He'd looked for her. He'd really been that frantic, that determined. All this time, she'd been so afraid that he believed she'd betrayed him. So damn afraid. It was stupid to be so uneasy at the mere thought of a contemptuous look from someone she cared about, but when the people she treasured could be counted on just one finger, that's just how it was.

She tried to speak. Couldn't. The thought of him digging through the rubble trying to find some remnant of her body was bittersweet, both touching and painful.

"I never wanted to hurt you, Harry." Her voice was thick in her throat. "Not that day. Not afterward." Elaine's head shook faintly from side to side, but her eyes didn't leave his bruised and bloodied face. "I'm sorry."

An apology couldn't ever be enough, but it was a start. She looked as if she might start toward him, but at the mention of DuMorne's name, she froze in place. Just talking about him made her feel shamefully vulnerable. "...How can you be sure?" she frowned, her brow descending. "I managed to survive. He was a lot stronger than I was." She looked around the alley and gestured. "You're sure this wasn't linked to him?"