Silver Linings

by Jayne Ann Krentz

  “I'm afraid not. And the whole thing is getting to be something of a problem. I never did like having Abbott running around loose. The man's too damn unpredictable. Always does things his way instead of the military way. That was one of the reasons I had to…” Rainbird smiled again. “Never mind. That's ancient history.”

  “Well, you've gone to a lot of trouble for nothing, Colonel Rainbird. Because I have no idea where Hugh is. And I wouldn't tell you if I did.”

  “Then we shall just have to put out the word that you are here with me and wait for him to come and collect you, won't we?” Rainbird's blue eyes glinted. “Howard will show you to your room now. You may change for dinner.”

  Mattie's chin lifted. “I should warn you I don't eat meat.”

  “Excellent,” Rainbird said with a smile. “Neither do I. Gave it up some time ago along with cigarettes. Do you know, I believe we are going to discover a great many things in common, Miss Sharpe. It has been a long while since I have had the pleasure of entertaining an intelligent, attractive woman. And knowing you are Hugh Abbott's will make it all the more interesting.”

  CHAPTER

  Eighteen

  It was too much to hope that she would be shown to the master bedroom suite. Mattie thought of the secret panel behind the elegant bathtub and sighed. Hugh had said there was more than one emergency exit in this house. She surveyed the room that had been assigned to her.

  It was as lovely as every other room in the gracious white mansion. The windows all opened onto the veranda and a view of the ocean. The walls were strips of white marble interspersed with sparkling mirrors. Mattie tentatively pressed on a few of them to see if by chance Cormier had built one of his escape routes in this room. She had no luck, either in the main room or in the adjoining bath.

  That meant her only hope for escape was to finagle a way into the master bath. Mattie's heart sank as she realized that was probably going to be a lot easier to do than she might have wished. She had seen the look in Rainbird's eyes and knew what he intended. Before the night was over, he was going to drag her into the bedroom suite, if only for the pleasure of raping Hugh Abbott's woman.

  Mattie opened her suitcase slowly and examined the contents. Too bad she had not had a chance to go shopping with Evangeline before leaving Seattle. It looked like the blue and white striped silk camp shirt and prim little navy-blue skirt were going to have to serve as her seduction outfit.

  She stood in front of the mirror for a minute before leaving the room and unbuttoned the silk shirt a little lower than she normally would have. Then she took her hair down and brushed it out so that it danced around her shoulders. It made a lot of difference, she realized. She reached for her makeup kit, wishing Evangeline were there to give advice.

  Dinner was served by Howard, who looked exactly the same as he had when he'd greeted Mattie at the door, except that he'd draped a white linen napkin over his arm. It didn't quite go with the gun on his hip, Mattie thought.

  She was seated at the end of a long, thick glass table supported on four legs fashioned of carved white stone. Rainbird was seated at the opposite end. He was wearing a white dinner jacket and a black bow tie. Paul Cormier's beautiful crystal, silver, and china glittered on the table, reflecting the candlelight.

  “No need to look uneasy, Miss Sharpe.” Rainbird sounded amused. “I assure you, I am not planning to poison you. Enjoy your meal. Howard is an excellent chef. Cooking is one of his many areas of expertise. He is a very versatile young man.”

  Howard glowed under the praise and watched anxiously as Mattie sampled her rice pilaf. She looked up and saw him watching her.

  “It's wonderful,” she said honestly.

  “Thank you, ma'am.” Howard inclined his head.

  Rainbird's mouth lifted slightly at the corner. “I'm sure you've made his day, Miss Sharpe. You may leave us now, Howard. I'll call you if we need anything.”

  “Yes, sir.” Howard vanished into the kitchen.

  Mattie looked down the table at Rainbird. His elegantly carved cheekbones were highlighted by the soft glow of candlelight, and he looked even more handsome than he had in daylight. “Are all your men as young as Howard and the others?”

  “Now, yes. I learned the hard way some years ago that young males work out better in this sort of service. Not only are young men more attracted to the life of adventure I offer, they are more amenable to taking orders. The older we get, the more cynical we become, and the less inclined we are to put our trust in others.”

  “I see.”

  Rainbird chuckled indulgently. “Don't look at me like that. Young men are much easier to train and mold. It's a fact of life, Miss Sharpe. Why do you think that the draft age is always set as low as possible? The military has always preferred eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds.”

  “Because they're more impressionable.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Are you always so calculating, Colonel Rainbird?”

  “Always.” He forked up a bite of vegetable curry and chewed meditatively. “It is the primary reason I've lived this long.”

  “Is there a secondary reason?”

  His charming grin came and went. “I have been blessed with excellent reflexes. They have come in handy on occasion. And not just when I'm fighting with someone.”

  Mattie blushed and quickly changed the subject. “Do you mind if I ask why you are here on Purgatory?”

  He smiled, pouring more wine. “Purgatory, my dear Miss Sharpe, is the perfect home for one such as myself. The government, what there is of it, is most accommodating.”

  “Because it takes orders from you?”

  “Let's just say we all get along very well together here. A live-and-let-live philosophy.”

  “That didn't apply to Paul Cormier, did it?” Mattie asked softly.

  “You may not believe this, but I am truly sorry about Paul.”

  Mattie held his clear blue gaze. “Did you kill him, Colonel Rainbird?”

  A trace of sorrow flickered in the depths of the beautiful sky-blue eyes. “No. I give you my word of honor as an officer and a gentleman, Miss Sharpe. I did not kill Paul. He and I had gone our separate ways over the years, but we were former comrades in arms and I had nothing but the utmost respect for him. I still considered him a friend. I intended for us to be neighbors here on Purgatory.”

  “Then who killed him?” Mattie blurted out, confused and frustrated by Rainbird's obvious sincerity and undeniable charm.

  “I assure you, I made it my immediate business to find out. The culprit was a house servant who decided to kill and rob his employer under cover of the military activity that was taking place on the island. He is presently in the village jail awaiting trial. Justice will be done, Miss Sharpe. Have no fear. I am a man who believes in justice.”

  She looked straight into his eyes and knew with terrifying clarity that he was lying. “Is that right? Then why did you lead a coup on a perfectly peaceful island?”

  “All was not as it seemed on the surface here on Purgatory, Miss Sharpe. May I call you Mattie?” Rainbird did not pause for a response. “The small local government had no military arm, and it found itself threatened by a group of local renegades—hoodlums, really—who had obtained a cache of automatic weapons. I came ashore with my men at the request of the president. It is not an uncommon sort of action, Mattie. Small, ineffectual governments such as Purgatory's frequently need the assistance of men such as myself.”

  “And now you've decided to stay?”

  Rainbird nodded. “I see in Purgatory exactly what my friend Paul saw. A lovely, relatively peaceful place where a man who has grown weary of battle may live out his life on his own terms.”

  Mattie narrowed her eyes consideringly. “What about that man you had following me in Seattle?”

  “That man was your bodyguard, Mattie. I assigned him to keep an eye on you while you were involved with Hugh Abbott. Abbott has killed innocent bystanders before and will probably kill again. I
didn't want you to be one of the victims. I realize you are not yet prepared to believe me when I tell you Abbott is dangerous, but sooner or later you will see the truth.”

  It was then Mattie realized for certain what she had suspected earlier. Rainbird did not know she had seen the man break into her apartment and attempt to kill Evangeline. Apparently the Colonel had not yet communicated with his assassin. He would know there had been a failure in his plans, but he did not yet know at what point things had gone wrong.

  Perhaps the intruder had not regained consciousness, or maybe he had awakened with convenient short-term amnesia. Mattie had heard that was common in cases of blows to the head, and the man who had invaded her apartment had certainly endured a number of those.

  “Forgive me, Mattie,” Rainbird was saying, “but may I ask you how you came to be involved with Paul Cormier?”

  Mattie considered her words carefully. “He was selling an item from his collection of ancient armor to someone I know. As I was going on vacation in the Pacific at the time, I was asked to pick up the item and take it back to Seattle.”

  “Ah, yes, now it makes some sense. Perhaps you would like to see the collection? I removed it temporarily while the house was being cleaned, but it is now back in place, and it is very impressive. Do you know anything about antique armory?”

  “No.” Mattie decided not to mention her aunt's collection. The less Rainbird knew, the better.

  “Paul acquired some remarkable pieces. I shall be delighted to show them to you.”

  Mattie's nerves were live wires of tension and fear by the time the meal drew to a close. Rainbird's charm was like a foul cloud reaching out to envelop her. Vampire, she thought nervously as she took a tiny sip of wine.

  When the Colonel poured her a glass of brandy and led her down a wide hall to the library, she realized her fingers were trembling. Rainbird did not appear to notice.

  “Impressive, isn't it?” Rainbird said as he led Mattie into a lovely room filled with books and glass cases of various sizes and shapes. “The cases are all individually sealed and climate-controlled, of course. Salt air is not good for old metal.”

  “No, I imagine it isn't.” Mattie wandered from case to case, her brandy glass in hand, and tried to look interested in the daggers, swords, helmets, shields, and mail inside. She focused on her breathing, trying to calm herself. When the time came to act she simply could not afford to collapse from stress. She stopped in front of a case that held a single weapon, a sword.

  “That is a particularly interesting specimen, isn't it?” Rainbird observed, moving softly to stand directly behind her.

  “Yes. I think that may have been the sword I was sent to collect.” Mattie felt the old, familiar sensation of walls closing in around her. It was, she realized vaguely, the first time she'd ever had another human being trigger her claustrophobia. Elevators, caves, stress, yes. But not another person.

  “Fourteenth century, according to Paul's records,” Rainbird mused. He was very close to her now. His knuckles gently brushed the line of Mattie's neck. “Finest Spanish steel.” His breath was warm on the bare skin of her neck as he lifted her hair in his hand. “It has a name, you know. Valor. A good weapon deserves a name of its own.”

  “I've heard there's also a legend attached to it.” Mattie could hardly breathe. She felt as if she were being suffocated by Rainbird's closeness.

  “Ah, yes.” Rainbird's fingertips touched her neck with infinite gentleness. “Something about the blade being dangerous for anyone to claim unless they're an avenger after a betrayer, no? Charming curse, isn't it? But the betrayer, whoever he was, has been dead for several hundred years. And so has the avenger who was meant to take up the blade.”

  “Do you think so?” A shiver of dread went straight down Mattie's spine as Rainbird's fingers trailed across her shoulder.

  “Yes. The avenger and the betrayer are long gone. But the blade survives.” Rainbird stroked her arm. “It is a beautiful sword, isn't it? A blade made for killing, not for ceremony. Note the clean lines of the pommel and hilt.” His hand slid along the curve of her arm. “No useless ornamentation or expensive gemstones. The blade reminds me of you, Mattie. Clean and elegant. Cool on the outside. But forged in fire. Beautiful.”

  Mattie sucked in her breath in a startled gasp as Rainbird eased closer. His fingers were gliding just inside the collar of her shirt now. She felt his lips move softly, lightly on her nape. The claustrophobia was so strong she was almost sick with it.

  “Mattie? You are really very lovely, you know. I have never met anyone quite like you.”

  She looked up at him, half-hypnotized and fully terrified by the utter clarity of Rainbird's gaze. Mattie realized then why he could look at her with such complete sincerity. It was because he had no concept of conscience or remorse. There was nothing there under the surface, just as she had tried to explain to Hugh. Nothing there at all.

  This was a man who could commit any crime and feel nothing for the victim. He could look his next victim straight in the eye and smile.

  Not like Hugh, she thought. She understood then that Hugh had never lied to her. Not once, not even a year ago.

  With Hugh, a woman would always know where she stood—if she was paying attention and not letting the past get in the way.

  When Hugh made love, there was no doubting the genuineness of his passion. When he chewed you out, you knew he was mad. When he laughed, you knew he was happy. When he made a commitment, you knew he would keep it.

  And if he were about to kill you, Mattie realized, you would know it. He would not smile at you with seductive eyes when he pulled the trigger. All the hellish cold of impending death would be there in his wolf's gaze.

  “I find you as fascinating in your own way as I do the sword in that case,” Rainbird murmured. “But I suppose that is not so very strange. You are a creature fashioned for passion, and the blade is an object designed for clean, cold violence. Sex and violence are forever linked. Two sides of the same coin. Have you learned that yet, Mattie?”

  “No,” she said, her throat tight as the walls closed in. “No, and I don't believe you. They are not linked. One is life and one is death.”

  “Such an innocent.” His mouth brushed across hers again. The blue eyes were smiling and intent. “I am willing to bet you have never been made love to properly, Mattie Sharpe. I can see the lack of knowledge in your eyes. You're nervous, aren't you?”

  “Yes.” That was putting it mildly, Mattie thought.

  “I told you that good sex and good violence are linked, but that doesn't mean I like my sex to be violent. Quite the contrary, Mattie. I am a man who likes subtlety and nuance. I appreciate delicate things, and a woman such as yourself is a very delicate creature, indeed. You would find me a very gentle, very considerate, very careful lover. I would take my time with you. All the time in the world.”

  “Please…I…”

  He silenced her with another feather-light kiss. Then, with a small, endearing smile flickering again around the corners of his mouth, he took her hand and led her out of the library and along the veranda to the master bedroom suite. He did not turn on the lights as he urged her through the French doors. A silver of silver from the moon angled across the room.

  Mattie struggled for composure. The massive white bed in the center of the room loomed in the shadows. “What about Howard?”

  “Howard will not bother us.” Rainbird smiled his beautiful smile. “Don't be afraid, Mattie. I'm not going to rape you. I don't do things that way. There is a place for violence, but it is not in the bedroom.”

  “You prefer to exercise the power of seduction?” She tried a small, tentative smile of her own.

  “As I said, I prefer subtlety.” Rainbird's finger drifted along the vee of her shirt collar. “And I imagine any woman who has spent more than ten minutes with Hugh Abbott would hunger for a little civilized behavior. Especially someone as sensitive and lovely as you, Mattie.”

  She
closed her eyes and took one step backward. She was feeling so nauseated now she was beginning to be afraid she would ruin everything by throwing up in the middle of Rainbird's big seduction scene. “Would you mind very much if I used the bathroom?”

  “Not at all.” He waved her gallantly toward the adjoining room.

  He continued to watch her with an intent, vaguely amused expression as she edged toward the bath. His fingers went to the black tie around his throat.

  Suddenly Mattie wondered if Rainbird already knew about the secret panel and had walled it up. Perhaps he was playing some horrible game with her. But she had no choice. She had to try it. It was her only hope of escape. The thought of going back out into that bedroom was enough to make her feel faint.

  She closed the door of the beautiful bath, turned on the light, and took a quick glance around. Rainbird's personal items were there now, neatly placed along the white marble countertop: silver-backed combs, expensive after-shave and cologne, a single fresh hibiscus in a crystal vase.

  Mattie's eyes glided over the mirror, and she almost failed to recognize the white-faced woman with the huge, frightened eyes who stared back at her.

  A soft sound in the bedroom made her flinch. She had to make her move now. Mattie walked over to the sink and turned one of the handles of the silver faucet so that the water splashed merrily into the basin.

  She started opening drawers quietly, remembering what Hugh had said about Cormier keeping a flashlight in every room of the house because of frequent power outages. Surely he would have kept one in this bathroom, since it had been planned as an escape room. Cormier was a strategist, Hugh had said. Rainbird would have had no reason to remove something like a flashlight.

  She found what she was looking for in the bottom right drawer near the sink.

  Picking up the flashlight, she stepped out of her shoes and went across the room to flush the toilet.

  Water churned loudly in the fixtures.

  It was all the cover she would get. Carrying her shoes, Mattie hurried to the marble bath, stepped into it and pushed on the wall panel as Hugh had before.