No, tomorrow she'd find a way to change her phone number again and start to plan on how best to keep Lester from hurting these people she cared about. Would she have to go away again?

Dammit, this was her home.

I can make another home. So stop whining and do what has to be done.

"DEVON BRADY," DANNER REPEATED softly. "You're sure, Rachoff?"

"Yes, she has the dog," Rachoff said. "She caused all kinds of upset trying to arrange to get him off the island. You're not supposed to take any livestock back to the States without quarantine but she pulled some strings and got permission to take him back with the rest of the search and rescue team."

"That sounds like a considerable hassle. Now why would she want to go to the bother?" He thought he could guess. He'd thought it was bizarre that Marrok had suddenly taken it into his head to go on a rescue mission.

Devon Brady.

Was she one of them? Had he used the disaster mission to make contact with her? Marrok had always made the effort to keep the identity and whereabouts of the guardians secret. He wouldn't risk contacting her in her usual environment. He'd transferred the dog into her care. Was that what he'd meant to do anyway?

"What do you want me to do?" Rachoff asked. "There's no sign of Kingston. Do you want me to stick around and see if I can locate him?"

"Hell no. I wouldn't have sent you if I hadn't thought Marrok had gotten to Kingston. If you did locate him, he'd probably be six feet underground." And good riddance to the bastard. He'd had his chance and blown it. "Get back to the States. Marrok won't let the dog stay with the Brady woman now. We have to move fast and get to that Lab before he does."