Twist of Fate

  Hannah stopped swimming and treaded water as she stared out to sea. The dazzle of the light on the shifting water was almost blinding now. It hurt her eyes to look at it. She turned her head to study the rocky outthrust that formed one arm of the cove. Her eyes began to recover from the glare, and the jumble of granite, dark from sea spray, came into focus.

  Focus. That was part of the key. Gideon and Elizabeth Nord had both been incredibly focused. Victoria Armitage was also focused, for that matter. And all three of them gave the impression they could, by and large, do without others in their lives. When they did have others around them, they tended to use them. There was no doubt in Hannah’s mind that Vicky used Drake. There was also no doubt that Gideon was capable of using anyone who got in his way. There was no telling whom Nord might have used over the years. They were people who commanded vast reserves of ability and strength and they channeled all of it toward their respective goals.

  What was it Gideon had said the night before? If she were going to step into the ring she needed to know exactly where she was headed and how much she was willing to sacrifice to get there. He’d put it more bluntly than that. He’d said she had to know whom she was willing to kill to get where she wanted to be. Most of all she had to know where she wanted to be.

  Hannah groaned ruefully. It was ludicrous to remember how she had advised Gideon to add some balance to his life by resurrecting his old interest in maps. People such as Elizabeth Nord and Victoria Armitage and Gideon Cage didn’t need or want balance in their lives. They had no room for it. All their energy was focused on their private goals. Perhaps they were the lucky ones. They didn’t know or care about what they might be missing. For them, nothing was missing.

  If she had stayed on the road to her Ph.D., would she have found that kind of personal strength and completeness? Hannah wondered. Thinking of the man still asleep in her bed, she decided for the first time that a part of her envied him. He didn’t need her, except in a fleeting, physical sense. But she could so easily get to the point of needing him and her need would go far beyond the physical.

  With the envy came resentment, and her general feeling of restlessness increased. Arching, she dove deep into the water and then surfaced, swimming strongly. Unconsciously she headed toward the mouth of the cove. There in the water her leg felt so much more normal. There was a slight weakness in her knee when she kicked, but her balance wasn’t affected. Whatever else had happened on this trip to the Caribbean, it had had the desired effect on her physical recovery.

  The touch of a hand on her ankle came just as Hannah was nearing the reef that guarded the cove’s entrance from the sea. Gideon. He had awakened and come after her. Instinctively Hannah veered to the right, familiar now with the sensual game of water tag he liked to play.

  But the fingers didn’t fall away from her ankle. Instead, they gripped with sudden, totally unexpected fierceness. Startled, Hannah whipped around, her head just above the surface. Even as she told herself that Gideon must be submerged beneath the water, she realized that the man who had grabbed her ankle wasn’t Gideon.

  Her scream was short, cut off violently as the hand on her ankle dragged her back under the water. Panic lent strength to Hannah’s thrashing attempts to free herself. The water churned and through the bubbles she could see the face of her attacker. He wore a diving mask and the top half of a black wet suit that covered his head. Hoses from the tank on his back fed into his mouth, giving him the appearance of some lethal visitor from another world. Relentlessly he stroked his fin-covered feet, pulling Hannah deeper.

  Desperate fear gave Hannah the strength to resist for a painful moment. When she kicked out ruthlessly, trying for the mask or the hose, she gained her freedom for a few precious seconds. Long enough to surge to the surface and fill her lungs with air. It was a breath she didn’t dare waste on a scream. The hand closed around her leg almost immediately and she needed every bit of air as she was hauled back under the water.

  Some sense of lingering rationality warned Hannah that she stood no chance of simply pulling free of the lethal grip. This time when she was dragged beneath the waves she didn’t even try. Instead she whirled under the water and reached out with both hands, trying to grab the mask or the hose. Her fingers caught the edge of the faceplate and she pried frantically. She must have loosened the seal because the man in the wet suit slashed at her arm and jerked his head aside. But she didn’t succeed in breaking his grip on her leg.

  As she struggled Hannah realized just how weak her injured leg still was. It was her strong leg that was caught in the viselike grip and the strength in the other leg was waning fast. Pain shot through her knee as she kicked again and again at her attacker’s face. Pain was shooting through her lungs, too. The horror of drowning gave her another surge of adrenaline. She slapped at an air hose, twisting frantically to one side. Once more she managed to get her face above water long enough for one quick gulp. This time when she was yanked downward she knew she wasn’t going to be allowed another chance.

  They were near the edge of the reef. Hannah caught glimpses of a treacherous underwater world of sharp coral and dark recesses. Perhaps if she could get her hands on a piece of coral or rock she might have a weapon.

  But her assailant seemed to be aware of the opportunities the reef might present. He pulled her steadily down toward the sandy bottom, using his free hand to fend off her weakening efforts to reach a vulnerable point. Hannah’s lungs felt as though they were about to burst. She was going to die. In another few seconds she would be drowning. The agony in her knee was nothing compared to the fear and fury roaring in her veins. Damned if she would let her assailant escape without a mark. She curled inward, no longer resisting the relentless grip on her ankle.

  Doubling over she drove herself into the wet-suited body, no longer caring what he did with his free hands. She felt a blow against her stomach and another on her face but the force of both was impeded by the water. Her fingers curved once more around the face mask and she yanked with all her strength.

  For an instant her attacker’s eyes locked with hers and she thought vaguely that his were blue.

  And then, without any warning, she was free. Hannah had neither the strength nor the time left to assess what had happened. She kicked for the surface without a split second’s hesitation. There was simply no air left in her lungs.

  The sunlight above tantalized her with awesome cruelty as she fought to reach the surface. She wouldn’t die this close to air. She couldn’t. Desperately she kicked, clawing at the water as though it were a living thing that was trying to block her path.

  It was as she broke through into sunlight and air that she sensed the lithe shape flash beneath her. For an instant she thought it might be a shark. Perhaps that was what had scared off her attacker. She floundered in the water, sucking air so deeply that she hurt in every corner of her body. If there were a shark in the cove it was her chance to make it to safety.

  The water frothed behind her. She lunged for the rocks, fearful that the sea creature was turning on her instead of the man in the wet suit. She felt movement in the water and instinctively looked down.

  There was a battle in progress but it was no shark tearing into her assailant. It was Gideon. Stunned, her breath still coming with a frantic heaving effort, she stared down through the crystal green water as Gideon’s bare body flashed and curved around the black-suited man. Bubbles suddenly spilled from the regulator.

  In an instant the attacker made his decision. He shot forward, the fins giving him a powerful advantage. He swam toward the reef and disappeared over the top of it even as Gideon surged to the surface beside Hannah. His face was stark and forbidding, his expression unlike any she had ever seen on him. For a dazed second she almost thought he was a shark.

  “For Christ’s sake, Hannah! What the hell…Come here. Just hold on and stop struggling. I’ve got you. Can you breathe all right?”

  She tried to answer and coughed instead. She managed a wea
k nod as he caught hold of her, supporting her in the water. It was such a relief not to have to use the last of her energy just to stay afloat. Her arms went around his neck as she continued pulling air into her lungs in ragged gasps.

  “Thought…you…were…a shark. Never been so glad to see a shark in my life.”

  “Don’t talk, honey. Just breathe. We’re almost there.”

  Gideon cut through the water, taking her to safety. A few minutes later Hannah felt him pause to find his footing. Then he scooped her up into his arms and carried her out onto the beach. She hung there against his chest, absorbing his strength as she tried to regain her own. He felt reassuringly solid. She clung to him with the same intensity she did when he was making love to her.

  Carefully Gideon knelt on the sand, setting Hannah down on the towel she had left behind before entering the water. She lifted her head wearily, her relief making her light-headed.

  “Your sense of timing is terrific,” she got out between short gasps for air. Her body was beginning to believe she was going to stay out of the water for a while. It was relaxing slightly, her breathing becoming more regular.

  “My timing is shit. What happened out there?” He cupped her face in his hands, his eyes savage. “You scared the living hell out of me. Where did that jerk in the wet suit come from?”

  “I wish I knew.” She was beginning to tremble. Shock, probably. Hannah wished Gideon would look a little less violent. “I just went for a swim. He came up behind me from underneath. I never saw him. Touched my leg. I thought at first it was you. And then I found myself trying to breathe water. Oh, God, Gideon, I’ve never been so terrified in my life.” No, that wasn’t right, Hannah thought. There had been another few moments of fleeting terror the night of her auto accident. But those seconds of stark fear were vague and blurred in her mind. Today’s events were frighteningly clear.

  “He was trying to kill you.”

  She shook her head in a ridiculous attempt at denial. Because, of course, that’s exactly what the man in the wet suit had been trying to do. “Gideon, it doesn’t make any sense.”

  “He might have thought you were living in the house alone. Maybe he had some idea of getting rid of you and then robbing the place.”

  “My aunt’s house has been sitting empty for several months and there’s been no robbery attempt. Why now?”

  “Maybe the local police will have some theories.” Gideon released her face. He touched her, stroking her arms as if assuring himself that she was alive. “You’re all right?”

  “Yes, thanks to you. I may give up swimming for life, but I’m all right. Oh, my God, Gideon! I was so scared.” She reached out, hugging herself to his damp strength and burying her face against his chest.

  “Easy, honey. Easy. It’s okay. It’s all right. You’re fine now.” He cradled her, his voice softening as he smoothed her wet hair. “Jesus. You think you were scared. I am now the world’s leading expert on panic.”

  “How did you find me?” The trembling wouldn’t stop. Hannah took several deep breaths, trying to control the involuntary spasms, but it didn’t work.

  “I woke up and realized you were gone. I figured you might have decided to take a swim. I was on my way down to the beach when I heard you scream. It was damn hard to see anything against the glare off the water. Fortunately you were making enough of a fuss that I finally spotted something going on there by the reef. Hannah, you little idiot, you should never have gone into the sea alone.”

  “You do it almost every morning.”

  “That’s different.”

  “Please don’t yell at me, Gideon. Not now. Maybe later, okay?”

  He leaned over her, holding her close. “All right. Later. God, honey, stop shaking.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can, damn it.”

  She smiled blearily. “I’ll bet you run Cage & Associates this way. Always giving orders.”

  “It’s the only way to run a company.”

  “But I’ll bet you don’t do it naked like you are now very often.”

  He muttered something into her wet hair. “You have a way of putting a new twist on a situation.” He began rubbing her back briskly as she nestled against him. “Feeling better?”

  “Much.”

  “How’s the leg?”

  “It hurts but I’ve put it into perspective. Compared to nearly being drowned, a sore knee is a minor inconvenience.”

  “Think you’re up to getting dressed and paying a visit to whatever passes for the law around here?”

  “All right. But I don’t think it’s going to do much good. Gideon, all I saw was the face mask and the wet suit. I couldn’t begin to identify that man.”

  “We’ve got to report it.”

  “I know.” She sniffed and pulled her head away from the comfort of his chest. “This sort of thing can really take the edge off a vacation, can’t it?”

  He looked at her oddly, a dark frown pulling his brows together, but he didn’t respond to her comment. “Come on, Hannah. Let’s get back to the house.”

  THE ISLAND POLICE were polite, took the matter with an appearance of seriousness but were ultimately totally unhelpful. They did have a theory, however.

  “I don’t believe it,” Hannah said fiercely as she climbed back into the jeep after the dismaying scene with the police. “That guy was trying to drown me, not rape me.”

  Gideon’s hands flexed on the wheel. He sat staring through the windshield, his eyes hooded and unreadable. The only thing Hannah could be sure of regarding his mood was that it was not a good one. It hadn’t been good since he’d walked into the police station with her two hours earlier.

  “I don’t know, Hannah. The captain may have been right. It fit with those other two cases he told us about.”

  Hannah shivered, remembering the discussion. In the past month there had been two rapes on Santa Inez. In each instance a female tourist swimming alone had been attacked by a man who had first weakened his victims by nearly drowning them. “But neither of those women said their attacker was wearing an air tank and a wet suit.”

  “Damn it, I know that.” Gideon shoved the jeep into gear with controlled savagery and swung out onto the road.

  The repressed ferocity in him was unsettling. Hannah didn’t need any more violence this morning. She huddled down into her seat, staring bleakly at the passing scene. The low one-and two-story houses that flanked the small downtown area all had a certain similarity about them. No glass in the windows, only louvered shutters that were always open except during a storm. Small yards in which the frangipani, bougainvillea, and hibiscus ran wild. Appropriate for a life-style lived outdoors on the streets where one’s neighbors were always willing to stop and gossip. Another world.

  It was time to get back to her own world, Hannah decided. She glanced at Gideon’s hard profile. “You nearly tore that poor police captain to shreds.”

  “I was annoyed.”

  “You’re hell on wheels when you’re annoyed.”

  He ignored that. “The man had a point, Hannah. You shouldn’t have gone swimming alone.”

  “Not that again! You were the one who defended me to the captain, remember? You told him that was a private beach. Told him I had every right to swim there. As I recall you made quite an issue of his inability to control rapists on the island. You were on my side back there in the station. Chewed that poor guy up one side and down the other and then spit him out. Now you’re buying his line?”

  “You shouldn’t have gone swimming alone.”

  “Why not, for heaven’s sake. That cottage and the beach in front of it belong to me! I’m getting annoyed now. I have my rights, Gideon. Why is it that whenever a woman is attacked, men take the attitude that she invited it?”

  “I didn’t say you invited it. But you’ve got to face facts, Hannah. You’re a woman. When you’re alone or isolated, you’re vulnerable.”

  “My aunt,” Hannah informed him in a too-level tone, “li
ved in that cottage for years. Alone. No one ever bothered her. It’s not as if it’s a high-crime neighborhood, Gideon. I’ve lived by myself in Seattle for years and have yet to be assaulted. And I’m sure Seattle’s crime rate is considerably higher than this island’s!”

  “You don’t know this island as well as you know Seattle.”

  Hannah’s head came around. “You know what the problem is here? You’re angry with yourself because I was attacked this morning. You feel responsible somehow. And now you’re unloading your anger on me.”

  “I’m not in the mood for a psychological analysis of my motives. I’m trying to get something across. Something logical and loaded with common sense. Back home in Seattle you don’t walk around alone downtown at night, right? Here, you’re not to go swimming alone.”

  Her own anger was having a bracing effect, Hannah discovered. It helped her shake off some of the bleak, shocked feeling she’d been enduring since this morning’s disaster. “It’s not necessary to yell at me. Believe me, I may never go swimming again in my life.”

  Gideon finally seemed to realize that she was not in a meek frame of mind. His expression softened slightly. “Honey, I’m not yelling at you.”

  “Is that right? What do you call it?”

  He sighed. “Maybe I am. I haven’t recovered from what happened this morning. I’m still cold inside. You’re probably right. I’m short-tempered with you because I’m furious with myself.”

  She relented. “It was hardly your fault, Gideon. You saved my life, remember?”

  “Jesus. I’d sell my soul to get my hands on that guy in the wet suit.” Gideon made a visible effort to throw off his own foul mood. “I don’t feel like going back to the cottage, do you?”

  Hannah’s anger was already fading, this time into a depressed acceptance of reality. “No.”

  “We haven’t driven completely around the island yet. This is a good day to do it.” He didn’t wait for her agreement. He was already driving past the turnoff to Elizabeth Nord’s cottage.