Don't analyze, don't try to make excuses for Grady. She had to read these last pages and then think about what they meant to her. Wildly improbable? Yet in the beginning she had thought being a listener was beyond belief. Was her skepticism based on fear?
Then come to terms with it. Grady had said he was into controlling talents instead of letting them run wild. It made sense. She couldn't let herself be terrorized by her own helplessness to cope. She had conquered her fear of Listening. Well, almost. It was coming.
And it was doubtful that this Pandora thing would ever affect her in any meaningful way. As she had told Grady, as a doctor she had exhibited no signs of being a so-called facilitator. She might be worrying over nothing.
God, she hoped that was true.
'You asked me to wake you if we heard from Falbon.'
Molino sluggishly opened his eyes to see Sienna standing in the doorway. For a moment he thought Sienna was the dream figure instead of Steven. 'What is it?'
'Falbon says the chartered plane landed in Munich. He's on his way there now.'
Molino sat up in bed and shook his head to clear it. 'Munich. Who did we have on the suspect list in Munich?'
'Renata Wilger. Edmund Gillem was seen with her on his last visit through Germany.'
'Then Grady will be searching for her. Tell Falbon he has to find her first.' He lay back down again and closed his eyes. 'I want a report when I get up in the morning.'
Sienna turned out the light and closed the door.
CHAPTER TWELVE
RENATA COULD HEAR THE FOOTSTEPS behind her. They slowed when she slowed, quickened when speeded up.
Bastard.
Molino? No, probably not. One of his men.
Keep calm. She had prepared for this eventuality and she would meet it with the same strength that Edmund had shown.
The hell she would. Edmund had been a martyr. She wasn't going to let them force her to do anything she didn't want to do. She was only twenty-three and had her whole life before her. She was going to live.
And there was only one man following her. It didn't have to be one of Molino's scumbags. He could be a masher or a thief. It was after midnight and this wasn't the first time she'd had men try to follow her the two blocks from her office to the lot where she parked her car.
But this man wasn't trying to get closer. He was keeping her within view but not attempting to make an approach. She didn't like that. Not at all. Okay, let's bring him out in the open.
She turned left at the next block and ducked into the vestibule of a shop.
He came around the corner a few minutes later, a heavyset man in his forties with thinning brown hair. He stopped cautiously, his eyes searching the street in front of him. His hand reached into his jacket pocket. She caught the gleam of metal.
A gun.
She didn't give him the chance to bring the gun out.
She jumped out of the vestibule and struck his arm with the edge of her hand. The gun dropped from his nerveless hand to the street. Then she followed through with a fist to his stomach.
'Bitch,' he gasped. 'I'll cut you to pieces, you-'
She gave him a karate chop to the back of his neck. He crumpled, but he had drawn a knife by the time he reached the ground. He lunged upward toward her.
Lord, she hated knives. She'd always had a horror of cold steel going into a body. She dodged to the left and then brought her palm crashing up under his nose. This time he didn't get up.
Dead?
Oh, yes. The splintered bones of his nose had entered his brain. She fell to her knees beside him and started searching through his pockets for ID and found a passport. Raoul Falbon.
'I saw a police car cruising a block behind us. I believe we'd better forget gathering the spoils and get out of here.'
She stiffened, her gaze flying to the man who stood watching her a few yards away. She tensed, ready to spring, her hand moving toward the gun Falbon had dropped on the ground.
'Oh, dear.' He drew a gun from his jacket. 'I'm no threat but I really don't want to be treated to the same punishment as that poor fellow on the ground, Renata. Now shall we go? You don't want to talk to the police, do you? I certainly don't.'
'Who are you?'
'Jed Harley. And I have no connection to Molino. To prove it, I'm graciously ignoring the fact that you're considering going for that gun on the ground. As soon as we have time to talk, I'll put my gun away. Deal?'
She shrugged. 'Sure. I'd be very stupid to-' She dove forward in a roll and struck him in the knees and brought him down. The next moment she was on top of him.
'No, ma'am.' He backhanded her and then bucked her off him.
Dizzy. She shook her head to clear it even as she dove for the gun beside Falbon.
He reached it before she did and threw it skittering down the street.
She bit his arm and reached for the gun still in his hand.
'Ouch. You little cannibal.' He clipped her on the side of the head with the gun.
Pain. Ignore it. She came at him again and went for the jugular.
He grabbed her, spun her around, his arm around her neck jerking her head back. 'Listen. I could break your neck. I don't want to do it.'
'Because then I'd be useless to you,' she said fiercely. 'I couldn't tell you what you want to know.'
'No, because my orders are to find you and keep you safe from Molino until you can talk to Neal Grady. Breaking your neck would be frowned upon.' He added wistfully, 'Though it might almost be worth it.'
If she kicked backward, she might get him off guard. His grip had to loosen just a little and then she'd-
He sighed. 'You're not going to give up, are you? I guess I'll have to resort to dire methods.' He took her hand. 'Stop struggling. You're getting what you want.' She felt him closing her hand around something hard and metal. Then he released her and stepped back. 'Okay, go for it.'
She stared down at the gun he'd placed in her hand. 'What are you doing?'
'You obviously have to be on top or you won't listen.' He spread out his arms. 'I'm at your mercy, Renata Wilger.'
