She shoved her phone in her jacket pocket and started the car.

But for now put him out of your thoughts and go do your job. One of the big reasons she had her Luke back was the risk Eve and Joe had taken to rescue him. Now, as she’d told Luke, it was payback time and Catherine had an agenda.

Give Eve what she wanted most in the world.

Keep Joe from injuring himself more by trying to get out of that hospital bed and going after Bonnie’s killer.

Find Bonnie’s body and the man who killed her.

Where are you, John Gallo?

*   *   *

CATHERINE HEADED NORTH TOWARD the vast woodland acreage Gallo owned about seventy miles north of Milwaukee. It wasn’t an easy area to search: thick woods and shrubbery, hills to the north that plunged to a huge lake hundreds of feet below. She had told Eve she believed in instinct, and she would go with it until proved mistaken. Gallo knew those woods, they were familiar, almost home to him. He even had a cabin on the property.

Not that he would be at the cabin. With the sheriff and his deputies crawling all over the property, it would be stupid for him to stay anywhere but in the wild. Gallo wasn’t stupid. She had only met him face-to-face once, when they’d been on the hunt for Paul Black. It had been a fleeting encounter and barbed with antagonism on her part, but she’d become accustomed to making quick judgments. It had often been necessary to save her neck. She had grown up on the streets of Hong Kong, and that ability had developed in those first years of childhood. Her first impression of John Gallo was of sharp, lethal capability.

Definitely not stupid.

But she had to know more than that about him, dredge her memory of every single inkling she’d had of Gallo in that moment. Not only in that moment, but what she knew of him in general from Eve and her own research. She would take time as soon as she reached the property to go over everything that she knew and felt about John Gallo.

You always had to know your target.

CHAPTER

10

TWO HOURS LATER, SHE DREW up before Gallo’s cabin, where two sheriff’s cars were already parked.

She was surprised. When she’d been there before, the sheriff had been doing twenty-four-hour searches, but she’d not expected them to set up a command center. She certainly hadn’t expected them to be there at this hour of the morning. It was nearly 3:00 A.M.

A young man in a deputy’s uniform came out of the cabin as she opened the car door. He was stocky and sandy-haired, and his boyish face was very wary. “Ma’am?”

“Catherine Ling. CIA.” She showed him her ID. “Is Sheriff Rupert here?”

“Deputy Rand Johan.” The concern in his expression vanished as he grinned. “No, ma’am. He only left a couple of us here overnight in case Gallo showed up. The sheriff will be back in the morning.”

“He thought Gallo would show up at his cabin?” She shook her head. “Not likely.”

“Well, the search is kind of winding down. Actually, Sheriff Rupert thinks maybe he’s left the area. He says we’ll continue the search for the next few days, but then we’ll gradually start pulling back.”

“I see.” Evidently the sheriff was getting frustrated and had the same thought as Eve concerning the possibilities that Gallo would try to leave the woods. Catherine had thought he’d give it more than these few days before he’d abandon the hunt.

The deputy saw her expression, and said quickly, “It’s not as if Gallo is any real threat. He’s only wanted for questioning.”

“He killed a man in these woods only a few days ago.”

“Paul Black. But we’ve got the report back on Black as well as Ms. Duncan’s statement.” His lips tightened. “A serial killer who specialized in murdering kids? Anyone deserves a medal for killing a snake like that. I’d do it myself.”

And so would Catherine, but she wouldn’t admit it to this youngster. “Black made a statement to Eve Duncan that Gallo was guilty of the same crime, the killing of her daughter, Bonnie.”

“Who’s to say the scumbag wasn’t lying? Like I said, Gallo’s wanted for questioning. Don’t get me wrong, we’re doing our job. But it’s not a case of life or death, and we’ve spent enough of the taxpayers’ money.” He smiled. “Would you like to come in and have a cup of coffee? The sheriff didn’t tell me the CIA was interested in this case. Gallo isn’t connected to terrorists or anything, is he?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so.” He turned toward the cabin.

But Catherine had been caught by that first response. “Why didn’t you think Gallo was connected to terrorists?”

“Gallo’s not the type. He seemed to be a real nice guy.”

She stiffened. “Wait a minute. You’ve met Gallo?”

“Yeah, he invited us all up here for a barbecue when he took over the place. He said that you never could tell when you needed the law to protect you, and he wanted to make sure that we all knew each other and exactly where the place was located.”

“What?”

“It was a real nice barbecue. My wife brought the potato salad.”

“How … nice.”

“He’s a local. He was brought up in Wisconsin before he went into the service. He was an Army Ranger, you know.”

“Yes, I did know.”

“I always wanted to be a Ranger, but then I met Sarah. That put an end to that. I’ll be right back.” He ducked into the cabin.

She pursed her lips in a silent whistle. A barbecue? Just a local boy trying to protect himself by getting to know the local authorities. Clever and foresighted. Gallo was a man who was accustomed to trouble and trying to minimize the impact.

And he had done just that with the sheriff and his deputies. They would do their job, but they liked Gallo and would give him every benefit of the doubt.

And by tomorrow she would be almost alone in these woods with Gallo.

Under the circumstances, that would not be a bad thing. No one to get in her way. She’d always preferred to work alone. No one for her to worry about when she got on the hunt.

“Come on in.” Deputy Johan stood in the doorway. “Andy is putting on the coffee. He’s real eager to meet you. He said the sheriff told him about you.” He grinned. “The sheriff said you were one of those Lara Croft types. You sure look the part.”

“Thank you … I think.” She moved toward him. “I actually came to take a look around the cabin and see if I could find anything that would be helpful. I don’t really know what I’m looking for. Do you think the sheriff would object if I did that?”

“Nah, you’re one of us. Though I think you’re out of luck. Do you want us to help?”

“No, I know my way around. On the night that Gallo took it on the run, I brought a child here who Paul Black had kidnapped. I had to find a haven for her until we could get her out to safety.”

“See, Black was a real scumbag. Not worth bothering about.”

“Yes, I see your point.” She took a last look at the dark woods before she entered the house.

You’re out there. I feel it, Gallo. You felt safe here with all these good old boys looking for you, but that’s going to change. I’m going to know you so well that you’re not going to be able to breathe without me knowing how deep. Before long, we’re going to be close as lovers.

Lovers. Where had that come from? Probably because Gallo had been Eve’s lover all those years ago when she was only a sixteen-year-old kid.

“Agent Ling?”

Her smile was dazzling. “Coming. I need that coffee. Then you and Andy can tell me all about the barbecue and everything that you learned about Gallo. Probably a lot of details sank into your mind though you didn’t realize it. It’s automatic with a good law officer like you…”