Part 54 (1/2)

He shook his head. ”I can't leave you here. Falcone could find you. I'm not going to let him hurt you again.”

The pain threatened to rob her of breath. But she knew she had to keep her focus on the man and the message. ”You must leave here. You must find help.”

”What about... ?” He stopped, looking confused, as though he'd lost his train of thought. ”Falcone,” he finally said, dredging up the name.

She understood what had happened. He had been trying to string a set of steps together in his mind, and she had prevented him from following his own logic.

It felt like hot needles were digging into her brain cells. To steady herself and also strengthen the contact with him, she found his hand and knit her fingers with his. There was more to do if she was going to succeed. And she could feel time slipping through her fingers.

”Rinna? What are you doing? What's wrong?”

The pain in her head had almost blinded her, but she raised her face toward his.

”Everything's going to work out,” she managed to say, praying that she was right as she kept up the pressure inside herself, directing her thoughts toward Logan, forcing him to follow a different logic path from the one he had chosen on his own.

”Is there someone who can help us?” she asked, managing to keep the question from coming out as a moan.

To her relief, he answered immediately. ”My brothers. And my cousin.”

”Good. Which one is closer?”

”My brother, Lance.”

”Then go to him. Quickly. Get help.” She could barely speak around the knives stabbing inside her skull, but she forced herself to keep talking. ”Tell Lance what happened.”

He took a step back, then stopped, looking uncertain. ”What about you?”

Somehow she managed to say the biggest lie of all. ”I'll be fine until you get back. Get dressed. Go. Before it's too late.”

When he hesitated, she closed the s.p.a.ce between them and clasped her arms around him, drawing him to her, pressing her body to his even as she summoned up one final burst of energy directed at his mind.

”I have to hurry,” he said, pus.h.i.+ng away from her.

”Yes. Hurry.”

She sent him one more jolt of mental energy, reinforcing the message, making sure that if he tried to turn aside from his mission, his mind would go back to her and the instructions she had given him.

”Go now.”

He turned and rushed into the house, and she swayed on unsteady legs. They lost the ability to hold her up, and she collapsed into a pile of leaves, lying there panting, trying to regain her strength.

She allowed herself a few moments to lie with her eyes closed. But she knew she couldn't stay there for long. Logan would come out of the house. And if he thought she was in trouble, he would go to her. Then she'd have to start implanting the message all over again, and she didn't think she had the strength.

So she forced herself up, forced one foot in front of the other as she crossed the lawn toward the house.

Logan burst through the front door, his eyes wild. He was dressed in a T-s.h.i.+rt and jeans, but he had forgotten to put on his shoes.

She hoped that didn't matter.

”Rinna! What the h.e.l.l am I thinking? You have to come with me.”