injured; that’s for trash or garbage.” That wasn’t for her Jane. She was suddenly being bombarded by memories of Jane at ten years old; Jane sitting on the floor with Michael, sketching; Jane looking out at the mist as if she were trying to see Cira in the shifting clouds.
Joe’s arm slid around her waist. “Jane’s tough,” he said gently. “We’ll get her back and she’ll be fine.”
She nodded jerkily. She had to believe that or she wouldn’t be able to function right now. And she had to function; they had to find out the answers. “Why? If Santara has been stalking Lisa, why take Jane? And why now? Does it have anything to do with Cira’s treasure?”
“That might be logical,” MacDuff said. “But it’s almost certain that Santara knew nothing about it. Only the people in this camp knew we’d found it.” He grimaced. “And it was a surprise to all of us … except perhaps Jane. Not even the guards knew what we were taking to the bank today. No, he must have had another agenda. And Jane was a target of opportunity.”
“Jane?” Lisa had suddenly appeared behind them. Her gaze flew from one to the other. “Target? What’s wrong with Jane?” Her eyes narrowed on Eve’s face. “You’re scared. You tell me what’s wrong with her.”
Eve should have known that Lisa would have seen them talking, noticed Jane was not with MacDuff and Jock, and instantly gone on the offensive. What could she say? She had an idea that beneath that tough facade Lisa kept so firmly in place she had a deep affection for Jane. Which was confirmed by the fierceness of this response when Lisa suspected Jane was in trouble.