On the Hunt

“Wait a minute,” Kira said. “You’re going too fast. Where is this manor?”

“It’s a castle in northern France. Not too far from Paris. It’s where we live when Harlan is overseeing his factories in Europe.”

“Factories for what?”

“He’s invented a lot of things. Phones, satellites, cars… all kinds of stuff.”

“Okay, another question,” Kira said. “Harlan took care of me? Why would he do that?”

Fiona frowned. “You don’t remember?”

“I don’t think…” But she did remember… or at least some of it was coming back. She recalled desperately fighting with Taylor and that bastard shooting Mack. Not… much more. Everything else was blurred. Maybe Harlan bringing Mack to lie on the ground beside her as he tried to stop her bleeding and him yelling at her to be quiet and let him work. “I guess all I really remember is that I told him he had to take care of Mack. You’re sure Mack is going to be all right?”

Fiona nodded. “So the vet told Harlan. Final checkup tomorrow.” She added caustically, “It would have been nice if you could have brought yourself to have worried a little about Harlan. I approve of treating animals well, but from what Belson told me, you caused Harlan a good deal of trouble in those mountains. He could have died before he got you and Mack out of there.”

“We both could have died,” Kira said dully. “Taylor had a rifle, and someone may have even shot at me from the helicopter.” She rubbed her temple again. “I don’t remember much about it, but I probably owe Harlan a debt. I’ll have to repay him. He did do what I asked…”

“Isn’t that great?” Fiona’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. “He practically saved your life and Mack’s. What about all the time and effort he spent getting both of you well here at the manor?” The young girl’s voice was laden with bitterness. “Doesn’t that count for anything?”

“Of course it does,” Kira said quickly. “But he shouldn’t have done it. He should have just shipped me home to Summer Island and not bothered with me. I only asked him to take care of Mack.”

“He did take care of him, and he took fantastic care of you. Because that’s what he does. Harlan always takes care of his responsibilities.” She smiled ruefully. “Who should know better than me? He’s been taking care of me since my father died. Maybe someday I’ll tell you about it.” Fiona shook her head. “But this might not be the time. And I might not be the person. I tend to get annoyed if anyone fails to appreciate Harlan when he does something for them. And since Belson said that Harlan could have died before he got you away from that creep in Colorado, I believe I should have Belson tell you about it.” She shrugged. “Never mind. What do you care? You don’t know him at all.”

Kira tried to be polite. “I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m just bewildered and a little confused. I’m sure I also owe a debt to you for taking care of Mack, and I’ll try to repay you.”

Fiona whirled to face her. “I don’t want your thanks. It’s Harlan who did everything for you. Why can’t you get that through your head? See that you make it right with him! Harlan’s the one who makes our world go around here.” Fiona’s voice took on an edge. “He saved your life, dammit.” She put Mack’s collar on him as she spoke and was heading for the bedroom door. “It’s time I took Mack for his afternoon walk. You should probably rest right now. I’ll call Harlan and tell him that you’re awake. He’ll want to know. He was truly concerned about you.”

Kira flinched as the door slammed behind Fiona.

Well, that had not gone well, she thought wryly. She’d been a trifle woozy and had not been able to remember much about what had happened, plus the girl’s resentment had been crystal-clear. The best thing Kira could think to do was to get out of this fancy manor house and find a way back to Summer Island where she belonged. To accomplish that probably meant making contact with Harlan or one of his employees. Definitely not Harlan’s niece, whom she would try to avoid until she could get out of the Harlan domain.

So get dressed, get out, and get transportation home.

But first she had to go find Mack, make certain she’d been told the truth about his condition, and get him ready to leave with her. Neither of them belonged here. If she had to, she could put him in her own vet’s quarters when she got back to the island. But Mack had willingly, even eagerly, gone with Fiona when she’d leashed him for his walk, Kira remembered. He must have liked her—Mack was very picky about companions of any sort. So apparently he had truly been happy with Harlan’s niece while he was here. That was good to know.

And perhaps Harlan had been a little more than a glorified dog-sitter, too, she thought wryly. But that was another mystery that would have to be solved later.

Take it easy. You’re going to be fine. I’ll make sure to keep you safe. No one is going to hurt you again. Trust me… That voice was clearly repeating in her head.

She did have a vague memory of someone holding her hand in the night, even rocking her when she was burning with fever or the pain was bad. She couldn’t seem to forget it.

Still, Kira was definitely not welcome here and it was time for her to make her exit. She waited for only one more minute to pass before she tossed the quilt covering her aside and started to go through the drawers of the oak bureau for something to wear. In a few minutes, she’d found a loose shirt and slacks and a pair of tennis shoes. This would be all right for now. She would bathe and go find Belson; maybe later she’d find Harlan, after she was at least semi-presentable.

But things didn’t turn out to be quite that simple. She was halfway down the grand staircase leading to the foyer when she had to stop a moment and grab hold of the banister to keep from falling.

“Shit!”

She recognized that voice instantly.

Jack Harlan!

He was behind her on the stairs and swearing softly as he turned her around and half lifted, half carried her down the rest of the stairs toward a huge open study adjoining the living room. He sat her down on a couch. “Fiona said she thought you were upset,” he muttered. “But being Fiona, she sometimes interprets her own feelings as belonging to others. Evidently, she was right this time.”

“I wasn’t upset.” Kira was trying to push herself away from him. “I was just confused and wanted to make sure I knew everything that had happened after I passed out on those cliffs that night.” She moistened her lips. “And particularly what had happened to Joseph Taylor. Your Fiona didn’t seem to want to give me details.”

“So you decided to find out for yourself?” Harlan asked. “Did you come looking for me? If so, did it occur to you that it wouldn’t have helped if you’d ended up in a heap at the foot of these stairs? I would have told you everything you needed to know if you’d given me the chance. The doctor said you might not be in good enough shape to face whatever trauma you might have to go through after you regained consciousness. He said to give you another week or two to rest.”

“Bullshit,” Kira said bluntly as she finally managed to pull away from him. “I’ve always been very strong. I don’t need to be coddled. Fiona told me the doctor said both Mack and I were on the mend, and all I really needed to know was that Mack was well and strong. The rest I can find out for myself after I get back to Summer Island. Since I’m obviously a bother to you and your family under the circumstances, it’s best that I leave here as soon as possible.”