Free Blind Alley by Iris Johansen

years of healing dreams of Bonnie with him. It was too bizarre. How would he handle those visions if she did?
    "Eve?"
    "What if she's right, Joe? Sometimes I wonder.... How do we know what are dreams and what's real?"
    "I know." His lips brushed her forehead. "Don't get all philosophical on me. You want to know about reality? Ask a hardheaded cop like me. We live and breathe it."
    "That's right, you do."
    He must have sensed the slight mental withdrawal because his arm tightened around her. "Okay, I'm not the most sensitive guy in the world. But I'm here for you and Jane. So take what I can give you."
    "You are sensitive, Joe."
    He chuckled. "Yeah, sure. The only reason I'm sensitive to you is that I love you so damn much that you can't take a breath without me knowing about it. Otherwise, I'm a tough son of a bitch and that's the way I want to stay. Tough isn't bad. Not if it keeps you and Jane safe."
    That was Joe, she thought. Loyal, smart, and denying any hint of softness. Jesus, she loved him. She turned her head and kissed him. "No, tough isn't bad," she whispered. But she knew she wasn't going to tell him tonight.
    Not yet, Bonnie ...
    I'm on my way," Bartlett said. "I'm changing planes at Kennedy now. I couldn't get on the direct flight but I should be at Atlanta in a couple hours. Unless the police pick me up."
    "I think you're still safe," Trevor said. "They would have stopped you from entering the country if Quinn had been able to trace your connection with me."
    "That's comforting. Where am I supposed to meet you?"
    "The lobby of the Best Western Hotel at Lake Lanier. Don't check in. We'll be leaving right away."
    "And where are we going?"
    "Quinn's lake house. Well, not the house itself. I've been sleeping in the woods for the past two nights."
    "Why? As I recall, I leased you a nice comfortable lodge north of the city. I was quite proud of how thoroughly I buried the paperwork."
    "I have to keep close to her. Sooner or later Aldo will show up there." He paused. "He may be there now. But I haven't run across him yet. Quinn's got a lot of acreage and Aldo is woods savvy."
    "So are you. But then I haven't come across anything you're not good at. It's very depressing. Of course, you're not as well versed in the outdoors as you are in a casino. I'd judge the odds aren't nearly as good. But what do I know? You've proved me wrong before. However, I'm here to state that I'm not looking forward to any damp, earthy sojourn in the forest primeval."
    "You'll adjust."
    "Promises. I'll see you at nine at the hotel if you don't get your ass caught flitting around there." Bartlett hung up.
    Trevor pressed the disconnect and looked out over the lake. Jane was in that cottage. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon and she should have been in school, they were keeping her home, keeping her safe.
    Or so they thought. There was no safety where Aldo was concerned. He was totally relentless and his patience was inexhaustible.
    So that's how patient Trevor must be. Jesus, it was hard. He'd never been this close before. Well, he had to be patient. Jane MacGuire was a bright beacon that Aldo wouldn't be able to resist and he only had to watch until the bastard ventured too close to the flame.
    Aldo would want to kill Jane with all due ceremony. No long-range rifle shot for him. And if he was right, the chances were good that Trevor would have time to get him before he could murder the girl.
    "The odds aren't nearly as good."
    Well, Bartlett was wrong. The odds were always as good as the effort you made to make them come up a winner. He just had to divorce himself from all emotion and use intellect and logic. He had to forget that moment when he'd looked at Jane and seen the spirit and the vitality that shone from her face. She mustn't matter to him as a person, only as a means to an end. He'd made one mistake. He couldn't afford another one.
    Or Jane MacGuire would be dead within the next few days.
    It's definitely volcanic ash