Bonnie - Iris Johansen [71]
“Yes, you should have been there,” Catherine said coolly. “But now we have to forget that and find her. Eve is very clever, and I’ve never met anyone more determined. A sharp mind can be more lethal than any weapon. Now where are you?”
“About forty miles west of Rome. I couldn’t stick around the cathedral. The police would have checked me out and gotten that warrant on me from Wisconsin.”
“No, that would have been a nightmare waiting to happen. We’ll meet you, and— No, Joe is shaking his head. He wants to go to the cathedral and talk to that priest. He said if the priest knows anything about where to find Danner, he’ll choke it out of him if he has to. He can drop me off somewhere to rendezvous with you and go on there without me. The minute we find out anything about Eve from Venable or the priest, we’ll take off on the trail. I’ll call you when we get closer, and you can give me exact directions.” She hung up.
Gallo pressed the disconnect.
As usual, after talking to Catherine, he felt as if he’d had a shot of adrenaline. She always cut through every emotion that got in the way of accomplishing what needed to be done.
He needed that shot of pure, clear energy right now.
He needed Catherine Ling.
CHAPTER
11
“ARE YOU OKAY, JOE?” CATHERINE shot a glance at Joe’s face after she hung up the phone. His expression was grimmer than she’d ever seen it. Who could blame him? She was feeling pretty damn grim herself. “We’ve got a start. The priest may remember something.”
“And he may not. If he does, he’s going to tell me. No, I’m not okay. I want to kill Gallo.”
“Yet either one of us might have done the same thing. There didn’t seem a very big risk.”
“That doesn’t help.”
“Because you’re feeling and not thinking. Like Gallo.”
“And you’re defending him.”
“It was clear he didn’t want anyone to defend him. He’s piling enough guilt on himself to sink the Titanic.” She looked out the window. “Yes, I’m defending him. Someone has to do it. This isn’t the time to fight among ourselves.”
“I know that.” His grip tightened on the steering wheel. “But it’s easier to imagine taking Gallo apart limb by limb than it is to imagine what could be happening to Eve.”
Catherine knew what he meant. She was blocking out all thought of the threat aimed at Eve. “As I said, we have the priest. And if Gallo can contact Danner, we have a chance he’ll have enough influence to shift the scales. Father Barnabas said Danner loves Gallo.”
“If we can contact the bastard.” His lips tightened. “And if Gallo can stop worrying about him instead of Eve.”
“Gallo will do everything he can to find Eve.”
“So you’re going to join him and shepherd him in the right direction?”
She shook her head. “There’s no shepherding Gallo. I’m going to join him for two reasons. There’s no use both of us hovering over Father Barnabas and trying to prod him. I’d just be spinning my wheels. Gallo and I are both trained hunters. I’m CIA, and he was a Ranger. If Venable or you can give us a lead, then we can get on the trail.”
“And leave me out?”
She smiled faintly. “Are you kidding? A two-prong attack is always more effective. You know that, too, or you wouldn’t be heading for the cathedral when you want to go directly after Danner and grab Eve from him.” Her smile faded. “But I’ll have Danner’s affection for Gallo to use against him, and I’d do it, Joe.”
“If Gallo will let you.”
She shook her head. “I’d do it. That bastard had no right to take Eve. We have to get her back.” She met Joe’s eyes. “Alive. We’ll get her back alive, Joe.”
He didn’t answer.
“Joe?”
“I’m not sure, Catherine,” he said thickly. “I’m not sure how this is going to end. I just know I’m scared shitless.”
And so was Catherine, but she couldn’t admit it right now. Keep busy. She reached for her phone. “I’ll call Venable and get him working on that GPS. If that doesn’t work, I know Eve will find a way to let us know where she’s located or where she’s going.”
“You have a lot of faith in her.”
“Of course, and so do you. Eve can do anything she wants to do.”
He didn’t speak for a moment.