“That’s true,” Mandak said. “But I’m afraid persuasion wasn’t going to enter into it. Considering how bullheaded you are, I doubted whether arguments or wiles would work. But there are other methods.” He paused. “However, there are complications that have to be addressed before I delve into that. I am going to move you from the university, and this time I won’t involve Lee and Natalie.”
“Bullshit.” She stiffened. “I’m not going with you. I’m not leaving here, Mandak.”
“Camano may know where you are,” he said bluntly. “Your file was compromised.”
Shock. No, it couldn’t be true. Not after all this time. She’d even had dreams of actually being free. “How convenient. You’re lying.”
“No.”
She searched his expression. How would she even know if he was lying or not? He’d always been an enigma to her.
“It’s true, Allie. Call Josh Dantlow.”
“You told me that you could control him.”
“But you’ve gotten to know something about him. He’s an honest man.”
“Yes.” Her knees felt weak. She sank down on the bed. The nightmare had returned. She had almost felt as if the threat had disappeared over the horizon, but here was the ugliness staring her in the face. “How much chance is there that they’ll find me?”
“I can’t give you a percentage. I don’t like any odds that involve you and Camano. That’s why I’m taking you out of here.”
“Does Lee know?”
He shook his head. “I just found out myself.”
“Are you sure? Tonight he and Natalie were…”
“What?”
“They wanted me to go away.”
“I was expecting that to happen. No, that was about me, not Camano.”
“You?” She shook her head. “And I thought it was about me. I thought I wasn’t behaving normally enough for them.” She made a face. “Not surprising since I don’t know what normal really is. I was planning on how I could make them think I’d changed.”
“It wasn’t about you,” Mandak said. “They care about you. They were willing to give up a plan that we’d worked on for years to protect you.”
“What plan?” When he didn’t answer, she said slowly, “They were going to let you use me? I tried to believe they were just an innocent couple who were supposed to furnish credibility to my presence here. They were actually in on it?”
“They didn’t know you. All they knew was that you could help me, and they desperately wanted me to get what I needed.”
“Why?”
“Ask them. Personal reasons. Intensely personal.”
“It would have to be. I know them, and they wouldn’t betray anyone for money.”
“But you’re suspecting I would?”
“I’m suspecting you’re totally ruthless and would do anything necessary to move your damn agenda.” She added with sudden fierceness, “But you shouldn’t have involved Lee and Natalie. You’re right, they do care about me. They would have been torn apart by these games you’re playing.”
“You’re not angry with them?”
“We were all tiptoeing around when I came here, trying to find a way to live comfortably together. But then we found that way, and it became damn wonderful.” She paused, trying to probe her own feelings as well as explain. “Am I a little hurt? Yes. I wish they hadn’t had a reason for being kind to me, but that’s life. My life. No one is perfect. But they come pretty close. They gave me something very special. They love me. I know it. When you weigh that in the balance of the nothing I had before, I don’t have the right to be angry.”
He was silent. “That’s a remarkably mature way of dealing with the issue.”
“I am mature.” Her lips twisted. “In case you didn’t notice, I’m not that kid you picked up and stuffed away in this house seven years ago.”
“Oh, I noticed,” he said softly.
Sensuality.
Heat.
She lost her breath.
Her breasts were becoming taut.
Back off. Back off. Back off.
“I mean mentally and emotionally,” she said quickly. “I’ve had time to think, to sort things out, and get my feelings straight on a good many subjects.”
“I regret I haven’t been around you enough to see that come to pass. I was principally concerned with getting you ready to face the world without having to be shredded to pieces by having to deal with the memory albatross.” He paused. “And I did a good job, didn’t I? During those first few months, I believe you were even grateful.”
“I was grateful.” She was remembering those first three months of intense therapy after she had arrived at the university. Recalling how he had talked to her, made her talk to him, she even suspected that there had been some kind of subtle hypnosis involved. Then he had started making her work, showed her how to build walls and fight off intruders. She hadn’t been sure any of it would work. Her mind had been shattered by chaos for so long. Then, she saw that it was clearing, becoming clean and tight and bright with no intrusions bombarding her. It wasn’t a total block, there were still attacks that caught her off guard. But he had made it possible for her to function. The last night, after Mandak had left her, she had broken down and wept. “It was the difference between day and night for me.”
“I know. You told me. I was surprised you admitted it.”
She hadn’t wanted to admit it. Because that gift he’d given her showed he wielded too much power, and she hadn’t wanted him to know the dependence on him she felt. “Why not? You seemed to know everything else about me.”
“Enough to keep you comfortable and give you a chance to open your mind to something besides other people’s memories,” he said. “Lee tells me you’ve had a good life here with a good deal of progress in all areas.”
“He gave you reports?”
“Nothing so formal. He just kept me informed.”
“But informed regarding personal and educational?”
“I had to know how your therapy was holding.”
“That’s a report.” She shook her head. “I’m not going to dwell on it. It’s over. Now I have to decide on what Lee, Natalie, and I are going to do.”
“You’re going with me. I’m going to move Lee and Natalie to a location in South Carolina. I’ve set up a safe house for them, and I’ll have Dantlow arrange immediate security to protect them.”
“You said that you don’t even know for sure if I’m in danger. It might suit you to send me on the run from Camano, so that I’d run toward you.”
“I thought about that.” He shook his head. “But that’s not why I’m doing it. As I said, this is a complication.”
“And I have to be the one to work out that complication. After all, it’s my life.”
“And I have no intention of your losing it after I’ve done so much to preserve it,” he said grimly. “I want to move you tonight, now. I’ll call Lee and explain once we’re on the road.”
“You’re taking me out the window and down the drainpipe?” she asked sarcastically.
“No drainpipe. There’s a roof over the bay window five feet below. You won’t have a problem.”
“You bet I won’t. I have no intention of crawling out there tonight. I’ll go down and talk to Lee and Natalie and decide what we’re going to do.” She frowned, thinking. “I imagine we’ll pack up and leave right away, wherever we decide to go. Though I’d like to go on ahead and have them join me. If I’m not here, there won’t be any threat to Lee and Natalie.” She grimaced. “But I’ll have to see if they’ll agree.”
“I doubt if they’ll want to let you out of their sight.” He got to his feet. “Once you’ve left, I gather you’re not going to contact me and let me know your plans?”
“I didn’t say that. I’ll let Dantlow know where we end up. He’ll tell you.” She paused. “And I may call you. You have an interest in keeping all of us alive. I’d be stupid to sacrifice your help because I can’t trust you
to let me do things my way.”
“Yes, you would.” He smiled. “And you’re not stupid. Stubborn, not stupid.” He moved toward the window. “I’d prefer you come with me now. We could argue out the details and ramifications once we’re out of here.”
“We could, but I’ve never noticed that you argue. You take, Mandak.”
“But usually in a civilized way.” He stopped to look at her as he slid his leg over the sill. “And I almost always find a way to make it palatable. You won’t change your mind?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think that what you want from me is in the least palatable. Or you wouldn’t be so evasive about telling me about it.” She met his gaze. “And I’ve never found you civilized.”
His smile faded. “No, that doesn’t appear to be working in our relationship. I think I tried it when you were that scared kid in the forest. It should have been easy then. Big brother and all that … But I never felt that way about you. Afterward … forget it.” He paused. “One question. Have you ever contacted your mother since you’ve been here?”
“No. Have I wanted to do it? Yes. But I knew that she wasn’t strong enough to fight Camano. I couldn’t risk putting Natalie and Lee in danger.” She moistened her lips. “Is she still with him?”
He nodded. “This is the first time you’ve asked me.”
“That life seems very remote. I’ve tried to forget it.”
“Very smart.” His body slid out the window and was lost to view.
She heard nothing. Quiet. He was so very quiet as he moved down the side of the house.
Had he really been a cat burglar?
Probably not. She could imagine the wildness and reckless disregard of the law, but he was too intelligent to do that for any length of time.
She went to the window and looked out.
No Mandak.
She hadn’t expected to see him, but she was disappointed. She felt somehow that Mandak was the pulse that was driving all of them, and she had to keep tabs on him.
As he had kept tabs on her all these years.
And this time, he had let her go too easily.
He would be out there somewhere, making his own plans, trying to manipulate them all as he had always done.
She shivered. Why did that worry her? That part of her life was over. She was an adult now. She was going forward under her own volition and rules.
She turned away from the window. She would go down and talk to Lee and Natalie, then come back and start packing.
Another new start, a new life, but she would not be alone this time. She would have two people who loved her to ward off that loneliness. She felt her spirits lift at the thought.
But she paused as she opened the door to look back at the darkness beyond that open window through which Mandak had disappeared.
Darkness that was filled with promises and threats.
Yet darkness that was inviting, beckoning …
* * *
TWO HOURS LATER, THE TEMPORARY plans had been made for Natalie, Lee, and Allie’s departure at five the following morning. They’d decided their first stop would be a hotel in Colorado that Lee and Natalie had always loved. From there, they would go up to a cabin in the mountains. Now that the decision was made, there was only the task of packing up necessities, photos, and other treasures before catching a few hours’ sleep.
“I’m sorry, Allie.” Natalie stopped and turned to Allie as she started up the stairs. “It’s not that we really meant to use you. Oh, I guess we did. Why else would we have listened to Mandak? It was just that we were so hurt and angry that our son had been so brutally taken from us that we had a gigantic hope that somehow it would work out that you’d be willing to help us. Mandak thought you might. Believe me. We never meant to hurt you.”
“I know that.” Allie smiled at her. “And in the end, you told Mandak to go jump in the proverbial lake.”
“No, we owe him too much. But we couldn’t go on with it.” She hesitated. “You didn’t ask us why we agreed to take care of you all these years. Why Mandak was able to persuade us to do it.”
“And I won’t, until you’re ready to tell me.”
“It’s a long, nightmare story,” Natalie said. “But you have a right to know.” She drew a shaky breath. “Give me a minute. It’s hard for me to talk about it.”
“Then don’t do it.” She gave Natalie an impulsive hug. “I don’t want to hurt you in any way. I can wait. Maybe when we’re up in the mountains would be a good time. We’ve lived a great life together without me prying into your past. We can keep on doing that.”
Natalie looked her in the eyes, and her own hazel eyes were glittering with moisture. “I never had a daughter, Allie. Only my son, Simon, who was a wonderful child, a loving and idealistic young man, who filled our lives and made having another child seem unimportant. Then he was gone, and I thought all the good things had gone with him. But when you came, you enriched every day and healed us. Sometimes I’ve wondered if Simon hadn’t found some way to send you to us. I learned how wrong I’d been to let all the ugliness dominate our lives.” She reached up and gently cupped Allie’s cheek in her hand. “You know about ugliness, you’ve lived with it. Do you know what I want for you more than anything in the world? I want you to live every minute with joy and love. I want you to fight the poison and not let it rob you of that joy. That’s the only true way of fighting all the ugliness. Will you try to do that for me?”
Allie was so touched, she could barely speak. “Natalie…”
“Hey, I didn’t mean to make you all weepy.” Natalie’s voice was throaty as her hand dropped away from Allie’s cheek. “I have only one more thing to say.” She paused. “I want you to know I look upon you as my daughter.”
She put two fingers over Allie’s mouth when she opened it to speak. “Now we have to stop this sentimental talk and get busy.” She started up the stairs. “I have to go up to my studio and choose two paintings to take with me. Lee won’t allow me to take any more than that. He says we’ll break the van down if I try to pack up all my work.” She made a face. “Philistine. But he won’t leave all his precious first editions behind. He’s in the garage now, packing them in boxes.”
“Natalie.”
“It’s fine. Stop frowning.” Natalie’s radiant smile lit her face. “We’ll have each other, and that’s all that’s important.”
“I told you that I should probably go on ahead. I still think it’s a good idea.”
“Just try to do it.” She didn’t look back at Allie as she mounted the stairs. “We’re a family now. We don’t leave anyone behind. Now get packed so that we can get on the road.”
“Right.” Allie didn’t move, watching Natalie go up the stairs. She had to get control. My God, she loved her. She hadn’t expected those words Natalie had spoken. Daughter? She should have said something. She should have told Natalie how much she— But Natalie always knew what she was feeling.
“Allie,” Natalie called down. “Stop dithering and get to bed.”
And Natalie had known Allie was down here staring after her and regretting the words she hadn’t been allowed to say. “Just a few minutes more.”
Allie gave one last lingering look around the cozy foyer and living room that had been her home these last seven years. It was the only place she’d considered home during her entire life. She went across to the fireplace and put out the fire. Then she moved toward the stairs. She could hear Lee moving around in the garage, and she was tempted to go to him and talk a little longer.
No, they all had to say good-bye to this place in their own way.
Time enough to talk before they left in the morning.
* * *
MANDAK SAT IN HIS CAR, watching the lights glow, then go out from different windows of the Walberg house. It was clear Lee, Natalie, and Allie were moving from room to room. That meant Allie had stirred them into action, and they would be on the move.
Not without me, Allie.
He had
already bugged all the vehicles, and he’d be able to monitor them at some distance, but somehow he hadn’t wanted to leave Allie tonight. She had been her usual explosive, independent self, but he’d thought he’d detected a hint of vulnerability. Not that she would admit it. He had thrown Camano’s threat at her, and she’d accepted it.
But then she accepted everything that life dealt her.
Even him, he thought bitterly. And he might turn out to be the worst thing ever to come her way.
Maybe.
But maybe not. At any rate, he could keep her alive, dammit.
He reached for his phone and dialed Dantlow. “Things are blown to hell. Has Allie called you yet?”
“No, what do you mean blown to hell?”
“She and the Walbergs are taking it on the lam and not trusting either of us to keep them safe. She said she might call you and tell you their destination.”
Dantlow muttered a curse. “I see your fine hand in this. You shouldn’t have told them there was any threat. It’s not as if it was confirmed.”
“It’s not as if it wasn’t. I’m not willing to risk her life on the chance that Camano isn’t breathing down her neck. Have you heard anything from Trenton PD?”
He was silent a moment. “Nothing. They’ve been checking on various members of Camano’s immediate circle who would likely be sent after Allie, and most of them are accounted for.”
He went still. “Most?”
“Sal Navarro and Ben Ledko haven’t been seen in their usual haunts recently, but that doesn’t mean anything. There’s no proof that—”
“Screw proof. Can you send me photos of them?”
“No problem. I just sent them to Allie’s security surveillance, Gillen and Pontlin.” He paused. “Just in case. I’m not as complacent as you think me, Mandak.”