The Collector's Edition Volume 1 (10 page)

J
AYNE
felt the blood drain from her face as the vision of engines bursting into fireballs filled her mind. ‘You can’t blow off his wings, Dan,’ she gasped.

‘Watch me!’

‘It’s too dangerous!’

‘So, I take out insurance. Come on. There’s no time to waste.’

He pulled her after him as he strode back toward the conference room at project headquarters, irreversible purpose in every step. Shattered by what seemed total recklessness to her, Jayne barely kept up with him.

‘We need to think about this,’ she pleaded in protest.

‘It’s perfectly clear-cut to me.’

‘Anya is on that plane. And Chunz,’ she argued.

‘There’s one thing you’re overlooking, Jayne,’ he answered matter-of-factly.

‘What?’

‘How you deal with people like Omar El Talik. If they deliver a threat, you deliver a bigger one. Then you trade.’

A threat. Jayne’s mind whirled. It was just a threat. He didn’t really mean to blow the wings off. And he was right about her not having much expertise in dealing with people. His skills in that area were far broader and far superior.

‘You think it will work?’ she asked, feeling the need for reassurance.

‘The truly dangerous people are those that don’t care what happens to them, fanatics who are ready to die for what they believe is a greater goal. Omar values his skin too much to risk it. That’s his weakness.’

‘But he’ll have to believe you can do what you threaten.’

‘He’ll believe it. I make a very good fanatic when it comes to defending my wife and child from egomaniacs who can’t take no for an answer. If he pushes it, I’ll give him a demonstration,’ Dan said grimly.

‘You can’t!’ Jayne cried in horror.

‘We’ve got all I need here. Plastic explosives…’

He meant it! The shock of his clearly stated intentions put a wobble in Jayne’s legs. Dan was an expert, she frantically reminded herself. He should know what he could and couldn’t do with safety. But, dear heaven! Was he in his right mind?

She followed willy-nilly as he pushed his way through the milling crowd in the conference room and claimed Lin Zhiyong’s attention. He briefed
the Chinese official on the situation and appealed for help.

‘What do you have in mind?’ Lin Zhiyong asked cautiously.

Dan told him. To Jayne’s amazement, Lin Zhiyong didn’t so much as lift an eyebrow at Dan’s plan. He listened attentively, nodded sagely, then remarked, ‘The immediate objective is to block the flight path so it is impossible for Omar El Talik to take off.’

‘Yes,’ Dan agreed.

Lin Zhiyong turned to one of his important guests from Beijing and a rapid conversation in Chinese ensued. Telephone calls were made. Lin Zhiyong received a nod and explained to Dan and Jayne in English.

‘Within minutes the plane will be surrounded by army vehicles. The sheikh has a Chinese citizen on board. It is not permitted that he take a Chinese citizen out of our country without any proper procedure. That is the reason for this action if it is questioned in diplomatic circles.’

‘What if he lets Chunz go?’ Jayne asked anxiously.

‘Sheikh Omar El Talik will not be given the reason for the blockade. Even if he works it out for himself, we will, of course, have to question Chunz, and make a formal protest to the embassy. It will all take whatever time you require, Mr. Drayton.’

‘Thank you. The helicopter to transport Miss Winter and myself?’

‘No problem. I shall accompany you. So will Guo Ziyun. He will co-ordinate what you require at the airport.’

‘We’ll need fire trucks on standby,’ Dan pressed.

‘They will be there. A show of strength may be necessary. That is understood. It is good that you are an American citizen, Mr. Drayton.’

‘So is our baby,’ Dan informed him.

Lin Zhiyong’s eyes brightened. ‘That is even better. We wish to establish more goodwill with your country.’

Jayne barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Never mind that Dan’s plan would put their lives in terrifying jeopardy! The Chinese officials were viewing it as a possibly fruitful public relations exercise! Was anyone besides herself pausing to think about how badly wrong it might all turn out?

Dan left to collect his weapons of war from the supplies in storage. Jayne was asked to dictate a report which both she and Dan would sign as evidence of the situation, their plan to correct it, and the cooperation requested of and given by the Chinese government. It was proof to produce in the event of their deaths, she thought fatalistically, having moved beyond protesting anything.

The helicopter flight to Beijing could not have evoked a greater contrast in mood to the earlier flight she had shared with Dan. Far from generating any elation or sense of excited anticipation in Jayne, it became a nightmare of evergrowing tension as they flew closer and closer to a confrontation that would require nerves of steel.

Jayne could only pray that Dan was right in his reading of Omar El Talik’s character. She well remembered the man’s arrogance and pride. Would such a man accept the humiliation of defeat and surrender his hostage without trying to cause some damage in retaliation? Jayne found it difficult to imagine that some price wouldn’t be paid for Anya’s and Chunz’s freedom.

The pilot took them over the blockaded private jet before landing. The sheikh had to know he was trapped on the ground by now and was probably in a rage about it. If he touched one hair on Anya’s head…Jayne felt a surge of rage herself, obliterating the underlying fears, and realised, in some measure, what Dan was feeling.

This was the child he had promised Nina to keep safe, a child he had come to love very deeply, who was now inextricably part of his life. He would fight for her with every weapon at his disposal.

His daughter.

His wife.

He was fighting for her, too. Had been fighting for her since the festival of the full moon. The
sudden insight slammed into Jayne’s mind. His tenacity, his tenderness, his…love.

It had to be love. It was more than desire, more than possessiveness, far more than pride. He cared about her feelings and her needs. He truly did. She was precious to him and he would fight to protect her. Fight like a fanatic!

Jayne was abuzz with these thoughts as they were quickly ushered from the helicopter to a set of offices within the airport terminal. Backed by Lin Zhiyong’s and Guo Ziyun’s authority, Dan immediately set about organising his plan of action; his best line of approach to the plane to set the explosives, the cover he required, the fire truck teams at emergency readiness. She watched him give orders like the leader of men he was and felt an intense pride in him…her man…her husband.

Then he looked straight at Jayne and there was something in his eyes that turned her heart over; a yearning, a promise unfulfilled, an ironic hail and farewell. He turned to Lin Zhiyong and said, ‘Whatever happens, Miss Winter is to remain safely with you. Agreed?’

‘No!’ Jayne broke in vehemently. ‘I’ll stay out of the way while you set the explosives but you’re not going onto that plane without me, Dan.’

He sliced her a steely look. ‘You’ve proved you have a life apart from me, Jayne. Anya hasn’t.’

‘I don’t want a life apart from you,’ she declared, her vivid blue eyes ablaze with that conviction.
‘Not anymore, Dan. We go together. Partners.’

A muscle in his cheek contracted. ‘You could be a liability.’

‘I could be necessary. What if Chunz is hurt? You’ll need me to hold Anya,’ she argued fiercely.

‘If something happens to me, you’ll be here for Anya. It’s what you promised, Jayne,’ he replied, unmoved from his decision.

‘If you don’t come back for me after you’ve set the explosives, I’ll walk out to that plane myself. I won’t have you making my decisions for me, Dan. Have you forgotten that Omar El Talik wants me?’

He frowned.

‘If something happens to you, he’ll use Anya to get to me anyway.’

‘You don’t go,’ he said stonily. ‘No matter what eventuates, you don’t go.’

He turned back to Lin Zhiyong to make this clearly understood. Before he could say a word, Jayne swung on the old Chinese official whose respect she had earned.

‘I will not be stopped.’ She flung up her chin in proud defiance of his authority and anyone else’s. Her bright red hair shimmered in a flying cascade of tossed curls. She breathed in. Her eyes stabbed blue fire. ‘I will not be stopped by anyone.’

Dragon Lady had spoken!

The words rang around the room, imprinting themselves on everyone’s mind. They all stared at her. Jayne maintained her pose of absolute personal autonomy, daring anyone to try to shake it.

Lin Zhiyong cleared his throat. ‘I believe Miss Winter will be of help to you, Mr. Drayton. I have learnt not to underestimate her powers.’

Dan reappraised her determination and gave her a wry little smile as he acceded to her will. ‘So be it. You’ll wait here until everything is ready?’

‘Until then,’ she agreed. ‘Please be careful.’

He nodded and left.

Lin Zhiyong moved to her side. ‘You would like to watch, Miss Winter?’

‘Yes.’

He took her to the air-controllers’ room from where they could view what was happening around the sheikh’s private jet. She watched Dan and one of the Chinese engineers approach the plane from the tail end and use the undercarriage to hide their activities. Dan set the explosives and timing devices close to the tips of each wing, his assistant handing him what he needed when he needed it. Jayne breathed a sigh of intense relief when the task was safely completed and the men retreated from the plane.

‘He is a man worthy of you, Miss Winter,’ Lin Zhiyong said quietly. ‘A man of fire and action.’

‘Yes,’ she answered simply, although she doubted, at that moment, she was worthy of Dan. ‘He is a man of his word,’ she added, knowing how deeply true that was.

He returned for her as he said he would.

Together they walked out openly to the private Lear jet of Omar El Talik.

Partners in life. Partners in death, if necessary.

T
WO
Arabs with AK-3 assault rifles flanked the door as Jayne and Dan entered the plane. They looked tense, angry and trigger-happy. The blockade had clearly had an unnerving effect.

The interior of the plane had all the luxurious comfort that could be packed into a small living room, but not one of its occupants was comfortable. Sheikh Omar El Talik was on his feet, ranting at another gunman who was seated opposite Chunz. The motherly little Chinese woman was cowering in the chair opposite, clutching Anya protectively to her chest. For the first time Jayne heard Anya wailing in distress.

Chunz looked at Dan in desperate appeal. ‘I tried…’

A bullying tirade from her guard reduced her to quivering silence.

‘Tell your man to lay off!’ Dan commanded.

‘Tell the army trucks to pull away!’ Omar El Talik snapped back, clearly infuriated and frustrated by the restriction to
his
freedom of movement.

‘That’s entirely up to you, Omar,’ Dan drawled, as though he was perfectly relaxed about the situation.

Jayne appreciated that it was an attempt to defuse the explosive tension and immediately took her cue from him, determined to appear calm and collected despite the knots in her stomach.

‘The Chinese government doesn’t take kindly to having one of their citizens abducted and flown out of the country,’ Dan explained, maintaining his pose of casual ease. ‘Let Chunz go and they might let you go,’ he advised in a tone of reasonable logic.

Omar glared long and hard at him, then took the bait, swinging to Chunz and waving an imperious arm. ‘Put the child down and leave! You are no longer of any use.’

Chunz rose tremulously to her feet and bravely defied him. ‘I will not let you have the baby. She is entrusted to me.’

Omar swore viciously.

Jayne swiftly stepped forward, holding out her arms. ‘Give Anya to me, Chunz,’ she commanded, then, more softly, ‘You have more than fulfilled your responsibility as a caring mother. Dan and I are here now. There is no need for you to stay.’

And every need for her to go, Jayne thought, willing Chunz to obey without any further protest or hesitation. Omar El Talik was in a volatile mood. The situation had escalated out of his control and Jayne suspected fear was feeding his anger, making him more aggressive and more
dangerous. He might have second thoughts about following Dan’s advice.

Chunz’s eyes filled with tears as she looked to Dan. ‘I am sorry, Mr. Drayton.’

‘You carry no blame, Chunz,’ he assured her kindly. ‘You must now leave Anya with us and go in peace.’

She bowed her head to his authority and passed Anya over to Jayne. One less victim if it came to the worst, Jayne thought gratefully. Dan gently squeezed Chunz’s shoulder in a salute to her courage and steered her toward the door.

The sheikh signalled to his men to let her make an unhindered exit. The thunk of the door closing behind her was a welcome sound to Jayne. Chunz was a total innocent. At least she didn’t have to suffer any more from these thugs.

Omar El Talik glowered balefully at Jayne and Dan, then posted himself at one of the aircraft’s windows to watch the outcome of releasing the Chinese woman.

Jayne tried to soothe Anya’s distress but it was Dan who stopped the wailing. He inserted his index finger into one tightly closed little fist and stroked his thumb over Anya’s soft, baby skin. ‘It’s okay, sweetheart,’ he crooned. ‘Daddy’s here.’

It was as good as magic. Anya unscrewed her eyes, turned the noise down to a hiccup, looked at Dan, then broke into her version of a conversation
to which Dan answered by nodding his understanding and giving his interpretive replies.

‘Yes, a lot of wrong things happened.

‘No, you shouldn’t have been subjected to such upsetting events.

‘Daddy’s come to look after things now.

‘You belong to Jayne, too.

‘We’re going to make everything right again, aren’t we, Jayne?’

‘Yes,’ she agreed huskily.

Anya looked up at her, back to Dan, then with a contented little sigh, nestled her head on Jayne’s shoulder, and was at peace with her world.

Love and trust, Jayne thought. That was the magic formula. Why hadn’t she trusted Dan to understand when she had become lost in their marriage? She had judged for him, denying him the chance to break the self-imposed barrier of all the insecurities she had nursed in the dark places of her soul. She had resented the decisions he had made for her, yet it was she who had made the worst decision of all, forcing Dan to live with it without knowing why.

Strange that she should see it so clearly now, at this moment of crisis when their lives were most threatened. Love was not enough. Perhaps there was no real love without trust. That was why their sexual compatability had failed to influence her in the end. It took more to hold a marriage together.

Love and trust…no secrets. It had to be love and trust, unreserved, unguarded, given and taken with absolute faith in each other. Nothing, ever, could go badly wrong between them if they shared that. Only outside forces could part them, and then only physically. The bond could not be sundered.

She looked at Sheikh Omar El Talik, tensely watching what was happening outside. His force was that of a marauder, wanting to take, regardless of cost, but what she and Dan shared was invincible if they made it so. It was up to them, and especially her. Given another chance, she would not hold anything back from Dan. He would know where he stood with her, now and always.

The sheikh swung around, his eyes burning with hostility. ‘The woman was met and led away. There is no movement from the trucks.’

‘Perhaps Chunz was not enough,’ Dan suggested dryly.

‘What game do you think you’re playing?’ Omar demanded, waving wildly at Jayne and Anya. ‘I have all the cards here.’

‘Not so, old son. I have one or two up my sleeve.’ He gestured Jayne toward the armchair Chunz had vacated. ‘Might as well wait in comfort, sweetheart. Anya does get rather heavy after a while with no other support but your arms.’

‘Wait for what?’ Omar snapped, enraged further by Dan’s calm, indulgent manner.

Dan waited for Jayne to sit down before ostentatiously checking his watch. ‘If you look out the window, Omar, you should see fire trucks moving toward your right wing.’

He looked, then snarled at Dan. ‘What is the meaning of this?’

Dan shrugged. ‘They’ll try to contain the damage when your right wing blows up. That should be in about thirty minutes if I set the timing device correctly. Hard to calculate the result. I daresay you’re all tanked up for the flight out of here.’

The sheikh’s dark skin turned sallow. The fear was uppermost now, sapping his resolution to continue a venture that had suddenly turned into a suicide mission. ‘You’re bluffing,’ he blustered.

Dan shook his head. ‘I never bluff about my business.’

‘You wouldn’t put the lives of your wife and child at risk.’

It was a potent argument. Jayne could see Omar El Talik puffing himself up to defy Dan’s claim.

‘It wasn’t his decision,’ she spoke up proudly. ‘I told Dan I’d rather die than become your woman.’

A little bit of fabrication hardly mattered at this point, Jayne reasoned. She wanted Dan to know she was one hundred percent behind him.

Her declaration drew a glazed glare from the sheikh. Jayne’s vivid blue eyes blazed their contempt for him.

‘So whatever your scheme is, Your Excellency, it’s not going to work,’ she stated unequivocally.

‘Are you mad?’ Omar squawked.

‘Tut-tut,’ Dan chided. ‘I’ll smash your face in if you insult my wife.’ His eyes glinted admiration for her show of support and fearlessness.

‘I’ll have you shot!’ the sheikh retaliated. ‘I’ll have you all shot. The baby first.’

‘Go right ahead, Your Excellency,’ Jayne invited scornfully. ‘It will save us the pain of burning to death. If the right wing doesn’t get us, the left one will.’ She looked appealingly at Dan and reinforced the threat. ‘You did put more powerful explosives on the left wing, didn’t you, darling?’

‘Sure did, Jayne, honey,’ he affirmed. ‘I always do what you ask me to. It’s timed to blow in about fifty minutes.’ He gave the sheikh a quirky smile. ‘The Chinese don’t call her Dragon Lady for nothing. You shouldn’t have fooled with her, Omar.’

There was a ring of pride in his voice that curled around Jayne’s heart and claimed her as his woman and partner. It was a wonderful feeling. It diminished the sense of danger, removing it to a far place that didn’t matter anymore. She and Dan were united as one.

Omar El Talik looked from one to the other, clearly of the opinion they had both taken leave of their senses. Jayne hoped he was recollecting that he had been unable to sway her from her set course with his offers of designer clothes and jewels and the jet-set life. The realisation that he was dealing with fanatics of the worst kind sank in. Beads of perspiration broke out on his forehead and upper lip.

He pointed a shaking finger at Dan. ‘You can stop this!’

Dan checked his watch again in a desultory fashion. ‘To tell you the truth, Omar, I’m not sure I can dismantle the bomb on the right wing before it blows. If you want out, you’d better get moving. I’d advise leaving the guns here. Waving them around in front of all the soldiers out there might not be diplomatic.’

‘I and my men have immunity.’

‘Not everyone might understand that. Assault rifles tend to make people nervous,’ Dan advised gravely. ‘If you want safe escort to your embassy, I’d look mighty peaceable if I were you.’

The sheikh from Morocco seethed with impotence. He really had no choice if he wanted to save his skin, but he hated losing to Dan, especially in front of his men. Finally he cracked and barked a string of orders in Arabic.

There was a great deal of hurried movement. The pilot and a steward came from the direction of the cockpit. Guns were laid down. With his men lined up weaponless beside the door, Omar
El Talik stabbed one last bitter glance at Jayne and made his exit with an imperious stride. He was quickly followed by all his attendants.

Dan inhaled a long, deep breath and slowly expelled it. He grinned at Jayne, his eyes dancing with elation and happiness. He clicked his heels and swept her a gallant bow. ‘My lady, may I be permitted to escort you and our precious bundle to safe ground?’

Jayne laughed, bubbling over with relief and delight at the successful outcome of their daring. She rose from the chair, holding Anya securely in her arms. ‘Sir Knight,’ she said loftily, ‘I’d be very grateful if you would. Post haste!’

Once they were out on the tarmac, Dan relieved Jayne of their precious bundle, hoisting Anya up against his shoulder and securing her there with one arm. Then he reached for Jayne’s hand and interlaced his fingers with hers, sending electric tingles right up her arm.

Ahead of them, Omar El Talik and his men were being marched by a military escort to two black cars. There was a great roar of engines as the army trucks began a retreat from their blockades. A Jeep pulled up beside Dan and Jayne, providing them with a lift out of the danger area. They climbed in.

‘Could the bombs be dismantled in time?’ Jayne asked curiously.

‘No problem,’ Dan answered with carefree confidence.

‘But you haven’t told anyone that,’ Jayne surmised.

‘No one can mess with my family without paying a price. I said I was going to blow the bastard’s wings off and that’s precisely what’s going to happen.’

A man of his word.

Jayne was perfectly content to leave it uncontested.

‘Besides…’ Dan grinned at her and jiggled Anya to draw her attention ‘…Baby missed out on the big booms today, didn’t you, cuddlepie?’

‘Boom-boom,’ Anya chorused happily.

‘That’s absolutely right. Daddy’s got two booms coming up for you.’

Jayne laughed, feeling incredibly exhilarated. Maybe it was a highly charged flow of adrenaline coursing through her now that all danger was past, but echoing through her mind was the intense emphasis Dan had given to the words,
my family
.

‘The explosions are going to leave an awful mess for people to clean up,’ she observed ruefully.

‘No one’s going to mind, Jayne. It’ll make great television.’

‘There aren’t any TV cameras here.’

‘Yes, there are. This whole exercise will be beamed around the world. Lin Zhiyong is dead set on it.’

‘Because you and Anya are American citizens?’

‘Partly. It also makes good propaganda for how the Chinese deal with a hostage situation.’

‘But it was your plan.’

‘You made it stick, Jayne.’ His eyes locked onto hers, dark and turbulent with deep emotion. ‘Your fire. Your determination. Without you…’ He swallowed, shook his head, his eyes more eloquent in expression than any words.

She squeezed his hand. ‘You’ll never be without me again, Dan. Not unless you want to be.’

She meant it, every word of it. And now it was said, openly, honestly, from the deepest reaches of her heart and mind and soul.

No secrets.

Where and how the future would be shaped was now up to Dan.