“Interesting idea.”
“I thought you might think so.” She went past him toward Eve’s room. “I used it as a haven when I needed it. I’ve been tempted to do it again.”
His eyes narrowed on her face. “How tempted?”
“That would be telling.” Her eyes were twinkling as she looked over her shoulder. “But you should be relieved to know that there’s not one coyote on Summer Island.”
*
“Cara Delaney is out in the waiting room,” Joe said when he entered Eve’s hospital room the next morning. “I got her a breakfast at McDonald’s and sat her down with her iPad. She wanted to come back to you, but I told her that there will be doctors and nurses bustling in and out all morning.” He sat down in the chair beside her bed. “We have to talk about her, and we don’t have much time. I figure they’ll release you by early afternoon, and something’s got to be settled before they do.”
“I’ll second that.” She took his hand. “What’s going to happen if we don’t step in?”
“It depends on whether ICE finds out that Cara Delaney is Marnie Castino. So far, no one of us has made a statement to that effect. If they do find out, she’ll be deported straight to the loving arms of that cartel scumbag of a father.”
“If she lives that long. She could be torn between those damn warring cartels. Walsh’s employer was a member of the Salazar family. If he hears Walsh is dead, what’s to stop him from hiring someone else to kill Cara before her family is even notified.”
Joe nodded. “All that is true. So what do you want to do?”
“Keep Cara safe. Keep her as far away from Mexico and Castino and Salazar as possible.”
He smiled. “That was my first guess. Ways and means?”
She hesitated. “Play it by ear?”
“Send her to a private school?”
“No,” she said sharply.
He threw back his head and laughed. “I didn’t think so. I was just testing you. You want to take her home with us.”
“It may only be for a little while. Just until we can get her happily settled.”
“And it may be for a long, long time.” He leaned forward and kissed her. “Another Jane, Eve? Our Jane was only a little younger than Cara when we took her in.”
“There will never be another Jane. Just as there will never be another Cara. We know where Jane is in our lives, and it’s all love. Cara is a clean slate, and we don’t know what will be eventually written in the relationship.” She frowned. “But how do you feel about it, Joe? She’s had a troubled life, it could be … difficult. Even if it’s for only a short time.”
“I’ve only spent the morning with her. She’s quiet and withdrawn and polite. She appeared very grateful I didn’t drop her when she threw herself into my arms. The rest I’ll have to learn with experience. But I didn’t know much more when we adopted Jane.” He smiled. “But she’ll be a challenge. Just keeping her alive will be a task in itself.”
She shuddered. “I wish you hadn’t said that.”
“Face it. You haven’t chosen an easy way. But we can make it work and keep her safe.”
She nodded. “She said that Jenny told her I’d need her. And that she’d need me.”
“It might be true. You’ve been feeling a little lonely since Jane left home. And Cara certainly is going to need you.”
“Us,” she corrected.
He nodded. “Us.” He got to his feet. “And now I’ll go and talk to Nalchek and Margaret and make sure that they don’t disclose anything to local law enforcement. Then I’ll arrange to whisk Cara away from here as if she’d never been. Preferably before Salazar finds out that Walsh is dead.”