“Tell me.” Lisa’s eyes were blazing. “I should have gone with her. I shouldn’t have relied on anyone else. I just didn’t think that Jane was— And, if she was, I thought you all would be able to—”
“Easy.” Eve took her arm and drew her a few yards away. “Yes, there’s a problem.” An understatement, she thought bitterly. But Lisa didn’t need to get any more upset than she was right now. Yet there wasn’t any way to avoid the truth, so she told her quickly what had happened. “MacDuff doesn’t think it has anything to do with Cira’s treasure. We’re not sure yet why she was taken.”
“Aren’t you?” She moistened her lips. “Does Seth know what happened?”
“Not yet. As I said, he told Jane he was on his way here now.” Her lips twisted. “He was going hunting for Santara. We’ll tell him when he gets here.”
“No, you won’t. I’ll call him and tell him now. He needs to know.”
“You’re upset. It could probably wait. What can he do while flying a plane? It will be only a few more hours, Lisa.”
“A few hours might make a difference with Santara. I don’t know. I’m not smart enough about things like that. But I’m not going to take a chance. Seth will know.” She looked at Eve. “Are you afraid I’ll get all hysterical and upset him and make you cope? I won’t do that. I’ll just tell him and get off the phone. But he has to know.” Her voice was suddenly filled with passion. “Do you think I want to do it? I hate having to tell him, because they may have found a way to get him after all.”
Eve frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Of course it’s not about the treasure. It’s about Seth.” She reached for her phone. “It’s always been about Seth.”
*
“Wake up!”
Jane’s cheek stung and her neck jerked backward with the force of the blow.
“Open your eyes. She wants you awake.”
Pain.
Not only because of the slap.
Her head was throbbing, Jane realized dazedly.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Santara.
He smiled down at her. “That’s better. Teresa doesn’t trust me. Can you imagine that she’d believe I’d not take care of you in just the manner she ordered? She wants me to keep you awake to be sure that concussion doesn’t cause you to slip into a coma. She has plans for you and wants to make sure you’re healthy and able to perform.”
Vibration.
And that low familiar hum of sound.
A plane.
She was on a plane.…
“You’re not saying anything. The queen bitch said I had to make sure that you were coherent. Talk to me.”
“We’re—on a plane. Where are you—taking me?”
“That was clear enough. Should I answer?” He pretended to think about it. “Why not? We’re on our way to the land of sun and money, where Queen Teresa wishes to receive you and deal with you herself.”
“That’s no answer.”
His hand lashed out and struck her cheek again, hard. “Be polite. I’m sick to death of dealing with you female vipers who think you can tell me what to do.”
She was dizzy and had to hold on to consciousness.
“No, you’re this big man who has to prove himself by torturing—a young girl. I’m surprised you didn’t go after Lisa again.”
“You’re slurring a little. I guess I’d better not hit you again. Disappointing.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Dubai. You didn’t recognize my description?”
“And you were talking about Teresa Romano?”
“See, perfectly coherent.”
She was trying to fight the dizziness and clear her mind. The car … She had been in the Range Rover … “Macauley. What happened to Macauley?”
“Who?”
“The driver. Macauley.”
“He may be alive. His air bag went off and I couldn’t get to him. I didn’t have time to fight that damn air bag.” He smiled. “But his three friends were right there and available to us. It didn’t take any time at all to dispose of them.”
“You killed them?”
“It seemed the thing to do. It made a statement. I believe in statements.”
Caleb had said something like that.…
“Said Ben Kemal.”
He nodded. “I don’t know how Caleb got him to talk, but he had to be punished for it. I would have enjoyed being there to do it myself, but unfortunately I had to deligate. I was busy keeping my eye on the lake.”
“Do you know—why you’re taking me—to Dubai?”
Silence. “Why should I tell you?”
She studied his face. “You don’t know. She’s just using you as an errand boy and doesn’t confide in you.”
“Bullshit. I’m just done with asking her questions. I’ll do what she wants and then let her pay what I want.” He added roughly, “And I’m done with answering your questions. You’re not going to go into any coma unless I decide to put you in one. So just shut up.” His smile was malicious. “Every now and then I’ll come back and check and give you a reminder that will leave a bruise or two and show Teresa that I always do what she wants me to do.” He got to his feet. “I missed that after you and Caleb took Lisa away from me. Do you know it wasn’t only Caleb I was angry with that night? You were right there with him, another bitch to humiliate me in front of my men. Actually, I’m very glad that Dubai is still a good distance away.”
She watched him stroll back down the aisle toward the cockpit.
Vicious. Totally vicious and without conscience. She had known that he was both those things, but this was firsthand experience with him. He liked the pain and terror he could dispense. He wanted her to be afraid.
Statements. That was an example of his basic philosophy of terror. She had to remember that, in case she could use it later.
Though it was hard to remember anything with her head whirling like a windmill. Perhaps it would be safe to close her eyes for just a moment and rest.
Macauley. Was he still alive? She had always liked and respected him. Neither he nor his men would have been hurt if she’d not made the choice to have him take her back to the lake.
But then MacDuff and Jock might have been the victims. There was no good decision when it came to a murderer like Santara. Unless the decision was for her to crawl into a hole and cower there while they trampled over everything good and clean in the world. How could she do that?
It was impossible. So the only solution was to fight, and she would do that. As soon as she could shake off this pain and dizziness. Until then, she would lie here and recover and try to figure out why Teresa Romano had decided it was worth her while to choose her as Santara’s target.
And why she had decided to come forward out of the darkness of the shadows to deal with Jane herself.
CHAPTER
16
“She was unconscious?” Caleb asked tersely as he strode down the slope toward Eve. “Jane was still out when they put her in the car?”
“As far as we know. We have to rely on a secondhand report from witnesses.” Eve shivered. “And the word they used was thrown. I can’t get it out of my head. She has to have been hurt in that wreck. No one was caring what kind of additional damage they were doing to her.”
“But she was alive, or Santara wouldn’t have bothered to take her,” he said. “And they won’t let her die as long as they believe she has any value to them.” He met her eyes and the glittering ferocity in his own was overpowering in its intensity. “She’s not going to die, Eve. I won’t have it.”
She took a deep breath. She had seen Caleb in a rage before, but never like this. He was electrified, every muscle alive and supple, casting out a sheer aura of power. “I hope you’re right. No, I have to believe you’re right. And then we have to figure out what Santara wants and how to get her back.”
“Money is the usual answer,” MacDuff said as he came toward them. “And you know that I’ll be willing to meet any ransom request. I have a sizable fortune of my own, and once we’re able to process Cira’s treasure, I’ll be able to augment—”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Caleb asked. “Cira’s treasure?”
“We found it. That’s what we were depositing in Edinburgh,” MacDuff said. “Lisa didn’t tell you?”