“But you’ll never pull the trigger.”
His head jerked around to see the man who’d spoken crouched on the rock behind him. He received a wild mixture of impressions as the man jumped him. Bare-chested. Barefoot. Brown hair plastered and damp.
Then he was knocked to the ground and the attacker was on top of him and jerking the rifle out of his hand. It went off as he threw it to one side.
Black was cursing as he reached for his knife in his arm holster. “Who the hell are-” But he knew who he was. “Quinn.” His knife plunged up at Quinn’s abdomen. “Son of a bitch, how did-”
Quinn grabbed his wrist and twisted the knife to one side. “Give it up, Black. I don’t want to kill you yet. You have questions to answer.”
Black kneed him in the groin and rolled out from underneath him. “I’m not going to die, Quinn. I’m never the one who dies.” The edge of his knife tore across Quinn’s upper arm. “I’ll kill you all.”
“The hell you will.” Quinn’s knife sliced down and entered Black’s chest.
Black shrieked.
Quinn sat back on his heels, his breathing hard, harsh. His eyes were glittering wildly in his set face. “Don’t die. I was careful. That shouldn’t have been fatal. I won’t have you dead. I still have a use for you.”
EVE TORE AROUND THE BOULDER and stopped short.
Joe was sitting beside Black, covered in blood.
Joe’s blood?
“Joe?” she whispered. “My God.”
“Stay away from him,” Joe said. “He’s not dead yet, and a viper can kill you with his dying strike.”
“To hell with him.” She came forward anyway. “All that blood…”
“A lot of mine. Most of it is his.”
“Where?”
“Arm.” He bent over Black. “You stay awake. You keep alive, dammit.”
“Oh, I’m alive.” Black’s voice was hoarse, vicious. His eyes were glaring up at Joe. “She’s soft. She won’t let you kill me.”
“I will kill you. It’s only a matter of time.” Joe turned to Eve, and said fiercely, “But he can’t slip away yet. I won’t let him.”
“Joe!” Catherine had come around the rocks. Her gaze went immediately to Black. “Good job. But you should have finished him.” She glanced back at Joe. “Do you need any help?”
“Not now.”
“Then I’m going up the hill and grab that poor kid and bring her down. Eve can take care of you.” She turned and disappeared behind the rocks again.
Eve took another step closer to Joe. “Let me-”
“No, I don’t need you to take care of me.” Joe’s eyes were boring into Black’s. “All I need is for you to listen while this bastard talks to me. It has to end. We both have to be free. He’s going to tell me where he buried Bonnie, or I’ll start cutting him to pieces.”
“Bonnie…” Black was gazing up at him maliciously. “You want to know… where Bonnie is? Screw… you, Quinn.”
“You like making people hurt, don’t you? That kid up on the hill. Her mother.” Joe put the point of the knife at his throat. “You want pain? I’ll show you pain, Black.”
“Joe.”
He didn’t take his gaze from Black. “You’ve got to know, Eve. He’s got to tell you. Where’s Bonnie?”
Black spit in his face.
“Where?” Joe didn’t move the knife to wipe away the spittle.
“Let me have him.” Eve hadn’t realized that Gallo had come and was standing a few yards away. His expression was as grim and savage as Joe’s. No, perhaps more savage. “He’ll talk to me.”
“Gallo.” Black’s gaze was glittering with ferocity. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you. Were you so afraid of me that you had to send Quinn to do your dirty work?”
“Shut up, Black.” Gallo’s voice was almost guttural. “I just came from seeing what you did to Judy’s daughter. She’s so terrified Catherine couldn’t get near her. She’s like a wild animal.”
“But that was the purpose,” Black said. “The hunt wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining if she wasn’t sufficiently primed.”
Joe jabbed him in the throat. Blood ran. Black flinched and began to curse.
“Where did you bury Bonnie?” Joe was ignoring everything around him but his one objective.
“Tell us,” Gallo said.
Uneasiness had suddenly supplanted the mockery in Black’s gaze as it flew to Eve. “Torture? Aren’t you going to stop them?”
“Did you stop when you killed all those children?” Eve said unevenly. “Did you stop when you killed Bonnie? I want to bring my daughter home. Tell me where you buried her after you killed her.”
His lip curled. “Bitch. Gallo’s bitch. I should have killed you when I had the chance. You and your Bonnie and-” He broke off with a cry as Joe’s knife bit down again. “Okay, take him away. I’ll talk to you.”
“Get off him, Joe,” Eve said.
Joe had already swung off Black and moved a few feet away. “Not for long.”
Black was staring malevolently at Eve even as he scooted back. “He doesn’t like to hear the truth. But you were Gallo’s bitch, and now you’re that bastard Quinn’s bitch. All of this is your fault. I wish I had-no!” Joe had made a motion toward him. He scrambled farther away from him. “You want to know about Bonnie. I’ll tell you about her. Such a pretty little girl. Different. I was practically salivating when I first saw her after I followed Gallo to your place. But the job I was being paid for was Gallo. I couldn’t move on her.”
“But you did move on her later,” Gallo said. “Admit it.”
“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Black said softly. “You want the bitch to hear it.”
“I
“Yes, I’m proud of my power.” He smiled, and his gaze never left Gallo. “And I have no need of Bonnie Duncan’s death to add to it. I don’t have to take credit for her anymore. Queen isn’t alive to pay any longer.”
Gallo went rigid. “What are you saying?” he asked hoarsely.
“What do you think I’m saying?” Black asked. “The truth, Gallo. Isn’t it time?”
“And what is the truth, Black?” Eve asked.
“I don’t know where your Bonnie is buried,” Black said. “I didn’t kill her.”
“Liar!” Gallo said.
“Am I?” He shook his head. “You’re not going to be able to convince anyone of that.” His gaze darted to Eve. “Don’t you want to know who did kill her? I find I can’t wait to tell you.”
Eve moistened her lips. “Who?”
“Gallo.”
Gallo made a low exclamation and lunged forward.
Joe jumped up and stepped in front of him. “Stay where you are. I want to hear this.”
“Gallo did it. A fit of madness. One of his blackout periods. Queen said he was always having them.” Black’s words were coming fast, tipped with venom. “He came back to Atlanta after Pakistan. He killed her.”
“No!” Gallo said. “I didn’t. I wouldn’t.”
“You did kill her. Can’t you all see it? Look at Gallo’s face.”
They were looking at Gallo’s face, and what Eve saw there stunned her.
Anger. Fear. Torment.
“Shit. Stop!” Gallo’s gaze was the only one focused on Black, and he tried to push Joe aside. “His boot. He’s going for-”
