Man from Half Moon Bay (11 page)

Kemp. He wouldn’t have lied about Kemp. She should be frightened but felt only numb. Strange to feel uncaring about something as important as one’s own survival. Thank God, it was only temporary. As soon as this hurting stopped she would be able to think of something besides Jordan. Just as soon as the pain stopped.

“Get packed.” Penny strode past her into the apartment. “Now. You’re getting out of this place.”

Sara closed the door and locked it again. “I can’t leave here. Not yet.”

“You
will
leave here.” Penny whirled to face Sara, her brown eyes flashing. “What kind of idealistic nitwit are you, for heaven’s sake? I couldn’t believe it when Jordan showed up at my office this morning and told me what was happening here.”

“Jordan told you? He had no right to do that.” Sara’s lips tightened. “But it really doesn’t make any difference. This is no one’s business but my own.”

“You’re wrong,” Penny said crisply. “It’s my business and Mac’s and
World Report
’s. What kind of public image do you think we’d have if you got yourself killed playing bait? And don’t tell me
World
Report
isn’t connected with this foolishness. How many people do you think would believe we hadn’t set you up to get an exclusive?” She shook her head. “The media gets too much flack as it is without inviting this kind of trouble.”

“I’ll sign an affidavit clearing you of all responsibility.”

“Do you think a piece of paper will make me feel better if you get your throat cut? I
am
responsible, dammit.” Penny started to turn away. “I don’t mind shouldering my share of responsibility, but I’m not letting anyone lay a guilt trip of that size on me. We’re getting you out of San Francisco and stashing you someplace safe until they locate Kemp and can resume surveillance.”

“I appreciate your position.” Sara tried to keep her voice steady. Lord, this was difficult. “And I know you’re my friend and concerned about me but I can’t—”

“Forget about friendship.” Penny turned back to face her. “That’s not the primary issue here. You’re an employee of
World Report
and your actions could put us in very hot water. I can’t let you do that, Sara.” She paused before adding deliberately, “You like your job. Is it worth giving it up to put your head on the chopping block?”

Sara’s eyes widened. “You’d actually fire me?”

Penny hesitated. “Oh, hell, probably not. But Mac might not be so lenient. He was mad as hell when he heard about it. He told me very succinctly how he wanted this handled. He said ‘extricate her.’ Well, that’s exactly what I’m doing. You’re being ‘extricated.’ ”

Sara’s brow wrinkled in a frown. “This is important to me, Penny. I believe in what I’m doing. I don’t know if any job is worth leaving Kemp on the streets.”

“I was afraid that would be your reaction, so I took out some insurance.” Penny smiled grimly. “You may be too idealistic to care about your job, but Lieutenant Blaise knuckled under quite nicely when I zeroed in on him. The police department has no desire to attract the kind of heat
World Report
can generate.”

“You threatened him?”

“I told him we’d crucify him if they continued with this charade and anything happened to you. They preferred not to take the chance.” Penny’s tone was totally ruthless. “You’ll find they now want you out of this situation as much as we do. It wouldn’t surprise me if they sent a man to escort us politely to the airport to make sure you leave the city.”

“Lord, you play hard ball,” Sara whispered. She was experiencing a sudden surge of overwhelming relief. It was out of her hands. She was being forced to abandon Lieutenant Blaise’s plan. She didn’t have to wait for Kemp to come for her, for death to come for her.

“When necessary.” Penny’s gaze met her own. “No more arguments?”

Sara shook her head. “You appear to have closed me into a box,” she said lightly. “I don’t seem to have any alternative unless I choose the police escort. Where do you intend to stash me?”

“I own a tiny island off the coast of Santa Barbara.” Penny made a face. “Or rather the bank and I own it. It’s just a wild, hilly smudge in the middle of the ocean, but it has a nice little hacienda that was built about sixty years ago by a reclusive writer. We’ll hire a helicopter from the Santa Barbara airport and I’ll get you settled in at the hacienda. Then I’ll come back here and watch for developments. There’s no phone on the island, but when they locate Kemp I’ll come back and pick you up.”

“I didn’t know you owned an island.”

“I need a place to be by myself occasionally and I’ve always liked the idea of an island. Ever since I was a kid I’ve wanted a place that belonged only to me.” She shrugged. “I guess I didn’t want to share it even with my friends. This was my place.
My
sanctuary.”

“But you’re sharing it with me now,” Sara said softly. How many other aspects of Penny’s life were unknown to her? she wondered. She had assumed her friend’s life was an open book, but this clearly was not the case. Penny had dreams and secrets and a past that might hold infinitely more than the career Sara had thought was her prime motivation.

“I’m sharing it because you need a sanctuary now too. Sanctuaries can be pretty wonderful when you need to hide or heal.”

Sara felt a swift thrust of fresh pain. Was it so obvious that she needed healing? She tried to smile. “And what is this sanctuary called?”

“Just the island. I don’t believe in giving places fancy names. It’s not my style.” Penny started for the bedroom. “Now, let’s get you packed. Lots of sweaters and jeans. It can get chilly when the wind comes in off the sea.”

The island was as wild as Penny had claimed and from the air looked even smaller. It was almost completely rockbound except for a single cove on the windward side from which a slender pier jutted out like a fragile finger into the wild surf.

“I don’t see a house.” Sara peered out the window of the slowly descending helicopter.

Penny nodded. “It’s beyond that hill. The pines and the pepper trees are too dense to see it from here. You’ll like it, I think. It took me four years of vacations to fix up the place and decorate. It’s not easy to transport furniture from the mainland to the island.” She grimaced. “And tradespeople are most unreasonable about delivering by boat or helicopter without charging an arm and a leg. Do you know the woman who did the window treatments actually had the nerve to charge me a penalty because she got seasick on the boat coming to the island?”

“I can understand that,” Sara murmured, her gaze taking in the savage force of the waves crashing on the rocks below. “This doesn’t look like the tamest surf I’ve ever seen.”

“It isn’t,” Penny answered. “The currents are
treacherous around here. Riptides. So stay out of the water. Okay?”

“Okay.” The helicopter had landed on the rocky edge of the shore beside the pier, and Sara looked around with interest. “I’m certainly getting a new perspective on you. Do you really like this kind of wild terrain?”

“I love it,” Penny said simply. “It satisfies me.” She turned to the pilot. “Wait here, Ralph. I’ll be right back as soon as I help carry these groceries up to the house.”

“I’ll do that for you,” the young pilot offered cheerfully.

“No,” Penny said quickly. “Wait here. We can manage. Sara only has the one duffel bag to carry.”

“I wish you could stay for a few days,” Sara picked up her scarlet canvas bag, opened the heavy door, and jumped to the ground. She shivered as the sharp wind whipped around her, tearing at her hair. “I’m not sure I like the idea of being alone here.”

“There’s a radio and a stereo at the house.” Penny got out of the helicopter and reached back into the aircraft for the sack of groceries on the floor. “And a zillion books to read. It will be good for you to relax and contemplate your navel for a few days. You may even develop a taste for the solitary life.”

“I doubt it.” Sara’s grip tightened on the handle of her bag as she followed Penny up the winding dirt path. “It’s too lonely here. I need people around me.”

“I know you do.” Penny gave her an affectionate glance over her shoulder. “You always were happier with conversation than a spectacular view.” Her expression sobered as her gaze slid away from Sara. “I don’t think you’ll be lonely here.”

“Then you think wrong,” Sara said. “The last thing I need right now is solitude. I don’t want time to—” She broke off and her steps quickened. “Are we almost there?”

“Soon.” Penny turned to look at the patch of orange scarlet of the sunset filtering through the branches of the trees. “Just over the hill.” She kept her gaze straight ahead. “I gather you’ve changed your mind about Jordan?”

Sara stiffened. “I don’t want to talk about him.”

“I don’t either, but it’s got to be done,” Penny said quietly. “Because I’ve changed my mind about him too. I trust him, Sara.”

Sara gazed at her in bewilderment. “Then you’re an idiot. Lord, Penny, I never thought you’d be taken in by him too. What the devil did he say to you this morning?”

“Not much,” Penny said softly. “Not much at all. But I believed every word he said. He’s hurting, Sara.”

“Good. He deserves to hurt.” Sara swallowed to ease the painful tightness in her throat. “He lied to me. He beguiled me—”

“Beguiled.” Penny’s voice was thoughtful. “Good heavens, what an old-fashioned word, almost biblical. Wasn’t it Lucifer who beguiled Eve in the Garden?” She grinned as she murmured softly,
“
‘O why hast thou so beguiled me?’ It all sounds rather enticing. Is that how you see Jordan?”

“No, I don’t see—” Sara drew a shaky breath. “Look, it’s stupid to talk about this. You were right and I was wrong. The volcano erupted and blew me straight to kingdom come and now I’ve got to pick up the pieces and go on. This isn’t the time for you to play devil’s advocate.”

“I’m nobody’s advocate. I believe in letting everyone make up his own mind, make his own decisions.” Penny paused. “As I made mine. I guess I’m trying to explain why—” She stopped and appeared to be searching for words.

“Why you let him talk you into blowing Lieutenant Blaise’s plan?”

“No, he didn’t have to talk me into doing that.” Penny hesitated again. “I was worried about leaving you here alone. You need protection.” She had reached the summit of the hill and waited until Sara came even with her. “I believed him, Sara.”

“You said that before. We’ll have to agree to disagree.”

“He gave me his word.” Penny caught sight of something in the valley below. Before Sara’s gaze could follow, Penny hurriedly set down the bag of groceries she was carrying. “I had to make a choice.”

“What are you talking about? You’re not making sense.”

Penny nodded to the path leading down to the valley. “My choice.”

Sara turned and felt the breath leave her body.
“No,” she whispered. “You wouldn’t do that to me.”

Jordan was striding up the hill, the brilliant light casting a fiery glow as it tangled in the darkness of his hair. His face was shadowed but his gait was charged with the relentless energy she knew so well.

She pulled her gaze away from Jordan and turned back toward Penny. But Penny was hurrying away. “Penny!”

Penny stopped and glanced back at her. “You need protection and Jordan will make sure you get it.”

“Good God, Penny, what could he have said to you that would make you do this to me?”

“He told me he’d die for you,” Penny said simply. “And I think he would.” Then she was gone, running down the hill toward the pier in the distance.

Sara stared after her, stunned. Penny was actually leaving her alone with Jordan. “Penny, wait!” She dropped her canvas duffel bag and darted down the hill. “You can’t do this.”

Penny jumped into the helicopter, slammed the door, and said something to the pilot. The helicopter lifted off, wheeling sluggishly away from the pier.

“Penny, dammit, you come back here.” Sara could hear the edge of panic in her voice as she screamed the words at the top of her lungs.

Penny shook her head and blew Sara a kiss before settling back in the passenger seat.

Sara’s hands clenched into fists as she watched the helicopter slowly gain altitude.

“You’d better come back to the hacienda with me now. The wind is sharp here on the shore.”

Jordan’s voice was quiet, almost soft behind her, but she stiffened as if struck by a bullet.

She turned slowly to face him. “How did you do it?”

“You mean convince your friend that I was sincere?” His smile was bittersweet. “I told you once that she was very perceptive. She has your best interests at heart and doesn’t give a damn whom she uses to serve them. I assure you I didn’t try to con her.”

“You don’t have to try; it’s second nature to you.”

He flinched. “I know better than to argue with you. You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

“No.” Her nails bit into her palms. “I’m glad you realize that.”

“Oh, I do.” He met her gaze steadily. “I have no delusions either about the way you feel about me or about what I’ve done. I accept the responsibility for both.”

“Then suppose you phone the mainland and get Penny to send a helicopter to pick me up. I’m not staying here.”

He shook his head. “There’s no telephone.”

Penny had mentioned that, Sara remembered now. “This is crazy! I won’t stay here alone with you, Jordan.”

“We won’t be alone. Cam’s rented a launch and will be here tomorrow morning with supplies.”

“Cam! He’s in on this madness too?”

“Perhaps he’s more like me than you thought. At least, he understands and can empathize.” He jammed his hands in the pockets of his denim jacket. “Or maybe you think I conned him too. You seem to think I have the eloquence of Lucifer.”

Sara had a fleeting memory of Penny’s words regarding the beguiling of Eve. “The comparison isn’t inappropriate, but eloquence is effective only if one is willing to listen. I gave up listening to you when that phone rang last night.”

“I know. That’s why I went to your friend Penny. You had to be gotten out of that trap, and if I couldn’t do it, I wasn’t above using anyone who could.” The corners of his lips lifted in a mirthless smile. “Which, of course, substantiates your opinion of my character. But it doesn’t matter what you think of me. The only thing that matters is that you’re safe here and I’m going to make sure you stay that way.” He turned away. “I’m going back to the house to start dinner. Come when you’re ready.”