"He killed my mother. Phillip may never wake up again. The choice isn't that difficult. You can help me, can't you?"

"Yes, but there's always a price to pay. If you help me, I'll help you. I promise we'll get Molino." A price. He'd mentioned before that he wanted her help. "What do you want me to do?"

"I'm searching for a certain object. I believe you can help me find it." She frowned. "I'm not like my mother. I can't find people or things."

"Actually, Finding is fairly common. It often accompanies more significant gifts. You can never tell what talent is going to pop up." He shrugged. "But I'm not counting on you inheriting that particular one. All I need is a Listener. That will be harrowing enough."

She shivered as she remembered just how harrowing that episode in the cave had been. Now he wanted her to expose herself to that trauma again?

"And it will probably be worse than what you went through before." He was watching her expression. "Is it worth it to you?"

Dear God, of course it was worth it to her. She could bear anything if it meant that Molino would be destroyed. His grotesque presence was casting a shadow over her entire life. "I won't be your puppet. I won't do anything I regard as immoral."

"Then I'll have to make sure that I either keep your part of the project above reproach or lure you to the dark side." He continued briskly, "We'll have to leave here right away. Molino is having you watched and I want you off his scope so that we can move freely. I'm surprised he hasn't made another move since Phillip was shot. We're not going to give him another chance at you."

"Where are we going?"

"France. Do you speak French?"

"High school French. I've forgotten a lot. Will I need it?"

"I don't know."

"And I don't have a passport."

"No problem. I already have one for you."

She remembered what Phillip had said about Grady furnishing him with documents to prove he was her uncle. "How convenient. You must have been very sure of me."

"No, but I always like to be prepared. Like the Boy Scouts."

Sitting there, relaxed, dark, his posture gracefully indolent she was reminded of the comment her mother had made about him looking like a Renaissance prince with all the lethal radiance of that age. "You're definitely no Boy Scout." She pushed back her chair. "I'm going to go pack a bag and call the hospital and tell them I'm taking an extended leave. I'll be ready to leave in an hour."

He nodded. "I have a few arrangements to make too."

She headed for the door. "Not entirely prepared then." She stopped at the door to look back at him. "Have you told me the truth, Grady?"

"Absolutely."

Her gaze searched his face. "But you haven't told me everything, have you?"

He was silent a moment. "I should have realized you'd sense that. No, not everything."

"Why not?"

"It's not to my advantage. And ignorance won't put you in any more danger than you will be anyway." He wasn't going to tell her any more. "I'm going to find out, Grady."

"I don't doubt it. But not now, and not from me."

"I could make it part of the deal."

"Go ahead, call my bluff." He said quietly but firmly, "Not now, Megan."

She hesitated. She had no desire to do battle with him at the moment. She believed what he had told her was the truth. The rest could wait until she was more in control of herself and the situation. "I will find out, Grady. You'd better be prepared for that, Boy Scout." She strode down the hall and slammed her bedroom door behind her.

CHAPTER SEVEN

SHE PROBABLY WOULD FIND OUT everything more quickly than was comfortable for him, Grady thought with amusement, as he watched the door close behind Megan. He was just lucky that she had too much on her plate to concentrate on anything but Molino. It was going to be an interesting dance trying to keep her spinning fast enough so that she wouldn't have time to stop and think. He wasn't sure how much she had sensed in that cave as her mother had died and how much she had been able to understand through the haze of pain. It was incredible that she was willing to undergo that kind of pain again.

No, not incredible. He had been counting on that strength and determination when he had decided he had to have her help. No one knew Megan the way he knew her. From the moment he had met her at Sarah's beach cottage he had felt a bond that had developed and strengthened over that summer. He had tried to keep that bond safe and fraternal but he'd never been able to feel like a brother to Megan. She had always been mature for her age and so damn alive and glowing that it was hard as hell not to reach out and touch her.

He remembered one morning he had been watching her lift her face to the sun, her throat arching as if the breeze was caressing it. Lord, she had a beautiful throat and shoulders. He was young but no inexperienced boy, and he was so hot for her he'd nearly had a meltdown. He'd had to turn on his heel and walk away from her.

How many times had he had to walk away from Megan that summer? It had been a sensual, tender, bittersweet experience being with Megan those months. And after the link, in a weird way, he had felt as if she had become part of him.

Yeah, sure. If she was part of him, then he must be a masochist to plan on putting her through what was waiting for her in Paris. He was just along for the ride. She was the one who was going to suffer.

Then accept it and get the show on the road. He reached for his telephone and quickly punched in the number he had for Venable with the CIA.

"I may need some help," he said as soon as Venable picked up. "Megan Blair is being targeted by Molino and I don't know what's going to be coming down. I want you to be ready."

"In Atlanta?"

"Not right now. Probably Paris. We're going after the Ledger."

"Shit. Can't you keep her out of it?"

"No, I need the Ledger. Guilt feelings, Venable?"

"Hell, yes. I've always wondered if I could have prevented that nightmare with Sarah at that camp in the jungle. Maybe I could have done something different. I was so damn young and eager and I went by the book."

"We were both young and I've had a few second thoughts myself over the years."

"But not enough not to use her daughter."

"You've been after Molino for as long as I have. We have a chance to get him and the Ledger. I need Megan to do it." He paused. "I didn't call you to discuss this, Venable. Will you help me when I need it?"

"Dammit, of course, I will." He hung up.

It was strange that it was Grady who'd had to be the one to take the hard line about Megan Blair, instead of Venable who'd had years of working with the CIA. No, not really. That episode with Sarah had affected all of them. Venable was a fine agent and there was probably nothing that he could have done differently on the night of the raid. Grady had thought he'd done his best and yet it hadn't been good enough either.

But it mustn't happen this time. No mistakes, dammit. He quickly dialed another number.

MEGAN STOPPED IN SURPRISE IN the kitchen doorway. "What on earth are you doing here, Harley?"

"Waiting for you." Jed Harley grinned as he rose to his feet. "And catching my breath. Grady didn't give me much time to get over here." His glance went to the small suitcase she was carrying. "You're traveling light."