"Not exactly eager to have you back, is she?" Molino asked.

"She doesn't think my life is worth exposing all those thousands of people in the Ledger to you."

"Thousands. Do you suppose there are thousands of those freaks about?"

"I have no idea. It was just a guess."

"When I first learned about the Ledger, my attention was split because I was obsessed with finding you. But now that I have you, I wonder what my life is going to be like if I don't have purpose to drive me onward. Steven wouldn't like it if I stopped now. No, I really think I have to have that Ledger."

"Then you'll make a deal?"

He looked at her in surprise. "Of course not. Don't get your hopes up. But we'll do a little sleight of hand to make them think I am. I'll arrange to have that Wilger bitch picked up and brought here." He shook his head. "And I can wait a little while to try out those Inquisition toys on you." He turned. "In the meantime, I believe I'll leave you here with Sienna. I did promise him his time with you." He glanced back over his shoulder. "By the way, did I forget to mention that you've done all this for nothing? I won't let either Phillip Blair or the boy live more than a week."

The next moment the door shut behind him and the key turned in the lock. Alone with that grotesque carcass that had once been Sienna.

Molino had said that she was the one who had really killed him. She wouldn't believe it. Molino was looking for ways to justify his son's madness. She was not a Pandora. It wasn't true.

The shock had been too intense and it had sent her spiraling away from everything else of importance. She had to stop thinking about it.

And that last jab about his intention to kill Phillip and Davy had been meant to hurt and panic her. But Grady would never let anything happen to them now that they were safe.

She tore her gaze away from Sienna and looked around the room. The basement suite was luxuriously furnished in bold colors, but there were no windows, dammit.

Weapons. A man like Sienna would have a gun or knife or... something. She started systematically going through drawers.

Nothing. Not even a fingernail file. Molino must have planned to leave her here with Sienna from the moment he'd killed him.

Why not? What could be more chilling or horrible than to make her share quarters with those gory remains?

Don't look at him.

She sat down in a chair by the door. She'd hoped to have a way to defend herself until help came. The call from Renata had been an obvious stall. When Renata had first come into their lives, she might have shown that tough facade, but she had changed. God, they had all changed in these last days. Megan, Renata, Harley, Grady.

Grady.

Whatever Renata was planning, it had to involve Grady. Don't let anything happen to Grady. Don't let anything happen to any of them.

But she couldn't rely on wishful thinking. She had to be ready to find a way to act.

GRADY HUNG UP THE PHONE from talking to Renata and turned to Venable. "She thinks he took the bait." He picked up his rifle. "I'm out of here. I'll let you know what's happening on that hill."

"I have twenty men sitting on their asses in these damn woods," Venable said. "When am I going to be able to tell them to start? Give me a chance to do my job."

"You move one man out of cover before I give the word and I'll shoot him myself," Grady said harshly. "If Molino's men catch a whiff that anything's going on, Megan's dead."

"I'm a professional. I wouldn't let that happen."

Grady shook his head. "Renata's right. When she called me, I didn't want to go along with her. I wanted to be there waiting when they got back and blow the damn place up." His lips twisted. "But she ran that scenario and says that Megan would have an eighty-seven percent chance of dying. That's too high. It scared the hell out of me. So we're going with Renata's plan. First, there has to be a built-in delay to make sure Molino keeps his hands off Megan. Renata and the Ledger. Then we needed a man in the woods on the hill to feed us information. Since Harley was on the spot, he was up there before Molino brought Megan back. Next, we have to have someone go up and take out the sentries." He headed up the path. "That's me."

"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."