Countdown - Iris Johansen [37]
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“Then what airport? And where the hell are you?”
How much to tell her? She’d hedged the last time she’d asked herself that question and she wouldn’t do it again. Eve and Joe meant too much to her to be dishonest with them. “Aberdeen, Scotland, and I’m at a place called MacDuff’s Run.”
“Scotland,” Eve repeated. “Joe was guessing Italy.”
“So was I. At the moment Trevor prefers to handle his affairs at a distance. It seems Italy is too hot to be comfortable for him.”
“I can believe that.” Eve paused. “Trevor may be hot in other countries besides Italy. Joe sent out inquiries to Scotland Yard and Interpol to check and see what Trevor’s been up to lately.”
“And?”
“Nothing. It came back classified information.”
She frowned. “What the devil does that mean?”
“Joe doesn’t know. Scotland Yard, maybe. But Interpol has a muzzle too? It may mean he’s messing around in something extremely ugly, or stepping on someone’s toes who has the power to black out the official information networks. Either way it makes me uneasy.”
It made Jane uneasy too. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“It makes enough sense to send Joe digging like a ferret to get around that block. And it makes enough sense for you to get out of there and come home.”
“Not yet.”
“Jane—”
“I don’t feel threatened. Trevor has this place surrounded by security guards.”
“And who’s going to protect you from Trevor?”
“I can protect myself.” She drew a deep breath. “And I need to stay here. I’m finding out what I need to know. Tell Joe to check on a Rand Grozak. Trevor says he’s the man who ordered Leonard to grab me in that alley.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure yet. Maybe Cira’s gold. Oh, I don’t know. That’s why I have to stay for a few days.”
“I don’t like it.”
“It’s going to be okay. I’ll call you every day.”
“You’d better.” She paused. “MacDuff’s Run?”
“It’s a castle on the coast. But don’t you dare launch an attack. As I said, I’m perfectly safe.”
“Bullshit. But we won’t make a move unless you skip checking in with us one day.”
“It won’t happen. Bye, Eve.”
“Keep safe.” Eve hung up.
Keep safe. Jane didn’t feel safe. She felt alone and disconnected from the two people she loved most in the world. Hearing Eve’s voice had warmed her, but it had also emphasized her remoteness from them.
Stop whining. She had a job to do. It wasn’t as if she was surrounded by vampires. Bartlett was here, Brenner didn’t seem intimidating, and Mario was very sweet. MacDuff was fairly forbidding, but he obviously intended to ignore her unless he decided she was going to cause trouble. If there was a vampire, it was Trevor. Yes, she could see that comparison. He’d managed to hold her imagination captive and mesmerize her for four years.
And that was too damn long.
Trevor’s back at MacDuff’s Run,” Panger said when Grozak answered the phone. “He arrived late today with Bartlett, Brenner, and a woman.”
Shit. “A young woman?”
“Early twenties. Good-looking. Reddish-brown hair. You know her?”
He cursed. “Jane MacGuire. I told that idiot Leonard that he was going to push too hard. He’s been scurrying around trying to protect his ass since he killed Fitzgerald. Damn fool panicked last night and killed Donnell too. It triggered Trevor to make a move.”
“So what do I do?”
He thought about it. “I can’t have Leonard picked up by the police, and he’s made one mistake too many. Get rid of him.”
“You want me to stop watching the castle?”
“If you’re not as much of a fool as Leonard, it won’t take you long.”
“What about Wharton?”
“It’s up to you. He’s Leonard’s partner but I doubt if he’s going to object to finding a new one. If he gets in your way, I won’t give you an argument if you dispose of him. Then you can come back and watch and wait. That’s all the hell you’re doing anyway.” He hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. It might not be too bad. Jane MacGuire was tucked under Trevor’s wing, but at least she didn’t have Joe Quinn to protect her. Grozak had his own men stationed around MacDuff’s Run and an opportunity