Captive, p.14
Captive, page 14
“Dead?” Bohdan asked. “How many dead?”
“We couldn’t get a count. We had to withdraw after we set the gates on fire. Perhaps a dozen or so kills.” He added quickly, “But that courtyard will never be the same and we lost only a few men in the attack.”
“The woman?”
“I sent in the sniper as you said. I haven’t had a report from him yet. It might take a bit longer. You said that you wanted her taken captive.”
Bohdan whirled on him. Chiswick had never seen him this angry; he was blazing with rage. “That was before Caleb blew my meth house to hell,” he said savagely. “He cost me a damn fortune. I want her dead. I want them all dead. I’ll tear them all apart. He can’t get away with this.”
“We’ll have to be a bit cautious because of the attack. MacDuff has a lot of political influence and can make trouble for us when we go back to the Congo.”
“Don’t tell me that.” Bohdan’s hands clenched on the railing. “Find a way I can get Caleb and his woman. Hunt them down. Or by God, I’ll have my soldiers hunt you down. You’re no good to me if you let Caleb disrespect me like this. Find me a safe house and then bring them to me.” He turned back to watch the burning gates of MacDuff’s Run. “Now get out of my sight. I don’t want to hear from you until you tell me you’ve found Jane MacGuire.”
* * *
MacDuff’s Forest
Next Day
Dawn
The sniper had to be camped around the next bend, Jane thought. He had been out for most of the night following her trail. She could smell the smoke.
He was on foot. She had made sure of it. She had located his truck about midnight and slashed the tires. Now he was tired and pissed off and wasn’t sure how many of MacDuff’s people were hunting him. He might have caught sight of her when she’d been trailing along the creek. But that was okay—he wouldn’t perceive her as a threat, because she was a woman. His shot had been aimed at Rodland. Either he had orders not to kill her or he had contempt for women as adversaries. Probably the latter. And she knew he was alone in the forest. She’d heard him talking on his phone when she’d managed to locate the duck blind where he’d set up to take his shots. His name was Nojer, and he’d sounded very apologetic when he’d told someone it wouldn’t take much longer to get the job done. Was he talking to Bohdan?
Well, it was time to prove him wrong and get rid of the threat of having him on her heels.
Move silently.
Do exactly what Joe had taught her.
She had no rifle. She’d have to get close enough that her 9mm pistol would be able to do the job.
But Joe always said that it was the skill of the shooter not the weapon that mattered.
Head for the brush now. Circle the blind and then take aim…
Stay with me, Joe…
* * *
MacDuff’s Run
1:25 P.M.
“My God.” Caleb gazed at the smashed stones at the top rim of the courtyard fountain. “Those drones blew up your fountain, MacDuff? Can I replace it?”
“Not unless you can pull a few nine-hundred-year-old stones from a Roman quarry,” MacDuff said. “But I can find a way to rebuild the top rim so that it won’t be noticeable.” His lips twisted bitterly. “And if it is, it will only add to the story of the Run. Maybe it needed a more modern approach to give it color and pizzazz.”
“Bullshit. I’m sorry, MacDuff. Anything I can do, just call on me.” His gaze moved to the courtyard gates, which were burned and blackened. “Would you like to tell me how that burned-out gate adds to the general pizzazz?”
“No, I’d like to tell you to shut up about it,” MacDuff said. “I lost five men in the explosions that tore the courtyard apart. They can’t be replaced, either.” He turned on Caleb. “But this is my home, my heritage, and everything that has ever happened here has told its own story. I meant what I said: When I finish the repairs and make those bastards pay for what they did to my people, they’ll tell their own story. It will only make MacDuff’s history richer and more complete. Understand?”
“Absolutely. An interesting plan, and, as usual, totally your own. But I don’t believe you’ll be selfish enough to keep me from helping with that rebuild?” His lips tightened. “Jane is still out there.”
“Do you think we haven’t been looking for her?” MacDuff asked. “We’ve been a little busy beating back those assholes who invaded the castle. I figured she was safer outside the gates than if we sent someone to bring her in. But as soon as I could spare the men, I ordered a unit to go out to find her.”
“And you found that she’d disappeared,” Caleb said. “You should have known that she’d opt out once she saw the castle burning. She warned me that she wouldn’t stay if she thought she was causing trouble for you. Bohdan couldn’t have been more trouble.”
“We’ll dispatch another unit,” MacDuff said. “We don’t think that Bohdan has managed to get any more men into the hills yet. We managed to beat him back this time. And if he hadn’t arranged to shoot off those drones, he wouldn’t have been able to inflict near the damage.”
“Bohdan may be a sadistic beast, but he’s a damn good soldier,” Caleb said. “Give him a chance to recoup and he’ll be back in the game. Let me go after him…before he goes after Jane.”
MacDuff frowned. “And if I say no?”
“Then you’d better tell any men you order out on the property to stay out of my way. I’ll be going to get her, and no one is going to stop me.”
“Anything else?” MacDuff asked coldly.
“Palik will be here, and he’ll furnish you with protection while you’re doing your repairs. If you have any more urgent needs, call me.” He stared him in the eye. “Don’t be an ass. I owe you. Let me pay you.”
MacDuff was silent a moment. “Yes, you do. And I don’t see why I shouldn’t collect.” He turned away. “But you’d better go and get Rodland from the library. I can’t be bothered to take care of him. He showed up early this morning and he’s been stumbling around the place waiting for you to get here.”
“I’m supposed to take care of him?”
“You sent him to Jane. He belongs to you.” He turned and started to cross the courtyard. “And he belongs to Jane. He might be useful.”
Caleb hesitated. Then he turned and went into the castle and down the hall to the library.
Rodland was sitting in an easy chair talking on the phone. He held up his finger as Caleb walked into the room, but he finished his call. “It’s about time,” he said. “I thought you’d be here before this. What kept you?”
“I was otherwise occupied in Italy.” He added coldly, “You didn’t do your job. You were supposed to take care of her. I ought to break your neck.”
“You probably will before this is over, but a horse named Maisie and a sniper with a bad aim managed to give me sufficient punishment for the time being.” He smiled crookedly. “I did the best I could considering my handicaps. I told her to leave me and not trust anyone since she was the target. Evidently, she took my advice because MacDuff told me she’s been on the run.”
“You should have told her I’d take care of her,” Caleb said harshly.
“You weren’t here,” he said simply.
Caleb muttered a curse.
“And I don’t know if it would have mattered. Jane tends to go down her own path,” Rodland added. “She makes up her mind and sticks to it. She worries a lot about MacDuff and his people.” He shook his head. “You probably wouldn’t have had a chance from the minute she saw the fire burning the front gate.”
“I would have had a chance. I could have talked to her.”
“But you weren’t—”
“Here,” Caleb finished. “I believe you’ve made that clear.”
“But if anyone could have convinced her, it would have been you,” Rodland said quickly. “I’ve found she does listen.”
“Thanks for your insight,” Caleb said sarcastically. “You’ve gotten to know her in the last week. How well?”
“Well enough to help you find her,” he said quietly. “She’ll be defensive with you. But she has a different relationship with me. I’m no threat, only humor and friendship. And we have a common interest in what happened to Fiona. I’ve promised to help her find the end of her story. She needs that right now. There’s been too much blood and anxiety and she’s an artist. It could bring her back to you.” He looked down at his phone. “I’m almost there…”
“You do know her,” Caleb said slowly. “But she’s more than a wonderful artist. Did she ever tell you about Joe Quinn and how he raised her?”
He shrugged. “She mentioned something about how he taught her about locks.”
“More than that. He wanted to keep his little girl safe. That was fine with me. Joe and I were on the same page. Only I wanted to do it myself.”
“You always want to do everything yourself,” Rodland said. “Some people would consider it a cheat that you don’t let them share the burden. You might rethink that philosophy.”
Caleb stiffened. “Are you speaking for yourself?”
“No, I was willing to wait. I knew my turn would come. But don’t try to leave me behind.”
“You might not even be able to make it to the courtyard.” His gaze raked Rodland’s face. “You look banged up as hell. Palik said you probably have a concussion. Even if I decided to take you along, you wouldn’t be of any help to me.”
“I’d be of help. And I’ll get stronger all the time.” He smiled. “And you like to take care of people. Jane might not let you get away with it, but I will. And I’ll do whatever you tell me to do. The only thing I’ll ask is that you don’t make me get on a horse in the next month. I’m saving that for my next challenge, maybe next year.”
Caleb was silent. Then he nodded. “Then it’s fortunate I was considering using a Range Rover.” He turned on his heel. “I’ll see you in the courtyard in twenty minutes. Be there.”
* * *
Caleb and Rodland had picked up a Range Rover from the garage and were only thirty minutes out of the blackened ruin of the front gates when they got a call from MacDuff.
“Change direction to the southern forest,” MacDuff said as soon as Caleb picked up. “She said Nojer would be in a cave about twelve miles from the road. She told me she’d left a note.”
Caleb went still. “She? Who?”
“Who do you think?” MacDuff said. “Jane. She said she was sorry for everything and hoped I’d forgive her. Then she started to rattle off directions. I told her that she should wait for you, but she said that wouldn’t be a good idea. Then she was gone. Now go get her and bring her back.”
“I will. Who’s Nojer?”
“She didn’t say.” He ended the call.
“Jane?” Rodland repeated. “Nojer?”
“You heard him.” Caleb drove off the road and turned south. “I don’t know what the hell is happening. Except that she couldn’t bother to wait for me.” He stomped on the accelerator as he drove into the brush. “And that she was still alive ten minutes ago. I’ll take that.”
Rodland nodded. “Yeah. We’ll take that.”
* * *
The first thing they saw was the smoke. It took another ten minutes after they reached the coordinates they’d been given before they located the cave.
But it was only a few minutes later before they found Nojer.
He was roped, gagged, and tied to a rock inside the cave. He was squirming and fighting the gag, and they didn’t notice the blood until they were almost on top of him.
The note Jane had mentioned was beneath a smaller rock nearby.
MacDuff
This is Eric Nojer according to the documents I found on him. All I know about him is that he’s the sniper who shot Rodland and was trying to track me. But I figured that was reason enough to shoot him so that he’d be out of commission. He was on the phone with someone, and I couldn’t afford to have him behind me and bringing up reinforcements. I thought you might be able to get information from him about where to find Bohdan. I made sure he wouldn’t bleed to death if you get to him in time.
Jane
Caleb handed the note to Rodland. “Shall we untie him and see how accurate Jane’s aim was?” He was taking off the gag as he spoke. The moment he slipped it down, Nojer started to spew curse words. His eyes were glittering with fury. “She shot me! The bitch wasn’t there one minute and the next I felt the bullet tear into my side. I’m going to kill her.”
“I wouldn’t try that.” Caleb was examining the wound in Nojer’s side. “It looks like she patched you up pretty well. She could have just let you bleed out. But Jane has problems with death except in the most extreme cases.” He added with soft menace, “I have no such hesitancy. And if you decide to ignore my advice, I’ll make certain that you’ll die very soon and in great pain. Do you understand?”
“I’ll do what I please,” Nojer snarled. “Who do you think—” He stopped short as he met Caleb’s eyes. “I guess I understand.” He moistened his lips. “You’re Caleb, aren’t you? I’ve heard about you.”
“But I’ve heard practically nothing about you, and Jane went to a great deal of trouble to keep you alive so that you could tell us about yourself and all your friends.” Caleb smiled. “Which you will do. I won’t have her disappointed.”
“Bohdan would kill me.”
“But then you’ll have a choice to make. You do have a little time. Rodland is going to call MacDuff to have him send someone else to pick you up. Oops, but MacDuff is also angry with anyone who helped damage his castle. You seem to be in an uncomfortable position and nowhere to go.” He turned away. “It might help if you could tell me in what direction Jane took off after she did her fine work on your rib cage.”
“I don’t remember.” Nojer was breathing hard. “Don’t leave me here alone.”
“Which direction?”
He was silent. “North,” he said grudgingly.
“Good.” Caleb pulled the gag back up over Nojer’s mouth. “You’ll have company soon. I just don’t want any of Bohdan’s men to drop in and take you away from MacDuff. You may prove to be a valuable commodity.”
Rodland started to dial MacDuff as he followed Caleb out of the cave. They’d reached their Range Rover by the time he finished talking. “Nojer could have been lying about the direction Jane took off in.”
“He could have been, but I don’t believe he was.” Caleb got into the driver’s seat. “I have a hunch.”
“And you’re used to intimidating people,” Rodland said. “Some hunch.”
Caleb’s brow rose. “You don’t think we should go north?”
“I didn’t say that. I believe we should go north.”
“Why?”
“Not because I have a hunch. North is the Highlands and it’s rough, wild country and Jane mentioned that she’s familiar with it. She’d believe she’d be harder to track.”
“But I’m also familiar with it.”
“She knows that in the end that wouldn’t be a factor. You’re the Hunter.” He paused. “And there’s another reason she might want to go to the Highlands.”
Caleb looked at him inquiringly.
“Which I won’t divulge. After all, I can’t let you have all the cards.” He smiled mischievously. “If you’re lucky I might tell you when we get up there to Rob Roy country.”
“Or I might squeeze it out of you if I get too impatient.”
“That might also happen. But it might keep the trip interesting.” He leaned back on the headrest and closed his eyes. “I’m beginning to get a headache. Don’t wake me unless you have an emergency. I promised you I’d get stronger, and I need my rest.”
* * *
It was sunset by the time Jane reached the foothills overlooking the twisting brook that wound down through the valley leading to the purple-shaded mountains.
Beautiful…
She reined in the stallion and gazed out at those mountains. There was no doubt this was the scene that MacClaren had painted on the wall in that railroad car. There was a small, sod building on the far ridge that she didn’t remember being in the picture, but it was incredible that was the only difference. Considering the passing of time, the entire glen could have been changed. But perhaps that was why MacClaren had chosen to paint this scene in the Highlands. He might have wanted to keep the memory of this poignant beauty as long as he could, and the chances were better if it remained wild.
Was Fiona with you when you came here? She knew this country. She’d studied it when she was preparing herself for the races at the castle. Maybe she wanted you to see it.
Stop it. She shook her head impatiently. This wasn’t about Fiona. She was here because it was going to be easy for her to become lost in these hills. More important, it would be difficult to be found by anyone tracking her through this wild Eden.
She also knew these Scottish Highlands from her visits to MacDuff’s Run. And from the long walks she had taken here with Caleb when they had wanted to escape the castle and just be together.
She blocked the thought. Don’t think about Caleb. It was going to be difficult enough when she had to confront him. Which would come very soon. She knew he was on her trail, and he wouldn’t allow a temporary stop to pick up Nojer to delay him for very long.
And it was time she found a place to settle for the night and find water and grass for the stallion. Tomorrow she’d have to find food for herself. She’d helped herself to Nojer’s rations before she’d left his camp, and that would suffice for the time being.
And perhaps she’d light a fire and take a look at that letter that she’d tucked away in her art case. It seemed a suitable place to try to decipher it. Providing Fiona had really brought MacClaren here to show him the true beauty of MacDuff’s Run. She’d meant to take a long time to examine that letter, but perhaps this would be better. Heaven knows, she needed something to take her mind off Caleb and the tragedy of what had happened back at the castle. The memory of that burning gate would stay with her forever.
