Iris Johansen - Pandora's Daughter

She stared at him without expression. "I didn't suggest that."

"Because, as I said, you're very clever."

"What did she say when you told her that you suspected me?"

"I'm not stupid. I would never hint that you would be so conniving. She likes you. You've even got her feeling like a member of the family. She thinks she knows you and that you wouldn't try to manipulate her."

She didn't speak for a moment. "I like her too."

"But that wouldn't stop you from manipulating her."

Her brows lifted. "That's your opinion, on pitifully slim evidence. You haven't been around me long enough to judge."

"I wasn't able to control you, but I could sense enough to do a pretty accurate character judgment. I'm familiar with obsession and you're definitely obsessed. It radiates out of you in waves. I think you'd do anything to protect that Ledger from Molino."

"I've never denied that."

"But you have to destroy Molino to protect the Ledger. That's where the danger lies. If you risk yourself, then you have to give up the custody of the Ledger to someone else. People who are obsessed hate giving up the object of their obsession." He studied her. "And I don't see you as a martyr like Gillem."

"You'd be blind if you did. I'm not Edmund."

"But Megan thinks if it came down to choice you'd make the same decision."

She shook her head.

"Megan usually has excellent instincts. You might surprise yourself."

"You just said she couldn't see through me. You can't have it both ways."

"Of course, I can. You're a complicated woman and she's seeing another dimension than I am." He rose to his feet and put her gun on the nightstand. "I'll let you get back to sleep now. I'll see you in the morning."

"Wait. Why the hell did you come here? Is it some kind of threat?"

He smiled. "Perhaps I wanted you to realize that you're not as invulnerable as you think you are."

He had done that, she thought bitterly. She hadn't felt this uneasy since she'd first started training with Mark. "You proved nothing. I never thought I was invulnerable. But I did break away from you and woke up when you were trying to keep me asleep."

"Did you break away?"

She had a sudden twinge of doubt. Had he let her go? She searched his expression. "You're bluffing. Damn right I did."

He chuckled. "You're right. You slipped out from under in the end."

She hadn't expected him to admit it. "Then you might just as well not have come."

His smile faded. "Except to let you know that I wouldn't be pleased if you do anything to hurt Megan. In fact, I'd be so upset that I believe you'd end up in small, bloody, pieces." His words were spoken softly, almost casually, but that didn't alter the deadliness.

Damn, he was an intimidating man. She wasn't used to being frightened but in this moment she was afraid of Neal Grady. Don't let him see it. "Get out of here, Grady."

"I'm on my way." He nodded. "Have a good night."

The next moment the door was closing behind him.

She drew a deep relieved breath. She wished Mark was here to tell her how ridiculous she was being. He'd always said that fear was the most dangerous enemy she'd face. She'd laughed and told him that quote was completely unoriginal. Shades of Winston Churchill. It was idiotic being afraid of Grady when she had no fear of Molino.

Guilt?

Maybe. She didn't feel good about this or what she was going to do. What difference did it make how she felt? Edmund had not felt good when he had cut his own throat. You did what you had to do to protect the Ledger. Grady was right, it was not a sacred responsibility to her as it had been to Edmund, but it was a duty and an obsession.

And she mustn't let Grady stop her from doing what had to be done. She'd been hesitating, waiting until she could smother any lingering regret and function efficiently as she'd been taught. But Grady wasn't hesitating and she had to move fast now.

She reached for her cell phone and dialed the number Mark had given her last night.

WHERE THE HELL WAS HE? Megan thought in frustration. After she and Grady had returned to the cottage, she had gone directly to her bedroom. But an hour later she had heard Grady leave the cottage and he had been gone for hours.

Where?

It didn't matter. Grady could take care of himself. There was no use panicking because the stupid man had not had the consideration to tell her he was going out when Molino was hot on their trail.

She'd tried to ignore the fear, tried to go to sleep, tried to work on her patient records on her laptop. No way.

She ended up sitting in the living room in this damn chair like a wife waiting for a wandering spouse.

It was nearly morning when she heard the key turn in the lock.

Relief poured through her, immediately followed by anger.

His brows rose as he saw her. "Hello. Are you as annoyed as I think you are?"

"You should have told me you were leaving."

"Why? You didn't want to be around me. You ran like a jackrabbit when we got back to the cottage."

"So you left because you knew I'd worry? To punish me?"

His lips tightened. "God, what a stupid thing to say. I'm no kid who'd pull a stunt like that just because I wasn't going to be allowed bed privileges. I knew how you'd respond to a threat to me. You'd panic, you'd hurt. It's your nature. I may not be your favorite person right now but you do care for me. I'd never make you go through that if I could help it."

It had been stupid. If she hadn't been emotionally overwrought, she would never have said those words. Grady was not petty and he was an intelligent, mature male. "Then why didn't you tell me you were leaving."

"I hoped you were asleep. You've learned to block me so well that I couldn't tell if you were. I waited an hour before I left. I had a few things to do."

"What things?"

"I called and got an update on the police investigation on Phillip's attack. They've traced the tires and found they belonged on a Chevrolet truck manufactured between 1995 and 1998."

"And how many thousand trucks were sold during those years?"

"But they may be able to narrow it down. The tires were new, the tread showed no more than two months' wear. The police are going to go around to tire dealers in Atlanta and asking questions."

"It might take a long time."

He nodded. "Or they might get lucky and come up with an answer on the first day."

"Why didn't you phone from here?" Her gaze narrowed on his face. "A call like that would take minutes, not hours. That's not the only thing that you were doing, is it?" No.

"And you're not going to tell me."

"That's right. It wasn't anything that would hurt you or interfere with our common aim." He turned away. "And now I'm going to bed down on this couch unless you've changed your mind. Just invite me and I'll be in your bed in two minutes." He smiled. "I have no pride where sex is concerned."

And neither did she. They had gone far beyond pride last night. She wanted nothing more than to have him touch her. Lord, was that why she had been sitting here waiting for him? Worry, yes. But hunger had been present too. Hunger to see him, to touch him, to feel his hands on her.

"Invite me," he repeated softly, his gaze holding her own. "You won't regret it."

She wouldn't regret it tonight. But only hours before he'd closed her out and still was refusing to confide in her. Everything he did was beginning to mean too much. She didn't know if she could keep herself from giving everything and she wouldn't be cheated.

She turned on her heel. "Good night, Grady."

"Sleep well, Megan."

There was no mockery in his tone but she wasn't going to sleep well and he probably knew it.

She turned out the bedside light and stared into the darkness. If she couldn't sleep, she could plan.