Eve stared at him. “You really think you can pick the lock?”

“No. Not in a reasonable amount of time, anyway.” Zander shifted, and suddenly both hands popped up in front of him. His left hand was entirely free of the cuff.

Eve’s eyes widened. “I thought you said—”

“I didn’t pick it.” He showed her his hand, which looked horribly malformed. “I dislocated my thumb and little finger. It’s something I learned a while back from a very talented escape artist in Thailand who had aspirations to be Houdini.”

“It looks painful.”

“Not nearly as painful … as popping them back.” He used his other hand to move his thumb and finger into their joints.

He winced. “Now for the other one. The right hand is a little more difficult because of the swelling due to the cast on my arm.”

Eve watched in amazement as he did the dislocation on his other hand and slid off the remaining handcuff. He popped his thumb and finger back, then flexed both hands like a master pianist who had just finished a challenging concerto.

He grimaced. “Not pleasant. But in my profession, it comes in handy on occasion.”

“I can imagine.” She pointed down to his leg cuffs. “But I doubt if you can dislocate your toes.”

“Even if I could, it wouldn’t help. But fortunately I can easily access these locks.”

Zander reached behind him and yanked sharply on the carpet. It separated from the floor. He felt the underside of the edge and pulled up a single carpet staple, which he proceeded to bend in two places. He inserted it into the lock of his left leg cuff.

“These look daunting, but larger locks are often easier to pick than smaller ones. More room to work in.” He frowned in concentration. The left cuff fell to the floor. He repeated the motion with the right leg cuff. It was off even faster.

“Now let’s get you out of these ropes.” He jumped to his feet and ran behind her chair. He worked at the complicated knots for a moment, then was quickly unwinding the ropes from her body. “Come on.” He grabbed her hand and jerked her to her feet. She almost fell as the blood rushed back to her legs. He grabbed her by the waist and half carried her toward the door. “You’ll be okay in a minute. We’ve got to move. We don’t know how long we have before Doane decides to give up on Harriet.”

He might have already done that, Eve thought. He had been angry and impatient and ready for the kill. The beach wasn’t that far away from the cottage.

He might be on the other side of that door with a gun in his hand.

Oregon Coast

JOE CUT THE POWERBOAT’S ENGINE and raised his high-powered binoculars toward the shore. “That’s the cottage. We can’t risk taking the boat any closer.”

Gallo stood up, his gaze on the shore. “We’re still miles away.”

“If Eve is there, and Doane sees us coming, it’s all over. We can’t risk it.”

Catherine took the binoculars and looked for herself. “Those objects on the beach … that’s driftwood?”

Joe nodded. “Some of those pieces are probably ten, twelve feet tall. Amazing, aren’t they?”

“Disturbing. They look like giant talons clawing up from the sand.”

Joe pulled a package from a canvas bag and placed it over the side of the boat. He yanked the pull cord and a gray, six-foot raft inflated. He tied the raft to a cleat and started loading weapons into it.

Gallo studied the raft. “Quinn, I don’t see how there’s room in there for us and all that artillery.”

“There isn’t. We’re swimming.”

“Interesting. You’re not joking?”

“No joke. We’d be too easy to spot in there anyway. I’ll attach a towline to my belt and drag it in. You and Catherine can drag yourselves in.”

“We weren’t Navy Seals like you, Quinn.”

Catherine unzipped her jacket to reveal a wet suit that accentuated her sleek, toned figure. “Stop giving him a hard time, Gallo. You swam nearly that far when we were trying to reach that sub off the coast of China.”

He smiled. “But I had you standing by to aid and assist.”

“If you think I’m towing you into shore, you’re crazy.”

“Too bad. It would have been fun. I suppose I can manage it by myself.” Gallo turned toward Joe. “But I have to point out that one phone call from Catherine, and we could have an entire squadron down here backing us up. Providing you want to trust Venable again.”

“I do not,” Joe said curtly. “We’ve already been down that road. It almost got Eve killed. If you’re not in, Gallo, just stay here. Catherine and I can handle it.”

“I think you know better than that,” Gallo said quietly. “I felt I had to state the options. It’s too important to rush in because that’s what we want to do. Do you think I don’t feel the same way you do, Quinn?”

Joe met his eyes. “No, you don’t feel the same. You couldn’t. But I’ll grant that you may feel something approaching it.”

“I won’t argue with you. I’ve told you how I feel about Eve. She’s my friend and the mother of my child.” Gallo pulled off his shirt and slid into a blue wet-suit top that matched the bottoms he was already wearing. “One way or another, we’re getting her back today.”

Joe nodded. “Damned right we are.” He finished packing the raft and jumped into the water. He clipped the tether to the belt of his wet suit as Catherine and Gallo joined him. Joe started toward shore with long, powerful strokes. “Let’s go get her.”

*   *   *

“THIS WAY!” ZANDER PULLED Eve left as they hurtled out the cottage’s front door.

She pointed to a path that extended down the other direction. “That one runs parallel to the beach. I think Doane’s car is—”

“No cover there. Hurry.”

They ran up the hill and almost immediately found themselves in the midst of an area populated by tall rock formations. “Do you know where we’re headed?” she whispered.

“No idea at all. How could I? But if he comes after us, I can take care of him.”

“Without a weapon?”

“Hands and mind are weapons. Sometimes conventional weapons only get in the way.”

“I still like to have them available,” she said dryly.

“Okay, if you prefer.” Zander moved toward a half-buried chunk of driftwood and tore off one of the branches. He held up the sharp, jagged end, about eighteen inches long, and looked at her questioningly.

Eve shook her head. “That’s not going to do much good against his gun.”

“Complaints. Complaints. It’s all we have.” He handed the branch to her. “This one’s yours.”

“Thanks a lot.”

He broke off another sharp piece and hefted it. “Let’s get moving.”

They slid between the rock formations. With each twist and turn, Eve saw more spires of driftwood on the beach below them, looking like a series of insane modern-art sculptures created in a fever dream.

More like a nightmare.

She tensed.

Footsteps were pounding behind them.

Doane.

Zander’s head lifted as he listened. “I believe our absence has been noticed,” he murmured.

The footsteps stopped.

“Did you think you could get away?” Doane shouted. “I can track you even in the dark. I can feel you, smell you.” More footsteps. “I can’t risk waiting for that bitch, Harriet. It’s time you paid the price. Both of you. Kevin wants his pound of flesh. Kevin’s here, Eve. Can you feel him?”

She felt that familiar, icy chill run through her.

Fight it.

Fight it with everything she had.

Doane laughed maliciously. “Just like old times, Eve. Me chasing you through the wilderness … But this won’t end as well for you. For either of you.”

“Don’t listen,” Zander whispered, perhaps sensing how Doane’s words were affecting her. “Keep moving.”

They crouched low and snaked through the rocks.

Doane’s voice called out. “You’re going to watch each other die … Just as I planned, just the way it was meant to be.”

What in hell was he doing with this taunting?