Blue Velvet

Eight

"All right, now tell me how you managed to get rid of the guards," Daniel demanded as he caught up with Kate's hurrying figure at the corner a block from the inn. "I was happy as hell to see you when you unlocked that hotel room door, but I admit I'm curious."

Kate glanced over her shoulder with an anxious frown. The captain had told the six crew members to split up in twos and follow at half-block intervals to avoid looking suspicious. Yes, there they were.

"Oh, that was my friend Consuello's doing," she said with a grin. "She still had some sedatives from her late husband's medicine chest. We slipped them into a bottle of wine and sent it to the guards with Despard's compliments." She made a face. "I wasn't even sure they'd still be potent enough. They were over two years old."

"Obviously they were." Daniel's teeth flashed white in his bearded face. "They were sleeping like newborn babies when I dragged them into the hotel room." His grin suddenly faded. "But if your little mickey was that old, it might not last long. We'd better hope we have the Searcher well away from Castellano by the time they come to and give the alarm."

"We're only a block away from the pier where the ship is docked," Kate said. They were moving swiftly now and were once more in the shadows. "Do you think it's safe to take off my disguise now?"

"Is that what it is?" An amused smile tugged at Daniel's lips as his gaze traveled over Kate's figure, from her shiny scarlet visored helmet to the oversized white linen jacket that came almost to her knees. "I thought it looked a little bizarre. You look a cross between a Martian invader and a Colonel Sanders commercial."

"Colonel Sanders?" A puzzled frown knitted her brow for a moment before she shrugged dismissingly. "I may look rather weird but no one can tell who I am. Who would suspect someone dressed like this of any serious shenanigans?"

"You have a point," Daniel said amusedly. "No one could accuse you of keeping a low profile." He suddenly started to chuckle. "Lord, I wish Clancy Donahue could see you. You've got to be the strangest undercover operator on record." "He wouldn't approve?"

"I didn't say that," Daniel said. "He admires effectiveness no matter how it's cloaked and you were certainly that."

"I was lucky," Kate said soberly. "Yes, you were," Daniel agreed. "You seem to be very well endowed in that way. So is Beau for that matter. I've seen him pull off some pretty outrageous stunts." He stared at her. "Where is Beau?" She glanced away hurriedly. "On his way to Santa Isabella," she said lightly. "It was my fault you were captured and my responsibility to set you free. I decided not to involve him."

Daniel gave a low whistle. "Do I take it you're doing this without Beau's knowledge? I thought it a little odd he wasn't hovering over you like a protective dragon." He shook his head incredulously. "I can't believe he flew off into the wild blue yonder and left you to your own devices."

"There isn't any reason why he shouldn't." She still wasn't looking at him. "After all, he hasn't any commitment to me."

"Perhaps I would have believed that if I hadn't seen the man jump overboard and swim after you like a guardian dolphin." He suddenly grinned. "He was mad as hell but it didn't stop him from taking the plunge. I'd say an action like that from Beau demonstrates the ultimate in commitment."

"Does it?" she asked huskily. "I really wouldn't know. He's almost a stranger to me." It was true, she assured herself determinedly. Beau was a stranger. You could turn and walk away from strangers. This crazy feeling of being joined to him in mind and body in the most intimate of possession was only a mirage that surely would fade away in time. Oh, dear heaven, it had to. "Tell that to Beau." Daniel's brow lifted skeptically. "I don't think he sees your relationship in quite the same way." His hand suddenly closed on her arm. "The ship is just ahead." He pulled her over into the shadows of the prefab warehouse they were passing. "I hope Julio was right that there are only two guards."

"What do we do?" Kate asked, her eyes on the ship a hundred yards or so ahead. It was a deserted ghost ship in the moonlit darkness. Its usually billowing graceful sails were folded like the wings of a sleeping sea gull. "There doesn't seem to be anyone around." "What the hell!"

Her eyes flew to Daniel's grim face.

"There's someone on board all right. The auxiliary engines have been started."

"But why would the guards do that?"

"They shouldn't, unless they're so bombed out of their minds they've decided to take it out for a little spin. It wouldn't really surprise me. Those guards back at the hotel were guzzling rum as if it were water."

"Most people do in Castellano," Kate said absently. "Liquor is sometimes a good deal cheaper in the Caribbean."

"Well, they can just keep their damn hands off my ship." He stepped back into the street and waved imperiously at the crewmen a short distance away. "Stay here," he said to Kate. "We've got to get on board before they try to maneuver away from the dock and crash into something. I hoped to be a little more subtle and not just charge up the gangplank like the Light Brigade." He shrugged. "Oh well, sometimes there's an element of surprise in the direct approach."

"I'm not going to stay here," Kate said indignantly. "I want to be-"

But Daniel was no longer listening. He and the other crewmen who had joined him were moving almost at a run toward the ship. What did Daniel think he was doing leaving her standing there while he took command? Didn't he realize that getting them out of Mariba was her responsibility? Then she was flying after them and caught up with Daniel just as he was barreling up the gangplank.

He cast her a distinctly annoyed glance. "Get out of here," he hissed. "You've done your part. Luck like yours can't last forever. Beau will strangle me with his bare hands if I let anything happen to you."

"Oh, I don't know." Beau's tone was grim as he stepped out of the shadows of the tall mast near the gangplank. "At the moment I'm more inclined to strangle our sweet Kate myself."

The assault force came to a screeching halt.

"Beau!" Kate said incredulously. "You're not supposed to be here."

Daniel started to chuckle. "I didn't think you'd stay out of the action for long. Where are the guards?"

"Trussed up below in the crew quarters," drawled Beau. "I'd suggest you have them taken ashore and dumped in the nearest alley. We don't want to be accused of kidnapping as well as piracy. Incidentally, I dispatched them with considerably more style than you were displaying. I swam up to the anchor line and climbed it hand over hand a la Errol Flynn. While you, on the other hand, charged up that gangplank with all the tactical finesse of the marines at the Bay of Pigs." Beau shook his head disparagingly. "For an ex-mercenary you looked regrettably unprofessional."

"You're supposed to be with Julio." Kate stepped forward to stand before him. "Damn it, why aren't you, Beau?"

"Be quiet, Kate." There was a thread of steel beneath the softness of Beau's drawl. "You might say I'm a bit upset with you at the moment. I didn't at all appreciate being left behind. I found my jump into the sea from the Cessna less than enjoyable." He ran his hand through his still damp hair. "I'm beginning to feel practically amphibian since you came into my life." His lips tightened. "And I most particularly disliked waiting here wondering what trouble you were getting yourself into at the inn. I've been close to mayhem for the past hour."

"All that was hardly my fault," she said defiantly. "You were supposed to fly to Santa Isabella with Julio."

"So he told me," he grated through his teeth. "I don't take orders as well as your friend Julio. In fact, I don't take orders at all. It's time you learned that, Kate."

She drew a deep shaky breath. She should be used to having him angry with her by now. There was no reason for the abrasive pain she was feeling at his biting anger.

"If you'll excuse the interruption"-Daniel's tone was laden with irony-"do you suppose it would be all right if we postponed all these recriminations and got under way? I gather you started the engines, Beau?"

Beau nodded, his gaze still on Kate's visored face. "I thought I'd have everything ready to go when you showed up." His brow knitted in a frown. "What the hell are you doing in that crazy getup? You look like a Hell's Angel reject."

"Daniel said it was more Colonel Sanders," she said. "Who was-"

"It's a disguise," Daniel broke in with exasperation. "Now that we have that settled, may we please sail?"

Beau's brows lifted. "Who's stopping you?" he drawled, a little smile tugging at his lips. "You can't expect me to do absolutely everything. After all, you're the captain, Daniel,"

Daniel grimaced before he turned away with a flurry of terse Orders that sent his men at a dead run to their stations. "I'll try to contribute my little effort to the cause," he said over his shoulder. "Providing the two of you will get the devil out of my way!" He strode swiftly away, ratling more commands with machine-gun forcefulness.

Beau's gesture had a mocking panache. "You heard the man. I suggest we go to my cabin and let Daniel get on with his work. I have a few words I want to say to you. Very choice words."

She took off her helmet and ruffled her hair wearily. "I'm sure I've heard them before. I think we should help Daniel and the men get the Searcher out to sea. I don't want to ruin everything now that we've gotten this far."

"We'd only be in the way." His hand on her elbow was guiding her toward the oak door to the passageway leading below deck. "Daniel has his crew trained to clockwork precision. He tolerates my help on the odd occasion when I insist I want to do my bit, but under pressure like this he'd probably throw us both overboard if we got in his way."

Casting a glance at that dynamic giant on the bridge she could well believe it. There was nothing left of the lazily good-natured man she'd come to know. The vitality and power of total command were surrounding Daniel in an almost visible aura. "Perhaps you're right."

Beau was holding the door for her and she started reluctantly down the stairs. Lord, she didn't want to have a confrontation with Beau right now. The tension and the anxiety of the evening had drained her of everything but a heavy lethargy. Beau, on the other hand, seemed to be as charged with electric energy as ever. "How long will it take to get out of Castellano territorial waters?"

"Not much over a half-hour if we have the wind with us." He opened the door to the cabin, his hand brushing the light switch on the wall. "The auxiliary engines are used principally for maneuvering and docking. They don't give us enough power for any dazzling degree of speed." He shut the door behind them. "And we may need that speed if our little flit is discovered when they come to change the guard on the ship."

"Change the guard?" Kate's eyes widened. Of course they'd change the guard. Not only on the ship but at the inn. "I never thought of that."

"That doesn't surprise me." He took the helmet she was holding and tossed it carelessly on top of the chest. "It seems to be your modus operandi to leap into trouble without giving it a second thought." His fingers were swiftly unbuttoning the white sport coat she was wearing. "It's a constant source of amazement to me that you've survived as long as you have."

"I had enough to worry about without trying to imagine every little thing that might go wrong," she said defensively. "I managed to do…" She broke off and looked down bewilderedly as he finished unbuttoning her coat. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to tear your clothes off and rape you." He pulled her coat off her shoulders and down her arms. "Not at the moment anyway. I just want to get you out of this blasted 'disguise.' " The jacket joined the helmet on the chest. "It reminds me what a complete idiot you can be with no effort whatsoever." His fingers were running briskly through her short curls that were crushed from the contact with the helmet and his voice was suddenly uneven. "Such a damn reckless idiot."

His eyes were liquid gold in the hardness of his face and the tousled bronze lock of hair on his forehead sea-darkened to deep brown. She felt a sudden desire to brush that lock tenderly back into orderliness as a mother would to a dear but untidy child. She hurriedly pulled her gaze away and unconsciously braced herself. She mustn't touch him. He thought her insanely impulsive, but she wasn't foolish enough to risk that. "Then you're well rid of me, aren't you?" she asked with an effort at lightness.

"You seem to be a little thickheaded, Kate." His hands held her shoulders lightly, but she could feel their leashed strength. "I'm not rid of you, nor do I intend to be. Do you think I'd go through all the hell you've put me through if I intended to let you get away from me?" His lips tightened. "No way." Her chin lifted defiantly. "I thought I'd made my position clear. I don't need your help or your charity. Once out of Castellano territorial waters you can have Daniel drop me off anywhere you like and be on your way. We'll consider the bargain settled."

"Oh, will we?" His voice was dangerously soft. "And what if I decide that you haven't fulfilled the terms of our charming bargain? I was prepared to declare it null and void but if that's the only way I can control you I'll reinstate it in full force. You were to stay with me as long as I wanted you, remember?"

Her lips curved in a bittersweet smile. "But you don't want me. Not really. I'm some kind of rehabilitation project for you. You want to pat me on the head and send me off to Connecticut to-"

"I don't want you?" His eyes were molten gold now. "I told you what you do to me. What does it take to convince you, for heaven's sake?" His face clouded stormily. "Oh, what the hell!"

Then she was in his arms and his lips were on hers in a kiss that was more a hot brand of possession. They touched, devoured, and absorbed with a passion that was devoid of the tenderness he'd shown before. His tongue parted her lips and plunged into the sweet warmth waiting for him beyond. She could feel his hands on her shoulders tightening with unknowing force and the sound he made deep in his throat was a growl of hunger. He tore his lips away and buried them in the curls at her temple. His hands were rubbing and kneading her shoulders with rhythmic urgency and she could hear his breathing grow harsh in her ear. "I want you." His voice was muffled in her hair. "You could arouse me even if I were a eunuch in one of those Mideastern seraglios Daniel was telling me about." His tongue delicately stroked the erratic pulse at her temple. "I sat there on that damn platform all afternoon in a rage. I was worried out of my mind and I was still wanting you. I kept remembering how hot and tight you felt around me and the way your skin shimmered gold in the sunlight. I remembered how you fit me, every curve clinging and caressing like a glove of butter-soft chamois." He drew a deep shuddering breath. "Oh yes, I want you, Kate."

And she wanted him. She was acutely conscious of everything about him-the strength of his lean whipcord muscles, the slight dampness of the aqua-and-cream shirt beneath her cheek, the scent of salt and the dark musk of the aroused male. His voice was dark, too, and rubbed velvet soft against her, causing physical responses that were as natural and beautifully primitive as the swell of the waves beneath the Searcher's hull.

She swayed closer. "Then I'll stay with you," she said simply. "I told you I would. I wasn't backing out of our arrangement. I'll stay with you until you tire of me, just as we agreed."

"Oh, Lordy!" There was amusement, exasperation, and an aching tenderness in the two words. "What am I going to do with you? I always thought I was fairly articulate, but I seem to be lost in a maze of misconceptions where you're concerned. We're right back to square one." He pushed her a little away and his hands cupped her face. All trace of humor had left his expression.

"Listen carefully, Kate, and I'll endeavor to make myself crystal clear. One, I'm not going to get tired of you. Two, the only reason I was sending you to Briarcliff was…" The rest of the sentence was lost in the shrieking wail of a siren that sounded as if it were right next to them!

"What the hell!" Beau's hands fell away from her. Then he was bolting out of the cabin and up the stairs. She was right on his heels and by his side by the time he skidded to a stop as they reached Daniel on the bridge. The wailing shriek was even louder and more piercing out here on the deck but the launch wasn't as close as it sounded, thank heavens. The powerful cone of brilliant light splaying over the dark waves was barely cresting the horizon. Oh, God, the Guardia!

"It sounded so close," she whispered. "I guess it was the reverberation over the water."

"It's close enough," Daniel said grimly. "Damn, if we'd only had ten minutes more!"

"We're that near to international waters?" Beau's eyes were narrowed on the approaching launch.

Daniel nodded. "We've had a stiff wind at our back ever since we left the harbor." He tore his eyes from the launch to glance at Beau. "Well, do we give in to those bastards again?"

Beau shook his head. "Not with Kate aboard. We can't chance it." A reckless grin lit his face. "Do you think you can give them a run for their money until we're past the limit?"

A savage smile of satisfaction touched Daniel's lips. "Watch me!"

They watched him. They stood there on the bridge with the wailing siren surrounding them with its keening cry and the wet spray striking their faces with stinging force. Daniel was at the wheel, his legs parted and braced, his hands maneuvering the ship through the waves as if he were the mythical Charon she'd first compared him to. Dipping and zigzagging, cutting a course of incredible intricacy, their sails billowing in the moonlight as they skimmed over the waves. Kate could feel her heart pound with excitement. It was breathtakingly exhilarating being a part of this strange chase.

The wailing engine-driven launch pursuing them was like a modern-day dragon attempting to catch and devour the graceful entity of this ship from another age. The launch was closer now and there was a bellow in Spanish over a megaphone for them to halt and be boarded. Daniel's answer was a low amused laugh as he executed still another intricate turn.

"I should be frightened," she murmured absently. She wasn't frightened, however; there was only the excitement and this bond of intimate camaraderie that linked the three of them together. "Why aren't they shooting? They're close enough now."

Beau's arm tightened around her waist. "That would mean an international incident. They want to board us and take prisoners. If we don't surrender, they'll probably try to ram and disable us."

"If they can get close enough." Daniel's grin was a gleaming slash in the moonlight. "The Searcher has a hell of a lot more maneuverability than the launch. I think we're going to make it."

"Won't they follow us into international waters?" Kate asked. "Castellano doesn't have the reputation of being any too law-abiding."

"Only as long as it's safe," Beau said. "They know the conglomerate would nail them for any infraction. Economic clout is a good deal more effective than diplomacy these days."

It appeared Beau's reasoning was accurate, for no shots were fired from the machine guns they could now clearly discern on the bridge of the launch. But the anger and frustration of the officers were obviously growing with every passing second judging by the enraged threats now issuing through the megaphone.

The launch's movements seemed gross and clumsy in comparison with the Searcher and their engine power was being constantly negated by lack of maneuverability and overcompensation by the man at the helm. It was becoming an amusing game and Daniel was playing it with a verve and daring that was making the crew on the other boat look increasingly foolish.

Kate found herself laughing out loud as Daniel executed a lightning turn that left the launch blundering off in the wrong direction before it could recover and compensate. She looked up to see the same amusement and excitement on Beau's face above her.

"Daniel could make his fortune as a matador," he drawled. "But I don't think our friends on the launch are very appreciative of his skill."

"Well, he's certainly waving a red cape at them," Kate said, laughing. "He's enjoying every minute of it. Just look at his face."

"I'd rather look at yours. You're having almost as much fun as he is." He shook his head ruefully. "And I wanted to send you to the bucolic serenity of the Connecticut countryside."

"Just a little more, lady." Daniel's plea was a deep velvet croon as his big hands caressed the wheel. "We're almost there."

"How can he tell?" Kate asked curiously.

"He can tell," Beau assured her. "Even without the instruments I think Daniel has a built-in compass and speedometer. It must be something in the genes."

"I just hope that launch is equally well equipped," Kate said, making a face. "They're not going to give up easily."

Then Daniel uttered a yell that was a close relation to a Comanche war whoop and was immediately echoed by the members of the crew.

Kate's heart leaped to her throat. "We made it?"

"You're damn right we made it." Daniel turned to the still pursuing launch and made a jubilant and extremely rude gesture. "Go home, you lousy bastards! You've lost us!"

The officer on the launch evidently concurred because the voice on the megaphone suddenly broke off. Then it resumed with a potent string of curses Kate had heard only in waterfront bars.

"They're falling back but they're still following," Kate said anxiously.

"Stubborn," Beau said. "They'll give up soon. No one likes to admit defeat."

"They don't appear to be very resigned," Kate said. She was shivering, she realized incredulously. She hadn't been at all afraid when the action was going on and the launch had been wailing and bellowing like the bull of Beau's matador simile. Why was she suddenly feeling this sense of cold menace when the actual danger was over and the launch was so silent? They'd even turned off the siren and slowed their engines so they were barely keeping pace with the Searcher.

"I don't like it." Daniel's brow was creased with a frown. "I felt a hell of a lot safer when we were keeping them so occupied they didn't have time to think. I don't like it at all."

"What can they do?" Kate asked. "You said they wouldn't try anything once we were in international waters." "I don't know," Daniel said slowly. "I just don't know." Beau's arm around her was growing tense. "Go below, Kate."

Her gaze flew to his face. "What?"

"Go below," he said harshly, his eyes fixed on the ominously quiet launch. "And just this once, don't argue with me!"

"But I don't under-"

The silence ended as the launch's engines suddenly roared, propelling the boat toward them with a leap of speed!

"Hell!" Beau was falling to the deck, his arm carrying her with him. She had a glimpse of the launch almost upon them now, but veering to the left.

"Hit the deck!" Daniel's corresponding action followed his command and the members of the crew who hadn't already anticipated the order scrambled to obey.

They were only just in time. A lethal rat-a-tat-tat of bullets peppered the air above them. Dark gaping holes appeared in the white sails and the dark wood of the masts was ruthlessly peeled and splintered. It lasted only a moment and then the launch was veering away and speeding off in the direction of Mariba.

"Is anyone hurt?" Daniel's yell was met with various denials from the men. "The bastards couldn't resist getting in a little farewell salute," he said as he got to his knees. "I have an irresistible urge to go after them and teach them a few manners. How about it, Beau?" There was no answer and Daniel turned. "I said how about-" He broke off as he saw Beau's face, white as marble in the moonlight. "Beau?"

His gaze flew to Kate's limp figure cradled in Beau's arms. Her lashes were dusky shadows on her cheeks, and a thin dark line of blood trickled from the wound at her temple.