She wouldn’t be able to maintain control if she let Teresa keep digging, probing, using Caleb to hurt her.
Change the subject, but keep Teresa talking until her mind was clearer and she had a plan. “That’s a very elegant pistol. Do you even know how to shoot it?”
“Close range,” Teresa said. “I admit that I didn’t bother to learn much more. It was far easier to hire someone to do it. But you’re the daughter of a detective. I suppose you know far more.”
Jane glanced quickly around the room, looking for a way out. Elegant furnishings that all had an Arabic flavor. French doors that appeared to lead to a terrace. Another carved door at the other end of the room. “Yes, Joe taught me, and I’m pretty good.”
“But here we are, and all that coaching isn’t going to help you one bit. All I do is come a few steps closer and I can hit the center of your forehead with no problem at all.” Her smile was triumphant. “I win, Jane. I always win.”
“Then why did you feel that you had to bring me here and brag about it?” Had the hypodermic been found when she was unconscious? She lifted her hand to rub her temple and felt the thin cold metal right above her elbow. One shake would bring it down to her palm. If she could get close enough to Teresa to use it. “Are you feeling insecure? Are you trying to rid yourself of everyone who you feel threatens you because you know you’re not smart enough to deal with them?”
Teresa’s smile lost only a little of its brightness. “Insecure? Do you realize what I’ve done? I’ve gotten the best of everyone. I’m going to live the life of an empress.”
“In Russia. You always wanted to be the queen of society and have everyone bow down to you. But how are you going to get anyone in social circles there to recognize you as anything but a criminal who just happens to have money?” She slowly sat up on the couch and swung her legs to the floor. No sudden movements to startle or threaten her. “They’ll find out about you and you’ll be a very lonely empress, Teresa.”
“You lie.” Her eyes were blazing. “No one will find out. You can buy anything with enough money.”
“That’s true. I’m sure that the people who cared about Haroun’s death will pay an extraordinary amount of money to find out how he died. When they do, they won’t bother with extradition; they’ll send assassins … like Santara.”
“But I might decide to hire Santara to protect me from them.” Her lips curled venomously. “He’s been very accommodating.”
“If he’s still alive now. You’re not sure of anything.”
“I’m sure that you’ll be dead in about twenty minutes. Think about that, Jane. When that plane touches down, you’ll no longer be able to—” Her phone rang and she glanced down at the ID and a smile lit her face. “Oh, Santara’s still very much alive.” She answered the phone. “Tell me you didn’t fail me, Santara.” She listened and her smile widened. “By all means. I told you I’d have the money waiting for you. Five minutes.” She hung up and turned back to Jane. “You look a little sick. I told you surprise could be everything. No more Caleb. I knew when I first saw him as a young boy that he was only someone I could use and then toss away. And I did it, didn’t I? I rather like the idea of him ending up as a pile of ashes that I could scatter into the wind.”
Jane felt sick, too. No more Caleb. Hold on. Don’t give up. It might still not be true.
But there was less chance of that now. And if it was true, then she couldn’t let either one of these monsters walk away from what they’d done. “Santara could be lying to you.”
“He isn’t. I tell you: I won. Caleb is nothing. He was always nothing. I just didn’t realize it. It was all my imagination that made me believe that he could make me do what he wanted me to do.” Her head lifted. “I hear Santara’s car.” She moved quickly toward the front door. “You’ll see.”
“Will I?” Jane got to her feet and turned toward the door. She mustn’t appear to be a threat. But she was a threat now. One shake of her arm and the hypodermic would be in her palm. Teresa was going to be occupied with Santara, and this could be the moment.
Teresa threw open the door. “Come in and show this bitch proof, Santara. Give me details. I told her that—” She frowned. “You look terrible. You’re white as a sheet.”
“How do you expect me to look?” He strode into the house. “You’re the one who sent me after that freak.” He nodded at his bandaged arm. “He almost killed me before I took him out.”
Jane went still. Teresa might not be aware of what that wound meant, but Jane was. If Caleb had gotten that close to Santara, then there was no way that he should be alive.
Unless Caleb wanted him to be.
Distraction. Caleb had sent him in as a distraction so that he could make his move.
But Teresa still had a gun, and when Caleb made that move, he could die.
No!
“You heard her.” Jane moved to where Santara was standing next to Teresa. “I didn’t believe her. Details. Convince me.”
Wait for the moment.
“I don’t have to tell you anything, bitch.” He didn’t look at her. “Give me my money, Teresa.”
“Maybe.” Her gaze was narrowed on his face. “Or maybe not. You’re one more end to tie up, Santara. I was going to wait until right before I got on the plane, but this will—”
Now!
Jane dived forward and tackled Teresa just as she raised her gun and pointed it at Santara.
Teresa fell backward, but not before she pressed the trigger. The gun went off!
Jane felt the bullet graze her temple as she frantically shook down the hypodermic into her palm.
Teresa was cursing, her lips curled viciously as she pushed Jane over and then took aim again. “Do you think you can beat me? I don’t let anyone beat me. You’re just some little whore Caleb took to screw. And I took you both down. And now I’ll put a bullet in—”
Jane plunged the hypodermic into the hollow of Teresa’s shoulder and pressed the plunger even as she dodged sidewise to avoid that second bullet.
“What did you—” Teresa was gazing in horror down at the hypodermic sticking out of her shoulder as the gun dropped nervously from her hand. “What did—you do to me?”
“I have no idea.” Jane was breathing hard as she stared down at her. “It’s a gift from Caleb. But I hope it’s fatal.”
“It is.” Caleb was standing by the open French doors. “Curare, one of my favorite South American remedies. But you couldn’t wait a few more minutes, Jane? I send Santara inside and then all hell explodes in here. I gave Quinn the signal to take out her guards and I was supposed to dispose of Teresa, but you did it instead.” He crossed the room and pulled Jane to her feet. “Okay?”
She nodded jerkily, still looking down at Teresa. The woman’s eyes were open, but she was fighting for breath. “I had to be sure. She had—that gun. She could have shot you.”
“Kill—you.” Teresa was gasping, her eyes on Caleb. “Kill you all. I’ll win. I always win.”
“Not today.” Jane dropped to her knees beside Teresa, staring into her eyes. “Not ever again,” she said fiercely. “And you never won anything from Caleb. Don’t think you did. He never let you take anything from him. You only gave him the weapons to kill you.”
“No!” Her eyes were wide with horror. “I won’t die. You can’t do that to me. It’s not supposed to be this way. I’ll never let it—”
Her face froze with disbelief, and then her mouth fell open in a silent scream.
She was dead.
Her eyes were still staring in horror up at the ceiling.
Over, Jane thought as she gazed down at her. All the death and destruction caused by this woman is over.
Caleb was suddenly tense. “Stop right there, Santara.”
Not over.