Silencing Eve

clear the decks while you go after Eve and Doane.” She looked around the private hangar facilities. “What did you tell Stang when you called him? Where is he? Which plane did you lease to take us to Seattle?”
    “Stang went on ahead and is meeting me in Seattle. I’m not going into the city blind. I have a few contacts who can help me find Doane, and Stang will start the ball rolling.” He smiled. “And he arranged for that Gulfstream over there to take me to Seattle.”
    “It’s a nice-size plane.” She started across the tarmac. “I don’t take up much space.”
    “I mean it, Catherine.”
    “I know.” She looked over her shoulder. “And you’re intimidating me a little. You have that ability in abundance, Zander. But I’m betting that I have an ace in the hole.”
    “And what is that?”
    “I’m Eve’s friend, and I care about her. She cares about me, too. I don’t think that you’d harm me when you know I’m fighting for her.”
    “Of course, you could be wrong,” he said softly.
    She nodded. “I’ve been wrong before.”
    She held her breath as he stared at her without speaking for what seemed like a long time.
    “I suppose I can tolerate you for a little longer.” He turned and strode toward the Gulfstream.
    She let the breath she’d been holding escape. First blood. She ran to catch up with him. “You’ll have to do more than tolerate me,” she said. “I’ve been thinking on the way from Casper, and I’m going to have to start moving on all fronts.”
    “You mean I’m not to receive your exclusive attention?” He wasn’t looking at her as he reached the steps of the Gulfstream. “Thank God.”
    “Oh, you’re the primary item on the agenda. I still have to make sure you’re still alive at the end of the game.” She climbed the steps and entered the plane. “But the situation is becoming tense, and I can’t let you dominate it. Venable told you about those nuclear devices, right?” He didn’t answer, and she continued. “I know he did. He might keep certain things from you as a power play, but he’s scared shitless about those ramifications. He’d hope that you’d be willing to give at least minimal assistance.”
    He sat down in a leather seat and fastened his seat belt.
    “I’m not that optimistic. So I’ll probably have to take care of it myself.” She sat down across from him, fastened her belt, and took out her phone. “But since I have to stick to you, I might need help. We have all kinds of information spread all over, and it’s time to tidy up.”
    “Tidy up?” Zander repeated. “I hope you don’t mean what I think you do. I won’t have anyone get in my way.”
    “They’re more likely to get in your way if they don’t know where you’re going to be at a given time.” She paused to gaze at him before dialing. “Look, last time Eve was found in those mountains against all odds because the people who cared about her worked together to make it happen. Personally, I wish we had an army, but I’ll take the same people with the same motivation. Am I going to tell them that Eve is possibly in Seattle? Yes, but I’m also going to tell them that Chicago is also a target, and there could also be leads to her there. For all we know, Doane might be trying to trick Eve.”
    “Eve didn’t think that she was being tricked,” Zander said. “I don’t either.”
    “No, but we have to look at all possibilities.” She added, “And I believe that Jane hasn’t been telling me about something that Kendra and Margaret found in Doane’s safe house. Kendra would never discuss it with Venable because she didn’t trust him. She didn’t talk to me about it either. I’m CIA, and she was probably a little nervous about my connection with Venable.” She started dialing. “So I’m going to come clean with Jane and ask her to come clean with me.”
    “You’ll excuse me if I go up to the cockpit and talk to the pilot,” Zander said as he got to his feet. “I’m finding all this new broom and cleaning jargon slightly nauseating.”
    “By all means. I’m more at ease if I don’t have you glaring at me.” Catherine spoke into the phone as Jane answered. “Jane, Catherine Ling, I’m in Denver and there are things that you should know…”
    *   *   *
    THE GULFSTREAM HAD TAKEN OFF and been in the air for over forty-five minutes when Zander came out of the cockpit.
    “Finished?” He sat down in the seat across from her. “Is everyone