Dragon Fire

by Linda Ladd

  "Nina, I know you don't like to talk about Clan, but we really do have to ask you some questions."

  The girl chewed her lip and kept her gaze on the infant on her lap. Windsor looked at Stone, realizing with some alarm that she might have already conceived his child. The thought sobered her, and her eyes settled again on the tiny human being squirming in Nina's arms.

  Windsor had never seen a baby at close range. At the temple the youngest disciple was never under ten years of age Certainly she had never held a small child. Suddenly she wanted to cradle Nina's boy in her arms and see how it felt. But judging by the possessive way Clan's woman clutched her son, Windsor did not think the young woman would allow it.

  "What do you want to know?" Nina's English was heavily accented and her manner so fearful that Windsor and Sun-On-Wings exchanged concerned glances.

  Once more Windsor wondered why a man like Clan would choose a little girl like Nina to bear his child; she was so young and not even very beautiful. Or perhaps the fact that she was a frightened victim was the very attribute that had attracted so cruel a man to her.

  "I'm sorry to put you through this, Nina," Stone said. "I really am. But if we're going to get him, we have to know where he is and what he's doing. Will you help us?"

  Windsor doubled her attention, but she could see how tense Stone Kincaid had become. His handsome face was set in tight lines of concentration, his entire body strained forward in anticipation of Nina's reply.

  "If you trust us now, you'll never have to suffer at his hands again," Stone added persuasively when she didn't answer. "And Carlos will be safe from him. You don't want Clan to get hold of your son, do you?"

  Nina shook her head emphatically. At first Windsor thought she would still remain silent, but finally her words came, low and afraid. "He has returned to Mexico."

  "Where in Mexico? Do you know?"

  "At a village on the sea called Mazatlán."

  Triumph lightened Stone's face, but his eyes remained determined. "What's he doing there, Nina?"

  "He is smuggling guns from the Estados Unidos to the guerrilleros who fight against the Nacionales of the Juarista government. He was forced to flee after he killed the Chinaman. But he sent word that I am to bring Carlos to him at Mazatlán. He said if I don't, he will come back and kill me. When you came for me yesterday, I thought he had sent you." Her mouth began to tremble. "He'll do it, too. He'll kill me if I don't go to him soon."

  "Where are you supposed to meet him?"

  "There's a cantina on the edge of the town, one with a big iron bell hanging out front. He said I was to go there and wait until someone came for me."

  "Do you have any idea where he is hiding?"

  "High in the sierra where they sell the guns to guerrilleros."

  "I've got the bastard now," Stone ground out viciously, rising to his feet as if he had forgotten all about Nina. His face hard and cold, he strode from the room without another word to any of them. He would insist that they leave at once for the place the Evil One had taken as his lair, Windsor thought, and she would go with him to avenge poor Hung-pin. The gods would surely help them to rid the world of one possessing such evil.

  Amelia sat in her favorite rocker in the front parlor, observing those around her. Sometimes she couldn't believe the ironies of life. A mere month ago, she had sat in the very same room, hoping and praying for word from Windsor. Now her daughter was home again, along with three of her friends. Granted, Amelia had to admit that she found all of them a bit strange, but she had grown to like them during the fortnight they had been guests in her house.

  Stone Kincaid and Windsor shared a tapestry-covered settee across the room. For several hours they had been discussing their impending voyage to Mexico. The two of them were so obviously in love that even Amelia was aware of their feelings. She wondered if they would get married. She blushed to think that they were already living as man and wife under her roof.

  Windsor's father would turn over in his grave, she thought with a guilty conscience, but her own misgivings fled quickly. As she had grown older, she had developed a great deal more tolerance than she'd had in the past. As long as Windsor was happy and safe at home, Amelia would say nothing and do nothing to drive her to return to China. She felt sure her daughter would marry Mr. Kincaid in time, anyway; they were too much in love not to.

  Her attention was diverted from her daughter when Sun-On-Wings rose from where he had been sitting cross-legged before the bay window. Amused, Amelia watched as he sauntered nonchalantly toward the basket in which Nina's child was napping. The young Indian was absolutely fascinated with the baby, though Amelia knew he often tried to hide his interest.

  Pretending she wasn't looking, Amelia watched surreptitiously as he squatted beside the crib. He glanced around, then pulled one of the white feathers from the brim of his hat. Amelia could see the baby's hands waving over the top of the basket, but when the Indian held the feather closer to the child, a tiny fist darted out and grabbed it. Sun-On-Wings gave a low chuckle, and Amelia smiled.

  All of them were so very young, she thought fondly, children themselves, really. Except, of course, for Mr. Kincaid. He was certainly no boy, but a handsome, virile, self-confident man, probably no older than thirty. Windsor had only just turned twenty, and Sun-On-Wings could not be more than sixteen.

  And then there was poor, mistreated, abused little Nina. Amelia turned her regard to the girl, who sat staring silently into the flames. Fourteen years old and the mother of a six-month-old infant. Amelia shook her head, filled with pity for the girl. Amelia herself had been only eighteen when she had borne Windsor, but she had been married and in love with her husband.

  The baby began to fuss, and Nina started to rise. Before she could, Sun-On-Wings picked up the child.

  "Carlos smell bad," he decreed at once.

  Amelia had to laugh at the way the boy was holding the soiled baby an arm's length away. "Nina, I was just going upstairs to fetch my embroidery basket. I will be glad to change Carlos's napkin if you'd like me to."

  Nina seemed hesitant to accept her offer, but Amelia had noticed before that the young mother didn't like her son to be out of her sight. Who could blame her? Emerson Clan had threatened to take her baby away from her!

  "I'll be gone only a minute, and I'll bring him right back," she promised. "Why don't you finish your tea while I'm gone?"

  Nina finally gave a reluctant nod, and Amelia crossed the room and wrapped a soft yellow blanket around the child.

  "Carlos like Sun-On-Wings' feather," Sun-On-Wings told her. "Him not afraid of Indian."

  "Of course he isn't," Amelia answered, presenting the Osage youth with her most reassuring smile. "And why should he be? You are kind and gentle with him, even though you are a fierce warrior."

  Sun-On-Wings looked immeasurably pleased by her remark, and Amelia laughed to herself as she carried the child from the room. Yes, she was certainly growing fond of Windsor's new friends. She hoped they wouldn't leave for Mexico for a very long time.

  As her mother left the room carrying Nina's baby, Windsor focused on Stone Kincaid again and how stubborn he could be.

  "If I dye my hair to brown, I will look enough like Nina to fool the man Clan sends for her. And I can wrap Jun-li in a baby blanket and pretend that he is Carlos. He will lie very still if I command him to do so."

  Stone's expression was incredulous. "That is the most absurd idea I've ever heard."

  "There is nothing absurd about my plan. You cannot be seen because Clan will recognize you. He is expecting Nina, so I will become Nina."

  "I said no, and I mean no."

  "To spoil what is good by unreasonableness is like letting off fireworks in the rain," Windsor said with calm censure.

  "I'm not being unreasonable. I'm being realistic."

  "You are being stubborn."

  "Dammit, Windsor, you said you'd let me make the decisions, and I just made one. You're not going to put yourself in that kind of dange
r. What if the man he sends knows Nina? Clan would have you killed before you got a word out!"

  "What other way is there to seek out the hole in which he hides? Who else can lead us to him?"

  "There's got to be another way. We'll just have to hide and watch everybody who goes in and out of the cantina until he decides to show up."

  "You will not catch him. He is too clever." Nina's remark was uttered quietly, but it brought everyone's attention to her. Even Sun-On-Wings took a seat on the floor near her.

  "Nina, don't worry yourself with this," Stone told her gently. "You'll never have to deal with Clan again. I promised you that, and I meant it."

  "You have been good to me and my niño. I owe you much."

  "You told me where Clan is. That's all I wanted from you."

  "More than anything in this world, he wants his son," Nina reminded him. "He has told me many times how much Carlo's means to him. He will come after me as long as Carlos is with me. If I go away and hide, no matter how far I go, he will find me and kill me. Then he will have Carlos. I can never let him have Carlos to raise, never. He is too cruel. He will make my son into a devil, too."

  Windsor sat down on the arm of Nina's chair and took her hand. "Do not be afraid. You are safe here in my mother's house."

  "But what if he comes while all of you are gone to Mexico? What if he sends his men to get me? No one can protect me from them. He wants his son more than anything else in the world."

  "Sun-On-Wings protect Nina." The boy's face was very serious.

  Nina smiled gratefully at him, but she shook her head. "None of you understands what kind of man he is. I was only twelve when he saw me walking along the road of my village near San Diego, and he stole me away from my family. He does anything he wants, and no one dares to stop him. I ran away from him once, the day I realized I was going to have a baby. I went back home, but he came to my village and killed my mama and papa." Her bottom lip quivered uncontrollably. "He hung them from a tree, right in front of me, then told me that I no longer had any family to go home to. He told me he'd do the same thing to anyone who helped me."

  "He has caused you more suffering than anyone should have to bear," said Windsor, "and he must be punished for his crimes."

  "That is why I must come with you. I am the one he wants. He will come for me because I have Carlos. But you cannot trick him without me. He is too cunning."

  No one said a word for several moments while Stone paced the room. He retraced his steps, frowning. "We just can't risk it, Nina. You might get hurt again. I don't want that to happen."

  "I could go with her," Windsor suggested quickly. "I could protect her while we're at the cantina. I could pose as Carlos's nurse."

  Stone knelt in front of Nina's chair, gazing into her eyes. "Nina, are you sure? You'll have to come face-to-face with Clan again. Do you think you can do that?"

  Nina clasped her hands tightly together. Her lips trembled. "He murdered everyone in my family, in front of my eyes. On that awful day I swore to the Holy Virgin that if I ever found a man who could kill him, I would help him do it, for my mama and my papa. If I do not, if I let you send me far away from here, I would live in fear for the rest of my life. I would be afraid that he would find me and take my son away."

  "I think you should leave the baby here with Amelia where he'll be safe."

  "No, I cannot leave him. It is Carlos who Clan wants, not me."

  Stone picked up her hand and sandwiched it between both of his. "I won't let anything happen to you, Nina. I swear it."

  "I only want you to kill him, so he won't hurt people anymore."

  "I'll kill him," Stone said with such savage vehemence that no one could disbelieve him. "But we must go to Mazatlán quickly, as soon as I can arrange passage on a ship, or Clan might decide to move on."

  Windsor listened as Stone continued to solidify his plans, but a vague uneasiness was beginning to plague her. Nina was so vulnerable and easily frightened. Windsor was not sure she could face Emerson Clan without crumbling into terror. If that happened, they would all be in grave danger.

  18

  Nearly two weeks after she had agreed to help Stone Kincaid capture Emerson Clan, Nina Nunez found herself aboard a ship bound for Mexico. She sat on the starboard hatch of the Trinidad, shielding little Carlos's face from the brisk ocean wind. For two days they had sailed southward down the coast of California, and with each passing hour, she had grown more afraid.

  A chill of revulsion undulated like an adder down her spine. In her mind she saw Clan's awful eyes again, so pale blue that they looked almost white. And his long blond hair always smelled like roses because he doused it frequently from the bottle of French cologne he carried in his vest pocket. Oh, Dios, she couldn't bear to be near him again! She had seen him do awful things, unspeakably cruel atrocities, since he had taken her from her parents' house nearly two years ago.

  She still remembered how frightened she had been when he and three of his terrible men had ridden up to her small rancho outside San Diego. Her papa had offered him water from the well, but when Clan saw Nina on the porch, he threw a gold coin on the ground and demanded to buy her for his woman. He said he wanted a virgin, a girl young and pure enough to bear his son. Her parents refused and tried to protect her, to stop him, but he beat both of them. Eventually, he had killed them. He wasn't human. He was el diablo set loose upon the earth.

  Her stomach fluttering, she looked down at her son. What if he took Carlos from her? What if he exploded with anger at her child the way he did with her? He could kill a small baby with one blow from his fist. She wanted to flee, to run and hide, but she knew Clan would find her no matter where she went, no matter how long it took him. She could never escape until he was dead. Dread gripped her, and she started to cry, hugging her child close.

  "Nina no be afraid."

  Nina whipped her head around, dashing her tears away when she saw Sun-On-Wings standing a short distance down the deck. Although the young Indian had been kind to her, she was still a little afraid of him. He seemed to watch her every movement, but he rarely said a word to her. She stared at him, intimidated by his size and the strength so evident in his hard, muscular body. He was almost as tall as Senor Kincaid, his coppery face handsome with high cheekbones and a square chin. His eyes were so black they seemed to shine with reflected light.

  "Nina no need cry tears. Sun-On-Wings stay close and no let man hurt Nina and Carlos." Solemn-faced, Sun-On-Wings brought around something he had been hiding behind his back. "Sun-On-Wings make gift for little man."

  Touched by his thoughtfulness, Nina smiled uncertainly as she regarded the object he was presenting to her. He held a board of about three feet in length. Covered with fringed rawhide, it had an opening at the top designed to form some sort of pocket. White feathers hung from a sturdy leather strap affixed to the upper end. Nina took it, trying to decide what it was. She had never seen anything quite like it.

  "The beads are very pretty," she said, not wanting to hurt his feelings. He had no doubt spent many hours forming the elaborate red-and-black designs decorating the front panel.

  "Yellow-Haired-Warrior-Woman's mother give me what I need. Nina like cradleboard?"

  "Oh, sí, very much. Gracias, Sun-On-Wings." Nina had never used the Indian's name before, and the words sounded strange upon her tongue. "How exactly does it work?"

  Sun-On-Wings took the contraption from her hands. "Tie little man in here and carry on back. No need hands. No get tired. Give little man to me and me show."

  Nina hesitated, not liking to give up Carlos to anyone, but the Indian had shown gentleness in handling her baby during the past weeks. She held Carlos out to him, and Sun-On-Wings took the child with a great show of care. She watched him place the child on its back in the pocket of the board. He wrapped the rawhide bindings around the boy securely, leaving Carlos's head and arms free. The baby waved his hands and gooed happily as Sun-On-Wings held him aloft in his new carrier. "See? Carlos l
ike. Nina like?"

  Nina nodded, turning and allowing him to strap the baby upon her back. The cradleboard was comfortable and freed her arms, which ached from holding the weight of the baby all day.

  "You are very kind to us," she said, genuinely grateful for the gift.

  The young Osage warrior nodded, then trod away on silent footfalls that never gave anyone notice of his approach.

  Belowdecks in the cabin Windsor shared with Stone Kincaid, Stone rose naked from the bed and paced the four steps that took him to the small round porthole. He braced an arm against the wall and gazed toward the distant coast of Mexico, barely visible on the eastern horizon.

  "It won't be long now," he said tightly. "I'll settle up with Clan, and we can get on with our lives."

  Draped only in her Chinese robe, Windsor sat up and watched the man she loved. She sighed, worried about him. His eyes were always afire with the fury festering deep inside him, and even now, so soon after their shared moments of intimacy and love, his long fingers had clenched once more into tight, hard fists. His anger and tension had become worse since Nina had told him where Clan was. He was so totally obsessed with his need for vengeance that he could think of little else. Hatred so filled him that he had begun to awaken her throughout the night with his bad dreams and hoarse yells.

  "He who is ruled by anger cannot overcome his enemies," she told him gently. "You are too full of anger to pursue the Evil One. You must let me do the deed for you. My heart is calm, my hand is steady. You will fail. I will not."

  "I won't fail," Stone answered, turning quickly to look at her. "Clan is as good as dead right now."

  "You have never told me what he did to you to make you burn so with rage. I pursue him because he killed Hung-pin. He has killed friends of yours, has he not?"

  Stone prowled in agitation, absently twisting the jade stones on the wrist bracelet she had made for him, not looking at her. "It's different between us. I thought he was my friend. We met when we were assigned a room together at West Point."