You're a little too slow for me. I want to get back to Megan and Grady in this decade.'
'Bastard.' She stopped and took a deep breath. 'I suppose it's too late to refuse help now. After all, I let you kill a man for me.'
'That's true. I guess that did set a precedent.' He gently took her arm. 'I promise I won't let it go to my head. Lean on me.'
His grasp was warm and comforting, she thought wearily. He was not a safe man but he somehow made her feel safe. It had been a long time since she had felt this secure.
She relaxed against him and let him carry more of her weight. 'If you let me fall, I'll cut your throat.'
'No, you won't.' He chuckled. 'You don't like knives.'
'YOU'RE LUCKY IT'S ONLY A FLESH wound,' Megan said as she finished stitching. 'Though it's ugly enough. It was a high-magnum bullet. You'll have a nasty scar.'
'Whew,' Harley said in mock relief. 'I'm glad I left it for a professional to mess up her shoulder.'
'I didn't mess it up,' Megan said. 'I did the best I could, but I cant-'
'He's just joking,' Renata said. 'He has a peculiar sense of humor.'
'At least, I have one,' Harley murmured. 'Cousin Mark should have concentrated on that instead of antiterrorist tactics.'
Megan looked from one to the other. Harley and Renata were nothing alike. She was intense and wary and Megan could almost feel the electric force that energized her. In contrast Harley gave the appearance of being totally laid back and he was much more people-oriented. Yet Megan could sense a bond, an understanding… something.
'It was a good battlefield bandage, Harley,' Megan said as she finished bandaging Renata's shoulder. 'She'll have to be on antibiotics for awhile and take care not to damage the stitches but she'll be fine.' She frowned as she touched a round, white mark on Renata's upper arm. 'This looks like another bullet wound.'
Renata nodded. 'Syria.' She pulled up her shirt to cover the scar. 'Aren't you finished? We should get out of here. I don't think there was time for Molino's men to call for help but it wasn't-'
'When Grady gets back,' Harley said. 'He called some of his CIA buddies and they're sending a cleanup crew out here. He's meeting them in the woods.'
'If it would help, I could call Mark.'
'I'm tempted to let you do it,' Megan said grimly. 'I'd like to meet your cousin.'
'Oh, my, she's getting all protective and maternal,' Harley said. 'Perhaps I should have a talk with her, Renata.'
'Shut up. You don't know anything. She's a Listener. She can't help it.'
He made a face. 'Pardon me. I'm not familiar with the nuances of all this psychic business.' He headed for the door. 'And I think you've had enough of me for a while. I believe I'll take a tour of the perimeter and make sure it's secure. Call me if you need me.' He slanted a mocking glance at Renata. 'If it wouldn't offend your dignity.'
He didn't wait for an answer.
Renata frowned as they heard the front door close behind him. 'He's such a fool.'
'You don't really think that,' Megan said as she helped the other woman button her shirt. 'So don't say it.'
Renata looked at her in surprise. 'Are you telling me what to do?'
'Yes.' She leaned back and stared her directly in the eye. 'I believe it's time someone did. Just because you seem to be fairly capable at killing and mayhem is no sign that you're not criminally headstrong.'
'What?'
'You heard me. We're trying to help you and you won't listen unless everything is your way. I'm tired of it. Yes, I feel sorry for you but I-'
'I don't want you to feel sorry for me.' She glared at Megan. 'I don't need anyone to-'
'Be quiet. I don't care what you want. Harley is right; somewhere along the way you missed out on a few important experiences that might have made you a hell of a lot more human. You're brilliant and perceptive and driven, but, dammit, there's more to life than that. You defended me because you thought my softness toward you was due to my so-called gift? Bullshit. I don't believe that your Ledger can either dictate or explain my character. What I feel is due to the soul I was born with and the people I've interacted with during my life. My mother, Phillip…' She stopped and drew a deep, breath. 'Even you, Renata. You're so full of defensiveness that it hurts me to think about it. So if I decide to pity you, then you'll just have to accept it. Understand?'
Renata didn't speak for a moment. 'I understand.' Then a slow smile lit her face. 'Not really. I've never met anyone like you before.'
Megan shook her head. 'Is that all I'm going to get out of you?'
Renata's brows rose. 'Did you expect me to fall into your arms and bare my soul?'
Not a tough nut like Renata, Megan thought resignedly. 'A few words that were both honest and not convoluted would be nice.'
Renata thought about it. 'Okay, Harley isn't really a fool. I just don't-I don't know what he's thinking and it bothers me.' Her lips twisted. 'Is that honest enough for you?'
'It's a start.' She paused. 'Now, tell me. Are you going to go after Molino with us or are you going to try to use us and the whole world to get him on your own?'
'I'll think about it.'
'No, you've already thought about it. I want an answer. It's the best way to go. Admit it.'
'Perhaps.'
'Renata.'
'Okay.' She smiled. 'I'll make it a joint effort… if the Ledger isn't compromised.'
'Well, that was like pulling teeth,' Megan said.
'No, it wasn't. Someday I'll let Mark tell you how he lost three teeth being interrogated by the Taliban.' She got to her feet. 'And now I have to pack up my equipment before Grady comes back. We're on borrowed time.'
'I can do it for you. You should rest.'
'No one touches my equipment but me. I can rest later.' She moved slowly, carefully toward the living room. Megan could tell that she was making an effort not to sway or totter.
'Now who's the fool?' Megan asked softly. 'No one is going to hurt your precious equipment.'
'But it may hurt you. Someone like Harley may be able to negotiate the traps I've laid, but anyone else is walking a tightrope.' She looked back over her shoulder. 'And I don't want to have to pick up the pieces if you take a fall. Stay away from my stuff.'
Just how deadly was that 'stuff,' Megan wondered? Harley had said that her electronic gadgets would rival James Bond's, but evidently it was also a deadly trove. Let her deal with it herself. Megan hadn't gotten all she needed from Renata; the Ledger was still clearly out of bounds. But she had gotten a promise of cooperation and that would have to be enough.
Would it be enough? Tonight had shown her how close Molino was to them. They seemed always to be only one step ahead of the bastard.
Or less. Renata could have been killed tonight and who knows if they would have gone after Grady and her if they'd gotten Renata.
Borrowed time, Renata had said. Lord, she was tired of scurrying away from the shadow Molino cast over her life.
She closed her medical bag and got to her feet. Come back, Grady. It's time we cast a few shadows ourselves.
GRADY ARRIVED BACK AT RENATA'S cottage thirty minutes later. 'Let's go,' he said curtly. 'I sent Harley back to our cottage to pack us up and get the car. We're out of here.'
'Did the CIA cause any problems?'
'No. Venable made it clear what had to be done. But while Harley was checking out the perimeter he found fresh tire tracks on the ground by the root cellar. Tracks, not a getaway car. That means there were probably four men, not three. The driver saw what was happening and took off when his buddies didn't come back. That means what he knew, Molino knows by now. He'll know we're with Renata and he has a chance of getting us all if he can
