Countdown - Iris Johansen [142]
MacDuff’s lips tightened grimly. “I’ll make him listen.”
Jock was standing over Norton’s body when they reached the garage. He looked up guiltily. “I didn’t kill him. He’ll wake up soon.”
Trevor knelt and checked Norton’s pulse. “What happened?”
“He’s trained to protect Reilly. I knew I wouldn’t be able to persuade him to give up.” He shrugged. “So I shut off the blood flow to the carotid artery and put him down.” He turned to Jane and said earnestly, “I’m sorry I had to shoot you. I was very careful.”
“I’m sure you were. You did what you thought best. Anyway, it stopped Reilly.” Jesus, how bizarre to be comforting someone who’d just shot you. “But we have to leave and get to a hospital. MacDuff said to take this truck and he told me to tell you he wants to see you. The authorities are going to be asking questions and he wants you to have the right answers.”
“There aren’t any right answers,” Jock said. “MacDuff wants to protect me, but he’ll only get in trouble himself.”
“That’s up to him,” Trevor said. “MacDuff can take care of himself. That’s what he’s been trying to tell you.” He turned and got in the cab of the truck. “Personally, up to the point where you shot Jane, I was damn grateful you were around. Get in the truck, Jane.”
“In a minute.” She hesitated, gazing at Jock. “It doesn’t matter about my wound. You did the right thing. You couldn’t take a chance of not getting Reilly. He was too dangerous to too many people.”
“I know. At first it was only about MacDuff, and then it was about me too. And then I got to thinking about you and all the other people Reilly was hurting. It was like tossing a pebble in a lake and seeing the ripples go out farther and farther. It was strange. . . .” Then Jock smiled at her, that radiant smile that had first drawn her to him. “Thank you for not being angry with me. I’ll never hurt you if I can help it.”
“That’s comforting.” She gently touched his cheek before taking a step back. “And what would be even more comforting is if you could turn off those land mines in the driveway and the road out here.”
He laughed. “I’ve already done it. I went to the security room after MacDuff left me.” He pressed the wall button and the garage door opened. His smile faded as he gazed outside. “The only thing you’ll have to worry about is the storm. The blizzard they predicted seems to be here at last.”
He was right. The wind was whipping the snow into a blinding veil.
“If you’re going, it had better be now.” Jock was still looking out at the storm.
Jane was already in the cab and starting the truck. She stopped and said impulsively, “Come with us, Jock.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t want to leave you here. It seems as if we’ve all been telling you what to do since I met you. We could talk about what you want to do.”
He shook his head.
“You’re sure?”
He smiled as he started out of the garage. “MacDuff wants me to come to him. Don’t I always do what MacDuff says?” He disappeared into the swirling snow.
“Dammit.” Jane finished backing out of the garage. “What if he gets scared and those police think he’s going to hurt—”
“Stop borrowing trouble,” Trevor said. “MacDuff will take care of him. And Jock is far more threat to anyone else than they are to him.”
She’d reached the road and couldn’t speak for a moment while she concentrated on staying on the road until she reached the relative shelter of the trees. “But he’s changed. He doesn’t want to kill. He never really wanted that. But he has to have help and guidance.”
“And MacDuff will give it to him. You heard him. He always does what the laird says.”
She suddenly remembered something. “He didn’t call him the laird. He called him MacDuff. He never calls him that.”
“You’re looking for trouble. It doesn’t matter what he calls MacDuff as long as he does what he tells him to do. And he’s always obedient to him.”
I promised the laird I wouldn’t go near you. . . . But if I go ahead and you follow me I won’t really be near you.
“Not all the time,