She gazed at him in bewilderment. “How did you expect me to look?”
“I didn’t expect anything. I wasn’t thinking. I was just feeling.”
“That’s two of us. And it was all your fault, so I can’t see—”
“I know that,” he said through his teeth. “I’m trying to say that I’m sorry.”
Her eyes widened. “Well, you’re not doing a very good job, are you? Is this some kind of trick?”
“No, to both questions.” He shook his head. “Somehow I got myself tangled and I can’t get out. It has something to do with all those months when I felt as if I was practically living with you. Hell, it might have ruined everything. That call to Salva was my last attempt to play the game the way I planned it.”
“What are you talking about? It didn’t seem like a last attempt to me.”
“You were beating me,” he said simply. “I wasn’t seeing you as a tool to get Nicos any longer. I had to do something to get back on course.” His lips twisted. “I had no idea that it would prove so traumatic for both of us.”
“Beating you?” she said. “I was the one who took the beating.”
He nodded. “But that may turn out to your advantage.”
“What?”
“I’m finding that I can’t use force to get you to go to Nicos. I came here tonight to tell you that. Even if you won’t agree to help me voluntarily, I can’t hand you over to him.”
She stared at him, stunned. “Then you’ll let me go?”
He shook his head. “Not yet.” He shrugged. “Hope springs eternal. You may still agree to bait the trap. You’ll go with me to Nicos’s island and you can make your choice then.”
“I’ve already made my choice.”
“People change their minds.” He smiled. “Just like tigers.”
“But you won’t be able change mine.” Her gaze narrowed on his face. “Is this just a ploy of some sort? Are you lying to me?”
“Look at me.” He reached out and took her chin in his hands. “Am I lying to you, Margaret?”
Pale green eyes intent on hers. His hands warm against her skin. She could feel her heart begin to pound. She couldn’t look away from him. “I … don’t think you’re lying. But Devon said you’re good at getting people to do what you want. Maybe I couldn’t tell.”
“I haven’t been able to get you to do anything I want yet.”
“But that’s different; you haven’t really been trying anything but arguments and force.” She moistened her lips. “But I did feel something different today when we were playing chess on deck. And I can feel it right now.”
“Can you? You shouldn’t be telling me this, you know.” He took his hands away and ruefully shook his head. “Margaret, I’d say you were as open and defenseless as a baby if you hadn’t just negotiated me into a corner that may prove very dangerous for me.”
“I haven’t negotiated anything.” She paused. “You really mean it? You won’t make me go back to him?”
“I won’t make you,” he said as he got to his feet. “But then you’ve been telling me all along that I couldn’t do that anyway. So what’s different?”
“It’s different because I thought maybe you could do it,” she said frankly. “You’re very intelligent, very strong. And you managed to track me down. That means you know me well. I knew I could get away from most people, but I wasn’t sure about you.”
He nodded. “If you’d gotten away from me, I would have found you. Because I do know you well. I’ve dedicated a year of my life to you. The reason I didn’t ask you many questions this afternoon was because I already know the answers.”
“And that makes me very uneasy,” she said flatly.
“It shouldn’t. You’ve won, haven’t you? Once we get to Nicos’s island, it will be your choice whether you want to help me.” He headed for the door. “I’ll tell Cambry. He’ll be very relieved. He was looking at me reprovingly all evening. He likes you. This was difficult for him.”
“It wasn’t easy for me,” she said drily. She was talking in the past tense, she realized. It just proved how convincing and soothing Lassiter had been during these last minutes. He had effortlessly lifted the burden of panic and depression she had been feeling and given her hope. It seemed almost too good to be true.
And it might be.
She looked at him standing there at the door, cool, strong, the passion and emotion now gone from his face. So much intimidating power and competence … “Do you promise that what you’ve said is true? That I’ll have that choice? That you’ll not lie to me?”
“You have my promise that I won’t lie to you.” He smiled. “You have my promise that I won’t force you to do anything.” His smile deepened. “But I also promise you that I’ll use every means I have to get you to see things my way. You can hardly blame me for that.”
“Since you intend to drag me across Mexico and then the Caribbean while you do it, I can see why I would have a few reasons to blame you.”
He chuckled. “But it’s on a minor scale compared to kidnapping you.”
She found her lips twitching. “It depends on how you look at it.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. My goal in life is to make you look at it my way.” He opened the door. “I’ll go up to the galley and make you a sandwich and a cup of tea. Maybe you won’t have any more bad dreams with something in your stomach.”
“I told you that I’m not hungry.”
“You will be. I make a great club sandwich. Besides, you’ve lost a pound or two since you’ve been on the boat. You really shouldn’t have taken that midnight swim. Burned up a hell of a lot of calories.” His eyes were shimmering with mischief as he opened the door. “I feel bound to correct your mistake in judgment. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”
The door closed behind him.
She stared bemusedly at the door. He had changed again in the space of a heartbeat. Her mind was whirling and she didn’t know what to think … or what to feel. On the surface, it appeared that everything was better and going her way. But just the fact that Lassiter had told her she had won made her suspicious. She might have won a battle, but Lassiter would not even think of suggesting she had won the war. He had even laid out his battle strategy for her.
It would be okay. It wasn’t her nature to dwell on what Lassiter might pull out of his magic bag of tricks to try to convince her that she should go back to Nicos’s island. All she had to do was stick to her determination and everything would be fine. She’d believed Lassiter when he’d made her that promise.
So do as she always did. Lassiter was apparently going to exert himself to be both pleasant and amusing, so enjoy the moment.
And try to find something of value to take with her when she had to leave again.
Vadaz Island