“But I've been letting you two carry the load. I may have to step in and escalate matters.” He picked up his phone again. “I'll have to think about it. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

It was a dismissal. There was a subtle change in his manner. That hint of mocking subservience was no longer audible. “No, I got what I came for. Another piece to the puzzle.” She turned away. “Helen Saduz.”

“Kerry.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder.

He smiled. “I'm not thinking of you as a freak. But I'm a private person and I have to protect myself from Brad. I have too many secrets.”

“Don't we all.” This time her smile was genuine. “I know how you feel. But I think you can trust him.”

“Do you trust him?”

Her smile faded. “Hell, no. But our relationship is . . . different. You don't have to get very close to him to have a problem.”

He threw back his head and laughed. “Christ, I hope not. I'm really not tempted to go to bed with him.”

“That's good.” She opened the door. “The situation is complicated enough.”

15

Silver called her at nine that night. “Rosa Ruiz is safe. She's settled in a nice little house in a nice little subdivision close to the hospital. Agent Jane Dorbin is taking care of her.”

“Is she the only agent on duty?”

“No, there are several guards in a house next door, but I thought you'd be concerned for her emotional well-being.”

“I am.” She paused. “Is she scared?”

“Yes. But not enough to go home. She wants to stay with her sister. Carmela is being released tomorrow, and I'll pick her up and bring her to the safe house.”

“Never mind. I want to pick her up.”

“And make sure that she's going to be secure.” He paused. “I think you can trust my judgment there, don't you?”

She didn't answer directly. “I just want to see them together and safe.”

Silver muttered a curse. “For God's sake, you can't stop trusting me on every level.” When she didn't reply, he added bitterly, “Or maybe you can. I'll take you to the hospital tomorrow at ten. We'll both pick her up.” He hung up.

Jesus, you've been driving around in circles.” Carmela gazed suspiciously at Silver. “Are you really taking me to see Rosa?”

“Yes. Didn't you talk to her last night?”

She nodded. “But that doesn't mean she couldn't have been fooled. She's just a kid.” She turned to Kerry. “It's legit? You're not going to send us back to my mom?”

“It's legit,” Kerry said. “We only want to keep you safe. Silver was afraid we might have been followed from the hospital.”

“Were we?”

Silver shook his head. “I don't believe so.”

“Don't tell me that,” Carmela said fiercely. “I want you to be sure. I don't want anything happening to Rosa.”

“Nothing's going to happen to Rosa,” Kerry said. “You can trust Silver, Carmela.”

“Can I?”

“Yes, can she?” Silver murmured. “What an astonishing statement for you to make. I'm touched.”

She ignored him. “He won't let anything happen to you or Rosa.” She added, “And neither will I. We just have to be very careful.”

“Because of that nutcase,” Carmela said. She was silent a moment. “I do trust you—most of the time. It's just . . . hard. This Trask doesn't seem real to me.”

“I can understand that,” Kerry said. “Sometimes I find him pretty unbelievable too. I wish he was only a figment of my—” She stopped as Silver pulled into the driveway of a small brick house. “This is it?”

Silver nodded as he turned off the car and opened the driver's door. “Stay here. I'll go in and talk to Agent Dorbin and make sure she knows you're no threat. She'll believe me.” He strode toward the front door. “Even though you both appear to have your doubts about me.”

“I didn't really think he was selling me down the river,” Carmela said haltingly to Kerry. “It's . . . Rosa. I don't have the right to— I do trust him.”

“He was joking. He understands.”

“I hope so.” She made a face. “You know, I feel . . . It's weird, but I don't want him to . . . I feel like I've known him all my life. No, that's not right. It's not—” She stopped, puzzled. “What the hell. I don't know how to say it.”

Togetherness. Linked.

Kerry supposed she should have expected this after Silver had been joined to Carmela on that rooftop. Evidently he had left a little something behind when he'd left her. “Close to him?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” She shrugged. “Something like that. You too?”

“You could say that. At any rate, I don't think you should worry about—”

“There she is!” Carmela jumped out of the car as a small, dark-haired girl appeared in the doorway. “Rosa!”

Kerry slowly got out of the car as she watched Carmela run toward the door. Carmela's expression was radiant and full of eagerness. In this moment she looked even younger than her fifteen years. This is how she should look, Kerry thought. This is how all children should look. Full of life. No suspicion. No worry.

Carmela skidded to a stop before her sister. “You okay?”

Rosa nodded. “You?”

“Fine.” She took a step closer and gave her an awkward hug. “It's going to be . . . okay. I promise, Rosa.”

“Then stop being mushy.” Rosa stepped back. “You're making me feel funny.”

Kerry smothered a smile at the typical adolescent reaction. The affection between the two sisters was clear, but she could see that neither child was overly demonstrative. Well, what teenagers were? Most of them would be mortified to admit how much they cared about their siblings.

“Nice, huh?” Silver was coming down the path toward her. “Enough to warm the cockles of your heart.”

“Don't be sarcastic.” She watched the door close behind Carmela and Rosa. “It does warm me.”

“I wasn't being sarcastic.” His smile faded. “And you know me well enough to know that. I'm glad we managed to get them together. Do you want to go in and meet Rosa? She's a neat kid.”

She shook her head. “Soon. I want them to have a few minutes alone together.” She met his eyes. “Providing Carmela will ever be alone again. Why didn't you tell me that you're still linked?”

“She knows it?” He frowned. “It's not that strong. Only a tendril or two. It will probably fade away.”

“You didn't leave it there on purpose?”

“For God's sake, do you think I like being linked to just anyone? If there's one thing I've learned from our experience together, it's that I never want it to happen again.”

Christ, she was actually feeling hurt. Not that she had a right. It was exactly what she had been telling herself all along. “Ditto.” She turned away. “I'm going in to meet Rosa. Are you coming?”

“Not now. I'm going to call George and check in.” He headed back toward the car. “By the way, I've set up a foster home for Carmela and Rosa when this is all over and it's safe to get them settled.”

“Where?”

“Near Georgetown University. It's a nice residential area, and I know some pretty good people who will take care of them.”

“Normal people?”

“Yes.” He added solemnly, “I do know some normal people, Kerry. Though I admit I have a definite preference for freaks like you.”

“Dammit, I'm not—” He was joking. If she hadn't been so tense, she would never have risen to the bait. “I just didn't want them to think the whole world was comprised of people like—They've had enough problems without having to question their view of reality and—”

“I know.” He smiled. “Stop trying to explain. You never have to do that with me.”

That was the problem, she thought in despair. Even though she was angry and resentful, there was always that comforting feeling of being totally understood and accepted. It was almost as seductive as the sex they had shared.