Tarnished Angel (23 page)

    "Ah, yes, we carry such cookies. They are back there, at the rear of the store."

    Leading Devina through the crowded rows of merchandise, China Mary brought her to a short counter. At the same moment, the sound of a step raised Devina's eyes toward a younger Oriental woman descending a curved staircase just beyond them. The young woman's eyes held hers, and Devina caught a flicker of an intense emotion in the moment before she stepped onto the main floor.

    Devina's first thought was that this young woman was all that China Mary was not. Tall, slender, exceedingly graceful, she suited the exquisite garment she wore to perfection. The subtle blue of the embroidered silk accented the delicacy of her features and the incredible sheen of her coiled hair. She smiled, fleeting dimples and even white teeth adding the final touch to a picture that was exotic perfection.

    China Mary's lined face glowed with pride as she motioned the young woman forward.

    "And now you must meet my daughter, Lily, who is your age. She is well educated and is also beautiful. In these ways you have much in common. Perhaps someday you may meet and talk. I am sure you two would find you have some mutual interests."

    "And just what might they be, Mary?"

    A deep, familiar voice caused Devina to whirl around with a start as Harvey Dale stepped to her side. Not awaiting Mary's response, he turned toward Devina, his countenance flushed.

    "You are here against my explicit instructions, Devina." He tossed a sharp glance toward Lai Hua, his voice growing harsher. "You were hired to guide my daughter into areas that are acceptable for her. You have not fulfilled that requirement by allowing her to come to this establishment."

    "Father!" Looking at China Mary and her silent daughter, Devina offered quietly, "I apologize for my father. He's upset."

    "Don't apologize for me, Devina. Had you not come here, this scene would not have occurred. Since you are here, and Lai Hua has failed in her duties once more, I have no other choice but to"

    "Father, please, say no more."

    Devina turned toward China Mary and her daughter, only to be startled at their composure. Rather than being insulted by her father's attitude, they appeared almost to be enjoying the confrontation. Nevertheless, her words were short and filled with regret. "If you will forgive me, China Mary, Lily, I think it would be best if I returned home with my father now."

    Taking her arm in a restrictive grip, Harvey turned Devina toward the door. His step rapid, he propelled her out of the store and down Third Street without a word. Slowing his pace only when their home came into sight, Harvey continued on in silence. Ushering her up the front steps, he paused to catch his breath.

    In total control moments later, he faced her squarely. "Devina, I will not ask what took you into that section of town today."

    "Lanterns, Father. I went to buy lanterns for the party."

    Harvey's flushed face was unyielding. "I do not care to know. There is no reason that will suffice. I will not tolerate your presence there."

    Her anger beginning to rise at her father's autocratic tone, Devina raised her chin. "And what took
you
there today, Father? I cannot believe you went there for the express reason of coming to my rescue when I was not in need of rescue at all."

    "It is none of your concern why or how I happened upon you in that portion of town, Devina, but I warn you now: This had better never happen again. If you value your privacy, your independence, your freedom, you will not abuse it!"

    "Father"

    "That is all I have to say on the subject!" Taking another deep breath, Harvey continued in a slightly lower tone. "As for Lai Hua"

    ''She had nothing to do with this, Father. She tried to stop me from going."

    Harvey's pale eyes flicked over Lai Hua's shuddering form with contempt. "I will not argue with you about the girl. You may keep her if you wish." His gaze returning to Devina, Harvey continued in a level tone completely devoid of emotion. "But you will never return to Hop Town again, is that understood?"

    "Father…"

    "Devina, is that understood?"

    Devina hesitated, her own anger flaring. She was about to respond with the full heat of her emotions when she noted the abnormal flush that had flooded her father's face, the pounding of the veins in his temple and neck. Suddenly unwilling to further raise her father's ire, she took a deep breath. "Yes, that's understood, Father."

    Pausing, her father held her gaze for long moments as he sought to rein in his emotions. Nodding at last, he continued in a strained voice, "You will now go inside, Devina, and I will return to work. We will never discuss this again."

    "Yes, Father."

    Turning abruptly, her father walked stiffly down the steps to the street. It was only when his tall erect form turned the corner that Devina realized she was shaking. Her expression stiff, she turned to Lai Hua.

    "I suppose it would be best for Father if this afternoon was never discussed again; and right now, I think it would be best for me. But we will discuss it later, Lai Hua, and I shall offer you my apologies. But for now, I think I'll go inside. I've quite lost my taste for shopping."

    Turning, Devina opened the door and stepped into the coolness of the foyer. She was grateful to be home. She needed time to think.

    Harvey strode angrily into the small shop he had left only a short time before. Standing just where he had left her was China Mary. Her smile was broad.

    "What in hell did you think you were doing?"

    "I, Mr. Dale? I was doing nothing. I did not summon your daughter to my establishment."

    "Damn you! What was all that talk about Devina and Lily   having so much in common? I warn you, Mary, if you're up to any tricks, you'll lose everything you have. You'll leave this town even more penniless than you were when you came here, and your precious daughter will have to peddle her wares to the highest bidder to support herself."

    A soft step from behind made Harvey turn toward Lily's tall, graceful form as she stepped into his line of vision.

    "And would you like that, Mr. Dale?"

    Harvey's eyes moved over Lily's beautiful face as she stepped closer. Despite himself, Harvey hesitated.

    Taking her opportunity, Lily questioned in a softer tone, "Would you like the thought of another man's hands on my body, touching me as you have touched me? Would you enjoy the thought of another man making"

    "Enough! That is enough!" Harvey's voice was a hoarse croak.

    Turning back to China Mary once more, Harvey hissed through lips stiff with tension, "I did not come back to discuss this matter with you. I came back to issue an ultimatum. You are never, under any circumstances, to go near my daughter again, do you hear?"

    China Mary nodded. "I hear you, Mr. Dale."

    Harvey turned to walk away when he heard Lily's soft, musical voice. He steeled himself against it.

    "You are leaving so soon, Mr. Dale? Do you not wish to visit with me for a little while in the room at the top of the stairs? That is the reason you came here this day, is it not? But unfortunately, you found instead your daughter speaking to your lover." Lily paused in silent emphasis of her words. When she began speaking again, her voice was a purr. "Come, Mr. Dale. I will dispel your anger. I will cause it and all else to cease to exist for you."

    Not daring to turn in her direction, Harvey took a shallow, choking breath. Exerting supreme control, he forced himself forward as Lily's voice drifted over his shoulder in a soft siren call, "Do you really wish to leave, Mr. Dale?"

    Not daring to answer, Harvey straightened his shoulders and continued forward. It was the hardest thing he had ever done.

    Ross turned slowly. Incredulity widened his eyes, displacing the dark, fanatical light that had glowed within them too often of late. A smile grew on his lips, broadening to expose strong white   teeth in startling contrast with his sun-darkened skin. Creases in mid-cheek deepened with his smile, and dimples seldom seen during the dark moods that had become his natural state, lifted the planes of his face. His face shed years in that moment, revealing the youthful side of his obvious maturity, lightening his handsome features to reveal a glimpse of the man he had once been. He laughed, the deep warmth of the sound echoing in the cabin to bring the two men outside briefly to the doorway.

    Waiting until Mack and Harry had returned to their chores, Ross clamped his hand on Jake's shoulder and gave it a hearty shake. His low voice was filled with enjoyment.

    "Damn, why did you wait so long to tell me this, Jake? It's about the best news I've heard in a long time! So Harvey Dale has gone to great trouble to arrange a covert shipment of his payroll. A dummy box, a supply wagon carrying the real thing… No doubt he hopes to use the process of elimination to trap the person who's leaking the information to us. He'd have no way of suspecting Lai Hua. No one knows you've been seeing her, not even Harry and Mack. There'd be no way of tying her to the robberies. Oh, this is good!"

    But Jake was not smiling. His expression sober, he continued in a confidential tone, "Lai Hua thinks they'll make the switch at the last minute, so there'll be less chance of anybody
suspectin
'
anythin
'."

    "That makes sense. Did she say when the shipment will go out?"

    "No. She said the payroll would be shipped as usual, so I guess we can expect it to go in about a week."

    "That'll be perfect." Ross took a deep, steadying breath. His amusement had faded, and his mind was surging ahead to the details of interception. "If they're trying not to stir up suspicion about the supply wagon, I guess that means we can expect it to be traveling without additional guard." Ross laughed again. "Nothing could be better. That makes it easier for us and eliminates the possibility of innocent men getting hurt. Enough innocent men have already suffered from Dale's twisted schemes."

    Suddenly aware of his friend's preoccupation, Ross asked, "Is something wrong, Jake? Is there a reason you didn't mention this whole thing to me before this? It's been a couple of days since you saw Lai Hua, hasn't it?"

    Jake nodded, maintaining his silence, and Ross was struck by   his own thoughtlessness. Damn, he should've realized something was wrong when Jake returned a few nights before. He had been moody and uncommunicative in the days since, and nothing could be farther from Jake's normal behavior than that. If he hadn't been so tied up in his own thoughts, he would have noticed that something was bothering his friend.

    But Ross hadn't thought about much besides the woman who had been filling the sights of his spyglass for the past week. During that time he had memorized every detail of Devina Dale's flawless countenance. He could anticipate the vanity in her expression each time she stepped onto the street and caught the eyes of passersby, the haughty lift of her brow when Sam Sharpe assumed his place behind her, and the manner in which she managed to hide her instinctive air of superiority when she emerged on the arm of Charles Carter. Oh, yes, she was all sweetness and light then. If he didn't despise Carter so thoroughly, he would almost feel sorry for the fool.

    Ross was suddenly disgusted with himself. Once again thoughts of Devina Dale were distracting him from more immediate matters. He was allowing her to become almost as deep an obsession as his hatred for her father.

    His eyes returning to Jake's face, Ross winced inwardly at the torment in his friend's light eyes. Why hadn't he seen it there before? He probed again. "Jake, what's wrong?"

    "I had a lot of
thinkin
' to do before I told you about what Lai Hua said, Ross. One of the reasons was that for the first time since I've known her, I doubted what Lai Hua told me."

    "Doubted? You think she was lying about the shipment, trying to get us to go after the wrong one?"

    "To be honest, Ross, at first I wasn't sure. I spent a couple of long sleepless nights
comin
' to the decision that Lai Hua was
tellin
' me the truth, about the shipment, at least." Jake continued in a softer tone. "I wouldn't have said
anythin
' if I wasn't pretty positive what I told you is true."

    Ross continued to peruse his friend's disturbed expression. "That's not all that's wrong, is it?"

    Jake attempted a smile. "I guess you could say that. I'm
thinkin
' we'd better make good use of the information we got this time from Lai Hua, 'cause we won't be
gettin
' any more."

    "And it's not because she won't be employed by the Dales any longer," Ross said.

    "No. It's because I won't be
seein
' Lai Hua again." Jake's eyes held a suspicious brightness. "She told me about the payroll, but she was
holdin
' something back. I don't know what it was, but I could see it in her eyes. I gave her a last chance to tell me, but…" Jake gave a small shrug. "I've had my fill of people
lettin
' me down, Ross. I went against my instincts once before and trusted somebody when I shouldn't have. I ended up in Yuma for that. I'm not
lettin
' Lai Hua put me back in that place, no matter how often she tells me she" Jake stopped talking abruptly and gave a short
laugh.'''Once
burned, twice shy'… that describes me real well."