Drake Sisters 05 - Safe Harbor

to tabloids and the terrible things they do to a person's life. Joley dyed her hair and took the heat, pretending the pictures were of her, so my reputation wouldn't be damaged,"
    Libby said. "It was a generous and loving thing for her to do."
    Prakenskii stood absolutely still in the middle of the room. His gaze rested on Joley's averted face. "It was dangerous. And she knows it was. Look at me." When she didn't, his voice hardened. "Look at me."
    Joley lifted her gaze to his.
    "You should have told me when I asked."
    "It wasn't your business."
    Hannah held up her hand. "Why does he keep saying you're doing something dangerous, Joley?"
    Joley shrugged. "I don't know. He thinks I'm drawing all the crazies to me."
    Hannah went pale and reached back for Jonas, unaware that she did so. "I know you have precog, Ilya. If Joley's in danger, come out and say so. Tell us where the danger is coming from."
    "I have said so. And if I knew where it was coming from, I'd eliminate it," Prakenskii said. "I know you don't trust me, Hannah, none of you do, and it doesn't really matter, but whoever arranged the attack on you was making a point. It was brutal and vicious and direct. They tried to destroy your face and your body and then take your life.
    They'll come after you again. And Joley is drawing the same kind of attention, but why? You'll have to ask her." He spread his hands out.
    He turned and headed toward the door. "I'm going to be in town awhile. I know you won't ask for my help, but you're going to get it anyway."
    "Is Nikitin in town?" Jonas asked.
    "Oh yes. Joley's here. The press is here. Nikitin is going to be right in the thick of things. He can do business from anywhere in the world, thanks to cell phones and computers."
    "Why do you work for him?" Jonas asked.
    Prakenskii shrugged. "Where else is a man like me going to find work?"
    Joley's breath hissed out between her teeth. "Yeah, go crawling back and protect that worthless jerk. It isn't like you can change who you are."

    Prakenskii paused at the door, his eyes glittering as they drifted over her furious face.
    "No, I can't. Any more than you can."
    Jonas followed him outside. "Is Nikitin involved in the attack on Hannah?"
    Prakenskii's eyes had gone as cold as ice. "If he was, he'd be dead. Despite what you think of me, the Drakes are under my protection. But I'm hearing rumors—
    whispers—and so far I haven't been able to find out who put out the hit, but there is one." He gestured toward the crowd of people around the fence. "You have a problem here. Whoever it is will strike again and they'll do it differently this time. They got their media attention and they made their statement. Now they want her dead."
    Jonas sent a long assessing look at the crush of people around the fence. Flowers, teddy bears and candles were everywhere. But he recognized a couple of the Reverend's close guardians and he spotted Rudy Venturi, a man who followed Hannah everywhere she went, right up front, clutching flowers in his hands.
    "If I didn't tell you before, Prakenskii, thanks for saving her life. She told me she never would have made it without you."
    Prakenskii stepped off the stairs and turned back, shaking his head, musing aloud. "It was a brutal attack, Harrington. Something's not right about it to me. That kind of hatred should be easy enough to spot." He paused and looked slowly around.
    "Whoever wants her dead—they're here. They're right here in her hometown and they're waiting for the chance to strike. I can feel them."
    "Thanks. I'll find them."
    "I don't doubt that you will—but will you be in time?"
    Jonas's face hardened. "Oh, yeah. I'll be in time." He watched Prakenskii stride off, wondering just what game the man was playing—and what Joley was up to. He needed to talk to her and fast. The last thing he wanted was to add another complication to this mess.
    He took a deep breath and let it out, Prakenskii's warning sinking in as he took another slow, careful look around the crowd. Jonas felt it, too. Prakenskii wasn't blowing smoke to make himself important, something evil lurked in the air.
    Down near the gate, Matt Granite, Kate's fiancé, gestured for him. Matt was standing in front of Rudy Venturi. Rudy was small and slight, with bright, dyed hair pulled up into spikes, with a nondescript face. Without the hair it would be easy to miss him in a crowd. Jonas imagined most people did overlook him.
    He took his time, sauntering down toward the man, not