Quinn - Iris Johansen [115]
“I hope you do.” She was silent a moment. “If it’s true, I’m happy for Gallo.”
“But you’re still skeptical. Oh, well, maybe Jacobs will be able to convince you when you get here. I’m tired of being the only positive voice. I’ve just had a depressing conversation with Gallo about touching people’s lives and changing them for the worse. It works the other way too, dammit.”
“Yes, it does. And you’re proof of it, Catherine. I’ll call you when I’m within a few miles of your place.” She hung up.
“She’s happy that Jacobs cleared you,” Catherine said to Gallo as she hung up.
“But skeptical.” He added quietly, “I’m glad you’re not skeptical. You’ve been a beacon in the darkness, Catherine. I know I’ve been a pain in the ass.”
“Yes, you have. In more ways than one.” She met his eyes. “And you’ll owe me when this is done.”
“I’ll pay you. Anytime. Any way. I’ll invent new ways to pay you.”
She tore her gaze away. “How much longer do we have to wait down here?”
“Another ten minutes.”
She hesitated. “Maybe we should wait for Eve and Joe.”
“And maybe we should have everything settled before they get here. I’ve never encountered Joe Quinn except for those few minutes before Black stabbed him, but he’s never had any warm feelings toward me.”
“That’s an understatement. You can hardly blame him. Eve is his whole world, and he considered you a threat to her.”
“I don’t blame him. If I’d been in his position, I would have tried to wipe me off the face of the Earth. I’m just saying that there are giant hurdles to overcome, and this may not be the time to do it.” He added, “And do you want to have Eve feeling the same way you do about squeezing the information out of Jacobs? I’m the only one who should have to bear responsibility for dealing with the bastard.”
No, she didn’t want to saddle Eve with anything more than she was bearing now. But on the other hand, she didn’t want Eve arriving and thinking that Jacobs had cleared Gallo because force was used. She wanted Eve to see the situation and judge for herself. Gallo deserved at least that from Eve and Joe. She said, “I’d like to wait, please. They should be here in another forty minutes.”
He opened his lips, and she thought he was going to argue with her. Then he closed them again. “Whatever you like. It’s your call.” He lifted his shoulders in a half shrug. “Who knows? An extra forty minutes of waiting may be the time it takes to make Jacobs more willing to cooperate.”
She wasn’t at all sure that call she’d made was the right one. It was a delicate situation, and Eve and Joe were as strong-willed as Catherine and Gallo. It could all blow up when they came together.
“And I know why you made it,” Gallo said softly. “I believe you may have a protective gene or two yourself, Catherine.”
“I do. I’m protective toward my son.” She lifted the bouillon to her lips. “You can take care of yourself, Gallo.”
CHAPTER
17
“DO YOU WANT ME TO TAKE a turn driving?” Eve asked Joe as she hung up the phone. “This fog is a hell of a strain on the eyes. We’re having to creep along.”
“I’m fine.”
Yes, he was fine, thank God, she thought as she gazed at him. He was still a little pale, and he’d lost at least ten pounds, but other than those two signs of weakness, he was the Joe she had always known. Since he’d left the hospital, he had been quiet, conserving his strength, but that strength was there. And so was his sharpness and incisive decision making. During their frustrating journey, he had managed multiple flight cancellations, rebookings, and dealing with airport and rental-car personnel with far more patience than Eve had.
He shot her a glance and smiled. “It’s not my eyes that kept me in that hospital, Eve. And