Then Max let her go, control stiffening his spine as he drew breath sharply and unevenly.
'I'll come in with you,' he said simply, his voice a little harsh.
'No, please, Max.' She had to face Morgan alone. 'You'd be the red rag to the bull. I have to sort it out myself, do you understand?' She was pleading with him anxiously.
Max sighed with frustration. 'As you wish.' It was obvious that he did not want to give up. He took a pen out of his jacket and scrawled something on a small white card. 'My number,' he said, handing it to her. 'If you need me, call—whatever time.'
Jassy took the card with a smile.
'Promise, Jassy,' he urged.
'I promise, and thank you for caring.' She leaned over and kissed his smooth, hard cheek.
'I do care, Jassy, remember that.'
His words rang in her ears as she slid out of the car, desperately trying to ignore the apprehension that was gripping her. Waving to Max, she walked towards the hotel entrance, feeling very much as though she was about to face a firing squad.
CHAPTER FIVE
MORGAN was waiting for her, his anger barely concealed as he paced backwards and forwards across the lounge.
Jassy closed the door behind her, swallowing convulsively, trepidation clawing in her stomach as she turned to face him.
Her stepfather's eyes slid over her, taking in the gypsy dress, the .brilliance of her eyes and the bruised, thoroughly kissed quality of her mouth.
'Have you been with him?' he demanded, facing her across the room.
Jassy could feel the tentacles of his rage reaching for her, the whole room was filled with it.
'I've been with Max, yes,' she answered steadily and honestly.
Morgan swore violently. 'After what I told you before, you still defied me and went out with him?'
It was more of an angry statement than a question, and Jassy nodded. There was no need to answer. She had the terrible, fearful feeling that Morgan wanted to hit her. If she had been a man she felt sure that he would have punched her on the nose. She had never seen him so angry, but then she had never defied him before and he was not used to such behaviour.
'The moment my back's turned, you run to him like a lovesick child! It's going to stop, Jassy. You won't see him again, do you hear me?' he shouted, furiously.
Jassy took a deep, shaking breath. 'No, Morgan, you've got no right to tell me who I can and cannot see. I like Max and I will see him again, if I choose to do so.' She had never gone against Morgan's wishes before, but the thought of never seeing Max again was too much to bear, galvanising her into action, into defiance. What she had feared ever since leaving school and coming to live with Morgan had finally happened. The independence and inner strength that boarding school had given her would not let Morgan rule her life for her. She was nineteen years old—old enough to make her own decisions and being used from an early age, to making such decisions alone, the very idea of letting somebody else take over was unthinkable and totally alien to her nature.
Perhaps she-should have asserted herself before now, she thought miserably as she glanced at the dull red outrage on her stepfather's face. Perhaps if she had put her foot down over the clothes, the dinner invitations, little things like that, both of them would have been better prepared for this situation. But it was too late.
'You must understand, Morgan, that I have to choose who I see, my own friends.' She tried to explain to him, hoping that he would see reason, profoundly glad that she had not agreed to Max coming back with her. Morgan would have burst a blood vessel!
'You're engaged to Rene,' Morgan gritted through clenched teeth. 'And I'll make damned sure that you don't see Bellmer again. If he comes within a foot of this door, I'll personally knock his teeth down his throat—I'll kill him, is that clear?'
Jassy stared at him, hardly able to believe her ears. He had been oozing respectful politeness to Max only twenty-four hours ago and now he actively hated him. It -was beyond understanding or belief. If it hadn't been so ugly, it would have been funny.
'I'm not engaged to Rene, that's something you've dreamed up yourself. I've told you time and time again that I have no intention of marrying him, because I don't love him. Don't you ever listen to me?' she retaliated angrily, her eyes flashing misery.
'Love?' Morgan scoffed openly. 'You have no conception of love!'
'I have,'Jassy cried, deeply hurt. 'I. . . .' she broke off just in time, horrified at the admission she had almost made. Did she love Max Bellmer? She had nearly told her stepfather just that.
'What have you got against Max anyway?' she asked desperately.
'You're too stupid to see that he's using you,' Morgan replied viciously.
'Using me? For what?' she asked incredulously, certain that she had nothing that Max could use. - 'He's using you to get to me!' Morgan exploded, irritated beyond anger by the blank look Jassy gave him. 'He's been after this business for years. I've managed to hold him off, but it hasn't been easy. You're his ace,' said Morgan, bitter with rage.
Jassy shook her head disbelievingly. '1 don't believe you,' she said coldly. 'You see everybody's actions as connected with business. You just can't believe that some people don't give a damn about it. Max wouldn't do that anyway.' She was unshake-able in her belief in him.
Morgan gave a short ugly laugh. 'He won't get the chance,' he muttered grimly. 'I telephoned Rene when I got back to find you out—oh yes, it wasn't difficult to guess who you were with, where you were,' he said cruelly, his cold eyes raking her shocked, pale face. 'I've fixed the wedding date, exactly a month today!'
Jassy felt faint, the floor seemed to be moving beneath her feet, and the greedy triumph on her stepfather's face made her feel terribly ill inside. Had he gone mad? She stood shock-still, her whole body icy cold. This was some dreadful nightmare.
Please, God, let me wake up and find that it isn't true, she prayed in desperate silence, but the seconds ticked past and nothing changed.
'No ... I won't do it;' she whispered, putting her hands up in front of her as if to ward off" the physical blow of her stepfather's words.
'Yes, you will, Jassy, and if you see Bellmer again, Rene will find out, mark my words. He's got some pretty tough boys working for him—Bellmer will wish he'd never been born.' The semblance of a smile stretched Morgan's mouth as he spoke his soft threats.
It was the last straw, and Jassy could not bear it a second longer. She turned and fled from the room, her eyes blind and hysterical.
Morgan called her back impatiently, but she ignored him, flying like the wind down the stairs, her heart frozen with a kind of agony.
The smart young Spaniard on the reception desk stared at her curiously as she rushed past him, out of the doors and into the night. She could not see where she was going, it did not matter, as long as it was away from Morgan, her eyes misty with tears as the realisation of his true character sunk in.
Moments later she collided stunningly into the hard unyielding body of a man, the contact knocking the breath from her lungs. Strong hands reached out and grasped her shoulders and she fought like a wildcat, imagining in her crazed state
of mind that it was Morgan come to take her back to her room. He would probably lock her in until the wedding, she thought crazily, almost hysterical.
'Let me go!' she shouted, desperately struggling with all her might.
The hands on her shoulders shook her, rather roughly, into silence, into submission, and as she looked up through her tears, Max's face, dark with concern swam into vision.
'Jassy, what in hell's name is the matter?' he asked urgently. Morgan's threats came unbidden into her head. She could not bear Max to be harmed for her.
'Let me go,' she repeated. 'Please. It's not safe.' She was whispering as she tried to free herself, glancing wildly over her shoulder, expecting to see Morgan behind them at any second.
She managed to break free at a moment when Max's defences were down, and ran towards the beach, not listenin
g to him and not waiting to see if he followed her.
I must get away, she kept repeating to herself over and over again.
She rushed across the road, barely missed by a motorbike, that swerved dangerously to avoid her, its rider shouting a tirade of abuse in Spanish.
Max caught up with her easily, seemingly without any effort at all, his hand closing on her arm and pulling her round to face him.
Jassy gazed at him mutely, noting the wildness and the anger in his darkly flashing eyes. It seemed inevitable that he was here and she did not question his presence or his anger.
'You crazy little fool!' he grated harshly, his fingers tightening cruelly on her bare arm. 'You nearly got yourself killed—Dear God, Jassy, you
scared me, running into the road like that!' He seemed beyond control as he violently pulled her against his chest, crushing her shining head to his shoulder.
Jassy clung to him, revelling in his warmth and his comfort, her ear over the heavy, disturbed rhythm of his heart.
He held her with a tight desperation as if she was precious to him, his hand stroking back her hair. The tears that had blinded her were long gone now, and a cold heaviness had settled over her mind, leaving her numb and weary.
Finally Max held her away from him, not letting her go completely, his hands still resting lightly but firmly on her shoulders as though he feared that she would run from him again. He gazed down at her pale expressionless face, anger flaming dangerously in his green eyes, to see her so hurt.
'What happened?' he asked quietly, his voice tight with leashed fury and concern. But Jassy could only shake her head, unable to speak, putting a c,old trembling hand over her face.
They were only yards away from the hotel. Morgan might be watching them from his window at this very moment. He would see her with Max and come down. Or he might phone Rene, she thought irrationally.
'Oh God, I have to get away from here, now. Now,' she whispered desperately. She reached up, her hands clenching on Max's jacket, tugging at the smooth material in anguish. 'Would you . . . would you take me somewhere—anywhere, in your car . . . please?' she begged, staring at him with eyes that were wild and bruised and very hurt.
'Of course,' Max answered immediately. 'You're safe now Jassy. No one will harm you, I promise,' he
said gently, forcing her to listen to him, to take in the truth of his words.
'You don't understand. . . .' She was still trembling with shock and nervousness, and cursing savagely under his breath, Max slid his arm around her shoulders and led her to his car. Her legs felt very weak, so weak that she was surprised they were carrying her-at all. She scrambled quickly into his car, glancing over her shoulder in blind apprehension.
Max watched every fearful, jerky movement she made with violent, intent eyes, as he switched on the engine and skidded the car on to -the road with a screeching protest from the tyres.
He drove very fast along the coast road, his strong brown hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles gleamed white.
Jassy sat perfectly still beside him, staring straight ahead, her breathing shallow and barely noticeable.
Five minutes later the car jerked to a sudden halt on a deserted stretch of road. In front of them lay the ocean, the bright glint of the moon on the water, beautiful, but unnoticed by them both. Jassy, only just aware that the car had stopped, opened the door and got out, strolling down to the water's edge on still shaky legs, her arms wrapped around her body in a vulnerable, defensive gesture. Max watched her as she stood alone, staring with unseeing eyes over the dim ocean, then he too slid from the car and walked towards her.
She lifted her head as he approached, her face blank with shock and reaction.
'Thank you for bringing me here,' she said expressionlessly, her voice choking a little.
'Oh, Jassy!' He spoke her name with a soft, aching intensity, his perceptive eyes raking her forlorn face
and shivering body and narrowing with the wild anger that he could barely control.
Jassy listened, his voice breaking into her conscious mind, as she really saw him for the first time since colliding with him outside her hotel. Feeling strangely detached, she noted his air of barely-sup- pressed impatience, the tightness of his mouth and the terrible wildness in his eyes.
'Tell me, Jassy, for God's sake tell me!' he said fiercely, standing so near that she could feel his cool breath on her face and yet he was not touching her. A question came into her eyes and he saw it, reading her expression easily.
'What is it, child?' he muttered very gently.
'Will you hold me?' she whispered pleadingly.
The words had hardly left her lips when she was lifted into his arms, her feet hardly touching the ground, and he held her tightly, his mouth moving against her soft hair. She did not move, but let him hold her, he was so very strong and the warmth of his body was gradually seeping through and melting the icyness of hers. How safe she felt, wrapped so tightly within those rock-hard, muscled arms. Surely nothing could touch her when she was with Max.
She arched back her head, a graceful indication that she was at last ready to talk, and he lowered her, so that her feet were back on the ground, their bodies moving against each other for one dizzying, breathtaking moment. Looking down at her, he smiled slightly in encouragement, although his eyes were still filled with anger and concern.
'It's Morgan,' Jassy said very quietly, then laughed a trifle hysterically. 'Who else?'
'He was angry with you for going out to dinner with me?' Max questioned, his voice deadly.
Jassy nodded. 'Very angry, but it's worse than
that. . . She stopped, swallowing convulsively. 'He ... he said that if I saw you again, he'd . . . oh, it doesn't matter. He's fixed the date of my wedding to Rene,' she finished flatly.
Max drew a long, harsh breath. 'Without telling you?'
'Yes—I've told him so many times that I won't I marry Rene, but he takes no notice. He can't care for me if he's willing to force me into a loveless marriage, can he? I'm just a business asset to him,' she j. said miserably, her eyes filling with tears again.
Max's arms tightened around her, offering com-, fort. 'He can't force you to marry against your i wishes,' he said in that same quiet, deadly voice.
'You don't know Morgan.' Jassy sniffed loudly, managing a wan smile.
'Listen to me, Jassy, I mean it—he can't force | you.' His face was grim and she could feel the powerful muscles of his body tightening with barely-controlled anger.
'You don't understand,' she said sadly, feeling defeated. 'Morgan manipulates people every day, he's a master. Legally he can't force me to get married, but there are other ways. He'll have a thousand and one clever tactics up his sleeve, you < can bet.' Her voice was faintly bitter and Max frowned heavily.
'I'll come back with ydu, and by God, I'll talk , some sense into him! Trust me.'
'No!' Jassy stared urgently into his face, her hand tightening on his arm. 'You mustn't!'
'Why not? Tell me what else he said, Jassy.'
'He'll hurt you,' she said wildly, her fear alive in her gentle brown eyes.
'I doubt it,' Max said coldly, and Jassy believed him, but there was still Rene.
'It's not just Morgan, it's Rene—some of the men
who work for him, they're thugs. I remember things Rene used to tell me about Pierre, and how he used these men to frighten people who got in his way. . . .' Jassy had never believed these stories at the time, imagining that Rene was exaggerating, as he was prone to do. But Morgan's confirmation this evening that these men existed had thrown a new and sinister light on Rene's joking anecdotes.
A vision of Max, bleeding, hurt and unconscious, rose before her eyes, and she shuddered, almost crying out with the pain it brought in its wake.
'Please don't go, Max. Morgan will tell Rene . . . he said so . . . please,' she begged.
'Are you so concerned for my safety, dear Jassy?' Max asked softly, reaching out
to touch her mouth with strong, gentle fingers. Meeting his eyes, Jassy saw that he was serious.
'Yes, I couldn't bear you to be hurt because of me,' she answered honestly, her lips trembling and cold as she spoke.
Max smiled, his green eyes warm and lazy as they rested on her pleading face.
'That's good to know,' he murmured, lowering his head to touch his firm mouth to her forehead in a brief caress. 'But I won't get hurt, honey—I've dealt with his sort before, and so help me, I'll kill him with my bare hands if he tries anything like that.' His voice was hard and suddenly violent, his teeth were clenched, tightening the stark bones of his face to a taut, frightening mask.
Jassy wondered at his concern for her. Perhaps he cared for her a little, she hoped so anyway. However, sweet thoughts like that would not help her in her present predicament. Even if she won, and did not have to marry Rene—which was doubtful, Morgan would make her life a living hell. There seemed no solution.
'Dear God, I have to get away from here,' she said desperately. 'Away from Morgan, at any rate.' She had wanted to veer the conversation away from the subject of Max coming back to the hotel with her, but she could see that his mind was made up.
'I wish you'd promise that you won't come back with me tonight,' she said slowly, glancing at him from beneath the thick fringe of her lashes.
'You know I won't do that,' Max said quietly. 'I can't let you go back alone.'
She sighed. The whole situation was fast spinning out of control. Morgan, Rene, Max, everything seemed to be closing in on her. Strange how forty-eight hours, such a short amount of time, could change a person's life, and turn a happy world upside down.
Max took her face between his hands, tilting it up to his. She stared into his hard, familiar face with fascination and a strange ache in her heart.
'I have a solution to all your problems,' he told her, his eyes glittering in the darkness as they fixed on her.
Wipe Away the Tears Page 8