Pearl Cove (33 page)

Ignoring the closed lockers, he grabbed one of the lower trays at random and pulled it all
the way out. The tray was almost as long as his arm. He measured the tray against the
depth of the vault, then mentally added on the thickness of the open doors.

Too short, he muttered. But not by much. He pushed the tray back in place and measured
other drawers that were waist level or lower. They were all the same size.

Two inches too short.

He grabbed a flashlight and shined it into the hole where a tray had been. Nothing showed
but the thick steel sheathing the vault. He pulled out more trays, put his arm between the
multiple rails, and felt around. There was no hint of a hidden seam, a hinge, a panel, a
button, a lever, anything that might open a compartment that held more pearls. No matter
which rank of trays he tried, he didnt find anything but blood-temperature steel.

No sign of wires, either, which was a relief. Not that he had expected Len to risk a booby
trap so close to his delicate Black Trinity. Len had hated explosives. He had learned the
hard way that even C-4 degraded and became unreliable in the tropics.

One by one, Archer replaced trays and closed the locker doors. When everything but the
outer door was sealed up, he simply stood and looked at the rank of lockers.

What? Hannah asked. The intensity in Archer was almost tangible.

The vault has a false back.

How do you know?

The drawers are about two inches too short for the depth of the vault, even when you
figure in the shielding.

Silently she watched while he went over the exterior of the vault and then the interior
locker doors with his fingertips.

Youre looking too high, she said finally. Len couldnt get to the top two ranks of lockers.
Thats what he wanted everyone to believe. How would he get up there to unlock everything?

Instead of answering, Archer reached into his pocket, took out his key chain, and removed
Lens heavy ring. Ignoring Hannahs hoarse sound of surprise, he put the ring on his right
index finger, where Len had worn it. Then he crouched down until he was about the height
of a man in a wheelchair. Reaching above his head with his right hand, he grabbed a handle
and did a one-armed chin-up. The locker handle creaked but held. He moved on to the next
handle.

She simply stared at the naked strength of him as he chinned himself again. Do you really
think Len could do that?

Easier than me, Archer said through his teeth. He wasnt hauling as much weight in his
lower body. He would have smiled every inch of the way at how he was fooling the world.

Breathing hard with the effort, Archer grabbed another handle and kept on pulling himself
up.

But the top center locker was empty when I looked, she objected.

He didnt waste breath replying. Sweat gathered and ran down his spine as he dragged
himself up the face of the vault until his eyes were level with the top rank of lockers.
On the way up, he noted the marks on several of the lockers along the right side. He found
out how the gouges were made when his right hand slipped and raked over the vault. Steel
screeched over steel, leaving new marks.

Whats the combination? he asked.

Ummm. Hannah gathered her wits. The sight of Archer pulling himself up the vault hand over
hand was as unnerving as the sight of a dead mans ring on his hand. Eight right, twenty
left, thirty right, one left.

He started to work, lost his grip, swore, and went back to it. Brace yourself on your
feet, she said. He didnt.

The instant the last tumbler clicked, Archer let himself down the same way Len would have,
hand over hand, fast, breathing hard. When he had his feet under him again, he looked at
the wall of closed lockers and rubbed his shoulders until his breathing leveled.

Right, he said after a minute. By the time Len opened that locker, he wouldnt have been
feeling up to much more in the way of monkey tricks. Sweaty hands closed around a handle
that would have been within easy reach of Len. Then Archer stopped cold. No good. I was
pulling handles all the way down and nothing opened. Shit.

One at a time, Hannah said.

What?

You were only pulling on one handle at a time. Try two.

Archer looked over his shoulder and gave her a smile. Right. Now, lets pray that Len
really wasnt feeling tricky when it came to this point. Theres an infinite number of ways
he could have mixed and matched open doors to make another combination.

He wasnt really left- or right-handed. Not after the accident. He trained himself to do
everything with both hands.

Archer knew that Len had trained himself to be lethally capable with hands, feet, and head
long before he had met Hannah. But there was no need to remind her of that unhappy past.
It would soon be gone. All the way gone. And Archer would be gone with it.

Step back out of the shed, he said. But- He could have booby-trapped this, Archer cut in,
overriding her objections. Then you walk off and Ill open it. He gave her a disbelieving
look. She gave it right back. All or nothing, he muttered. He bent over and pulled two
waist-level handles that would have been convenient to Len.

The lockers opened, revealing rows of trays. Empty trays. But Archer already knew about
them. Breath held, he stood and listened, listened, listened for the sound of a hidden
mechanism releasing. He wasnt worried about a booby trap anymore. If there had been one,
he wouldnt have had to wait and listen. It would already have happened.

Silence.

He let out a soft, rushing curse and reached for two more waist-high locker doors. Before
his fingers closed around them, he heard a faint sound. Then another.

Click. Click.

Archer, Hannah said urgently. Yes. Click. Scroaaaope.

Intently he watched the vault. But it was Hannah who spotted the faint line where a panel
was trying to open. She jumped forward, stuck her fingers in the gap, and pried. Nothing
budged.

Here, Archer said, handing her a slender metal bar.

She jammed the bar into the opening and pulled back sharply. More metal scraped on metal.
Shifting her grip, she yanked again.

A waist-high panel swung open, revealing several long, narrow drawers. There were no
locks, no combinations, no handles, nothing but a perforated disk to indicate how the
drawers might be opened.

Hannah looked at Archer. Now what? This, I hope. After a few tries he fitted Len

s odd ring to the disk on the middle drawer. The fit was tight enough to make a kind of
handle. Gently he pulled back. A shallow drawer opened. Inside, resting on edge, was a
long, flat jewelers case.

Hannah made an odd sound. Is it...?

Go ahead. Find out.

With fingers that trembled, Hannah lifted out the box. Very carefully she pried up the
lid. Archer watched her face rather than the box itself. Her look of relief, excitement,
and wonder told him everything he needed to know. Wordlessly she turned and handed him the
Black Trinity.

Silently he examined the gleaming, unearthly beauty of the unstrung necklace lying within
the boxs deep channels. He had expected the color match to be as good as humanly possible.
He hadnt expected to be overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the triple strands. It took his
breath away.

Storm and rainbows. Excitement and serenity. Radiant midnight and suspended dawns. Secret
dreams and impossible miracles. The Black Trinity had them all.

No wonder Len expected this to heal him, Archer said in a low voice.

If beauty could heal, he would have been whole, Hannah agreed.

No. He closed the box and held it out to her. He had beauty. It didnt heal him.

What do you mean?

You, Hannah. He had you. Again Archer put the box in her hands. Again she wouldnt take it.
This is the best of Pearl Cove. Of Len, he said. Take it and leave the rest behind.

Hannah looked at Archers eyes and saw all that he hadnt said. She put her hands behind her
back, refusing the Black Trinity.

Take it, he said. Its yours.

Half of it is yours.

No. You earned this necklace in ways I cant even bear to think about. Take it.

Not if it means giving up you. Thats what youre saying between the lines, isnt it? I get
the Black Trinity and you get out of my life.

You cant look at me without seeing Len. I wont do that to you, Hannah. I wont do it to
myself. I cant bear seeing you flinch every time I do something that brings back the past.
Take the necklace and build a new life. Its the least I can give you after leaving you to
the mercy of a man who had none.

The weariness and acceptance in Archers voice made Hannahs throat ache around a protest
she didnt know how to speak. She hadnt meant to hurt him. She hadnt even believed that it
was possible. Yet she had hurt him. She still was hurting him.

Ill take the necklace on one condition, she said finally, her voice strained to breaking.
What? That it goes to our firstborn. He went utterly still. Youre pregnant?

I dont know. I could be. I want to be. With your child. Only with yours. I want it all,
Archer. The Black Trinity. The baby. You. You most of all.

He wanted to hold her so much it was like dying not to. But he had to be sure. He barely
had the strength to walk away from her now. In a few days, it would be impossible. Why? he
asked starkly. I remind you of Len.

Not anymore. That was fear and and cowardice. I was so afraid to trust again, to to
Her voice fragmented.

Gently he cupped her chin with one hand and asked, Is it so hard to say? Or is it that you
cant love me after all?

Tears spilled down her cheeks. Hold me. I want you and Im so ruddy scared. Archers eyes
closed. He couldnt look at her and not take what she was offering. But what she was

offering wasnt love. Youre afraid of me.

Im afraid of losing you. Every time I think about it, Im back in Rio and night is coming
down and and Im holding you to your promise. Protection and sex. And babies.

He looked into her eyes. Then he gathered her close, feeling her fit herself to him
without hesitation. Her arms came around his waist and held on hard.

Protection and sex, huh? he said against her forehead. He wanted more. He would take
whatever she gave. And babies, she added. And babies. Does that cover it?

Urn. Not quite.

He waited.

Love, she whispered. I want that most of all.

What do I get in return?

Protection, sex, and babies.

He waited, hoping.

She fought against admitting her vulnerability. The hope in his beautiful eyes defeated
her.

Love, she said. I love you.

His eyes closed for an instant. Then its a good deal all around. Ive loved you for ten
years. Youre going to marry me, Hannah. Like you, I want it all.

She snuggled closer to him.

Hannah? Will you marry me?

She kissed the skin just above his tank top. Hair tickled her lips. She smiled and kissed
him again. Yes.

Where do you want to honeymoon? Here. Now. He laughed softly against her hair. Here it is.
It was now, too.