Part 8 (2/2)

”Tell me,” Bobby demanded. ”I want to hear the story.”

”All right, but you'll have to help me set the table.”

”Okay.” Bobby reached for the plates she'd left stacked on the counter.

Jeff took them from him and pulled open a drawer. ”Why don't you be in charge of the spoons and forks, sport?”

Bobby grabbed a handful of each. As they moved toward the dining room table, Andie heard Jeff start to talk about a magical, sometime invisible bird named Echo. He spoke in the animated tones of a born storyteller. His voice was low and seductive. She could listen to it for hours. Instead, she forced her attention back to the fish on the grill.

While it continued to cook, she made a salad with the greens Jeff had bought,then fixed some rice. As she worked, she listened to the story of the bird, all the while trying not to think about the gun and why Jeff was here on the island. It was too late to worry about trusting and not trusting. She'd made her decision. Pray G.o.d she hadn't made a mistake.

When everything was ready, she brought it to the table, and they sat down. ”Go on,” Bobby said, staring up at Jeff and smiling. ”How does the little boy get out of the evil emperor's castle?”

Jeff leaned toward the child. ”Echo madehimself very small and invisible, then flew through the bars in the window. Once he was inside the room, he returned to his regular size,then opened his mouth. Out dropped the key. The boy unlocked the door and was far away before the emperor even knew he'd escaped.”

”Wow!” Bobby took a forkful of rice and stuffed it in his mouth. ”I want a bird like that, Mom. Could we get a bird when we get home?”

”We'll see what they have in the pet store,” she said. ”But I doubt we'll be able to find a magical bird.”

”If I was real good, would Echo come visit me?” he asked Jeff.

”Maybe. But birds like Echo usually only visit in our dreams.”

”Oh.” Bobby closed his eyes. ”I can almost see him. Maybe he'll visit me tonight.”

Andie listened as her son continued to talk about the bird. Jeff answered all his questions. She wondered where he got the patience,then remembered he'd had a child of his own. And a wife. How horrible to have lost them both in a car accident. She knew how that felt. She wondered if he would like her more if she explained she understood what he'd dealt with. She'd lost both her parents in a car accident.

She stared at him, at the way he thought about Bobby's questions before answering them. The overhead lamp highlighted the different shades of blond in his conservative haircut. She reached up and fingered her braid. They both had blond hair and blue eyes. They could probably pa.s.s for brother and sister. Except she didn't feel like Jeff's sister. He was too male, too frightening.

She didn't know exactly why he was here on the island, but she had a good idea. He was probably part of a team a.s.signed to take Kray into custody. She hoped they got him and fast. She would sleep a lot better if she knew her ex-husband was safely behind bars.

As she ate her dinner and listened to the conversation between Bobby and Jeff, she wondered if it would end well for all of them. If they arrested Kray, would she be held responsible for anything? She'd seen him kill a man in cold blood and she'd never reported the murder. That had to be illegal. But surely the government would understand her fear. She'd been three months pregnant at the time. She couldn't risk her child.

When they finished the main course, she brought out a bowl of fruit. As she carried dirty plates to the sink, she could hear the soft rhythm of the surf on the sh.o.r.e and the call of some night creature. How would Jeff contact the other people in his team? How would he get them off the island?

The ever-present fear swelled up inside of her. She didn't want to think about it.She couldn't not. She of all people understood Kray's determination and his power. She was a fool to think she could outwit him.

From behind her came the sound of laughter. Bobby had told one of his silly knock-knock jokes and Jeff was pretending to be amused. She turned and looked at the two of them. Jeff glanced up and their eyes met. Behind the humor was wariness, and below that, the flicker of something that could only be pain. Being with Bobby would be difficult for him, she realized, then wondered how old his child had been when he'd been killed She was his enemy's ex-wife, and Bobby was Kray's heir. Yet Jeff was willing to get them off this island to safety. She wondered how she would ever be able to repay him.

Andie closed the bedroom door behind her and leaned against it. She could hear the faint sound of the baseball game and nothing else. She exhaled deeply and walked toward the kitchen.

”You were inspired,” she said quietly, as she paused to pick up the last few dishes from the table. ”He'll be asleep in no time.”

She walked into the kitchen,then stopped dead.

Jeff stood beside the sink. He'd stripped off his tank s.h.i.+rt and was standing facing the counter wearing nothing but a pair of white shorts. He was tall, strong and disturbingly male.

”Inspired how?” he asked without turning around. He pulled a cloth from a bowl in the counter and squeezed it. Dark liquid ran down his hands. He took the cloth and wiped it against his left arm. Instantly his skin darkened several shades.

”Offering to let Bobby listen to the opening-night baseball game was a brilliant idea. He's finally stopped whining, and he'll be asleep in a couple of minutes.”

”Most boys like baseball,” he said, still not turning around. ”He's a good kid. He's just tired.”

”I know.” She moved closer. ”What are you doing?”

”Going native.” He rubbed the cloth against his chest,then started on his other arm. ”I need to make arrangements to get you off the island. I'll blend in better if I look like one of the locals.” He stretched out his darkened hand in front of him. ”I couldn't pa.s.s during the day, but at night I'll be fine.”

She stared at the small bottle sitting on the counter, but there was no label, nothing to say what it was or where he'd gotten it.

”You have friends here?” she asked.

”One or two contacts.”

”So you'll be going out?”

He glanced at her. His face was still its normal tanned color, but his chest and left arm were dark brown. He looked like an alien from a science fiction movie. ”I'll be gone a few hours.”

Irrationally, she was suddenly terrified at the thought of being alone. It didn't make any sense, she told herself. She was also nervous being around Jeff, so she should be glad he was leaving for a few hours. Bobby wasn't the only one who was overtired.

”You'll be fine,” he said, then dipped his cloth in the bowl again.

She didn't know how he knew what she was thinking and she didn't care. ”I have been up to now.” She glanced around the kitchen. ”This is all like a dream. Like your stories about that magical bird. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up in my own bed back inL.A.That I'll find out this is just the result of too much studying and not enough sleep.”

”Don't get your hopes up. This is real.”

”I know.” She was too scared to be dreaming.

He finished his right arm,then reached for a small mirror. Quickly, as if he'd done it countless times before, he swept the dye over his face. She watched as he was transformed from a tanned surfer into a local.

”What if it rains?” she asked He grinned. His teeth flashed bright white against his now-dark skin. ”It won't wash away. I have a neutralizer with me. If I forget it, or don't use it, the color fades in about a week.”

”You came prepared.”

The smile faded. ”That's my job.”

”Spy school must be an amazing place. The most exciting thing that's happened at law school is some student got thrown out for cheating.”

Jeff raised his chin and colored the underside of his jaw, then started on his ears. ”You really go to law school?”

His casual surprise irritated her. ”Yes, Rambo, I have a brain and I've been known to use it a time or two. I'm even in the top ten percent of my cla.s.s.”

He raised still-blond eyebrows. ”I wasn't implying you're dumb. I was wondering about Kray's ex-wife deciding to be a lawyer.”

”Oh.” She folded her arms over her chest. After swimming, she'd showered and changed into the shorts he'd bought her and one of her own T-s.h.i.+rts. The night air was balmy, the breeze from the open windows, seductive. ”I suppose it is an interesting career choice.”

He reached for a small brush and dipped it in the liquid. After blotting the extra, he stroked it carefully over his eyebrows. She stared. He gave her a quick glance. ”Details are important. The people who forget them don't survive long in my business. Eyebrows are a dead giveaway.”

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