Gallo?
Yes, Gallo would be strong.
Or perhaps, if Black was lucky, the road to Gallo would be paved with a river of blood.
“HOW ABOUT A COFFEE?” Catherine asked Eve as she unbuckled her seat belt after the plane had gained altitude. “I could use one. The adrenaline has seeped out of me, and I need a replacement.”
“No, thanks.” Eve was looking out the window. “I might try to sleep.”
“Whatever.” Catherine moved down the aisle to the coffee bar in the front of the plane. She had just poured coffee into the Styrofoam cup when Joe came out of the cockpit. She handed him the cup and reached for another for herself. “You don’t look like you want to sleep, either. How’s the arm?”
“Throbbing.” His gaze went to Eve. “She okay?”
“She’s very quiet, Joe.” Catherine poured herself coffee. “But I can’t blame her. We’re not on her wavelength right now. All she would get would be an argument, and after what she’s been through, that’s not what she needs.”
“He has her hypnotized,” he said grimly.
“No one hypnotizes Eve,” Catherine said flatly. “But I agree he must be clever as hell. He’s managed to tap into the one passion that could blind her to everything else.”
“Bonnie?” His lips tightened. “But maybe there could be another passion just as strong. She told me that she was different when she knew Gallo.”
Jealousy. Catherine had been afraid that demon would raise its head. Joe was one of the most confident men she had ever met, but an all-consuming passion like the one he had for Eve would have primitive roots. “But she’s grown up; that girl doesn’t exist any longer. No, it’s only Bonnie you have to worry about.”
“Only Bonnie.” Joe lifted his cup to his lips. “That’s like saying only a Cat 5 tornado.” He leaned back against the cockpit door. “And if he’s using Bonnie, then I need to move fast. I have to find him before he contacts Eve again.”
“Maybe he won’t contact her. He left her when he knew we were coming.”
“Which was the smartest thing he could have done. He put himself in the position of avoiding confrontation and hurting people she loved. Now, by running away, he’s also lost his home, friends, and way of life. And Eve is feeling sorry for him, dammit. How the hell can I fight that?”
She smiled. “You’ll manage. You’re already thinking about it. What are you going to do?”
“Go after Hanks. I had to let him go, but he’ll be easier to find than Gallo. I’ve just been on the phone with a friend in the Bureau and asked him to e-mail me a dossier and any records of Hanks’s relationship with a John Gallo.”
“Hanks said he didn’t know where Gallo is.”
“Even if it’s true, he’s been with Gallo for years. I might be able to trace, connect, and reach a possible destination.”
“I’d think Judy Clark would be a better source.”
“Then you go in that direction. She’s very loyal and fierce about Gallo. I’d rather deal with Hanks.”
Catherine smiled and nodded. “A regular pepper pot.”
“He seems to have a way with the ladies,” Joe said dryly.
“Judy didn’t impress me as being able to be swayed by charm. Neither is Eve. It could be they’re seeing something there that we can’t.”
He finished his coffee and threw the cup in the waste container. “You’ll have to tell me whether they’re right when you meet him.” He started down the aisle toward Eve.
Catherine watched him sit down beside Eve and fasten his seat belt. Eve smiled slightly, then looked back out the window, where the purple clouds were being touched with the gold of dawn.
Yes, Eve was definitely quiet and a little remote, Catherine thought. Eve was thinking, weighing, and feeling very much alone.
That could be dangerous.
WHEN THEY REACHED ATLANTA, Catherine walked Eve and Joe to their rental car before getting back on the jet to be flown home to Kentucky. She fell back with Eve as Joe went around the car to get into the driver’s seat.
“If you need me, call me,” she said quietly. “I’m here for you no matter what. I may argue with you, but in the end I’ll do whatever you want me to do. That’s what friends are all about. Don’t close me out.”
“I know you and Joe want the best for me.”
“You’re thinking of us as a team. We worked together because it was necessary.” She made a face. “And because a lot of the time we think alike. But we’re not joined at the hip. Remember that, Eve.”
“I will.” She opened the passenger door. “Have a good trip home, Catherine.”
“I’ll be placing a few calls to Venable and seeing if I can get a handle on where to find Hanks and Judy Clark.” She gave Eve a hug and looked at Joe as he started the car. “Take care of that arm, Joe.”
“Right, say hello to Luke for me.”
“If I can tear him away from the
Eve watched her as Catherine climbed the steps and boarded. Then she glanced at Joe. “She’s already in work mode again.”
Joe shrugged. “She’s CIA. And she has a personal interest. I’m glad to have her on board.”
She smiled faintly. “Because you think alike.”
“Yeah.” He drove out of the airport lot onto the street. “With some exceptions. She’s more inclined to giving the benefit of the doubt.”
He was talking about John Gallo.
She didn’t answer. It was difficult defending John, and she was too tired and drained to make the attempt.
She turned away and watched the skyscrapers and domes of the great city flow by the window.
“WHY DON’T YOU TAKE A NAP?” Joe asked Eve as he unlocked the door of the cottage. “You didn’t sleep on the plane at all.”
“I tried.” Eve looked at the blue-and-white notice she’d taken off the door. “FedEx tried to deliver my skull from Texas. I’ll have to call them and tell them to redeliver.” It seemed such a long time ago when she’d waited out on the porch for that delivery. She put the notice on the kitchen bar. “You didn’t stop at a hospital to have that wound looked at.”
“I’ll do it on the way to the precinct.”
“You’re going in to work?”
His brows lifted. “I do have a job.”
She gave him the ghost of a smile. “When I don’t interfere with it.”
“You could hardly help it in this case, could you? I’ll shower and change and be out of here.” He went past her down the hall.
She went back out on the porch and sat down on the swing. She would try to sleep in a little while, but she was too wired right now. She would sit here and let the peace of this familiar, beautiful place sink in and quiet her
