Raven on the Wing (19 page)

“Did I hear you rehire all three of them?” Raven asked curiously.

“Well, I’d fired them when they caught up to me at the house. I wasn’t happy, you understand. And then they kept me from strangling Hagen, which I didn’t consider a blessing. But Zach got that guard, and Rafferty and Lucas took care of the ones in the other room. So I pretty much had to rehire them.”

“Of course,” she murmured gravely.

He was grave as well, but his lips twitched. “I’m surprised they let me carry a loaded gun,” he said aggrievedly.

Raven widened her eyes at him. “And you such a big boy, all grown up and everything.”

Josh laughed. “Well, you have to admit they were somewhat overprotective.”

“Maybe,” she offered solemnly, “they’re fond of you.”

He laughed again, then reclaimed the earlier subject. “I do have a question. Did Hagen lie about that operative seeing Travers visit the twins once before?”

Raven shook her head. “No, that was the truth. It was just before Leon contacted him. Apparently, another thing Leon insisted on was that he make certain the girls were well treated. So he’d visit them once, try to see they were all right. The chauffeur—who was Theodore’s man all the way—never told him where the girls were, he just drove there; and they were always moved immediately afterward.

“But
Theodore
always drove when Leon took buyers, because he wanted to oversee everything. He didn’t trust Leon not to try subtly to persuade a buyer
not
to buy. And, since Christine was always there, Theodore wanted to keep an eye on them.”

Sighing, Josh murmured, “Hagen knew
that
too.”

“He’s something, isn’t he? And that was
partly why I finally realized the truth. The abrupt change in Leon had been worrying me, until I suddenly thought of another maxim—that a leopard can’t change its spots. That also applied to Hagen, but in reverse. Leon
shouldn’t
have changed the way he apparently did, and Hagen
wouldn’t
have changed, which meant he hadn’t told me the whole truth.

“Once I realized that, it stood to reason that I had to throw out most of what Hagen had told me, and just rely on what I knew to be truth: Leon’s background. It had to be Theodore. There wasn’t anyone else.”

“You were quicker than I was,” Josh told her. “I knew only that you were bothered, and that something didn’t feel right to me. Maybe I was remembering unconsciously that Travers had once been a different man. The only thing I’m sure of is that something both my stepfather and sister told me was ringing alarm bells in my head.”

“What was that?”

“That Hagen was devious as hell.” Josh
laughed. “And when
Serena
says that about someone, it has to be a drastic case.”

Thoughtfully, Raven said, “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“She can’t wait to meet you. Don’t be surprised if she refers to you as my Waterloo.”

“You said something along those lines once.” Raven smiled at him, still holding his hand against her cheek. “If I remember correctly, there seemed to be some question at that point as to whether or not I’d break you.”

Suddenly grave, Josh gazed into her eyes, his own warm and tender. “I wondered, then. I was half-crazy, scared to death you weren’t what I thought.” He cleared his throat. “Then when I had to—what did Hagen say?—make a public fool of myself? I knew then that it wouldn’t have mattered. If you
had
been what you pretended to be, I would have loved you, wanted you anyway.

“If that means I was broken, then I was. Nothing mattered but you.”

Shaken, Raven turned her lips into his palm briefly. “You weren’t broken,” she said huskily. “There’s so much strength in you. No matter
how bad things got, you never gave up on us. You never lost sight of what we meant to each other.”

Moving suddenly, Josh slid downward and drew her close, into his arms. “There hasn’t been a moment I haven’t loved you since the night we met,” he told her deeply, brushing a strand of gleaming black hair from her face, his fingers lingering to trace the delicate line of her jaw.

“Josh …” She slid her arms around his neck, her lips responding instantly to his.

He lifted his head, smiling. “It feels like years since I’ve asked you to marry me.”

She laughed a little, her breath catching. “I think it has been years!”

He stroked the curve of her breast, his face intent. “I seem to recall that old-fashioned persuasion failed me once. I wonder if it would now.…”

Raven caught her breath again, her eyes half-closing as heated pleasure swirled to life within her. “Well, you might try it and find out,” she murmured.

His head bent, lips finding her breast in a fiery,
seeking touch. “My kingdom needs a princess,” he said against her flesh, and the slight vibration of his words sent a shiver through her.

“Oh, yes?”

“My homes a hostess.” His hands caressed with slow, sure knowledge.

“Ummm?”

“My bed a mistress.” His lips strung a trail of hot kisses over her breasts, up her throat, then teasingly touched her yearning mouth lightly again and again. Then he kissed her hard, deeply, his mouth possessing.

Raven could only gasp when his head lifted, her breath stolen from her.

“And I need a wife.” His voice was hoarse now, his eyes darkened and glowing.

Most of her voice had gone with her breath, but Raven tried. “To love and cherish?”

“Forever.”

She gazed up at him, her eyes shining, vividly alive and loving. “I think it’s working,” she said dreamily.

“You haven’t said yes,” he whispered, kissing her again.

“I haven’t heard a question.”

His laugh was soft and unsteady. “That’s true. Will you marry me, my darling Raven?”

“Yes … oh, yes … I love you, Josh.”

Quite some time later, Josh reached out to turn off the lamp, pulling Raven closer with his other arm. He was roused from impending sleep by a memory before he reached the light. Hesitating, he asked, “Did you tell Hagen you were quitting, darling?”

“He told me.” Raven yawned and snuggled closer, warm and pleasantly tired. “And thanked me very politely for being such a good operative all these years.”

A little puzzled but not overly concerned, Josh wondered aloud, “Why’d he tell me he’d be in touch, then?”

Raven was still for a moment, then raised herself on an elbow. Her expression was cautious. “Josh, when you and the others got to the house, did Hagen
say
anything?”

“He told us we were private citizens and couldn’t be allowed to interfere.”

Raven half-closed her eyes. “And?”

“And told us we could either work for him or leave.” Josh began to understand her rather odd expression as his words sank in, and he finished somewhat hollowly. “Needless to say, we weren’t about to leave. So …”

“Josh, tell me he didn’t draft you.
Please
tell me he didn’t swear you in?”

He cleared his throat and ventured, “It can’t be legal. Can it be legal?”

She dropped her forehead against his chest with a moan. “Damn him. I’ll kill him. This time, I swear I’ll kill him.”

Josh began to laugh. “He just said we were duly authorized and sworn-in agents of the government. It was just a temporary thing, because of the situation.”

Raven lifted her head. “That’s what
you
think,” she said darkly.

There was still, in Josh, a trace of disbelief. “Not even Hagen,” he said, “would be that devious.
Besides, he didn’t look at all happy with me when I tried to strangle him.”

She brightened. “Maybe you’re safe, then. Or maybe not. We’d better take an extended honeymoon far—far—away. Where he won’t be able to extradite us.”

Josh blinked. “Raven—”

“He’s
ruthless
, darling, you just don’t know. But if we get away fast enough, he won’t have time to whip up this assignment that just
demands
your special talents. With any luck at all, he’ll forget about you by the time we come back.”

“You’re serious,” Josh realized.

Raven turned out the light, and her voice reached him thoughtfully in the darkness. “The South Pacific? We could go island-hopping. He wouldn’t find us. With any luck
at all.”

“He couldn’t have planned it!”

K
ELSEY WAS PACKING
away his equipment in the shabby apartment, and sent Hagen a look. “You misjudged Long,” he reminded him irritably. “What makes you think you’ve got the others pegged?”

Hagen contemplated his cigar with a faint smile. “I told you that I always learn from my, er, rare mistakes.”

Kelsey snorted. “Right. Well, Raven won’t let you get your hands on him anyway.”

“True. By the way, my boy, there’s a small matter in New Orleans—”

“I’m on vacation,” Kelsey snapped.

“I thought you were quitting,” Hagen muttered, but didn’t push it. “Well, it can wait.”

Kelsey gazed at the neatly packed equipment, then looked at Hagen. “Which one of them are you going to shanghai first?”

His boss took no offense at the term, but continued to gaze at his cigar almost dreamily. “Rafferty Lewis. An assignment in the Caribbean which cries out for a man of his special abilities …”