Iris Johansen - Pandora's Daughter

"And what kind of percentage did your friend, Renata, give Megan on this scenario?" Venable asked.

"Thirty-two percent," Grady answered. "If everything goes right."

Lord, the odds were still too high and the chances of everything going exactly right was laughable, he thought. Nothing ever went exactly as you thought it would.

He called Harley when he was halfway up the hill. "Brief me."

"Megan's in a room in the basement," Harley said. "Molino took her down stairs and came back alone. He's in the main house now."

"Renata made the call five minutes ago," Grady said. "It bought Megan some time, thank God. Where are you?"

"In the pine woods about a thousand yards down the road from the house. There are three men patrolling the grounds and I've seen four men moving around inside the house. There may be more but that's-Wait a minute. Two men are leaving the house. I think Molino took the bait. They're heading for the helicopter pad. They may be going to pick up Renata." He paused. "It might be a good time for me to try to get closer and see if I can slip Megan a weapon in case something goes wrong."

"Nothing's going to go wrong," Grady said. Maybe saying the words would make it true. "And I'm on my way up to clear the way for Venable's men. I'll take out the perimeter sentries and then move toward the house. Just stay put, dammit. I need to know everything that's happening in that house and you have to be there for Megan. I want to be told the minute Molino goes back to that basement."

"Whatever you say. If you're going to join me, you might want to know that there's one guard with a rifle behind the house. The other two are patrolling the woods bordering the cliff about a quarter of a mile from the house. One rifle. One handgun."

"That's it?"

"That's it. The helicopter is off the ground. You're sure you don't want me to-"

"Keep to the plan. Stay put." Grady hung up.

"COME OUT, MEGAN," MOLINO called as he opened the door of the basement apartment. "I've just had word that our little friend is going to be landing in a few minutes. We're going to meet her so that she'll feel safe and know my intentions are above reproach."

"And what are you going to do to her once you verify the pages?" she asked as she climbed the stairs.

"Why, I'm sure you're aware that there are many ways to get what you want without negotiation. I just have to make sure that she has the real thing." He was nudging her toward the helicopter pad. "And then you can go back and join Sienna. I'm sure he's missing you. Ah, here she comes."

A tan-and-cream helicopter was landing on the pad. Two men jumped out of the helicopter as soon as it landed. "Permit me to introduce you." Molino gestured to the tall, spare, red-haired man. "This is David Condon. He was flying the helicopter that brought you here, Megan. The other gentleman is Ben Stallek. I was a little distracted or I would have been more careful of the amenities. Did you bring Notting?"

A small man in a plaid shirt got out of the plane. "This will cost you. I was practically yanked away from my golf game to come here."

"It will only take a short time. Just a preliminary examination." Molino said to Megan, "This testy gentleman is very knowledgeable or I wouldn't put up with his rudeness."

"He's also very greedy." Renata got out of the helicopter. She handed Molino a large envelope. "Be careful of those pages."

"I always take care of what's mine." He moved toward the house with Notting. "Condon, you stay here. Stallek, you come with us." He glanced back over his shoulder. "Oh, Condon, if either of the ladies decide to be foolish please feel free to shoot them. The stomach, I think. Stomach wounds are so painful."

Condon drew his gun and pointed it at Megan.

Renata ignored him. "Did Molino hurt you, Megan?"

"Not much." She looked at Renata. "You're the one who looks terrible. How did you get those bruises?"

"They did a strip search. I objected." She looked at Condon. "And he enjoyed it. I'm going to remember that." Her glance shifted to Megan. "That test probably won't take over fifteen minutes. Notting has the chemicals he needs to do the job. But Molino won't be in a hurry once he knows that the pages test genuine."

"Will they?"

"Yes. Where's Sienna?"

"Dead. Molino claims he went mad, that I did it, and he had to kill him. I think it's bullshit. Molino was looking for an excuse to kill Sienna."

"I don't care why he's dead. I'm only concerned that he's out of the picture." She looked at the grove of pine trees about a thousand yards down the road, to the left of the cliff. "That broken pine looks dead, doesn't it? These jokers have probably been using it for target practice. But I bet it isn't dead."

Megan frowned in puzzlement. What did pine trees have to do with anything? Dead or not.

"Is it dead, Condon?" Renata called out to the guard. "You've been living here. You should know if that pine tree's-"

The guard frowned and started toward them. "What are you-" Condon arched and opened his mouth in a soundless scream. He stumbled forward and fell.

There was a knife in his back.

"Grady," Renata murmured. "Good job."

Grady appeared out of the utility shed. "Get Megan out of here," he said curtly. "Now!" He disappeared behind the shed.

"Go." Renata pushed Megan toward the trees. "The pines. There's a gun there and I hope to God Harley's there too. He's supposed to be."

"What are you going to do?"

"Help Grady take out the men in the house. Tell Harley to call Venable and tell him to get up here. Hurry. And get that gun." She disappeared after Grady.

Megan wanted to run after her. No, she didn't even have a weapon. The gun! She had to get the gun and get help from Venable.

Megan flew down the cliff road toward the pine trees.

"Bitch!" Molino's enraged howl shrieked behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder to see him running toward her from the house. God, he was close.

He was pointing a gun at her head.

She had to get to the gun hidden in the pines.

No time.

She dove down to the ground even as a bullet whistled past her head.

Another bullet. A different sound…

The thunk of a bullet against flesh. She looked back to see Molino stagger, blood blossoming from the wound in his chest, the gun dropped from his hand, but he was still coming.

"Run, Megan," Harley called from the pine trees. "He's too close to you. I can't get a good shot."

"Cheat me. You're trying to cheat me." Molino was on top of her, his hands closing on her throat. "Steven won't let you cheat. Butcher you…"

Another shot. Molino flinched as the bullet hit his arm.

Megan pushed desperately and he fell off her and to the side.

But he grabbed her and rolled her over to only a few feet from the edge of the cliff. "Butcher you. Butcher all the… freaks."

She fought desperately, panic surging through her. He was going to push her over. He shouldn't have been this strong. But it was as if the bullets had not even touched him. If she'd only been able to reach that gun hidden in the pines.

No gun.

But she had another weapon.

"It won't be in time," she gasped. "Your Steven can't help you. My mother killed him." She freed one hand and reached out to him. "Do you know what it's like to go mad? Talk to Steven. I'm going to touch you, Molino."

He froze and stared at her hand as if it was a cobra arched to strike.

"Are you afraid? You should be. You killed my mother and she wants you dead. Even if I'm not a Pandora, she can act through me. After all, I'm a freak. You know all about freaks, don't you?" She caressingly touched his cheek.

He screamed, his eyes rolled back in his head. "No!" He scrambled backward. "Freak. Monster."

"You're the monster." She crawled closer to him. Only two more feet and he'd be over the edge. "You're going to die, Molino. Do you think madness and suffering follow people into the grave? I hope so."