Silencing Eve

military. I could kill a soft little thing like you without any problem at all.”
    “But how could Kevin do that if you left him when he was only fifteen before he went into the Army? Remember, you never saw him again.”
    “I’d deny that I said that, and everyone would believe me. People do believe me. I’ve had a good deal of practice.” She tried to push past Jane. “You’re the one they’d think was lying.”
    Jane wasn’t moving, and she stretched out her arm to block her.
    Harriet finally lost the last vestige of control.
    “Bitch!”
    The edge of her hand shot out in a karate chop to Jane’s arm blocking her way.
    Jane blocked it and grabbed Harriet’s arm and twisted it behind the woman’s back. “Talk to me.”
    Harriet’s heel shot back and struck Jane’s knee.
    Pain.
    Her grip loosened, and Harriet tore away from her. She whirled, and her fist punched into Jane’s abdomen.
    Jane’s breath left her, but she recovered and delivered a karate chop to the side of Harriet’s neck.
    Harriet staggered back, her eyes glazing over.
    Not good enough, Jane thought. If she’d done it the way Joe had taught her, it would have put the woman out.
    But it was enough to stop her for a moment. Jane dove forward, brought her down, and straddled her. Harriet struggled with ferocious strength, and Jane had all she could do to fight off several vicious blows to the head and body. “Give up,” she said through her teeth. “Admit that this ‘soft little thing’ was enough to beat anything your Kevin taught you.”
    “The hell I will.” Harriet’s fist shot up and connected with Jane’s lip. Then she rolled to the side and jumped to her feet. She snatched up her suitcase and started running down the hall.
    Jane was only a few yards behind her as she ran out the front entrance to the Jeep Cherokee parked in front of the building.
    “Stay away from me,” Harriet hissed as she jumped into the Jeep. “Or so help me God I’ll kill you.”
    “I won’t stay away. I’ll follow you to hell and back.” Jane ran around to the passenger side. “Lock the door, and I’ll break the damn windows.”
    “No, you won’t.” Harriet was fumbling in the glove box.
    Jane caught a glimpse of metal. A gun.
    The glass of the passenger side window shattered.
    Jane felt the heat of a bullet whistle past her cheek.
    She dodged to the side and fell to her knees.
    Another bullet sparked the concrete beside her as Harriet pulled away from the building and raced toward the street.
    Close. Both bullets had come very, very close, Jane realized.
    And Harriet Weber had not only tried to kill her, but she was getting away!
    She jumped to her feet and ran toward her car.
    And was almost run over by Caleb and Trevor as they drove into the apartment parking lot.
    “For God’s sake.” Trevor screeched to a halt. “You look like you’ve been through a train wreck.” He jumped out and ran over to her. “Are you hurt?”
    “I’m fine, but she’s getting away. I have to—” She stopped and drew a deep breath. Get control. The violence and heat of the last minutes were still with her, and she had to think. “It’s too late. She was driving fast, and I won’t be able to catch her.”
    “Harriet Weber?” Caleb asked as he got out of the car. His gaze was raking over Jane, taking in the bruises and cuts. “She did that to you?”
    “I’m fine.” She ran her hand through her hair. “She wanted to leave, and I didn’t want her to. I came off better than she did until she decided to grab a gun out of the glove box and try to shoot me.”
    “I’d say that would qualify as an unfair advantage,” Caleb said. He gently touched her lip with his index finger, and it came away bloody. “I saw photos of her in the apartment, and she looked pretty tough. The fact that she was taller and stronger than you might be considered—”
    “No excuses. She was good,” Jane said curtly. “Why not? She told me her dear son had taught her self-defense. He must have also taught her to shoot if she couldn’t talk her way out of a jam.” She added, “But I’m good, too. I almost had her. That gun was not—” She stopped. “Okay, she’s gone. Forget everything but the fact that she as much as admitted to me that she’d seen and interacted with Kevin during those years. It wasn’t only letters.”
    “And she decided to take it on the lam when you confronted her with the possibility that she might be under suspicion.”
    Jane