'Don't push,' Renata murmured. 'He'll bolt. This has come as a shock and he has to work his way through it.' She glanced at Grady. 'Talk to her. She's pretty much in shock too. She could deny that she was a Pandora until I threw this at her, but she had to accept the healing.' She turned and started toward the house.
'He just walked away,' Megan said. 'It's a chance for Phillip. Harley has got to believe me.'
'He'll believe you. Give him some time.' Grady took her hand. 'He'll get over the first shock, then he'll get curious. It's after he actually starts to believe that he's no longer 'normal' that you'll be having trouble. His first reaction was pure Harley. What does a rolling stone do when he's forced to stop and have the world reach out and cling to him?'
'He gets scared and runs away,' Megan said grimly. 'I won't let him do it.'
'It has to come from him, Megan.' He pulled her out of the utility shed. 'Come on. Let's go to the house and I'll introduce you to Venable and we'll go through those victims' files Harley was working on.'
'Are you soothing me, Grady?'
'I'm trying. How am I doing?'
'Not so good. I'll give Harley a little time to adjust but I won't be distracted.' She stepped closer. 'But thanks for the effort.'
'My pleasure.' His lips brushed her temple. 'Entirely my pleasure.'
IT WAS OVER AN HOUR LATER that Megan heard the helicopter rotors.
Her head lifted sharply from the files she was looking through. 'What's that? Renata…' But she had a feeling it wasn't Renata in that helicopter. She jumped to her feet and ran out of the house.
Renata was standing looking up at the helicopter that had just taken off. 'He's flown the coop.'
'Harley? Why didn't you stop him?'
'Leave him alone and he'll come home, wagging his tail behind him,' Renata quoted. 'Though I'm not sure about the wagging tail. But you have a better chance than if you went after him.'
'You can't know that,' she said in despair.
'No, but I'm very good at estimating cause and effect and projecting a final result.' She smiled. 'If I'm wrong, then I'll help you track him down and drag him back. I'm good at that too.' She took Megan's arm. 'Come on. Let's go and see if we can find Adia in that mountain of files.'
'HARLEY'S NOT ANSWERING HIS PHONE,' Grady said as he met Megan in the hall coming out of Phillip's room. 'And I've tried every source I know to contact him. He's dropped off the face of the earth.'
'Because that's the way he wants it.' Megan shook her head. 'Renata says he'll come back on his own but it's hard to be patient. It's been three days, Grady.'
'You said they're still running tests on Phillip?'
She nodded. 'They don't think any damage has been done because of treatment by Molino but they're not sure.' She said unsteadily, 'But he's not giving me any sign of a response as he did for Gardner. I examined Gardner's notes and he did document that he thought there was a slight improvement. That part wasn't a lie.'
'Did Scott call you?'
'Yes, he was a little stilted, but he wants me to come and see Davy when I get the chance. I think it's going to be okay between us.' She turned back toward the door to Phillip's room. 'I want to get back to Phillip. I keep hoping that-'
'Miracles?' Grady asked. 'I'm hoping with you, Megan.' He paused. 'But I'm not going to be here to see if you're able to pull a miracle off.'
She turned back to face him. 'What?'
'Oh, I'll be back. You're not going to get rid of me. But Venable is going to North Africa to try to track down those child victims we found in Molino's files.'
'You're going with him?'
He shrugged. 'I can do some good working with him.' He met her gaze. 'And you don't want me here right now. Even when I try to stay in the background, it doesn't happen. I disturb you. You don't want to deal with what we are together.' He added roughly, 'Hell, you were dodging coming to terms with me before. If I pushed now, you'd bolt and run like Harley did.'
'I'm done with running.' But she realized she was feeling a rush of relief. Even now she could feel the heat she always experienced when she was looking at him. He did disturb her, both mentally and physically, and she didn't need any more turmoil right now. She was going through enough emotional chaos trying to adjust to the Pandora reality and Phillip's lack of progress.
He was studying her expression. 'You see?'
'I hate it when you're right.'
'Get used to it. I can't help it.' He gave her a quick, hard kiss. 'And I'll be understanding and noble for a month, no longer. After that I'm going to come back and disturb the hell out of you.'
He was already disturbing her as she watched him walk down the corridor away from her. She might be able to ignore Grady's effect on her on a conscious level but he was always there, beneath the surface, waiting.
Well, she would take what peace and space she could get.
She turned and went back into Phillip's room.
'I'VE COME TO SAY GOOD-BYE.' Renata stood in the doorway of Phillip's room. 'Can you leave him for a few minutes?'
'Why not? Maybe he'll miss me.' She stood up and followed Renata from the room. 'I'm willing to try anything these days.'
'You should get away for a while.' Renata walked toward the atrium. 'You've been cooped up here for weeks. I've been worried about you.' She paused. 'And Grady's been worried about you.'
Megan stiffened. 'You've talked to Grady?'
'Two days ago. He's made progress finding the victims. He and Venable have located forty-five of them alive so far. He said that he's going to Tanzania to follow up a lead on Adia. He thinks the tribal leader has changed her name.'
'But she's alive?'
'That's the report.' She returned to the original subject. 'You're spending too much time here. You need a break.'
'I'm afraid not to be here if Phillip begins to stir again. What if he does and I'm not there? We may have lost an opportunity, but there may be another one. I have to hope.' She tried to distract her. 'I thought you were going to leave last week.'
'Mark wanted me to do it. He says that it's not good to become as close as I am to you. He's probably right.' She shrugged. 'But I can't do what Mark wants all my life. I have to make my own decisions. I didn't want to leave until I was sure that you-I was the one who made you accept that you were a Pandora. I could have kept the healing of that wound to myself. After Sienna I just didn't want you to believe that you were some kind of Frankenstein.' She smiled faintly. 'I choose to believe the more positive myth about Pandora; that besides the evils of the world she also set free the virtues.'
'You were right to do it. I had to know. I couldn't keep on lying to myself.' Megan leaned against the rail and looked out at the peaceful stretch of lawns and trees. 'And you only meant to be kind. I just wish Harley-You said he'd come back, but he hasn't. I just don't understand him.'
'Because with you, the giving would never stop because it's your nature. Not many people are like you. You gave Harley the gift. It's his choice whether he wants to use it.'
She made a face. 'I wish this Pandora business would let me pick and choose instead of it being a wild card. What's the good of a gift that could benefit humanity if it's passed on to someone who ignores it?'
Renata shook her head. 'The Ledger contains hundred of accounts of use and misuse of powers. You should