Pearl Cove (18 page)

Paul gestured to a table and velvet-covered chairs that waited off to the right, just
beyond the vaults door. The decor here was a modern Asian take on Louis XIV magnificence
a deep teal blue and cream Chinese rug woven in ancient cloud patterns, gilt chairs with
cream silk cushions and raised blue brocade ribbing, and gilt mirrors whose faintly curved
frames matched those of the chair. The walls were a rich cream silk that matched the chair
cushions. Raised blue ideographs wished the occupants health, serenity, and a fat bank
account.

The video cameras that covered all angles of the room were also a tasteful cream color.
The thick, curved lenses looked teal blue. Seeing the cameras, Archer almost smiled. By
the time the Changs checked the videotape if they became suspicious enough to check it at
all he and Hannah would be long gone. She would be safe with his family.

And he would be the way he had been years ago: alone, moving fast to stay ahead of the
other predators, every sense raised to the burning edge of clarity by adrenaline,
searching for someone who was also moving fast, looking over his shoulder, every sense
burning.

Madame, Paul said with a faint sneer and a theatrical flourish, one hundred and
seventy-seven round, black, large, matched pearls.

He opened the lid on the flat, gunmetal satin jewelry box and set it in front of her.
Inside, lying within three oval, satin-lined channels, were round black pearls. Not one
was a rainbow.

She fought to keep her disappointment from showing, but doubted that she succeeded. Hey,
these look good, Archer said in a hearty voice. A little small maybe, but not bad. The
smallest pearl is just under fourteen millimeters, Paul said stiffly. The biggest is over
fifteen.

She didnt say anything. A single look had told her that these pearls, however beautiful,
werent part of the Black Trinity. While colorful, the pearls lacked the splendor of
rainbows swirling beneath black ice. They were indeed exquisitely matched, both within and
across the strands. Someone had gathered together one hundred and seventy-seven very, very
nice pearls.

But they werent the Black Trinity.

Madame? Paul asked smoothly.

How much? Archer cut in.

Two million six hundred thousand dollars. American, of course. Paul smiled in the manner
of someone who has just trumped another players ace.

Ouch. Oh well, shes worth it and then some.

She gave Archer a pouty air kiss and stood up.

Madame would like to see something less expensive? Paul asked smoothly.

Madame would like to see something more colorful, she said, her voice as flat as she felt.

Madame asks the impossible. These are the best pearls the world has to offer. You will
find no finer necklace anywhere.

In your dreams, mate, she retorted, disappointed and not at all reluctant to share the
pain. Its nice enough, but it needs more pinks and golds and reds and oranges.

I repeat. You ask the impossible. Believe me. Every year the cream of Tahitis black pearl
farms passes through our owners hands. I personally oversee the choices for jewelry. The
creme de la creme is made into matched necklaces. This necklace is the best Mr. Chang has
ever assembled.

When she would have responded, Archer restrained her by giving her hand a quick squeeze.
Maybe in Tahiti its impossible to find more colorful black pearls, he said cheerfully, but
weve heard that Australia has some really special black pearls.

Paul shrugged. One hears many things, most of them false. One rarely sees a necklace such
as this one.

Yeah, its a nice fistful of pearls, Archer agreed, reaching into his pocket. But once my
darlin saw this, she never looked at another pearl in quite the same way.

As he spoke, he pulled a ring box out of his pocket. Without taking his eyes off the
jeweler, Archer flipped open the lid and tipped Teddys tear-shaped rainbow black pearl
onto his palm.

Pauls expression shouted that he had never seen a pearl like this in his life. His eyes
widened, his jaw loosened, and he reached automatically for the rainbow gem.

Archer closed his hand.

Hannah reeled in her own jaw and waited for a signal from him as to how to act. She knew
the gem had to be one of Pearl Coves. What she didnt understand was how it had slipped
through Lens fingers.

Where did you get that pearl? Paul demanded.

It was exactly the question she wanted to ask.

It must be treated, Paul said without waiting for an answer. Has it been drilled?

Dont know about treatments, Archer lied cheerfully, but it hasnt been drilled.

Paul stared longingly at the other mans closed hand.

Archer opened his fingers as coyly as a stripper playing with a G-string. Rainbows gleamed
against midnight.

May I? Paul asked, inching closer.

Dont go losing it, Hannah said quickly. Nobody weve showed it to ever saw one like it.

If it is a virgin that is, undrilled no dye could penetrate the nacre, Paul said.
Therefore the color would have to be natural.

Archer rolled the pearl lightly on his palm, proving that there were no drill holes.
Virgin, Paul said reverently. Where did you get it? Card game, Archer drawled. Where?

Vegas. Who had it before you? A guy called Stan who wasnt as good at five-card stud as he
thought. What is his last name? Where did he

Look, Archer cut in. I dont know how yall play poker in Hong Kong, but when I sit down for
a game, we dont pass around last names and life histories. You put your cash on the table
and you play until youre busted or everyone else quits.

Ive heard of such pearls, but Ive never seen one before now. Paul looked hungrily at it.
May I?

Archer acted reluctant, but finally passed the pearl over.

Paul weighed it in his narrow palm. It was an old test and still a good one; true pearls
felt cool and heavier than their size would indicate. Pearls made of fish-scale paste, or
plastic, or ceramic or some unholy combination of all three felt light and took on the
temperature of whatever room they were kept in. Just to be certain that the pearl wasnt
fraudulent, he lightly ran the edge of his front teeth over the surface. It had the gently
gritty texture that was the hallmark of a true pearl.

Hey, you said a pearl was delicate, Hannah objected, and now youre chewing on it. Wholly
intent on the iridescent bit of midnight on his palm, Paul ignored her. Thats okay,
darling, Archer said. The jeweler in Vegas did the same thing and didnt leave a mark.

She made a grumpy sound, even though she knew as well as either man that the tooth test
was one of the most ancient ways to determine a pearls validity.

Paul went to the nearby table, set the pearl down, and simply looked at it from all
angles. After a time he opened a drawer in the table and picked up what looked like an
ivory chopstick. He laid it very close to the pearl and looked for a reflection on the
pearls shiny surface. It was there, and it was deep. The nacre on this pearl was thick.
Gem quality.

Superbe, he said simply.

Archer scooped the pearl up and put it back in the box. My darlin likes it, and thats good
enough for me. So where can I find more like it?

Impossible. I have heard rumors, but never have I seen a pearl such as this.

Well, shoot. Archer tucked the box in his pocket. Cmon, babe. Looks like well have to go
to Australia after all.

An instant after the front door closed behind them, Paul was on the phone. Mr. Samuel
Chang, please. It is urgent.

Seattle lay beneath a thick lid of clouds. The moonlight that had kept the airplane
company from Hawaii vanished into seamless night. It was seventy degrees colder than Hong
Kong. By the time Hannah had gone the twenty feet from the airplane to the car waiting by
the apron, she was shivering and wishing for the warmth of the wig she had ripped off and
stuffed into the trash as soon as Archer handed her a passport in her own name.

Despite being cold, she was exhilarated. The air was fresh enough to cut into squares and
eat like candy. The streets were dark and glistening with what Archer called rain, but
what was merely an invigorating mist by Broomes tropical standards. It reminded her of her
early childhood in Maine. She hadnt known how much she missed the climate until right now.

Turn the heat up, Amy, Archer said to the driver. This one is a hothouse flower.

Not too hot, Hannah said, sliding into the sleek black car. I like this
wakeup-and-conquer-the-world temperature.

Right, he said dryly. Thats why your teeth are chattering. Heat, Amy.

Yessir, the chauffeur said, and cranked the heat to the max. As she turned to check on
traffic, her short silver hair glinted in the airport lights. Like her haircut, her
clothes were smart and casually chic peach silk blouse, unstructured black jacket, black
slacks, and low-heeled shoes. The Donovans didnt require a uniform, but Amy felt that it
added a certain panache to her job. Sanity, too. Driving for a canny old entrepreneur and
his unpredictable, highly artistic wife called for a level head and unflappable nerves.
Amy Crow had both.

Are The Donovan and Susa at the condo? Archer asked.

Yes. Theres a party tomorrow night.

He thought quickly. They had missed The Donovans birthday party, but with so many other
Donovans, it was hard to keep track. Birthday? Anniversary?

Well, The Donovan has hopes. Amy looked in the rearview mirror at the hothouse flower with
sun-streaked chestnut hair, dark indigo eyes, and the kind of walk models would kill for.
Youve never brought a woman home before. Hes celebrating.

Briefly Archer closed his eyes. He had wondered how The Donovan would deal with explaining
Hannah, the widow of his bastard son. Passing her off as Archers friend would simplify the
fathers problems greatly.

And greatly increase the sons.

Privacy, please, Amy.

A glass plate slid into place, dividing the back from the front of the car.

Silently Hannah looked at him. He picked up her chilly hands, kissed them, and slowly
rubbed heat back into her fingers.

Will you mind not mentioning the rest of it until I talk to Dad? Archer asked.

You mean Len?

He nodded. Just until I find out if Susa knows. After that... He shrugged. The Donovan is
a big boy. He can deal with the past. So can his children.

But not your mother?

He hesitated, then nodded again. She had surgery two months ago. There were complications.
She came back from it, but she hasnt had the energy to paint yet. I dont want her knocked
down again because of something that happened when Dad was sixteen.

Hannahs fingers threaded through his and squeezed gently. 1 wont mention the past.

You can talk about everything but Lens blood relationship to Dad.

So how did you meet me?

You were having trouble with pearl theft in Australia, your husband was dead, and you
remembered that he once told you if anything happened to him, you were to call me.

She tilted her head thoughtfully, then asked, Why would you care?

I used to work with Len in some dangerous places, the kinds of places that lead to
obligations and debts.

Her expression changed. She looked past him, out the mist-slicked window to the shimmering
lights of the freeway. But she wasnt seeing light. She saw only darkness, felt only a
queasy, sinking fear. She kept forgetting that Len and Archer were so alike. Archer
concealed the ruthlessness better, but it was there just the same.

When she could trust her voice, she asked, What if someone wants more details?

Send them to me.

She nodded and sat without moving, letting the night slide by on either side of her.
Though she had spent most of the time on the Donovan International plane sleeping and the
rest satisfying her hunger for Archer she was still tired. Jet lag, she supposed. Or
reality lag. So much had happened in so little time. No sooner did she catch her balance
from one thing than she was knocked sideways by another. The cyclone. Lens murder. The
loss of the Black Trinity. The certainty that she was in danger herself. The sabotage of
Pearl Cove. And Archer.

Archer, who kept surprising her. She had never expected to find such passion and restraint
in one man. Even as she told herself that it was stupid, that she had no business risking
pregnancy, she could hardly wait to be in bed with him again, to pull him around her like
darkness and fire, to wake with his warmth and scent and taste everywhere on her body.

Even if there hadnt been passion and release, she would have gone to him. The chance of
having a child burned like hope in her soul. After years of believing that children werent
in her future, the thought of feeling a baby grow inside her was a pleasure so great it
made her shiver.

Turning in his seat, Archer watched out the rear window. It took less than ten minutes to
be certain that someone was following them. He punched the car intercom button. Amy, did
you tell anyone what time we were coming in?

Just The Donovan, sir.

Thank you.

Impassively Archer watched the rear window. The style of the tail was federal at least
two cars shifting back and forth, passing off the lead position, dropping back, then
switching again five or ten minutes later. The cars were American made, which was as good
as wearing a light bar when it came to identifying cops; the West Coast of America was the
home of imported cars.

Silence settled in the car like a soft, contented cat. Archer turned away from the rear
window and watched Hannah rather than the freeway. In the muted golden glow of the cars
interior lights, her face was an ever-changing arrangement of light and shadow. Just when
he decided she couldnt be more beautiful, he found another angle, another blending of
light and dark that squeezed his heart.

He was still watching her when Amy pulled up to the low-rise condominium building that
served as the Donovan family headquarters in Seattle. She punched in numbers on a piece of
handheld electronics that was about the size of a hefty cellular phone.

With a half smile, Archer waited to see if they passed the electronic scrutiny of Kyles
latest invention. After a few seconds the garage door rolled up, allowing the black car to
pass. He let out a long breath when the heavy steel links lowered again, shutting out the
rest of the world.

Home.

The one place where the nape of his neck wouldnt prickle each time he turned his back on
someone.

His past had taught him that no place was perfectly safe, but the Donovans Seattle
residence came very close. He needed that safety, that relaxation of the merciless inner
alertness that had begun with Hannahs call and wouldnt end until he found Lens murderer.

As he looked back at the heavy steel grid, headlights flashed by on the street. He smiled
coldly. At 3 a.m. Seattle didnt have much in the way of freeway traffic. Even the surface
streets were nearly deserted. The cars that tailed them had tried to be discreet, but
there wasnt enough traffic to hide in.

Amy eased the big Mercedes to a stop near a lighted entrance. Before she could stir from
her seat, Archer opened his car door. A tug on Hannahs hand sent her sliding over the seat
toward him. He waited, watching her without any sign of the fatigue and rising hunger that
gnawed at him.

The expensive outfit she wore might have looked wilted and travel-worn around the edges,
but her legs were as smooth and supple as ever. Desire turned like a knife in him as he
thought of how she had wrapped those long legs around him on the plane, opening herself
completely. He had pushed into her the same way. Completely.

None of his thoughts showed on his face or in his touch as he took her arm. He knew she
was too tired to be tearing up the bed with him for what was left of the night. Certainly
he should be too tired to be thinking about it.

He turned to his parents chauffeur. Thank you, Amy. Is anyone else still awake?

I dont think so, sir. Jake, Honor, and Summer came in just after dinner. Faith is at a
designers symposium in New York, but will be back soon. She glanced at the electronic
device in her hands. Kyle might be up tinkering with this, er, thing again. He has
something else he wants it to do.

Pray for us, Archer said under his breath. Amy laughed. Ill do that, sir. Good night. Only
family members knew the code that opened the entrance from the garage. He punched in the
numbers on a lighted pad. Instantly the lock retracted and the door swung open. Hannah
watched curiously as he repeated the process to get in an elevator, then again to get out
of the elevator.

Different codes each time? she asked. I didnt think Seattle was that dangerous.

Kyle is that inventive, Archer said easily. And Im that paranoid.

Im going to need a native guide to get around here. For me, numbers are like names. You
say them, I listen, and fffft, gone.

Smiling, he tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ears. The hair was soft and smelled
lightly of cinnamon. Honor threatened to take a very sensitive part of Kyles anatomy and
feed it to her cat unless he switched to voice recognition or retina patterns or something
that doesnt require learning new codes at

random intervals.

She has my vote.

Laughing softly, he unlocked the door to the suite and gestured her inside. The entryway
was marble; the white rug recently had been replaced with hardwood. Over the wood lay
carpets from India, China,

and vanished Persia. The city view from the wall-to-ceiling windows at the far end of the
room was magnificent, but couldnt overcome the uncanny power of the landscape paintings
that hung along one wall.

Hannah walked forward, lured by the elemental presence of art. Even if she had lived all
her life among the mountains and sand dunes and plateaus in these paintings, she would
have been compelled. She rubbed her eyes as though waking up from sleep. The paintings
were still there, still powerful.

Who? she asked simply.

My mother. This way, Archer said, keeping his voice soft. Though the rooms were well
insulated to muffle noise, he had no desire to wake up the family and put Hannah through a
lot of introductions when she was swaying on her feet from exhaustion.

But-

The paintings will still be there tomorrow. You need sleep.

She couldnt argue, though she wanted to. She looked back over her shoulder as long as she
could see the paintings. Then she sighed and wished she had half the gift his mother had.

Archer led Hannah down a hallway lined with ancient and modern black-and-white photographs
of some of the wildest places on earth. The carpet was luxurious, vividly colorful, with
random patterns that evoked the feeling of earths continents seen from space. Several
doors opened off the short hallway before it ended in a circle. Six doors opened off the
circle.

Everyone has separate suites. He spoke in a low voice and smiled crookedly. The Donovans
all like space. It keeps the family arguments to a minimum. Most of the time.

She saw his smile and knew that the arguments, however lively they might get, werent
bitter. Do you all live here? she whispered.

Jake and Honor live up north, near Anacortes. So does Kyle. Lawe and Justin use this as
their home base, but they arent here more than a few weeks a year. Faith had a condo in
San Francisco, but she moved here after Honor and Jake married. Dad and Mom have homes in
several places.

What about you?

He shrugged. Im like Lawe and Justin.

Wanderlust? she asked curiously, looking at him with eyes that were both clear and very
dark.

At first.

And now?

He opened one of the doors and nudged her into the room beyond. For me, a home has to have
more than one person in it.

She smiled sadly. Numbers dont count, Archer. There has to be love.

He yawned. Guess I dont love myself enough, then.

She snickered. You know what I mean.

Yeah. He slid his arms around her and gave her a slow, easy, homecoming kind of kiss. I
know what you mean.

Still smiling, she enjoyed the kiss. He tasted of coffee and the tin of mints that someone
had left aboard the Donovan company plane. She supposed she tasted of the single brandy
she had taken like medicine in order to sleep.

It didnt matter. Before too long, their tastes would be the same.

Youre asleep on your feet, he said, gently ending the kiss. Get in bed.

She looked around. The sitting area looked as though one of the couches unfolded into a
bed, but it wasnt made up. The king-size bed in the room beyond was turned down for the
night.

Dont laugh, she said, ducking her head, but what will your parents think?

That were single adults with high standards who got very, very lucky. He brushed a kiss
over her eyebrows. Its all right, Hannah. Mom and Dad arent in the business of passing
judgment. If it really bothers you, though, Ill put you in Lawes or Justins room. I dont
think theyre corning back here soon.

The thought of sleeping without Archers muscular warmth curling around her didnt appeal.
She didnt know how much longer she had with him. Once they found the Black Trinity, they
would go their separate ways. Then she would regret each minute she hadnt spent with him,
exploring their mutual, unexpected passion.

I want to stay with you, she said. Its just... old habits.