Deeper than the Night - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,62

her face Barrett alone.

"Your blood would work just fine, Kara."

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I said." Alex took a deep breath. It was time she knew the truth. In a voice devoid of emotion, he told her the whole truth about the rat and how he had tested her blood, as well as his own. Both had restored the rodent's health, though his own blood, unmixed and undiluted, had worked more quickly.

"Whydidn't you tell me this before?"

"I don't know."

Kara shook her head. "It's not possible."

"It's very possible. It appears your blood now contains the same healing agent as mine, whatever that might be. That's why Barrett needs you. I think he wants to try and isolate whatever it is that generates the healing. Don't you see? If he can mass produce it, he'll be a millionaire many times over. And if he can't . . ."

"And if he can't, he'll just take my blood a little at a time and sell it to the highest bidder."

Alex nodded.

Kara shuddered. It was a frightening thought. For a moment, she imagined herself kept in a cage, well-fed and well-cared for, but a prisoner nonetheless, kept in isolation while Barrett siphoned off her blood, selling it a little at a time while he tried to find a way to reproduce it.

"It's a frightening thing to consider, isn't it?" Alex asked quietly.

"Yes." She understood now why he had kept to himself, why he had never let anyone know what he was.

"Now do you understand why I can't let you go home?"

"I have to go, Alex. I have to help Nana if I can. Please try to understand."

Short of locking her up inside the mountain, there was no way to stop her. "All right, Kara," Alex said heavily, "I'll take you home."

She collapsed against him, her shoulders heaving as sobs wracked her body.

"Don't cry, natayah," he murmured. "Please don't cry. You shall go home."

"Thank you, Alex."

He nodded. "We'll leave tomorrow as soon as it's dark." Holding her away from him, he wiped away her tears with his fingertips; then, taking her hand in his, they walked back to the car.

Gail's footsteps were heavy as she walked home from school. She had called the hospital last night after she'd talked to Kara. The nurse had assured her that Nana was resting comfortably.

Turning down the street toward her house, she wondered when Kara would get home, and where she'd been for the last five weeks.

She frowned when she saw the dark blue car parked in the driveway. Barrett again. He came by every day to ask if Kara had called. She wasn't sure, but she thought she'd seen that same car following her to and from school.

Gail muttered a nasty word. She didn't like Barrett, even though he'd never said or done anything to earn her dislike. She didn't like him and she didn't trust him any more than she trusted those two men who were always with him. Their names were Kelsey and Handeland. Barrett said they were his associates. She wasn't sure what that meant, but she didn't like the sound ofit at all. The two men were always wandering through the house, looking in the closets, poking into drawers, rummaging through Nana's desk. Several times a day, they walked through the neighborhood. She knew they were looking for Kara.

Barrett was sitting on the sofa, talking to Mrs. Zimmermann, when Gail entered the house. She didn't see his associates, so she assumed they were outside, prowling around the neighborhood.

"Ah, Gail," he said. "There you are."

"Hello."

He smiled at her, ignoring her sullen expression. "Still no word from Kara?"

"No."

He nodded slowly. "I hope she calls soon. Every day without treatment only decreases your sister's chances of a full recovery."

"What does she need to recover from?"

"As I told you before, we found a gross abnormality in her red blood cells. I'm afraid it may prove fatal." He shook his head. "Her condition could also prove to be contagious." He smiled his oily smile. "If you come into contact with her, you might also be at risk." His gaze bored into hers. "Are you sure she hasn't called home?"

"I'm sure." Gail held his gaze as long as she could, wondering if he knew she was lying. Suddenly nervous, she glanced at Mrs. Zimmermann, at the floor, out the window. "I've got to go now. I've got homework."

"You're lying, aren't you, Gail? She called last night, didn't she?"

Gail shook her head. "No."

Barrett slammed his fist on the coffee table. He had