Cradle and All

by Rebecca York

  to send them to New Delhi-with an escort who will make sure that they

  don't disappear before you fulfill your part of the bargain."

  "Your men? According to my information, they've murdered quite a few

  women and children. What would two more be to them?"

  "You don't trust me?"

  Singh asked.

  "No," Steve answered coo]IY.

  "Trust has to begin somewhere. I will send your wife and child with

  only one man-and the woman who brought me the baby. And when I have

  the shipment of Omega in my possession, your family will be free to

  go.

  As will you.

  He could continue the fencing match, but Steve sensed that this was the

  best he was going to get.

  "All right. You have a deal."

  "YOU LIKE THAT, don't you?"

  Abby bent and nuzzled her face against the soft skin of Shannon's

  tummy.

  Her daughter was lying on a cotton blanket in the center of a thick

  rug.

  For a makeshift changing table, it seemed to be working pretty well.

  Shannon kicked her legs and cooed.

  She must like having that bulky diaper off, Abby thought as she

  breathed in the delicate scent of Shannon's body, feeling as if her

  heart would burst with joy.

  Oh, God, this was a miracle.

  Yet even as she clung to her child, she still felt a sharp wedge of

  fear digging into her soul.

  The nightmare wasn't over.

  She and Steve had found Shannon, but they were still at the mercy of

  Amarj it Singh.

  And being separated from Steve now was like having one of her own arms

  cut off.

  Where was he?

  What was Singh doing to him?

  Just then, the light inside the tent shifted subtly.

  Someone was watching.

  Abby pushed a lock of her hair away from her eyes, turning her head far

  enough to see a woman standing in the doorway.

  She held a veil partly across her face, but it didn't hide her nicely

  shaped brows, her golden skin, or the mixture of curiosity and disdain

  in her large, dark eyes.

  Deliberately Abby finished diapering her daughter.

  The stranger didn't speak, didn't move, and Abby felt her heart rate

  accelerate.

  Had this woman come to take Shannon away?

  As if she were confident nothing untoward wasgoing to happen, she

  turned and looked inquiringly'at the visitor.

  "I wanted to see if you were corn . fortable here," -the visitor said

  as she stepped fully into the tent.

  The hospitable words didn't match the guarded expression in her eyes.

  "Yes, thank you for coming to see us."

  She let the veil drop away from her face, and Abby was struck by her

  beauty.

  "I am the wife of Amarjit Singh. Inder-Jeet," she said in the lilting

  English so characteristic of her people.

  "I welcome you to our camp."

  "Thank you," Abby replied as she unobtrusively studied the newcomer.

  Her shining black hair was still modestly covered.

  Long, baggy trousers hid her figure, and a scarf across her breasts

  disguised their fullness, but she moved with the self-assurance of a

  woman secure of her charms.

  "I tried to have things ready for you. But we weren't getting the

  disposable diapers like the ones in the American hospital," she said.

  "There's only cloth."

  "This is fine."

  Turning, Abby gathered up Shannon and held her tightly.

  Inder-Jeet's gaze focused on the blanket-wrapped bundle.

  Then it roamed over Abby's khaki shorts, camp shirt, and tennis

  shoes.

  "We don't meet many women like you."

  "like what?"

  "Brave enough to do the same things as the men. But when your plane

  was going down, it must have been frightening. Were you sorry you'd

  chosen to make such a dangerous journey?"

  "I was afraid, but I wasn't sorry."

  "And it was the same when you went to the other man. Oliver Gibbs?"

  Abby heard a sudden tension underneath the words.

  She bent to rub her lips against the silky hair of Shannon's head,

  hiding her eyes from the other woman's prying gaze.

  Her thoughts were rating, trying to stay ahead of Inder-Jeet.

  "Steve and I came here together from Hong Kong," she said, care u t at

  answer could still be technically considered the truth.

  "But your husband was looking for Mr. Gibbs, was he not? Why didn't

  you go with him?"

  Inder-Jeet asked.

  Abby's breath stilled as she considered the best possible answer.

  Feeling like a witch of a mother, she tightened her hold on Shannon's

  thigh, and the baby gave a little squeak of protest.

  "Oh, honey. What is it? Is your diaper too tight? Is it pinching

  your leg?" she asked solicitously, setting her daughter down again on

  the blanket and starting to fiddle with the safety pin as she scrambled

  to assess how much this woman already knew.

  Was this woman trying to find out more than Steve had already told

  Singh?

  Or was she here to discover if Steve had lied to the rebel leader .

  ?

  Fear for Steve leapt inside her again, and she struggled to tamp it

  down so she could think.

  "You didn't talk to Mr. Gibbs?"

  Inder-Jeet persisted.

  "There was little point in my joining my husband until we knew where to

  find Shannon."

  "But you were so anxious to get your baby back."

  "Someone had to stay in Baltimore in case further messages came from

  Singh. So Steve left me there."

  She raised her gaze to the other woman, hoping she could project her

  feeling of frustration and desertion when she'd thought Steve was

  abandoning her to chase phantoms.

  "We didn't agree, but he didn't give me any choice about it. Later I

  took matters into my own hands, and flew to meet him. That,convinced

  him how serious I was about joining the search, I think."

  Inder-Jeet pleated the edge of her scarf with her fingers.

  "So your husband had already located the missing weapons."

  Abby murmured her agreement.

  "Where did he say the shipment was being stored?

  "He didn't tell me."

  Convinced she knew what Inder-Jeet had come to find out, Abby spoke the

  baldfaced lie in the same tone with which she'd offered her

  half-truths.

  "Why not?"

  Inder-Jeet persisted in her not very skillful interrogation.

  "We decided it was safer for me if I didn't know where to find the

  weapons," Abby answered, feeling a hundred times more confident than

  she had a few minutes ago.

  Picking up Shannon again, she held her daughter against her chest and

  stared at her visitor.

  The young woman sighed and moved toward the door of the tent.

  "Well, I know you must be tired, so I'll leave you to rest."

  "Thank you."

  Torn between getting rid of the intruder and seeing to Shannon's needs,

  Abby cleared her throat.

  "Uh, is there a cradle for the baby?"

  "The little hammock."

  Inder-Jeet retrieved a folded contraption of sticks and fabric lying

  near one of the tent walls.

  Ear
lier Abby had wondered what it was for.

  Now she watched Singh's wife deftly open the sticks into a cross-braced

  frame that held the hammock.

  Testing the balance, Abby found it was very stable.

  "I see. Yes. Thank you."

  "You can rock her in it," Inder-Jeet said as she backed toward the door

  of the tent.

  "And tell the guard at the door if you need anything else."

  Alone again, Abby stood in the middle of the tent, feeling light-headed

  .

  hoping that she'd really passed the test.

  If she could have five minutes alone with Steve.

  No, five seconds.

  If she could just look into his eyes, she'd know what their chances

  were.

  Shannon stirred in her arms, and she lowered the baby into the cloth

  sling.

  Straightening, she paused as a flicker of movement outside caught her

  eye.

  My God, someone else was out there.

  More than likely they'd been listening to her whole conversation with

  InderJeet.

  Was Singh sending an army of spies to observe her?

  188

  nfront this new threat head-on, Determined to co wasn't sure what she

  had Abby strode to the door.

  She -to-face with expected.

  it wasn't to find herself face Mrs. Hamadi.

  nd as she stood staring at Abby' s heart began to Pon from the

  hospital.

  hold stolen her child the woman w mock, she scooped UP the Dashing back

  to the ham r)md her arms around her tiny body.

  baby and wra them wordlessly, but she Mrs. Ham@@i regarded ents.

  In the bright didn't make any threatening movem haggard.

  Deep circles were glare of the sun, she looked flesh seemed the skin

  below her eyes, her etched into And the red jewel in her nose was the

  older.

  f she'd aged thinner, She looked as i only bit of color in her face her

  in Baltimore.

  ten years since Abby had seen Mrs. Hamadi With a quick glance at the

  guard, d or.

  She started to speak, an stepped just inside the do le understanding

  whatshe nd Abby had troub for a SECO was talking about- diapers," she

  you.

  I got the "She did nothing for rmula she -has been drink pmd I got the

  fo hissed I )

  ing "What?

  "Inder-Jeet had nothing to do with taking care of

  Shannon.

  I I 4&,Md she did if t steal her, either," Abby managed as back. she

  took an involuntary step " You hate me, d on't you?" The woman's dark

  eyes turned liquid with deep regret." I did if t come here to take

  your little one from you ap-ain.

  "But why did you do it in the first place?"

  Abby choked out.

  "Why did you do that to us?"

  The woman's features twisted. "I didn't have a choice."

  "of course you did - Everyone has a choice."

  Do you know the word parai?

  " Abby shook her head. ty. In this counoperty. Human proper ,it

  means pr to do with as he t a woman belongs to someone else e a kind

  ry@ hen her husband.

  it can b pleases.

  Her father, t ldn't understand- No t I think you won of slavery.

  Bu uld understand.

  d like YOU wo woman raise .

  Shannon more tightly.

  In Abby could only grip nd what she was hearshe hardly did comprehe

  truth, ing.

  orror in her Perhaps Mrs- Hamadi saw the look of h se she turned

  quickly awayeyes,becau 'cwaiti I want you to explain it to me.

  turned and the kidnapper instead of answering vanished into the desert

  heat to the tent- Abby knew the No MO@ vls'Top's came emphasize that as

  if to Lion was keeping her isolated ilderness en she was entirely at

  his mercy in this w campment.

  Every time the wind played with the flap of the tent, up, hoping to see

  Steve come striding she looked through the doorway.

  He didn't come.

  So she tried to occupy her mind by thinking about Mrs. Hamadi.

  There was no denying she'd been angry at the P-rv-because Mrs. Hamadi

  woman.

  She was still an was such a tangible focus for all the fury she'd

  stored up over the past week.

  But her own churning emotions and her surprise at seeing the kidnapper

  again had made her handle the encounter all wrong.

  She'd been wishing for an ally in this godforsaken camp.

  Well, there was only one person besides Steve who seemed to understand

  what she'd been going through.

  And she'd driven her away.

  if Abby sighed; perhaps she'd get a second chance.

  she saw Mrs. Hamadi again, she'd try to be gentler with the woman, try

  to make her believe that the two of them might help each other.

  omAN who said nothing and kept her face AN OLD W veiled brought a

  dinner of meat and vegetable stew and a large pitcher of tepid water

  and a basin.

  The water made Abby realize how gritty, uncomfortable, and sore she

  was.

  She desperately needed a bath.

  But the thought of too exposed.

  So she getting undressed made her feel took off her clothing in

  stages-with one eye on the a towel within quick grabbing distance.

  doorand t before she arHer bag had been brought to the ten arrived.

  And Steve's, too.

  So he should be here.

  soon, shouldn't he?

  After putting on a loose-fitting shirt and shorts;@ she checked on

  Shannon again, which she'd probably been doing every ten or fifteen

  minutes .

  She had no real way t of knowing how much time had passed.

  All at once I ost impossible to contain her ars.

  Why didn fe was alm Steve come?

  Was he all right? Was Singh questioning him?

  Torturing him?

  A shudder went through her frame, and she leapt up nt.

  The moment she and started for the door of the te set foot outside, the

  guard was in front of her, his ped back, pulling sword drawn.

  With a gasp, she step the canvas flap tightly closed behind her.

  On a little groan of defeat, she dropped back onto the rug where she'd

  been sitting, closed her eyes, and tried to will her blood pressure

  down to some kind of normal level.

  Du, she could still feel the pulse pounding in her tempic as she

  huddled in the darkening tent.

  More time passed, and fatigue began to win out over tension.

  Abby settled back against the rug and closed her eyes.

  The next thing she knew, she was blinking up into the glow of a

  lantern.

  A large hand grasped the light, and behind the circle of illumination,

  a shadowy figure loomed over her.

  She gasped, and tried to back away.

  "You were asleep. I'm sorry." arms.

  "Steve. Thank God."

  She was on her feet in one smooth motion, hurling herself into his

  waiting He caught her, holding the lantern away from her with one hand

  while he clasped her tightly with the other.

  "Easy. You don't want to burn the place down."

  "I'm sorry. I'm just so glad to see you."

  " Lord, yes.

  " He held her possessively, his lips ski" mima imngnohewr'c'heek, her

  hair.

  "Are you all right?"

  "And Shannon?"

  "
We're both okay. But I've been worried about you," she blurted.

  Steve's eyes were intent on her face, and he spoke slowly, as if trying