Pearl Cove (21 page)

Instantly Archer stood, offered Jake a hand up, and then gave him a brief, rib-cracking
hug. Hell of a workout. Thanks.

Jake stretched his shoulders cautiously beneath the padding, and said, My pleasure. Like
hell.

Laughing, breathing hard and deep, sweat soaked from scalp to heels, the two men stood for
a few moments longer on the mat, enjoying each other and the feeling of a good workout.
When Jake began removing his padding, Archer turned toward the showers. The instant he saw
Hannah, his smile vanished. So did his easy relaxation. Between one heartbeat and the
next, he was fully on guard.

Honor saw the difference in him immediately. Archers distant, ruthless side was one that
he rarely showed to his family. Or needed to. She looked from her brother to Hannahs
beautiful, shadowed eyes. Hannah, too, had lost her smile.

I see youve met, Archer said, striding across the gym floor toward the two women. Hi, sis.
Want a hug?

With a wary eye on her oldest brothers sweaty body, Honor blew him a kiss. Consider
yourself

hugged.

Huh. Is that what youre going to tell Jake?

Jakes sweaty body is different from any other sweaty male body on earth. Hes sexy.

Not to me.

Im soooo relieved.

Grinning, Archer turned to Hannah. But it wasnt her that he looked at. Hey, Summer, he
said gently. Hows the most beautiful angel in heaven?

At the sound of her name, Summer lifted her head and looked around for one of her very
favorite human beings. Archer held out his hands. She abandoned Hannahs well-chewed ring
and waved her arms happily.

Shes teething again, Honor warned. The drool factory is working around the clock.

Thats my girl, he said approvingly. You need teeth in this world.

Despite Summers eagerness, Hannah didnt want to hand the baby over to a man who just
moments ago had been fully focused on turning himself into a deadly weapon.

Archer saw the hesitation and simply lifted Summer into his own arms. Dont worry, he said
to Hannah. If it comes to visitation rights, I wont do any damage.

The icy flick of his voice made her flinch.

Honors eyes widened. Visitation? She looked at Hannah speculatively.

Summer didnt notice any of the emotional undertones. She cooed and bounced and made a grab
at Archers nose. He could have ducked easily, but he didnt. He just turned and made
gobbling noises against her fat little arm until she giggled and let go. Then she grabbed
a handful of his chest hair and pulled. Wincing, he gently opened her fingers and growled
against her neck, careful of her tender skin and his growing beard.

Who taught you to fight dirty? he asked the baby.

Drooling blissfully, Summer chewed on whatever part of her uncle she could reach. Archer
grinned as though she was offering him the rarest of pearls rather than teething drool.
Without even a token struggle, he surrendered his little finger, a willing sacrifice to
the god of sore gums. As a reward, Summer leaned against him, sighed dreamily, and peed
her diaper right through.

Oops, Honor said, reaching for her daughter. That warm stuff you feel running down your
leg isnt sweat. Sorry about that

Its not the first time. Archer kissed Summers nose. Come on, beautiful. You and your uncle
are taking a shower. How about you, Jake? he asked, turning back toward the mat.

Go ahead, Jake said. I want to talk with Honor. Carrying his niece, Archer headed off for
the showers. You spoil her, Honor said to his broad, sweaty back. Yeah, aint it grand?

Carrying sweaty pads, Jake came up to Honor, kissed her thoroughly, and said, Introduce me
to the woman who can make Archer mad enough to kill.

Standing in the entryway of the condo with cloud-filtered sun all around, Hannah tried to
ignore the disapproval Jake hadnt bothered to conceal. All the way up in the elevator, his
pale, cold gray eyes had measured her with a chill that reminded her of Archer at his
worst. Dark hair, dark mustache, a height and strength to equal Archers; and a
ruthlessness, too.

But not toward Honor. For her, Jakes eyes went from ice to steamy mist. The passion and
gentleness he felt for his wife were as clear as his dislike of Hannah.

Rubbing her arms as though to ward off cold, Hannah hurried into the living room, wanting
to escape Jakes oppressive dislike.

Not yet, Jake said, putting a hand on Hannahs arm.

She froze. Though his touch was light, it wasnt casual.

Jake, Honor said, frowning at her husband. It was unlike him to treat a stranger so
coldly. Whats going on?

Thats what the merry widow is going to tell us.

Anger streaked through Hannah, burning away caution. She turned on him. Youre half right.
Im a widow.

Are you in mourning? Jake asked politely. Not since seven years ago. Care to explain that?
No.

Okay. What did you do to Archer?

Nothing.

Yeah? Then maybe you can tell me why he needed to whale the crap out of something this
morning.

Honor winced. Uh, Jake...

Yeah, I know. None of my business. Too bad Im a nosy bastard. He looked at his wife. She
hurt him, honey. I want to know why.

Youre wrong, Hannah said, fighting to keep a grip on her temper. The contempt in Archers
glance earlier and in Jakes now raked over her. I didnt hurt Archer. Hes too ruthless to
be hurt by anyone smaller or weaker than he is.

Jake said something blasphemous.

Honor was too stunned to say anything at all.

Youre blind, lady, he said coldly. Deaf, dumb, and fucking blind.

Im sure youre a good friend to Archer now, Hannah shot back, but you know nothing about
Archer ten years ago. About what he did.

You might be surprised. Archer and I were in the same business.

I might not be surprised, Hannah said, furious. In her own way, she needed a fight as much
as Archer had. I married his half brother!

What? Honor demanded. What did you say?

Abruptly Hannah realized where her temper had led her. Jakes dislike was uncomfortable,
but she had lived with much worse. Yet none of it had gone as deep as Archers withdrawal
and the fear growing inside her that she might have been terribly, terribly wrong about a
man.

Again.

If you wanted a child without complications, you should have gone to a sperm bank She
rubbed her face with hands that were cold and told herself that she hadnt been wrong in
her assessment of Archers ability to love.

Dont worry. If it comes to visitation rights, I wont do any damage.

Tears burned behind Hannahs eyes, tears she refused to permit. Im sorry, she said tightly
to Honor. I had no business telling you that. Whatever you do, dont mention it in front of
your mother. She doesnt know.

So its The Donovans son, Jake said.

Distantly Hannah noticed that he had taken Honors hand and laced their fingers together
tightly. The message was clear: whatever had to be faced, they would face it together.
Envy stabbed through Hannah, surprising her with its cruel edge.

Yes, she said, her voice much calmer than her eyes. Before he met his wife. Long before.
But Archer knew? Jake asked. Yes. And this half brother... hes dead?

His name was Len, Len McGarry. And yes, hes dead.

How? Jake asked, but something in his tone told her he had already guessed.

Murder.

Honor made a low sound.

Jake squeezed her hand and kept on talking, pinning Hannah with eyes that were like a cats
pitiless and clear. Are you a suspect?

I didnt kill him. He looked at her a moment longer, then nodded.

Are you at risk?

I Her voice hitched, then steadied. Yes. Thats why I called Archer.

Youll be safe here, Honor said.

He told me the same thing, Hannah said in a low, husky voice. But I cant stay.

Why not? Honor asked.

Hannah looked at Jake and shook her head.

My husband is protective of the people he loves, but hell be civilized about it in the
future, Honor said. Right, Jake?

Sure. She turned toward Jake and gave her husband a level look. I mean it. So do I.

Honor sighed, smiled, and went up on tiptoe to kiss him. I love you.

His whole body changed, loosening, sliding away from battle readiness. He returned the
kiss and the soft words. Then he looked back at Hannah.

Tell us about it, he said. He managed to make it sound more like an invitation than a
demand.

Just barely.

Kyle, Lianne, and Archer sat on the floor around Kyles computer. She was wearing a pair of
dark jeans and one of Kyles sweatshirts. It stretched over the mound of her pregnancy with
not much to spare. Her bare feet were small, narrow, and tucked neatly under her thighs.
Kyle and Archer wore the preferred uniform of America jeans faded nearly to white and
sweatshirts that had been washed so often their colors were a memory. Like Lianne, the men
had bare feet. Unlike her, their feet were big.

The thick Tibetan rug Lianne had added to Kyles suite after they were married made a
comfortable mat and a timeless, colorful background to the pewter-colored laptop computer
Kyle sat cross-legged in front of. Lianne had her tired back braced against Archers knees
while her husbands fingers raced over the keyboard. They waited for the screen to settle.

Okay, Kyle said, seeing the pattern instantly in the spreadsheet. Its pretty clear that
Len was laundering Changs Tahitian pearls. He wasnt getting jack for it, though. Wonder
why he did it.

As a cover for his experimental shell, Archer said. Go back two screens. He waited, then
pointed to the bottom line on the screen. See? Without those laundered pearls, he wouldnt
have had anything to show for his investment. The government was already unhappy with his
claim of forty percent experimental shell. If experiments on that scale didnt produce
anything salable year after year, the government would have been more than unhappy. They
would have been suspicious enough to come down on Pearl Cove like a hard rain to find out
what the hell was going on. That was the last thing Len wanted.

So he told the Aussies he was experimenting with producing Tahitian-style pearls from
Australian shell, and he used Changs laundered pearls to prove it? Lianne asked. Right,
Archer said absently.

You sound like an Aussie, Kyle said, pronouncing it Ozzie in the Australian manner.

Archer thought of Hannah, who had adopted that particular linguistic mannerism. Right.
Thinking of her made his whole body tighten in a combination of rage and hurt and need.
Get used to it, he told himself savagely. Thats the way it is.

After ten years he should have learned that fighting the inevitable only wore him out. He
might as well fight gravity by pretending that someday he would flap his arms and fly just
because he wanted it so bad.

But he still kept wanting, still kept trying to fly. Still kept crashing.

Go forward again, Kyle. Lianne frowned at the screen. That leaves forty percent of
thousands upon thousands of oysters unaccounted for in terms of pearl production.

Closer to seventy, Kyle said. He was hiding more than he was admitting.

Were the experimentals all opalescent black pearls like the one you showed us? Lianne
asked.

Archer forced himself to focus on his sister-in-laws clear, whiskey-colored eyes instead
of on the indigo eyes that haunted and condemned him simply for being what he was. From
what Hannah has said, yes.

Then where are the pearls? Surely all of them couldnt be as perfect as the ones in the
necklace you described. Some of them had to be less valuable, even a noncommercial grade.

Hannah told me Len ground those to dust. Liannes eyes widened. She shifted against Archers
knees, trying to balance against the freewheeling, agile twins she was carrying.

Absently Archer widened the space between his legs just enough to reach through and rub
Liannes lower back, relieving the stress of pregnancy.

Thanks. Sighing, she leaned into his long, soothing fingers. Theyre in kickboxing mode
today.

Kyle looked up, grinned, and put one hand on his wifes stomach. He loved feeling the heat
and urgency of life growing in her. Want to go back up on the couch?

Archer and the floor are more comfortable. Your couches are too tall.

Nope, youre just a Munchkin, Kyle said.

Lianne shot him a sideways look from under thick, black eyelashes. This Munchkin dumped
you on your butt the last time we got on the exercise mat together.

You had just told me we were having twins! Excuses, excuses. A little more down and to the
left, she said to Archer. Ahhhh... Let me know if I push too hard.

As an answer, she made murmurous sounds of pleasure and leaned into the massage. But her
mind was still working. So Len launders pearls to keep the Australian government off his
back. Chang gouges Len on the illegal goods to the point that Len barely has enough to
survive on and keep Pearl Cove going. Sounds like Len had more reason to kill Chang than
vice versa.

Thats not the way it happened, Archer said. Chang wasnt even at Pearl Cove when the
cyclone hit. As far as I can find out, neither were any imported surrogates.

Surrogates? Lianne asked. Hit men, Archer said succinctly. As in the Red Phoenix Triad?
she muttered. God knows they have a full roster of killers.

Kyle remembered when Lianne had been the target of triad assassins. He ran his hand down
her arm as though to assure himself that she was alive. What about the Aussies? he asked.
They have my vote as the guy on the ramming end of the knife that got Len.

The memory of Broomes impromptu morgue flashed in Archers mind, Lens body so white, so
still, so cold, the bruised mouth between his ribs grinning....

Why would the Aussies kill Len? Lianne asked. Archer shoved the memory down into the
darkness along with other, similar memories. Too many of them. Bitterly he acknowledged
that Hannah was right. He had seen and done too much. He wasnt fit for the tender intimacy
of love.

Theyre worried about the Chinese, Archer said. His voice was completely neutral despite
the pain twisting through him.

Lianne rolled her eyes. Being half-Chinese, she had dealt with subtle racism and the more
overt kind from both Chinese and Caucasians. The Yellow Horde garbage again?

Thats part of it, Archer said. The Australians dont have much tolerance for
non-Caucasians. But bigotry isnt the only driving force in world politics. Often it isnt
even the most important. Pull up that world map again, Kyle.

The screen changed to a map showing the continents on either side of the Pacific Ocean.

See the lines and shadings Len added? Archer asked. Lianne leaned forward. They dont
overlap with political or geographic boundaries.

Right. Theyre showing who controls what percentage of the various kinds of pearl farming.

Kyle looked at the screen, put the cursor on one of the icons, clicked, and waited. The
information reappeared as a graph. He clicked again. The bar graph shifted. Six years ago.
Click. Four years ago. Click. Two years ago. He whistled musically. The Chinese are
coming on strong. Theyre going to own the pearl trade in the next decade.

Exactly.

Except, Lianne said, pointing to one column, here.

The luxury trade, Archer said. The kind of gems Tahiti and Australia produce. Big. Very
rare. Very expensive. The Chinese beat the Japanese at the freshwater pearl game and at
the Akoya pearl game.

Then they moved on to Tahiti for the high-end South Seas game. If you fish around in Lens
hard drive long enough, Im sure youll find a projection for the future of pearl farming.
It will be Chinese all the way.

When you say the Chinese... Kyle began. I mean the Chang family, Archer finished.
Discomfort forgotten, Lianne scooted around until she was sitting between both brothers.
All right. The Aussies have damn few export products worth as much as pearls. Theyre
worried about losing out to the Chinese. How would killing Len improve the Australian
position in the pearl market?

If Len had a covert alliance with the Changs, Archer said, the Aussies had good reason to
fear that he would turn over the secret of the black rainbows to the Chinese.

Which would give China a lock on all levels of the pearl trade, Lianne said. Goodbye
Aussie leverage. But Len had to know the Chang family was screwing him. Why would he give
them anything as precious as the rainbow pearls?

He wouldnt, Archer said. He would just let the Changs think he was going to. Im sure he
was dangling the same lure in front of the Aussies. Otherwise they would have driven him
out of business years ago. Len was a big thorn in their jockstrap.

Ouch, Kyle muttered. What about the Japanese? They cant be happy either way.

Archer shrugged. Japan doesnt have any warm oceans to grow South Seas pearls in or any
chance of acquiring that kind of real estate, short of World War Three. Theyre hanging on
to as much of their pearl sales monopoly as they can. Again, the high-end stuff is
slipping away from them. Again, its the Changs who are taking over. If the Japanese knew
about Lens pearls, theyd want them.

Who wouldnt? Lianne asked. I love jade, but that pearl you showed me was extraordinary.

She leaned against Kyles shoulder and stared at the screen. The twins went into overdrive.
She sighed and shifted again. This time she rested her round belly on Archer. Feeling the
tattoo of life against his arm, he turned and smiled at Lianne.

Isnt it time for their nap? he teased.

In my dreams. She grabbed his hand and put it on the most active twin. Here, Uncle Archer.
Soothe the savage beasts while Daddy slays the computer dragon.