“I will.” She watched Erin disappear at the top of the stairs before she turned to Hu Chang. “It would have helped if you could have persuaded her to—” She stopped. “I know. Why blame you when I just failed?”

“It’s a natural reaction. You’re tired and afraid and sick at heart.” He stood aside and gestured toward the library. “Come and rest, and I will make you tea and sandwiches.”

“I’ll do that.” Sam turned to Cameron. “You’re staying?”

“No, I have to follow up on some information I just received this morning.” His lips twisted. “We all appear to have our duties, don’t we? Mine is to find that lead for Catherine.”

“That doctor in Guatemala?” Catherine asked.

“Actually, he’s an Argentinean citizen. It’s the only lead we have. So I’ll gather leads and prepare myself for battle.” He moved toward the front door. “Since I’ve already failed in the comfort department. You found me completely unworthy, and Hu Chang will be much better received by you.” He opened the door. “I’ll let you know when I’ve found out something.”

“Interesting.” Hu Chang smiled as the door closed behind Cameron. “I can’t decide if that was mockery or annoyance. Would you care to enlighten me?”

“How would I know? He’s an enigma.”

“Growing up as he did with having to cope with all those mental talents, it’s natural that he would have developed certain barriers.” He tilted his head. “Aren’t you tempted to try to breach them?”

“No.” She headed for the library. “I have enough problems without attempting to decipher all the complicated triggers that make Cameron respond.”

“Oh, I believe that he responds to you in a very straightforward manner,” he murmured. “Which is the reason that he was angry with you for shutting him out when Santos first struck.”

“I don’t want to talk about Cameron,” she said as she dropped down in the huge burgundy easy chair by the window. “He takes entirely too much time and effort.”

“And I promised you food, tea, and rest.” He sat down across from her. “Because your pain is great. Would you like to tell me about Jane MacGuire?”

“I have to call Eve later and check on what the specialist told her. She wasn’t hopeful.” She paused, thinking. “And what can I tell you about Jane? I didn’t know her as well as I’d like to. I’ve heard Eve talk about her, and I think she must be extraordinary. I only reached out to her because I knew that she was devastated about Trevor’s death. I wouldn’t have dreamed Santos would target her. I can see Erin or Luke or even Kelly. But Jane should have been safe from him.” Her lips tightened. “It was those damn e-mails.”

“And the warm heart that made you send them.”

“A mistake.” She shook her head. “I can’t keep blaming myself. The mistake’s been made, now I have to do damage control.”

“No, now you have to relax and heal.” He met her eyes. “We will sit here in silence for a while. Then we will talk of Chen Lu and her beautiful gardens, and that glorious, ridiculous hat that Luke made you wear, and Erin’s good work with the villagers on that mountain in Tibet. Nothing hurtful, nothing disturbing. Understood?”

His eyes were almost hypnotic and his voice smooth and yet forceful. She felt surrounded, enveloped by the sheer presence of him. Warmth that was always his gift to her. Friendship that had been founded on shared experiences and years of exploring the depths of that bond. She could feel the tight knot inside her breast begin to loosen.

She leaned her head back on the chair and smiled. “It doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. Where do we start?”

CHAPTER

7

It was going well, Santos thought with satisfaction as he leaned back in the deck chair and let the warm sun seep into his skin. Catherine Ling had tried to be defiant and scornful, but he had been able to tell that she was in pain. He had been right to let Jane MacGuire linger for a while. It had served to draw out the agony for Ling.

“You look pleased,” Dorgal said as he dropped down in a chair beside Santos. “You enjoyed the girl last night?”

“She was adequate.” Not like Delores. But no one was like Delores. But he’d had a bittersweet enjoyment of screwing the girl and remembering how amused Delores had been when he brought another woman to his bed. She would sit and watch them, then stroll over to the bed and caress the woman with gentle, loving hands. Then she would give her a lingering kiss while drawing her dagger from the pocket of her silk robe.

He remembered the anticipation he always felt as Delores glanced at him.

She would purse her lips in a mock kiss and blow it to him.

And stab the woman in the heart.

Dorgal shrugged. “I thought you might enjoy her more than the last one. Do you want me to dispose of her, or are you going to try her again?”

“I’ll try her again.” He glanced at Dorgal. “But you didn’t come down to the beach from the house to ask me about that little slut. What’s wrong?”

“Maybe nothing.” He paused. “You told me to tell you if there were any inquiries about Montez. I received word that there was a computer inquiry yesterday and one very recently.”

He went still. “From what source?”

“We couldn’t break the code. We’re still trying.”

“Ling.”

“Possibly.”

Santos muttered a curse. “Probably. Nagoles must have talked.”

“He didn’t know that much. We gave him only the name of the kill and where he could find him.”

“But Ling would be able to take that information and run with it. She’d dig and dig until she found out something she could use.”

“Then the logical solution would be to make sure the place where she dug would be barren. It shouldn’t be difficult. After we killed his brother, Montez got the message. He swore we’d have no trouble with him if we left his family alone.” He smiled. “He was scared shitless and took off running for the hills. Should I order he be taken out?”

“No,” Santos said sharply. “I’ve told you before. I may need him. Can you locate him?”

“He has a mother and a sister in Guatemala City. I’ll find him. What then?”

“Make sure no one else finds him.”

“Then I’d better start moving on it.” Dorgal got to his feet. “And Montez?”

“Bring him here. I’ve been uneasy lately about leaving him free out there on his own. I don’t want to have to go looking for him when she needs him. And I don’t want to risk having Ling find him and ask awkward questions. I don’t like her knowing as much as she does.” His lips tightened. “I wasn’t expecting her to be able to reel in Nagoles and question him. Any more information about who took down the helicopter? CIA?”

Dorgal shook his head. “Not according to the priests in the villages. From what we’ve been able to gather, it was someone they call the Guardian.” He shrugged. “But that could be religious mumbo jumbo.”

“Mumbo jumbo doesn’t blow up helicopters. Get me a name.” He added, “And a connection with Ling or Erin Sullivan.”

“Right.” He moved down the beach toward the path that led to the mansion on the hill. “But first things first. You can’t expect me to zero in on Montez while I—”

“I expect you to do what I tell you,” Santos said softly. “Whatever I say, whatever irons you have in the fire at the time. Have you forgotten that? Perhaps this island living has lulled you into being a little too comfortable.”

Dorgal tensed. “I haven’t forgotten.” He moistened his lips. “Of course, I’ll see to it.” He turned and strode quickly up the path.

Santos watched him scurry up the hill. Dorgal had been with him a long time and grown too comfortable with him. Delores had always told him it was necessary to occasionally keep Dorgal in order and apply the verbal whip. She was right, and most of the time he enjoyed the sensation of power it gave him.