far as getting people to make that final commitment. I’m evidence of that.” Her eyes narrowed on Jill’s face. “How did you do this time?”
She smiled. “As well as can be expected.” No, Eve deserved more than that. “I wish I knew. It might have worked. Everything seemed solid. I appeared to be striking the right notes. We’ll have to see.” She looked around the museum. “All those skulls in their pretty boxes are gone. Where are they?”
“I thought it would be better if we hid them somewhere in the jungle. Zahra knows they’re here and wanted to get rid of them. She could have Varak target them.”
“Target,” Jill repeated. “That’s what I told Novak you were now.”
“Of course I am. Now stop talking about it.” She looked back at Mila. “I want to finish this bit, then I want to call Michael and talk to him for a while. It will relax both of us.”
“You told me that he…knew things. Won’t he realize that something is wrong?”
“More than likely. But he’d realize it anyway. I’m not going to cheat either one of us today because I want to pretend everything is fine. I’ll just tell him I don’t want to discuss it, and he’ll accept it.”
“That’s good.” The bond between mother and son must be as intricate as it was strong, but Jill knew that this call might not have been made if Eve hadn’t been aware how precarious was their position. “He’s a wonderful boy.”
“Yes, he is.” Eve looked up and made a face. “Now stop fretting about us. I have no intention of dying today. I just don’t want Michael not to have heard my voice when he’s going to be worrying. Joe can’t call him right now, so it’s up to me.”
“Where is Joe?”
“Varak,” she said simply. “He went to keep an eye on the compound to see if there’s any indication that Varak might be going to take action. He promised to report back to Novak as soon as he saw any signs.” She met Jill’s eyes. “And that should tell us if your talk with Zahra worked. I really hope it did because Joe was not at all pleased about my little TV show today.”
“I hope so, too.” That was a massive understatement. Jill dropped down in a chair and tried to relax her tense muscles. “I guess all we can do is wait to hear from Joe.”
The call came from Joe two hours later.
Jill straightened in her chair as Eve took the call. Her gaze flew to Eve’s face, trying desperately to read her expression.
But Eve was listening and only said one sentence before she ended the call. “Then I’ll expect you.”
She put down the phone, and her eyes met Jill’s. “Joe’s on his way back. You did it, Jill.” Her eyes were shining, and the excitement and triumph were all there in her face. “Varak’s on the move!”
* * *
Kiyani Presidential Palace
10:40 P.M.
Where the hell was Dalai?
Zahra strode into her quarters and tore off her dress and threw it on the bench. “Dalai, get in here. I need you!”
Dalai was suddenly in the room, her eyes wide with alarm. “I’m sorry, madam. I thought you’d be downstairs longer.”
“You’re not supposed to think. Just be here when I want you here. I need to change and be ready to get out of this place. Get me that scarlet pantsuit and the black boots.”
“Right away, madam.” Dalai flew toward the closet room.
This wasn’t the time for the idiot girl to be this careless, Zahra thought. Everything tonight had to go precisely as she had planned. Dalai must not hesitate with performing even one order.
And Dalai wasn’t the only one who had to perform faultlessly to Zahra’s orders. She dropped down on her vanity stool, reached for her phone, and punched in Varak’s number.
“I don’t have time to talk to you now,” Varak said impatiently when he picked up. “The team I sent to reconnoiter Robaku just got back. I’ve been getting their report.”
“What was it?”
“It’s going to be a snap. We’ll be in and out in a heartbeat.”
“Then you’ll take time to talk to me. I agreed to this madness, but I won’t go into an attack on Robaku blindly. I have to know what I have to deal with when all the smoke clears. It’s got to look like the attack was made by the same terrorist group that blew up the U.N. headquarters. You can’t be careless or messy, or I’ll never