Iris Johansen - Pandora's Daughter

"How kind," she said dryly before she changed the subject. "I won't have Renata risk herself and she won't let us use the Ledger, but there must be some way she can help us."

"I got the impression from what you said that it was going to be her way or nothing."

Megan's lips tightened. "Then she'll have to change her mind."

He chuckled. "Lord, at this moment I can definitely detect a family resemblance. I don't know about the Devanez clan, but you may be sisters under the skin."

"That's ridiculous. We're nothing alike."

"Yet you're fighting with all your strength to protect her. You like her."

Yes, she did like Renata. In spite of her barbed toughness and stubbornness, Megan could sense vulnerability just below the surface that she instinctively wanted to shelter and protect. Since childhood Renata had not really had anyone to take care of her but her cousin, Mark, who had clearly concentrated on keeping her alive and not given her the security of a home and affection. "It's natural that I should want to help her. We both have had to be on our own, but I had Phillip. I don't believe she really had anyone."

"Well, evidently that lack caused the two of you to spin in different directions. You became a doctor and she became Lara Croft slash James Bond." He waved his hand as she opened her lips to speak. "I'm not putting her down. There's a lot about her that I respect." He smiled. "But then I respect Lara Croft and James Bond too. However, you'll have to accept that Renata will never hesitate to pull the trigger if she's cornered. You'd agonize and try desperately to find a way to keep from doing it, but she'd consider her options in a split second and then do what had to be done." He lifted his cup to his lips. "And it's not necessarily the difference in character and upbringing. It could be the talent. Your talent is based on emotional responsiveness and carries over to every part of your life. Renata's gift is more abstract. She can see patterns and connections in situations that lead her to be able to predict the next step, sometimes the final result. It's mental rather than emotional."

She grimaced. "I'd much rather believe in normal personality and environmental traits. Anything else would put entirely too much importance on all this psychic stuff."

"Heaven forbid," he murmured.

She ignored the faint mockery in his tone. "But we might as well take advantage of any edge we have." She frowned. "Though I can't see how a Listener would be of any help in trapping Molino."

"You found Renata," he pointed out.

"Much good that's doing us if we can't persuade her to give us the Ledger." She added slowly, "But you're both right. There's an opportunity to turn the prey into the hunter here. It's just that the prey can't be Renata."

He stiffened. "I don't like the sound of that." He studied her expression. "I don't like it at all."

"Why not? You're all into this opportunity bull." She turned toward the door. "I have to think. I'm going for walk."

He rose to his feet. "I'll go with you." He shook his head. "I know you don't want company. It doesn't matter. I'm not letting you out of my sight. We don't know how much Molino knows and where he is on the game board. And I won't trail you behind you as I did last night. You'll have to put up with me."

She didn't want him. He would disturb her. Just looking at him disturbed her.

"Get used to it," Grady said softly.

"I will." She turned and headed for the door. "For the time being."

"FALBON IS DEAD," SIENNA SAID. "He was found murdered on Onstadt Street in Munich late last night. A blow that sent splinters into his brain. We received a call from him at nine and he said he was going to have Renata Wilger before the night was over." He shrugged. "It seems he was wrong. Grady?"

"Probably." Molino thought about it. "But that doesn't mean he has to have the Ledger yet. Edmund Gillem was very stubborn and he held out for a long time. Grady may be hesitant to use the same methods we did. If we move fast, we may be able to snatch her away from him." He paused. "And Megan Blair is still with him?"

"Presumably. She was on the plane to Munich."

That was good, he thought with satisfaction. If Renata Wilger, Megan Blair, and Grady were together there was a chance that he could scoop up all these murdering freaks at one time.

"Was Falbon able to give us anything to use to find Renata Wilger?"

"When he was doing surveillance at the brokerage office, he was able to zero in on her cell phone. There's a chance that we can use a satellite to locate her if she doesn't have it blocked."

"Do it."

"I'm already working on it. We're too close to that Ledger to make mistakes now." Sienna tilted his head. "I thought you'd be more upset that Falbon had bought it."

"No, it won't matter in the long run. I just have to be patient. I'll have them all."

"I'm glad you're so confident." Sienna turned and left the room.

And Sienna wasn't that sure they'd succeed, Molino thought. Let him doubt. He would see that Molino was right.

I'll help you. We'll kill them all, Papa. We'll butcher the freaks.

He could feel the tears sting his eyes. "Yes, Steven," he whispered. "I know…"

A SHADOWY FIGURE WAS standing beside her bed!

Renata's hand snaked beneath her pillow. Where was the gun? She gasped and then dove forward and butted her head into the man's stomach.

She heard a grunt as she reached out to dig her hand into the attacker's gonads.

"Shit!" He grasped her shoulders and threw her back on the bed. "I'm not here to hurt you, dammit."

Grady.

She froze as she was ready to launch herself forward again. "You shouldn't be here at all." She reached over and turned on the bedside lamp. "I don't like intruders. You're lucky to be alive." She sat up in bed. "How did you get in here?"

Grady sat down in a chair across the room. "You mean your booby traps? It was like making my way through a maze, but Harley is good at disarming those little toys."

"No, that's not what I mean. I didn't realize you were here until it was almost too late. You were actually able to get my gun from beneath my pillow before I woke. I'm not usually that vulnerable." She stared him in the eye. "I heard you were supposed to be good, but I've been trained to block Controllers."

"By whom?"

She didn't answer.

"If it's any comfort, I wasn't able to do anything with your mind while you were conscious. You were very, very tough. I had to wait until you were asleep."

"If you wanted to talk to me, you could have phoned."

He grimaced. "It would certainly have been easier on my nuts. However, I needed to find out who you are and how much I could sway you."

She shook her head. "Not at all."

"It was worth a shot." He leaned back in his chair. "And I know you better now."

She swung her feet to the floor. "But not as well as you do Megan. She's probably as strong as I am at blocking you. Tell me, did you find it necessary to screw her to control her?"

The jab didn't phase him. "No, that was pure pleasure. And I get very annoyed at other people trying to control Megan."

She stiffened warily. "Is that supposed to apply to me?"

He nodded. "You've had a very strong effect on Megan every time you've been together."

"I'm no Controller."

"I know. But you're very intelligent, genius level. And your gift has trained you to study cause and effect."

"In situations, not people."

"I don't believe you could separate the two."

"Believe what you like."

"Oh, I will," he said softly. "For instance, I believe that you recognized that Megan would be very defensive of you if you said you were going to stake yourself out for Molino. You're very clever and you know that since she feels things so deeply that she'd be very protective and search every way she could to avoid that happening." He paused. "Even if it meant staking herself out instead."