hand.
“Then there is the curious coincidence of her son leaving the island just when this whole fiasco began. We don’t rule her out.”
“Okay, then,” she said. “Why deliver it to me? Why not keep it?”
“For all we know they’ve been through it already.”
“The men who are after me are here?”
John shook his head. “My instincts say no. They might have traced your faxes to Cayman and intercepted the package before it left.”
“If that’s true, that still doesn’t explain Eudora or why it was sent on to me.”
“They could pass it on to you, then follow you. I’m not sure about Eudora’s role at this point.”
Cali shivered despite the hotter-than-average weather. She rubbed the sudden gooseflesh on her arms. “This is almost too paranoid even for me to believe.”
“Don’t be stupid, Cali. We’re talking about people who made the contents of your condo disappear in the space of a day. Whatever Nathan was into must have been mighty powerful for them to launch a campaign like this. Rule number one: Never underestimate your opponent.” He held her gaze until she lowered her hands and squared her shoulders.
“I was only trying to do the right thing, John. I didn’t ask for this. Any of it. But I can’t just hand over whatever is in that envelope or whatever information it might lead us to uncover without first figuring out just what it is I have stumbled into.”
“Even at the risk of your life?”
She paled again, but her eyes flashed. The contrast made him want to yank her behind him, to protecther from risking herself and doing anything foolish. And at the same time he wanted to pull her into his arms, soothe her fears, promise her he’d fight this battle for her if she’d just promise to keep herself safe in return.
He could do neither. Nor could he extract that sort of promise from her. She wouldn’t give it. And he couldn’t allow her, or anyone, to matter that much to him.
Or rather, he could never let anyone know how much she already mattered. Least of all Cali herself.
“I don’t see where I really have a choice on risk, McShane. The bullets are already flying.”
He’d liked it better when she called him John. “You could let me put you somewhere safe while I figure this out.”
“No way. We already covered this ground. This is my fight. Whoever it is was responsible for Nathan’s death. I feel it in my bones. And if that’s not enough, now they’ve come after me too.” She crossed the room and snatched the envelope from his hands, turned, and emptied the contents onto the table. A three-ring binder stuffed thick with well-worn paper fell out.
But it was the stack of diskettes that drew their undivided attention. Cali pinned him with her gaze. “Will you help me find Nathan’s killers, John?”
FOUR
Say yes
.
Cali repeated the words silently over and over as she stared him down. She had no idea what he was thinking. She hoped McShane couldn’t see how badly she was shaking inside. Bullets really were flying. She meant every word she’d said, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t scared out of her mind.
“Well,” she said with far more bravery than she felt. “What’s it going to be?”
He was silent for several more nerve-stretching seconds, then finally shifted his gaze back to the diskettes. “These are five-and-a-quarter floppies. We’ll have to find an older CPU.”
It wasn’t exactly an enthusiastic avowal of support, but it was all she could do not to slump forward in abject relief. She desperately wanted to take five and regroup. She’d barely adapted to island time, and nowthings were popping too fast. But she didn’t have that luxury.
“Did you bring a PC with you?” he asked.
“I had an entire room filled with state-of-the-art equipment and enough software to make even Bill Gates drool.” She snapped her fingers. “All gone.”
He glanced at her. “I take it that’s a no.”
Cali fought an unexpected smile. Watching John
“Then there is the curious coincidence of her son leaving the island just when this whole fiasco began. We don’t rule her out.”
“Okay, then,” she said. “Why deliver it to me? Why not keep it?”
“For all we know they’ve been through it already.”
“The men who are after me are here?”
John shook his head. “My instincts say no. They might have traced your faxes to Cayman and intercepted the package before it left.”
“If that’s true, that still doesn’t explain Eudora or why it was sent on to me.”
“They could pass it on to you, then follow you. I’m not sure about Eudora’s role at this point.”
Cali shivered despite the hotter-than-average weather. She rubbed the sudden gooseflesh on her arms. “This is almost too paranoid even for me to believe.”
“Don’t be stupid, Cali. We’re talking about people who made the contents of your condo disappear in the space of a day. Whatever Nathan was into must have been mighty powerful for them to launch a campaign like this. Rule number one: Never underestimate your opponent.” He held her gaze until she lowered her hands and squared her shoulders.
“I was only trying to do the right thing, John. I didn’t ask for this. Any of it. But I can’t just hand over whatever is in that envelope or whatever information it might lead us to uncover without first figuring out just what it is I have stumbled into.”
“Even at the risk of your life?”
She paled again, but her eyes flashed. The contrast made him want to yank her behind him, to protecther from risking herself and doing anything foolish. And at the same time he wanted to pull her into his arms, soothe her fears, promise her he’d fight this battle for her if she’d just promise to keep herself safe in return.
He could do neither. Nor could he extract that sort of promise from her. She wouldn’t give it. And he couldn’t allow her, or anyone, to matter that much to him.
Or rather, he could never let anyone know how much she already mattered. Least of all Cali herself.
“I don’t see where I really have a choice on risk, McShane. The bullets are already flying.”
He’d liked it better when she called him John. “You could let me put you somewhere safe while I figure this out.”
“No way. We already covered this ground. This is my fight. Whoever it is was responsible for Nathan’s death. I feel it in my bones. And if that’s not enough, now they’ve come after me too.” She crossed the room and snatched the envelope from his hands, turned, and emptied the contents onto the table. A three-ring binder stuffed thick with well-worn paper fell out.
But it was the stack of diskettes that drew their undivided attention. Cali pinned him with her gaze. “Will you help me find Nathan’s killers, John?”
FOUR
Say yes
.
Cali repeated the words silently over and over as she stared him down. She had no idea what he was thinking. She hoped McShane couldn’t see how badly she was shaking inside. Bullets really were flying. She meant every word she’d said, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t scared out of her mind.
“Well,” she said with far more bravery than she felt. “What’s it going to be?”
He was silent for several more nerve-stretching seconds, then finally shifted his gaze back to the diskettes. “These are five-and-a-quarter floppies. We’ll have to find an older CPU.”
It wasn’t exactly an enthusiastic avowal of support, but it was all she could do not to slump forward in abject relief. She desperately wanted to take five and regroup. She’d barely adapted to island time, and nowthings were popping too fast. But she didn’t have that luxury.
“Did you bring a PC with you?” he asked.
“I had an entire room filled with state-of-the-art equipment and enough software to make even Bill Gates drool.” She snapped her fingers. “All gone.”
He glanced at her. “I take it that’s a no.”
Cali fought an unexpected smile. Watching John
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