Always

Nine

The sleeveless shift was sunshine yellow in a natural silk that looked fashionable yet understated. It didn't hide the fact that she was pregnant, but it did give her a certain stylish elegance. It was the best she could do, anyway. She would really have to shop for a maternity wardrobe when she was in Marasef. Lisa turned away from the mirror. "I'm ready. It's not exactly bridal, is it?" She grinned at Clancy. "You look much more impressive than I do." He looked wonderful in his steel-gray suit. It contrasted beautifully with his golden tan and deepened the blue of his eyes. "I haven't seen you in a suit since you wore the tuxedo on the first night we arrived here."

"You look beautiful." He put his arms around her. "You're always beautiful, but this morning you have a glow."

"I'm happy." Lisa pressed a kiss on his cheek. "I think I must be old-fashioned, too. I like the idea of getting married. Will it be difficult being married in Marasef? What about all the bureaucratic paperwork?"

"Alex will fix it. I'll call him as soon as we go downstairs and tell him to arrange for a special license." He stepped back and turned her toward the door. "Let's get this show on the road."

"I'll have to tell Kira. Do you suppose she would be willing to be a witness? I don't really know anyone in Sedikhan yet, and-"

A knock sounded on the bedroom door. Clancy crossed the few remaining paces and opened it.

"Oh, you're already dressed," Kira said. "That's a relief. I didn't want to disturb you, but it's almost nine-thirty and there's still so much to do before-"

"Good morning, Kira," Clancy said with a touch of irony. "There's nothing like starting the morning with a bit of your usual zaniness. Now slow down and elucidate."

"Elucidate," Kira repeated as if she were savoring it. "I've always loved that word. Perhaps because I seldom manage to achieve the blessed state of elucidation."

"Try," Clancy suggested.

She wrinkled her nose impishly at him. "All right, but it's not nearly as much fun." She drew herself up with regal dignity. "Will Mr. Donahue and Miss Landon please have the courtesy to descend to the foyer so that we may proceed to Marasef?" She dropped the pose. "In other words, will the two of you get your asses in gear so that youdon't miss this scrumptious wedding I've planned for you?"

"Wedding? But how did-" Lisa broke off. "Don't tell me; let me guess. Marna."

Kira nodded. "She woke me up at six and told me it was going to be today." She shook her head reproachfully. "You could have given me a little more time. I'm not a miracle worker, you know. I've been on the phone since seven inviting all the guests. I've called Zalandan and Philip and Pandora and…" She waved an all-encompassing hand. "Oh, everyone. The ceremony is set for noon at the palace with the reception directly following it." She frowned. "I would have preferred an evening reception, but I thought that would have been too strenuous a day for Lisa."

"We were just planning a simple ceremony," Lisa said faintly. She felt as if she were being swept along by a tidal wave. "I don't know…"

"This will be simple," Kira assured her. "Nothing to wear you out, I promise." Her expression suddenly became grave. "It won't really be a social occasion. We just want to be there and share your happiness. Mama's tribe has a saying that to share joy is to share the soul. The only people who will be there are the people who love Clancy and want to love you." She smiled gently. "Let us share your joy, Lisa."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do," Clancy said. "What has been planned can be unplanned."

A very pregnant bride, a roomful of strangers who would be wondering, as Kira had. if she was good enough for Clancy. It wasn't an inviting prospect, yet these were Clancy's friends and he must want them to share this important moment in his life. It was a little thing to give, compared to what he had given her. "Why should I want to do that? It sounds wonderful." She smiled at him. "That's why you brought me to Sedikhan, remember? You wanted me to meet your people."

"Marvelous," Kira said. "Now I suggest you hurry downstairs and have your breakfast. You have twenty minutes to do that, and then I figured you could take Lisa on to Marasef in your helicopter. I've arranged for a chauffeur from the palace to meet you at the airport and take you to Alex and Sabrina. I'll follow you in the helicopter you used to fly here last night and bring Galbraith and Marna." She stopped for breath. "Okay?"

Lisa chuckled. "Okay. I have only one question."

"What? Oh, Lord, have I missed something?"

"No, I just wanted to know why you thought you weren't suited to rule a country. You obviously could reorganize the entire social structure of the world single-handed, if it suited your fancy."

Kira shook her head. "If I did, you wouldn't want to live in it. Pure chaos. Clancy will tell you." She smiled. "This is different. This is joy. I'm very good at joy." She turned away. "Now please hurry. I have to get dressed myself, and I still have to make sure the flowers are delivered on time." She was hurrying down the hall as she spoke. "I'll see you in Marasef."

"You know, I bet she is very good at joy," Lisa said softly as she watched Kira disappear down the corridor.

"But then so are we," Clancy said as he took herhand. "And we're getting better all the time. Shall we go down to breakfast? We're already two minutes behind Kira's schedule. We'll have to make it up somewhere or face the consequences."

They made up the two minutes by skipping a second cup of coffee at the end of breakfast and were walking across the courtyard toward the helicopter precisely on time. Besides the familiar blue-and-white airship, there was another bright canary-yellow helicopter sitting some thirty yards distant.

"Mr. Donahue."

They turned to see Marna hurrying toward them. "I have something for you."

"Another talisman?" Clancy's brows raised quizzically.

"In a way. It's an ancient Tamrovian coin severed in two." She handed one piece to Lisa and the other to Clancy. "I have put a very powerful spell on it. If you both carry it with you during the ceremony, you will never be parted."

"That's a spell I'd be willing to try to cast myself," he said gently. He turned and opened the helicopter door. "Thankyou, Marna."

Lisa impulsively leaned forward and kissed Mama's cheek. "I'll keep it always."

Clancy lifted her into the helicopter and then jumped in himself. A moment later a turn of the ignition sent the propellers whirring, and the blue-and-white helicopter lifted off with sluggish awkwardness. Then it rose, turning and gaining speed with a certain amount of grace. It made a ninety-degree turn and set course for Marasef. Marna stood watching with a faint smile as thehelicopter sped toward the horizon. The strong sunlight glittered on the slightly unwieldy body of the craft and caused a mirror reflection on the steel fittings of the propeller. It looked terribly vulnerable and alone in the vastness of the harsh blue sky. Vulnerable. Mama's smile vanished. Her pupils dilated as the shock hit home. The airport. Vulnerable. She turned and ran across the courtyard. She had to get to Kira. The airport. It was going to happen at the airport!

Clancy opened the door of the helicopter and lifted Lisa to the tarmac. The shrill scream of a jet taking off on a nearby runway caused her to flinch. It was isolated at this private section of the airport, but still close enough to the main terminal to be subjected to the abrasive noise level. "This is coming as quite a culture shock. I never realized how quickly I could become accustomed to the desert quiet at the castle."

"It's only for today. By sunset I'll have you back at the castle a stodgy married lady." He grinned. "If I can manage to get you away from Honey and Sabrina and Billie. They can be very persuasive, and they're not going to be satisfied with a few hours' acquaintance. They'll be backed up by Zilah and Pandora, and I think we're going to have our work cut out for us getting away to our quiet retreat."

She frowned uncertainly. "Are you sure they'll be that eager to get to know me? You mean a great deal to them, according to Kira."

"I'm sure. Kira was right, you won't find anything intimidating about any of them." He touched her lips lightly with his index finger. "They'll love you, acushla. Trust me."

She drew a deep, shaky breath. "I will." Her sudden smile was rainbow bright. "Always."

"Always," he repeated softly. "I like the sound of that word. We'll have to go more in depth about that later." He took her elbow and turned away from the helicopter. "But right now I think I'd better get you to the palace and into the bonded state of matrimony. There's one of the palace limousines parked beside the hangar." He gestured toward a long gray Cadillac with the Sedikhan crest on the driver's door. "That must be for us. Kira will be pleased that her arrangements are going like clockwork."

"They wouldn't dare do anything else," Lisa said. "Kira and Marna are quite a combination. Together they could move mountains."

Clancy chuckled. "For God's sake, don't mention that to Marna. She might try it just to test her powers. We wouldn't want to have to reprint all the Sedikhan topographical maps. There's no telling what she's already done to the landscape of Tamrov-" He broke off, his body stiffening as if he'd been hit by a bullet. "Baldwin!"

Lisa's gaze followed him to the man who had stepped out from behind the Cadillac. He was dressed in a dark blue chaffeur's uniform with a Sedikhan emblem on the jacket pocket, the billed cap pulled down over his eyes. Oh, God, it was Martin! No, not when they were so happy. Not when everything was-

"Don't move, Donahue. Don't even think aboutit." Martin gestured with his left hand, and she saw it contained a small, lethal-looking pistol. "We're going to take things very easy and slow. Come over here, Lisa."

"No!" Clancy took a step forward.

The gun was immediately trained on the center of Clancy's chest. "Don't think I'm not serious, Donahue," Martin said silkily. "I've waited a long time for this. I'd just as soon put a bullet in you right here."

"Don't move, Clancy. Please." Lisa pushed past him and ran across the tarmac. "You don't want to hurt him, Martin. He's a very important man here in Sedikhan. They'd never stop looking for you if you-" She stopped. She'd been about to say "killed." But she wouldn't say it. She wouldn't even think it. Nothing must happen to Clancy. "It's me you want."

"Lisa, come back here." Clancy's voice was harsh with strain.

If she could keep between them, Martin wouldn't be able to hurt him. "Let's leave now, Martin. Before they discover you're here and catch you."

"I'm touched by your concern." There was an ugly twist to Martin's lips. "I might even believe you, if I didn't remember how you tried to hand me over to your lover on Paradise Cay."

"Lisa had no part in that. The entire trap was solely my responsibility," Clancy said.

Martin's eyes wandered down Lisa's body to the slight swell of her abdomen. "I guess the kid she's carrying is solely your responsibility, too. I heard she was pregnant. We've been keeping a very closewatch on both of you since you arrived in Sedikhan. I'd say both the betrayal and the kid were joint projects, Donahue."

"Martin, Clancy was only doing his job." Lisa moistened her dry lips.

But Martin wasn't listening. His eyes were narrowed with malice on Clancy's taut face. "No, I've changed my mind. The betrayal may have been a dual effort, but not the pregnancy. She used you, Donahue. Lisa is one of these women who can never love a man as much as she does a child. I found that out. She doesn't want you. She doesn't love you. She only wants that child you've put in her body."

Clancy's lips flattened to a thin line of pain. "I know that. I've accepted it. It doesn't matter."

Lisa felt a tearing agony within her. Oh, God, he really believed that! She could see it in his face. "Clancy, I-",

"Get in the car, Lisa," Martin ordered. "You drive. I'll sit beside you with this clever little toy pressed against your side and your lover will sit in the back in isolated splendor. That will give him time to think of all the very unpleasant things I'm going to do to you once we get across the border."

"Please, Martin, leave Clancy here. It will be much safer for you."

"The hell it will," Clancy said with icy menace. "If he took you and left me here, I'd cross into Said Ababa with a task force, and to hell with the border. Let's go, Baldwin."

"I had no intention of leaving you, Donahue."

Martin gestured with the pistol. "Move, Lis-What the hell!"

A canary-yellow helicopter had suddenly swooped around the side of the hangar, barely twenty feet above the ground, and was almost on top of them. The tornado stirred by the blades whipped Martin's hat from his head and sent it flying.

Lisa caught a glimpse of a flaming-auburn head in the cockpit. Kira! The helicopter dipped even lower and zeroed in on Martin's frozen figure.

"That pilot is crazy," he screamed, his eyes on the helicopter. "He's going to crash right into us!"

"Get down," Clancy muttered as he brushed by her. Then he'd reached Martin, his hand chopping down on his gun arm with lethal efficiency. Martin gave a cry of agony just as the helicopter pulled up and skimmed over their heads by a scant few feet. Another karate chop to the neck and Martin fell unconscious at Clancy's feet.

"Are you all right?" Clancy turned to her in concern. "I told you to get down, damn it."

"Everything happened too fast," Lisa said dazedly. She looked at Martin's still body sprawled on the tarmac. It had been like a nightmare where nothing was real. Except the terror. That had been very real, she thought with a shiver. "What will happen to him?"

"I decided a long time ago that when we caught him we'd send him back to the U.S. and let them deal with him." He smiled grimly. "Of course, we'll have to give them a little help. Their justice system is too lenient for my taste. I'll send an investigating team into the United States that will turn up and document every illegal act he's ever committed, every damned one of them since he was in the second grade. That will put him away for a long, long time." He frowned. "But first we'll have to interrogate him to find out who their man in the palace is, as well as where the other terrorists are located who crossed the border into Sedikhan."

"Are you all right?" Kira asked breathlessly as she skidded to a stop beside them. She was followed closely by John Galbraith. "I was terrified when I saw that horrible man with his gun trained on you as we started to land. I didn't know what to do."

"You improvised beautifully," Clancy said dryly. "Though you scared the hell out of me. I wasn't sure you were going to be able to pull up at the last minute, and I have a distinct dislike of decapitation."

"I wasn't sure she'd be able to do it, either," Galbraith said, "And she wouldn't let me at the controls."

"I didn't need any help," Kira said with a wink at Lisa. "When I was at Yale, I watched all those action TV series. The heroes were always flying around in helicopters doing things like that."

"I told you, those were stuntmen." Galbraith scowled. "You had no business-"

"You were lucky I even let you come along," Kira interrupted. "Anyone who was too thick-headed to believe Marna when she said there was danger for Clancy and Lisa at the airport doesn't deserve to be listened to."

"Marna again?" Clancy asked.

Kira nodded. "Right after you left she realized you were in danger, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. Only that it would be at the airport." She waved a scornful hand at Galbraith. "He wanted explanations!"

"It's a regrettable habit of mine to demand proof, instead of flying off on a whim," Galbraith said caustically.

"Well, if you'd radioed Clancy's men and had them here to protect them when they landed, instead of coming to see for yourself, I wouldn't have had to act like a stuntwoman."

"On the prediction of a gypsy soothsayer?" Galbraith asked. "What kind of professionalism is that?"

Clancy held up his hand. "John, do you suppose you could drop this fascinating debate on mysticism versus realism and get Baldwin to headquarters? We have some questioning to do."

Galbraith nodded. "I radioed for a car as soon as we landed. They should be here any minute."

Clancy turned to Kira. "I'm sorry to spoil your arrangements, but we'll have to postpone the wedding until tomorrow. We have to clear up this mess first."

"That's all right. It will give me time to do it right. Don't worry about Lisa. I'll take her to the palace and get her settled in your quarters for the night." She tilted her head, considering. "Maybe I'll call a few shops and have them send out some gowns on approval. It will give her something to do. Amy Irving was wearing the most gorgeous gown at the Academy Awards when she was expecting. It had arich, Renaissance quality, and I think Lisa would look beautiful in something like that for the ceremony."

Clancy shook his head and turned to Lisa. "Don't let her run you ragged. Just give her a flat-out no. There are times when she even pays attention to it. Will you be all right without me? I'll join you at the palace as soon as I've wrapped this up. It's important that I find out who the informant at the palace is, or Alex and Sabrina will be in danger. You understand?"

"Of course I understand. I wouldn't have you do anything else." Lisa smiled. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." A dark blue car pulled around the corner and stopped beside them; the doors.opened and several men emerged from the car. Galbraith immediately joined them and began issuing orders. "It seems the cavalry has arrived. Kira and I had better get out of the way and let you do your job."

"I'll have a man drive you to the palace." He leaned forward and kissed her lightly. "If you need me, just tell Alex. He'll know where to get in touch with me."

She cast a last look at Martin, who was regaining consciousness and sitting up dazedly on the tarmac. How could a man with whom she had shared so much have become such a stranger? Or perhaps he'd really been a stranger all along. They had never been able to reach each other on anything but surface levels. "Lisa?"

Clancy's eyes were on her face, and there was something in them that reminded her of the rawpain she'd glimpsed when Martin had been taunting him. "No, it's all right," she said quickly. She couldn't bear to see that pain on his face. "You don't understand. It's not true that…" She trailed off. She couldn't explain here, in the midst of all this turmoil. "I'll see you later at the palace, Clancy."