Absolutely, Positively

involved in this? You didn't say anything about them to the police.”

    “There was no point,” Molly said, oddly wistful. “The children haven't been born yet.”

    Harry stared at her. She'd been through a lot today, he reminded himself. She was probably suffering from some sort of delayed shock. “Molly, we'd better get you into bed. You need rest.”

    She smiled. “Harry, have you ever thought about having kids?”

    He came to a halt in front of the window. His imagination projected a clear, unmistakable picture of her rounded and ripe with child. His child. An intense longing welled up within him. He took a deep breath. “I think that wine is getting to you. It's probably because of the stress. Come on. I'll help you undress. You need a good night's sleep.”

    “Hmm.”

15

    “Too late.”

    The hoarse, desperate words were barely audible, but they woke Molly from a dream of huge, marauding mechanical toys. Adrenaline surged through her. She opened her eyes and looked at Harry, who was asleep on the bed beside her.

    A broad shaft of moonlight slanted into the room through the wall of windows. The icy light bathed him in silver. There was a damp sheen of sweat on his bare shoulders.

    “Too late,” he muttered into the pillow. He shifted restlessly. “Can't breathe. Can'tbreathe .”

    “Harry, wake up.”

    “Can't breathe. Too late.”

    Molly touched him gently. It was as though she had plugged him into a light socket. Harry came awake with shocking suddenness, rolled to the edge of the bed, and got to his feet in one smooth motion. He whirled to look down at her.

    In the cold moonlight she could not make out the curious amber color of his eyes, but she had no problem seeing the haunted expression in them. She sat up slowly against the pillows and pulled the sheet to her throat.

    “You were dreaming,” she whispered.

    “Yes.” He blinked a few times as though to clear away the ghosts. A shudder went through him. He took a deep breath and seemed to steady himself. “Sorry.”

    “A nightmare?”

    He ran a hand through his hair. “I haven't had one like that in a long time. Years. I'd almost forgotten how bad they were.”

    Molly pushed aside the covers and stood. She padded quickly around the end of the wide bed and went to him. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she leaned against him, offering the only comfort she had to give.

    “It's all right, Harry. It's over.”

    He stood rigidly in her embrace for a long moment, and then, with a husky, wordless groan, he put his arms around her and held her as though she were the only woman on earth. For a few minutes they stood there quietly in the moonlight.

    “It was because of me, wasn't it?” Molly finally dared to suggest. “The incident this afternoon triggered your dream. You feel guilty because you got to me after Kendall had already gone.”

    “I got to you too late.” Harry's voice was uncompromisingly harsh. “You could have been killed.”

    “The way your parents were?”

    Harry went absolutely still. “Yes.”

    “What happened to me today brought back all the old memories, didn't it?”

    “Probably.”

    “And some old dreams.”

    “I guess so.” He sounded weary all the way to his soul.

    “You can't save everyone, Harry. Not even all the people you care about. Life doesn't give us that option. I learned that the hard way, myself. Let it go.”

    “I don't think I can. Not completely. Not ever.”

    “Then share it with me.” Molly braced herself. “Tell me what it was really like that day your parents were murdered.”

    “You don't want to hear about it.”

    Molly was not certain she had the right to pry further, but something within her drove her to push on, even though it was obvious her questions would not be welcome. “You said that you were too late to save your folks that day.”

    “Too goddamned late.” Without warning, rage and pain poured from him in a torrent. It was as if somewhere inside him a dam had burst. “Just as I was too late today. Too late. Always too damned late.”

    Molly hugged him fiercely. “You went down with a spear gun that day your parents died.”

    “Christ. Did Josh tell you that part, too?”

    “Yes.” Molly lifted her head to search his face. His eyes glittered. “You were almost killed, yourself, weren't you?”

    “They saw me as they emerged from the cave.” The words sounded as if they emanated from somewhere near the outer rings of Hades,