Hide Away (25 page)

But that lake of mists had definitely been the lake of her dream. The only way to disprove that it had nothing to do with Cira was to find out that the content was totally false.

No casket with the carnelian and copper inlays. No sign or clearing of a grave site where Marcus had been taken to start his final adventure. The small boy's body must have disintegrated to nothing in the centuries since he had died, but there might be pieces of that casket still intact.

Good Lord, she was playing a long shot. One she fervently wished to lose.

Because if the dreams were back, it might mean Cira was trying to tell her something.

And, with Eve pregnant and Cara in constant danger, the knowledge that the dream had been about a dead child gave Jane a feeling of chilling foreboding.

 

CHAPTER

10

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

“Aren't you done yet?” Salazar was standing in the doorway of the hotel bedroom, watching Natalie rub her vanilla body oil over her naked body. It was a lazy, sensual movement that was an act of pure seduction. “You've been in here an hour. Manuela never takes this long.”

“Perhaps that's why you prefer me to your wife.” She turned to face him and lifted her naked breasts and offered them to him. “I take time in everything I do. Haven't you noticed?”

“Yes,” he said hoarsely, his gaze on her breasts. “Sometimes you drive me crazy. Why don't we just go back to bed and start over?”

“Because I have things to do.” She pulled on her red-silk robe and came toward him. “And so do you. Before we leave Scotland, we're going to have this problem resolved.” She gave him a kiss as she passed him and went into the bedroom–sitting room. “And then we have to make other decisions.” She sat down on the couch and reached for her phone. “But first, I have to call my father and prepare him.”

“You think that Castino may call your father and check up to make sure that you flew to see him?”

“Perhaps, but that's not what I meant. I'll let you listen if you like.” She started to dial. “Call room service and order breakfast, will you?”

Salazar shrugged and picked up the room phone. “That's not what I have an appetite for right now.”

“Perhaps I'll concoct something wonderfully exotic for you after—” Her father had picked up, and she spoke into the phone, “Natalie, Daddy, I had to speak to you. Are you too busy to talk? I don't want to bother—”

“Hush,” her father said impatiently. “When am I ever too busy to speak to you? What do you need?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to hear your voice, speak to you. I've been feeling so alone … without my girls.” She cleared her voice. “It will be Cara's birthday in a few days. I don't even know if she's alive, Daddy. Sometimes it gets to be too much.”

“You should come home to me.”

“It's my duty to stand by my husband. We've been through so much together. Jenny, Cara … You know he's been very good to me.”

“And so he should be. You're the mother of his children and he should have kept them safe for you. I remember when you brought them to Moscow the summer before they were taken.” His voice was hoarse. “It was like having you again when you were little and happy…”

“It was a great summer,” she said unsteadily. “I never dreamed this could happen to my little girls. If I hadn't had you to talk to, I don't know what I'd have done.” She paused. “I have to tell you something. I know you probably won't like it, but I'm desperate.”

“Natalie.”

“Just listen. I've had a telephone call from a man who says he has my daughters. He's promised to return them to me if I give him money.”

Her father was cursing. “It's a scam, Natalie. After all this time? How much money?”

“Four million dollars.”

“What does your husband say?”

“He says he won't pay it. He says it's a scam, like you. But what if it isn't? What if I could have my girls back?” Her voice lowered. “Or what if they kill them because I don't pay?”

“Then I'll search them down and tear them apart.”

“Too late…”

“I'll give you the money, Natalie.”

“I know you will.” Her voice was shaking. “But I can't ask that of you yet. I have to be sure they have my girls. I just wanted to tell you what was happening. I'll call you later after I hear from them again. Good-bye, Daddy.” She hung up.

“Quite a performance,” Salazar said. “Daddy's little girl. How long have you been playing him like this?”

“Don't be disrespectful of my father.”

“How long?”

“We've understood each other from the time I was a teenager.”

“And he's never caught you in a lie?”

“He never looked too deep. Everyone else lied to him. He needed to believe I wouldn't do it.” She smiled. “So I made him happy, and he gave me what I wanted.”

“What was all that business about ransom?”

“Preparation. What happens if you don't pay ransom? The kids end up dead. And I'm not under suspicion.”

“It would be tricky.”

“I don't know if I'll do it. I just want to be prepared. I think I could work it out.” She got up and wandered over to the table and took a piece of toast from the tray. “I've gotten this far, haven't I?”

“You've had me.”

She nodded. “We've had each other.” She sat down and lifted the dome off her plate. “Though you've been close to failing me, Salazar.” She started to eat her eggs. “I did everything to make it easy for you, and you couldn't even follow through for me.”

“It wasn't my fault. Walsh screwed up.”

“We won't argue.” She gave him a brilliant smile. “Just so it ends well.”

He watched her eat with voracious yet delicate hunger. “You set it up to end well with your father.”

“It's more complicated than that. He's very important in anything I plan. He has power, he has money. I just had to make sure he would believe me if the time came.”

“Everyone believes you.” He shook his head as he sat down opposite her. “They have from the beginning. No one thinks that a mother would have anything to do with the death of her children.”

“Kidnapping. I have to keep correcting you.”

“When you came to me and asked if I wanted to do something that would hurt Castino, you never mentioned kidnapping. You just said get rid of them. No specification.”

“I assumed you'd know what I meant. But I left it up to you.” She smiled serenely. “After all, I'm only a woman.”

It wasn't the first time that he'd heard that from her. But she'd known that if she turned him loose on her children exactly what the result would be. “Manuela would never have thought about doing anything like that.”

“Manuela was not married to Juan Castino. It was a completely different situation.” She looked up at Salazar. “And she was a wimp who would never argue with you or hunt for a way to better herself.”

“Is that what you did? Better yourself?”

“I defended myself.” Her voice was suddenly fierce. “I'd had two girls, and Juan wanted sons. He blamed me. He'd started taking mistresses. It was only a matter of time before one of those whores gave him his damn boy. His current whore, Gracia, already had a son by another man.”

“So?”

“He would have discarded me. He would have put that slut, Gracia, in my place. That would never happen. I liked being Castino's wife and having everyone bow down before me.” She wrinkled her nose. “Even your dear Manuela. She came to my parties and applauded when my Jenny played the piano.” Her lips tightened. “She told me about her boys. She even showed me photos. She was a little too pleased with herself.” She poured coffee into her cup. “And that's when I decided we had to meet, Salazar.”

“Why, Natalie? You've only told me you wanted to get rid of them, that they were in your way. But weren't you afraid that getting rid of the children would do exactly what you were trying to avoid? That Castino would leave you and go try to find some woman to give him a son?”

“Not if I handled it the right way. And I always handle my affairs in the right way.” She leaned back and smiled at him. “I was never meant to be a mother. Can't you see that it would get in my way? But I tried, when that bastard, Juan, insisted. It wasn't my fault that he couldn't produce a son. He even tried to blame me. Did he think I was a breeding animal? I was ready to be done with him when he took that Gracia as his mistress.”

“But you weren't ready to be done with being Queen of Mexico City,” Salazar said softly.

“No, that would have been unfortunate.” She took a sip of coffee. “And completely unfair to me after all I'd done. So I decided to go another way.”

“Get rid of the children.”

She nodded. “In such a way that I would be a tragic figure for the rest of my marriage to Juan.” She smiled. “And everyone would think Juan was a monster if he even thought of divorcing me and going to another woman. Particularly my father. My father was the key to it all.” She took another sip of coffee. “Did I mention that my father had a great fondness for Jenny and Cara? He didn't have Juan's foolish prejudice that a man must have sons. I saw to that. Did you know that I had a brother, Salazar?”

“No.”

“Alex was a great disappointment to my father. He finally betrayed him on a drug deal and had to be disposed of. My father was very sad.” She met Salazar's eyes. “But I comforted him. He learned once again how valuable a daughter could be.”

“And you had nothing to do with his ‘disappointment' in your brother?” Salazar asked sarcastically.

“Why, I don't know why you would think such a thing. My father certainly didn't.” She leaned back in her chair. “He believes I'm close to perfect. He's correct in many ways. But Juan always knew that he'd better step lightly with me, or all his deals with the Russian Mafia could go right down the drain. He even pretended to be besotted with the girls to please my father.” Her lips twisted. “But his obsession with having a son was growing all the time. I knew he'd take the risk of tossing me out soon.”

“And what would your father have done then?”

“Cut off dealings with Juan, but my father is a practical man. He was making a good deal of money using Juan's connections in the U.S. He would have eventually resumed dealing, then tried to make it up to me in other ways.” Her eyes were suddenly glittering in her taut face. “There would have been
no
other way that would have satisfied me. But I might have lost the power I had over both of them if I'd had to go to battle.”

“So you used the children.”

“Why shouldn't I? They were mine. I brought them into this world, and I had the right to do what I wished with them. I was the one who was important, they were nothing.”

“And your father would have had a completely different viewpoint if Castino had broken up with you after the kids disappeared.”

“Yes, I was a mother who'd had a tragic, life-changing experience. My father wouldn't have tolerated me being hurt more after that blow.” She looked at him over the edge of her cup. “Would you like me to tell you how he would have retaliated? First, he would have broken off the deals, then he would have started undermining the cartel, then, after a discrete time had passed, Juan would have suddenly been terminated in a very painful manner. Juan is not stupid, he knew what would happen. So he became a very sympathetic husband, and I kept my position intact. It
will
remain intact, Salazar. I may have to shift strategies a bit, but I won't let your carelessness destroy me.”

He was silent, gazing at her. “Why did you tell me all this?”

“You asked me.”

“I've asked you before, and you've only put me off.” He smiled grimly. “Which usually involved sex.”

“Which you enjoyed enormously.”

“Why did you tell me?” he repeated.

“We've reached a crossroads. You like to screw me, you regard me as an accomplice, but you don't have the respect for me that you must have.”

“I respect you.”

“Not enough. But after you think about what I've told you, it will get better. You'll think twice about acting without me.”

“Not necessarily; all your future plans involve keeping Castino powerful. That's not going to happen. I'm bringing your husband down and his cartel with him.”

“I said I might have to make adjustments.” She shrugged. “If you succeed, and Juan is destroyed, I'll look at the situation and decide what's best for me to do.” She put her cup down and leaned her arms on the table, smiling at him. “It may include you getting rid of your sweet Manuela.”

He stiffened. “I like my life. I like my family. I'm not going to let what's between us interfere.”

She chuckled. “Like all men, you want it all. We'll have to see how it all plays out. The only thing you can be sure about is that I will come out on top. With or without you.” She got to her feet. “Now I have to go dress. Why don't you call Franco and see what he's found out about Jane MacGuire?” She headed for the bedroom. “Just a suggestion…” She closed the door behind her.

EDINBURGH
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS LATER

“Wake up, Natalie.” Salazar came into the bedroom and started to dress. “I just heard from Franco.”

“It's about time.” It had annoyed her when Franco hadn't answered Salazar's call yesterday. She hated waiting for anything. “If I'd have had to stay in this hotel one more day…” She threw the coverlet aside and swung her feet to the carpet. “I told you that you should have put someone else on finding—” She stopped. Men were very touchy about I-told-you-so's, and she needed to know what was going on. “Anything happening?”