Taking Eve(5)

He had placed two other photos and brief dossiers on either side of Eve Duncan’s. Joe Quinn, her lover, whose square face and tea-colored eyes reflected both strength and intelligence, and Jane MacGuire, Eve’s adopted daughter, who was far more beautiful than Eve and reputedly just as strong. It was always Zander’s procedure to surround the target with the paths to get to them so that he could study the possibilities. In this case, Quinn and MacGuire could be either the guardians to protect Eve Duncan or Doane’s means to the end.

If Doane had searched deep enough to find Eve Duncan.

There was a possibility he was wrong, and Doane hadn’t made the connection. He might be coming direct to him. Oh well, it was possible he would know as soon as Venable got into Doane’s house and looked around. If Doane was on the move, he must have a plan, and he might deliberately leave clues to taunt him. No one could say Doane was entirely sane, but then neither was he. Madness was all in the eye of the beholder.

He stared thoughtfully at the glimpse of mountains he could see beyond the French doors. It would be a long time before he’d see those mountains again. Perhaps never. The Doane problem might make it unsafe for him to chance staying here any longer. He had a twinge of regret before he shrugged it off. He had been here too long anyway. It would only have been a matter of weeks or months before it was time for him to move on. Doane’s flit had only escalated the action. He had a keen sense of self-preservation, and it was never safe for him to forget who and what he was. He had only stayed alive this long by recognizing that he was always a target. Someday, he would grow tired and no longer care, but that day had not yet come.

He got to his feet and moved toward the door. “Stang. Pack up all the records and destroy the computers. Move the money to the alternate bank accounts. I want it done by the end of the day. I’m leaving Canada.”

“What?” Stang whirled to face him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just time I faded away … and cut all ties. Do it.”

Stang opened his lips to protest, then closed them again. “Yes, sir. Whatever you say.” He left the library.

Zander strolled back to the desk as the door closed behind Stang. He looked down at the faces on the dossiers. The premonition was growing stronger by the moment that Doane might have probed deep enough to reveal a possible vulnerability in Eve Duncan.

No proof.

But he would have been a dead man a dozen times over if he had relied on proof instead of instinct.

Joe Quinn and Jane MacGuire. They were the guardians at the gates of the castle that was Eve Duncan. Strong and competent guardians. Joe Quinn was particularly formidable, a detective with the Atlanta Police Department, ex-SEAL, ex-FBI. Totally devoted to Eve. Jane MacGuire was an up-and-coming artist, but she had been trained by Joe Quinn, and she, too, was devoted to Eve, who was more best friend than parent to her. She had been a street kid until she was ten years old, and she and Eve had found each other. The reports on her were that her ingrained toughness was still present and had become a force with which to be reckoned since she had left college.

Yes, Quinn and MacGuire should be able to keep Eve Duncan safe.

As long as those guardians at the gates stayed close, alert, and on guard.


Lake Cottage

Atlanta, Georgia

“I’LL BE BACK IN TWO DAYS.” Joe brought Eve close and kissed her, hard. “I have to testify tomorrow afternoon in Miami, a cross-examination the next morning, then I’m out of there. I promise.”

“Maybe.” Eve made a face. “How many times have you been tripped up by lawyers? They might bring in another witness and put you on hold.” She kissed him again and stepped back. He was frowning, and she had sensed an edginess since he’d walked into the cottage for lunch. “It’s okay, Joe. It’s not as if I won’t have company. You know that Jane will be flying in from London tonight.”

“Yeah, I know. It makes me feel better but I should—”

“You should do exactly what you’re doing. Jane and I can handle everything here on the home front. I’ll miss you like crazy, but I know better than to fight the system. And I don’t like drug dealers. I want Martinez to be put away for a long time.”

“Me, too. We’ve been working on pinning this drug deal on him for two years. And hopefully he’ll run into a rival drug king in jail who will stick a knife in him and save the prison system trouble and money,” Joe said grimly. “What time does Jane come in?”

“Eight.” She opened the door and walked out with him on to the porch. “And she says this is going to be a long, long visit, so you won’t miss her. We’ll both meet your plane when you come back.” She kissed him again. “So hurry and get through with Martinez, dammit.”