Stone, Katherine (29 page)

The woman he loved, who feared destiny and dragons, was afraid,
most of all, of him.

"Oh, Juliana.
I love you."

"What? How can you possibly—"

"I can. And I do. Then, now, always."

There was no fierceness, only love, and as the flame within her
glowed, never to flicker again, she whispered, "Oh, Garrett, I love you,
too."

"Then, my Juliana, my love, may I touch you? May I hold
you?"

She settled in his embrace, and for a very long time they didn't
move, scarcely breathed, overwhelmed by a love that could shut out the world.

It didn't now, nor did they want it to. There was a daughter who
needed them.

Garrett held Juliana, they held each other, as they talked.

"I won't deny my anger, Juliana, but it's directed at myself,
not at you. I could have called you. At any time in the past twenty-eight
years, I could have picked up the phone and called."

"You promised me you never would."

"I could have called you," he repeated. "I
should
have.
It's time for the truth, Juliana. I want both of our daughters to
know everything. I need to see Maylene first. Should I do that alone, or should
we go to her together?"

It was then, in his loving sanctuary, that Juliana told Garrett of
her estrangement from Maylene, and of her hope that Maylene's decision to
return to Hong Kong meant they might see each other again. She told him she'd
vowed to wait for Maylene to make the first move.

"But I broke that vow, Garrett. Last night. Not that she
knows. I wasn't able to reach her. But I had to try. I knew how upset she'd be
about the Jade Palace."

"The Jade Palace?"

News of the scandal had been shouted from the headlines of all the
morning papers. But Garrett had been lost in memories and dreams.

"I know Sam," he said after Juliana explained what had
happened. "He'd never be involved in fraud."

"I don't know Sam, but I have the same conviction about James
and Tyler. Still, until the matter's resolved, all work has been suspended. The
hotel may never open."

"I wonder if Allison's on her way home to Dallas."

"No, she's not. In fact, Garrett, she stopped by the boutique
this morning to make a special request. She wants me to design a wedding dress
for her."

"A wedding dress? Is she marrying James?" When Juliana
nodded, Garrett smiled with relief. "When she talked about him during the
summer, there was such love in her voice. But for the past few months, on the
rare occasions she's mentioned him, there's been sadness."

"The love's definitely back. And," Juliana added,
"I'm fairly sure your daughter has guessed the truth about Maylene and me.
She always makes a point of talking about her. I think the real reason Allison
came by the boutique today was to tell me she's going to ask Maylene to be her
maid of honor, in case I was worrying Maylene might be en route to
England."

"Allison's
your
lovely daughter, too, Juliana. That's
a relationship I'd like to make official as soon as possible."

"Oh, Garrett..."

"We've spent all these years obeying the commands of the
fates. How can we stop now? The fates brought us all to Hong Kong. It's time,
don't you think, for us to be a family?"

"Yes. But it won't be easy, Garrett, not with Maylene, and
perhaps not even with Allison. And what about your parents? And Beth's
parents?"

"At this moment, all four of them are on a cruise ship in the
South Pacific. They're scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong on the twenty-fourth.
When they do, we'll invite them to become part of our family." Garrett saw
her worry. He worried, too, about the daughter who'd hated him for fifteen
years— and the one who'd loved him for twenty-eight. But for Juliana, he smiled.
"We
will
be a family, Juliana. I promise. Now, my love, it's really
very cold up here. Will you come to the Peninsula with me?"

"I can't, not until tonight." Juliana shrugged. "I
have appointments at the boutique all afternoon. I made them so I'd have something
to go back to after seeing you. And this evening there's a meeting I need to
attend about the future of democracy in Hong Kong. I've become a bit of a
spokesperson for reforms more radical than what Governor Patten has in
mind."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Not as dangerous as Hong Kong without such reforms."

"Will this be an open meeting?"

"Yes." Juliana tilted her head. "Do you think you'd
like to come?"

"I know I would." Garrett smiled. "Does this mean
we're going to live in Hong Kong?"

"Oh, I..."

"We'll live wherever you want to live, Juliana."

"Then here, where we fell in love and where Allison has
fallen in love and..."

"There must have been magic here, too, for Maylene. I've seen
the Jade Palace. It wasn't designed by someone who hates Hong Kong. Shall I try
to see her this afternoon?"

"I don't think so. I'm not sure what's the best way for you
to approach her, only that it shouldn't be a surprise. Let me think about it
and we'll decide tonight."

"All right," Garrett agreed, fighting his restlessness
to see his daughter with the knowledge that Juliana was undoubtedly right.
"Tonight."

The softly spoken word reverberated with layers of meaning.
Tonight, in his Peninsula suite, Garrett and Juliana would be parents, making
decisions about the daughter of their love.

And tonight, Garrett and Juliana would be lovers again after
twenty-eight years.

"Oh, Garrett, I wish I were still eighteen. For you."

Earlier, Garrett had startled Juliana by asking if she was hungry.
Now it was she who startled him about a different kind of hunger. To his
amazement, he realized she was serious. As he touched a strand of
black-and-silver hair beside her worried eyes, his own sent a promise. His
hunger for her was as strong as ever. Stronger, in fact—like their love.

Garrett found her hands and lovingly kissed the swollen joints of
the dancing hands that would dance again. And, before his lips met hers, he
said, "The woman I love, Juliana, the woman I want and I need, is
forty-six years old."

The Trade Winds

Friday, December 10, 1993

"Miss Whitaker? This is Alex, Mrs. Leong's assistant."

"Oh, yes?"

"Mr. Drake hopes you'd be willing to meet him at five o'clock
this evening outside Drake Towers. He'd like you to arrive in his Jaguar and
drive him to Aberdeen for dinner on a floating restaurant. Would that be
possible for you?"

"Absolutely." James had left her bed at dawn, following a
night in which neither slept, nor wanted to. His day would be chaotic, he said.
It might be midnight before he could return to her. But now, despite
everything, he'd chosen today to keep the promise made at Peak Castle. She'd
drive to the Towers, then relinquish the wheel to him. She needed to prove
nothing to the man she loved, and with James driving, they could safely hold
hands. "That's perfect."

"Excellent. I shall let him know. Oh, one more thing. Mr.
Drake wanted me to remind you to fasten your seat belt."

***

Allison swept through the Trade Winds' revolving front door at
four forty-five. At the same moment, Maylene stepped into a hotel elevator
already—and only—occupied by Sam.

"Oh!"

A mocking smile touched his lips. "Come now, Maylene. Surely
we can think of something to say for forty-eight floors."

The elevators were swift. The ride would be short. Merely an
intimate eternity of dark blue eyes devouring her with a blend of seduction and
disgust.

"I thought you'd be back in Texas by now."

"I should be. But there's a storm system in California. I
can't get out of here until tomorrow." His nonchalance betrayed none of
the frustration he felt at being trapped in Hong Kong when he needed to be in
San Antonio. "So, Jade, maybe we should get together tonight? For old
times' sake? We could meet at my place."

"You make it sound like you don't have anything better to
do."

"I don't. I can't begin my next embezzlement scheme until I
get back to Texas, and even then it's going to be a little tough. No one's too
eager to hire me at the moment. In fact, my next two projects have already been
canceled."

I'm
sorry.
And I'm so sorry, too, that you believe I don't
trust you.

"So what do you say, Maylene? We could drink champagne, and I
could teach you how to smoke, and one thing might lead to another and you might
even tell me who the hell you really are beneath all the disguises. It might be
fun. Besides, what do you have to lose? After tonight, you'll never see me
again."

Maylene wondered if Sam had already been drinking. But what she
saw was far more dangerous. He was very angry. Years ago, when Garrett rescued
him from the sea, he'd vowed to change his life into one worth saving. And he
had. Now everything he'd fought so hard to achieve was being taken away. His
fury was as cold—and as violent—as the storm in which he'd nearly drowned.

"You're scaring me, cowboy."

In response to her hushed words, the fury relented, just for her.
When Sam spoke again, his voice was gentle.

"Understand this, Jade. I would never hurt you."

The elevator door opened, and another passenger stepped in, and
the remainder of the trip to the lobby was made in silence.

"Are you a gambler?" Sam asked as he and Maylene walked
together toward the revolving door.

"No."

"Well, why don't you come to Macau with me tonight, anyway?
I'll teach you how to play twenty-one. I'll teach you how to win."

For a tantalizing moment, Maylene allowed herself to imagine an
evening in a casino with Sam. She'd be seated at the gaming table, and he'd be
standing behind her, his hands resting on her bare shoulders, his lips
caressing her temple as he whispered to her what she should do: double her bet,
take a hit, stand with what she'd been dealt.

She'd be betting Sam's money, thousands on every hand. When she
won, she'd see his calm satisfaction. And when she lost and turned to him with
anxious apology, his sexy smile would remind her not to panic... because, in
the end, he
always
won.

Sam would be wild tonight, a recklessness fueled by fury.

And tomorrow?

"You're going to convince the people who canceled your next
two projects to change their minds, aren't you?"

"You bet. At least, I'm sure as hell going to try."

Tomorrow he'd set his gaze on salvaging his dreams. But tonight
he'd focus solely on her—if she wanted him to. He was promising her nothing
more—and nothing less—than a night of pleasure... and she knew that on this
night any woman would do.

I would never hurt you.
Despite the violence that
was an aura around him, Maylene recognized that it was true. Sam wouldn't hurt
her—physically. On this night when his dreams were destroyed, and he needed
desperately to fill the emptiness inside, he'd be fiercely, exquisitely,
tender.

Tomorrow he'd leave, and she'd never see him again, and it was
sheer self-destruction to even consider his offer. Besides, she had plans for
this evening, perhaps equally self-destructive, to see her mother.

Maylene hadn't slept at all last night, and she'd spent today
roaming around Hong Kong. But if her body was exhausted, she didn't know it.
Restlessness energized her, propelling her toward the all-important destination
that was, as yet, hidden from her.

Was it the Coliseum where the monumental event would occur? Would
Juliana find her despite the crowd? And, with eyes alight with love and
forgiveness, would she implore her wayward daughter to join her courageous
crusade for freedom?

Or was her true destination Macau, with Sam, gambling on loving
him one last time?

Or was the restlessness compelling her toward another destination
entirely?

***

Allison smiled at the white-gloved valet who arrived with the
Jaguar. He set the parking brake, left the motor running and held the door for
Allison as she climbed in.

She was eager to be on her way, but years of keeping herself safe
for those she loved imposed caution. Her safety was more important than ever. A
man who'd lost, once, a woman he loved was allowing himself to love again.

Allison studied the control panel, adjusted the rearview mirror,
and with the parking brake still set, depressed the clutch and moved the stick
shift through all its gears.

There remained only the final caution, James's reminder to fasten
her seat belt. That accomplished, she was moving to release the parking brake
when she caught sight of Maylene and Sam.

Impulsively unfastening the seat belt, Allison got out of the car
and began walking toward them.

"May—"

Maylene's name was torn in half by the explosion. Metal from the
Jaguar shot high into the air, accompanied by red-orange flames and feathery
plumes of smoke.

"Allison!"

With merciless—yet merciful—force, the explosion had hurled her
away from the inferno. Sam and Maylene rushed to where she lay motionless and
bleeding.

"Allison! Allison,
please."

Allison opened her eyes to Maylene, and a smile touched her ashen
lips.

"Maylene," she murmured dreamily, "James and I are
getting married. We want you to be our maid of honor."

Her eyes closed, her consciousness gone, before Maylene's reply.
But, in gentle whispers, Maylene raved about the romantic wedding it would be,
and how lucky James was, the luckiest man on earth.

While Maylene cradled Allison and the hotel personnel summoned
help, Sam searched for a way to prevent Allison's death. Her ghost-white face
was testimony to the blood she was losing. He looked for an external source of
the loss, one that could be stemmed by a tourniquet.

Allison's limbs were bloodied, but Sam's search failed to reveal
anything beyond abrasions caused by the collision of flesh with concrete. The
life-threatening blood loss was internal, and with each frantic heartbeat,
Allison moved closer to death.

The air screamed with sirens. Then there was a deeper, quieter
sound, anguished and raw.

"Allison."

Maylene looked up to James's stricken face. As he knelt, their
hands touched. James needed to be where she was, cradling Allison, whispering
his love. Maylene yielded to James's need, but touched her sister as she
explained, "She was in your Jaguar, about to leave, when she saw us. She
got out and... the car exploded, James. It just exploded."

"Allison was in the Jaguar?" In
his
car, as
Gweneth had been in
his
bed. The sky filled with flames and smoke, as it
had that night in Wales. If Allison was in the fiery carcass of his car now,
that was where he'd be, trying to save her, as impossible as such rescue would
have been.

Miraculously, Allison was away from the burning metal, and she was
alive—barely.

She's going to live. She
will
live.

"She was conscious for a few moments," Maylene said as
she struggled against the terror of the ever-increasing pallor of Allison's
face. "She told me you're getting married and asked me to be your maid of
honor. I will be, James. And it will be the most romantic wedding
ever."

"Yes, it will be." James responded to Maylene's words
but spoke to his bride. He caressed Allison's temple as he spoke, and forbade
his fear to touch his voice. "Do you hear me, my love? Our wedding will
unbelievably romantic. But that's nothing compared to our life together. I love
you, Allison. Fight, my darling, please fight."

***

"We're taking her to the operating room." The
announcement was made by trauma surgeon Pamela Lau seven minutes after Allison
reached the emergency room. "She's bleeding internally, probably from a
ruptured spleen. I need to ask if any of you know her medical history. The
medical alert bracelet she's wearing warns against blood transfusions."

Maylene, James and Sam all knew Allison's medical history. Allison
had shared it with Maylene and James, and Garrett had told Sam.

James answered the surgeon's question. After listening to the
revelation that a blood transfusion could be fatal, Dr. Lau replied, "I
don't believe she can survive without one."

"But you're going to stop the internal bleeding."

"Yes, but she's already lost so much blood her heart is
beginning to fail. It's beating as fast as it can to circulate what limited
blood she has to her vital organs. We
must
transfuse her. We really have
no choice. We'll simply have to manage any untoward reaction as best we
can."

"Can you do that?"

"We can try."

Maylene spoke, urgent words in rapid Cantonese. When she was
finished, Dr. Lau explained in English to Sam and James. "She's offered to
donate her blood."

"And I'm offering mine." Sam looked at Maylene, silently
yet eloquently providing an explanation for his offer. I won't let you do this,
Jade. I won't let you spend your life feeling responsible for your friend's
death. "I'm type O, universal donor, and I have more pints to give than
Maylene. Use my blood, Doctor."

"She can't," James said. He understood the Cantonese—
and so much more. "She can't use your blood, Sam, and she can't use mine.
Not when she can use Maylene's."

"I don't want Allison to know, James," Maylene said, as
urgently in her regal English as in her musical Cantonese.
"Please.
She
never needs to know."

"But
I
need to know," Sam said. "Maylene?
James?"

It was Maylene who told Sam what he'd always wanted to know—who
she was beneath all the disguises.

"Allison is my sister. Garrett Whitaker is my
father—too."

With the revelation, Sam began to understand the secret fears and
vulnerability of the woman with whom he'd fallen in love. He'd need time to
sort it out. That would happen later, hopefully with her. Right now Sam's top
priority was to protect Maylene from further harm.

"That's all the more reason for you
not
to do
this." Sam glanced from a determined Maylene to the doctor. "When
Garrett told me about Allison's transfusion reaction, he also said his
blood—and her grandparents' blood—triggered the adverse reaction. Doesn't that
mean Maylene's blood would very likely trigger it, too?"

"Not necessarily," Dr. Lau countered, as determined as
Maylene. "In fact, as Allison's sister, Maylene is probably her best hope."

***

Juliana had phoned Garrett in his room at the Peninsula three
times in the two hours since he'd kissed her goodbye at the Pearl Moon
boutique. The calls were brief, slivers of joy between appointments. When
they'd last spoken, ten minutes ago, Juliana said it would be her final call.
She'd be leaving soon to plan the evening's events with the other speakers.

Garrett decided to go for a walk along Nathan Road, Hong Kong's
"Golden Mile" He was almost out the door when the phone trilled. He
answered with a smile in his voice—for her.