Dark Summer

CHAPTER 12

DEVON'S EXPRESSION WAS CALM, almost serene, Marrok thought as he watched her walk toward Sarah's helicopter pad. She was evidently content with Sarah's decision to accept her into her house hold. Why not? Sarah would be as protective as a mother hen, and this house was a dream dwelling.

"All set?" He opened the door of the helicopter. "You took longer than I thought. Were you catching up on old times with Sarah?"

"No, I didn't know her that well. She had to go to make a telephone call, and I spent a little time with the dogs." She got into the helicopter followed by Ned. "But I like Sarah very much."

"So do I." He climbed in and fastened his seat belt. "She's genuine and always tells you exactly what she thinks. Let's go, Walt."

"On our way," Walt said.

"Then I imagine she told you enough to burn your ears, Marrok," Devon said. "She wasn't pleased with you."

"That seems to be the consensus around here."

"You can't just go bulldozing your way through people's lives and expect them not to resent it."

He frowned. "I didn't bulldoze. I just wasn't totally honest. She had a choice." He paused. "Not like you."

"I had a choice. I could have left Ned. And you were honest… as far as it went. But dammit, it didn't go far enough."

"So I'm not perfect. I told you to walk in my shoes before you judged me."

"Yes, you did." She turned to look at him. "Which was the worst bullshit of all. I have no intention of either walking in your shoes or trailing after you."

"No, that won't be an option. You'll be out of it staying with Sarah."

"Out of it," she repeated. "There's no way I could be out of it. It's too late for me." She reached down and stroked Ned's head. "Just like it's too late for you, boy."

Marrok gazed at her warily. "What are you talking about? If you stay with Sarah, you'll be safe."

"I imagine I would be."

He was silent, attempting to read her expression. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm not trying, I'm saying it," she said coolly. "No deceptions, no beating around the bush. I'm not surprised you can't recognize it. Oh, yes, frankness is totally foreign to you."

"Devon."

"I'm not going to stay with Sarah. We're going to take Nick and Janet to her place and leave them. Then I'm going to go back to the ranch with you."

"What?"

"Oh, don't be worried. I'm not throwing myself at you like those town girls you told me about."

Walt made an indistinguishable sound somewhere between a gulp and a chuckle.

Marrok gave him an annoyed glance before turning back to Devon. "I didn't think you were. It's clear that's not what this is about. Your attitude is less than warm. Why aren't you going to stay with Sarah? Did she say anything to offend you?"

"She said a lot but none of it was offensive. How could it be? We think alike."

"Then for God's sake, will you explain?"

She met his gaze. "I'm not leaving until this is over. Until the dogs are safe."

He muttered a curse. "Yes, you will. You'll go where you'll be safe. This isn't your battle, remember?"

"It wasn't to begin with, but it is now. I was sitting in the grass with Sarah and listening to her talk about Monty and how keeping him alive and well was worth the sacrifice, worth the battle. Because that's what love's all about, that's what life's about. And after she left me, it came to me that she might have been voicing what I've been feeling all my life." She gazed out the window. "I've been working since I was a teenager to keep animals well and happy, I've been fighting abuse, I've been working with rescue dogs to find and save men, women, and children. When I think about shi'i'go, it's as if it blends all of those parts of my life into one."

He stared at her in frustration. "My God, you've gone idealistic."

"Don't sound so horrified." She turned back to him. "Another concept that's foreign to you? I promise I won't let it get in your way."

"And I promise I won't let it kill you," he said grimly. "Because you're going back to Sarah's place."

"No," she said coolly. "Hell, no. I'm going to make sure that your dogs are kept alive."

"I don't need you."

"Who said I was going to work with you? I said I was going to do it. I'm not doing it for you. I'm not doing this so that you can get your revenge for Paco's death." She stared him straight in the eye. "I'm doing it for me. And I've always taken care of my own battles. So shut up, Marrok. I'm not going to discuss it again."

"The hell you won't."

She turned and gazed out the window again.

Marrok could almost feel the steel of the barrier she was raising against him, closing him out. For the first time since that night on Santa Marina, he could sense no vulnerability, no shock, no bewilderment. The woman he was seeing now was the woman who made soldiers snap to attention when she turned on them in fury. Tough, very tough. Combined with that streak of gentle idealism that was her core, it was going to be almost impossible to find a way to persuade her to abandon her path.

Impossible, hell. He had no choice. He had to do it or risk Danner's killing her.

"I'M NOT SURE I LIKE THIS." Nick hesitated before getting on the helicopter. "I think I should stay with you, Devon."

"And I think you and Janet should go to Sarah Logan and take care of the dogs there." She looked at Janet. "You'll be sure to give Gracie lots of attention? I think she's a little confused about what's going on."

"She's not the only one," Janet said dryly. "You spoil her." But her hand was gentle on Gracie's head. "Do you know she actually crawled into bed with me last night?"

"And what did you do?"

"I kicked her out. Oh, I let her stay for a little while, but you have to make those dogs toe the line."

"Then I'm glad you're going to take her with you to Sarah's. I wouldn't want Gracie to get into bad habits." She stroked Gracie's long nose. "And you'll be able to protect her from those other dogs on Sarah's property." She added for good mea sure. "And there's a wolf in the mix, too."

"Wolf?" Janet's eyes widened. "What are they thinking? You're darn right I'll keep an eye on Gracie." She got into the helicopter. "I'll have to whip that ritzy place into shape."

"I'm sure you will. Thank you, Janet."

"You're welcome." She leaned forward. "But you're not fooling me, you know. You're trying to distract me so I won't give you hell for doing something stupid."

"It's not stupid. It's something I have to do." She smiled. "And I do need you there. I'll feel much better knowing that you're going to be in charge."

Janet was silent before saying grudgingly, "Well, Nick will help a little."

Nick chuckled. "I'm grateful for your condescension. I'll try to do my bit. It should reassure you that Casper was kidnapped, and I didn't lose him."

"But you couldn't remember whether you left the gate open or not."

Nick sighed. "I assumed since the donkey was gone that I might have-Oh, never mind."

Devon stepped back and motioned for Walt to start the he li copter. "Marrok's people will take good care of the other animals, Janet. I'll try to call you both every night to make sure everything is okay."

"You do that," Janet said as she leaned back in her seat. Her gaze went to Marrok, who was standing on the porch watching them. "And you watch out for him, too. I don't like the look of him. He looks… foreign."

Devon smiled. "He's half-Spanish and half-Apache. One bloodline might be described as foreign, but the Apaches were here before Plymouth Rock."

"That's not what I mean. He doesn't look safe."

No, Marrok definitely wasn't safe, Devon thought. He was exotic and dangerous and unpredictable. "I can handle him."

"If you can't, call me," Janet said. "I'll take care of him."

"I'll sing out loud and clear." Devon stepped back away as Walt started the rotors. "Bye. Keep safe."

She couldn't make out their response through the noise as the helicopter lifted off.

She stood watching as the helicopter rose, then turned and headed west. She felt suddenly hollow, lonely. This had been the right thing to do, but it didn't change the fact that it was her family that was flying away from her.

"I can get Walt on the phone and bring him back. You can go with them," Marrok called from the porch. "Just say the word."

"You won't hear it." She turned and walked across the paddock toward the porch. "I haven't changed my mind. But there's nothing wrong with accepting that I care about those people and am sorry to see them go. You may have had trouble all your life expressing affection, but I don't. If I'd had a Paco in my life, he'd have known how I felt about him."

He was silent. "Yes, and he would have been a hell of a lot luckier than he was with me."

She felt an instant of compunction before dismissing it. She had to be totally honest with Marrok, or her decision to stay might be a disaster. "I don't think so. He seems to have been pretty happy with you. You understood each other." She smiled. "And I have a very tame nature. I can't see myself brewing potions over a fire and seeing visions in smoke."

"I can. I can see you doing anything you want to do."

There was a note in his voice that caused her to glance at his face. She looked away quickly. "What I want to do. That's the key word." She changed the subject. "Nick and Janet will be safe with Sarah. They don't need me there."

"I need you to be there."

"Too bad."

"One more time. Let me talk you out of staying."

"No."

"You're sure?"

"Marrok, drop it."

"It's dropped." His dark eyes were suddenly glittering, and his smile held the recklessness she was beginning to know so well. "I gave you your chance. I did everything I could. It's not my fault."

"What's not your fault? Danner's hurting me?"

"Anything. Everything." He opened the screen door. "Step into my parlor. I'll make you a cup of coffee."

She was studying him warily. "You seem very happy."

"Not happy. But being responsible and serious hasn't done me any good, so I'll revert to my natural character. That's always more fun."

"You don't give the impression of ever being either serious or responsible." She amended, "Except about the dogs."

"I was trying." He filled the carafe of the coffee. "But I think your Janet saw through me. She was staring daggers at me."

"She doesn't think you're safe."

"And did you defend me?"

"No. I said I could handle you,"

"Oh, you can," he said softly. "Any time, any way."

A wave of tingling heat went through her. Don't let it pass. Put him straight. "I didn't stay here to go to bed with you, Marrok."

"No, that will be a plus for both of us." He pressed the switch on the coffeemaker. "Because it will happen, Devon. I can't tell you how I'm looking forward to it. I'm regarding it as my reward for my noble attempt at being something I'm not." He got two cups from the cabinet. "Stop tensing. It will come when it comes. Just don't expect me to hold back. It's not my nature."

"I don't expect anything of you." She sat down at the table. "Except a place to stay and information that may help me. I haven't seen Lincoln today. Where is he?"

"He left midday. I'm sure he'll be back either today or tomorrow."

"What's he doing?"

"I've no idea. Probably trying to find a way to plant bugs all over the house."

"You believe that? How can you stand having him here?"

"If it wasn't Lincoln, it would be someone else. I had to have money to keep the dogs safe and undercover. I didn't have a dime and was on the run after Paco was killed." He poured coffee into the cups. "So I took the money, and I took the crap that went along with it."

"Until Ethiopia."

He shrugged. "It choked me. So I had to teach Lincoln a lesson." He sat down in the chair opposite her and lifted his cup to his lips. "It made him hate my guts, but he would have gotten to that point anyway. I held the power. Lincoln doesn't think anyone like me should be in control."

"He's wrong."

He raised his brows.

"You're the man who should be in control of shi'i'go. You love the dogs, you're smart, you have determination and passion. Even though you won't let the dogs be victimized, you're trying to guide them to benefit the sick. None of this is easy, but you're doing the very best you can. That says a lot." She lifted her cup to her lips. "I can't think of anyone else I'd choose to do the job."

"My, my. I didn't know you thought so well of me. What about my violent nature and my lack of Lincoln's precious civilized code?"

"Deplorable." She took another drink. "But it doesn't change my opinion. However, it might make me pause if I was working on the same team."

"But we are." He smiled. "As I told you, I'm the only game in town. At least where Danner's concerned."

"The hell you are. You haven't done so well in getting rid of him since Paco's death. Maybe you need a fresh viewpoint."

"I'm glad you didn't say fresh blood. That's exactly where you stepping in could lead."

"And it could throw Danner off-balance and get us close enough to get the bastard." Her hands clenched around the cup. "I don't want to wait and see if Danner comes looking for us. I want to go after him. Can't we do that? Where does he live?"

"He has a place on the coast near Portland, Oregon. He has more guards around him than the president. Do you think I wouldn't have tried to get to him?"

"Of course, you would." She frowned, thinking. "You said they'd come after Addie. Could we set a trap?"

"We could. Providing we could locate them before they flitted off. With that many guards around Sarah's place, they're not going to attack. They'll wait and see if they can gather us in."

"And who is the next dog they'll be targeting?"

"Wiley. His location was next on the list."

The German shepherd. "Is he secure?"

"Not as secure as Addie, but his guardian should be tough enough to protect him until I'm ready to move." He was silent a moment. "Okay, I wasn't going to wait for trouble. I'm not as complacent as you seem to think. I'm going to bring the other dogs here and bait the trap."

Her eyes widened. "All of them?"

"I'm going back and forth on Addie. But it would be irresistible for Danner if he could gather all the dogs up at one time."

"It would be risky."

"Do you think I don't know that?" he asked roughly. "I've kept those dogs separate for one reason and one reason only. Now I'm throwing safety down the toilet and risking everything I've fought for."

She frowned thoughtfully. "We'd have to be certain that we could keep the dogs from-"

"Listen to you," he said through his teeth. "You're not invited to this party, Devon."

"Then I'll throw one of my own. I'll go back to Denver and make sure I generate enough publicity to draw Danner. You did say he'd want to-"

"Dammit." His gaze searched her face. "You'd do it."

"Of course I would. Bait is bait. As a matter of fact, I'd rather not involve the dogs. I don't want to spend the rest of my life worrying about this mess. I want to know that the dogs are safe and we have a chance of finding a way of to-"

"You're not important enough to Danner to bring him down full force. He'd send someone to pick you up, then he'd torture you until you told everything you know."

"You really don't want that to happen. It would be very inconvenient to have me blabbing away, wouldn't it?"

"Inconvenient? Yes, you're damn right it would be inconvenient."

"So then you'd have to go after me and probably ruin all your plans. And you would go after me. Bridget once told me that she felt like a warrior protecting Camelot. But I think you have a little of that in you, too, Marrok." She stared him in the eye. "So why not avoid the entire problem and let me stay with you here at the ranch."

He started cursing again. "I don't like being put in-" He stopped and then started to laugh. "Damn you."

"I don't mind fighting alone. I've done it all my life. But it's more logical that if we combined efforts, we'd have a better chance."

"Heaven forbid I argue with logic. Though God knows how I'm going to-" His cell phone rang, and he glanced at the ID. "Bridget." He punched the button and listened. "Yes, I know Devon Brady wasn't on the helicopter. She decided that she'd be of more use to us here." He glanced at Devon. "She's very hardheaded." He listened again. "I had no choice. Why are you upset about it?" He was silent, frowning. "Do what you like. You will anyway." He hung up. "Bridget said she's coming here as soon as I send Larry Farland to replace her. She wants to see you. She's a little on edge about you not going to Sarah's."

"Why?"

"She said you should be somewhere safe. I agree."

"But her coming here isn't going to change my mind. You should tell her to stay where she is."

"You call and tell her."

"You have no authority over her?"

"Like a good soldier, she obeys me in emergency situations. She recognizes that there can be only one commander in those cases. Otherwise, she definitely puts in her two cents' worth."

"And you respect her opinion." Devon stared at him thoughtfully. "Bridget is… unusual. She seems to combine the talents of a dog whisperer with the training of a soldier. Where did you say you found her?"

"I didn't say. Ireland. A village outside Dublin. Lincoln gave me the tip I might find her useful, and I went to see her. She was training horses for a local politician. I spent two weeks there and in the end I persuaded her to come home with me. She was everything I needed. She'd been trained by MI6 and proved herself on several missions. She was magic with animals." He shrugged. "And I felt she was a woman to trust. Nothing she's done since has convinced me that I was wrong."

"She's wonderful with animals," Devon said slowly. "It's almost eerie. Is it some psychic ability?"

He was silent a moment. "Probably. Though it took a long time for me to admit it to myself. I don't want to believe all that weird stuff. I thought at first it might be just a strong instinctive bonding. But Bridget sometimes senses other things."

"What?"

"Bad events coming. The presence of enemies. I don't know what else. Bridget doesn't talk much about it. It was over a year before she opened up to me at all. She's not happy about it."

"I can see why she wouldn't be. Does she have any family?"

"Her parents are dead. She was in an orphanage from the time she was ten until she went to work at sixteen. She said that we had that in common. But she never had a Paco." He smiled. "But he would have liked her. He didn't care for many women, but Bridget is special."

"Special to you, too?"

His gaze narrowed on her face. "Do you mean have I slept with her?"

"No, that's none of my business."

"But you're curious." He leaned back in his chair. "That's encouraging. No, I look on Bridget as a guardian. Lincoln may think I have no code, but I don't go to bed with guardians. It would interfere with the relationship and might impact their work. Did I want to?" He tilted his head. "For some reason I never even considered it. She was always my friend, not a potential lover. Which is strange because I'm definitely not a celibate man."

"That doesn't surprise me." She moistened her lips. "But it doesn't interest me."

"Yes, it does. Just as I'm curious about your marriage."

"I'm not going to satisfy your curiosity." She lifted her cup. "I've told you all I'm going to tell you about Lester. I didn't like your response last time."

"What if we don't talk about the fact that I'm going to kill the bastard someday? It's other details that I want right now. Oh, I don't care anything about the way you met, the things you had in common. I want to know why you felt you had to go to bed with him. What did he do?" He added softly, "How did he please you?"

Her chest was tightening, it was hard to breathe. She tore her eyes away from him. "If Lincoln recommended Bridget, how are you sure that she's not working for him?"

He accepted the change of subject, thank God. "I can't be sure about anything. I'm careful. I'm always very, very careful."

"That's good." Devon set down her cup and stood up. "When will she be here?"

"A few hours. Where are you going?"

"Down to the barn to check on my animals."

"Are you running away?"

"Yes," she said bluntly. "You're not paying attention to what I want you to pay attention to."

"You're right, but there's a solution. Have sex with me so that I can concentrate on more serious things."

"I believe you're concentrating on more serious things right now. You just don't want me to concentrate on them."

"You're half-right. The other half is just a poor misguided half-breed who wants what he wants and can't help himself from trying to get it. You know savages are like that."

"No, I don't. I don't know what you're like. Just when I think I do, you change on me."

"Then you've changed opinions about me being a suitable custodian for the shi'i'go?" he asked mockingly.

"No, whatever else you are, I'd trust that side of you to hell and back. That wouldn't change."

His smile faded. "I believe I'm touched."

"And I believe you're making fun of me." She headed for the door. "I'll come back when Bridget is here. I want to see her, too."

"Devon."

She stopped but didn't turn around.

"I'm not making fun of you," he said quietly.

She didn't want to turn and see his expression. She had already been moved to a dozen different emotional highs. It had to stop.

She opened the door and ran down the porch steps. Slow down. No one was pursuing her. Yes, she was running away. She could still see Marrok lolling in that chair, his legs stretched before him; insolence, sensuality, and tension fighting for dominance. There was always a struggle going on within Marrok. Recklessness against wariness. Gentleness against violence. From the moment she had met him she had been aware of that battle. She should have run from him then. He was nothing she wanted in a man.

And everything she wanted in a lover.

Shock jolted through her at the thought that had come out of nowhere. She tried to push it away, dismiss it. A few chemical responses didn't mean anything. She had been so cool, so sure that she could handle anything when she had made the decision to throw all her efforts behind destroying Danner and saving the dogs. She'd been filled with a glowing sense of right.

That feeling was still there. Of course, it was. She just mustn't be distracted by these emotions that Marrok was stirring.

Easy to say. He had no intention of letting her ignore the way she felt. Heat tingled through her as she remembered the curve of his lips, his eyes dark and intent on her face. He wanted to make love to her, and he wasn't going to stop until it happened.

No, not make love. What was between them was erotic, sensual, but it had no basis in anything deeper. She had to remember that.

Going to bed with Marrok could be a mistake.

Thinking that there was anything between them but sex could be a tragedy.