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“I sent in the sniper as you said. I haven’t had a report from him yet. It might take a bit longer. You said that you wanted her taken captive.”
Bohdan whirled on him. Chiswick had never seen him this angry; he was blazing with rage. “That was before Caleb blew my meth house to hell,” he said savagely. “He cost me a damn fortune. I want herdead. I want them all dead. I’ll tear them all apart. He can’t get away with this.”
“We’ll have to be a bit cautious because of the attack. MacDuff has a lot of political influence and can make trouble for us when we go back to the Congo.”
“Don’t tell me that.” Bohdan’s hands clenched on the railing. “Find a way I can get Caleb and his woman. Hunt them down. Or by God, I’ll have my soldiers huntyoudown. You’re no good to me if you let Caleb disrespect me like this. Find me a safe house and then bring them to me.” He turned back to watch the burning gates of MacDuff’s Run. “Now get out of my sight. I don’t want to hear from you until you tell me you’ve found Jane MacGuire.”
***
MacDuff’s Forest
Next Day
Dawn
The sniper had to be camped around the next bend, Jane thought. He had been out for most of the night following her trail. She could smell the smoke.
He was on foot. She had made sure of it. She had located his truck about midnight and slashed the tires. Now he was tired and pissed off and wasn’t sure how many of MacDuff’s people were hunting him. He might have caught sight of her when she’d been trailing along the creek. But that was okay—he wouldn’t perceive her as a threat, because she was a woman. His shot had been aimed at Rodland. Either he had orders not to kill her or he had contempt for women as adversaries. Probably the latter. And she knew he was alone in the forest. She’d heard him talking on his phone when she’d managed to locate the duck blind where he’d set up to take his shots. His name was Nojer, and he’d sounded very apologetic when he’d told someone it wouldn’t take much longer to get the job done. Was he talking to Bohdan?
Well, it was time to prove him wrong and get rid of the threat of having him on her heels.
Move silently.
Do exactly what Joe had taught her.
She had no rifle. She’d have to get close enough that her 9mm pistol would be able to do the job.
But Joe always said that it was the skill of the shooter not the weapon that mattered.
Head for the brush now. Circle the blind and then take aim…
Stay with me, Joe…
***
MacDuff’s Run
1:25P.M.
“My God.” Caleb gazed at the smashed stones at the top rim of the courtyard fountain. “Those drones blew up your fountain, MacDuff? Can I replace it?”
“Not unless you can pull a few nine-hundred-year-old stones from a Roman quarry,” MacDuff said. “But I can find a way to rebuild the top rim so that it won’t be noticeable.” His lips twisted bitterly. “And if it is, it will only add to the story of the Run. Maybe it needed a more modern approach to give it color and pizzazz.”
“Bullshit. I’m sorry, MacDuff. Anything I can do, just call on me.” His gaze moved to the courtyard gates, which were burned and blackened. “Would you like to tell me how that burned-out gate adds to the general pizzazz?”
“No, I’d like to tell you to shut up about it,” MacDuff said. “I lost five men in the explosions that tore the courtyard apart. They can’t be replaced, either.” He turned on Caleb. “But this is my home, my heritage, and everything that has ever happened here has told its own story. I meant what I said: When I finish the repairs and make those bastards pay for what they did to my people, they’ll tell their own story. It will only make MacDuff’s history richer and more complete. Understand?”
“Absolutely. An interesting plan, and, as usual, totally your own. But I don’t believe you’ll be selfish enough to keep me from helping with that rebuild?” His lips tightened. “Jane is still out there.”
“Do you think we haven’t been looking for her?” MacDuff asked. “We’ve been a little busy beating back those assholes who invaded the castle. I figured she was safer outside the gates than if we sent someone to bring her in. But as soon as I could spare the men, I ordered a unit to go out to find her.”
“And you found that she’d disappeared,” Caleb said. “You should have known that she’d opt out once she saw the castle burning. She warned me that she wouldn’t stay if she thought she was causing trouble for you. Bohdan couldn’t have been more trouble.”
“We’ll dispatch another unit,” MacDuff said. “We don’t think that Bohdan has managed to get any more men into the hills yet. We managed to beat him back this time. And if he hadn’t arranged to shoot off those drones, he wouldn’t have been able to inflict near the damage.”
“Bohdan may be a sadistic beast, but he’s a damn good soldier,” Caleb said. “Give him a chance to recoup and he’ll be back in the game. Let me go after him…before he goes after Jane.”
MacDuff frowned. “And if I say no?”
