Pearl Cove (32 page)

He looked at Coco, measuring the supple muscle beneath the soft skin, remembering the
easy, lithe walk. Yes.

I no kill Len! Coco said, her eyes bright with what might have been tears or simple fear.

But you saw who did, Hannah said. It wasnt a question. It was a summation of all the times
she had turned around from any task in the pearl sheds or in the house and found Coco
watching, watching. Always watching. Who was it?

Coco laughed bitterly. I tell and die like Len, trapped and alone.

Youll die the same way if you dont tell, Hannah said. The Red Phoenix Triad isnt famous
for its compassion.

Coco paled beneath her golden skin. You know?

Hannahs smile showed teeth and no mercy. I know. We met Yin in a triad hangout in Seattle.

Stupid.

It had its moments, Hannah agreed dryly. Who killed Len, Coco?

She shook her head.

Ten thousand dollars American, Archer said. Even if you did it yourself.

Coco laughed, but it was a sad, bitter sound. I? I love Len.

Hannahs eyes widened.

Is shock to you, Coco said. Her full mouth turned down at the corners. He is...
fascination. Cold like snake. Danger like cyclone. Pain. Hate. He is all.

Hannah could only stare. The very things that had driven her away from Len had lured Coco.
He should have married you.

Cocos shrug was as fluid as the sea. Then he no more have you. A cat with a bird, to play,
you understand? He take one pretty feather at a time.

Yes, Hannah said in a low voice. I understand. He used my sense of honor to keep me within
his reach. I knew it and I stayed anyway. I owed him my life. I thought I could change his
for the better. I was wrong. She felt the heat of Archers hands on her shoulders and
wanted to lean against him. The day Len died, Coco. What did you see?

Qing Lu Yin, she said simply. He want the secret of the pearls. He hurt Len fists, club,
you understand?

Yes, Archer said. Go on.

Len smile. Make Yin crazy. Careless. Len move fast. She made a striking motion with her
hand again. Try to cut throat of Yin with oyster shell. Len strong, ver ver strong, but
Yin not cripple. He kick the wheelchair upside down and put knife in Lens ribs.

Hannah went still but didnt interrupt. She believed Coco. Only Archer had ever mentioned
the knife. Yin hammer shell in same place, hide knife wound. You understand? Coco asked.
Yes, Hannah said. Len still live. He try to pull shell away. Too weak. Yin take all pearls
he dare and run.

Yin is good at running, Hannah said, remembering the Dragon Moon cafe. What did you do?
Archer asked when Hannah was silent. I go to cottage, wait for big wind.

You know the pearls that Len called the Black Trinity? Archer asked.

Out.

You know that Hannah would recognize them if they ever came on the market? Oui, Coco said.
He hate her for that. Her eyes, better than his. Better than mine. You know what would
happen if the Black Trinity was ever traced back to you? Archer asked. She looked in his
eyes and she knew. Oui, she whispered.

Tell me what happened to the Black Trinity, Archer said, and I wont ask how Angelique
Dupress Tahitian pearl farm ended up with a fortune in Pearl Coves new crop of pearls. The
same pearls that went missing when Len died.

Hannah stiffened and tried to turn toward Archer. His hands tightened, holding her as she
was. You didnt tell me, she said. I hoped I wouldnt have to. Why?

No one likes being betrayed by the people around them. His hands became subtly caressing.
You ve had enough pain. I didnt want to be the one to bring you more. But that seems to be
what Im. best at. Bringing you pain. He lifted his hands and pinned Coco with a cold look.

She spread her hands in an unconscious gesture of pleading. I no see Black Trinity when
Len die. I no see after. Pearls, they everywhere, you understand? Like like sea-foam
after storm. Yin take many. I take rest and send to sister to sell. Better Coco than the
storm, yes?

Have you stolen enough from Hannah for your retirement yet? Archer asked. Coco simply
smiled. I work hard, monsieur. Ver hard. Ask any man. Yeah, Im sure you do. Say hello to
Ian for us. Surprise showed for an instant on Cocos face, then nothing showed at all.
Thats what I thought, Archer said.

Goodbye, Coco. Hannahs voice was distant. Youll understand if I dont give you severance
pay. Oh, shell get paid, Archer drawled. But it will be Chang money, not ours. With a
lithe motion Coco came to her feet. Bonne chance with your new cat, small bird.

His hands flexed at his sides. A cat with a bird, to play, you understand? He take one
pretty feather at a time. Archer understood too well. He knew that every time Hannah
looked at him, she saw Len. She saw the cruelties of the past rather than the
possibilities of the present. Archer couldnt change that. He could only end the pain by
getting out of her sight.

Ill help you finish packing, he said neutrally.

Hannah watched him leave and wondered why it felt like he had said goodbye.

Standing on a street corner in Rio. No money. No hope. Nothing but night coming down on
her like thunder.

And this time Archer was walking away from her.

There werent many cartons stacked by the front door, because there wasnt much Hannah
wanted to take except for clothes, a few household goods, and her woodcarving tools.
Hannah was stuffing clothes, towels, and dive gear into a battered duffel bag. Her hands
were clumsy, an accurate reflection of the turmoil in her mind. She didnt want Archer to
leave.

And she knew he was going to.

Youve had enough pain. I didnt want to be the one to bring you more. But that seems to be
what Im best at. Bringing you pain.

She closed her eyes and fought against the fear that was beating against her with black
wings. She didn t know what mistake she had made. She only knew she had made one. A
terrible one, every bit as bad as trusting her life to Len McGarry had been.

I wish I had some bubble wrap for this, Archer said.

She turned away from the swim mask and fins she was blindly trying to cram into a space
that was too small by half. He was standing across the room, holding the wood sculpture
that was the only thing she had ever carved that she couldnt bring herself to destroy. Too
much of her was in that sculpture, the woman trapped in the very wave that would free her,
but only if she survived the wild, dangerous ride.

Suddenly Hannahs hands itched to create the new form condensing in her mind, a woman who
was the wave, driving force and consummation in one. No beginning. No ending. Just the
timeless, infinite surge of life.

Wrap it in this, Hannah said, throwing Archer one of the towels stacked within reach.
Theres room in the duffel if I leave out some dive gear.

Pack the dive gear. Ill carry this myself. As he spoke, Archer ran his fingertips over the
haunting curves that suggested but never showed the woman within the wood.

Heat shimmered over Hannah as though she had been stroked.

Knowing he shouldnt, knowing he was going to anyway, Archer spoke without looking away
from the sculpture. Would you sell this to me?

No. Ill give it to you. Its the least I can do after all youve done for me.

All Ive done is remind you of the worst days of your life.

She was too shocked to do more than stare at him. Thats not true!

Not comfortable, maybe, but it sure as hell is true. You look at me and you see the past.
Len. The miracle is that you didnt let Ling blow my head off.

The bitter acceptance beneath Archers level voice made Hannah flinch. In the beginning,
yes, I saw Len every time I-

Quiet, he said across her words. No, let me fin- Quiet.

Belatedly, the change in him got through her. No bitterness now, no acceptance, simply the
cool deadliness of a man trained to kill. He set aside the sculpture and turned toward the
verandah door with a predators focused grace.

Out front a car door slammed. Visitor coming, he said. Who?

No one I recognize. Come here, but stand to the side of the window.

Hannah went and stood close to Archer. Through the silvery porch screen she saw a balding
man of middle years, medium height, and utter self-confidence walking up the front path.
He wore tropical-weight slacks and shirt and carried a manila envelope in one hand. She
had never seen him before in her life. Do you know him? Archer asked. No.

The man knocked on the outer door. What do you want? Archer called out. Message for Archer
Donovan.

One of Archers black eyebrows rose skeptically. The man didnt look like a messenger boy.
Whats the return address?

April Joy. He muttered something savage under his breath. Then, softly, he said to Hannah,
Stay here. Is the man dangerous? Not to you. Youre off the table. What about you?

Without answering, Archer opened the door. He would have shut it behind him again, but
Hannahs foot was in the way. Then all of her was. He allowed it only because it was too
dangerous to divide his attention. He opened the outer door and gestured the man onto the
porch.

Ms. McGarry, Im Max, Barton said, looking past Archer. My condolences on your husbands
death.

Is that the message? Hannah asked. My message is for Archer Donovan. Youre looking at him,
Hannah said, jerking her thumb toward Archer. The message is private, So am I, she said
bitingly.

Barton looked at Archer, who was watching him with pale eyes that gave away nothing.
Barton smiled coldly. Has your number, does she, mate?

Yeah. Im putty in Hannahs hands, Archer said. Shes solid brick in mine. What does April
want now?

She wants you off the table. All the way off. Good idea, Hannah said instantly. Archer and
Barton ignored her. Theres a problem with that, Archer said. Each word was clear,
distinct. April knows what it is. The other man grunted. Im supposed to clear up that
problem.

Im listening.

This time Bartons smile was genuine, if small. I can see that. You sure you dont want back
in the real game?

Dead sure.

Thats what she said you would say, Barton muttered.

Eyes narrowed, Hannah looked from one man to the other. She didnt like the direction of
the conversation. The thought of Archer going back to the covert life made her stomach
twist. Len had loved it, but Archer said he hadnt been strong enough to stay in the game.
She hadnt believed him at the time. Now, suddenly, she did. Archer simply wasnt cold
enough to play international chess with human pawns.

The memory of Summer teething blissfully on Archers knuckles went through Hannah like
lightning through darkness. Len would never have allowed anything that close to him, even
his own child. Yet Archer had smiled at his niece with a tenderness that still amazed
Hannah. But it hadnt amazed his

family. They took his love for granted. And that was what it was. Love. Dont want to play
again, huh? Barton asked. Not even to get your brothers killer? I don

t need April to get Lens killer, Archer said in a level voice. All I need is time. Ive got
it.

Right. Well, mate, Im going to make your hunt easier.

Hannahs hand went over Archers wrist as though to keep him from moving one inch toward
Barton. Her nails dug in hard. She didnt want him hunting anything, especially a man
dangerous enough to kill Len McGarry.

Archer ignored the pressure of Hannahs nails on his wrist. He was focused on Bartons
shrewd, dark eyes.

Youre probably thinking that Sam Chang ordered McGarrys death, Barton said to Archer.

He didnt deny it.

Sams spies eventually figured out that Pearl Cove was being sabotaged by the Aussies,
Barton continued. The old bastard was beside himself. He had placed men everywhere but
where he needed one most in Lens confidence.

I figured that out for myself.

Did you figure that Chang offered a million dollars to the person who brought him the
secret of the rainbows? Barton retorted. Qing Lu Yin decided he would be the one. The
cyclone was his chance. He got Len alone and started questioning him. Barton shrugged. Yin
fucked up big time. McGarry died and took the secret of the rainbow pearls with him.

Hannah closed her eyes and saw again Lens body half beached, half floating, wholly dead.

How did you find out? Archer asked. Yin. Not directly, he added quickly, sensing the
change in Archer. The word was passed back up the line.

By the Red Phoenix boys?

The civilized voice didnt fool Barton. What he was seeing in Archers eyes wasnt a bit
civilized. Right.

Why should I believe them?

Barton handed over the unsealed manila envelope. They send you their apology on the death
of your brother. They want you to understand it wasnt a triad matter.

Without looking away from Barton, Archer took the envelope and opened it. The cool, smooth
surface of a glossy photograph met his fingertips. He pulled it out.

When Hannah gasped, he glanced down quickly. One look was enough. The color photo was Qing
Lu Yin, right down to the black eye and oyster-shell gash on his chin. No possibility of a
mistake, even though blood was everywhere and his severed head was tucked underneath his
arm in the Red Phoenix Triads trademark execution style.

Archer pushed the brutal photo back into the envelope. Apology accepted.

The ruined shed sent thin, misshapen black fingers raking up into the late afternoon.
Light the color of hammered bronze filled the air from the sea to the distant arch of the
cloud-whipped sky. Wind swirled with just enough force to tug at the cloth of Archers tank
top and press his shorts against his body. The air was the temperature of blood, neither
hot nor cool.

When he heard sound behind him, he didnt turn around. He knew it was Hannah. Everyone else
was gone. He had made certain of it personally, searching every cottage, every shed,
everywhere that was big enough to hide a human being. There was nothing but empty rooms,
empty drawers, and bits of domestic debris that were already being blown away by the wind.

Everything Im taking is packed, she said quietly.

He nodded but made no move to leave. He wasnt ready to walk away from her. He never would
be. But he would walk away just the same.

Soon.

Silently Hannah stared at the jackstraw ruins of the shed. Only the vault stood upright,
and it gaped crookedly. There was nothing new for her here. Nothing old, either. Nothing
that she wanted to take with her. Yet, like Archer, she found she couldnt simply turn away
and leave. Hands on her hips, she looked at what had once been the center of her life and
the soul of her husbands. She tried to find meaning in wreckage.

There wasnt any. It was simply a pearl shed that had been destroyed by a storm.

So she watched Archer instead, hunger in her eyes and a tension in her body that made it
hard for her to breathe. He had walked away from her before. He would walk away again. She
would be free of the past, of Pearl Cove, and of Archer, who reminded her of Len. She
would be free of everything except the certainty that she had made another terrible
mistake.

Whats it like to love someone enough to die in his place?

Chills rippled over Hannahs skin in primal recognition of the truth. Like two pearls of
the same size and color, Len and Archer were similar. And very, very different. The layers
of Lens life that had accumulated in such pain and fury were uneven, pitted, flawed. The
layers of Archers life were different. Not perfect. Just... beautiful.

And she had hurt him as cruelly as Len ever hurt anyone. Youre like Len! Damn you, youre
like Len! As cold a bastard as ever walked the earth.

No wonder Archer wanted to get away from her. In surviving Len, she had become just as
savage as he was.

Bile rose in Hannahs throat. Too late she understood the meaning of her dreams Archers
pain and her screams of denial that he could be hurt. Because if he could hurt, he could
love. If he loved, she had used his vulnerability like a weapon against him. The same way
Len had used her own vulnerability against her, a cat with a bird.

Protection and sex. Thats all?

Yes.

She had gotten her wish. Archer no longer threatened her with love. With vulnerability.
Yet she was standing here, figuring it all out too late, vulnerable to her soul.

Could Len get on any of the pearl boats by himself? Archer asked, walking slowly toward
the vault.

Swallowing past the constriction in her throat, Hannah forced herself to talk to the man
who might have loved her, the man she had been too much a coward to love in return. No. He
had to be carried aboard.

Could he dive alone?

He needed a mechanical lift to get in and out of the water. He couldnt reach the controls
while he was on the lift.

Archer nodded and never looked away from the side of the vault. The thick outer door hung
on its hinges like a broken jaw. The smaller locker doors inside were open, as though to
prove that nothing of value lay beyond. What about the car?

He couldnt handle it alone. Certainly not in the last two years. He was losing strength.
It was slow, very slow, but it was real.

In the slanting light, Archers eyes were almost gold. He measured the vault that had once
held a kings ransom in pearls and the key to a mans dark soul. Where would Len have hidden
the Black Trinity?

She shrugged. Somewhere in this shed.

Silently he looked at the ruins. Its gone, Archer. Accept it. I have.

If it had been anyone else but Len, I would, he replied evenly. But Len always had one
more layer than anybody expected, one more move, one more trick.

All of the lockers that were beyond the reach of a long-armed, seated man were closed.
Even standing, the highest rank of lockers rose almost four feet above Archers head. The
slanting sunlight picked out every nick and scratch with unnatural clarity. Several
lockers in particular showed scratches. All of them were on the right-hand side of the
vault.

The image of Lens ugly, wicked ring flashed in Archers mind. Maybe Len had used it for
more than slicing up a mans face in a fight.

Youve opened all the drawers, he said.

Fighting for breath, Hannah forced herself to think of the present, not the corrosive
past. She couldnt afford to make another mistake like Len. She simply wouldnt survive it.
She knew it as certainly as she knew that it hurt too much to breathe right now.
Everything that was beyond Lens reach, I opened.

Remembering Len, Archer wondered just how much had truly been beyond his half brothers
grasp. The handles are too big for the lockers.

Lens design, not mine.

What about the locksmith? That many combination locks must have needed maintenance,
especially in the tropics.

Len did it. How did he reach the top locks? He didnt. I did. Archer turned toward Hannah.
How? On a ladder. No, how did you open the locks?

He only had me work on one, Hannah said, pointing toward the vault. The center one. Even
as Archer spun toward it, she added, But I already checked that locker. The Black Trinity
wasnt in any of the trays.