Текст книги "Hunting Eve"

Автор книги: Iris Johansen

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“Your miraculous recovery. I can give it to you. It may be temporary, but you’ll be well enough to get a free pass from the medical staff here.”

“What do you mean, you can give it to me?”

“Blood.” He carefully removed the bandage covering the wound in her shoulder. “It’s magic. We’re going to see if my blood in your veins will answer me if I call on it.” He unbuttoned his shirt. “I believe I can do it on my own, but the effect may be doubled. Wouldn’t that be interesting?”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” But she couldn’t take her eyes from the corded muscles of his chest, the dark thatch of hair, the sheer masculine virility. “And I’m not sure I want to know.” He was coming toward her, and she instinctively tensed. “And I know the so-called magic blood stuff you seem to be able to pull off with your enemies. It’s fatal.”

“But that’s only with enemies. You’ve only seen my bad side.” He was standing next to the bed, and he reached out and touched the wound. “This is so ugly. It will be good to see it healed.”

She inhaled sharply.

Burning.

Skin tautening.

Deep explosion of tension.

“You like that?” His fingers gently rubbed around the wound. “Yes, I can see that you do.”

“Are you saying that you can cause that wound to heal?”

“No, I’m not a healer. But you can do it yourself.” He smiled. “With my help…”

“How … can I do it?”

“Send the blood to the wound. Blood is healing. As a matter of fact, medical facilities all over the world are experimenting with laser treatments to cause the blood to rush to injured areas of the body. They work very well.” He touched the wound. “But I’m much better at it.”

She gasped.

Not pain.

Heat.

Exquisite, flowing, heat.

“You see, that’s how it starts,” he said softly. “I touch, we touch, the flow begins. But it becomes very intimate, and that’s the part I can’t control. Because even without a physical joining, the mind can become obsessive and doesn’t want to release. All I can do is try.” He tilted his head. “But you’ll get what you want, Jane. If you’re not afraid to reach out and take it. Yes, or no?”

She stared at him. She didn’t underestimate anything he had told her. How could she when he had always been a mystery to her? When she had asked him for help, she hadn’t dreamed he would go down this dark path. Perhaps she should have, he had always been a figure of darkness and fire to her. Once she had even wanted to paint him surrounded by flames … She should probably tell him that she had changed her mind and that she’d work the problem out for herself.

But she wasn’t going to do it. He had said that he could give her what she needed, what Eve needed.

If Jane wasn’t afraid to take it. He had thrown that challenge at her, and through all the frantic desperation, it had sparked fire.

“Yes or no?” he repeated.

She held out her hand to him. “Yes.”

He smiled. “I thought so.” He moved her to the side of the bed. He kicked off his shoes and lay down beside her. “Remember, I gave you the choice.”

“What are you doing?” The warmth of his body next to her came as a shock. “Is this—It’s a hospital. What if someone comes in?”

“I’ll know if they’re coming. As Margaret would say, it’s part of the stalking instinct. Besides, it’s unlikely anyone will interfere. You’ve practically set up your office in here.”

“So … what do we do? What happens?”

“Relax, it’s already happening. It will take a while. But in a few hours, you’ll feel almost normal.” He spread his shirt aside and took her in his arms. “Almost…”

Her softness pressing against his hardness.

No, her breasts were not soft, the tips were hard.

She couldn’t breathe.

“It’s not easy for me either,” he murmured. He pulled her closer, enveloping her.

Flesh to flesh.

She was dizzy. Heat was surrounding her. Every nerve in her body was alive, crackling.

And everything, every sensation, was coming from him, pulling her toward him.

“Is this … are you telling me the truth, Caleb?”

“Mostly. I lied about its not being easy. I have a few masochist tendencies that permit me to enjoy it.”

“But about the rest?”

“You’ll be well enough to leave here by late afternoon. As I said, it’s not a permanent fix. If you don’t abuse yourself too much, you’ll be fine for a day or two.” His lips brushed her temple. “If you start getting weak, all you’ll have to do is come to me, and we’ll do this again. I’m at your disposal.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“You can never tell…”

“And I won’t forgive you if I find out that you’re lying to me.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“Or twist it to suit yourself.”

“I would dare to do that. But how would you know whether it would work if I didn’t do exactly what I’m doing? That’s why it’s important that I have your trust.” He rubbed against her. “For instance, this is all part of the therapy. The tingling, sexual rush, and intense sensation is all beneficial.”

“Caleb.”

“Just a small lie. I don’t know if it is or not, but I thought we both deserved it.”

“I don’t want this.”

“Of course you do.” He laid his head on her shoulder, his cheek on the wound. She could feel both the smoothness and the faintest roughness. It was wildly erotic. “You want it as much as I do. But I have to concentrate on something less entertaining. I made you a promise.” His lips moved against the flesh of her shoulder. “Do you feel your blood surge against my mouth? I’m going to lie here and hold you, and the blood is going to flow and move and heat. Close your eyes and let it come to me.”

Come to him.

Her entire body was tinglingly alive and coming, surging, to him.

“Shh, not that, not yet.” His tongue touched the flesh of her shoulder. “Just give your body what it needs to heal. A few more minutes, and the heat will cause everything to blur, and the need will be gone for a while.”

She didn’t believe him. The need was too intense, too hot, the feel of him was too good. She instinctively moved closer.

“No. Later, anything you want. Not now.” His cheek rubbed back and forth against her breasts. “Feel your heart beat? It’s bringing the blood to every part of your upper body. But particularly where the wound is causing all that shock and trauma.” She shuddered as he licked delicately at her nipple. “Burning? Stomach muscles clenching? It’s all good, Jane.”

She drew a deep breath. “The hell it is.”

“It will have a good result.” His cheek was once more on her shoulder. “But the blur is coming. You can relax now.”

The blur.

The heat.

Dizziness and swirling intensity.

Relaxed …

The sexual need was still there, but it was like low-burning embers.

Everything was visible only through a red heat haze.

Blood haze?

It didn’t matter …

All she wanted to do was lie there with Caleb and let the haze surround her. But should she—

“Shh, it’s okay. Let go. I’ll bring you back when you’ve had enough…”

CHAPTER

11

JANE’S EYES FLEW OPEN, startled.

“Don’t be afraid,” Caleb whispered. “It’s just time for you to start stirring. They’re starting to serve the meds. You don’t want any nurses bustling in here.”

“No.” Not with Caleb half-dressed and in bed with her. “How long was—”

“Long enough for you.” He sat up and carefully rebandaged her wound. “And not nearly long enough for me. Button your shirt. I’d do it, but I’m afraid you’ve been jarred out of intimacy.” He swung his feet to the floor, and his fingers began buttoning his shirt. “But it was quite an intimacy, wasn’t it?”

“Intimacy? I don’t know what it was,” Jane said as she hurriedly buttoned her shirt. “I’ve never felt anything like that before. I think you must have hypnotized me or something.”

“You said yes, Jane.”

“I know I did. I thought—I believed you when you said—” She looked at him. “Should I have believed you, Caleb?”

“Ask yourself that question. How do you feel, Jane?”

She thought about it. “Good, I think.” Her eyes widened. “No, very good. Normal.”

“High energy?”

“Yes.”

“Any pain in your shoulder?”

She moved her shoulder in a half shrug. “No pain at all.”

“Why don’t you take a look at the wound.”

She slowly pulled her shirt off her shoulder and shifted the bandage. “It’s still there. No miracle recovery, Caleb.”

“The doctors will think it’s one. We accomplished three weeks’ worth of healing in the last three hours.” He headed for the door. “Now go wash your face while I go round up a doctor or two to give you the once-over.”

“Do you think it really worked, Caleb?”

“It worked. Once you get on your feet and start moving, you’ll know that it did.” He glanced back over his shoulder. “And you may feel a little strange for a while, but you’ll get used to it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your blood has become … accustomed to responding to me. It may continue to have a residual effect on your body responses. We were together for a long time. Action and reaction.”

“You didn’t say there would be any long-term effects.”

“I didn’t, did I? I wasn’t really sure, but there was always that possibility. We’ll have to work through it ourselves.” He smiled slyly. “I wouldn’t mention that to Trevor. It might make him feel a little … excluded.”

She stared at him in astonishment, then understood. He hadn’t liked it one bit when she had told him that Trevor had reminded her of Cira’s lover, Anthony. It somehow made her closer to Trevor in his eyes. This was a little payback.

She said softly, “Why, you bastard.”

She heard him laugh as he walked out the door.

Southern Colorado

“IT’S ABOUT TIME YOU answered your phone,” Venable said sourly.

“How was I supposed to know it was you until you unblocked your caller ID.” Kendra glanced over at Margaret, who was asleep in the passenger seat. They had passed construction sites and several wailing sirens on their trip down to southern Colorado, but she hadn’t stirred. A simple phone conversation was unlikely to wake her. “I don’t pick up for just anyone.”

“I’m honored,” he said sarcastically. “But I believe you might have suspected I’d be calling. And I know that Jane MacGuire must have been trying to reach you. She was very upset when she heard about what was happening at Goldfork.”

“Then you shouldn’t have told her, dammit.”

“And I’ll bet you haven’t answered her calls, either.”

He was right. Kendra had wanted to put off talking to anyone until she absolutely had to do it. She had to sift through the events of the past hours and decide what she could reveal. She hated lies, and deceit was just that in her eyes. “How was I to know that you’d bring Jane into this? Quinn wouldn’t want her to be disturbed.”

“Disturbed? We have a lot of questions about what went down in Goldfork. A lot of people are upset that you decided to flee the scene, especially since you left behind a dead cop in the driveway.”

“A man tried to kill us up there in Goldfork. Excuse me for not wanting to stick around.”

“Who?”

“Blick.”

“Are you sure?”

“Margaret is sure.”

“Margaret Douglas is with you? We had reports of a woman of her description in the neighborhood but no confirmation.”

“She got to Goldfork even before I did. She recognized Blick from the photo in the dossier you gave to Quinn and Jane. I take it that he hasn’t been apprehended?”

“No sign of him. When did you last see him?”

“At Doane’s house.”

“Could he be following you?”

“Yes, but I’m fairly sure he’s not.”

“Okay, putting aside that bit of news … What in the hell was Blick doing back in Goldfork? It looks like he tried to destroy the house with that gas explosion.”

This was a bit awkward. “Actually, that was sort of my handiwork.”

Venable muttered a curse. “I suppose I should have known.”

“Why should you have known? It was purely in self-defense.” She paused. “Is there anything left of the house?”

“Yeah. Most of it is fine. Just a couple rooms upstairs were damaged. Evidence teams are there now. They really want to talk to you.”

“Later.” Kendra drove in silence for a moment. It would probably have been better for her if the place had burned to the ground. She had an idea what his next question was going to be. She wasn’t surprised when it came.

“So what did you find in that staircase, Kendra?”

“The staircase?”

“I received pictures. A panel on the landing was destroyed. More of your handiwork?”

“Yes.”

“So what did you find?”

She braced herself. She hated this. “Nothing. We were still fishing around in there when Blick showed up. I was just going to suggest that your people give it a closer look. Doane went to a lot of trouble to make that secret compartment.”

A long moment of silence. “We searched and came up with zilch. Are you positive you didn’t find the disk?”

“No disk.”

“Or anything else?”

Damn, she hated to lie. “I’m positive.”

Another pause. He didn’t believe her.

Tit for Tat. She wasn’t sure she believed anything he’d told her about that disk either.

She looked down at the tattered notebook on the console beside her. Not yet, Venable.

“Okay,” he finally said.

“Have the forensics guys pulled anything else from Doane’s car?”

“Not a lot. That was gold dust in the trunk, but it wasn’t especially pure.”

“Unprocessed?”

“It was processed, but not in the way that it usually is these days. They found traces of cyanide in it.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s actually not uncommon. Cyanide is one of the chemicals used to extract impurities from the gold. But the thing is that the gold dust we found in Doane’s car wasn’t processed like most gold is today.”

“What do you mean?”

“Most gold undergoes a type of electrolysis to further separate it from other minerals. That wasn’t done in this case. It’s almost as if…”

“What?”

“That the gold dust we found may have been processed over a hundred years ago.”

Kendra let that sink in for a moment. What in the hell was going on here? “Interesting.”

“Yeah. I’m not sure what it means, but I thought you’d like to know.”

“I do. Thanks.”

“Always willing to cooperate. Cooperation is very important, Kendra.” The words couldn’t have been more laden with sarcasm.

Sorry, Venable.

“So what’s your next move?” Venable asked. “Or am I allowed to ask?”

She hesitated while she decided whether or not to tell him. What the hell. “We’re going down to the southern part of the state, in the coverage area of the radio stations on Doane’s car stereo.”

“We’ve been looking at that part of the state ourselves. It’s a pretty big coverage area.”

“I know.”

“And did you say ‘we’?”

“Margaret is still with me.”

“Good God.” Venable chuckled. “It sounds like you’re a team. Shades of Thelma and Louise. How did that happen?”

“Long story. And we are not a team. Thelma and Louise? I find nothing laudatory in being compared to two idiotic women who drove off into the Grand Canyon. I’ll be in touch, Venable.”

Kendra cut the connection.

“Thelma and Louise?” Margaret asked drowsily. “Grand Canyon?”

Kendra glanced over and saw Margaret’s eyes were open. “I thought you were sound asleep. How much did you hear?”

“From the beginning. Only from your side, but it was enough to put most of the conversation together. I was sound asleep, but I seem to have a built-in alarm for things I need to hear. Thelma and Louise?”

“It’s an old movie. I’m not sure you were even born then, but it’s kind of a classic.”

“I like classics but more in the Frank Capra vein. That was a happier age. Anyone who drives a car into the Grand Canyon strikes of craziness or despair. Not my cup of tea.”

“I can see that. Not mine either. Which is why Venable’s comparison annoyed me.”

“One reason,” Margaret said quietly. “The main reason is that you’re still having trouble with my coming with you. You’ll get used to me, Kendra.” She smiled. “You might even be glad I came. I know that you like to work by yourself and be totally independent, but that can also be lonely.”

“I’m used to being lonely. I was blind until I was twenty.” She paused. “That sounded as if I was sorry for the way I grew up. I didn’t mean it like that. I had my mother, who was completely supportive and wonderful. I had a best friend, Olivia, and a few other friends who managed to tolerate my rather abrasive personality. The loneliness was my fault. There were times when I drew into myself and lived there.” She chuckled. “Because I was damn good company.”

“Really?” Margaret murmured demurely. “I haven’t noticed.”

“Ouch.” Kendra glanced at her in surprise. “That was a sharp little jab. Not what I was expecting from Miss Sunshine and Light.”

“Expect it. I’m only human. I believe in being cheerful and looking for the sun. But I also believe in being honest, and you left yourself wide open.” She straightened on the seat. “You can be abrasive, but I like it. It’s … stimulating.”

“I’m so glad I meet with your approval,” Kendra said dryly. “And I hope I’ve put your worries about my loneliness to rest.” She tilted her head. “What about you? Did I detect a hint of empathy? You appear to be something of a loner yourself.”

She shook her head. “No, I like people. I like to be with them and interact and feel their energy flow to me. The human race is a wonderful thing. Are you asking me if I need them?”

“Well, you seem to be leaning toward the animal kingdom.”

“I like animals, too. And they can be very restful in comparison to people. They have simpler motivations. Food, shelter, procreation are central. But they also have emotional responses and often a sense of humor.” She smiled. “It took me a while to be able to read those responses. After I ran away from home when I was eight, I lived off the land for three years. I was almost totally without human contact. That’s when I learned the most about them.”

“You ran away from home?”

“I didn’t have a wonderful, supportive mother like you. She died when I was born. My father … was not kind. I decided it was time to go away and cheat him of the welfare check he was getting for me.” She smiled cheerfully. “The only other attractive option was to persuade the Doberman down the street to tear his throat out.”

“I … see.”

“No, you don’t. You’re a little shocked that I’d say something like that much less think it. You’re getting a glimpse of my dark side, which pops out now and then.”

“I’m not shocked. I’m sorry that you were abused as a child. I hate it when children or animals are being hurt. That Doberman idea didn’t sound all that bad to me.”

“It was just a passing thought. I wouldn’t really get a helpless dog into trouble like that. I just couldn’t think of a way to do it myself.”

“Three years living off the land is a long time.”

“I enjoyed it. I was almost sorry when I decided I wanted to learn things that I couldn’t in the woods. But then I found this wonderful couple, Bill and Laura Skanner, who lived on a farm in the next county, didn’t believe that the law was always right, and thought that kids shouldn’t be caught in the middle. They liked me, and I liked them, and I stayed with them for two years.”

“And your father?”

“I don’t know.” She met Kendra’s eyes. “I never looked back.”

The words were clear and bold and yet held a hint of poignancy, Kendra thought. Or perhaps she was reading something that wasn’t there into them. Maybe that was Margaret’s philosophy of life.

“And what happened to the couple that you lived with during those years?”

“Bill and Laura had a few problems, but we straightened them out, and now they’re living happily ever after.”

“Do you see them?”

“Sometimes. But they’re better off without me. I’m not cut out for happily ever after.” She took out her cell phone and glanced at it. “I got another call from Jane while I was asleep.” She didn’t listen to the voice mail as she gazed at Kendra. “I’m not going to ignore another call just because it’s hard for me to deal with. I only did it because I was hoping that maybe no one would tell her about Goldfork since she was in the hospital and couldn’t do anything about it.”

“Well, evidently Venable wasn’t in a protective mood when he heard about the blowup there. He wanted answers, and he went to Jane to see if she could get them for him.” Kendra frowned. “And he didn’t believe me when I told him we hadn’t found anything. So we’ll probably have him on our trail right away.”

“But you told him where we were going anyway.”

“That was about Eve. I didn’t have a right to keep anything about the search from him. The journal … I don’t know. That may be another story and not one Venable was entirely honest about.” She glanced down at the journal. “And I think we should get this out of our hands and into a safe place as soon as we reach Mineral County. It may not only be Blick who wants to get hold of it.”

“Okay.” Margaret took the journal. “But I want to read it cover to cover before we get there. It’s pretty rambling, but there may be something that will strike a note. Maybe not immediately but when I look back on it.”

“I should do that.”

“Because you have such a fantastic memory and can put everything together and come out with dazzling answers?” Margaret asked. “And I’m just a kid who you don’t trust to remember how to tie the laces on her own tennis shoes?”

“Yes.”

“Then pull over and let me drive. We’ll take turns at the wheel while the other one sleeps. Not that you’ll sleep right now. You can do the first read of the journal.” She smiled. “I don’t mind your being the dazzling one. Though I should tell you that I probably have a better memory than you do. You were trained by your blindness. I was trained by having to remember obscure trails and animals and having to put all of the signs together during very distracting circumstances. Often when I was on the run. Ever been chased by a bull moose?”

“No.” Kendra pulled over to the side of the road. “I’ve never had that privilege. I’m not looking forward to it in the future.” She smiled faintly. “And you almost had me convinced how superior you might be until I remembered what you said about my not thinking you could remember to tie the laces on your tennis shoes.” She came around the car and opened the passenger door for Margaret to get out of the car. “You’re not even wearing tennis shoes even though it’s cold as hell here in Colorado right now. You’re still wearing those stupid leather thongs.”

“Oops.” Margaret gazed ruefully down at her feet. “I meant to change. I just didn’t seem to have the time. Things were happening.”

“I’m sure they were.” Explosions and bullets flying and Margaret keeping calm and steady through it all. “But you have time now. Get those tennis shoes out of your suitcase and put them on before you start driving.”

“Good idea.” She reached into the backseat. “Thanks for reminding me.”

No resentment. Someone else might have been a little annoyed to be told what to do, Kendra thought. Yet there was no lack of self-respect or independence in Margaret’s attitude. She was beginning to realize that the girl was unique in a multitude of ways and possessed an inner strength that was fairly incredible.

Then why the hell did Kendra still feel the need to protect and guide her?

“There.” Margaret double-tied the second New Balance shoe and jumped out of the car. “That feels better.” She grinned knowingly at Kendra. “And it will make you feel better, won’t it?”

Kendra didn’t answer directly. “It’s much more sensible. I can’t see how you could stand traipsing around in this weather with feet that were practically bare.”

“I just close it out.” Margaret ran around the car and slipped into the driver’s seat. “And keep moving. That’s the trick. You just keep moving.” She looked out the windshield at the snow-covered mountains in the distance. “But it would be harder up there. I hope Eve isn’t…” She shook her head. “Wishful thinking doesn’t do any good. Jane says Eve is strong. She’ll do what she has to do.” She started the car. “And so will we. Right, Kendra?”

Kendra’s gaze followed hers to the mountains, then she glanced down at the journal on her lap. We. The inference of togetherness was both clear and deliberate. Margaret wanted a commitment. What the hell. Why not give it to her? It could be an uneasy partnership, but she was beginning to believe that Margaret would never fail her when the chips were down. “Right, Margaret. That’s the only thing we can do.”

She opened the journal and began to read.

Gwinnett Hospital

“MINERAL COUNTY.” JANE repeated with frustration, her hand tightening on the phone. “Where in Mineral County, Venable?”

“Kendra said she’d be in touch.”

“Great. She didn’t answer my calls. Neither did Margaret.”

“They still consider you on the disabled list. They didn’t want to worry you. Kendra didn’t like it one bit that I called you and told you about Goldfork.” He paused. “But I think that more happened there than she told me about. If you do get in touch with her, you might ask a few questions.”

“Count on it. And I’ll probably ask them in person. I should be discharged sometime before noon today. It would be sooner, but it’s hard to get hold of doctors early in the day. Caleb has been trying to get them here to check me, but it’s been like pulling teeth.”

“Wait a minute. Quinn will kill me if I caused you to break out of there.”

“I’m not breaking out. I’m getting a clean bill of health from my doctors. I’ve just got an okay from one of them. As soon as Caleb manages to get the other two specialists here, it will be all over. They’ll all talk and argue, then decide to let me out of here.”

“You seem very certain.”

“I’m certain. I feel great, and they’re not going to find any excuse to keep me here.” She paused. “But you might wait until tomorrow before you tell Joe I’ve left the hospital.”

“He’d come after me with a hatchet,” Venable said flatly. “I’ll call the hospital myself and get a report. If what you say checks out, I’ll wait for a few hours. Besides, I need to know what’s happening at Zander’s place in Vancouver.”

“Joe is in Vancouver? You didn’t mention that little fact, Venable.”

“Kendra and Margaret didn’t think I was protecting you, but there were some things you didn’t have to know.”

She tried to smother the surge of impatience at his words. The entire world seemed to be in a conspiracy to keep her safe and ignorant when her neck should have been on the line like the rest of their necks were. “I don’t like the idea that he’s trying to deal with Zander by himself. Joe is in aggressive mode. Can’t you call Zander and—”

“Zander’s not answering. This seems to be my day for being ignored. Though that’s not at all unusual for Zander.” He added, “Look, Quinn wants cooperation from Zander. He won’t be too violent.”

“Maybe. I’ll call him once I’m on the road and talk to him.”

Silence. “You’re not fooling yourself that you’re well because you want to get into the action?”

“Yes, I want to get into the action. No, I’m not fooling myself. Call the hospital in a few hours and check for yourself.” She added, “Blick. What are you doing about him?”

“What I’ve been trying to do all along. Get my hands on him.”

“From what you told me, he might want to get his hands on Kendra and Margaret. Which means that we should get to them as soon as possible.”

“I’m on it, Jane.”

“So am I. Call me if you get a lead on Blick.” She hung up.

Mineral County.

She’d start doing computer checks on the mountain territory as soon as possible. Why hadn’t someone told her that Kendra had mentioned those radio stations?

She knew the answer. Why tell her when she had been so damn weak and ineffectual? Well, she wasn’t weak now. She had never felt stronger and more full of energy.

Blood? Caleb’s blood running through her veins? No, she wouldn’t accept that. He had obviously managed to do something that had an amazing effect, but she was her own person, and she would not have it any other way.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Mark Trevor said grimly. He was standing in the doorway, studying her. “The nurse at the station said they may be ready to discharge you sometime today. When I left you, you looked so fragile that you might break if someone blew on you. Now you’re … electrified. What happened?”

“What did they tell you happened?”

“A miraculous recovery the doctor said. But I think that he was quoting Seth Caleb. I saw Caleb going down the hall talking to him.” His gaze was narrowed on her face. “What happened?”

“I decided I had to leave here. Kendra and Margaret were almost killed at Goldfork doing a job that I should have been doing.” She went over to the closet and pulled out her suitcase and threw it on the bed. “We’ve been spinning our wheels trying to find an area that might not even exist. I have to go another route.”

“What route?”

“Mineral County in Colorado. That’s where Kendra and Margaret are headed. They must think there’s something there that will give them a lead.” She glanced at him. “Did you find out anything from the Georgia-Pacific office?”

“No, but that seems to be unimportant to you at the moment.”

“Unless you made a breakthrough. I’ll take any break I can get.”

“That’s clear. What I want to know is how you made this particular breakthrough. It’s fairly mind-blowing.” He came toward her. “Talk to me, Jane.”

“The body is a wonderful machine. It takes its own time healing.”

“I’m happy as hell to see you better. I’m not happy you didn’t call me and tell me you were on your way to leaving the hospital.” He added softly, “And I’m not happy that Caleb seems to be running things and looks like a cat who just devoured a quart of cream. Did he have anything to do with all this?”

She didn’t answer.

“I told you that I’d heard some weird things about him after I had him investigated when I found out he was in your life. Most of it I didn’t believe, but I’m leaning more toward doing so with every passing minute.”

“What? Do you think he sucked my blood and gave me a high? He’s not a vampire, for God’s sake.”

“I don’t believe in ridiculous myths. I do believe Caleb is … unusual. How unusual, Jane?”

He wasn’t going to give up, so she might as well tell him. “Unusual enough.” She began putting her belongings into the suitcase. “He can control the blood flow in the body of anyone when he’s close to them. It’s a sort of gift passed down through his family. Eve said she once saw him kill a murderer by doing that.”

“Handy. What else, Jane?”

“Bringing the blood up to a wound and keeping it circulating is very healing. He said that medical researchers are exploring the benefits by using laser treatments to accomplish manipulating the blood flow.”