The Waiting Game

  „You can’t just disappear into the mists, you know. Only fantasies can evaporate like that and you’re not a fantasy any longer.“ The remark was made in a cool, conversational tone that completely belied the shimmering intensity of his gaze. He stood a few steps behind her, his hands thrust into the back pockets of his jeans. The familiar canvas shoes were on his feet and Sara dimly realized that he must have followed her for nearly a mile without making a sound in those shoes.

  For an instant the unlikely combination of the easy tone and the fierce demand of the silver eyes caused Sara to feel as though she had somehow lost her balance. Her hand closed tightly around the door handle behind her as she steadied herself.

  „I didn’t realize you were behind me,“ she finally managed, pulling herself together quickly. It was ridiculous to let him throw her like this. „You should have said something.“

  „If you’d wanted company, you probably would have mentioned it before you decided to sneak out of the house.“

  She was taken aback by the tightly reined emotion she sensed in his voice. Was it anger or pain? In that moment she couldn’t be certain. But she knew she’d prefer that it was anger. Even in her uncertain state of mind this morning she realized that the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Adrian Saville. On the other hand there was such a thing as self-preservation. Sara acknowledged that she felt more than a little on the defensive.

  „I didn’t sneak out of the house. I simply went for a walk and decided to pick up my car while I was out. You’re the one who was sneaking around! You and those sneaky shoes you wear!“

  „The last time I let you go off by yourself you nearly disappeared, remember? It’s my job to keep you out of trouble until your uncle gets back.“

  „Is that what you were doing last night?“ she challenged, goaded by the accusing tone of his voice. „Keeping me out of trouble?“

  „If we’re going to talk about last night, let’s do it somewhere else besides this damn parking lot,“ he growled. He stepped forward and closed his fingers around her upper arm. „We can get a cup of coffee down at the wharf.“

  „Adrian,“ she began firmly, and then decided against an argument. Uneasily Sara acknowledged that she couldn’t tell what he was thinking this morning. Nor could she be sure of the state of his emotions. Given the uncertainty in his mood and her own odd feelings, it seemed wisest to avoid an outright confrontation.

  He led her down the hill from the inn to a pier that thrust out into the beautiful, sheltered cove that was called Eagle Harbor. A marina full of peacefully tethered boats of all shapes and sizes extended out from the pier. On the other side of the cove Sara could see private homes tucked away above the water’s edge. At this early hour there were several people lounging on the rail, or working on their boats. Fishing rods and tackle were in evidence as folks came and went from the marina to the small wharf buildings. Near the entrance to the short pier a small shop featured coffee and fresh pastries. Adrian bought two containers of coffee to go and wordlessly handed one to Sara.

  „Thank you,“ she murmured with exaggerated politeness.

  He didn’t bother to respond to her comment. Instead he seemed to be deep in thought as though he were struggling to find the right words. The idea that he was having trouble made Sara relax a bit. She had the impression Adrian was not accustomed to dealing with this morning’s sort of situation. She was glad.

  „I wasn’t exactly going to disappear into the mists,“ she tried tentatively.

  „No?“ He sounded skeptical.

  She shook her head, sipping at her coffee as they walked out onto the pier. „No. I only intended to pick up my car and drive it back to the house. If I’d been planning to duck out, I would have taken my suitcase. Or at the very least, my purse.“

  „Umm.“

  She slanted him a glance. „What is that supposed to mean?“

  „That you’ve got a point,“ he said grudgingly. „I should have thought of it. I just figured you were so upset about last night that you raced out of the house without bothering to pack or say good-bye.“

  Sara focused on the far end of the pier. „I was upset about last night.“ She felt him examine her profile but she didn’t turn her head to look at him.

  „I rushed you into bed,“ he said finally.

  „ We rushed into bed,“ she corrected firmly.

  „You’re not going to let me take all the blame?“

  „Do you want all the blame?“

  Adrian took another sip of coffee. „No. I’d like to think you had a hand in the final decision. I don’t have much interest in playing the role of seducer of unwilling females.“

  The response that came to Sara’s lips was cut off abruptly as a fisherman who had been unloading his morning’s catch walked past with a bucket of water in which two fish swam lethargically. The man turned to wave to a comrade who hailed him from a nearby yacht. Quite suddenly he stumbled over a fishing-tackle box that someone had left on the pier. In the next instant the bucket of fish tilted precariously and one of the silvery, wriggling creatures fell out. It landed right in front of Adrian’s foot and lay shuddering as it began to die.

  „Whoooeee, look at that sucker!“ a young boy exclaimed excitedly.

  „Must be six pounds if it’s an ounce,“ another man said approvingly. „Nice catch, Fred.“

  The man named Fred grinned proudly as he caught his balance. „Thanks, Sam. Thought I’d do ‘er over a mesquite fire tonight. The wife’s having the neighbors in for cards.“

  Sara was aware of a familiar pang of regret at the sight of life going out of the fish. She understood about the food chain and that humans were inclined to be carnivores but she preferred her fish neatly filleted and packaged in plastic in a supermarket.

  She glanced away from the fish before realizing that Adrian had come to a halt and was staring down at the creature that lay dying at his feet. There was no expression on his face. He simply stood silently watching the wriggling, flopping fish. The man who had caught it leaned forward to retrieve it.

  Without stopping to think, Sara reached out and grabbed Adrian’s wrist. He glanced up as she pulled him firmly around and led him toward the pier entrance. He followed her lead, not saying anything as they walked away from the sight of the now-dead fish.

  „That sort of thing is hard enough on us supermarket carnivores,“ Sara heard herself say casually. „I imagine it’s rather sickening for a vegetarian.“

  „Don’t worry, I’m not going to be sick out here in public,“ he said dryly.

  She cast him a quick, assessing glance. „No, you’re not, are you?“

  „I’m a realist, Sara. I don’t eat meat but I understand how the world works,“ he said quietly.

  „Yes, I suppose you do.“ She dropped his hand, feeling foolish at having made the vain effort to protect him.

  „That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the thought,“ he told her softly.

  „What thought?“

  His mouth was edged with quiet amusement and a hint of satisfaction. „You were trying to shield me from a bit of reality back there. It was very – “ he hesitated, hunting the word „ – very compassionate of you.“

  „Forget it,“ she said sturdily. „Now about our plans for the immediate future…“

  „Does this mean we’ve finished our discussion of the immediate past?“ he inquired politely.

  „There’s nothing to talk about. We’ve both agreed that we were equally to blame for rushing into the situation.“ She straightened her shoulders. „We’re adults and we should be able to analyze our actions and learn from our mistakes. We are stuck here together until my crazy uncle sees fit to get in touch, so we will have to conduct ourselves in an intelligent manner. Now, I suggest we both put last night behind us instead of trying to rehash it.“

  Adrian shrugged. „Suits me.“

  „I’m so glad,“ she muttered too sweetly.

  „You weren’t running away this morning?“ he confir
med quietly.

  „No, I was not running away. I just wanted a little time by myself. I felt as if I needed some fresh air.“

  He nodded and then said calmly, „I think I can understand that.“

  „Kind of you,“ she drawled.

  „Just make damn sure you don’t do it again.“

  A faint trickle of unease went through her at the cool way he spoke. „I beg your pardon?“

  „I said, don’t do it again.“

  They were back in the inn parking lot, approaching Sara’s car. She had the keys in her hand but her mind was on his quiet command. „Adrian, one of the reasons I decided to get out of the corporate world is that I don’t take orders well. We’ll get along much better if you don’t get carried away with your sense of responsibility.“

  „I hear you,“ he said agreeably.

  „Good.“ She reached down to open the car door and slid into the front seat.

  „Just don’t go running off again without me,“ he concluded as he settled smoothly on the seat beside her. He held out his hand for the keys.

  Sara felt goaded. „The next time I try it I’ll be sure to look back over my shoulder to see if I’m being followed.“

  He lounged into the corner of the seat, never taking his eyes from her stormy gaze. „I thought we were going to act like adults about this.“

  She drew a deep breath, aware of feeling extremely childish. „Sorry,“ she mumbled. „You’re right, of course. I should never have left the house alone this morning. I wasn’t thinking. I was feeling rather, er, emotional. I assume you don’t have that problem frequently yourself?“

  He didn’t smile at her sarcasm. „Wasn’t I emotional enough for you last night?“

  Sara felt a flush suffuse her face. „What you appeared to be feeling last night is often referred to by an entirely different name.“

  „Passion?“

  „Try lust,“ she bit out.

  „I thought we just got through agreeing that we’re adults. If that’s the case, then I think it’s safe to say both of us know the difference between lust and…“ He hesitated. „And other feelings.“

  She stared at him in silence for a long, troubled moment. She knew the difference, she thought. She just wasn’t quite ready to admit that what she had felt last night went by a very dangerous name of its own. It was called love.

  Instinctively Sara moved a bit farther over in her seat, seeking to put some distance between herself and Adrian. The car seemed filled with him, she thought. As she slid across the upholstery something crackled beneath her thigh. Belatedly she remembered the slip of paper she had noticed earlier on the car seat. Grateful for the minor distraction, she reached for it.

  „You’ll give me your word you won’t take off alone again?“ Adrian asked in a neutral tone as he switched on the ignition. He glanced at the paper in her hand as she unfolded it.

  „Oh, I’m nothing if not cooperative.“

  „I appreciate it. What’s that?“ He put the car in gear, ignoring her sharp tone.

  „I don’t know. Just a piece of paper that was lying on the seat. I don’t remember…“ Sara’s voice trailed off in stunned amazement as she read the short message she held.

  Adrian frowned at her, his foot on the brake. „I said, what is it, Sara?“

  „A problem. A very big problem.“ Mutely she held the typed message out to him.

  Adrian stared at her wide eyes for a second longer before switching off the ignition again and reaching out to take the note from her hand.

  It wasn’t a long note. Sara had it memorized after reading it through twice.

  The one-fifteen ferry to Seattle. Come alone. You’ll be safe.

  „Well, hell,“ Adrian said thoughtfully.

  Two hours later he was still acting and sounding very thoughtful. It infuriated Sara because she had argued herself hoarse in the meantime. She no longer felt in the least thoughtful. She felt quite desperate in fact. For the hundredth time she paced to the far end of the living room and whipped around to glare at Adrian, who was lounging quietly on the sofa. He had one foot on the coffee table in front of him and was flipping through a magazine with absent attention.

  „Listen to me, damn it!“ Sara was sure her voice would give out at any moment. It seemed to her she had been yelling at him for hours. „I haven’t got any choice! I have to be on board that ferry at one.“

  „You don’t have to be anywhere at one.“ Adrian’s responses had been quiet and reasonable for two solid hours. They were driving Sara up a wall. How could anyone remain quiet and reasonable and totally inflexible for two solid hours?

  „How else are we going to discover what this is all about?“

  „People who leave notes in cars are no doubt creative enough to think of alternatives when Plan A doesn’t work.“ Adrian turned the page of his magazine. „Under the circumstances I think it would be better to make them resort to whatever it is they didn’t want to do first. No sense letting them have the easiest option. Gives them an advantage.“

  „Adrian, I don’t want to wait around for Plan B!“

  „That’s what the guy is probably counting on. Be patient, Sara.“

  Sara swung away, striding restlessly back to the other end of the room. Anger and nervous dread alternated relentlessly in her head. She was furious at Adrian’s refusal to even consider letting her go alone on board the one-fifteen ferry. The nervousness was a growing fear that whatever her uncle was involved in was proving to be more than he would be able to handle. She braced a hand against the window frame and stared out at the stand of trees that guarded the drive.

  „Uncle Lowell must be in very big trouble,“ she forced herself to say carefully.

  „Or someone wants you to think he is.“

  „Since when are you the expert on how people such as that man Wolf think and operate?“ she snapped. „You’ve only written one thriller, for heaven’s sake. That hardly qualifies you as an authority on the real thing.“

  Adrian put down the magazine. „Sara, I’m only doing what your uncle asked me to do.“

  „I understand,“ she said, trying to be patient. „But you’re taking his instructions much too literally. The situation calls for a little improvising. Something’s gone wrong, don’t you see?“

  „No.“

  Her fingers closed into a futile fist and she leaned her forehead against the window. She was rigid with exasperation. „Adrian, please listen to me.“

  He came up behind her, moving soundlessly across the floor to rest his hands on her shoulders. „Honey, if I let you go on board that ferry by yourself, we wouldn’t be exactly improvising. We’d be following someone else’s plan. Surely you spent enough time playing corporate manager to know that following the opposition’s game plan is usually not to your advantage.“

  „We’ve got to find out what he wants!“

  „What he wants,“ Adrian said distinctly, „is to use you.“

  „We don’t know that. Maybe he has news. Maybe he wants to give us some information. For heaven’s sake, Adrian, whoever left that note might not even be what you call the ‘opposition.’ He might be a friend of my uncle’s trying to get a message to me.“

  „Sara, your uncle has a strange sense of humor but I don’t see him pulling a stunt like this.“

  „Whoever is going to be on that ferry is someone who knows something about Uncle Lowell. I’m going to find out who it is and what he knows.“ Sara lifted her head away from the window, aware of Adrian’s fingers sinking heavily into her shoulders.

  „Sara…“

  She shook her head, tired of arguing, her mind made up. „No, Adrian. I’m through discussing the matter. I’m going to be on the ferry. Be reasonable. What can happen to me on the boat? It will be full of people commuting to Seattle. Whoever is going to meet me will be trapped on there, just as I will be until the ferry docks. He can hardly pull a gun and shoot me, can he? After all, he’d be stuck with the body until he gets to Seattle.“

/>   He turned her around beneath his hands, his face drawn and grim. „Sara, this isn’t a game like corporate management or checkers. You can’t handle it with your casual off-the-wall style. You don’t know what you’re getting into.“

  „I’m already into it,“ she pointed out stiffly. „And I can’t stand the waiting, Adrian.“

  He searched her face. „I can force you to stay here.“

  „Not unless you tie me up and throw me in a closet,“ she retorted.

  „That’s a possibility.“

  „Don’t be ridiculous!“

  He dropped his hands to his sides and turned to walk back toward the sofa. „You can’t go alone,“ he finally said flatly.

  She frowned, trying to decide if she’d just won part of the battle. „But the note said – “

  „Damn the note!“ He glanced at her over his shoulder. „You can’t go alone.“

  „Are you saying you’re going to come with me?“

  „If you’re refusing to listen to my advice, then I don’t have much choice, do I?“ he asked, sounding bleakly resigned.

  „Not unless you really do tie me up and throw me in a closet.“ Sara tried for a tremulous smile, hoping to lighten his mood now that she appeared to have won the confrontation.

  Adrian just looked at her. „The temptation is almost overwhelming.“

  Sara let the smile fade abruptly. „You’re not a good loser, Adrian.“

  „No. I never was.“

  She’d won half of the concessions she needed, Sara realized. It shouldn’t be tough to get him to agree to the rest. The note had specified that she be on the ferry alone.

  „I’m glad you’ve decided to be logical about this, Adrian,“ she began cautiously.

  „I generally am logical and reasonable.“

  „Then you can understand why I have to go alone today.“

  „Forget it, Sara. I’m not that logical and reasonable. Try to get out of this house alone and you’ll find me standing in the way. Think you can walk over me?“

  At ten minutes to one, Sara was sitting beside Adrian as he drove down the ramp onto the ferry. The crowd was a small one for the afternoon crossing and they easily found seats in the main lounge. Scanning every face that went past her, Sara suddenly realized that her palms had grown damp around the strap of her shoulder bag. She wasn’t accustomed to this kind of tension, she decided unhappily. Her body felt unnaturally alert, poised for the unknown. There had been no sign of the wolf-faced man in the ferry terminal.