Across the River of Yesterday (13 page)

“How can you stop it?”

He tried to smile. “I’m a steamroller, remember? I’ll roll right over them.” He lifted her chin. “For heaven’s sake, don’t cry. I don’t think I could take it.”

“He’s only twenty-one years old.” Serena’s voice was shaking. “I’ve always tried to take care of him. I’m so scared I’ve failed him this time.”

“You haven’t failed anyone. All this is my fault, not yours.” Gideon’s lips tightened. “And I’ll be the one to set it right.” His hands dropped away from her and he took a step back. “Run along and pack a change of clothes. You’ll need jeans, tennis
shoes, and a light jacket. We’ll want to be ready to go right after we contact Julio.”

“Who is Julio?”

“That’s an interesting question,” Ross said dryly. “Julio Rodriguez is something of an enigma. I’m not sure anyone knows who or what he is, but he’s definitely interesting.”

“He’s the revolutionary leader?” Serena asked.

Gideon nodded. “In a manner of speaking. Julio’s position is a little complicated. I’ll send word to him to meet us at my hotel on the other side of the island. Julio prefers crowds.”

“Will he help us?”

“He damn well better. He was the one who told me Dane would be safe for the next month.” Gideon smiled grimly. “Oh, yes, he’ll help us. We’ll have dinner in the hotel dining room and then go to the nightclub afterward. He’ll be at either one or the other.” His gaze searched her face. “Will you be all right alone? I’m going to have Ross drop me at the hotel so that I can set up the meeting with Julio.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll do your packing too.” Lord knew she needed something to do to keep her mind off Dane’s dangerous situation. “Is there any other way I can help?”

He shook his head. “I’ll be back in a few hours and pick you up to take you to the hotel. Try to take a nap. I don’t know how much rest we’ll get once we contact Julio.”

“How do you expect me to—” She broke off. Even to her own ears her voice had sounded half hysterical. She mustn’t fall apart. Gideon was right. There was no telling how far their resources would
be stretched before this was over. “I’ll try. Good-bye, Gideon.” She started up the stairs.

Gideon stood at the foot of the stairs and watched her until she disappeared from view.

“She took it very well,” Ross said soberly. “Damn, I hated to bring her news like that.”

“Why? None of it was your responsibility. I’m the one who gave the orders and made the decisions. I’m the one she’s going to hate, if anything happens to him.” His skin was drawn tightly over his cheekbones and the expression in his eyes was sick. “But no more than I’ll hate myself.” He turned to the door. “Come on, let’s get moving. There’s no way I’m going to let Mendino do this.”

“
That’s
your hunted revolutionary, skulking among the shadows?” Serena shook her head in bewilderment as she tried to catch another glimpse of Julio Rodriguez among the crowd on the dance floor. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“Julio is no joke—just a bit unusual.” Gideon took a sip of his bourbon. “He’s definitely a free spirit in more ways than one. As for being hunted, the
guardia
of Castellano has agents who would be overjoyed to assassinate him, but as long as he doesn’t allow himself to be caught off guard, he’s safe enough on Santa Isabella. He’s one of the island’s wealthiest citizens and owns a private air charter service and several coffee plantations here.”

“If all his property and interests are here, why is he trying to overthrow the government of Castellano?”

“His old friend, Consuela Jimínez, was raped and murdered by the
guardia
two years ago,”
Gideon said grimly. “Since then, he’s supplied money, arms, and transportation to the rebels on a regular basis. He may be a little unconventional, but if anyone can arrange to get Dane out of Mariba, it will be Julio.”

“Dear heaven, I hope so,” she whispered. Then misgivings bombarded her again as the crowd parted and she caught another glimpse of Julio Rodriguez. She didn’t know how she could have lost sight of him even for a moment. He was almost six feet five and his apparel stood out like a neon sign among the dark tuxedos of the other men on the dance floor. He wore scarlet trousers that hugged his buttocks and thighs with loving detail and a white silk shirt unbuttoned almost to his waist. The gold chain encircling his tan throat glittered as he undulated opposite an elegantly gowned blond. He was shockingly different from the sleek, expensively dressed patrons of the nightclub. “I gather you don’t have a dress code here.”

“Julio has an exemption,” Gideon said. “He can be very persuasive.”

Serena could believe it. The blond with whom he danced was looking up at him as if she were starving, and he was prime rib with all the trimmings. There was no question that Julio Rodriguez was very attractive. He was very Latin, and darkly handsome. His flashing white smile managed to be sensual and endearing at the same time. “Let’s hope that he puts his persuasion to good use with Mendino.”

“I don’t think persuasion will be the order of the day,” Gideon said as he caught Julio’s eye and
motioned to him. “He’s seen us; he should be right over.”

Serena saw Julio bow elegantly to the disappointed blond, smile with enough wattage to light up New York City, and then start to make his way through the crowd. He walked as gracefully as he danced, and as he drew closer she realized he was probably older than she had first thought, perhaps in his late twenties. She found she was becoming accustomed to his outrageous garb and it no longer jarred her. Somehow that color and dash belonged to Julio Rodriguez, as the traditional “suit of lights” belonged to a matador.

Gideon rose to his feet and shook hands with Rodriguez and then turned to Serena. “Julio Rodriguez, Serena Spaulding. Now that we have the formalities out of the way, sit down and tell me what the hell went wrong. You said—”

Julio held up his hand as he dropped into the chair opposite Serena. “I know, I know. It was as much a surprise to me as it was to you.” His expression was somber as he gazed at Serena. “I’m very sorry. It was my fault that Gideon blundered so badly. His plan to win you appealed to my romantic side, and I truly thought I was giving him the right information. Unfortunately, sometimes events occur that change our plans.”

Gideon sat down again. “And what ‘event’ occurred this time?”

“The
guardia
executed the editor of the largest newspaper in Mariba four days ago,’ Julio said simply. “The rioting was completely spontaneous, but we’re going to take advantage of popular opinion to strike while the iron is hot.”

“Not before I get Dane out of Mariba.” Gideon’s expression was flint hard. “The junta could initiate a bloodbath, if they think their regime is on the verge of toppling.”

Serena felt the panic rise within her. “When is all this supposed to happen?”

Julio’s eyes glowed with gentle sympathy. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you that, but it’s best we move quickly.”

“We?” Gideon asked. “You’re going with us?”

Julio looked at Gideon in surprise. “Of course. I share the blame, so it follows that I should also share the danger.” His grin flashed bold and brilliant in his dark face. “Besides, when the real action starts it will be a group effort, and I’ve always worked better alone. This exercise will be a nice little warm-up.”

“Castellano will be dangerous for you,” Gideon said slowly. “The
guardia
have your name and picture.”

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 dryly. “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.”

“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
breathe
here. Where the hell is Julio going?”

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.”