Unexpected Places (14 page)

Luke grinned. ‘It will remind you of us.’

As she gazed down at her bracelet, she touched each charm in turn. Her eyes filled with tears again. ‘Luke, this is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me. Every one of those charms means something to me.’

He laughed and drew out a handkerchief from the pocket of his jeans. ‘You are such a softie, Moonbeam,’ he teased. ‘I don’t think you’re cut out for this enemy and lover deal we have.’

Ari sighed mournfully. ‘I know. But it’s the way it has to be. And,’ she stared up at him anxiously, ‘I like the lover bit. Don’t you?’

‘I like it a lot, Ariana.’ His words came out with an honesty and sincerity that surprised him. He drew her closer and kissed her soft lips. As they sat at their table, in the middle of the crowded bazaar in downtown Colombo, noise and bustle and thousands of aromatic smells surrounded them. But everything disappeared. There was only his beautiful Ariana.

She was wearing one of the flowing silk kurtas he’d bought her, the dusky pink one she loved so much. With her long, sleek blonde hair cascading over her shoulders, her cute little nose decorated with its newly arrived smattering of freckles, and her plump pink lips that he wanted to kiss every time he saw them, his breath caught in his throat.

Another course of their banquet arrived, served again with fanfare by the grinning owner. With each delivery, he’d bowed with great respect to both of them. But his smile of besotted admiration was for Ariana alone.

Luke didn’t blame him.

The grilled jumbo prawns, the size of well-fed crabs, were accompanied by a mild garlic sauce, but all the other dishes, the
mallung
, the owner called them — shredded green vegetables and grated coconut, curried jackfruit, breadfruit, and all the sambals—came with a hefty serving of chillies.

They both grabbed their beers at the same time and drank deeply, gasping.

‘So, little enemy,’ he said, after extinguishing some of the fire in his throat, ‘are you going to admit defeat?’

‘No.’ She sat up straighter and pushed her shoulders back.

He raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re leaving tomorrow. The emeralds are still locked in our room’s safe. I checked. Just in case you’ve been hiding your safe-cracking skills.’

Ariana’s eyes twinkled. ‘I can’t crack open a safe. The nuns didn’t teach me that one.’

Luke laughed. It was something he did a lot of around Ariana, he suddenly realised. ‘You know what’s been my favourite part of our holiday? Apart from the obvious, of course.’

She smiled, waiting.

‘Surfing.’ As he skimmed his eyes over her petite body, he shook his head. Who would have thought such a feminine little thing could have such perfect balance, could jump up onto her board and skim along inside the crest of the waves with such expertise? They’d surfed on the east coast and the west. Hence, the two surfboards on her bracelet.

‘You learned to surf while you were living at Nimbin, you said. Now that you’re a staid old accountant, do you ever go to the beach?’

Her eyes dulled. ‘No, I’ve only been surfing once or twice since I left the commune.’

Luke nodded thoughtfully, and took a swig of his beer. ‘And your admirable coolness under fire, in the shape of that huge locust? Something else you learned at the commune?’

Her brows drew together. ‘I guess.’

He held out his hands. ‘That’s what I don’t understand. You can swim and surf and run and crawl through tunnels and fight off giant locusts. Why the hell are you an accountant?’

She sighed. ‘I wanted to do something sensible.’

They sat in silence and enjoyed the noise and the aromatic smells of the poorly lit alley.

‘Anyway, Mr Smarty Pants,’ Ariana said suddenly, ‘what about you? Don’t you think you’re being less than honest about your own life?’

‘What do you mean?’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘You know. Swearing, rabble-rousing adventurer, but too scared to tell your daddy you don’t like being a CEO.’

Luke frowned. ‘Bullshit.

She opened her mouth to argue, but he stopped her by the time-honoured method of leaning over and kissing her.

They smiled at each other for long seconds, until he realised he must look pretty soppy. Another first. He’d never done soppy before.

‘Have you had a good holiday?’ he asked softly.

Ariana smiled her brilliant smile. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy.’

At her simple, sincere words, Luke stilled.

Everything they’d done together — surfing, sighting leopards and elephants, lazing back in hammocks stretched between shady palm trees, and drinking the local beer at midday, or the other local drink, fiery Arak, at sunset, making love again and again —

I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy.

He felt exactly the same way.

‘Ariana,’ he said urgently. ‘I want to see you again. When I get back to Australia.’

‘Oh, so do I.’ Then her eager, happy smile disappeared. ‘But you won’t want to see me again after…’

He stared at her. ‘After?’

‘After…you know…I take your emeralds.’

Luke laughed. ‘Ari, as truly impressed as I am with your confidence, don’t you think it’s time to give it up, and admit I won?’

She shook her head sadly.

They stared at each other for several long seconds.

Finally he grinned. ‘Okay, little enemy, we’ll take this battle down to the wire.’

* * *

Last boarding for QANTAS Flight 2485 to Melbourne, Australia.

They understood the last of the announcements, the one in English.

Ariana stared gravely at him. Was she remembering last night?

Images of her slim, lovely naked body floated into his mind…

Kissing her, stroking the soft skin of her breasts, her inner thighs. Flicking her hard pebbled nipples with his tongue, then lower to the firm little nub between her thighs. Her groan of delight, her forceful pushing him down and taking him into her mouth, slowly, so slowly. Her plump lips smiling against his cock, her pretty eyes smiling too, as her head rose and fell, till he couldn’t take it any more.

With a groan, he pulled her away, and almost threw her onto her back.
Fuck.
Luke pressed his forehead to Ariana’s, then reached for the condom.

He spread her thighs and thrust into her welcoming warmth with a frenzy he’d never known. And Ariana, his wonderful little enemy and very new ex-virgin, met his frenzy with every violent thrust of her slim hips.

The busy airport came back into focus.

Ariana’s shoulders drooped. ‘I guess we should say goodbye.’

Luke’s flight to Hong Kong, to meet the wealthy-beyond-belief artefact collector who wanted the emeralds at any price, was leaving in an hour.

‘Would you like to see the emeralds one last time?’ he asked.

She smiled. ‘Why not?’

‘So you admit you lost then?’

She shook her head, smiling sadly.

No point arguing with her. He withdrew from his suit’s inner pocket the two sparkling, priceless emeralds, wrapped now in in a square of fine, white silk. They both stared at the gems for long seconds in silence. At last he folded them into their silk home and replaced them in his pocket.

‘We’re not finished, Moonbeam,’ he whispered.

Tears filled her eyes. She slid her hands inside his suit coat and reached up to stroke his shoulders and the length of his back. Her lovely breasts pressed against his chest. He pulled her close and kissed her.

She drew away. ‘Goodbye, Luke.’

Before she turned, Luke saw her tears spill down her cheeks. Then she walked away, her hands in tight fists against her sides.

Luke waited till her plane took off. Waited till it rose into the air and headed south, on its long flight to Australia.

Ah well, on to Hong Kong then. His victory over Ariana felt hollow.

He waited in the VIP departure lounge and gulped his whiskey, trying to fight off his depression.

Final boarding calls to Hong Kong in three languages, standing, pulling down his coat, patting his pockets. Passport, credit cards…

He froze, then slowly patted the pocket where his gems were supposed to be. It wasn’t till he shoved his hand inside and pulled out the pocket’s lining that he admitted the truth.

Ariana had won.

‘Jason!’

Ariana threw herself into Jason’s arms and burst into tears.

‘Moonbeam! Oh, sweet Jesus, Moonbeam. What have I done? What did Luke Donahue do to you?’

She continued to sob, pressing her face into Jason’s narrow shoulder. He drew her inside his house and shut the door.

‘What happened, Moonbeam?’ Jason whispered, gently stroking her hair.

As she backed away to stop the stroking, she forced herself not to complain about the name. Luke could call her Moonbeam, and she loved it. Oh, okay, and Grandma too, she admitted grudgingly.

When she’d broken into floods of tears on Jason’s doorstep, she couldn’t have put into words exactly why she was crying. Was she just overwrought? Guilty at stealing from Luke? Relieved that Jason was okay now? Maybe all those things. But as she stared into Jason’s worried eyes, she knew the main reason.

She’d saved her best friend’s life. But she’d lost the man she loved.

‘Nobody hurt me. I’m fine, Jason,’ she said, wiping her eyes. He stared at her for long seconds. Then he nodded, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

She drew the precious parcel out of her handbag and shoved it into his outstretched hand. He unwrapped the square of white silk, and gazed down at the two beautiful, dark-green, glittering gems. His lips turned up in a smile. She’d always had trouble figuring out what Jason was thinking, but this time it was easy. As he raised his eyes to hers, she read triumph.

And that’s when two things happened at the same time.

Since she’d fallen onto Jason’s shoulder a minute ago, something had been bothering her. ‘How did you know I was with Luke?’

‘Fuck, boss, it worked. You got them!’

And out of the kitchen stepped Earnest.

Boss?

‘Ja…Jason, wh…what’s going on?’

Jason wrapped up the emeralds and passed them over to Earnest. ‘Make sure you put them in the safe right now, then book my flight to Hong Kong,’ he said sharply.

Earnest, still dressed in black, still tattooed all over, nodded respectfully. ‘No worries, Mr Hartfield. I’ll get onto it right away.’

Mr Hartfield?

With an apologetic nod of his head to her, Earnest hurried from the room. Dots of light flashed in front of her eyes.

‘Moonbeam,’ Jason said urgently, ‘you need to sit down.’

‘Ariana!’ she muttered. ‘My name is Ariana! Don’t…what…’

She staggered. She heard Jason roaring, ‘Earnest, get in here with some whiskey!’ He led her to a couch and she fell into it.

Earnest appeared almost immediately with the ordered bottle of whiskey and a glass. He poured a hefty slosh, then hunched down and pressed the glass carefully into her hands, making sure her grip was secure. ‘Boss,’ he said over his shoulder, ‘she’s as white as a sheet. I think—’

‘I don’t pay you to think. Go and book the flight,’ Jason snapped. ‘I’ll take care of her.’

Earnest stood and hurried back into the kitchen.

Ariana took a sip of the whiskey and choked. The dizziness disappeared, but she felt as if she were moving though a dense fog. She said slowly, trying to understand, ‘So this was all a set-up?’

Jason didn’t reply.

She wanted to kill him.

‘Ari, have some more whiskey. Then we’ll talk.’

Several beats of silence passed as she contemplated what she wanted to do to him. That’s when she knew he was right. She needed her strength. She drank.

‘Good girl.’

Ignoring his condescending, arrogant tone, Ariana gritted her teeth and took one more sip. Then she placed the glass on the small table beside the couch and took a deep breath. ‘Okay, Jason. I’m ready.’

Jason flicked narrowed eyes at her. Nodding, he sat down next to her, leaned against the back of the couch and spread his legs out in front of him. He stared at his intertwined fingers, resting them on his stomach.

‘I’m sorry, Ariana—’

‘You don’t sound too sorry to me,’ she snapped.

He laughed and glanced at her, his eyes cold now. ‘Maybe not so sorry.’ he agreed. ‘I figured you owed me.’ He frowned and sat up. ‘So long as Luke Donahue didn’t hurt you. He didn’t, did he?’

‘No,’ she said through her teeth. ‘And what do you mean, I owed you? What have I ever done to you?’

Jason stilled. Then he reached out and softly touched her face. She flinched. His hand dropped into his lap. He nodded slowly, his eyes bitter. ‘You didn’t love me, Ariana. I’ve loved you all my life.’

‘I did love you, Jason,’ she protested, touched in spite of her anger, ‘but as a friend—’

‘I never wanted to be your fucking friend,’ Jason snarled. He took a deep breath and relaxed back against the couch. ‘The whole idea came to me when I heard Luke Donahue and Bob Fetler talking about the map. You would steal it from him. He’d chase after you and catch you. He’d find the emeralds, and then you’d steal them back.’

That slight softening she’d felt toward Jason disappeared as he laid out his cold-blooded plans.

He laced his hands behind his head. His white business shirt stretched across his narrow chest. His cologne reached her nostrils in a sickening wave. If she ever smelled that fragrance in the future, she’d probably throw up.

‘Jason the Magnificent and His Lovely Assistant,’
Jason mused, smiling. ‘But you were every bit as good as I ever was.’

‘Thank you,’ she said sarcastically. ‘Can we get back to the story?’

He shrugged. ‘There’s not much to tell. I organised Earnest and his mates to act out that little scene for you. A bit of fake blood for effect.’ He smiled as he remembered.

Ariana stared in horror at the man she’d believed with all her heart was her best friend. He was proud of what he’d done to her. She took a huge breath, then forced herself to shut up. She needed to know everything, for she knew she’d never get another chance. She’d never see him again in this lifetime.

‘I knew Luke would come after you. He’d be pissed off with you, sure, when he found you, but he’s well known as a good bloke. I knew he’d look after you.’