'Castellano will be dangerous for you,' Gideon said slowly. 'The
Julio shrugged. 'So? I know Castellano like the back of my hand, and I have friends everywhere.'
'Some in very high places.' Gideon took a sip of his drink. 'One of them paid me a visit the day before I left Mariba. Alessandra sends her regards.'
Julio smiled. 'Oh, she contacted you? I gave her your name and she thinks you would be an excellent distributor. She thought I was a little too close to the revolutionary forces to trust with it. Did you come to an agreement?'
Gideon nodded. 'I accepted her offer. How could I refuse?'
Julio's expression softened. 'You couldn't, my friend. Not in a million years. That's why I sent her to you.' He pushed back his chair and stood up. 'I'll meet you at the airport in an hour. Miss Spaulding is going with us?'
'Yes, of course,' Serena said quickly.
A faint smile tugged at Julio's lips. 'There's no 'of course' about it. Not many women would want to plunge into a revolution on an island like Castellano. Remind me to introduce you to my old friend Kate Lantry sometime. I think you'd have a great deal in common.' He bowed and gave her the same blindingly sensual smile he had given the blond on the dance floor. Serena had a shrewd idea that sensuality came as naturally as breathing to him, for when he spoke, his tone was casually platonic. 'You're both lovely and have a habit of going after what you want. It will be like old times.'
Then he was gone, skirting both the dance floor and the blond as he made his way to the entrance of the club.
'You're right. He's very unusual,' Serena said with a thoughtful frown as she gazed after Rodriguez. 'But I think I like him.'
'Most women do,' Gideon said diyly. 'Most men, too, for that matter. Probably the reason he's one of my best friends is that when Julio's around, I'm never bored. Are you ready to leave?'
'In a minute.' Her gaze lowered to rest on the glass of wine in front of her. 'Who is Alessandra?' She could feel his gaze on her face, but she refused to look up. 'Or isn't it any of my business?'
'I don't have any business that's not your business,' Gideon said softly. 'We were talking about Alessandra Karpathan. Perhaps you've heard of her.
Heaven knows her wedding to Sandor Karpathan and his election to the presidency of Tamrovia were all over the papers a year ago.'
Her glance lifted to his in surprise. 'I remember seeing something about it at the time. What was she doing in Castellano?'
'It seems that the lady has a pet charity project. She visits oppressed and war-torn countries and sets up a distribution chain of money and food to needy children. She usually chooses someone with contacts, but no close political affiliations, to carry out the distribution.' His lips twisted wryly. 'I was perfectly willing to go along with her plans, but she picked a damnably inconvenient time to make her appearance. I could hardly wait to get rid of her the afternoon you arrived.'
Serena felt a rush of relief as she realized the woman Gideon had escorted to her limousine that afternoon was not a lover, but a partner in a charitable enterprise. She hadn't admitted even to herself until this moment how the shadowy memory of the magnificently sensual woman had bothered her. 'I think I caught sight of her for a moment on the patio. She's very attractive.'
'Yes, and she has a mind like a steel trap.' Gideon's tone was abstracted as he stood up. 'I think we'd better leave now. I have a few arrangements to make with Ross by phone before we meet Julio.'
Serena quickly rose. 'I'll go change and meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes.'
Gideon nodded. 'Fine. I'll change after I make my call and see about finding a gun. I haven't needed one since the early days on Castellano.'
'You don't have to get one for me. I brought a thirty-two revolver with me. I packed it in a suitcase I checked through. The customs officer in Castellano just waved me through.'
He looked a little startled. 'Do you always take a gun with you when you travel?'
'Rarely. These circumstances were a bit different,' she said calmly. 'But I always keep one at the cottage and you'll find I'm moderately competent. I've been a woman on my own for a good many years. It was only sensible to learn how to protect myself.'
Gideon took her elbow and began to propel her across the dance floor toward the entrance. 'Very sensible.'
'Then why were you so shocked?'
'I guess I'm not so much shocked as uneasy,' he said thoughtfully. 'It reminded me how much we still have to learn about each other. I seem to have known you forever, yet we've only just scratched the surface.' His clasp tightened on her arm. 'Well, I imagine we'll find out a hell of a lot more about each other once we get back to Castellano. A situation like this one has a way of stripping us bare of all our protective barriers. And maybe that won't be such a bad thing.'
Six
'What in heaven's name is wrong, Gideon?' Serena asked. She had been conscious of the tension radiating from Gideon ever since they had landed in a tiny glade in the middle of the rain forest. At first, she had paid little attention to it; she had been pretty tense herself, and the heavy blackness of the junglelike forest hadn't helped to alleviate it. But the emotion gripping Gideon was somehow… different, and seemed to be increasing every second as they followed Julio through the tropical foliage.
'Nothing. ' Gideon's voice was hoarse, oddly tight. 'I just don't happen to care for this kind of terrain. It brings back too many memories of Nam.' He drew a deep, shuddering breath. 'I can't
The air was unquestionably hot and humid, but Serena was having no trouble breathing. She slipped her hand into Gideon's in silent support.
'Who knows? But I'm willing to follow him nearly anywhere after that landing. I was sure he was going to crack up. That field was hardly larger than a postage stamp.'
Gideon nodded. 'He's a fantastic pilot. Let's hope he's an equally fantastic guide. We don't have time to get lost in this damn forest.'
'You malign me,' Julio said reproachfully. He was leaning against the bole of a huge rain tree a few yards ahead of them. He flicked the beam of his flashlight up to see their faces. 'You should know by now that I'm fantastic at anything I turn my hand to, Gideon. I know exactly where we are.'
'Good, then you can tell me when we're going to get out of this damn rain forest,' Gideon said.
The smile left Julio's face. 'I'm sorry, Gideon, I forgot about Na Peng. This forest was the safest place for the two of you to wait, until I could contact Ross. Shall we scratch it, and go on to the fishing village instead?'
'No.' Gideon's hand unconsciously tightened on Serena's. 'That would be criminally self-indulgent of me. Just get us out of here as soon as you can.'
'I will. Wait here.' Julio disappeared behind a bank of thick shrubbery and immediately emerged with a ladder. He set it against the rain tree and turned to face them. 'Climb up and make yourself comfortable. I'll go on to the village and meet with Ross. I should be back in a few hours.'
'Make ourselves comfortable in a
Julio chuckled. 'I forgot to tell you there was a tree house behind those overhanging branches.
Kate and I built it when we first came to Castellano. I assure you it's quite habitable. Kate even lived there for a while. For the past two years we've been using it as a refuge for political prisoners we managed to rescue from the hands of the junta. Sometimes it was days before it was safe to land a plane and get them off the island.' He turned away. 'Be sure you close the shades before you light the lamp. The foliage of the rain tree is fairly dense, but you don't want to take the chance of being seen.' The last words were barely audible as Julio faded into the forest. Dressed in dark jeans and a black flight jacket, he immediately became one with the shadows. Serena would never have believed that the colorful Julio she had first seen at the hotel could be so quickly transformed into the
