most—flying.”
“A career officer, no doubt?”
“Does it show?” he asked, grinning.
“Yes, but it’s becoming to you. You wear your authority well.” And I feel heady, dizzy and wonderful, she added mentally. How could one man unhinge her so quickly?
“Since that’s coming from an Air Force brat, I’ll say thank you.”
As Layne met his warm gaze, she felt a delicious wave of hunger course through her. She stared at Matt’s mouth, a mouth neither so thin as to be considered cruel nor so full as to be overtly sensual. But it was the way he used his mouth that entranced her. One moment the corners would be drawn inward as if he were experiencing some silent pain; the next, they’d be curved generously upward into a genuine smile meant for her alone. She remembered his kiss, the branding fire of his commanding mouth as it took total charge of her parting lips. How many times in the past forty-eight hours had she recalled those moments of intimacy between them?
“Listen, Layne,” Matt said quietly, breaking into her thoughts, “we’ve got to have your decision.”
She remained silent a long minute, studying him. The bright September sun slanted through the floor-to-ceiling glass, back-lighting his head, broad shoulders and torso. He was an eagle ready to attack and a warrior from the past come to life again. He could be ruthless one moment, hot-blooded the next. She used her instincts, trying to probe beyond what he wanted her to read in his features. Fear raced through her, making her stomach clench in response.
“And if I don’t go? Will you still leave for Hong Kong without me?”
“Yes.”
“But you don’t know Chinese.”
“I’ll have to rely on British SI to help me.”
“And then?”
“And then I’ll wait for Kang to contact me.”
“That will be dangerous, Matt. No one approaches the pirates in ignorance. These men are straight out of the late eighteen-hundreds. They wield knives and axes instead of guns and attack ships grounded by typhoons on those little islands out in the China Sea. And when they swarm aboard those ships, they kill.” She took a deep, unsteady breath. “And they never show mercy. You aren’t any match for them.”
Matt heard the tremor of fear in her voice. “Look, I’m not going to try to talk you into coming, Layne. Personally, I don’t want you along. It could get very dangerous.” His voice lowered to an intimate level. “I’d rather go alone and try to survive so I can come back and get to know you better.”
Layne twisted the linen napkin in her lap. The aching honesty in his voice made her believe that he would want to renew their acquaintance without the pressures now surrounding them. He was drawn to her, as she was to him. Layne tried to separate her romantic feelings from the unfolding drama. She knew the Chinese mind. And she suspected Matt was unprepared for the way they dealt with outsiders such as himself. If she didn’t go along…Pictures of him dying from knife wounds made her pale.
“Layne?”
“It’s nothing.”
Matt’s eyes flared with disbelief as he watched her face whiten beneath her tan. “No lies, remember? What’s wrong?”
“They’ll kill you. You’ll never get close to the lao-pan and his cutthroat clan. If you aren’t one of them, they’ll never accept you.” Layne raised her chin, meeting his concerned gaze, then held out her hand, palm toward him. A thin white scar crossed the entire palm. “When I was looking for Kang, I was told by the junk people in Aberdeen Harbor that he hated all foreign devils. His youngest son had been killed by the British police on Kowloon. The only reason I’m considered part of Kang’s family is because I helped his eldest son get admitted to a university in California. It was hoped that by educating Kang’s son in the United States, the Dragon Clan might eventually stop their marauding as more of their people were enlightened.”
“I see,” Matt murmured. “And Kang’s way of showing his thanks was to take a dagger to your palm?”
“It’s a ritual among the Dragon Clan. Only the lao-pan may allow an outsider who isn’t born of the clan to become a member of it. It was his way of honoring me—instead of lopping off my head.” She grimaced. “I wasn’t ecstatic about the idea, believe me.” She gave him an embarrassed look. “When he cut my hand, I fainted. When I came to, his wife had placed healing herbs on my wound and bandaged it. I’ve shed my blood and mingled it with his. I can walk with safety among his people. If you don’t have this mark, you’ll be killed. They allow no outsiders to live to tell the rest of the world about their fortresses on the different islands.”
Matt stared at the scar on her slender, artistic hand for a long moment, his lips tightening. “Didn’t Brad go with you when you searched for Kang?”
Layne shook her head, slowly lowering her hand and tucking it back into her lap. “No. He stayed at the Princeton for that week. I went to Macao in search of the pirates without him.”
Matt swore softly, his entire body tensing. “He let you go by yourself?” What kind of idiot was Carson? Matt would never have allowed Layne to go into that nest of thieves by herself!
“Yes.”
Matt put a leash on his anger, but it still came out in his lowered voice. “Well, I’ll tell you something. If you were my wife, you wouldn’t be traipsing off on some adventure without me. You could have been raped. Didn’t you consider the risks? Kang could have killed you—or worse, made you a slave. We’ve got enough background data on the pirates for me to know that much.” He let out a shaky breath, staring across the table at her. “What the hell kind of husband did you have?”
Layne’s mouth pulled into a sad smile. “It’s a long story, Matt. And too depressing.” She leaned forward, urgently. “Just as you never would have let me go by myself to find the pirates, I can’t let you go alone, either. The lao-pan wants to talk with me. He won’t harm you as long as I’m there. He owes me a debt. If a lao-pan owes you, he must honor whatever you ask for—that’s the unwritten Chinese code. And now I’ll collect on it by asking him to help you in whatever way necessary.”
Matt reached across the table, pulling her hands into his. “You’re a special woman, kitten. Now listen to me carefully, I can’t tell you much about this mission. It’s all top secret. And it could become dangerous. I worry about you…I’m sorry, but you’re not agent material, and that makes you vulnerable to attack from every quarter.” His thoughts grew turbulent. It was like leading a lamb to slaughter. And yet single-handedly Layne had tracked down the pirates and met them on their own turf. There was a hidden streak of courage within her. His fingers tightened around her hands. His brother and the avionics were lost somewhere among the scattered islands ruled by the pirates of the South China Sea. And this woman with the childlike trust in her eyes was the only one who could help them enter that violent, bloody world to find Jim, his copilot and those black boxes. He knew that if they fell into the wrong hands, it could set the U.S. back ten years in electronic surveillance and defense systems.
“I trust you, Matt,” Layne began quietly. “I swore I’d never get involved with another agency man. But you’re different.” She wet her lips, aware of the emergence of feelings she’d thought had died. “You’ll protect me. I know you’ll do your best. And I feel safe with you. I’ll go. Just take me back to my apartment and I’ll pack….”
She was coming! Matt stared at her, then gave her fingers one more squeeze before releasing them. “All right, let’s go. I’ll have all the papers and passports in order and pick you up tomorrow at 6:00 a.m.” Numbly, Layne pushed back her chair. All she knew was that she had no choice. Matt needed her, and she was going.
* * *
Even though she was expecting it, the knock at her apartment door made Layne start. She hefted the last bag into the living room and ran to answer the door.