“Most of the time, it would. After all, he has the Persuasion.” She chuckled. “Which he’s refusing to teach me right now. Even though you think that he should.”
“I’d be content with politeness and diplomacy. That abrasiveness must be a problem for you … and anyone with whom you interact. Tell me, how did you get along at school?”
“Fine. I was there to study, not socialize.” She made a face. “Though that’s what Teresa wanted me to do. She wanted me to make contacts to spread her influence among all those billionaires and minor royalty who sent their kids to my schools. All the more reason why I shouldn’t be either polite or diplomatic. Why should I give her anything she wanted when she wouldn’t let me see Seth?”
“Maybe because it might be lonely without a friend or two?”
“I was fine. I didn’t need anyone.” She smiled. “But it wasn’t as if I didn’t have company when I wanted it. I made super grades, so they couldn’t kick me out, but I did pretty much what I pleased.”
“You broke all the rules.” Jane nodded slowly. “And there’s something very alluring about that to teenagers. I don’t doubt that you became a kind of rebel rock star to them.” And not only to the young. Caleb was an outlaw, too, and no one could deny his fascination. “No real friends, though?”
“I didn’t need them.” She added impatiently, “Why do you keep going on about it?”
“Just trying to understand you. You’re nineteen; are you going to the university this year?”
“Maybe. I don’t know what I want to study. Maybe I’ll travel a little until I decide.” She looked at Jane. “You’re an artist. Did you always want to be one?”
“Most of the time. It was always there in the background. I became distracted now and then. Life does that to you.”
“Cira.”
She went still. “Yes, Cira. What do you know about Cira?”
“Only what I picked up while being linked with you. It’s not as if I could read your mind or anything. I don’t even know if Seth could do that.”
“I sincerely hope not.”
“But then, I don’t have any idea what he can do. He doesn’t share it. I think he learned not to do that when he was a kid.” Her face became shadowed. “They punished him, you know. All the time. My parents never treated him like they did me and Maria. Any little infraction and they’d bring out the whip. They said that he shouldn’t be permitted any lapse or he might fall deeper. He couldn’t do anything to please them. All they saw was the bad in him.” She moistened her lips. “He was wild, but why wouldn’t he be? They hurt him.”
“But he had you,” Jane said gently. “That had to be a comfort to him.”
“I don’t know. I was much younger. All I could do was love him. I was almost glad when they sent him away to Scotland to his uncle. At least he wasn’t being punished.” She drew a deep breath. “No, I’m lying. I hated it when he left me. I thought together we might be able to do something about it.”
“And now you are together. Time to put the past aside.” Jane wanted to pull Lisa away from those bitter memories. They had shocked and appalled her and she could see how those experiences had tied the brother and sister together in an unbreakable bond. “That sounds a little saccharine. I guess I mean that new starts are good. I know memories are forever, but we can build on them.”
“And I’ll make a new start.” She paused. “As soon as I’m certain that Seth is safe.”
Jane was silent, gazing thoughtfully at her. “And we’ve made a full circle back to why you frantically wanted me to visit you.”
“Not frantically. Frantic sounds very weak. I’m not weak.”
“No, you’re not weak.” She smiled faintly. “So tell me why I’m here.”
“I need to leave here. I need to find a place to hide until I can heal a little more.”
“Hide?”
“Santara will be coming after me. Teresa and Gino will make him do it.” She added bitterly, “And even if they didn’t, he’d still come after me. He hates me. I made him hate me.” She looked down at her bandaged thumb. “I wouldn’t give in to him.”
“You heard Caleb. He’s looking for a place where you’ll be safe.”
“But then he’ll stay with me and protect me. I don’t want him to do that.”
“It’s going to happen, Lisa.”
“And that will make me the bait that they wanted to make me. Can’t you see? If they can’t get their hands on me, maybe they’ll threaten to just shoot me, or poison me, or whatever. Anything to get him to do what they want. I’ll be playing the same role as at San Leandro, only with a different location.”
“You said he’d promised to let you stay with him. You know what that means. You can’t have it both ways.”
“Yes, I can. I’ve got to,” she said. Her eyes were bright with eagerness and determination. “Look, everything’s different now. I can take care of myself.” She made an impatient motion with her hand. “Or I’ll be able to do it soon. Seth released me from my promise.” She wrinkled her nose. “Well, he actually modified it. Anyway, I’m not helpless any longer. I can fight back.”
“I don’t want you to have to fight. Haven’t you gone through enough?”
“Yes, and so has Seth. I won’t go looking for trouble, but he might decide to do it. I don’t want to be a pawn. You get me out of here and find me an apartment or condo to stay at. I don’t have money right now, but I’ll owe you. I’m good for it. I’ve got all kinds of money in my trust.”
“So I’ve heard. It’s not a question of money, Lisa. It’s a question of either Santara finding you and killing you or Caleb finding out that I did this and killing me.”
“He won’t kill you. It’s too strong a link. He was angry with me for putting you in danger.”
“Did I forget to mention that I’d be worried to death to have you out on your own? Protection is not a bad thing.”
“Then protect Caleb,” she said harshly. “Keep me away from him. It’s what I wanted from the beginning anyway. Look, I’ll just disappear. Find me an apartment. You’ll probably want to get me a nurse to check on me now and then, and that’s okay. Then just leave me alone until I’m a little stronger.”
Jane shook her head. “Too dangerous.”
Lisa gave a sigh of exasperation. “Okay, then I’ll find another way to do it. It’s not as if I’m asking very much, Jane. It’s only until I’m strong enough. Then I’ll go back to Seth. When I can help him, not hurt him.”
Jane went still. “Strong enough for what?”
“To protect him,” she said simply. “My blood talent is getting stronger and stronger all the time. Seth said it was really teaching itself. Though with this wound, it’s slowing me down a little. But soon enough I’ll be able to do what I need to do.”
“For God’s sake,” Jane said. “I take it you’re not speaking of the healing aspect of it. And you’re not working toward defending yourself, either. You’re going the Caped Crusader route.”
She looked away from her. “Don’t be silly.”
“You weren’t able to protect Caleb when you were a child, so you’re going to do it now. He won’t put up with it, Lisa.”
“Don’t lecture me.”
“I’ll do what I please. I’m just telling you that you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“I know. I thought about it. I told Seth that I’ve never wanted to use it to do any harm. Except for Santara.” Her hand clenched on the coverlet. “But if I had to do it to protect Seth or anyone else I cared about it, I could do it.” She added, “Of course, I don’t care about anyone but him, so that leaves me a narrow field, doesn’t it?” She frowned. “But I’d do it to protect you, too, Jane. So I guess that means I do care about you.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m not pleased that you came to that conclusion by deciding that you’d cause some slimeball to have a heart attack to protect me. There’s something basically wrong in your reasoning.”