“That won’t happen.” He repeated the name. “Santos. I’ll remember. I can’t deal with him right now. But I’ll remember.”

“That’s not why I told you about him. I gave that job to Catherine. She made me a promise. You just have to have the full picture, so that you can do what you have to do.”

“So you’ve given it to me. May I go to her now?”

“In a minute.” She paused. “I think you should know something else. Santos may not be the only one you may be fighting to bring her back from that coma. When we found Jane in that car covered in blood and so terribly near death…” She paused. “It’s crazy, but she was smiling.”

Caleb stiffened. “And?”

“You know how depressed she’s been since Trevor was killed. Almost suicidal.”

“Jane’s too strong for that bullshit.”

“But maybe not too strong to accept what she deems as fate.”

He was suddenly smiling recklessly. “Then I’ll have to convince her to change her mind, won’t I? Being killed by that son of a bitch, Santos, isn’t her fate.” He met her eyes. “And Trevor was never her fate. He can’t have her.”

“She loved him,” Eve said gently. “He was everything she wanted in a man.”

“Do you think I don’t know that? Trevor had the good looks of a movie star, he was brave, he was intelligent. He was also gentle and civilized and a great guy who she could trust and live within never-never land forever.”

“That’s a difficult combination to beat, Caleb.”

“But I would have done it if Trevor hadn’t been killed. I didn’t get the chance. I knew it was going to be hell when he was dying.” His lips twisted. “Do you know even then he was trying to protect her? He wanted me to take care of her. He wanted me to be him. There was no way I was going to do that.”

“But it seems that you’re going to have to do what he wanted anyway,” she said sadly.

“My way. Not Trevor’s.” He got to his feet. “Are you going to take me to her or not?”

She nodded. “I’ll come with you. I don’t want you to disturb Joe any more than he is now. We’ll leave you alone with Jane for a little while. Though I don’t know how much good it will do with her in a coma.”

“I’ll still be able to reach her.”

“How? As far as I’ve heard, you’re no psychic.”

“I don’t need to be. I can control the blood. The mind and the blood interact on so many levels. She won’t be able to hide from me.”

“That still sounds very—”

“I’ve done it before with Jane. Of course, not precisely in this kind of situation. I was angry with her once and I— Never mind. Needless to say she was annoyed with me, but I definitely was able to get below the top layers of consciousness to what was underneath.”

“I can imagine she was annoyed,” she said dryly. “No wonder she’s so wary with you.”

“We’re wasting time. Just take me to her and leave us alone. Jane and I don’t need anyone else.”

“Maybe you don’t. But Jane is different. She cares about people.”

“And you think I don’t?”

“I think you care about Jane. That’s the only reason I brought you here.” She studied him. “And perhaps Trevor found something in you on the day he died that could be a salvation for Jane. Or maybe he saw what was coming and was hedging his bets.” She shrugged wearily. “But right now, you’re the only game in town for us. So I’ll play it the way you want it played.” She paused. “As long as I see no harm in it for Jane.”

He nodded curtly. “And after I save her, you’ll try to send me on my way. I understand it. I’m no Trevor. I’m not safe.”

That went without saying, she thought as she stared at him across the room. She could almost sense the darkness and flames surrounding him. But there was also power and feeling so intense that it took her breath away. She could understand why Jane had always been drawn to Caleb. The difference between him and Trevor was incredible, but there was a part of Jane that reached out for adventure and danger and the mysteries of life. But that power Caleb emitted was giving Eve hope and lifting her spirits in a world of despair.

“I’ve never thought you were safe, Caleb.” She moved across the room and followed him into the hall. “I’ll deal with that later. After you bring my Jane back to me.”

“No, after that it will be up to Jane.” He strode quickly down the hall. “Just as it always was and always will be…”

*   *   *

“You whisked me out of there as if you were afraid I’d deck him,” Joe said as he gazed through the glass of the ICU room from the hall. “I told you that I wouldn’t object to your bringing Caleb here. Not if he had a chance of saving Jane.”

“You wouldn’t object,” Eve said as she watched Caleb pull a chair closer to Jane’s bed and sit down. “But you would have interrogated him and made him more impatient than he is right now. You have a perfect right to do that, but Caleb is explosive, and I didn’t want to cause a disruption. This is a medical facility. You have better things to do than cross-examine Caleb.”

“For instance?”

“Talk to the doctors and nurses and run interference for him. Caleb is liable to do anything he wants to do at the moment. He’s wilder and less disciplined than I’ve ever seen him.”

“I couldn’t judge,” he said dryly. “You didn’t let me stay around him that long.”

“No, we have to leave him to it. Neither of us can help her.” She stepped closer, tucking herself against his strength. “I wanted to stay in there, too. It was hard to go.”

Joe slid his arm around her. “But we’re together out here in the cold.” He pressed his lips to her temple. “Come on. Buy me a cup of coffee, then we’ll go and try to convince the medical staff that Caleb isn’t as weird as we know he is. Maybe we can tell them that he’s a psychologist trying a new technique to reach her in that coma.”

“It’s as good a story as any.” Eve looked back at Caleb, leaning forward, holding Jane’s hand, his gaze fixed intently on her face. His entire body and mind appeared to be focused, riveted, on her.

Heal her, Caleb.

Heal her body. Heal her mind. Heal her heart.

And then please don’t turn around and destroy her.

“Eve.”

She turned back to Joe. “It’s going to be okay. We’ve got to believe that.” She kept her gaze from returning to Caleb, sitting so close to Jane. “I was just wondering what he was doing to her…”

*   *   *

Disturbance.

Jane could feel it move her, jerking her from the path.

Darkness.

Flames.

Caleb.

No!

“Yes,” Caleb said. “Why did you think I’d let you go?”

“Because Trevor’s there, he’s waiting for me.”

“Too bad. He lost you. He even knew that he’d lost you as he was dying. He wasn’t trying to take you with him. He knew better. He was trying to release you. But you’re too stubborn to let him go.”

“Not my fault. I’m in a coma. I’m dying, damn you.”

“And not fighting it. Just meekly going into the night. Meekly? Not like you at all, Jane.”

“It is if I want it to be,” she said defiantly.

“Not if it’s not what I want it to be. You’ve got a fine, strong body, and I can make the blood heal itself. It won’t be easy. Particularly since you’ll probably be fighting me, but I can do it. I will do it.”

“No, the doctors say you can’t. They told Eve that it’s not possible.”

“And Eve told me that she’s not going to accept a death sentence for you. Think about her, not yourself. She doesn’t trust me worth a damn, but she told me to bring you back.”

“She doesn’t understand. I fought it, but it’s okay if I give up now.”

“Bullshit. You’re coming back with me.”

“The hell I will.” She began spiraling downward toward the golden path that was ultrasmooth and had only one ending.

“You’re wrong. It has a hundred, a thousand endings, and I can show you all of them.”

“I can’t hear you.”

“Yes, you can. But I’ll let you rest for a little while. So shall I tell you how it will be?”