clothing for me to follow.”
“You didn’t need a trail in the Catskills.”
“Was that you I was chasing? I could have sworn that was my blond harem.”
“You can run, darling,” Raven advised. “But you can’t hide.”
He couldn’t run very far, either. The path hechose was, of course, a dead end. Not that either of them minded.
“What are they doing?”
On a wooded hill within the huge estate, Kelsey peered through his binoculars, then replied to the question cheerfully. “Playing in the maze.” Even as he spoke, he hooked a finger under the earpiece of his headset and pulled it away from his ear. He waited until the sputterings had subsided, then replaced the earpiece and spoke again into the microphone. “Give them time, boss, they just got here a few hours ago.”
“They haven’t even
begun
to search?” Hagen’s voice demanded.
“I have no idea. The directional mike just picked up a hodgepodge of voices while they were in the house. They might have looked before they came outside.” Kelsey put his binoculars aside and sat back to contemplate the distant mansion. “Besides, it’s a big house, andright now it’s full of people settling in for the weekend.”
“A perfect time to search.”
“Luc won’t forget what he’s here for, boss.”
“Playing in the maze,” Hagen muttered. Then he sighed. “Are they still there?”
“I’m not going to look,” Kelsey told him. “I’m a gentleman. Kyle says so.” And he hooked his finger under the earpiece again.
Lucas found the center of the maze with no trouble, surprised at how simple it was once he’d been given the key. He saw Kyle in the gazebo as soon as he came out into the open and approached her somewhat warily. The frustrating but comical interlude out in the maze notwithstanding, he was still a bit off balance after what had happened in the trophy room.
He stepped up into the gazebo as carefully as he would have entered a dark room with which he was unfamiliar, trying and failing to read herexpressionless face and serious eyes. Searching for something casual to say as he sat down on the bench beside her, he asked, “How old were you when you discovered the key?”
“Ten. Whenever we came here, I’d lose myself in the maze. My mother was appalled, of course. They would usually find me here in the gazebo, face dirty, shoes scuffed, skirt torn. I loved it out here.”
He nodded, watching her. “Kyle—”
“You asked me something in the house,” she said, interrupting. “The answer is that I don’t know when Martin decided he wanted to marry me. He proposed for the first time two years ago.”
After a moment Lucas asked, “Why didn’t you answer when we were in the house? Why tell me now?”
“Maybe … maybe I wanted Martin to be the buffer between us,” she said slowly.
“Is he?” Lucas asked in a steady voice.
“No.” For the first time she reached out to him consciously, resting her hand over thestrong one resting on his knee. “He could never be that. No one could ever be that.”
He looked down at her slender hand, a muscle in his jaw flexing, then met her darkened eyes again. “Kyle, don’t say anything you don’t mean.”
She smiled a little. “I won’t. I don’t know where we’ll end up, Luc, I really don’t. But I think I’m falling in love with you. I think I’m falling in love for the first time.”
He went deathly pale suddenly, so suddenly that she was frightened. But before she could speak, Lucas lifted her hand to his cheek and cradled it there.
“I never knew what it meant before now,” he said almost inaudibly.
“What?” she whispered.
“A reprieve from hell.”
Kyle’s throat was aching. She went into his arms and held him as he held her, in a fierce but passionless embrace. He hadn’t let her see it, she realized. He hadn’t let her see how much it meant to him until now.
Raven had been right, she thought, filled with pain. Fallen idols didn’t always
“You didn’t need a trail in the Catskills.”
“Was that you I was chasing? I could have sworn that was my blond harem.”
“You can run, darling,” Raven advised. “But you can’t hide.”
He couldn’t run very far, either. The path hechose was, of course, a dead end. Not that either of them minded.
“What are they doing?”
On a wooded hill within the huge estate, Kelsey peered through his binoculars, then replied to the question cheerfully. “Playing in the maze.” Even as he spoke, he hooked a finger under the earpiece of his headset and pulled it away from his ear. He waited until the sputterings had subsided, then replaced the earpiece and spoke again into the microphone. “Give them time, boss, they just got here a few hours ago.”
“They haven’t even
begun
to search?” Hagen’s voice demanded.
“I have no idea. The directional mike just picked up a hodgepodge of voices while they were in the house. They might have looked before they came outside.” Kelsey put his binoculars aside and sat back to contemplate the distant mansion. “Besides, it’s a big house, andright now it’s full of people settling in for the weekend.”
“A perfect time to search.”
“Luc won’t forget what he’s here for, boss.”
“Playing in the maze,” Hagen muttered. Then he sighed. “Are they still there?”
“I’m not going to look,” Kelsey told him. “I’m a gentleman. Kyle says so.” And he hooked his finger under the earpiece again.
Lucas found the center of the maze with no trouble, surprised at how simple it was once he’d been given the key. He saw Kyle in the gazebo as soon as he came out into the open and approached her somewhat warily. The frustrating but comical interlude out in the maze notwithstanding, he was still a bit off balance after what had happened in the trophy room.
He stepped up into the gazebo as carefully as he would have entered a dark room with which he was unfamiliar, trying and failing to read herexpressionless face and serious eyes. Searching for something casual to say as he sat down on the bench beside her, he asked, “How old were you when you discovered the key?”
“Ten. Whenever we came here, I’d lose myself in the maze. My mother was appalled, of course. They would usually find me here in the gazebo, face dirty, shoes scuffed, skirt torn. I loved it out here.”
He nodded, watching her. “Kyle—”
“You asked me something in the house,” she said, interrupting. “The answer is that I don’t know when Martin decided he wanted to marry me. He proposed for the first time two years ago.”
After a moment Lucas asked, “Why didn’t you answer when we were in the house? Why tell me now?”
“Maybe … maybe I wanted Martin to be the buffer between us,” she said slowly.
“Is he?” Lucas asked in a steady voice.
“No.” For the first time she reached out to him consciously, resting her hand over thestrong one resting on his knee. “He could never be that. No one could ever be that.”
He looked down at her slender hand, a muscle in his jaw flexing, then met her darkened eyes again. “Kyle, don’t say anything you don’t mean.”
She smiled a little. “I won’t. I don’t know where we’ll end up, Luc, I really don’t. But I think I’m falling in love with you. I think I’m falling in love for the first time.”
He went deathly pale suddenly, so suddenly that she was frightened. But before she could speak, Lucas lifted her hand to his cheek and cradled it there.
“I never knew what it meant before now,” he said almost inaudibly.
“What?” she whispered.
“A reprieve from hell.”
Kyle’s throat was aching. She went into his arms and held him as he held her, in a fierce but passionless embrace. He hadn’t let her see it, she realized. He hadn’t let her see how much it meant to him until now.
Raven had been right, she thought, filled with pain. Fallen idols didn’t always
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