“But not most important.” She took his face in her hands and looked him in the eye. “Love is more important. Love and trust.” This was harder than she’d thought it would be. “I … love you, Trevor.”

“Love,” he repeated. “That’s the first time you’ve said that to me.” He paused. “Have we had a breakthrough?”

“I do love you.” She moistened her lips. “And I trust you. You said I didn’t trust anyone but Eve, but I do trust you. You’d never lie or do anything that wasn’t honest or good.”

“I’m no angel, Jane. You should know that better than anyone.”

“I trust you.” She kissed him. “Now will you stop trying to talk me out of this? It’s all new to me, and I’m having a tough time adjusting. You wanted trust and commitment? You’ve got it. Unless you’ve changed your mind.”

“Changed my mind? After all these years of trying to get you to admit that we were born to be together?” A brilliant smile broke the gravity of his expression. He picked her up and whirled her in a circle. “And all I had to do was throw you into bed with another man.” He kissed her long, hard. “But that’s not going to happen again.”

“It would if you thought it would help me,” she whispered. “Because that’s what your love is about, Trevor. It’s giving and caring and not taking.” She nestled closer. “And I thank God for it. I do love you, Trevor. You said I seemed open. That’s the way I feel. Everything is flowing out to you. I want to give you my thoughts and feelings and dreams…” She suddenly broke away from him. “Let’s go bring Caleb out here to monitor those machines. I want to go somewhere and be alone with you.”

“My, how aggressive.” He smiled. “I’m not sure that Caleb will welcome that call to duty.”

“He said we’d used him, and I realized how callous I’d been. We shouldn’t have done it. It was wrong,” she said. “But this time I don’t care. We don’t have much time, and I’m going to steal a little.” She headed for the bedroom door. “You call down and get us a room on this floor, and I’ll go get Caleb.”

And hope that he was not still naked, she thought dryly. She wouldn’t put it past him to open the door nude for sheer devilment.

But when Caleb opened the door to her knock he was no longer naked but wearing jeans and a turtleneck sweater. He smiled. “You need me?”

“To monitor the machines.” She added deliberately, “Trevor and I are getting a room. Unless you’ve decided that you’re going to opt out of finding Eve.”

She couldn’t read his expression, but she could see the tension of the muscles in his shoulders and abdomen. “That would be very foolish of me. I told you it wasn’t over.” He strolled out into the sitting room. “By all means, run along. Comparisons are always interesting.” He dropped down in the chair by the table. “I’ll let you know if you should drop everything and come running.” He glanced at Trevor. “But you should thank me for the gift I gave you.”

“No way.” Trevor took Jane’s hand and led her toward the door to the corridor. “I’d be a fool to do that when this is how it was meant to be. You didn’t give me anything, it was all Jane. And I’ll take it and never let go.” He looked down at her as he whisked her out of the room. “Now and forever, so help me God.”

“That sounds like a wedding vow.” Her voice was uneven. Love, trust, devotion, commitment. So many emotions she had been afraid to feel were brimming within her in this moment. “I like it. Now and forever…”

CHAPTER

12

Bayside, Washington

“JOE, JUST THINK ABOUT IT,” Catherine urged. “Gallo is damn good. He can help you. Two can sometimes accomplish more than one.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I ask. Stubborn. You’re both so damn stubborn. I got the same response from Gallo.” She hung up.

Two can sometimes accomplish more than one.

Catherine’s words might have rung true to Joe, but it all depended on what two you were talking about, he thought as he hung up. Gallo might have been a top-notch Special Forces guy, but Joe did not want to have to deal with him. Gallo would want to go his own way and try to control everything and everyone around him.

Like Joe did, himself.

That was different.

Or, if it wasn’t, it was irrelevant that they had similar philosophies if they didn’t have to work together. He didn’t need Gallo. The minute he got into Seattle, he would make contact with Detective Brewer in Seattle Homicide and see what the word was out on the streets about any new cell movement. Then he would hit the bars and try to pick up—

His cell phone rang.

He stiffened when he read the ID.

Ben Hudson.

He hadn’t thought of the boy since he had left the hospital after Jane had drawn Doane’s sketch from the description Ben had given her of Eve’s kidnapper. He should have thought more about the kid, dammit. The reason Ben had ended up in that hospital was that he was trying to protect Eve. “Ben? Are you okay? What can I do for you?”

“You should have taken me with you,” Ben said reproachfully. “I told you that Bonnie wanted me to keep Eve safe. I let her down when I let that man take her away from the cottage. I have to get Eve back.”

“I told you that was my job, Ben. You can’t—” Be patient, Joe told himself. He had to remind himself that Ben might still have the mind of a child, but that spirit and heart he possessed were special in more ways than one. In their search for Bonnie, they had come upon Ben, who had been having dreams of Eve’s daughter. Eve believed that Bonnie’s ghost actually visited Ben because they were kindred souls. Joe had to acknowledge there was some kind of mystical connection when Ben had ended up in the hospital because one of his Bonnie dreams had sent him to try to protect Eve from Doane. Joe owed him. He could have been killed instead of just injured. “You were wounded and in the hospital. I didn’t have time to wait for you to get well. Are you still in the hospital, Ben?”

“No, they let me leave yesterday. That man, Venable, told the people at the hospital that they could release me into his care. He must be a good guy.”

“Venable?” Joe repeated warily. He wasn’t sure that he liked this. “Yeah, sometimes.”

“I told him I wanted to call you and tell you that I have to come and help right away.” Ben’s voice was desperate. “He thought that was a good idea. Where are you, Joe? Mr. Venable didn’t know.”

And Joe would just as soon he didn’t know anything more than Joe wanted to tell him. He had learned his lesson in Colorado, when Venable could have gotten Eve killed when he’d tried to control the situation to suit himself. It was clear Venable was trying to manipulate Ben to get what he wanted, he thought grimly. “Is Venable there with you, Ben?”

“No, we’re at a motel. He’s in the next room. He said that he’d help me come to you if you’ll tell me where you are.”

“Look, I know you want to help, but by the time you get here, we’ll already have Eve safe.” God, he hoped he was telling the truth. “We’re close, Ben. She’s going to be okay. Stay where you are, and I’ll have Eve call you as soon as she can.”

“No, why are you telling me that? Bonnie says she’s not safe. She says he gets angry with Eve, and she almost died last night.”

Joe couldn’t breathe. He felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach. “What are you talking about, Ben?” Keep calm, fight through the fear. “Talk slowly and clearly. You had another dream about Bonnie? When?”

“A little while ago. That’s why I have to get to you. Bonnie said you have to get her away from him right away.”

“I know that, dammit. What do you think I’m—” He tried to temper the harshness of his voice. “What else did she tell you? Eve hasn’t been hurt yet?”

“I don’t think so. Sometimes I think Bonnie doesn’t tell me everything she knows. But Eve is still alive, Joe. She was asleep, not dead. Like that princess in the fairy tale. Bonnie said Eve even joked about it to her. A sleeping princess in a cottage not a castle and not a garden of thornbushes but a graveyard of driftwood.”