"I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it. Anyway, after I've released Captain Seifert I'll have him to help me hijack the ship," she said with a grin. "I have an idea he'll be very good at piracy. I can almost see him with an eye patch and a curved scimitar clenched in his teeth."
"If it gets that far," Julio said. "The odds are ninety-nine to one that it won't. I can't let you do it, Kate."
Her smile faded. "You have no choice, Julio," she said quietly. "It's going to be just the way I said. It's the only way we can help the crew and Jeffrey."
"No," Julio said firmly.
"Yes," Kate said just as insistently. "If you won't do it for any other reason consider it as payment of a debt." She paused deliberately. "El Salvador, Julio."
"Kate, don't do it." His voice was almost pleading. "Don't make me let you do this."
The battle was won. It was there in his face. She only wished she'd been able to convince him some other way. She smiled with an effort. "Don't worry. Everything is going to work out."
"Is it? I wish I could be as sure. You're going to do it tonight, then?"
She nodded. "There's no use waiting. I may even be able to catch them by surprise."
Julio's curse was very explicit Spanish and rampant with annoyance. "You speak as if you were a commando troop, not one lone woman. This is crazy. I'm crazy for letting you do it."
"Let?" Her tone was teasing. "I thought I'd weaned you away from that type of arrogance." His worried frown didn't lighten and she felt a pang of remorse. This was as difficult for her old friend to accept as it would be for her under the same circumstances. "Look, if it will make you feel any better, you can wait until tonight to fly Beau and the plane to Santa Isabella. Once we're on board the Searcher and out to sea I'll use the ship's radio to let you know we're safe."
"Safe! You mean until the Guardia Costa—"
"Maybe that won't happen," she interrupted. Now where did you leave Manuel's motorcycle?"
"At the edge of the forest, about a half-mile from the road that leads to Consuello's village," Julio told her reluctantly. "At least ask Consuello for any help it's possible for her to give you. She's always liked you."
"As long as it doesn't put her in any danger," Kate agreed. She hesitated. "You'd better wait here until almost sundown before going back to the tree house to pick up Beau and bring him to the plane." Her shoulders moved uneasily. "He might be a little difficult about this."
Because he is a man with all his senses intact," Julio answered caustically. "You wouldn't be able to blackmail him into giving in to this craziness. He doesn't owe you any debts to be called in."
No, it was she who still owed a debt to Beau. A debt he wouldn't let her pay now. He was more :inclined to adopt her than make her his mistress at the moment, she thought bitterly. Who would have believed the cynical Beau Lantry she'd met at Alvarez's bar would react like that? Well, if she could free his crew and give him back his ship, it would be a little compensation toward the debt she owed him before she disappeared from his life.
Sundown," she repeated. "By that time he'll have realized it will be too late to stop me. Tell him HI see him on Santa Isabella."
Julio's eyes were narrowed on her face. "And will you?"
Where else would I go?" she asked evasively. Anywhere to escape Beau's pity and generosity. Loving him as she did it would kill her not to meet
him on equal terms.
"Kate ..."
She turned away. "I've got to get going." She impulsively turned back and stood on tiptoe to brush her lips on his cheek. "Take care, Julio."
"Me take care?" he asked gruffly. He took her hand in his and fell into step with her. "And you're not getting rid of me so quickly. I'll walk you back to the motorcycle. I left a bundle of clothes I borrowed from Manuel for Lantry tied to the seat." He made a face as he glanced down at the short-sleeved blue shirt he'd had to leave open almost to the waist to accommodate his brawny chest. "I hope they fit him better than they do me."
"I'll be glad of the company," she said with an affectionate smile. They'd traveled so many roads together. It hurt to think this might be the last one for a while. Her hand tightened on Julio's. "By the way, when you leave Castellano, will you take my carousel music box with you?" She laughed a little shakily. "I don't really mind leaving anything else but I'd like to make sure that's safe. You won't forget?"
He shook his head. "I'll remember." He cleared his throat. "I'll deliver it safe and sound to you on Santa Isabella."
Her eyes avoided his as her pace unconsciously quickened. "Yes, you do that," she said lightly. "On Santa Isabella."
As Julio leisurely climbed the ladder to the tree house the rays of the setting sun threw the figure of the man sitting on the platform above him into shadowy silhouette. It was just as well it was twilight, Julio thought. There was something so tense and intimidating about Lantry's immobile form that he had no wish to see that menace any more clearly.
"Where is she?" Lantry's voice was clipped and harsh as Julio swung up on the platform. Now that he was closer he could see the expression on Lantry's face was just as set and harsh.
"Safe," Julio said briefly. Madre de Dios, he hoped that was true. He tossed the bundle he was carrying down in front of Lantry. "I borrowed you a change of clothes." He eyed the bare chest of the man in front of him. "They may not fit very well but they'll keep the mosquitoes from eating you alive."
"Where is she?" Beau repeated. The first overpowering relief at the knowledge that Kate was safe was banished by anger. If he had her here he'd shake the living daylights out of her as if she were a beloved but unthinking child who'd stayed away from home too long. Beloved. Yes, she was beloved. The hours he'd spent worrying and agonizing since Kate had disappeared into the forest had made that fact very clear to him. He'd known before, almost from the beginning, but that knowledge had been honed and sharpened by anxiety until it had cut through all the nonessentials. Damn it, she said the plane was only a short distance from here and she's been gone all day." He was thrusting his arms into an aqua-and-cream flowered shirt with jerky motions. "Didn't it ever occur to her that I might have been a little concerned?" His tone was uneven as he buttoned up the gaudy shirt and shoved the tail into his Levi's shorts. "Of course, there was no reason for me to worry. Only Despard and the police and the Lord know what animals and insects there are in this blasted forest. By the way, are there any tarantulas in this tropical Garden of Eden?" Of all the horrors he'd imagined through the long hours of waiting, the thought of that hairy poisonous monstrosity crawling on Kate's satin skin had been most prevalent.
"I've never seen one," Julio answered cautiously. And Kate's never mentioned them."
That doesn't surprise me." The beat-up sandals in the bundle were a little small but beggars couldn't be choosers, Beau told himself. He looked up grimly from fastening the strap. "She tells me she's afraid of all kinds of things but she sure as hell doesn't act like it. Probably poisonous spiders are on the list of things she just blocks out of her mind."
"Maybe," Julio conceded. "Kate's had to do that pretty often over the years. It hasn't been easy for her."
Beau knew that and it filled him with an aching frustration and fury greater than any he'd ever known. Not even when he'd been in the throes of alcoholism had he felt so helpless. He wanted to give her so damn much and she wouldn't let him.
Hell, he'd probably have to make her his mistress before she'd even let him protect her from the insecurity of being without a country. Or he could marry her. He shrugged the tempting thought away in disgust. That's right, reach out and grab what you want. Don't give her a chance to slip away and fall into some other bastard's arms. Even if it's not fair to her, hold on tight and avoid the risk of having her make any comparisons after she's had a few of the advantages she's entitled to. She'd never had a fair shake from anyone else. Why should it start with him? "Well, where is our valiant little tigress now? Still at the plane?"
&
nbsp; Julio shook his head, his expression distinctly uneasy. "Not exactly."
Beau went still. "Just what do you mean by 'not exactly'?" he asked with menacing softness.
"Well, not at all actually," Julio said uncomfortably. He released his breath explosively. "She's in
Mariba."
"Mariba." Beau felt his heart leap to his throat before an icy chill seemed to freeze the blood in his veins. "That's crazy. She couldn't be in Mariba."
"That's what I told her," Julio agreed ruefully.
"As you can see, it didn't do me any good. She's definitely in Mariba."
"Tell me," Beau demanded tersely. My God, Mariba!
Julio obediently related the results of his investigations of the previous night and his conversation with Kate that morning. He studiously avoided looking at Beau's steadily darkening face, but he was no more than half through with his narrative when the other began to swear softly and with great fluency. He finished hurriedly and as he expected at once received the full force of Lantry's anger.
"For God's sake, why didn't you stop her? You should have tied her to the nearest tree if nothing else. Do you want to see Despard get his hands on her?"
Julio flinched. "What do you think?" he asked fiercely. "I've known her far longer than you and we've been through more than you could ever dream. She probably saved my life in El Salvador. I told you why I let her go alone."
"Debts, bargains, all of this nobility crap," Beau said wearily. "Between us we'll be lucky if we don't get her killed. It's time we forgot everything but getting her off this damn island in one piece."
Julio's brow creased in a troubled frown. "But I promised—"
"But I didn't," Beau interrupted harshly. "And if you think I'm meekly going to let you fly me out of here and leave her in Mariba alone, you're as crazy as she is."
"I didn't think you would." There was a touch of complacent satisfaction in Julio's smile. "And I was careful to promise her only that I'd fly the plane to Santa Isabella, not you."
"Very wise, since you wouldn't have been able to keep that particular promise anyway," Beau said
crisply. He rose lithely to his feet. "Now what do you say we make tracks for the Cessna?"
"We're going to wait there for her to radio us?"
"Hell, no. As soon as it gets dark you're going to fly me in as close to Mariba harbor as you can manage." His lips twisted. "I hope you're as good a pilot as Kate claims. I don't want you cracking up trying to get low enough for me to jump."
"You're going to jump into the sea and swim to shore?" Julio asked, his eyes widening.
"Unless you have a better idea. Believe me, I'd welcome any other suggestion. I've been in the water so much lately I'm starting to feel as if I'm growing gills."
Julio shook his head. "It's certainly the fastest way to get to Mariba. Probably the only one if you're going to get there in time to do Kate any good." He frowned. "But she's right, you know. If you go to the inn now, you could blunder in and upset any plan she might have for getting the crew away."
"If she has any plan," Beau said grimly. "In my experience of Kate, she operates ninety percent of the time on impulse power."
"You'd be surprised how often she comes through with flying colors though," Julio said with a grin. "Jeffrey has always said she's a natural."
There was no doubt that Kate was that. Naturally bright, naturally honest, naturally loving. The most beautifully straightforward person he'd ever known and certainly the most maddeningly infuriating one. "I won't go to the inn," he decided reluctantly. "I'll take a chance on Kate getting them away and see what I can do about the ship. Two guards, you say?"
Julio nodded. "That's what I heard."
"Let's hope you heard right. I wouldn't like to receive any unpleasant surprises." He looked ruefully down at the brilliantly flowered shirt he was wearing. "It's going to be hard enough trying to
play Errol Flynn in this iridescent garb you've provided me with."
"Manuel likes color," Julio said absently. "God, I wish I could go with you!"
"Someone has to fly the plane and I don't think Kate would appreciate it if you kamikazed the Cessna."
"I guess not," Julio said as he opened the door of the tree house. "Ill be right with you. I promised to get something for Kate."
"The carousel?"
"It was the only thing she wanted."
"It means a lot to her," Beau said. "You go ahead, I'll bring it."
Julio hesitated a moment, his gaze on Beau's face before nodding slowly. "All right. I'll wait down below for you."
It was already dusk in the little room but Beau made his way with instinctive sureness to the rattan chest. A stray wavering ray of sunlight streamed into the dimness, lighting the music box with an elusive radiance. The proud arch of the unicorn's neck, the valiant boldness of the mythical centaur, the perky cheerfulness of the small spotted pony. There was so much of Kate embodied in the whimsical little music box. So much beauty, so much courage, so much . . .
He bent to pick up the music box with painstaking care, feeling his throat tighten painfully. The only treasure she'd wanted to take with her, Julio had said. Well, he wasn't about to let her take this particular treasure and leave him behind. She'd have to learn that wherever she went from now on he'd be beside her. To hell with being fair. He couldn't risk her putting herself into danger like this again. It was going to tear him apart to stand and wait for her to come to the Searcher. He'd give her until midnight but no later before he went to the inn. Then he'd be damned if he'd ever let her out of his sight again.
He tucked the music box beneath his arm and moved swiftly toward the door.
Eight
"All right, now tell me how you managed to get rid of the guards," Daniel demanded as he caught up with Kate's hurrying figure at the corner a block from the inn. "I was happy as hell to see you when you unlocked that hotel room door, but I admit I'm curious."
Kate glanced over her shoulder with an anxious frown. The captain had told the six crew members to split up in twos and follow at half-block intervals to avoid looking suspicious. Yes, there they were.
"Oh, that was my friend Consuello's doing," she said with a grin. "She still had some sedatives from her late husband's medicine chest. We slipped them into a bottle of wine and sent it to the guards with Despard's compliments." She made a face. "I wasn't even sure they'd still be potent enough. They were over two years old."
"Obviously they were." Daniel's teeth flashed white in his bearded face. "They were sleeping like newborn babies when I dragged them into the hotel room." His grin suddenly faded. "But if your little mickey was that old, it might not last long. We'd better hope we have the Searcher well away from Castellano by the time they come to and give the alarm."
"We're only a block away from the pier where the ship is docked," Kate said. They were moving swiftly now and were once more in the shadows. "Do you think it's safe to take off my disguise now?"
"Is that what it is?" An amused smile tugged at Daniel's lips as his gaze traveled over Kate's figure, from her shiny scarlet visored helmet to the oversized white linen jacket that came almost to her knees. "I thought it looked a little bizarre. You look a cross between a Martian invader and a Colonel Sanders commercial."
"Colonel Sanders?" A puzzled frown knitted her brow for a moment before she shrugged dismissingly. "I may look rather weird but no one can tell who I am. Who would suspect someone dressed like this of any serious shenanigans?"
"You have a point," Daniel said amusedly. "No one could accuse you of keeping a low profile." He suddenly started to chuckle. "Lord, I wish Clancy Donahue could see you. You've got to be the strangest undercover operator on record." "He wouldn't approve?"
"I didn't say that," Daniel said. "He admires effectiveness no matter how it's cloaked and you were certainly that."
"I was lucky," Kate said soberly. "Yes, you were," Daniel agreed. "You seem to be very well endowed in that way. So
is Beau for that matter. I've seen him pull off some pretty outrageous stunts." He stared at her. "Where is Beau?" She glanced away hurriedly. "On his way to Santa Isabella," she said lightly. "It was my fault you were captured and my responsibility to set you free. I decided not to involve him."
Daniel gave a low whistle. "Do I take it you're doing this without Beau's knowledge? I thought it a little odd he wasn't hovering over you like a protective dragon." He shook his head incredulously. "I can't believe he flew off into the wild blue yonder and left you to your own devices."
"There isn't any reason why he shouldn't." She still wasn't looking at him. "After all, he hasn't any commitment to me."
"Perhaps I would have believed that if I hadn't seen the man jump overboard and swim after you like a guardian dolphin." He suddenly grinned. "He was mad as hell but it didn't stop him from taking the plunge. I'd say an action like that from Beau demonstrates the ultimate in commitment."
"Does it?" she asked huskily. "I really wouldn't know. He's almost a stranger to me." It was true, she assured herself determinedly. Beau was a stranger. You could turn and walk away from strangers. This crazy feeling of being joined to him in mind and body in the most intimate of possession was only a mirage that surely would fade away in time. Oh, dear heaven, it had to. "Tell that to Beau." Daniel's brow lifted skeptically. "I don't think he sees your relationship in quite the same way." His hand suddenly closed on her arm. "The ship is just ahead." He pulled her over into the shadows of the prefab warehouse they were passing. "I hope Julio was right that there are only two guards."
"What do we do?" Kate asked, her eyes on the ship a hundred yards or so ahead. It was a deserted ghost ship in the moonlit darkness. Its usually billowing graceful sails were folded like the wings of a sleeping sea gull. "There doesn't seem to be anyone around." "What the hell!"
Her eyes flew to Daniel's grim face.
"There's someone on board all right. The auxiliary engines have been started."
"But why would the guards do that?"
"They shouldn't, unless they're so bombed out of their minds they've decided to take it out for a little spin. It wouldn't really surprise me. Those guards back at the hotel were guzzling rum as if it were water."