The Jason ranch house was a gem of a Spanish hacienda with a rambling white stucco facade. Exquisite wrought iron grillwork fronted the windows and there was a beautiful courtyard, complete with a graceful fountain. The interior was just as lovely, furnished in beauty and comfort, but still retaining a warm, glowing hominess. Or perhaps the glow was provided by Jenny and the inhabitants of the gracious hacienda, Tamara thought, with a touch of wistfulness.
That evening she enjoyed a magnificent meal provided by Jenny's cook, Mike Novacek, who seemed to be more family than employee. She even met Mike's wife, Connie, a sandy-haired beauty with a superb figure and the warmth and gentleness that seemed to be inherent in the people living in this wonderful house. Connie was acting as nanny for Jenny's son, Sean, and was utterly besotted with the two-year-old pixie. Tamara could readily see why when she met the young heir. His golden hair, silver eyes, and smile that would melt an iceberg made her his immediate slave.
It was eleven-thirty when Tamara and Jenny left the ranch and almost midnight before they reached the outskirts of Lucky Creek. Tamara's apprehension had been growing by leaps and bounds during the drive.
As Jenny parked the Mercedes in a grove of cotton- woods a little distance from the town itself, Tamara ventured a tentative comment. 'It looks deserted. Perhaps it was just a practical joke after all.'
Jenny shook her head, her silver eyes shining with excitement as they searched the deserted streets and ramshackle wooden buildings for signs of life. 'I'm sure it was legitimate. Don't be discouraged. A coven wouldn't exactly advertise its presence. It's not their style. We'll just have to do some reconnoitering until we find where they're meeting.' She quickly jumped out of the car and set off briskly toward the main street of the ghost town.
Tamara followed more slowly, a wry smile curving her lips. Discouraged! She would have liked nothing better than to give up this little adventure and was fervently berating herself for the impulse that had led her to give in to Jenny's persuasions. This desolate and deserted place filled her with a nameless uneasiness. The dark, gaping windows seemed to be watching them as they made their way down the overgrown, rutted main street, and there was an odd aura of something waiting beyond those dark windows and boarded-up doors.
Tamara shivered uncontrollably, and Jenny glanced at her curiously. 'Are you cold?' she asked. 'Perhaps you'd better go back to the car and get a jacket. There's no telling how long it will take to run down our hosts at this little clambake.' Jenny seemed to feel none of the chilling emanations that were plaguing Tamara, and her voice was cheerful.
Tamara shook her head and made an effort to shrug off the cold lethargy that was beginning to invade her. 'I'm fine,' she said lightly. 'Perhaps a goose walked over my grave.' She made a face. 'Speaking of graveyards, this has got to be the spookiest place it's ever been my misfortune to encounter. I can't understand your fascination with ghost towns, I'm sorry to say.'
'Do you find it frightening?' Jenny asked, her eyes widening in surprise. 'I think these old towns are just wonderful.' She gazed around with infinite satisfaction. 'They have such a lovely, nostalgic atmosphere.'
'I guess I'm becoming a bit imaginative,' Tamara said, her violet eyes twinkling. 'It goes with the territory when you've lived all your life with a psychic like Aunt Elizabeth.'
They'd come almost to the end of the street without seeing any signs of life, much to Tamara's fervent relief. Perhaps a little further search and she could persuade Jenny to return to the car and leave this weird place.
'There it is!' Jenny clutched her arm suddenly and pointed to a building on their left with a broken seesaw in the front yard.
'But that's a schoolhouse,' Tamara protested, with an obscure sense of shock. 'And it seems as deserted as all the other buildings.'
'It was a schoolhouse,' Jenny whispered, her voice tense with excitement. 'But that was over a hundred years ago. It would be ideal as a meeting place for any large group. Besides, I'm sure I saw a flicker of light at that right front window. Come on, let's see if we can get closer.'
She was already moving silently toward the window and Tamara reluctantly followed her. The window was almost completely covered by a thick layer of dust and for a moment Tamara could see nothing. Then, with a chill chasing down her spine, she saw the flickering lights Jenny had mentioned.
'They must have candles,' Jenny whispered in her ear. 'Can you hear anything they're saying?'
Tamara shook her head. The barely distinguishable figures in the room were curiously shapeless and their voices almost entirely inaudible.
Suddenly the door opened and a large, black-robed figure stepped outside, not ten feet from where Jenny and Tamara crouched. Her heart suddenly pounding in her breast, Tamara groped for Jenny's hand and began pulling her away. Despite her earlier excitement, Jenny showed no reluctance to leave now.
The figure had turned slightly so that his back was partially to them, and Tamara and Jenny hurried down the street as quietly as they could. By the time they could see the glimmer of the shiny, cream- colored Mercedes, they were practically running. Tamara fully expected to hear the sounds of pursuit behind them any second.
Jenny reached the driver's side of the car several yards ahead of her, and fumbled at the door while Tamara tore around the hood of the car to the passenger door.
'Ugh!' The pained masculine grunt as she rammed full steam into a hard male body sent her into a panic. Instinctively, she knotted her fist and punched with all her strength. The man's torso was iron hard, but she must have hurt him for he staggered against the side of the car. She had only a moment to feel a sense of smug satisfaction before he straightened, grabbed her by both arms, and shook her until her head flopped like a rag doll.
'You damn little idiot, what the hell do you think you're doing?'
'Rex?' she gasped unbelievingly, but there was time for no more.
They suddenly heard a shout coming from the direction of the schoolhouse. Tamara looked over her shoulder to see a number of dark figures with flickering candles, moving down the main street in their direction.
Rex swore violently and tugged open the passenger door. 'Take off, Jenny,' he said sharply. 'I'll bring Tamara in my Ferrari. We'll meet you at the turnoff for the ranch.' He slammed the door and the Mercedes took off like a Grand Prix contender.
Rex grabbed Tamara's arm and urged her into a dead run to where the yellow Ferrari was parked by the road. She could hear him cursing steadily under his breath all the way to the car, and he almost pushed her into the passenger seat before jumping in the driver's side and taking off with a screech of tires. They nearly went off the road as he made a U-turn and took off after the Mercedes.
Tamara looked back over her shoulder and her breath caught as she saw that their pursuers had reached the spot where the Ferrari had been parked just a moment before. Then the shadowy figures disappeared as the car clocked over ninety miles an hour.
With a sigh of relief she sat back in her seat. 'I can't see them any more.'
'We're not home free yet,' Rex said coolly. 'They might decide to get their cars and chase after us,'
'Do you think they will?' Tamara asked anxiously, biting her lip. The last twenty minutes had been a nightmare. Now all she wanted to do was wake up into the bright daylight of sanity.
He shrugged. 'Time will tell.' His foot pressed down on the accelerator and the sports car's speed increased.
They were right behind Jenny when she pulled over to the side of the road at the turnoff for the ranch. Rex halted the Ferrari and opened his door. 'Stay here!' he ordered.
He crossed to Jenny's car and spoke to her for a moment, then returned to the Ferrari. Jenny's Mercedes had already made the turn and was speeding in the direction of the ranch when Rex put his car in gear and drove back onto the road, heading in the direction of Las Vegas.
'Aren't we going to the ranch with Jenny?' Tamara asked, startled.
'No, we are not,' Rex said emphatically. 'I told Jenny we'd phone her from the apartment.' He drew a deep breath. 'Now please shut up and let me cool down. I'm on the brink of shaking you until your teeth rattle.'
Tamara was about to remind him angrily that he already had when she glanced at his expression, illuminated dimly by the dashboard lights, and decided to hold her tongue. She'd never seen him so angry. His face was hard and taut with rage. There was a tiny muscle jerking in his jaw, and the dark eyes were positively blazing. She noticed he was wearing the white shirt and dark suede pants in which he usually performed. He must have left directly after the show without even stopping to change.
It was the first time since the night she'd met him that he'd shown her the tough ruthlessness beneath his easy charm; she had to admit to herself she was a little intimidated. The rest of the drive was made in silence that made Tamara distinctly uneasy.
When they entered the apartment, Rex said curtly, 'Go into the living room. I’ll join you after I call Jenny.'
Tamara wandered into the luxurious, white-carpeted room and strolled to the bar at its far end. She was trying to decide if she really wanted anything to drink when Rex strode in. He didn't share her indecisiveness. He stalked immediately to the bar and poured himself a double.
'Is Jenny okay?' Tamara asked hesitantly. The cooling-off period Rex had mentioned evidently hadn't succeeded in improving his temper. It was clear it was still at a white-hot pitch.
He drank half the whiskey down in one swallow. 'Jenny is always all right,' he said, with a grimace. 'It's everybody around her who goes through hell.'
'That's not fair!' Tamara retorted defensively. 'How did we know there would be trouble at Lucky Creek tonight? We were just going to look around a bit and then get out before anyone saw us.'
He crashed his glass down on the bar. 'You wandered blindly into a deserted ghost town at midnight, not knowing what creeps or weirdos you might run into! What kind of wide-eyed idiots are you?' His mouth tightened. 'Or perhaps you did it deliberately. You were mad as hell with me at breakfast. Was your little jaunt a ruse to worry me half out of my mind?'
'No!' Tamara cried, shocked. 'I was angry at you, but I only wanted to get away for a little while. I never intended any of this to happen. How did you know where we'd gone?'
'Elementary, my dear Watson,' Rex quoted caustically. 'When you didn't show at the apartment for dinner, I just thought you were still upset. It wasn't until you missed the show that I began to get worried. I went back to the apartment to look for a note and after rummaging around, I found Jenny's ghost- town map.' He took another long swallow of whiskey. 'You'll be pleased to know that you scared the hell out of me. You see, I'd had Scotty check out that group with the local authorities in case they tried to make a nuisance of themselves. It seems they're not a legitimate coven at all. Most of them are affluent jet-setter types out to get a few kinky thrills by having their orgies and cocaine parties under the guise of a satanic cult.' He looked up, his dark gaze stabbing into her. 'Do I have to tell you what they had in mind for you when they sent that invitation?'
'No,' she said, feeling suddenly a little sick. Rex was right. She and Jenny had been insane to take such a terrible risk. It had all seemed so safe and amusing when Jenny had suggested it, but now she wondered how she could have been so abysmally naive.
'Then the climax to the entire lousy evening,' Rex continued silkily. 'After driving hell for leather through the desert to rescue you, I arrive at the scene only to be
