He shrugged. 'The island is a Sedikhan possession and so is most of the real estate on it. That's not widely known since Alex purchased it only two years ago, so Baldwin shouldn't learn that you're sitting squarely in the lion's mouth until it snaps shut.'
'Charming,' she said. 'I suppose I should have suspected something. The deal was much too generous for a singer who is still struggling on the bottom rungs of the ladder.' She laughed mirthlessly. 'I was very excited about it, you know. I thought I was getting somewhere at last.'
'You'll get there. You're extraordinarily talented. After your stint here, I'll arrange for you to meet a few people who'll be glad to help.' He smiled grimly. 'I'll just call in a few debts.'
'Bribery?' She felt the color rush to her cheeks. 'Just close my eyes and be rewarded with a payoff? No, thank you, Mr. Donahue.'
'I didn't mean it like that,' he snapped. 'I just wanted to help.'
'Well, I don't want to help you,' she said hotly. 'And I'm not about to. Tomorrow I'll take the first flight back to Miami. This engagement is now officially at an end.'
'That's your last word on it?' Clancy asked calmly.
She nodded. 'I won't be used by you. I won't be used by anyone, dammit.'
He stood up. 'You will, you know. I'll just have to find another trap to bait.' He turned and walked toward the door. 'Good night, Miss Landon.'
Her hands clenched at her sides. 'He may not even come,' she burst out in exasperation.
He opened the door. 'You underestimate yourself. Baldwin will come.' He paused, and for an instant something flickered in his eyes,that sent a tremor through her. 'I would.' He softly closed the door behind him.
When Clancy left the dressing room he proceeded directly to his villa. He dialed Alex's private number as soon as he reached the study. It was answered almost at once, as he'd thought it would be. Since the terrorist situation had taken on such dangerous proportions in Sedikhan, Alex often burned the midnight oil.
'Alex? I may need you to pull some diplomatic strings in the U.S. I'll try to cover myself as much as possible, but it may get a bit dicey.'
'Baldwin?' Alex asked. 'That shouldn't be too difficult. He has both drug smuggling and assault with intent to kill charges pending against him in Miami.'
'Not Baldwin.' Clancy hesitated. 'His ex-wife. I m going to kidnap her.'
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. 'Kidnap an American cjtizen? I can see how that could get a little dicey. You're sure it's necessary?'
'It's necessary,' Clancy said. 'I just thought I'd warn you in case I have to send out a Mayday.'
'Is she collaborating with Baldwin?'
'No, of course not. She wouldn't-' He broke off. He sounded as defensive as Galbraith had earlier, he realized with exasperation. He finished lamely, 'She's not involved.'
'Oh, you're going to kidnap an
'I can handle it.'
'I sincerely hope so,' Alex drawled. 'You wouldn't consider giving up your little captive in the interest of diplomacy?'
'I would not.'
'I didn't think so.' Alex's tone was slightly whimsical. 'All right, Clancy. Make off with your little houri. I'll take the flak if it comes down to it. Enjoy.'
'Enjoy!' Clancy said. 'Dammit, this is business
… your business.'
'Is it?' Alex murmured softly. 'Somehow I have my doubts about that. If I can help, let me know. If I'd found it necessary with Sabrina, I would probably have done the same thing. Keep in touch.' The dial tone sounded as Alex hung up.
Clancy slowly replaced the receiver. Damn Alex, anyway. They were so close that it had always been impossible to deceive him even if he succeeded in deceiving himself.
Alex was right. His primary reason for keeping Lisa Landon on Paradise Cay had altered drastically in the brief time in her dressing room. Yethow could he explain to Alex what he didn't understand himself? His responses had always been firmly under his control until that spotlight had suddenly highlighted Lisa Landon's serene figure sitting on the tiny stage. Now he didn't know how to sort out what he was feeling. Admiration for her integrity mixed with sympathy, jealousy, posses-siveness, desire-and anger at her ability to arouse and confuse him to this extent.
He had never lied to himself, and he wasn't about to start now. Even if Lisa hadn't been the key to capturing Baldwin, he would still have found a way to see that she stayed here. What was he thinking? He'd been exposed to Alex's Eastern temperament too long. He wasn't an impulsive boy like Galbraith; he was a mature man. He couldn't just grab a woman and expect her not to cause an uproar. He would have to be gentle and patient and let her become accustomed to the idea that she belonged- He was doing it again, dammit. She didn't belong to him. She was an independent woman.
He strolled restlessly to the French doors and out into the courtyard. The night air was soft and fragrant with hibiscus and honeysuckle. Would she like it here? She was rather like a flower herself- soft and fragrant, yet with a quiet strength that revealed her sturdy roots. He would like to see her in this serene oasis with its mosaic fountain and flowering shrubs… or better still, in his garden at home in Marasef. He shook his head ruefully. Now he sounded like his old friend David Bradford, with his gardener's passion for flowers. This was evidently his night for behaving out of character.
He was a man of action, not a poet or a gardener. He straightened his shoulders and turned back to the house.
And now it was time for him to do what he did best. Lisa had said she was leaving in the morning, and that meant there wasn't much time to accomplish his purpose. He'd have to phone Galbraith and Berthold and give orders and instructions. There'd be no trouble with Galbraith, but Berthold might balk. He showed definite signs of becoming a problem. The easy life did that to some people. Clancy's pace quickened with brisk determination as he entered the library. His former weariness was forgotten as he headed for the phone on the desk. There wasn't time to indulge himself to that extent. He had a kidnapping to arrange.
Two
The warm night air was like a gentle caress against her cheek, and the moonlight silvered the dark waters of the surf beneath her balcony with an exquisite radiance. It was winter in New York now, Lisa remembered with a shiver. She had always hated winter. What would it be like to live forever on an island where winter never came? Wearily she brushed back a lock of hair from her temple. She would never know, and it was foolishly fanciful even to wonder. Singing engagements on tropical islands came very rarely. She had been elated when her agent had told her about the offer of this job on Paradise Cay, and she'd jumped at the chance to get away from the snows and slush of New York.
Well, it was obvious she had jumped too readily at the carrot Clancy Donahue had dangled before her. Martin again. Would she never be free of him?
Sometimes she felt he would always be there, casting a dark shadow, igniting memories of Tommy- No, she mustn't think. As long as she didn't think, that part of her remained frozen and blessedly painless. She had fought hard to gain that shield of ice, that forgetfulness. If she'd been forced to yield laughter and a zest for life in exchange, she still regarded it as a fair trade.
The phone rang and she started in surprise. It was after midnight and she knew no one who would call at this hour.
Except Martin.
For the past three years, Martin had called her at all hours of the day or night from whatever part of the world he happened to be in. It had done no good to change her telephone number; he always found out the new one eventually. She wouldn't answer it at all, she thought with swift panic. But she knew she would. She always did. She turned and strode swiftly to the bedside table in her room and picked up the receiver. 'Hello.'
