The Persuasion

by Iris Johansen

  That would be okay; he would take care of her and Jane and Michael. That was what he did. Hunt and protect. He just had to figure out the best way to do it…

  * * *

  “Hi, Lisa.” Two huge amber eyes were shining down at Lisa when she drowsily opened her own eyes. “It’s time to get up. Remember me? Michael. It’s really awesome that you came back.”

  “I’m glad someone thinks so.” Lisa yawned and got up on one elbow to look at him. “Of course I remember you.” Then she chuckled. “Just not like this. You were quite a bit younger the first time I met you. I vaguely recall almost a toddler…” She added, “Maybe not so vaguely. Because I recall you as being fairly awesome, too. And I probably remember you better than you do me, considering how young you were then.”

  “Age doesn’t matter. I remember lots of things about you.” He crossed his legs, studying her. “Are you going to dig with us? That would be cool.”

  “I hope so. I think it would be fun, too.” She looked around the camp. It was barely light, but there was a stirring from all the tents in the area. “Where are Jane and Caleb? It might be up to them.”

  “Caleb came up to the tent to talk to Jane and told me to come down and wake you.” He shrugged. “They’re probably talking about you. But I think it’s going to work out. Don’t worry.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said gravely. “Thank you for reassuring me.”

  “You’re welcome.” He grinned. “I wanted to talk to you anyway. Are you going to fix breakfast for us? We have a mess tent and a cook, but you’d do it much better. I remember the biscuits.”

  “What?” Her eyes widened. “The biscuits? You couldn’t.”

  “Why not?” He frowned in puzzlement. “You were making biscuits over the campfire at the lake. You even let me make a few of them. I wasn’t good at first, but I got better.”

  “Yes, you got better,” she said softly. Memories of that dawn by the lake were flooding back to her. She’d been staying with Jane at that misty Loch Gaelkar in Scotland when Eve and Michael had joined them with the rest of the family. They had all been so close and loving, and Lisa had felt alone in comparison. She supposed that was why she had tried to prove her worth to them all by taking over the cooking. She recalled the firelight glowing on Michael’s intent, round face as he carefully formed a biscuit into shape. So young…almost a baby…“You were almost as good as I was.” She smiled ruefully. “Though I hate to admit it. I’d gone to a gourmet cooking school in Paris the summer before to learn how to bake.”

  He nodded. “We had a good time. So are you going to cook for us now? I’ll help. I’ll bet I can talk the cook at the mess tent into letting us use the kitchen for a while.”

  “I bet you could, too.” The kid was bright, eager, and completely adorable. Who could resist him? “It wouldn’t surprise me.”

  “Jane and Caleb would like it,” he said coaxingly.

  Why not? she thought recklessly. Go for it. She didn’t have to prove herself to him as she did to Caleb and Jane. This boy was accepting her as he had when he was little more than a toddler. There was something infinitely comforting about that unquestioned approval. It wouldn’t hurt to do him this small favor. “At the moment all I care about is whether you and I would like it.” She made a face. “And for you to show me where I can get a quick shower and brush my teeth.”

  “Great!” He jumped to his feet and held out his hand to her. “I thought about that. There’s a shower room next to the mess tent. I’ll take you there. While you’re showering, I’ll go talk to the cook and tell her what we want to do.” He grabbed her duffel from the ground beside her. “We don’t want her to get her feelings hurt. She’s a really nice woman.” He was pulling her down the hill. “And then I’ll call Jane and tell her what we’re doing and when you think that breakfast will be ready. Does that sound okay?”

  “More than okay,” she said slowly. With the speed of light, Michael had created a complete scenario that would give them the result he wanted. She could almost guarantee that the cook would be happy, that Jane would not worry, and that Caleb would at least be willing to put any decision regarding her on hold until after breakfast. And all the while keeping her in a cheerful, enthusiastic mood instead of the edgy wariness she’d felt when she first opened her eyes. She wasn’t entirely certain why, but a tiny bit of her wariness was suddenly back. “And all for a few biscuits…”

  Michael looked over his shoulder and met her eyes. “Biscuits are important.” Then his face lit with a sunny smile. “But so are you, Lisa. I think we’re going to have a very good time. Just enjoy it.”

  “I will, as long as we understand each other.”

  “We do.” His hand tightened on her own as he turned and increased his pace. “We always did…”

  Chapter

  6

  Stefano Luca,” Jane repeated. A name for the monster who had appeared like an ugly phantom in her life. “It seems…too easy. He’s a murderer yet he’s certainly not trying to hide. It’s as if he let Palik find him.”

  “Maybe he did,” Caleb said mockingly. “Perhaps he considers Palik to be the goat to lead the tiger to the trap. We’ll have to see what kind of ingenious lure he’ll construct for me.”

  “Or me.”

  His smile disappeared. “No, not you. Your part of this is over now that Luca is sure he’s caught my attention. Now it’s just a question of keeping you safe until I’m free to go after him.”

  “You must remember to tell him that,” Jane said dryly. “Oh, that’s right, we have no idea where he’s laying this trap.” She met his eyes. “That must be frustrating you. You’re so accustomed to being able to do whatever you please and letting the rest of us trail behind. But I’m holding you to that promise about Michael. I don’t care how much you want to go after Luca.”

  “I’d never break that promise,” he said. “Though I’d not expect you to believe me. After all, I am who I am.” He turned toward the tent opening. “I just wanted to come up and tell you what was going on. You deserve to know, since I’ve managed to put you in the crosshairs of this Luca. I also called MacDuff this morning and arranged to put on those extra guards we discussed last night.”

  “You mean the ones to protect Michael and me when this Luca kills you? That idea sucks as much this morning as it did last night.”

  “I agree. I was in a weird mood last night, but I’m back to normal now.” He thought about it. “No, maybe a little more on edge than usual. But I still want you protected if I happen to be busy killing Luca at an inconvenient time.” He smiled. “And that mood did have its advantages. You were quite emotionally involved at the thought of my possible demise. You still are.”

  “Because you were being stupid. And I need you.”

  “Yes, you do,” he said softly. “It’s what I keep telling you. Someday you’ll—”

  Her phone rang.

  “Michael.” She picked up the call. “Hi. I was just going to come down and—”

  “Lisa’s going to make breakfast for us,” he interrupted. “Remember when she used to cook for us when we were at Loch Gaelkar all those years ago? I was just a little kid then but those biscuits were so good. After I woke her this morning, I asked her if she’d cook them for us again today. But she said we have to wait until she’s at least out of the shower. So could you and Caleb come down to the mess tent in about forty-five minutes?”

  “I don’t see why not. Everything okay?”

  “Fantastic. It’s going to be great having Lisa back. See you.” He ended the call.

  Jane looked at Caleb. “You heard. Breakfast in forty-five. It appears that Lisa is going full speed ahead to show how efficient she’d be.” She stopped. “Or perhaps Michael had something to do with it. One can never tell.”

  “I’m sure that Lisa doesn’t need any help,” he said grimly. “She’s definitely a self-starter. Would you care to tell me what you discussed last night? Or is it confidential?”

 
“Confidential? Lisa’s too angry with me to consider me a confidante. It was all about how much she loves you. How I don’t deserve to be the chosen one Luca is using as bait. How she has to stay and take care of you so the bad guys can’t take you down.”

  Caleb muttered an oath. “I thought it was going that way last night before she went up to see you. God, I’m sorry. I’ll call Palik and have him assign her guards right away and find a safe place to put her.”

  “That’s what I told her would be the best course of action last night. Entirely reasonable.” She shook her head. “But after tossing and turning for most of the night, I decided what’s reasonable for most people wouldn’t be reasonable for Lisa. She as much as told me that if she was sent away, she’d just disappear and go her own way. You know what that means. And she wasn’t being difficult. She was telling me she had no choice.” Her voice was tense. “I could see it. When you love someone, you have to do whatever is best for them no matter what anyone else thinks. She feels like that about you. She always has and always will. So we just have to make it work.”

  “And give in to what she wants?” He shook his head. “I can make her do what’s best.”

  “No, you can’t.” She stared him in the eye. “And I’m not going to let you do what you think is best. Because being safe isn’t always best in the long run. Not when it has consequences like Lisa running away and doing her own thing. You’ve made some crappy decisions lately, Caleb. You should never have sent her away instead of keeping her with you. I won’t let you make another one. By all means, get Palik to arrange protection for her if you like. But she stays here with us where she wants to be. Get used to the idea.”

  He was silent, his gaze on her face. “It’s a mistake.”

  “It can’t be any worse than some of the others you’ve made.”

  Another silence. Then he turned away. “God knows that’s the truth,” he said wearily. “Have it your own way. You might regret it.” He left the tent.

  She released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. It was all very well to think about interfering between Caleb and Lisa, but their relationship was so complicated that to actually do it was a challenge. And he was right, she might regret it.

  But not to do it would be worse. For months she had been hiding from Caleb, afraid to face the painful turmoil of the decision she had made in her own life. If she wasn’t ready to face her own chaos, she should at least help to confront what Lisa was going through.

  If Lisa would even let her get close enough to help, she thought ruefully as she turned away to dress. Oh, well, worry about that later. She had just confronted Caleb and it hadn’t gone too badly. She’d simply have to take on one sibling at a time.

  * * *

  Tower House

  Italy

  “Dimak Palik broke into Villa Silvano last night,” Davron said as he strode into the library. “We let it happen as you told us to do, but I had trouble keeping Alberto from making a move.” His lips indented sardonically. “Those kills at the cave have made Alberto much more aggressive. He wanted to go after Palik and his men and have his very own sacrifice. I think he’s become a true believer.”

  “Nothing wrong with that,” Luca said. “As long as he doesn’t get in my way.” He got to his feet and moved toward the French doors. “You let Palik see the bedroom?”

  “Yes.” He paused. “He took the photos you wanted. Caleb should be receiving them soon. Are you certain that it wasn’t…too much?” He was hesitant. “It could be misinterpreted. I think Alberto was confused about it.”

  “Because Alberto is a fool.” He added coldly, “As you are, Davron. I assure you that Jane MacGuire won’t be confused and Seth Caleb will not misinterpret it. He’ll understand exactly what I’m telling him.” He looked out at the beautiful lake that stretched as far as the eye could see. He loved the sunlight on the lake far more than seeing its deep darkness at night. The darkness had strength, but the burning sunlight enveloped him and made him complete.

  As Caleb’s power had dark strength.

  As Jane MacGuire would burn and light up the world to show everyone what Luca had created.

  * * *

  Kendrick Castle

  “You know, I don’t really like digging in the dirt,” Lisa said to Jane as she sat back on her heels and wiped her forehead. “I realize that it’s supposed to be a learning experience, but I’m too impatient. Doesn’t it bore you?”

  “Sometimes.” She smiled. “But there are always possibilities, and I’ve done quite a few digs. You just have to suspend the present and go back a few thousand years. Besides, I like being with Michael.” She glanced at Michael, who was digging with a group of teenagers a few yards away. “And I don’t believe he has to suspend the present, he just kind of glides past it.” Her gaze shifted to Lisa. “But you don’t have to dig with us if you’re bored. I’m sure that Michael would be ecstatic if you went back to the kitchen and concocted another wonderful meal for dinner.”

  “It was good, wasn’t it?” Then she shook her head. “I can’t do it too often. Michael’s too generous. He was feeling guilty about not feeding the rest of the volunteers. I can see myself running a glorified soup kitchen. Fun, but it would take me away from you and Michael, and that’s why I’m here.” She glanced away from Jane and stuck her spade in the ground. “And that would give Caleb an excuse to send me away again. I can’t do that, not when you worked so hard to give me this chance. I don’t know how you persuaded him to do it. Caleb doesn’t change his mind.”

  Jane shrugged. “Yet you asked me to try. So perhaps he does.”

  “He said he told you it was a mistake.”

  “And I told him he’d made some of his own.” She chuckled. “Thank heavens you weren’t there to defend him to me again. It would never have worked out.”

  Lisa looked up at her. “I’m trying to say thank you.”

  “Drop it. It’s done.”

  “Not exactly,” Lisa said hesitantly. “I have to make something right. I thought it would be okay, but now I owe you. I’ll have to clear it up.”

  Jane frowned. “Clear what up?”

  “I was a little angry with you. I was thinking about doing something that wasn’t quite…honorable.” She added quickly, “Though I didn’t do it. Caleb blew up at me and I couldn’t convince him I was right.” She moistened her lips. “I only wanted what was best for him. But he wasn’t kind to me, Jane. It went on for months.”

  “What went on for months?” Jane asked. “And I can’t imagine Caleb being furious with you for that long. He might be a bit stern, but he does adore you.”

  She lifted her chin. “I wouldn’t give in. He wasn’t being reasonable. After all, it was all your fault. Someone had to do something.”

  Jane sat back on her heels. “And now I’m in the middle of this?” She wiped her hands on her towel. “I think you’re right, you might very well have something to clear up. What is all my fault?”

  “When I asked about you, Caleb told me that you’d decided not to see him any longer.” She shook her head, her eyes suddenly blazing. “I couldn’t believe it. How stupid could you get? Caleb could have any woman he wanted and you walked away from him?”

  Jane had suspected that this was the bone of contention from their phone conversation when she was at the tearoom. “That’s none of your business, Lisa.”

  “Of course it’s my business. For some reason he wants you, and you left him. You might have even hurt him. How could you do that?”

  “You don’t know that I did. As you said, Caleb has no problem finding women willing to play his games. It’s not as if I’m special to him. I had no idea even where our relationship was going.”

  “Wherever he wanted it to go,” Lisa said fiercely. “If he wanted you, that’s where he could have taken it. But he wouldn’t do it.” Her lips tightened. “And he wouldn’t let me do it. He wouldn’t be reasonable.”

  “Wait a minute.” She held up her hand. “What are
you talking about? Do what?”

  Silence. “What do you think?” she said. “The persuasion. He’s much better at it than I am. He could make you want anything, do anything, that he chose. It would be easy for him.”

  Jane stared at her, shocked. “No, it wouldn’t. Because it would be the last time.”

  Lisa shook her head. “I don’t think so. As I said, he’s much better than I am. I believe it’s just a matter of concentration and repetition. But he wouldn’t do it. He said that wasn’t the way he wanted it to go.” She looked her in the eye. “So I told him that I’d do it for him. It would be harder for me, but I could give him what he wanted.”

  “My God.” Jane couldn’t believe it. “That’s incredibly wrong.”

  “It was for Caleb,” she said simply. “He’d given me everything. I’ve never been able to give him anything. And after you were with him for a while, you’d see how lucky you were. I would have made sure you liked it. I didn’t see why Caleb got so upset with me.”

  “Caleb’s not the only one,” Jane said grimly. She shook her head. “And I was so relieved when Caleb told me that you hadn’t used the blood talent since that day you saved me. Yet now you pull this completely arrogant and selfish idea out of your hat? Have you used this…this persuasion before?”

  Lisa didn’t answer for a moment. “No, I really didn’t like the idea. It didn’t seem fair.”

  “Until it was for Caleb.”

  “What can I tell you? It was something that I could give him.” She frowned. “And it was something that you should have given him yourself if you’d had sense. I thought about it, and the only reason you might have broken up with him was because you were afraid. Everyone has always been afraid of the things Caleb is able to do, but I didn’t believe you were. So I decided it might be smart to just give you a push to get you over it.” She frowned. “And it’s not as if I actually did it. You didn’t get hurt. I was the one who was punished.”