She shook her head.

“My God, look at you, you’re a basket case. Trevor wouldn’t want you to do this. You know that, Jane.”

“He would want me to be strong. She killed him, Caleb.”

“Let me do it.”

“I can’t do that. Evil. She’s so evil. She killed him to get to me. She didn’t care that he was good and fine and everything that her monster of a son could never be. She just … destroyed him because he was in her way.” She gazed at the ambulance. “She’s never going to kill again. I’m going to send her to hell to join her son.”

“I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?” His eyes were burning in his taut face. “I’m tempted just to knock you out until you’re thinking clearer.”

“Everything is very cIear to me, Caleb. It couldn’t be more clear.”

“Look, if I get close to Harriet I can—”

“You said you’d do whatever I wanted you to do.”

He stared at her in helpless fury. “Shit.” Then he turned on his heel and strode toward the ambulance. “I’ll take care of your dead lover. And then maybe I’ll have to come back and bring your body back to the same morgue.” He jumped into the passenger seat and motioned to the driver. “At least make a token effort to keep me from having to do that.”

“He’s right, Jane,” Margaret said gently. “But it doesn’t matter if he’s right or wrong. You won’t let me stay with you?”

She shook her head.

“I’m not going to force it. I want to do it, but I’d probably feel the same way if it was someone I loved.” She gave her a quick hug. “Take care,” she whispered. “And move very fast. Venable should be roaring up anytime now.” She turned and moved toward the ambulance.

Jane watched the taillights of the ambulance until the vehicle disappeared around the curve in the road.

“I have to do it, Trevor,” she whispered. “You’d understand. You always understood.” But Caleb was right, Trevor wouldn’t like it. He always wanted to keep her safe.

But her safety didn’t matter any longer. Nothing mattered but Harriet’s death. By Caleb’s last words, she knew he had known that, and it had added to his frustration.

Move.

If Margaret was right, Venable might be here and get in her way.

Harriet had at least an hour head start, but she would not be hiding. She would be going to Driftwood Cottage to accomplish her final act of revenge for Kevin’s death. She had a destination.

And so did Jane.

As soon as she reached her car, she pulled out her phone and called Catherine.

“I’ve been trying to reach you,” Catherine said. “We were worried. You hung up, then there was no answer when I called back later.”

“Some things were happening. The last thing that I heard you say was that you thought you’d found that Driftwood Cottage. Did you find it?”

“Yes, we’re on our way there now. We’re about thirty minutes away at a powerboat-rental facility at a town near there. Joe Googled it, and the cottage is on the beach, surrounded by hills, but he says that there’s too much danger of being spotted as you approach the cottage. It’s better that we come in from the sea.”

“The sea?”

“That’s what he says. I trust him to know what he’s doing.”

“Then you’d better hurry. Harriet is on her way, too. And she’s not going to care if Doane spots her coming toward the cottage.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. But she’s wounded. She’s bleeding. I don’t think it’s serious, but it could delay her if she has to stop the bleeding. I can only hope it does.”

“Wounded?” Catherine was silent. “Jane, what the hell happened?”

If she told her, it would break the fragile balance. “I’ll tell you later. Look, maybe I’m closer to the cottage than you. Give me the location.” She typed in the location on the GPS. “I am closer. I’ll get on the road right away.”

“Wait for us. Don’t do anything on your own.”

“I won’t be on my own.”

Catherine was silent. “Jane, is everything all right with you? You sound…”

“Nothing is wrong.” Except that her world had ended. Except that Trevor was in the back of that ambulance and would never come back to her. “I’ll call you when I reach Driftwood Cottage.” She hung up and buried her head on the steering wheel.

Take just one minute.

Get control again.

One more call. She sat up and dialed Venable.

“You blew it, Jane,” Venable said harshly as he picked up the call. “Stay where you are. I’m coming after you.”

“I know you are. I don’t care. Shut up a minute. I have to tell you something. Harriet has the detonator. I wasn’t sure before, but I saw her with it. She has it, and she’ll use it.” She paused to steady her voice. “So do whatever you can to locate those devices and defuse them.”

Silence. “We’ve already located them. They’re in the clock towers as you said. Our flyovers picked up the plutonium signatures. I’ve already got a team headed inside. Very discreetly, as we agreed.” His tone hardened. “But there’s nothing discreet about what happened with you and Harriet Weber tonight.”

“Forget being discreet. It’s too late for that. By the time they get to those nukes, it will be settled one way or the other.”

She hung up the phone as he started to fire questions.

She’d done what she could.

Now all that was left was getting that detonator away from Harriet and trying to save Eve.

Hurry.

Even if Harriet had been delayed by doing first aid on that wound Trevor had inflicted, she was probably close to the cottage now. When she got there, it could be only a matter of minutes until Harriet and Doane decided to make their kills.

Eve.

Panic shot through her, piercing the agony.

Eve could die.

They were so close to saving her, yet all that bitch, Harriet, had to do was to pull the trigger, and she would die.

As Trevor had died.

No, Harriet, not again. Never again.

Her foot stomped on the accelerator, and the car jumped forward.

Driftwood Cottage

“SHE’S NOT HERE.” DOANE’S EYES were glittering with anger as he stormed back into the cottage. “Harriet promised me that she’d be here by this time. The arrogant bitch is probably keeping me waiting on purpose. I wouldn’t put it past her. She’s always played games like that.”

“You mean she’s not eager to witness the grand execution,” Zander said mockingly. “What an insult to me.”

“And to you,” Eve said to Doane. “Do I detect a lack of trust?”

“Shut up, both of you.” He was dialing his phone. “I won’t have her spoiling everything. I’m not going to let her—” He spoke harshly into the phone as she came on the line, “Where the hell are you? I’m not going to wait any longer. You can’t do this to—” He broke off, listening. “I don’t care what happened to you. I don’t believe you anyway. Fifteen minutes. You’d better be here. I won’t wait a minute longer.” He punched his finger savagely down on the disconnect. “Excuses. She said that she’d been hurt and had stopped at an emergency clinic to get the blood stopped. Bullshit.” He headed for the door. “She told me she was nearly here, that she’d just started over the hills. If she’s telling the truth, I should be able to see her headlights from the beach.” He glared at them over his shoulder. “If I don’t see them in ten minutes, I’m coming back here.” He smiled savagely. “And all the bitch will see when she gets here will be two corpses.” The door slammed behind him.

“I believe it’s time we got out of here,” Zander said. “It appears that Doane isn’t going to wait until Harriet darkens his door.”

“I got that impression,” Eve said. Her heart was pounding hard. She hadn’t thought she’d be this frightened. She had known this moment was coming. “By all means, if you can pull a rabbit out of your hat and get us free, I’ll be interested to see it.”

“No rabbit. But you’re in the right ballpark.” His brow was furrowed with concentration. “I’m working on it. These handcuffs aren’t easy with this broken arm.”