“You have a son, and you have him with you. You apparently can’t bear to be parted from him. Give me Cameron or I’ll not only kill your boy, I’ll cut him into pieces … very slowly.”
She drew a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger … and fear. “You bastard. Luke has nothing to do with this.”
“I really don’t care,” Kadmus said. “I’ll take him, or Erin Sullivan, or your friend, Hu Chang. Anyone who stands in my way.
You
stand in my way, Ling.”
“You can’t touch him. You have no idea where he is now.”
“I’ll find out. I have photos of all of you. I have men searching the city. I’ll find your Luke, then you’ll come begging to trade Cameron. But it might be too late. If I find Cameron first, I won’t have a use for the boy. He’ll be in my way, and I’ll kill him.” He added persuasively, “What do you care about Cameron? Let me have him and keep your son. I’m hanging up now. I’ll call you tomorrow evening. By that time, I should have my sights on you. It might be your last chance to deal.” He hung up.
Move!
Three minutes would have been enough for him to get a fix on her location. There would be someone here within a few minutes or less.
She accessed the tracking device as she started trotting down the street, then ducked into the alley. It gave her a general location somewhere near the park but had not had time to pinpoint the exact location, dammit. She hadn’t really expected to get lucky. She ducked into an alley and ran toward the brightly lit street at the other end. Stay away from Celia’s and keep running until Kadmus’s men gave up the search.
Run.
Don’t get near Luke until it was safe.
Oh, God, when would it be safe for him?
That bastard, Kadmus. He had meant it when he’d said he’d chop him into pieces. Look what he’d done to Erin.
Watch.
Run.
She darted in and out of alleys and streets for the next ten minutes.
She finally stopped and drew a deep breath. She’d not seen any signs of pursuit, but that didn’t mean that she was free to go back to the house. Give it another ten minutes.
“Or fifteen.”
She whirled to see Cameron walking down the alley toward her.
She could only see him dimly, but his grim expression was not to be mistaken. She braced herself. “Ten should be enough. I haven’t seen any signs of Kadmus’s men.” She moistened her lips. “And I do have on a disguise.”
“Not much of one.” He stopped before her. “That scarf only makes you look more exotic.”
“I considered wearing a wig, but I decided the scarf looked more casual. I think it works.” Why was she standing here talking to him about wigs? she thought impatiently. “Why are you here?”
“Because you’re here,” he said roughly. “And because you didn’t see fit to tell me that you were playing Kadmus alone.”
“It was a recent development. I thought it had potential.” She paused. “I don’t have to ask how you knew about it.”
“It was too dangerous trusting you to be cool and reasonable after last night. I had to know what you were thinking.” He added, “And what you were doing.”
“And you found out. I’m sure you eavesdropped on my conversation with that bastard.” Her lips twisted. “Am I a threat to you, Cameron? Kadmus wants to use me as one, and he’s determined to find my Achilles’ heel. What do you generally do to threats?”
“That wouldn’t apply. It’s not the same.”
“You’d destroy them.”
“It’s not the same,” he repeated.
“No? Then what should I do if Kadmus does get his hands on Luke and wants me to hand you over to him?”
“Do as he said—betray me and save your son.”
“No!” Her eyes widened in stunned horror. She had not expected that answer. “That’s not acceptable either. You’re the Guardian and supposed to be able to solve all this kind of ugliness. What good are you?”
“Good enough to take on Kadmus. So betray me and let me do it. But that won’t happen. I promised you that I’d take care of your son.”
“Kadmus said that your promises aren’t worth a damn.”
“He lied.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I think I know, Cameron.”
“He shook you. He made you afraid,” Cameron said harshly. “I could feel him doing it. I wanted to kill him.”
“So did I.” She smiled with an effort. “I hate being afraid. I can usually control it. But there’s no rhyme or reason about any threat to Luke. I react instinctively.” She straightened her shoulders. “And I can take care of my own son, Cameron. You go take care of yourself. I was hoping against hope that I might be able to zero in on Kadmus’s location, but that didn’t happen. Which means we’ll have to go along with the plan for tomorrow night.” She started to turn away. “Now I’ll go back to Celia’s. I found a roundabout way to get there when I was wandering around waiting for Kadmus’s call that should be safer.” She looked back at him. “I suppose you were tuned in to that, too?”
He didn’t answer.
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Everything matters.” His hand was on her wrist, whirling her to face him. He tore the scarf from her hair and the glasses from her face and tossed them on the ground. Then she was in his arms, pressed against his body, his hand cupping the back of her head against his chest. “When it’s between us.”
Her heart leaped, and she went still. No, don’t touch me. Don’t let it be like last night. She was feeling vulnerable enough right now.
“Shh.” He was rocking her, his face buried against her temple. “I only want to hold you, help you. Don’t fight me.”
She couldn’t fight him. He had never been like this with her. He was showing her the same exquisite tenderness she had seen him show Erin that night at the hot springs. It was like being stroked with velvet, and that tenderness was flowing into her and taking out all the pain.
“If you’d just accept me, I’d never let you be hurt again,” he said thickly.
Just one more minute, then she’d step away from him. “Oh, yes, that would be just fine,” she said unevenly. “No responsibility for what I do or the safety of my son. All I have to do is act like a robot and permit you to run my life.”
“It’s not like that.”
“I think it is. It’s like your damn committee, who are trying to bring peace as they perceive it to the world. They do it by stealing brains and talent and cocooning the chosen to wait for the rest of us to destroy ourselves.” She moved away from him. “Only I wouldn’t be chosen, Cameron. I’d rather be in the trenches trying to keep the bombs from falling and the madmen from inheriting the Earth.”
“So did I at one time.” He didn’t try to touch her again, but she felt as if she could still feel his hands on her, hear his heart beneath her ear. His eyes were glittering, and the tenderness was no longer there. Intensity. Passion. Lust. This was the Cameron of last night, and she could feel her body begin to respond in the same way. He said recklessly, “And screw the committee, I choose you. No one would question me.”
“I’m sure they wouldn’t. You seem to be all-powerful in their eyes.” She turned away and grabbed her scarf and glasses from the ground where he’d thrown them. “Well, I don’t choose you.”
He wasn’t following her as she’d thought he might. He stood watching her as she hurried away from him.
“You will, Catherine,” he called softly. “You will.”
CHAPTER
17
“No sign of her,” Brasden said when Kadmus came in from the balcony of his hotel room. He went over to the coffee table where a map of the city had been placed. “But with the phone trace, we’ve narrowed down these blocks in Chinatown.” He drew a wide circle. “So the chances are that Sullivan and Ling are still in a safe house somewhere in that area.”
“And Cameron may be with them,” Kadmus gazed down at the circle on the map. It looked like such a small area that he felt a sudden surge of savage pleasure.
I’m closing in on you, bitch. Just a few steps more, and I’ll have you.
“I’ve doubled the men we have patrolling Chinatown and made sure all of them have photos. They’ll call if they see them on the streets or get any reports about anyone of their description.”
“Good.” He smiled. “I’ll be happy if they can move the timeline forward. But I’ve
got
her. It should take only one more phone call to narrow her location down even more.”
“If she’ll take the call.”
“She’ll take it. She’s not as tough as you led me to believe. I could tell that I frightened her with talk of the boy. When she picks up the phone, we’ll start closing in. She’s so scared, she’ll keep the boy with her. Once we have him, she’ll cave.”
“You’re very sure.”
“Because I have a destiny, and I know that she’s not going to be able to stop me.” He could feel the power coursing through him. “None of you will be able to stop me.”
“Unless you decide to betray me,” Brasden said. “But I’m sure you’re not thinking of that any longer.” He turned and moved toward the door. “We’re cooperating so nicely these days.”
Kadmus didn’t answer as the door closed behind him. Brasden was a dead man. He’d sealed his fate a long time ago and wasn’t worth thinking about.
He had told Brasden that he had a destiny, and that grand destiny was looming closer with every passing moment. He had never been more certain than after that call with Ling.
Ling was the path to Cameron.
And Cameron was the path to Kadmus’s destiny.
He pulled the lotus necklace that Brasden had tossed so contemptuously at him out of his pocket. He caressed the pendant with a gentle finger.
Destiny.
Shambhala.
THURSDAY
3:37
P
.
M
.
“What’s happening, Catherine?” Erin was standing in the doorway of the library looking at Hu Chang and Catherine. “When do we leave? You’ve not said a word to me today.”
Catherine had been afraid of this confrontation.
“I was busy with Luke. I wanted—” She shook her head. Erin deserved the truth. “I was trying to think of a way to tell you that you’re out of it.”
“What?” She stared Catherine in the eye. “The hell I am. I’m in this up to my neck. Why does Cameron want me out?”
“He doesn’t, I do,” Catherine said. “Look, there’s no use your going to the fireworks factory tonight. I told you Kadmus seems to have changed focus. Leave it up to Cameron and me.”
“And my humble self,” Hu Chang said. “Whose help is magnificently useful and erases the need for anyone else.”
“No way,” Erin said flatly. “You’re not closing me out. If you leave me here, I’ll be knocking on the door of that damn Stars, Moon, and Heavenly—whatever. This is more my fight than anyone else’s.”
“You’re not needed,” Catherine said. “I don’t want you to go, Erin. And it may not be necessary now. I told you, Kadmus is narrowing his sights on me at the moment. I can be the bait.”
“I’m going. I’ll let you whisk me out of there as you planned because I don’t want you to risk yourself trying to protect me. But I
will
be part of this, Catherine.”
Catherine sighed. “You’re a very stubborn woman, Erin.”
“Yes.” Erin’s warm smile suddenly lit her face. “Hey, if Kadmus couldn’t break me, you don’t stand a chance. What time?”
“After dinner, as soon as we can slip away.” She paused. “Luke is not to know.”
“Trouble.”
“Dammit, he’s going to be safe here. Cameron promised me that the place would be surrounded by Blake’s guards and that he’d check on him frequently.” She didn’t like it, but she had no choice. Other than tying Luke up and stuffing him in a closet, Cameron’s solution was the only logical and safe one. “I’ll only be gone a few hours. I’m hoping Celia can distract him.”
“Distraction is certainly her area of expertise,” Hu Chang said. “But she’s limited in Luke’s case.”
“I didn’t need to hear that,” Catherine said. “Or maybe I did. I just hope she’ll rise to the occasion.” She got to her feet. “I can’t change your mind, Erin?”
She shook her head. “We’ve traveled this path together. I won’t leave you now.”
Catherine gazed at her with frustration, deep affection, and a trace of panic. They were so close to assuring Erin’s permanent safety, but tonight, anything could happen.
She smiled with an effort. “Just stay close as you did in that hot spring, and we’ll be okay.”
She nodded. “And I promise I won’t duck my head under the water.”
“See that you don’t.”
But what they might encounter tonight could be far deadlier than anything they’d yet faced together.
God, keep her safe. She’s gone through so much. Give her a break tonight.
7:40
P
.
M
.
Celia gazed at Luke uncertainly. He’d been much too quiet for the past thirty minutes.
Luke turned away from the French doors to look at her.
“Where’s Catherine?” he asked uncertainly. “And Hu Chang? Something’s happening, isn’t it?”
“Something is always happening,” Celia said. “But nothing for you to worry about.”
“I saw men on the street at the front of the house and one near the corner. Who are they?”
“No one to concern you. Cameron has the house surrounded by several lethal-looking men who he assures me will take good care of all of us.”
“Why should he do that? Where’s Catherine?” Luke repeated. “I haven’t seen her since dinner. And Hu Chang, he always—”
“You’ll have to ask Cameron. He said he’d come around and check on you later.” She smiled. “He’s gone to a lot of trouble. He evidently cares a great deal for you, Luke.”
“I like him, too.” He added, “Most of the time.”
“I feel the same way.” Celia laughed. “But you may have more reason. He’s turned your life upside down.”
“No, he hasn’t. I’m the one who decided to go after Catherine when she left Hong Kong.” His gaze went to the garden. “There are two men out there near the summerhouse. Are they more of the men Cameron assigned to us?”
“Yes. Stop worrying. Come into the kitchen with me, and I’ll make you a cup of jasmine tea.”
“I’m not worrying. I just have to know what’s happening.” He didn’t turn around. “Catherine’s gone to that fireworks factory she was talking about with Erin and Hu Chang, hasn’t she?”