Chapter
8
“It’s getting colder.” Erin was panting with effort as she forced herself through the water. “We must be away from the mountain. Could we slow down?”
“No.” It hurt her to say the words when she knew what Erin must be going through. “Not until we reach the hot springs at the other mountain. Even then it will be dangerous.”
And when would that be, she wondered. It seemed as if they had been wading, half swimming and crawling forever down this rocky water passage. It had just narrowed again, and Erin was ahead of her crawling through shallow water on hands and knees over the rocky ground. Catherine’s own hands and legs were scratched and cut from the sharp rocks.
“Cameron, you’d better have been right about this damn spring.”
“I’m right.” Soothing gentleness, removal of all pain. “You’re not too far. Keep her going.”
“I don’t hurt anymore. Is that one of your tricks?”
“One of the better ones.”
“Well, don’t waste it on me. Take care of Erin.”
“I’ve already done it. I had to attend to her first. She’s my responsibility.”
“No, she’s my responsibility.” She added wearily, “But I’ll let you share. I’m too tired to argue.”
“You’ve had a rough—” He stopped, then said sharply, “Tell Erin to stop. The floor of the cave falls off just ahead. She won’t be able to see—”
“Catherine!” Erin suddenly plunged forward, hitting her shoulder on the stone bank as she fell.
Water.
Water up to Erin’s shoulders.
No, up to her neck!
Panic jolted through Catherine as Erin’s words came back to her. Never let your head go under the water. Brain disease and death.
“Erin, hold on to the bank.” She was crawling frantically forward. “Tread water. I’ll be there in a second.”
“Having trouble,” Erin gasped. “It’s deep here. And I can’t hold on to those stones. I think my shoulder popped out again when I hit it against the bank when I fell.”
Dammit!
Catherine threw her flashlight into her boot and dove after her in the water.
Hot. The water was hot.
“And it will get hotter. Get her to the left side of the passage. There’s cold water flowing in there.”
Catherine grabbed Erin and pulled her toward the left. The water didn’t cool until she was almost to the edge of the water. “Why didn’t you tell me you were boiling like a lobster?” she asked as she held Erin above water.
“There seemed to be enough problems to tell you about,” Erin said. “And I wasn’t scalding.”
“Yes, there is that.” She took her flashlight from her boot. “Let’s see how far this stretch of water goes…” The water was wider, deeper, and the sound of rushing water was clearer.
“Cameron?”
No answer.
“We’re on our own? Fine. I didn’t need you anyway.”
She grabbed Erin under the chin, carefully keeping her head above water, and started to propel them both through the water. “Look, try to kick, but let me do the rest.”
“I don’t have any choice.” Erin began to kick rhythmically. “I’m sorry, Catherine.”
“For what? It’s not as if you could keep that shoulder from going out again. If we’re going to blame someone, let’s blame Kadmus.”
Erin chuckled. “I’ll second that motion. I’ll just add it to my list and—” She stiffened. “My God, did you hear that?”
“Yes,” Catherine’s pulse had jumped, then began to pound hard.
Shit.
Voices. Men’s voices. Shouts. Curses.
Coming from behind them.
“Kadmus,” Erin whispered. “I was hoping—”
“Me, too.” Catherine began to swim harder, stronger. “But we didn’t luck out. We have to get out of here.”
“By all means, but it may not be as bad as you think. These passages act as one huge echo chamber. They could still be on their way down.”
She had just remembered that echo syndrome herself, and relief was pouring through her.
“It’s bad enough, Cameron.”
She said out loud to Erin, “Echoes. We’ll make it.”
“That’s right, why didn’t I think of that?” She added, “I think the water is getting cooler again.”
“Not too bad.”
But it was cooler. What was happening? All they needed was to be dumped in an ice pool instead of hot springs.
No, the water was getting warmer again and rough, very rough. She had to struggle to keep Erin’s head above water.
“Move left. There are rocks ahead. Grab hold of them and pull Erin up with you.”
“I don’t see—”
“Do it!”
She moved left. A moment later, she saw the group of four or five rocks ahead. The water was pouring, gushing around them.
“Grab them.”
She grabbed desperately for the rocks with her free hand. She curled her arm around the smallest and scooted up the flat face of the rock, pulling Erin with her.
A blast of cold air cut her like a knife.
Outside. They were outside.
“Keep crawling. Go down the rocks on the other side. You’ll be able to manage the flow there. If you’d stayed on that course, you’d have gone down that small waterfall and there would have been no way to keep from dunking both of you underwater.”
Bright moonlight. She could see the waterfall pouring down into a wide pool. It was small as Cameron had said but the force could have been deadly.
She crawled over the rocks and then down the other side.
Cold. So cold.
Then she was immersed in water again. Warm water.
She sighed with relief as she pulled Erin down into the water.
“Does this mean what I think it does, Cameron? Are we away from Kadmus’s mountain? Have we reached Milchang and the other hot spring?”
“Of course, I told you that you’d make it. Keep swimming. Hurry. There’s a bank about thirty yards away. You have to get out of this area right away. Kadmus will have found your clothes back on the bank and will start trying to put everything together.”
“I am hurrying.” She was so tired she was numb, but she had to ignore it. Keep moving. Keep swimming. Keep Erin well and afloat. “She’ll need help. You’d better have someone there to—”
“Hush. Stop worrying. Just get her to the bank.”
“Catherine?” Erin’s voice was weak. “Is it going to be—”
“It will be fine. We’re almost there. You’ve been great. Just hold on a little longer.”
“You’re the one who’s been holding on.”
“Hey, I couldn’t let that Pulitzer Prize brain be taken down by some crummy amoeba.” Keep going. Shouldn’t she be seeing that bank by now? Mountains. Moonlight. Water.
There it was!
And on the bank dressed in black parka and gear was Richard Cameron. All power and grace framed against those harsh mountains. Light, glittering eyes, that face that had held her fascinated during their strange mental encounter. He was the same, yet not the same. But definitely more than she had envisioned.
“You said you’d send someone else.”
“You were insistent. What could I do?”
“I was right. Erin needs you.”
“So I’m here.” She was close enough to see his smile. “Now come the last few yards and let me take care of both of you.”
“Just Erin. And, now that we’re away from that damn mountain, you get out of my head.”
“As you wish. But it was much simpler…”
“Cameron?” Erin had caught sight of him on the bank. Her face lit with a radiant smile. “God, I’m glad to see you. Now I know everything will be all right.”
He ruefully shook his head. “Erin, after all you’ve been through? I’m flattered but a little bewildered. The sight of me should make you anything but optimistic.”
“My fault. All my fault.”
“Shh.” He grabbed a dark covering of some sort from the ground. “Now get out of there and let me wrap you up. The minute you’re out of that spring, you’re going to be subject to freezing temperatures.”
“I’ll help.” Catherine swam closer to the bank and steadied Erin. “Watch her shoulder.”
“I’ll do that. I really don’t need your instructions, Catherine.” He reached down and lifted Erin out of the water, enveloping her in the cover with the same motion. He wrapped her carefully, even covering her damp hair. Every movement was done with the most exquisite gentleness Catherine had ever witnessed. Was this a glimpse of Cameron’s treatment of Erin during those days of horror? For the first time, she was beginning to understand the woman’s blind devotion to him.
Cameron glanced at Catherine. “Satisfied?” He shook his head resignedly as he saw that Catherine had levied herself onto the bank. “I brought a cover for you, too.” He gestured to the dark cloth on the ground. “If you’d been more patient, I would have given you—”
She was already wrapping herself in the blanket. “Warm. Very warm.” Her hands were running over the material. Not plastic. Not cloth. Somewhere in between. But it was blocking both sharp wind and frigid cold and seemed to be completely retaining her body heat. “It’s working better than the space-age tech stuff they issued to get me through the mountains. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“There is nothing like it. A friend invented it.”
“What is it?”
He ignored the question. “Cover your head. Don’t bother putting on your boots. They aren’t going to do you any good until they dry out. Just run for the jeep and tuck yourself in with the blanket.” He picked up Erin and carried her toward a jeep parked a distance away.
Catherine jumped to her feet and was right behind him. “Put her in the backseat and let her stretch out. I’ll cover her and make sure she’s—” She stopped. Cameron was already carefully settling Erin in the backseat.
He gently stroked Erin’s cheek. “I’d reset your shoulder, but we don’t have time. The road is rough, but I’ll make sure you don’t feel the pain.”
“I know you will,” she said quietly. She glanced at Catherine. “Get in the car, Catherine. You heard him, we don’t have much time.”
“I believe we established that fact a long time ago,” she said dryly. “We didn’t need him to repeat it.” She got in the passenger seat. “Let’s go, Cameron.”
“Cover up,” he said briefly as he slipped into the driver’s seat and started the jeep. “I’ll put on the heater, but it’s not going to do much good for a while.”
She tucked her feet beneath the blanket and drew it tighter around her. The action brought immediate warmth. “Why didn’t you bring one of these covers for yourself?”
“I’m used to the weather. I spend a good deal of my time in Tibet.”
“Why?”
He smiled. “I find it fertile ground.”
“Really?” She gazed out at the barren landscape. “Then you must be as innovative as Hu Chang about promoting growth. I can’t see how anything could grow here.” Her gaze narrowed on his face. “But that isn’t what you mean, is it?”
“I admire Hu Chang. I understand his latest experiments have been very successful. Mine aren’t nearly as promising. I guess it depends on what you’re trying to grow.”
She was too tired to decipher oblique meanings. “We heard Kadmus back there, and you said he wasn’t as close as we thought. How near is he?”
“I’d judge from the sound of the cadence of those echoes that he’s just reached the hot spring in the mountain. We have a sizable head start.”
“Judge? How the hell can you even guess?” She shook her head. “No, don’t try to explain. I’ll just accept it for right now. I’ll explore it later.”
“I’m sure you will,” he murmured.
“Does that head start guarantee that Kadmus isn’t going to catch up with us?”
“No guarantees. It depends on how much information he was able to gather about the hot springs or if he’s searching blind. But it does give us an excellent chance of avoiding him until I can get you a flight out.”
“Why?”
“I know this mountain very well. I’ve used it for exits before. Kadmus will be running around frantically trying to gather information from the villagers and sending his men all over the mountain.”
“Villagers?” Erin repeated from the backseat. Her voice was tense. “You know what that means, Cameron.”
“I’ve told the monks from the monastery to lead them inland. They’ll do what I say,” Cameron said gently. “Kadmus won’t find anything but empty villages. They won’t be hurt, Erin.”
“Good.” She relaxed. “I couldn’t stand—”
“I know,” Cameron said. “He won’t find anyone to question until after I get you away. Which would make it nonproductive for him to use force on anyone.”
“Except you,” Catherine said. “You’re talking about getting us out. What about you?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps I’ll go with you. Probably not. I’ll make a decision later.”
“And we’re supposed to leave you on this mountain surrounded by Kadmus’s men?”
He smiled. “Would you stay and do battle by my side, Catherine?”
“Don’t be stupid,” she said curtly. “If you decide to do something that crazy, why would I try to stop you? I’ve got a life to live and a son to raise.”
“That’s true. But you have warrior instincts that cause you to do unreasonable things on occasion. You’d be foolish to risk either. Just as it was foolish for you to come to rescue Erin.”
“But you said I had nothing to do with that decision, remember? Pure manipulation.” She grimaced. “Not that I believe you.”
“Oh, I think you might believe it.” He paused. “But I would never do anything to convince you to come and do battle by my side. That would have to come from you.” He met her eyes. “But, oh, what a battle that would be, Catherine.”
Power.
Excitement.
Magnetism.
Heat.
She had to force her gaze away from him. “The only battle I intend to fight is to get Erin to a safe place.” She glanced at Erin in the backseat. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing deeply, steadily. “I think she’s asleep. Your work?”
“No, but it makes it easier for me to shelter her from the pain. This road is going to get bumpier.”
It was already rough. The jeep was bucking like a bronco, but Cameron seemed to have perfect control. “How long will it take us to get to this hut?”
“Another fifteen minutes. From this side of the mountain, the road winds in and out like a snake and crosses through a dozen passes. That’s good because it will be almost impossible for Kadmus to track us if he starts at that hot spring. Though the road is clearly accessible by vehicle. That’s what I planned on him doing. But, if by some bad luck, he starts at the road on the other side of the mountain, we might have a harder way to go.”
“Why?”
“The trail goes straight up the mountain and leads directly to the hut. They could take the vehicles as far as the plateau, but then they’d have to go on foot the rest of the way. It would take hours, but they’d be able to locate us fairly simply.”
“It’s an Achilles’ heel,” Catherine said. “But if he’s coming through the hot springs, there’s no reason for him to go clear on the other side of the mountain.”
“So one would suppose. And I left clear tracks on the first few miles of road. We’ll have to see. And the trek up the mountain on foot would certainly discourage them. It’s even rougher than this road. Hu Chang wasn’t pleased that I chose that path.”
“What?” She stared at him, stunned. “Hu Chang?”
“Yes, we had a disagreement about certain difficulties regarding the—”
“When?”
“This afternoon.”
She drew a deep breath. “Let me get this very clear. Hu Chang is here, on this mountain?”
“Yes, he’s at the hut waiting for you. Well, not exactly waiting. I didn’t tell him I was going to go and fetch you. But when I left, he probably deduced that it was something to do with you and Erin. Hu Chang is a brilliant man, and he would be able to put two and two together.”
“May I ask why you didn’t tell me?”
“You were worried about his coming after you. It was better for your concentration that you didn’t know that he was already on the scene.”
“Did you help him get here?”
“Yes, but don’t underestimate Hu Chang, he would have been able to get to you without me. I just furnished the means.”
“But he wouldn’t have been able to get here as quickly.”
“I don’t know about that. He’s an amazing man.”
“I wanted that amazing man to stay safely in Hong Kong,” she said sharply. “That’s why I came after Erin, dammit.”
“He was certainly one of the prime reasons why you did it. But there were several others.”
She could feel the anger begin to mount. “Look, you had me to get Erin off Kadmus’s mountain. You didn’t need Hu Chang. Why couldn’t you have left him out of it?”
“Because he’s my friend, and he deserved his chance to save you,” he said simply. “I first brought him into this because I thought he was the best possibility to free Erin. I was wrong. It was you. But because I was wrong, I couldn’t close him out once the decision to use you was made.”
She stared at him in frustration. “You’re impossible. And probably nuts. You have no right to make decisions and try to shape the whole world to suit yourself.”
“Not the whole world.” He smiled faintly. “Just my part of it.”
“I’m not part of your world, and neither is Hu Chang. So you can just stay away from us.”
He shook his head. “Hu Chang became part of my world years ago, and he understands there’s no going back. And you came into my life as a sort of gift from Hu Chang.”
“The hell I did.”
“Why else are you here?”
“Because of Erin and that bastard, Kadmus.”
“I rest my case.”
He meant that everything that had happened to Erin and Kadmus had been done because of the entire ugly scenario that had revolved around him.
And he was right. She didn’t know how or why it was true, but Cameron was the center. “I won’t have it, Cameron,” she said unevenly. “I have to tolerate your help to get Erin out of here and make sure that Hu Chang is safe, but after that, I want you out of my life. I haven’t known where I was with you since the moment you appeared. You and Hu Chang probably share some strange bond, but I want no part of it.”
“I hope I can keep you free of it,” he said soberly. “And you’re much safer not knowing more than a few shallow things about me. But I don’t believe you’ll allow that to keep on. You’re curious, and you think you can’t be in control unless you have the entire picture.” He added, “Sometimes, the entire picture isn’t pretty.”
“I can do without the entire picture. You’d probably turn out to be like that portrait of Dorian Gray who turned into a monster.”
He suddenly chuckled. “Let’s see, you’ve compared me to Jekyll’s Hyde, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and now I’m Dorian Gray? You’re full of literary insults. At least you haven’t gotten obscene.”
“That could come.” She was trying to regain her composure. “You had no right to bring Hu Chang here.”
“I only allowed him to come.” He glanced thoughtfully at her expression. “You care as much about him as he does for you. I thought you might. I knew it would be dangerous to try to step between you.”
“You didn’t step between us. And you’d better not have put Hu Chang in any danger by—”
“Shh, you’re getting too upset. You’ve gone through hell tonight, and you don’t need to—”
“I’ll get upset if I choose. You’re not in control of that either.”
“You’re right. Feel free to sit there and fume. We should be at the hut within a few minutes, and the two of you will be able to discuss how unfair and overbearing I am.” He added, “But while you’re doing it, you might remember that Erin is free, and you and Hu Chang have a way out because of who I am and what I can do, overbearing or not.”
There was no anger in his tone, only weariness. She could feel her own anger ebbing and tried to hold on to it. He might have helped getting them away from the mountain, but she resented that she’d had to rely on him. She’d had to struggle to remain independent. And bringing Hu Chang here was completely out of the bounds of—
“It’s how I run my life,” he said quietly. “For every act I take, I have to strike a balance. So many balances you can’t imagine.”
“Then tell me.”
He shook his head. “Hu Chang knows some of it. He can probably be persuaded to share it with you. Though it would be safer for you if he didn’t.”
“I wouldn’t try to persuade him. He’d laugh at me. I would reason with him.” She had a sudden thought. “Why would it be safer? You said once that you’d had two choices after Erin was captured, and she was becoming a danger to you. One was the one you chose, the other was to kill her.” She paused. “You’re saying that you would do the same to me if I learned too much about you?”
“God, I hope not, Catherine.” His voice, his face, suddenly held the same glowing, tenderness she had noticed earlier when he was caring for Erin. “It’s the last thing I want. I’ll do everything I can to avoid it. I’d take the most extraordinary steps possible to prevent that from happening.”
“As you did with Erin?”
“No, you’d be much more difficult. I’d have to stretch…”
“To keep from killing me.”
“It won’t happen.”
“You’re damned right it won’t.”
He chuckled. “Then we’re agreed. Now all I have to do is convince you to see things my way.”
“Bullshit. Stay out of my mind.” She tore her eyes away. “How soon can we get off this mountain?”
“Possibly tomorrow. Kadmus’s men will be streaming across the road from Daksha to this mountain as soon as he’s convinced we made it over here. They’ll be setting up and beginning the search. I’ll send one of the villagers down to keep an eye on them and report back to me. Unless there’s an emergency situation, I’ll have a helicopter here by tomorrow.”
“He’ll detect any electronic signals.”
“No, he won’t.”
She touched the blanket covering her. “Another whiz-bang invention? You can block the signal?”
“No, I won’t handle it like that. It would raise questions that would send ripples and I avoid ripples. Too much could go wrong.”
The answer led to a flood of wild and improbable possibilities. “Then I’m not going to ask you how you’re going to do it.”
He nodded. “That would be best.”
“Though I might ask Hu Chang.”
“Not best, but totally characteristic. You’ll do what you have to do.” He paused. “Just as Hu Chang did what he had to do. You might remember that when you find yourself in a fury with him.”
“I’m not angry with him. I’m angry with you.”
“But that may change. I’d be glad to share that fury with Hu Chang, but it would hurt you more than it would either one of us.”
“What are you talking about?” Her gaze was narrowed on his face. “I don’t understand a lot of what you say, and that annoys the hell out of me. But that sounded remarkably like a warning.”
“Not a warning.” He was slowing the jeep and pulled it over to the side of the road. “Just sincere advice from someone who cares.” He gestured to the hut across the road. “There you are. I’ll leave the headlights on so that you can see Hu Chang, and he can see you.” He got out of the car. “He must have heard us coming. I’m sure he’ll be out here any minute.”
“Cameron…” Erin dazedly lifted her head. “I must have fallen asleep.”
“Yes, you did.” He opened the rear door. “And just as well. It saved you from hearing Catherine scold me.” He picked her up and started for the hut. “It was most disturbing.”
Erin chuckled. “I can see that it bothered you.”
“Catherine never scolds.” Hu Chang stood in the doorway, the light from the fire within the hut outlining his body. “But she’s been known to tear strips from those who displease her.” His gaze was searching the darkness beyond the brilliant headlights. “Catherine?”
Warmth.
Memories.
Love.
And after all the worry, and frustration and anger he was here in front of her, unhurt, a few yards away.
“You shouldn’t have come,” she said unevenly as she struggled to get out of the car. “You deserve to have a strip torn off you. You should have waited in Hong Kong.”
“I’m not good at waiting.” She could hear the humor in his voice. “In that, I’m like you, Catherine. What is that ugly garment that you have about you?”
“Something that your friend, Cameron, gave me. It’s very warm, but I think that I’ll come into that hut and get my feet warm.”
“Good idea.” Cameron said as he passed Hu Chang with Erin. “Hu Chang, I think I’m going to have to tap your medical skills. Erin is going to need some attention.”
“I’ll be in soon,” Hu Chang said. “I believe there’s something that I have to discuss with Catherine. I’m guessing that you didn’t do it on the way here.”
“And interfere with your business? I wouldn’t do that.” His smile had an element of mocking mischief. “But get it over quickly. She’s been through a lot tonight.”
“I should have been with her. I was not pleased when you left here without saying a word.”
“If I’d needed you, I would have used you.” He entered the hut. “Turn off the headlights when you come in. I only left them on so that Catherine could—Ah, that’s what I was expecting.”
Luke had pushed past him and stood in the doorway. “Catherine?”
“Oh, my God.”
She stared at him, stunned. She felt dizzy, drunk … and terrified. She couldn’t breathe. “Luke. What are—”
“I can’t see you. The light’s in my eyes. Are you okay?” He was coming toward her. His hair was mussed, and his expression was strained. “Hu Chang said that we’d get you out safe but then Cameron left and I didn’t—”
“I’m fine.” She ran toward him. “You shouldn’t be here. You have no business—” She touched his hair. It was soft, warm from the fire. “It’s all wrong. You shouldn’t have let him bring you, Luke.” She looked over her shoulder at Hu Chang, and said fiercely, “Dammit, you knew better that to risk him. What insanity led you to do this?”
“He wanted to come,” he said simply. “Sometimes it’s best to follow desire instead of reason.”
“And sometimes it’s better to be responsible and do what’s right. I’m not going to forgive you for this, Hu Chang.”
“Then I must bear the pain.”
“No!” Luke said. “Stop it, Catherine.” His dark eyes were glittering in his taut face. “Don’t you blame Hu Chang. I’m the one who decided I was going to come. I would have come after you whether he’d brought me or not. You were in trouble, and you were alone. I needed to be with you.”
“Tell her why, Luke,” Hu Chang said.
“I can’t tell her what I don’t know. Hu Chang talked a lot of weird stuff about souls speaking and how I had to learn…” He frowned. “Well, I haven’t learned what he wanted me to learn. All I know is that I’m here where I should be, and I’m going to stay with you until it’s over.” He stared her in the eye. “You’re not going to send me away, Catherine.”
“Luke, this is crazy. You’re scaring me to death.” She stared at him helplessly. “You’re my son, you’re only a boy. I can’t stand by and let you—”
“I’ve tried to listen to you, Catherine. But you don’t know me.” He swallowed. “I know who you want me to be. I’ll never be able to be him. I can’t be anyone but me, what I am,” he said unsteadily. “Maybe you could get to like me that way, too. But you can’t do it unless you see me for who I am.”
She gazed at him, stricken. “Luke, I love you. I think you’re wonderful. I’d never want you to be anything you didn’t want to be.”
He repeated, “You don’t know me. If you let me stay, maybe you will. I promise I won’t hide anything from you.”
Oh, God, she had the feeling she was on the edge of a precipice. It could be a disaster, or it could be the beginning of something …
She didn’t know. She could only follow Luke’s lead. She was afraid to do anything else. “Look, I have to find a way to keep you safe. But I promise I won’t hide anything from you either.”
He smiled. “You don’t have anything to hide. I knew that from the minute you came to get me from Rakovac. It was all there out front.” He took a step closer and gave her an awkward hug. “I’m glad you’re safe, Catherine. Next time, I’ll be there to watch out for you.” He turned and started to trot back into the hut. He stopped and turned to Hu Chang. “You see that she gets out of the cold. Can’t you see she’s barefoot?”
“It’s been called to my attention.”
She watched as Luke disappeared into the hut. What had happened just now? She was bewildered and frightened, and yet, there was the tiniest seed of hope.
“I only wanted to do what was best for him. I wanted him to have a normal life after what he’d gone through,” she whispered. “But was I doing it for him or for myself? Have I been such a coward that I came close to losing him, Hu Chang?”
“You will have to answer that for yourself,” he said quietly. “I can only say what I’ve told you before. He was born of a remarkable mother, and his hard life honed and sharpened him until he, too, is remarkable. You have to accept that remarkable people have to be allowed their space.”
“And all the rules and guidelines are thrown out the window? I tried so hard to let him know I didn’t want to smother him.”
“He knows that. He’s worked it all out for himself. He’s even put you both in a position where you’ll have to work the rest out together.” He smiled faintly. “You should be proud of him.”
“Proud? I’m terrified.”
“And proud.”
“Yes, I think so.” She was remembering Luke’s expression, his intensity, the sincerity. It had shocked her, but there had also been another sheer primitive emotion that could have been deep maternal pride. “I don’t know. The last thing I needed was to have to start reworking a relationship under these circumstances.” She whirled on him. “And you could have helped. You could have tried to persuade him to stay in Hong Kong.”
“I could have,” he acceded. “But he is your son. Would you have listened and obeyed?”
No, and neither would the boy she had faced tonight.
Hu Chang said softly, “He has been thinking, and waiting, and this was his time.”
“What about Cameron? He got you up here, didn’t he? Why did he permit it?”
“You will have to ask him.”
“But he did know you were bringing Luke?”
“I’m sure you’ve found that it’s difficult to keep anything from Cameron.”
“Why would he—”
“You’re having trouble blaming me, so now you attack Cameron?”
“Why not? He has broad shoulders. I’m sure he can take it.”
“Hu Chang!” It was Luke calling from the doorway.
“Ah, yes, the boy is still concerned about your bare feet.” He waved. “We’re coming. Catherine decided it wasn’t worth her time to chastise me. We’ll be right in.” He reached into the jeep and turned off the headlights. Darkness except for moonlight and the faintest light streaming from the tiny window of the hut. “You’d best hurry. Luke will be upset with me if you’ve developed frostbite. He had a lesson from Cameron earlier on resistance to the elements, but I don’t believe he relates it to you.”
“Cameron, again.” She moved quickly toward the hut. Her feet felt ice-cold now that she had become aware of them. “I don’t want Luke’s learning anything from Cameron.”
“You’ll have a hard time keeping Luke away from him. The fascination has started to take hold.” He shook his head ruefully. “Once that happens, it’s all over.”
“You’re speaking from experience?”
“Yes.”
“It would take a lot to fascinate you.” She stopped at the door. “I have to know about Cameron, Hu Chang.”
“You know more about him than a good many do right now.”
“Bullshit. Not enough. He can do anything with Erin, and he might be as dangerous as Kadmus to her for all I know. I have to know everything if I’m going to protect her.”
He stared at her thoughtfully. “Are you sure that’s all?”
“What do you mean?”
He tilted his head. “It’s no more than I expected. He’s curious about you. He’d naturally make an effort to draw you closer. Fascination…”
She stiffened. “No way. I just have to know. Will you tell me?”
“I’ll consider it. Although there could be some element of threat connected to it.”
“You mean that old chestnut about ‘if I told you, I’d have to kill you’? Cameron’s already used that on me.”
“Really? He threatened you?”
“No, he said he’d try very hard not to kill me.” She smiled recklessly. “So you see, you have nothing to worry about.”
“I’m beginning to see many things.” He opened the door for her. “And one of the things is that you may need more knowledge than I thought necessary to get you through the next weeks.”
“Then talk to me, tell me about Cameron.”
“I’ll consider it,” he repeated. “Now go over to the stove and warm yourself while I go talk to Luke. He was rude to me just now, and that’s not to be tolerated. I must make it clear to him that emotions must be controlled.”
Catherine watched him move across the room to where Luke sat by himself on a pallet before she turned to the corner where Erin was settled. She, too, was lying on a pallet and still covered by the black blanket. But her underclothing had been stripped off and lay in a neat pile beside her.
Cameron was gently drying her hair and looked up at Catherine. “You took long enough. How are your toes? It doesn’t take long to get frostbite up here.”
“Cold. A little numb. But I’m beginning to feel them again.” She made a face. “Everyone seems to be worried about my feet, even my son.” She came closer and looked down at Erin. Her eyes were closed, but they opened, and she smiled.
“Hi, how are you doing, Catherine?”
She smiled back at her. “Better than a couple hours ago.”
“Me, too.”
“Hu Chang will be over here to take a look at you in just a minute. He’s a wonderful physician, and he’ll fix you up. He had to go over there and give a stern reprimand to my son for not being respectful to him.” She chuckled. “With all hell going on around us and Kadmus licking at our heels, he still felt bound to teach Luke.”
“He’s right,” Cameron said. “Discipline is important. You can’t let it lapse just because the battle hasn’t started.”
“That’s your son?” Erin was looking across the room at Luke. “He’s beautiful, Catherine.”
“Yes, he is.”
Erin’s face was troubled. “But he shouldn’t be here. I told you what happened to Jafar.”
“And it scared me to death.” She looked at Cameron. “But the death of children doesn’t seem to bother Hu Chang or Cameron. They’re the ones who decided that he should be here.”
“Cameron?” Erin was looking at him. “Is this the way it has to be?”
“The boy will be safe, Erin,” he said quietly. “I promise you.”
She gazed at him a moment, still frowning. Then she nodded. “Then I know it will be okay. But it still worries me.”
Cameron gazed quizzically at Catherine. “And you?”
Did he expect her to give him the same trusting reply just because he’d made a promise? Yet, for some strange reason, that promise had given Catherine a sense of security and relief that had no basis on reality. “I don’t know it will be okay. But Luke and I will get through it together.” She fell to her knees and took Erin’s hand. “And we’ll take you with us, Erin.”
Cameron chuckled. “You notice she’s leaving me and Hu Chang behind in the dust. She’s not any more pleased with us than you are.” He looked beyond Catherine’s shoulder. “It seems that Hu Chang is finished with your son and is coming to tend Erin. She won’t need you. Why don’t you get out of those clothes and warm up?”
She didn’t move. “When will you have word about Kadmus?”
“Soon. I’ll let you know.”
“We should take turns standing guard.”
“We’ll discuss it later,” he said firmly. “I had the pilot who flew Hu Chang in bring you and Erin clothing. It’s on the chest over there. You can’t fight for Luke or Erin or anyone else bundled up in that blanket.”
She hesitated and got to her feet. “You’re right.” She turned toward the chest. “But it’s a very good blanket, Cameron. Fantastic. I’m still curious about your friend who gave it to you.”
“Among a thousand other questions,” Hu Chang said as he stopped next to her. He gazed down at Erin. “So you’re the woman who has been causing so much trouble. Now it seems I have to put you back together.”
She smiled. “If you think it’s worthwhile.”
“You are worthwhile. I made that decision before I even started on this endeavor.” He knelt beside her. “And since Catherine has seen fit to champion your cause, I have no choice.”
“You make your own choices.” Catherine looked over her shoulder. “But Erin and I will be glad to have you along.”
Cameron gave a mock shudder. “I appear to be in isolation.”
She didn’t answer as she moved toward the chest. She was still angry with both of them, but Hu Chang belonged to her. She had to forgive and work with him. Cameron was an entirely different matter.
Different. Oh, yes, he was definitely different.
However, the gleaming white cold-weather gear that he had ordered for her was the best quality and worthy of the slopes of St. Moritz. Glamorous as was the outerwear, the undergarments were the same practical issue that Venable had ordered and that she was now wearing.
The first priority was to get out of the wet clothes she was wearing and into the clean dry garb. Privacy was not an issue. There was none in this tiny hut. Forget about it. The only person she might be concerned about was Luke, and he was turned on his side and clearly dozing. She dropped the blanket and stripped off the wet clothes in two minutes. It took her less than that to replace the bra, T, and tights. She towel-dried her hair, then rubbed her feet vigorously until it revved up the circulation. She put on the rest of the clothes except her boots.
Done.
She sat down before the stove and tried to finger comb her hair but it was too stiff from the chemicals of the hot springs to behave. She looked like a wildwoman and stank like rotten eggs, but this was the best she could do.
“And a very good best it is.”
Her gaze flew to the other side of the room. Cameron was leaning against the wall, sitting slightly apart from where Hu Chang was attending Erin.
“Peeping Tom, again? This time in more ways than one, Cameron.”
“It interested me that you had no false sense of modesty.” His smile was purely sensual. “And so I decided to benefit from it. Rotten eggs or not, you’re fantastic, Catherine.”
Heat. Her breasts swelling, tightening. A tingling in her palms and between her thighs.
“Not me,” he answered the question she hadn’t asked. “You’re a very responsive woman. I was lucky enough to strike the right note.”
He was probably telling the truth. She couldn’t deny that he’d had a strong sexual effect on her from the beginning. How could she when the bastard could read her mind? “I’ll get over it. That note will get very sour the longer you mess with my head.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. I find I’m reluctant to have you get over it. Suppose I guarantee that I won’t ‘mess’ with you unless I find it necessary to save you or Erin? It worked pretty well traveling through the hot springs, didn’t it?”
“No, I always knew you were there.”
“Only because that’s what I wanted. I thought it might give you a feeling of safety. I didn’t want you to feel alone.”
“Look, I don’t need you to make me feel safe. In the end, it always has to come from me.” She added, “And it’s totally ridiculous for you to try to seduce me when we’re struggling just to get Erin out of here.”
“It’s not actually seduction. I’m just paving the way.”
“Then, stop. Go find out what’s happening with Kadmus.”
“In a few minutes. I have one of the villagers on the way up to the hut now.”
“How did—Never mind.” She paused. “Then let’s concentrate on Kadmus and forget about your libido.”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll do my job. I was even considering devoting myself entirely to boring duty and discipline. But that was before I spent so much time with you. I’ve been entirely too good for too long. I’ve decided I need a reward.”
“And I’m the prize? Screw you, Cameron.”
“Oh, I do hope so.” His smile lit his face with mischief and humor. “And now I’ll bow out and leave your mind alone.” He got to his feet. “But you may find that you miss that kind of contact. It’s much more efficient.”
“Not a chance.”
He shrugged as he slipped on his parka. “Hu Chang did miss the contact after our time together several years ago. But he’s more cerebral and less emotional.” He headed for the door. “We’ll have to see.”
Catherine watched the door close behind him and felt an odd sense of loss. More mental hijinks? Or was that a natural aftereffect of dealing with a man who bewildered and challenged her more than anyone she had every encountered?
Hu Chang did miss the contact after our time together several years ago, Cameron had said.
Which meant that Hu Chang had become closer to Cameron than she had imagined.
And that Hu Chang was the one who could probably answer most of her questions.
And she wanted those answers now.
She got to her feet and crossed to where Hu Chang was still kneeling by Erin.
“How is she?” she whispered as she looked down at Erin. There was a faint flush on her cheeks, and she appeared asleep. “She looks better.”
“Of course, she’s better.” He closed his leather medicine duffel. “I’ve healed everything physical I can heal. She will need rest and perhaps a little additional surgery. He was very cruel to her. Her mind will take longer, but she’s very strong.” He drew the cover higher about her throat. “And Cameron will help her. Just being with him is a healing factor for her.”
“I noticed.”
Hu Chang tilted his head, his gaze on her face. “And you do not like it.”
“No more than I like his influence on Luke.” She met his gaze. “Or you.”
“Why?”
“It frightens me. Luke is a child, and there’s reason for him to fall under Cameron’s influence. But not you, Hu Chang.”
“You have nothing to fear. Cameron and I have an understanding. He won’t break his word unless I do something that threatens his objectives.”
“What word? What objectives? I need to know more, Hu Chang. Don’t push me away. Tell me.”
He stared at her for a moment. “You are very weary. You need to rest.”
“I’m tired and pissed off, and I’m worried. I won’t be able to rest until I get rid of two of the three.”
His gaze shifted to the door. “Where did Cameron go?”
Her gaze narrowed on his face. “Why do you think I should know?”
“He was joined with you while I was working on Erin.” He smiled faintly. “I’m familiar with Cameron when he’s in the joined state. I was with him for a number of months and allowed to get to know him fairly well. He was not joined with me or Erin. Therefore, it must have been you.”
“It was,” she said curtly. “He went to meet with the villager he’d set to watch Kadmus and his men.”
“And managed to irritate you exceedingly before he left.”
“He does that very well. I think he enjoys it.”
“He enjoys you,” Hu Chang said softly. “Beware.” He rose gracefully to his feet. “But since he will be gone for a while, we will have time to talk.” He moved to the stove and sank to the floor in front of it, his legs crossed tailor fashion. “Come. Sit with me.”
She sat down beside him. “Not too close. I still stink from the hot springs.”
“Yes, you do. Ask me if I care.”
“No.” The warmth of the fire. The closeness that always bound them together. She felt herself begin to relax. “But it scares me to risk offending you. You might throw it in my face someday.”
“That is true. But it is a poor weapon and not likely to be of value.” He looked away from her and into the leaping flames in the stove. “Ask your questions, Catherine. I will answer what I know and what I consider safe for you.”
“Let’s begin with how you came to know Cameron. You never mentioned him to me.” She added ruefully, “Not that you’re ever very communicative. When did you meet him?”
“Several years ago at a monastery in Amdo Province. And I did not mention him because silence was part of the agreement I made with him. It was one of the more important demands he made. I was not to mention him or anything that I saw or experienced at the monastery.”
“Yet you’re willing to talk to me now.”
“Cameron has interfered with your life. He almost took your life. You have a right to know why.”
“What did you have to do with that monastery?”
“I had heard stories that the monks of this particular monastery had been formulating rare herbal mixtures for close to nine hundred years. I wanted to learn what they were and if I could use them in my own potions.”
“I should have known.” She shook her head. “Well, was it worth your while? Did you find a brand-new poison?”
“That was not what I was seeking.”
She stiffened. “Hu Chang…”
He nodded. “Life not death. At that time, I had not yet found the final ingredients for the potion I gave to Chen Lu to extend and reverse her cell regeneration. It was frustrating me. I thought that the monastery might be the answer.” His lips twisted. “But I couldn’t get permission to study with the monks. The monastery was completely isolated, and the lama would permit no one, not even other monks from the area, to visit it. I had to find some way to go around the lama. I was getting quite desperate.”
“I’ve never seen you desperate.”
“But it was to be such a magnificent potion. An elixir that would extend life fifty to a hundred years? It was exciting even to me. I had to get in to see if those monks had some ingredient I didn’t. I stayed there in the province and began to research a way to do it.”
“Richard Cameron?”
“Yes, I watched, I listened, and I found Cameron.” He smiled reminiscently. “Though one who was not as dedicated as I would not have been so fortunate. I just heard a word here and there about the Westerner who moved around the mountains and villages. Strange words … about a Guardian, a protector, a warrior … But those words held boundless respect and an element of fear. Then I saw him at the monastery with the lama. I saw the same respect from the lama and no fear. Most unusual from a religious figure that prestigious. Over the next weeks, I found that Cameron held a special place in the affections of the lama and those monks.”
“And you decided to use him.”
“That was not possible. I had already taken Cameron’s measure and knew that he was an extraordinary man. I knew I would have to negotiate.” He grimaced. “If I was to avoid having to plead. So I went to him as he was leaving the monastery. He was as tough and sharp as I thought he would be. It took me three days to persuade him to even consider interceding for me. On the fourth day, he started asking me questions about myself. I had no idea about his gift at that time. If I’d lied, I would not have stood a chance. I did not lie. On the fifth day, he said that he would persuade the lama to let me have access to records and the herbs the monks used … on condition.” He smiled. “And so it started.”
“What conditions?”
“You do not need to know. I will not break that promise.”
“It’s not important. Okay, let’s go on. I want to know about Richard Cameron. I was thinking about going to Langley and getting a complete dossier, but I didn’t want to upset Erin.”
“It would have been useless. There are no records on Cameron.”
“There are always records. You just have to know where to look and tap all the organizations.”
“No records. No DNA info. No fingerprints. No retina scan. Nothing. When the committee chose Cameron as Guardian, they spent a good deal of time and millions of dollars erasing his former existence. If, by any chance, he does leave anything traceable, a cleanup crew goes in immediately and takes care of it.”
“What?” Her eyes widened. “No records? That doesn’t happen.”
“Test it. When you get back to civilization, discreetly check it.”
“I will.” She latched on to the one word that might be the key. “Committee. What committee?” She thought about what Cameron had earlier told her. “When I was questioning him about what country he was working for, he said something vague about an organization. An organization would have committees.”
“Yes, it would. Only in this case one committee.”
“Then what organization? What’s its purpose? What’s its name?”
“He never mentioned a name to me.”
“But did you guess?”
Silence. “I guessed. But I never confronted him with it. It was one of the conditions of my stay with Cameron that I would not question anything that I wasn’t told.”
“I know you. That’s not a condition you would ever accept.”
“Then you don’t know me as well as you thought. I came to Cameron because he had a treasure beyond imagination, and I needed what he could give me.” He added, “I studied with him and the monks for five months. I received what I came for, and I did not quibble about his rules. It was worth it to me.”
“And do you regret it now?”
“No, not for a minute.”
It was clear he wasn’t going to talk about this committee. Back to Cameron. “Why did they concentrate such an effort on erasing Cameron’s background?”
“They wanted him to remain completely untouchable. It had taken them a long, long time to find someone of his caliber and character, and they were determined to protect him at all costs. The only way they could assure that was to remove him from the grid. He has false documents for every country on Earth, which are exchanged frequently.”
“It sounds very efficient … and lonely.”
“I’m sure that the committee provided therapy for any psychological damage. Nothing is too good for Cameron.”
“Are you being sarcastic?”
“No.” He glanced at her. “They value him, they respect him, and they even listen to him on occasion. I got the impression that they would give him anything he asked as long as it was within the rules.” He held up his hand. “And I do not know what those rules are. Except that there seems to be a universal one that Cameron not be put at risk. Make any sacrifice but Cameron. I saw it several times, while I was with him. It annoys him at times but he accepts the rule.”
“Even when it means Erin’s being tortured,” she said bitterly.
“Even then.”
“Why is he considered so valuable? What makes him king of their world?”
He shrugged. “Probably the same thing that made the committee choose him as Guardian. They looked all over the world and thought him worthy.”
“Worthy of what? For God’s sake, you talk as if he’s some kind of holy man or something. I guarantee you that Cameron is very, very secular.”
Hu Chang nodded. “Yes, and yields to temptation on occasion. I was referring more to the worthiness of a knight or warrior. He is the Guardian, after all.”
“If he’s a knight, he’s a black knight.”
“You’d have an argument from Erin.”
“He has her brainwashed. She’d obviously sacrifice anything for him.”
“Not for him. Erin is an intelligent woman and not likely to be fooled even by a man as persuasive as Cameron. It would have to be something above and beyond Cameron.”
“But you don’t deny that there’s a possibility he could have brainwashed her. Even at that think tank in Rome I attended, they didn’t have anyone who could do what Cameron can. He’s way beyond anyone that our agencies have discovered.”
“They might have the potential, but Cameron has had that potential honed and exploited by experts. He was in training for years after he was selected.”
“What potential? Just what can Cameron do that he hasn’t shown me?”
“I have no clear idea. I was curious and probed where it was safe. He did not mind talking about some things, others he ignored. He was twenty-six when he was chosen to be trained for Guardian. I know he was taught physical disciplines and control by Tibetan monks. I know that he was schooled in weapons, combat, and several deadly martial arts by world-class experts. Evidently, they concentrated on that aspect of his education. He’s an amazing sniper, he moves as fast as a cheetah on attack, and he’s incredibly strong. When he’s not actually on committee business, he does a full exercise regimen every day. He’s well educated in a variety of fields. He can be excellent company and has a sense of humor that’s sometimes a bit twisted.” He paused. “We seemed to mesh. I … enjoyed our time together.”
“Why not? Your humor is often twisted, too.”
“True. But I assure you that Cameron did not brainwash me during my stay with him. We came to an agreement about any mental interference on his part, and he abided by it. I got the impression that he was a little relieved that I had bound his hands. So many temptations … When you have a talent like Cameron’s, it must be difficult to have to make all the rules yourself regarding restraints.”
As Cameron had done with Catherine before he left. “And what if he breaks the rules?”
He shrugged. “Then one must find a way to punish him. In my case, it was not an issue.” He was silent a moment. “But it made me think about the trust that committee must have had in Cameron to turn him loose without controls. It was evident he was a free agent and had only a few basic rules. I’d seen a few examples of the almost limitless power and wealth that Cameron could tap when he needed something. He was never questioned.”
“Dangerous.” She frowned. “What examples? What the hell does Cameron do?”
“In one case, he arranged the hijacking of a train on which a troop of soldiers was taking a young Indian computer scientist to Beijing. The boy was exceptionally gifted, and the Chinese government wished to ‘honor’ him with a scholarship and the opportunity to work in their program. They had lost track of the fact that the boy did not wish to be so honored. The removal of the boy from those soldiers was handled very adeptly, and Beijing was scrambling to find him and still maintain the humanitarian fa?ade.”
“So what happened to the boy?”
“You’d have to ask Cameron. I know he was not returned to his parents in Calcutta. Though his parents disappeared themselves about three months later. In the interim, they appeared worried and despondent.” He added, “But definitely not overly so. If I were to guess, I’d wager they were settled in another country and situation more to their liking.”
“That could be called kidnapping.”
“By Cameron or Beijing?”
“Both. I hate youngsters’ being used as pawns.”
He smiled. “But perhaps this was a rescue by our black knight.”
“For what purpose?”
“There is intense competition among international companies and countries over technical brainpower. It’s what is moving our world these days. Pity.”
“You think that’s what’s happening here in Tibet? It’s a desolate wilderness. Not a viable battleground for that kind of international espionage. You just said that conglomerate made Cameron into some kind of super Guardian. Why would they waste him on this harsh environment in the Himalayas?”
“He spends time here, but he often travels to other countries. He has teams under his orders in a number of cities around the world. He was in Paris twice when I was with him. I believe he goes where he’s sent.”
“Did he conduct any other raids or similar violent acts while you were there?”
“Not to my precise knowledge.” He was silent a moment. “But there were rumors of the killing of a small-time bandit who was harassing a few of his men in a village in the next province.”
“He ordered it done?”
“I understand he did it himself.”
“But that’s against his rules,” she said sarcastically. “He might have been hurt or killed.”
“Not likely. Cameron kept to the rules. The bandit was shot from a distance of over a thousand yards. I told you that he’s a fantastic marksman.”
“He appears to be fantastic at several of the skills in which Kadmus prides himself.” She thought about it. “If he’s that good, is there any reason he couldn’t have gone after Erin himself?”
“None but the reason he gave to you.”
“Which was bullshit.” She was silent again. “If he’d staged a raid on Daksha, what would have been his chances? Could he have done it?”
“In my humble opinion, I believe that he would have run right over Kadmus’s men.”
“But he didn’t do it.” She jumped to another subject. “And why would Kadmus be so desperate to get his hands on Cameron?”
“You are full of questions. Unfortunately, I am not equally brimming with answers. I can but surmise. Kadmus has been delving into all kinds of enterprises here in Tibet. Not only thievery but blackmail and kidnapping, and he even has a few legitimate investments. It could be that he is feeling threatened in some way.”
She shook her head. “Or more likely that he wants to take over the action. Maybe he thinks if he captures Cameron, it will be a way of doing that.” She thought about it. “But Kadmus doesn’t even know who he’s looking for. He was torturing Erin to give him a name as well as Cameron’s location. That’s damn weird.”
“Yes, but nothing is simple in this matter. I believe Kadmus is searching for a key, and he may think Cameron is that key. In some way, Erin led him to believe that was true. But I was witness to the fact that Cameron makes sure he’s invisible when he wishes. Kadmus may have heard rumors about the Westerner as I did, but no one in these mountains would willingly talk about Cameron.”
“And neither would Erin. Why would she become involved with that kind of industrial or technical espionage? It doesn’t make sense. It would be completely out of character.”
And so was the self-sacrifice and torture Erin had been willing to undergo during those months. It wouldn’t have been worth it to her for any monetary reward. The more Catherine learned, the more bewildered she became. “So Cameron is some kind of big-time security chief who’s not above turning loose his forces whenever he chooses.”
“That may be a fairly accurate description, but he’s definitely much more complicated. I can only tell you what I know and what I guess.” He paused. “Cameron is one of those men who might come along only once or twice in a century. Add in his unusual gifts, and you have a truly extraordinary individual. You will have to make sense of anything else about him yourself. Erin would tell you nothing?”
She shook her head. “She’s protecting Cameron.” She drew a deep breath. “And I’m angry and resentful, and it may be clouding my judgment. Is he worth protecting, Hu Chang?”
He was silent. “I would like to say no. I do not want you involved with him any more than you have to be. And Cameron can protect himself very well.” He slowly nodded his head. “But if the occasion occurs, I believe he may be worthy of Erin or you or even me stepping in to keep him alive.”
“Worthy.” She repeated the word. “Are we back to the black knight again?”
He just looked at her.
“You’re not telling me everything.” Her eyes were narrowed. “Have you run out of things you think are safe for me to know?”
“I’ve told you facts. I’ve told you logical suppositions. If there are other possible explanations that have come to me in the dark of night, then I will keep them to myself.”
“Because you promised Cameron.”
“Because ideas that come to one in the dark of night are best left there until dawn.”
“Stop being cryptic.” She sighed resignedly. “Okay, I’ll work it out for myself.” She wearily rubbed her temple. “But you’re telling me I’ll have to protect Cameron just to protect Erin.”
“It would seem that’s what we will have to do.”
Her gaze went to Luke across the room. “He’s the only one I should be protecting. You shouldn’t have brought him, Hu Chang. I don’t know if I can forgive you.”
“I accepted that possibility when I told him he could come.”
She closed her eyes. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to us. Even if we get out of this alive, I don’t know if Luke and I will—” She opened her eyes and straightened. “Luke and I will be fine. We’ll get through it. And I may forgive you when it’s all over. But if you ever do anything like this again, I’ll murder you.”
He smiled but didn’t answer.
Because he knew that there was no way she could do without him. He was as much a part of her life and being as Luke. One was born of her body and the other of her loneliness and need.
“Smirking is rude.”
“That’s why I never smirk.”
She looked at the door. “I think Cameron should be back by now. It seems as if he’s been gone a long time.”
“Not long at all really.”
“Maybe I should go—” She met his gaze and nodded. “I’ll wait a little longer.”
“That would be wise.” He got to his feet. “And I will go to my patient and make sure she’s doing well. Though it seems impossible that she would not after my expert care.”
Catherine lay down before the stove, her gaze on Luke. He was sleeping deeply, his cheeks flushed, his dark hair mussed. Erin had said he was beautiful, but he was so much more. She had not begun to plumb the depths of her son. Tonight had shown her how far she still had to go.
“I love you, Luke. Don’t give up on me. I won’t give up on you.”
She was still lying there, fifteen minutes later, gazing at Luke, when the front door opened with an icy blast.
She stiffened. Cameron. Of course it was Cameron. But it hadn’t stopped that first surge of panic.
Cameron smiled as he brushed back his parka as he came into the hut. “No problem,” he said softly as he moved toward her. He fell to his knees and held out his hands to the fire. “I was tempted to give you warning while I was coming up the road, but I did make you a promise.”
“Yes, you did. What about Kadmus?”
“He and Brasden are scurrying around on the other road leading from the hot springs. That should give us the time we need.”
“Should?”
“Kadmus is pushing hard. He’ll have his men searching all night. And he may be exploring all his maps and local contacts to see if he can find anyplace you could be hiding. He knows these mountains, and lately he’s been making an effort to know them a hell of a lot better.”
“Why?”
He shrugged but didn’t answer.
“Is it because he knows you’re in these mountains?”
“Perhaps.”
“Why is he so fanatical about you?”
“He’s a madman. Haven’t you noticed?” His lips twisted. “He has a passion to be king of the universe. Evidently, he has an idea that if he could get his hands on me, I could help him.”
“Could you?”
“Possibly. But it wouldn’t come to that.”
“Why not?”
“I’d be allowed to kill him.”
“Allowed?” Her eyes widened. The word opened an entirely new avenue of thought that she didn’t like. “Oh, for God’s sake, you’re playing games with Kadmus.” The anger was searing through her. “That conglomerate you work for is using him in some way. Just like Venable. He could have sent Special Forces to take Kadmus out, but he was ‘useful’ on occasion so it never happened. He didn’t want to lose a valuable contact. That’s what’s happening with you, isn’t it?”
“In a broad sense.”
“Hu Chang says that you could have gone in and gotten Erin out. He said he’d seen you do it before when he was with you. Why didn’t you do it? Oh, yes, you couldn’t risk your valuable hide. But it was more than that, wasn’t it? Your precious committee didn’t want you to offend Kadmus.”
“‘Offend’ is not the word.”
“So you let him torture Erin.”
“Yes, and there’s nothing I can say that would absolve me of that in your eyes.”
“You bet there’s not. Balance a woman like Erin’s suffering against corporate greed? How could you live with yourself?”
“The way I live with all the decisions I make every day,” he said quietly. “And it wasn’t a question of any deals or bribes to keep Kadmus in our pockets. We’ve never had any dealings with Kadmus. It was just a committee decision that I wasn’t able to argue. Under the circumstances, I couldn’t go after Erin.”
“Why not? What stopped you?”
“Unless I went in alone as you did, I’d have no choice but to confront Kadmus.”
“And that wouldn’t be according to committee rules, would it? You might damage yourself.”
“I’m trying to be patient, Catherine.” His words were slow and precise, but his blue eyes were glittering in his taut face. “I’m not accustomed to having to explain myself.”
“Because you think you’re master of all you survey? You and Kadmus have a lot in common.”
“You do manage to make me—” He was silent a moment. “You’re right, I have to think twice about risking myself. It’s a rule. And if I organized a raid, I knew what the result would be.” He paused. “To save Erin, I would have had to kill Kadmus.”
“Good. Then it would all have been over.”
“Not for me. Not for the committee,” he said. “It would have caused a chain reaction that would not have been beneficial.” He shrugged. “Or so the committee decided. I didn’t agree with them. I think we can work around it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“And you’re too angry to care. Actually, there’s only one thing that you should accept and understand. Until I persuade the committee to my way of thinking, I cannot kill Kadmus.”
“But you hoped that I would do it.”
“As you said, it would have all been over.”
“If you believed you were right, you should have done it.”
“I also believe in discipline.”
“Those monks who trained you weren’t necessarily correct.”
His brows lifted. “You and Hu Chang evidently had a talk while I was gone.”
“You knew I’d ask him about you.”
“And that he’d answer as long as it was safe for you. He must have decided that I wouldn’t harm you if I could help it.”
“Was he right?”
His gaze moved slowly from the top of her head, down her face, throat, and breasts. It was unbearably intimate, searingly sexual. “Not unless you ask me to do it.”
Heat.
She shouldn’t be feeling this sudden surge of sexuality. She was angry with him. She didn’t understand half of what he had told her, but she knew she would probably disagree with every word.
None of it mattered.
The heat was there and would not go away.
Tingling.
Swelling breasts.
Breathlessness.
She could feel that same heat flush her cheeks. Why the hell did he have this effect on her? It was pure mindless lust and moments that seemed to strike out of nowhere.
“I won’t ask anything of you. Particularly not S and M.” She steadied her voice. “But what I will ask you is how soon we can get off this mountain. Kadmus isn’t standing still. We shouldn’t either.”
“We’re not standing still. We’re conserving our resources and bandaging our wounds.”
“When?”
“Tashdon, my helicopter pilot, will be arriving here at about eight in the morning. We’ll start down to the plateau at five.” He checked his watch. “Six hours to sleep. You’d better get some rest. The descent isn’t as bad as going up, but it’s still rough.” He glanced at Luke. “He did very well. You’d have been proud of him.”
“I am proud of him.”
He nodded. “I could see you in him. The fire. The stubbornness. I was harder than I needed to be on him. I wanted to see what he was made of.”
“And you found out?”
“Just you. And the backbone and ferocity of a tiger.” His expression was suddenly shadowed. “He reminded me of another young boy I knew once.” He got to his feet. “And now I think I’d better go tell Hu Chang when we’re leaving and see if he has any warnings or threats to impart regarding you. He’s been discreetly restraining himself from glancing at us, but I can feel the disturbance.”
She could feel it, too. Hu Chang was sitting quietly beside Erin, but Catherine could read the body language.
She watched Cameron cross the hut and begin to talk to Hu Chang. Hu Chang did not relax, but there was no antagonism in his demeanor. There was obviously a strong bond that had been forged during that time at the monastery. Two strong men with superb intelligence and skills. It was natural that they would become close.
He reminded me of another young boy I knew once.
What boy? Or had he been talking about himself as a youngster? What had Cameron been like when he was Luke’s age? He must have had a huge number of mental and emotional problems due to that freakish gift. Had there been someone by his side to help him through it?
And why in hell was she worrying about Cameron’s childhood traumas? She had not had a great childhood either. You just had to survive and learn from it. He had clearly fought through the pain as she had done.
She lay back down and cradled her head on her arm as she gazed at Luke again.
Six hours to sleep. Six hours before the running and the danger began again. You shouldn’t be here, baby. No matter what you say, the young should never face that kind of danger. They should only know joy.
But Cameron promised he would keep you safe, Luke. I’ll hold him to it. I’d like to say that I could do it alone, and I’ll try. But there’s no way I’ll turn down help from Cameron or Hu Chang or anyone else who will lend a hand.
You’re going to live through this no matter what I have to do.