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CHAPTER ONE Often one finds one’s destiny just where one hides to avoid it. —Chinese Proverb S LEEP. To Mei Lin Wang, the word was paradise, a prize more valued than the tiny staff cabin on Alexandra’s Dream that she’d had nearly to herself since the cruise ship’s other massage therapist had fallen ill and returned home. Sleep. She would never have enough of it. Someday when silver ran thick through her hair and she was free to do as she wished, she would nap in the sun, laze in the shade and rest while the moonlight washed over her. Not this late September morning, though. “Hush, my little warrior,” she murmured in her native tongue to her son, Wei, who fussed in the reed basket that served as both his crib and a secretive means of transport about the ship. Though he was nearly five months old and healthy, Wei remained small. Lin knew from poring over articles on the computer in the ship’s Internet café that since he was breast-fed, she shouldn’t be concerned, but she was a mother, an
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO LIN’S HANDS ACHED and her shoulders cried for a rest. What she wouldn’t give for a massage, except, of course, she was the sole massage therapist left in the Jasmine Spa, and thus the reason for her woes. At least part of her woes. Her aching breasts were no fault but her own for trying to hide poor Wei as though he were a package to be delivered from place to place instead of the child of her heart and soul. She needed to call Zhang and see if her friend could slip Wei into the calm of the private massage room for a quick feeding, since Lin had no time to make it to Zhang’s small closet of an office on the perimeter of the ship’s laundry. A guest had booked a last-minute massage through the spa’s receptionist, despite the fact that Lin had blocked out a thirty-minute break for herself, and she had been unable to tell Zhang of the change. Lingering in the spa’s entry, Lin glanced longingly at the receptionist’s phone and with less enthusiasm at Helga, the dragon who guarded
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE That afternoon, on an island somewhere off the coast of Italy ARIANA BENNETT might not have been exactly clear on her current location, but there were a few things that she knew for certain. First, once she was free of her captors, she would never, ever fail to appreciate the luxury of a lavender-scented bubble bath. Actually, at this point, she’d appreciate the luxury of using the facilities without someone listening on the other side of the door. More importantly, she had come to realize that she was not a peaceable woman. If it took murder to free her from this mess, murder she would commit. And really, murdering a member of the Camorra—assuming that’s what her captor was—hardly seemed a crime at all. Mafia was mafia, whether from Sicily, or in this case, Naples. And if he was a smuggler, well, that might make him a lesser star in the constellation of criminals, but he was clearly a kidnapper, too. Bottom line: if it came down to either her or her captor losing their l
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR Midnight…a safe house on the Isle of Capri WAS THERE SOME SORT of rule shared among the upper echelons of law enforcement that all crisis calls had to take place in the dark of night? Dante Colangelo snapped shut his cell phone, half wishing he could lob the cursed thing out the window and into the sea. He didn’t doubt the accuracy of the information his superiors had just given him. The Camorra had eyes on Capri, and it was quite possible that Ariana and he had been spotted. Logic compelled that now was the time to depart. Yet he was reluctant to wake Ariana Bennett and be confronted once again by the accusation and distrust in those blue eyes. He supposed he would have to shoulder some of the blame for that. After all, he’d kidnapped her, drugged her, lied to her and kept her in the dark, both literally and metaphorically. But this was his job, and he would do it to the very best of his ability. Of course, he wasn’t brimming with trust for his charge, either. Though she
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE At sea that same morning, somewhere in the Mediterranean ARIANA BENNETT counted her blessings, an act that took sadly little time to accomplish. First and foremost, she was thankful that Dante had removed her blindfold and untied her hands, both steps he’d had to take last night to get her out of her former jail and onto this new, floating prison. At least with the blindfold off, she could fix her vision on an object and lose the beginnings of the seasickness that plagued her as the boat—okay, yacht, as this was hardly a fishing vessel, with its carpet and fine wood finishes—rolled and heaved. Second, she was still alive. There had been a few minutes last night when she’d begun to doubt her intuition that this man didn’t really want to kill her. In fact, after one good shake from him, she’d been scared enough that she’d fallen silent and become cooperative. But today was a new day, and the anger that sustained her was simmering once again. “So, where are we?” she asked her
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX IF GIDEON WERE TO GRADE his day ashore for its effectiveness in removing Lin Wang from his thoughts, he’d have to mark it a total flameout of a failure. She was in his mind, and now on his skin. There was no denying that he wanted her in his bed. He wanted inside her; he could devour her whole. Except that he was a civilized man, a trait that he was proud of in most instances, but that chafed a bit just now. “Focus,” he reminded himself. As he did several times a day, Gideon paged through the incident reports logged into the ship’s security system. Lost passport…poolside slip and fall on the Artemis deck…spousal lockout, Hermes deck…stray baby… Gideon paused, then looked again. “Stray baby?” In his months aboard ship, this was the first time he’d seen that particular heading on an incident report. If it were a lost baby, he’d have heard well before now, but a stray baby? He moved his mouse and clicked on the detail button. Apparently, someone on the housekeeping staff had r
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN On a yacht somewhere in the Mediterranean “IS THERE STILL A SUN?” Ariana asked her captor as they sat in a windowless salon that she’d describe as being located somewhere in the yacht’s bowels, except that it really was a pretty attractive space. “Yes there is a sun, but do not ask to see it for yourself.” Close, but no cigar. What she was really shooting for was solitude. She glanced down at her very best friend—her iPod. Before Dante had shooed her from her cabin for breakfast and an unabridged game of Twenty Questions—with him as the questioner—she’d been making some progress with her father’s notes. “Could I ask, then, that I get maybe twenty minutes to myself? You know, a little alone time?” Did she imagine the brief flash of hurt that chased across his features? A knock sounded at the salon door. Dante rose and opened it a crack. Ariana tried to get a peek at whoever was on the other side, but Dante’s broad back made that impossible. He and the visitor held a conver
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT LIN STOOD JUST INSIDE the main doorway that led from the spa area to the Helios deck’s many outside offerings. Earlier, she had skipped dinner, eating only a bit of fruit, then nursing Wei just enough to ease some of the pressure she felt and some of the frustration that had him waving his arms about and screwing his little face into a pucker. Before leaving him in Zhang’s care, she had apologized to him for what they were both going through, and promised him a very long cuddle tonight. Nervous in a way that seemed almost silly for a twenty-six-year-old widow and mother of one, Lin touched her fingers to the pendant that Gideon had given her, seeking calm. She had arrived at their designated meeting point several minutes early for that very same reason. “Lin? Lin, is that really you?” Lin turned and smiled at Mrs. Saperstein, a woman who had been a frequent client on this cruise. “Hello, Mrs. Saperstein.” The older woman took Lin’s hand in her own and patted it. “Hello, y
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE “REMIND ME WHY I don’t usually go ashore in Antalya,” Zhang said the following noon after entering Lin’s cabin. Lin adjusted her grip on the bottle she was giving Wei. This morning he’d kindly decided to take one from her without first rooting at her breast in search of the real thing, then bemoaning his mother’s cruelty for failing him so. “Could it be the twenty-five miles each way on the bus to the city?” Lin asked. “Exactly. But it’s good that I took the trip.” “You heard from your contacts, then?” As Zhang had expected, there had been no return e-mail from China while they’d been in Bodrum. Zhang nodded. “I have news, though it’s not the news I’d like to give you. It has been confirmed firsthand…. Wei Chan’s parents know about baby Wei.” Lin looked down at her child, so innocent and so unaware of the turmoil around him. If only she could shelter him completely. It wasn’t until a tear hit his face and he flinched that she even realized she was crying. “How could this h
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN THE MEDIEVAL WALLS surrounding the Old City of Rhodes hid a maze that rivaled Lin’s knotted thoughts the following morning. Since the port was within walking distance of all one could need, both she and Zhang had decided to steal away for a short shopping excursion for necessaries. As she and her friend crossed under St. Catherine’s Gate and into the Old City proper, they made their plans. Zhang needed an Internet café since she was not in a position to move about as freely as Lin when on the ship. Wei required some more powdered formula and a new pacifier, since his had gone missing sometime yesterday evening before Lin had returned to her cabin. Zhang, Awa and Cambro had retraced their steps, but to no avail. Wei was becoming one unhappy little warrior. Lin’s search was more personal in nature. She sought everything necessary to seduce a man. She was accepting of her own charms. Her body was nice enough that many men looked twice, and her hair remained her secret pride. B
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN IT SEEMED THAT ONE BREATH at a time might be too much to ask. Though Lin’s body was sated, her mind still whirled. She wasn’t sure if she should have run from Gideon before making love with him last night, or if she should run back into his arms this morning. All she knew for certain was that her world had changed. Slipping from his bed, well before dawn, to return to her cabin had been difficult. She had loved the feel of his arms around her. Loved it far too much. Now, when she should have been preparing her massage room for her nine o’clock client, she instead found herself instinctively seeking the peace of the ship’s library. The posh space was lovely, with its thick carpet underfoot, display cases of antiquities, comfortable chairs and trove of books. To Lin, it seemed a bit desolate. She still expected to have Ariana greet her with her broad smile and eyes a rich blue Lin was sure she’d never see again…until she saw Ariana. She would not give up the hope. There wa
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE “ONE BREATH IN…One breath out…” Lin instructed Zhang. Heaven knew she was qualified to give advice on finding one’s center. Her final cruise aboard Alexandra’s Dream had begun. Lin was feeling something like optimism. Zhang, on the other hand, was feeling something like exhaustion. More than any other group aboard ship, housekeeping bore the sting of back-to-back cruises, which left little time to turn the rooms of departing passengers, let alone give the ship the sparkle and polish for which it was renowned. It was now nearly six, and the ship was due to leave the port of Piraeus. Most assuredly all were aboard who were coming aboard. Zhang lay facedown on the spare bed in Lin’s cabin. Lin lay on the other bed next to Wei, who was showing his prodigious strength by pushing himself up on his wobbly arms. “Soon our little warrior will be walking,” Lin said to Zhang. “Not before next week, I hope,” Zhang mumbled into the pale blue bedspread. “I’ll never keep up with him.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN “YOU ARE LATE,” Helga the dragon announced as Lin rushed past her desk. “I know I am!” “Wait!” Lin spun back to face the receptionist. “I took the liberty of saving your skinny bottom and rescheduled your nine o’clock appointment for seven-thirty, tonight,” Helga said. “You will not mind working later when it is your own fault, will you?” How well the dragon delivered a lecture from behind those sharp teeth…. “Thank you,” Lin said, though it galled her to have to do so. Still, Helga had been correct. She had overslept, unwilling to rouse once sleep had finally claimed her. For a brief time this morning, she had even considered calling in sick for the entire cruise. Impossible, but tempting… Lin took two steps away from the desk, but then Helga reeled her back with another command to wait. Lin knew the receptionist enjoyed this game. Normally, she was willing to play along, too, but not today. She edged away. “So you don’t want to hear about your visitor?” Lin halted an
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN GIDEON WAS DREAMING AGAIN, but not of mice. In his sleep he saw Lin, arms tied behind her back and a white cloth over her face, ready to die before a firing squad. And because this was a dream—and only a dream, thank God—Rachel blocked his way when he tried to rescue her. “This is your destiny,” Rachel said. Not Lin’s destiny, but his: to lose those that he loved. Gideon bolted awake. The bedcovers were tangled around his legs, and not to put too fine a point on it, he was in a sweat. As long as he was awake, though, he might as well get on with his day. They’d be making port in Dubrovnik this morning, and he wanted to be sure that Sean Brady stuck close to Father Connelly, who was giving a church tour. Gideon had just turned on the light and climbed out of bed with the intention of taking a shower when he heard a quiet rapping at his door. Just like the last time, when he peeked through he saw Lin. She was already dressed for work. Unlike last time, he didn’t bother t
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN A WOMAN COULD NOT hide forever. Or, Lin supposed, in her case, even for a few blissful months. Tempted by the calm, reflective waters of the Jasmine pool, Lin slipped off her sandals and sat at the pool’s edge, letting her feet dangle into the warm water. Was it so wrong to want to stand on one’s own? Was that so much to ask of destiny? She had withstood Wei Chan’s death, the arduous months of her lonely pregnancy, and even the constant fear of her child being discovered aboard ship. She had stood fast in the face of Dima Ivanov’s threats and had even managed not to shrink from her in-laws’ first attempts at coercion. But just when her goal of reaching Paris had seemed close, Ji and Quio Chan had outmaneuvered her. They could and would see her made a woman with no nation. There would be no waiting them out, no hoping they would simply disappear. They had set forth their battle plan, and she could find no flaw in it. Lin imagined her life in Jiangsu. She would never be a
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN THE TIME FOR E-MAILS had passed. Thankful for the advent of satellite communication, Gideon dialed his friend, Alec, first thing the next morning. He was put through almost immediately, instead of having to negotiate the usual hierarchy of aides and assistants. Apparently, his name still carried some weight, and for Lin he would gladly use that leverage. “Gideon?” Alec said. He smiled at that ever-so-Oxford accent. Alec hadn’t changed a bit. “Yes.” “Damn long time since I’ve heard from you. How are you holding up?” “Well,” he said, and realized that for the first time in a long while, it wasn’t a lie. “It’s time to talk out of school, my friend.” Alec hesitated only a beat. “Your Chinese friends, I take it.” “Yes. Have you tripped across anything more about Ji and Quio Chan?” “Actually, I have. I was going to write to you later today.” “What’s the news?” “Two ugly words, Gideon. Baby trafficking.” “The Chans?” “From what I’ve discovered, they once financed an operation
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN LIN WAS QUITE SURE that a wax mannequin of herself would have more energy than she did at that moment. It was as though the cumulative strain of the past several days had emptied her of all that was real, leaving only an anatomically accurate, though soulless, shell. Gideon’s accusations last night had finished off her heart. She’d been restless the night through, and it seemed that her crisis had communicated itself to Wei, for he’d awakened more frequently than usual. Sleep had been a rare commodity. Gideon, who now sat across from her at the outdoor table at the Bistro Siga Siga in Corfu Town, looked no better. “Shall we go through the plan again?” he asked with the politeness one reserved for a stranger. Stop! Lin wanted to cry. Be the man I knew before last night! But since she would be begging for the impossible, she simply assured him that she knew what had to be said to the Chans. “I’ll be waiting inside, then,” Gideon said, then rose and left. Exhausted, Lin
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
EPILOGUE
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