Shattered Mirror (Eve Duncan #23)(83)
“Exactly.”
“Then get out of it. He’s probably a hell of a lover. Life’s too short to waste time hemming and hawing and worrying about what Jock will think. You won’t know that until after you’ve gone to bed with him anyway.”
Cara smiled crookedly. “And that could be too late.”
“Could it?” She took a step closer, her voice intense, urgent. “Listen, Cara, the only things that are too late are the things you wish you’d done. I might have saved Sylvie if I’d moved faster, if I’d followed instinct instead of believing Felicity. I lost her. I’m not going to make that mistake again. And I don’t want you to lose one minute of what you should have. If something happened to Jock, how would you feel? Would you tell yourself, isn’t it lucky that I didn’t open myself up to feeling more than I do right now? I don’t think so.”
“That’s not fair,” she said unsteadily. The mere thought of anything happening to Jock was terrifying.
“I don’t have to be fair. I’m an actor, a communicator. All I have to do is make my point and move on.” She scanned Cara’s expression. “And I think I’ve made it.” She gave her a quick hug, turned, and headed toward the bathroom. “Now I’ll escape and drown myself under a cool shower. And let you ponder my words of wisdom and take them under advisement. Subject closed.” She glanced over her shoulder with a hint of mischief. “Unless you’ll be generous enough to confide in me if Jock is as good as I think he is.” The door shut behind her and a few minutes Cara heard the sound of the shower.
Cara slowly crossed over to the window. She felt as if she’d gone through a tornado of emotions in that short period when Darcy had turned on her and let loose that hail of words. How could she resent it? Her friend had done it with love and with a passion of caring and wanting to share. It was just that sharing had tapped into what Cara had been going through for the past days and shined too bright a beam.
Coward. Had she been a coward about facing how to handle this disturbance that …
Of course she had.
What if something happened to Jock?
Fear tightened her chest again. She instinctively tried to bury the thought.
Coward, again.
Bring it out, face the possibility.
She couldn’t do it.
Darcy, what a very wise and very cruel person you are.
*
Eve was standing in the driveway when Joe drove through the gates. She only waited until he’d parked before she ran down to him. She went into his arms and buried herself there. Safety. Strength. Love.
“How are you doing?” he whispered. His arms tightened around her. “Holding it together?”
“Barely.” She looked up at him. “And you don’t look like you’ve had any sleep at all.”
“I’ve been busy.” He kissed her and stepped back. “And hoping to be even more busy now that I’m here.”
“Really, Quinn. Such a display.” Kaskov was standing outside the front door. “Not a sight I want my men to see since I don’t allow them to have women while they’re on the property. I welcome you into my home, and you cause instant disturbance.”
“I’d be glad to leave,” Joe said. “Say the word.”
“I don’t believe Eve would like that,” Kaskov said mockingly. “And how can I refuse her? So I suppose I’ll have to accept your behavior.” He gestured for them to enter. “Actually, I find your presence here amusing. It’s not often that I have such a prestigious law-enforcement officer as a guest in my home. I imagine you might have a few explanations to make if anyone knew you were here.”
“And I’d make them without reservation.”
“Yes, I heard you were that rare individual, an honest cop. People like you have always made my life difficult.” He entered the foyer. “Which is why I felt it necessary to greet you personally. Nikolai and a few of my other men are very protective of me where the law is concerned.” He inclined his head. “So consider yourself greeted. If you confine yourself to the business to which Eve tells me you’re committed, you’re welcome here. You’ll forgive me if I continue to conduct my affairs from my study, as I’ve been doing since I’ve been bombarded by Eve and company.” He raised his brows. “I promise it will not involve murder or mayhem while you’re all on the premises.”
“You’re enjoying this,” Joe said bluntly. “I won’t forgive you anything. But I know that you won’t do anything that will incriminate you while you’re here in the United States and don’t have your crooked hierarchy to protect you. And you might have an interest in helping to protect Cara, if not my son. So I’ll take what I can get.”
“Good.” He nodded to Eve. “I probably will not see you for the rest of the evening. I’ve sent a message to Cara that the music room is hers to use to practice, and I will not be in attendance … until I have her full attention later in the month.” He turned back to Joe. “And you should know that there have been no strangers or anyone suspicious within at least a distance of twenty-five miles since they arrived. Nor any electronic monitoring of any sort within that same area.” He turned and headed toward the study. “Good evening. Enjoy your dinner.”