Eve - Iris Johansen [78]
“I haven’t reached that point yet. I didn’t protect you. I didn’t protect her. That leaves me zero for two.” He caught her hand and held it tightly. “When I came back and found out about Bonnie, it blew me away. I was still balanced on the edge and it threw me down into the pit. When I fought my way out, it still took me a long time to come back.” His hand tightened. “I wanted to kill someone, but there wasn’t anyone to kill. So I went looking.”
“So did I.”
“I know. You’d think one of us would have been able to find him in all these years.” He paused. “But I think I’m coming close, Eve. I promise I’ll get him for you.”
She tensed. “Who? Tell me who.”
“So that I can get you killed, too?” He shook his head. “I’m a great destroyer, Eve. But I’m not going to destroy you. I’ve done enough to you.”
“Who is it? Black?”
His lips were warm as he brushed them against her palm, then gently put her hand back on the bed. “You took care of our Bonnie all those years.” He got to his feet. “Let me do this for her now.”
“The hell I will.”
“Now that’s the Eve I remember.” He turned and moved toward the door. “The burn…”
He wasn’t going to tell her. He was just going to leave her in turmoil and bewilderment. But there was one thing she had to know. “John.”
He stopped as he opened the door, a dark shadow outlined by the lights from the hall.
“Did you…” She stopped, then went on. “I know you said that your dreams of Bonnie stopped in that Tokyo hospital. But later…” She had to get it out. “Did you ever … dream of Bonnie after she was taken?”
Silence. He stood there, his head bent.
“John.”
“Yes,” he said hoarsely.
The door shut behind him.
She closed her eyes as the tears slowly started to run down her cheeks.
Magical, the nurse had told Eve when she’d brought Bonnie to her at the hospital. And Eve had always known that Bonnie was special. She had not known how special until that moment. So many questions. How had Bonnie managed to reach out to save the father she had never known? She had never mentioned any dreams to Eve. Was that contact with him on a separate level? Had Bonnie even realized it herself in her daily life with Eve?
And Bonnie was still a presence in his life, still standing guard over John Gallo as she did with Eve.
She had reached out, comforting, loving, saving.
And Eve had never known it was happening.
“Bonnie,” she whispered. “Why, baby?”
She huddled there, remembering John’s words, his voice, the pain that had surrounded him and reached out and enveloped her. In the darkness, she had not been able to see a single expression, but she had known every emotion he was feeling and believed every word he spoke was true. It had created a bond with him enormously stronger than any she had known when she was that sixteen-year-old fighting her way out of the projects.
And that bond was Bonnie.
* * *
CATHERINE AND JOE GOT OUT OF their rental car in the foothills halfway up the mountain and Catherine spread the map on the hood of the vehicle.
“We can bypass this checkpoint.” Catherine pointed to the square box drawn on the map. “If we go around the mountain route above the house. We’ll still have to chance the guard just inside the gate, but it’s better than having to do both.” She traced the box to the side entrance. “Then we can get in here if we can disable the alarm.”
Joe looked up at the huge redwood-and-glass house perched on the side of the mountain. “What time is it?”
“Four thirty-five. Queen won’t wake up and be in a position to bother us for another three hours.” She added, “Unless someone goes to his place looking for him. That’s always a possibility.” She was frowning down at the map. “I can take out the video cameras indicated on the map. But Queen wasn’t sure the map was entirely accurate. If Gallo is as smart as they think he is, then he’d have some cameras well hidden. I wish we had time to do our own search.” She held up her hand. “I know we don’t. We have to get in and find Eve.”
“If she’s there. If Queen guessed