Taking Eve(38)

“It’s all we’ve got. Do you think I don’t know it’s crazy? That’s what I told Eve when I talked to her. Okay, from the moment I found out Toby was sick, nothing was reasonable. It just kept rolling downhill, picking up speed like an avalanche.” She shook her head. “And then I didn’t like the way Eve sounded when I was talking to her, and I thought maybe—I don’t know what I thought. Maybe that she was caught in the avalanche, too. That’s why I was getting on that plane to leave the island and go to Eve.” Her hand tightened on Joe’s. “When will she be here?”

He didn’t answer.

Her gaze narrowed on his face. “Joe?”

“I don’t know, dammit. There’s … a problem.”

“With Eve? Don’t tell me that.” She could feel her heart pounding. “What’s wrong? It’s not like you to—”

“Quiet down. There may be nothing wrong. I just can’t get in touch with her. She was supposed to take a flight out of Atlanta.”

Her gaze was frantically raking his expression. “But you think something is wrong. I can see it.” She was struggling to sit up. “So don’t tell me to quiet down. I have to go and—”

“The hell you do.” His hands were on her shoulders, pushing her back down. “You’re wounded, dammit. Eve would kill both of us if I let you out of that bed.” He frowned. “Look at you. You’re pale as that sheet covering you, and we don’t know what kind of internal damage that bullet might have done.”

And she was weak as a kitten, Jane realized with frustration. Her head was swimming after that instant of rebellion.

Clear it. She had no option.

“Tell me about Eve,” she said unsteadily.

“There’s not much to tell. I just had a feeling something was wrong before I left home to go to Miami. Nothing concrete.”

“And Ben had a dream that brought him to Eve. Nothing concrete there either. What else?”

“Venable.” He filled her in on his conversations with Venable. “He wouldn’t admit to knowing anything about any threat to Eve … or you.” His lips twisted. “Nothing substantial for me to grab and hold.”

“Shall I tell you what’s concrete?” Jane said. “Toby’s being poisoned is concrete, my being shot is concrete. So everything that led up to it is concrete, too.” She closed her eyes, and whispered, “And it’s scaring me to death, Joe. What’s happening?”

“I’ll tell you what’s happening. We’re going to get you to that hospital in San Juan and have you examined and start having you treated. Then, if Eve hasn’t shown up, and Venable hasn’t got a clue, I’ll leave you and go find her.”

“Go now.” Her eyes flew open. “I’ll follow you as soon as I can. You know that’s what we both want you to do. She’s the only one who is important.”

“Not quite.” He held up his hand as she opened her lips to protest. “Though I may not show it all the time, you do have some importance to me.”

“I know you love me.” She added simply, “But I’m not Eve. It’s not your fault that you have problems seeing anyone but her in the scheme of things. I feel the same way.” She moistened her lips. “Look, I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll let you drop me off at that hospital in San Juan, but then you leave immediately, the minute they tell you that I’m not going to die or do anything else stupid.”

He smiled faintly. “Dying isn’t usually described as being stupid.”

“I won’t die.” Her hand clenched on the sheet. “But they may not let me out of that hospital as quickly as I’d like. So you’ve got to go on and see what happened to Eve. Tell me you’ll do it.”

He was silent a moment before he shrugged. “You know I‘ll do it. No one can accuse me of not being callous and self-centered.”

“You’re not callous.” She said quietly, “And if being self-centered means you’re focused on Eve, then I wouldn’t have you any other way. Now go away and see if you can find out anything about that air ambulance that’s supposed to take me out of here. I hate lying in this bed.”

“No, you want to jump up and run over all of us to get to Eve.” He bent down and brushed his lips on her forehead. “I’ll get you to San Juan as fast as I can. But I think after I check, I’ll go after Caleb and see if he’s found out anything.”

“I expected that.” She closed her eyes. “So much alike. You’re both warriors…”