Shattered Mirror (Eve Duncan #23)(46)

“I know.” He smiled. “I’ll have my turn.”

“No question.” The recording had finished, and she went back on the line. “Did you recognize his voice, Kaskov?”

“No. Heavy Irish accent. I would have remembered it. But I’ll let my men listen to it and see if they recognize it.” He paused. “Crazy. You’re right, he’s wacko. He’ll be dangerous to handle. He won’t care.”

“And I think he has some kind of master strategy or something. He’s been planning this for a long time.” She sketched in the connection with Sylvie and Darcy. “That’s what I was asking Norwalk about.”

“And the reason Jock Gavin hopped a plane for Nice,” Kaskov added. He was silent for an instant. “You handled this poorly, Eve. You let him see how frightened you are. Men like Norwalk drink fear in like blood. It excites them, and it’s addictive. They want more and more.”

She knew he might be right. She’d been able to sense Norwalk’s intense pleasure as he’d threatened her. “He made me angry.” Admit it. “And, yes, he frightened me. Michael, Cara, Joe … No one is safe from him. He will do it, Kaskov.”

“Yes, he will. I have no doubt of it. So what do you want from me, Eve?”

“I want you to find out what he’s planning, and why, and how I can stop him.”

“The stopping is easy,” he said coolly. “I’ll kill him. The finding and trapping is what’s difficult. Norwalk has a head start, and he’s not stupid. He managed to confuse the issue, and hide his agenda for quite a while.” He was silent. “And as far as you’re concerned, he wins every time he takes out anyone you care about.”

“And wouldn’t he win out over you if he took out Cara?”

“Yes, but you can see I have a much narrower target area.”

Yes, she could see that. “But then you have a much narrower life.”

Silence. “It’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it? Your situation may prove complicated for us both. I suppose you wouldn’t consider sending Cara to me for safekeeping?”

“I’ve already been considering it.” She saw Joe stiffen and put up her hand to stop him from interfering. “It was my first thought when I realized she’d be in danger. You’re not the guardian I’d choose in a million years, but I believe you could keep her safe at that place in New Orleans. Jock said that estate where you live in Moscow is almost impregnable.”

“He should know. I believe he was planning an invasion at one point. So send her to me.” Silence. Then he added, “You have my word I’ll send her back to you when the threat is over.”

“Your word? I have no idea what that’s worth.”

“Neither do I. It ebbs and flows with the situation. But I think that I’d be forced to keep it in this case. Cara can be so difficult.”

“Yes, she can. Which is why I can’t send her to you. The minute she finds out what’s happening, there’s no way that she’d leave us. She considers us family.”

Another silence. “So I’ve been told. As you say, difficult. Will Quinn permit me to send another guard to the property? That will have to do until I find a way to persuade Cara that her allegiance should be with me.”

“I don’t see any reason why not. Except that you’ve already lost one man, and it may not do any good. Norwalk evidently had no problem taking him out.”

“And I don’t like that. Norwalk must be very good. Oh, well, I’ll find out.”

“You’ll do it?” she asked quickly. “You’ll find out what I need to know?”

“My dear, Eve, it’s also what I need to know, remember? It’s that advantage thing again. I’ll know everything there is to know about Norwalk in twenty-four hours. And hopefully neither of us will be dead in that time, and neither will anyone of importance to either of us. Will that be satisfactory?”

“I’m not certain. I don’t know if I can trust you to call me and tell me what’s happening. I believe your instinct would be to take care of Norwalk yourself.”

“Quite right. That might be the most efficient way.”

“Your way. I don’t want him disappearing and not be sure what had happened. I need to know my family is safe. I don’t trust you or anyone else. Do you think we’re going to stop going after Norwalk because I’ve brought you into it? I want you to contribute, not dominate. You find the information, you call me, Kaskov. Understand?”

“I understand you may be every bit as difficult as Cara,” he said dryly. “I’m not at all sure that your influence on her should continue to be tolerated. I’ll have to think about it.”

“You do that,” Eve said. “In the meantime, you get your ass busy gathering the information that might keep her alive. We’ll expect that call from you in twenty-four hours.”

Silence. “And what would you do if you didn’t get it?” he asked silkily.

She could hear the edge, and she should back down. She knew he was one of the most dangerous men on the planet. But she was tired and scared, and he had to know that she would go to any lengths to stop Norwalk. “I’d go after you. I’d find a way to make you do it,” she said wearily. “It’s the only thing I could do. I need you, Kaskov.”