Bonnie

She turned to face him. “You said we were close. Were you lying to me?”

“We’re close.” He raised his head, staring at the top of the trees. “I can feel the chill.”

“Chill. You’re afraid?” She grimaced. “Oh yes, your demons. You take me to my daughter, and I’ll protect you, Da

“You won’t be able to do that.”

He meant because she’d be dead. She felt a chill herself. Ignore it. Get him to focus. “How close are we?”

“An hour, maybe two.”

She moistened her lips. “And then you’ll kill me.”

He didn’t answer.

“Why are you waiting? Why drag me all the way down the state when you could have killed me at the church in Rome?”

“It’s … her place. I have to make sure that she knows I’m giving her what she wants.”

She was silent. “Yes, that would be important. You’re going through all this trouble, and you don’t even know if it’s what she wants.”

“I don’t know whether it makes a difference if I wait.”

She had thought that was the direction in which he was leaning. “It would make a difference.”

“How do you know?”

“She’s my daughter. You said that you saw us together and that you knew we were close. Wouldn’t I know her better than anyone?” She paused. “Don’t you think she’s the one who needs to make the decision?”

He shook his head. “She’s already made it. She led me to the church. It’s what she wants. I know it.”

Cross that argument out. His tone had been absolutely positive.

He thought that Bo

Oh, Bo

Unless you’ve changed your mind.

“I’ll accept what you say,” she said quietly. “Perhaps you’re right. Because I do know that Bo

He flinched as if she’d struck him. “No. No. No. I didn’t.”

“You’re protesting too much. Why else would you be afraid of her?”

“She won’t leave me alone.”

“But she’ll leave you alone if you kill me?” Move carefully now. His eyes were glaring at her, and his hands were opening and closing at his sides. “So you take me to this ‘place’ and kill me to please my daughter. Am I going to be allowed to have some clergyman to bless my soul? What about calling your friend, Father Barnabas?”

“No,” he said hoarsely.

“No help to send my soul to heaven? Bo

“You’re trying to trick me.”

“You could listen to the conversation. I deserve to say good-bye. A short conversation, then I won’t ask anything else of you. What harm would it do? You’re taking everything else from me. Let me say good-bye.” She stared into his eyes. “If you do, I’ll tell Bo

His expression was tormented. Then he spun her around and gave her a push up the trail. “No, I won’t do it.”

Okay, no chance of communicating with Joe. But evidently she’d changed the focus, and Da

“Wait.”

She stopped and turned to face him.

He thrust his phone into her hand. “Call him. I’m listening to every word. If you try to trick me, then it’s all over.”

Which is what he wanted anyway.

She looked down at the phone. What was she going to say?

Providence?

It was the only clue she had to give him, and she wasn’t even sure that it was a valid one. And how could she—

“Call him,” Da

Why was she hesitating? She knew that Joe was searching for her though she had no idea how close or far he was to her. She’d try to get him what information she could. If it wasn’t enough to help, then she’d still get to fulfill the purpose she’d given Da

It rang three times before he picked up. “Qui

Lord, it was good to hear his voice. “Joe.”

There was a silence. “Eve. My God, where are you?”

“I can’t talk about that, or he’ll make me hang up. Don’t ask questions. I don’t want to waste our time together.” She paused. “We don’t have much time left.”

“What do you mean? I’ll kill him.”

“Hush. Listen to me. I have to make every word count. We’ve been together so long that sometimes I’m afraid that I haven’t said the things that I should. There’s always been Bo

“The hell we do.”

“I’m not going to argue with you. You always do what you want anyway. But I just don’t want you to go through anything more for me. I love you, Joe. Thank you for being in my life.”

She hung up the phone. The tears were ru

Da

“No, and he didn’t love me. You have to be a grown-up to know what love’s about. We were just kids.” She drew a deep breath. “Thank you for letting me talk to him. I’m ready to go to Bo

He didn’t move. “I have to do it. I can’t let you go.”

“I know you can’t.” She met his gaze. “But we made a bargain, and I’ve kept my end of it. I think you’ve been having second thoughts, and you can’t do that. It’s your demons that are making you think those thoughts. You take me to Bo

He reached out and gently touched her tear-wet cheek. “I have to do it, Eve.” Then he turned and moved through the brush.

*   *   *

JOE DREW A DEEP BREATH as he savagely punched the button to disco

“Joe?” Father Barnabas was gazing at him across the campfire. “Eve?”

“Yes.” He had to think. But he was so torn up inside that he was having to try to calm down and try to be objective. Objective? Hell, no. “Da

“No, that has to come from you.” He glanced at Ben, sleeping a few yards away. “You made him a promise.”

“I said I’d try. I didn’t say—” He closed his eyes. “I’m ready to explode. I can’t let him do this to me. I have to go over what she said. Eve’s smart and wouldn’t have wasted time just to tell me good-bye.”

“Was it a waste?” the priest said gently.

Eve’s voice telling him she loved him, telling him that their life together had given meaning to hers.

“God, no.” He opened his eyes. “But she would still have concentrated on finding a way to beat Da