Dark Summer

There might still be moments of disbelief and doubt. She would never be entirely certain until she was a witness herself. But she had accepted the possibility, and she couldn't turn her back on that knowledge. 'I'll talk to you later, Nick.' She hung up.

She moved slowly toward the bed. If she had accepted that there was such a panacea as shi'i'go and it had been somehow transferred to Ned and the other dogs, then it could change everything. The potential was enormous and a little scary.

Try walking in my shoes, Marrok had said. Yes, she could see how difficult and conflicted it would be for him. So many irons in the fire, so many ways he was being pulled. Responsibility for the panacea, revenge for the death of his friend, protectiveness toward the dogs, determination to keep Danner from gaining control. How would she have balanced all those elements not for a few days but years? Probably not the way Marrok had handled it. Marrok's instincts leaned toward reckless violence and she had always been reasonable and logical.

But she had not been behaving reasonably and logically since Marrok had entered her life. She had made impulsive decisions and been driven by emotion. She had not only wanted to keep others from being killed by Danner, she had wanted revenge for her friends who had been murdered. Marrok had remarked on her gentleness, but where was the gentleness in that? The answer was plain.

She was walking in Marrok's footsteps and discovering things about herself that she had never known.

CHAPTER 10

NINE twenty…

She had slept for hours, Devon realized drowsily. The room was dark except for the pale moonlight streaming through the window. She had been too on edge to go to sleep immediately, her mind had been in turmoil and her emotions stretched to the limit. Sheer exhaustion had finally prevailed.

And she felt better now, calmer, more able to manage this horror of a situation. God help her, she'd better be able to cope. She felt as if she'd been more of a sounding board than an active player. That had to stop.

She sat up in bed and swung her feet to the floor. Take a shower, dress, and grab a sandwich from the refrigerator. Then she'd be ready to deal with Marrok.

But Marrok didn't seem to be around to be dealt with. The house appeared to be empty. Where the hell was he? She'd try the bunkhouse. She wanted to see Nick and Janet anyway. After eating a ham sandwich and drinking a glass of milk, she went out on the porch.

'Sleeping beauty is awake at last.' Lincoln was standing at the far end of the porch. 'Rest well?'

'Yes.' She said. 'But I'm no beauty, and this is no fairy tale.'

'I beg to differ. You're not my type, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it's obvious that Marrok finds you very attractive.' He tilted his head. 'I can see how he'd be drawn to you. The rule of opposites.'

'Where is Marrok?'

'He took off with Walt Franks several hours ago. I think he's checking up on his canine charges.'

'Don't you know?'

'Marrok keeps me as much in the dark as possible. I believe the dogs may be scattered within a few hundred miles' radius but that's all.' He smiled. 'And Marrok is exceptionally good at making sure I remain in ignorance. I can't tell you how often I've tried to bug his helicopter or car. He's always found me out.'

'No wonder he doesn't trust you.'

'Trust doesn't enter into our relationship.' He leaned against the porch railing. 'You have to have a code to define the rules. Marrok has no code. He grew up as a savage, and that hasn't changed with the years.'

'I think it has.'

'But you don't know him as well as I do. He hasn't been anything but obstructive since the day he came into my office.'

'Which means you didn't get your way,' she guessed shrewdly.

'Very good.' He chuckled. 'But my way is the right way, the civilized way. Marrok should no more have control of those dogs than Danner. They have no background or experience to make the necessary judgments.'

'And you do?'

'Modesty prevents me from-Yes, I could do it. Given the chance I could do the job. My superiors have total faith in me.'

'And what would you do with Ned and the others?'

'We would be humane.'

'Would you kill them? Experiment?'

'Only if it was necessary. The stakes are bigger than you could imagine. I realize such an admission could alienate you, but I want to be totally honest.'

'Why?'

'Because I don't want you to get in my way,' he said bluntly. 'Stay out of it. Marrok sucked you into his ugly little world, and I can see he holds a certain fascination for you. You didn't like it when he sent you away.'

'I don't like orders.'

'If that's all, then I'll be very happy. But I believe it's more. Women do seem to be drawn by the primitive type. I have no idea why.'

'This conversation is totally absurd.'

'But it had to be said. I'd prefer you to realize that Marrok will be brought down. Either by me or Danner. There's no doubt about that.'

'But in the meantime, you're still going to help him?'

'We have to hedge our bets. Marrok is clever. There's a remote possibility he could still come out on top.' His smile faded. 'And he's unpredictable. Just when you think he's cornered, he manages to slip away and strike like a snake. He proved that in Ethiopia.'

'Ethiopia? What are you talking about?'

'All I asked of Marrok was that he do a simple job. After all, he owed it to us.'

She remembered something Marrok had said. 'Your pound of flesh?'

'What a gory phrase.'

'No more gory than what you'd inflict on those dogs.'

'I told you, I'd try to be humane.'

'How hard would you try? As hard as Marrok?'

'I'm afraid not. One has to be objective, and Marrok is all emotion and no objectivity.'

She had a sudden memory of Ned gazing up at her with eyes that were full of love and sadness and strange wisdom. She said curtly, 'Screw your objectivity.'

'That's what I would expect of a woman of your background. But in the end I'm sure you'll see the light. It's the only sensible method to secure a valuable commodity like-' He broke off, his head lifting. 'I think I hear the chopper. I'm afraid our little discussion is at an end. But it was enlightening for both of us, wasn't it? It's always good to have an understanding.'

'Yes, I do understand you, Lincoln.'

He nodded. 'Then I'll say good night. Tell Marrok I'll see him in the morning. Since my job is to stand by, I'll stand by here and await developments.'

'Why not tell him yourself?'

'It won't be news to him. We spoke while you were taking your nap. He wants me to go, but that's not an option now that there's a chance that Danner may take the dogs.'

'And by staying here you're hoping to find the location of the other dogs.'

'There's always that possibility. Or there's sometimes a break in the ranks, and I may get a little help.' He turned away. 'But I'm not going to get that help from you, am I?'

'Not one iota of help.'

He sighed. 'Too bad. But it's not unexpected. You damned animal lovers have been a great source of disappointment to me in this trying situation.' The screen door closed behind him.