Bonnie (34 page)

She heard him cursing as she ran toward the path leading up the cliff.

“You’re not supposed to do this. I don’t want you to fight me. Can’t you see I’m doing what’s best for her?”

“No, all I can see is that you’re the demon trying to rob my daughter of what she wants to happen. You’re
wrong,
dammit.” She had reached the cliff and was tearing up the path.

He was right behind her.

Faster.

She had to go faster.

The wind was tearing at her hair.

The top of the canyon. How far was it, dammit?

She could hear his steps pounding on the stones.

Faster.

Then she had reached the summit.

Weapon. Find a weapon.

A loose rock?

No, there was a branch underneath a scrawny pine tree that was balanced precariously at the top of the summit.

She could hear Danner’s strained breathing behind her.

She grabbed up the branch and whirled to face him.

“Eve!”

Joe was at the top of the trail, running toward Danner, a gun in his hand. A sandy-haired boy was close behind him. “Get away from him, Eve. You’re in the way of my shot.”

But Danner was turning, drawing his own gun, pointing.

“No!” She threw herself forward to grab his gun.

Too late.

“Joe!” she screamed.

Everything seemed to occur in slow motion.

Joe running toward them.

Danner’s finger squeezing the trigger.

And the boy who had been following Joe was suddenly even with him.

“Get away, Ben,” Joe shouted.

But the boy dove in front of Joe, knocking him to the ground.

A bright blossom of blood appeared on the boy’s white shirt.

Dead?

“Ben!” Danner’s voice was hoarse with agony, his gaze on the boy. “Stupid kid. I never meant— Why did you—”

“But you did,” Eve said fiercely. “You probably killed him, Danner.”

“No. No.” He was staggering backward, dropping the gun, his gaze on the boy. Then he whirled and was running toward the trail.

Let him go.

Eve ran toward Joe. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” Joe was rolling over and lifting the boy off him. “But Ben’s not. Why the hell did he—” He carefully laid the kid on the ground, his gaze on the blood on the boy’s shirt. “Shit.”

“Who is he?” Eve whispered as she fell to her knees beside them. The boy was pale, and that horrible wound …

“Ben Hudson. He told me where to find you.” He was opening the boy’s shirt and examining the wound. “Dammit, I shouldn’t have brought him.”

“Is he going to die?”

“I don’t know.” He took out his handkerchief and folded it. “I don’t have any idea about his internal injuries. All I can do is try to stop the blood.”

“I’ll do it.” She took the handkerchief and pressed it above the wound. “You call 911 for medical help, then go after Danner.”

“I should—”

“No.” She didn’t lift her eyes from the wound. “Stop Danner. It has to end, Joe. He’s like a wounded animal who will keep striking out and killing until he’s put away. He can’t do anything else.”

“No.” The boy had opened his eyes and was staring up at her. “He didn’t mean to—”

“I know,” she said quietly. “But it happened, and it will keep on happening. There’s no telling when he’ll decide that one of us is one of his demons. He’s not sane, Ben. He almost killed me two times before today. And Joe almost died just now.”

“Don’t kill … Ted. He has to know— Fresh start.”

“What?”

The boy’s eyes were closing. “Beginning. He has to know that it can begin…”

He was unconscious.

Joe was rising to his feet. “If I’m going to catch up with Danner, I have to go. You’re sure you want me to leave you?”

No, she desperately wanted to go with him, but she couldn’t leave this young boy who had saved him. She nodded. “Go.”

“Father Barnabas was just behind me. I’ll send him to—”

She stiffened. “The priest? No.”

“He’s okay, Eve. Trust him.” He was running toward the trail. “I’ll explain later.”

She stopped him as he started down the trail. “Bonnie’s death was an accident, Joe. Danner didn’t mean to do it.”

“And what does that mean? How do you feel? What am I supposed to do? Kill him? Have him thrown into prison?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know how I feel. I’m still angry. I’m still cheated. I want revenge for her death. And it’s all mixed up with the horrible feeling that everything went terribly wrong, and anything I do will just make it more terrible.” She met his gaze. “It’s your call, Joe. I won’t tell you to hold your hand when it might put you in danger. I just had to tell you.”

He nodded curtly, then vanished down the path.

She moved the pad on Ben’s chest. The pad was soaked with blood. Was the flow easing? It was hard to tell.

“You … want to go with him.” Ben’s eyes were open again. “You’re afraid for him.”

“Yes, shouldn’t I be? Your friend, Danner, tried to kill him.”

“I … think he’ll be all right.”

“I don’t want to think. I want to know.”

“I can’t tell … you that.”

“Stop talking, it’s not good for you. Worry about yourself, not Joe.”

He was silent a moment. “You think I … may die.”

Yes, she did. He seemed very close. “You’ll be fine. Don’t be afraid. Just hold on.”

“I’m not afraid. I was once. But she showed me that it would only be a new start with nothing to hold me back … and beautiful.”

Her grasp tightened on his hand. “‘She’?”

His gaze was on her face. “She looks like you. Sometimes I can’t see her, only hear her. But when I see her, she looks like you.”

“Does she?” she asked unevenly. “Well, I think she would want you to hold on, just as I do.”

He nodded and closed his eyes. “I just wanted to tell you so that you wouldn’t feel bad. You looked so sad.…”

“Eve!”

Her gaze flew to the trail to see Father Barnabas coming up the path.

“How is he?” The priest was frowning as he came toward her. “Joe passed me on the trail and told me what had happened and asked me to come and help you.” He knelt beside Ben. “He said he’d called 911, and they’ll contact the ranger station.” He put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Help’s on the way, Ben.”

Ben nodded but didn’t answer.

It’s a new start … and beautiful.

But she didn’t want any new starts happening for this boy who had saved Joe’s life. And she’d be damned if she’d let Joe wander off into the great beyond either.

“Hold the compress,” she told the priest as she got to her feet. “I’m going after Joe.” She looked down at Ben. “And you hold on and don’t go anywhere. She may think it’s okay, but I don’t. And I’m sure Bonnie didn’t mean it like that. We all have to stick together around here.” Her glance shifted to the priest. “You take care of him. Don’t you let him die. I want prayers and rosaries and anything else you may think will help.” She turned and strode toward the trail. “Do your job.”

CHAPTER

16

DANNER!

Catherine had only caught a brief glimpse of the man streaking down the twisting path toward the bottom of the canyon, but she’d recognized him. She had not seen that shock of silver hair at the bayou, but he moved with that same lithe alacrity that had so surprised her.

She tensed. It would take her five to ten minutes to intercept him, and there was a possibility she might lose him. Call Gallo.

She dialed quickly. “I’ve spotted Danner. He’s alone. Where the hell is Eve?”

“I don’t know. We lost them after he started climbing the west wall of the canyon. Joe and I split up to search.”

Catherine muttered a curse. “That’s not good. I have to find out where he left her.” She didn’t want to think of the question of how he’d left Eve.

Dead. Alive. Wounded.

“Where are you, Gallo?”

“Still on a path on the canyon wall.”

“Then you’re no help. Danner’s headed for the bottom of the canyon.”

“Wait for me. I’ll be there.”

“No time. I’m not letting him leave the canyon without telling me where he left Eve. If she’s unconscious, it could take us days to find her.”

“Wait for me.” The phone crashed in her ear as he hung up.

Screw it. The time was over for waiting and also for working as a team with Gallo. If she could lever herself from that overhanging oak tree down to the next level of the path, she would make up a good deal of the distance. She slipped her phone in her jacket pocket and started down the trail toward the oak tree.

*   *   *

RUN.

Don’t slip on this damn sandy shale, Danner told himself.

One false step would throw him off the path and into the canyon over a hundred feet below.

But he couldn’t see for the tears running down his cheeks.

He had killed Ben. Why had the boy come after him? He hadn’t wanted to harm him. He had been closer to Ben than he had been to anyone since the time he’d spent with John when he was growing up. He had wanted to protect him and take care of him. To keep all the demons away from him.

Dead. Dead like the little girl. He had killed him as he had Bonnie.

No!

It was the demon, Black, who had killed Bonnie.

He wouldn’t have killed the little girl.

But he had done it. If he could kill Ben, then he could kill Bonnie.

“Stop where you are, Danner.”

A woman had come out of the brush at the side of the trail, a gun in her hand. Long, straight, dark hair, slightly tilted dark eyes, framed in long lashes. He knew that face. Catherine Ling, who had been with John at the bayou.

“Where is Eve, you bastard?” she asked grimly. “Give me an answer in ten seconds, and you’ll live for a little while longer.”

Eve. He should not have run away even if he’d been sick about killing the boy. Eve was still alive. He had failed Bonnie. It would be okay. He could make it right. But he had to get away from here first. Then he could concentrate on finding Bonnie’s mother again.

“Is she dead?” Catherine asked.

He shook his head. “She fought me and ran away. She shouldn’t have done that. It’s not what the little girl wanted.”

“Where is she?”

“With the boy.” He was sobbing. “I killed the boy.” Too much pain. Get away. Get rid of her.

He dove sideways and kicked out and struck her gun with the toe of his boot.

It fired and the bullet ricocheted off the wall of the canyon. Then he was running into the brush, the thorns and branches whipping at him.

She was running after him.

Pull to the side and ambush her.

Not now.

Keep running.

Keep running.

Keep running.

Run away from those children in the flaming house in the mountains of Syria.

Run away from Ben, with blood blossoming on his shirt.

Run away from Bonnie, lying so still in the trunk of his car.

Bonnie.

“You have to stop.” It was John calling from behind him. “Don’t make me come after you.”

John was hurting. He could always tell when the boy was hurting. How many times had Ted chased after John when Ted’s brother had beaten him? John had always tried to hide it from him, but he always knew.

“You have to make it right,” John’s voice was hoarse with pain. “I’ll try to help you through it, but you have to give yourself up. And you have to tell me where you left Eve.”

He kept on running.

“Stop,” John said. “For God’s sake, stop. Or I’ll have to shoot you. Don’t make me do that.”

He looked over his shoulder and saw John aiming his gun.

He kept on running.

He didn’t hear the shot until the bullet entered his kneecap. Pain. He fell to the ground. Then, as he was levering himself up against a tree, he saw Catherine Ling come out of the shrubs ahead with a gun in her hand.

She was staring at him with no expression. “You should have stopped, Danner.”

John was beside them now. “I would have done it, Catherine.”

“I believe you. But you would have given him every chance to surrender, and I was tired of pampering him.” She bent over Danner and plucked his gun from his jacket. “Is Eve still alive? I want an answer, and I’ll know if you’re lying.”

Yes, she would know. He had thought when he had first seen her that she was a demon, a Delilah, who was as lethal as she was beautiful. “Yes, but you can’t have her. It wouldn’t be right. I’ll fight you. She belongs to the child.”

“Wacko.” She turned to John. “I’m going to call Joe and see if he knows anything about Eve. If you can persuade Danner to talk, do it. Or I will.”

John pushed past her, closer to Danner. “Why?” His voice was ragged. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were sick? It wouldn’t have mattered to me. I would have helped you. I loved you, dammit.”

Danner shook his head. John’s words were hurting, scalding him with shame. “I couldn’t do it.”

Catherine hung up the phone and turned back to them. “Eve is safe. She and Joe are together. I told him where we are.”

John breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God.” He turned back to Danner. “You didn’t hurt her. Maybe we can still make this—”

“Go away, John.”

“I can’t go away,” he said harshly. “You didn’t kill my daughter. I know you didn’t. Say the words.”

Of course, he could say the words, Danner thought. It was the demon, Black, who had killed Bonnie.

But what if it wasn’t?

Bonnie.

His head was exploding, he could feel the veins of his neck swell and distend.

Bonnie.

“No!” He lunged forward and got to his feet.

He was running, trying to get away from that hideous truth.

“Don’t move,” Catherine said.

He paid no attention, he was hobbling, his leg buckling with every step.

Catherine took a step forward. “Stop, Danner.”

Bonnie!

He slipped, fell, and was tumbling from the path down the sandy incline toward the bottom of the canyon.

*   *   *

“WHAT THE HELL,” EVE BREATHED.
She and Joe had stopped on the cliff above the trail where Catherine and Gallo stood. She watched Danner skidding down the side of the incline. “He’ll be killed!”