forest around him. Shadows. Yes, this forest, these mountains, even that monastery built to whitewash the massacre, were full of shadows. Mikhail Zelov had cast those giant shadows, and the fools didn't even realize it. Staunton realized it, and it made him feel closer to Zelov. Not that Staunton wouldn't cast even greater shadows than Rasputin's master when he hit his stride.
'A car is parked down the road.' Borg was hurrying back toward him. 'Emily Hudson and Irana Povak got out and are heading toward the woods. What do you want me to do?'
PAULEY CAUGHT UP WITH EMILY and Irana as they reached the forest line. 'I've decided I'm going with you.'
'The hell you are,' Emily said. 'You have to be quiet in the woods. You'll tramp around and Staunton will be on us. Go back to Joslyn.'
'I didn't come because I wanted to protect Joslyn.' His expression was uncharacteristically sober in the moonlight. 'After all, I have an investment here. You wouldn't have been able to save Irana if it hadn't been for me. I don't want all my work to go down the tubes. And I… like you, Emily. I want to help.'
'And you want to experience something new and different.'
'That, too. But I'm not altogether shallow.' He suddenly smiled. 'Just bits and pieces of me. What can you expect? I need to stretch myself. I think that being your sidekick might do the trick. I have a gun, and I'll use it.' He made a face. 'Though I'm not experienced at stuff like that. Tell me what to do, and I'll do it.'
He really meant it, she thought in frustration. If she hadn't been so tense, she would have been touched. 'I'm telling you to go back to Joslyn, Pauley. Take care of him and yourself. I don't want Staunton to take any more lives than he has already. I don't know what we're going to face. If Staunton has more than a couple men, I'm not going to be stupid. We may need a way to get out of here fast. The best way you can help me is to make sure I have it.'
'I don't want to-'
She stared him in the eye. 'You said you wouldn't say no to any¬thing.'
He hesitated. 'I don't like it.' He turned back toward the road. 'But you'll have your way out. You be careful, Emily.'
She didn't watch him leave, but glided quickly into the forest. 'Come on, Irana. Stay close.'
'Oh, I will. I'm better on the beach than I am in the woods.'
Emily stopped as soon as she reached the shelter of the trees. She could almost hear her father. Listen. Watch the bushes for any move¬ment.
Was Staunton close?
She took out the infrared detector. Squirrels. Perhaps possums. No sign of any large life-forms.
'He's not anywhere near, Irana,' she whispered. 'We have to go deeper.' She moved slowly forward.
Walk softly, her father had always told her. Most animals have better hearing than we could dream of having. Learn to walk on the balls of your feet and watch the path to make sure you don't break a branch or even brush against a shrub.
I'm trying, Daddy. It's been a long time. I'm trying.
And it was all coming back to her. She stood still again, using the infrared detector to scan the darkness. Nothing close except small an¬imals.
'The gun,' Irana reminded softly. 'You said you wanted to hide one of the guns. Do you want me to do it?'
'That fir tree.' Emily moved farther into the woods and found a path winding snakelike through the forest. She placed the Glock beside the fir tree and covered it with leaves. Then she checked the Magnum she'd taken from Garrett's suitcase. 'I'm surprised Staunton hasn't made a move yet. I was expecting-'
A shot shattered the silence!
'Down.' Emily instinctively fell to her knees before she realized that the shot had come from behind them, from the direction where they'd parked the car.
'Pauley?' Irana whispered. 'Could Staunton have-
'I'm betting that Staunton's still here in the forest,' Emily said. 'And he sent someone to get rid of Pauley and Joslyn.'
'Only one shot.' Irana voice was tense. 'Joslyn or Pauley?'
Emily's gaze flew to Irana's face. Irana was looking back, her ex¬pression as tense and concerned as her voice. She wanted to go to them, help them.
As it was right for her to do, Emily thought.
'Go and find out,' Emily said. 'Circle around and see if you can help either one of them.'
'No,' Irana's protest was startled. 'I'm staying with you.'
'Why? You're no good here, Irana.' She smiled with an effort. 'You're making too much noise. You'll give me away to Staunton.'
Irana's gaze was searching Emily's face. 'Is that the truth?'
'Yes. And you know if anything goes wrong, Staunton will use you against me. Just as he tried to do before.' She added, 'You've done your part. You've helped us, you found out what we needed from the bishop, you've persuaded Joslyn to bring me here, you've watched my back just as you said you would, but now it's time you left me. We all have our skills, but you're not a soldier, you're a caretaker. You told me that yourself.'
'I don't want you to be alone.'
'I know, but you'd do better doing what you do best. You're a doc¬tor. Someone may need you back there. Circle around the clearing and make sure it's safe before you go to them.' She grimaced. 'Safe? No one's safe tonight. I may be wrong. I may be sending you straight to Staunton.'
'But I'm not helping you here.' Irana nodded slowly. 'Yes, I can see that.'
'Do what you do best,' Emily repeated. 'And do it quickly.' She got to her feet. 'Be careful, Irana.' 'God bless, Emily.'
Emily moved swiftly away from her through the forest. She hoped that Irana had turned and was going back toward the clearing. There was danger all around them, but Staunton was the primary threat, and Emily had a gut instinct that he was here in the woods.
She glanced over her shoulder. Irana was nowhere in sight.
Keep safe, my friend.
She was a hundred yards deeper into the forest but there was still no sign of Staunton. Was he there, watching her, letting her come closer before he pounced?
No, she trusted her training and her instincts. She would have heard him, sensed him.
Another fifty yards, and she used the detector again.
She stiffened. That was no small animal. It was a single large fig¬ure straight ahead.
She drew her gun and moved slowly forward.
'Are you out there, Emily?' Staunton called. 'I can't hear you, but I can feel you. I'll always be able to sense you near me. When two people are as close as we are, that's the way it will always be.'
She froze. Was he taking a wild gamble or did he really know-
'I'll give you two minutes to give up, then I'll start spraying this entire area with bullets. I have my AK-47. It will take you down be¬fore you can get near me.'
AK-47. Yes, she'd seen what that attack weapon could do at the scene of the ambush in Afghanistan. He might be lying, but she had seen him carry it frequently when he was moving around the com¬pound. A handgun would be worse than useless against it. She had known that he might do something to weigh the odds to his side.
Unless she could take him by surprise.
And she had already set the surprise in motion when she had hid¬den the Glock by the fir tree.
'One minute,' Staunton called. 'I don't want to cut you in two with those bullets, Emily. It's messy and totally unsatisfying.'
She strode quickly toward the sound of his voice.
'Emily.'
She stopped. 'I'm on the path.'
'Good, you're being smart. Stay where you are. I'm going to take a look before I come out in the open. I want to make sure you're not being too smart.'
She stood straight, staring straight ahead. She could feel him look¬ing at her. He was right, that repulsive
