Silencing Eve

all Jane. And I’ll take it and never let go.” He looked down at her as he whisked her out of the room. “Now and forever, so help me God.”
    “That sounds like a wedding vow.” Her voice was uneven. Love, trust, devotion, commitment. So many emotions she had been afraid to feel were brimming within her in this moment. “I like it. Now and forever…”

 
    CHAPTER
    12
    Bayside, Washington
    “JOE, JUST THINK ABOUT IT,” Catherine urged. “Gallo is damn good. He can help you. Two can sometimes accomplish more than one.”
    “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
    “That’s all I ask. Stubborn. You’re both so damn stubborn. I got the same response from Gallo.” She hung up.
    Two can sometimes accomplish more than one .
    Catherine’s words might have rung true to Joe, but it all depended on what two you were talking about, he thought as he hung up. Gallo might have been a top-notch Special Forces guy, but Joe did not want to have to deal with him. Gallo would want to go his own way and try to control everything and everyone around him.
    Like Joe did, himself.
    That was different.
    Or, if it wasn’t, it was irrelevant that they had similar philosophies if they didn’t have to work together. He didn’t need Gallo. The minute he got into Seattle, he would make contact with Detective Brewer in Seattle Homicide and see what the word was out on the streets about any new cell movement. Then he would hit the bars and try to pick up—
    His cell phone rang.
    He stiffened when he read the ID.
    Ben Hudson.
    He hadn’t thought of the boy since he had left the hospital after Jane had drawn Doane’s sketch from the description Ben had given her of Eve’s kidnapper. He should have thought more about the kid, dammit. The reason Ben had ended up in that hospital was that he was trying to protect Eve. “Ben? Are you okay? What can I do for you?”
    “You should have taken me with you,” Ben said reproachfully. “I told you that Bonnie wanted me to keep Eve safe. I let her down when I let that man take her away from the cottage. I have to get Eve back.”
    “I told you that was my job, Ben. You can’t—” Be patient, Joe told himself. He had to remind himself that Ben might still have the mind of a child, but that spirit and heart he possessed were special in more ways than one. In their search for Bonnie, they had come upon Ben, who had been having dreams of Eve’s daughter. Eve believed that Bonnie’s ghost actually visited Ben because they were kindred souls. Joe had to acknowledge there was some kind of mystical connection when Ben had ended up in the hospital because one of his Bonnie dreams had sent him to try to protect Eve from Doane. Joe owed him. He could have been killed instead of just injured. “You were wounded and in the hospital. I didn’t have time to wait for you to get well. Are you still in the hospital, Ben?”
    “No, they let me leave yesterday. That man, Venable, told the people at the hospital that they could release me into his care. He must be a good guy.”
    “Venable?” Joe repeated warily. He wasn’t sure that he liked this. “Yeah, sometimes.”
    “I told him I wanted to call you and tell you that I have to come and help right away.” Ben’s voice was desperate. “He thought that was a good idea. Where are you, Joe? Mr. Venable didn’t know.”
    And Joe would just as soon he didn’t know anything more than Joe wanted to tell him. He had learned his lesson in Colorado, when Venable could have gotten Eve killed when he’d tried to control the situation to suit himself. It was clear Venable was trying to manipulate Ben to get what he wanted, he thought grimly. “Is Venable there with you, Ben?”
    “No, we’re at a motel. He’s in the next room. He said that he’d help me come to you if you’ll tell me where you are.”
    “Look, I know you want to help, but by the time you get here, we’ll already have Eve safe.” God, he hoped he was telling the truth. “We’re close, Ben. She’s going to be okay. Stay where you are, and I’ll have Eve call you as soon as she can.”
    “No, why are you telling me that? Bonnie says she’s not safe. She says he gets angry with Eve, and she almost died last night.”
    Joe couldn’t breathe. He felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach. “What are you talking about, Ben?” Keep calm, fight through the fear. “Talk slowly and clearly. You had another dream about Bonnie? When?”
    “A little while ago. That’s why I