SIUBlues17

Harvey looked over the shoulders of the point men as they broke into the Presidential suite of the TiaPang Building. Everyone fanned out quickly. Harvey’s eyes were locked on the high-backed leather chair that was turned away behind the desk. “SFPD,” he repeated, approaching the chair slowly with his gun raised. When he made it around the edge of the executive desk, he dropped his gun to his side.

He sighed as he looked down a Yong Cha Chon’s body slumped in his chair, a crimson stain evident on his tailored shirt. “You got off easy, you bastard,” Harvey told the corpse as he clipped his gun back into it’s holster. “Call it in, Ronnie,” he told the uniformed officer with him. “And put an APB out on Hyun Chon. Wanted for questioning.” He knew that he should have made the bulletin wanted for murder from what Rachel had told him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Harvey looked out the window to the plaza below and realized that there had probably been any number of occasions when Yong Cha had watched Rachel from that very window, but he barely even took note of that when his thoughts turned to Hyun. For some reason, he felt for the guy. It was obvious that he cared for Rachel very much, but that he hadn’t been able to get out from under his father’s influence.

Harvey could actually understand where Hyun was coming from. Yong Cha had destroyed his son’s life. Killing his father had been a last desperate attempt to protect the people that he loved. The way that Harvey saw it, all Hyun wanted was to be with Rachel and their son. He could see it in his eyes when he left the hospital. Hyun was still in love with her. His actions proved that. And, unless he missed his guess, he was willing to bet that Hyun had asked Rachel to go away with him.

Harvey looked over at the dead body. He doubted that anyone would be pushing too hard for an investigation into the homicide. The world would be a better place without Yong Cha. Then again, Samuel could become insistent. He shook his head as he thought of that possibility. He couldn’t imagine what it would do to the kid to find out that his father had killed his grandfather to protect his mother. It was all too twisted.

Harvey flipped open the cell phone and dialed the familiar number. “Nash. He’s here. One in the chest.”

Nash sighed. “You know the drill, Harv.”

“Already rolling.”

* * *

Victoria stared at her reflection in the sliding glass door as if it was a stranger. Shortly after night had fallen, she received word that Cruz expected to see her when he arrived in San Francisco the following morning. With the news came the appearance of Nash’s partner as well as Sarah Drake who would pose as Joe’s date at the party.

Just the mere mention of the party made Victoria’s stomach tip over and she wrapped her arms around her waist to keep everything inside. Nash was a man of courage and tenacity, but Victoria was certain that he was also completely certifiable.

“It looks like you called this one right, partner,” Joe said as he glanced over at Victoria’s back. “Montipinia dropped everything when he heard that Tory was with you today. Rumor is that he passed up on a multimillion dollar deal just to get to California a day earlier.”

Sarah tried to gauge Victoria’s actions. She couldn’t imagine how she could be so calm considering the company she kept. She was sure that it had to be an act, but then she had to ask herself why Victoria would risk certain death by trying to overthrow Montipinia’s organization. Something wasn’t adding up. “You must be someone pretty important for Montipinia to throw away that kind of money,” Sarah commented speculatively.

Victoria lips curled as she shook her head, not bothering to turn from the window to enter the conversation. “Cruz throws that kind of money away on a whim. The deal wasn’t important. He needs to find out if there’s a leak in the organization.”

“At least we know that we can get to him,” Nash commented in return. “Thanks to Carl Bennett, we have Montipinia dancing to our tune for a change.” He looked over in Victoria’s direction. She acted like she wasn’t even phased by the conversation. “Do you think that we could slip Harvey and Ronnie in as security at the party? The more bodies there, the better I’d feel.”

“Watch how you phrase that, Nash man,” Joe told him in a conspiratorial whisper.

“Hey, no way,” Sarah interrupted. “If anyone goes in, it’s got to be Roger. The two of us have been working on tracking that pipeline for months. He deserves to be there.”

Nash waved a casual hand. “Okay fine. Harv and Roger,” he corrected himself, then looked at Victoria’s back.

“That won’t be a problem as long as they don’t bring along too much hardware,” Victoria answered him. “If you put on too much of a show of strength, Cruz will look at it as a challenge to his territory.”

“Not a problem.” He gave Joe a glance. “Be sure to let Harv know the details.” He also made a mental note to talk with Sarah and Roger. Working in such close quarters under such stressful conditions, he wanted to make sure that they were both up to the task. He sighed as he turned his attention back to the job at hand. “Okay, Tory is meeting with Montipinia tomorrow afternoon,” Nash said, then paused thoughtfully. “Maybe we would be better off if I went with her and take him down then and there.”

“Cruz will shoot you the minute you walk in the door,” Victoria returned without doubt. “When he says that he wants to see you alone, that means alone.”

Joe gave her a long look, then brushed the suggestion aside. “It doesn’t matter. We’re ready for him in either case. Cassidy and Roger have the bugs in place and are set up across the street from the Congressman’s home, but that still leaves us with a need to find some way of getting Montipinia alone.”

“Tory can introduce Malone and Hernandez as a couple of heavy hitters at the party,” Nash said as he slowly paced the living room. “Let him know that our connections aren’t able to handle our load anymore. Drop hints about the online auction company that Rachel has set up.”

“Cruz isn’t going to talk business at the party,” Victoria interrupted as she turned to face the trio for the first time. “He borders on paranoid when it comes to who he deals with. Just because you show up at one of his parties isn’t going to make him trust you. It’s going to make him suspicious. You can bet that Teddy Malone and his associates have already undergone investigation. Cruz won’t waste a single minute trying to find out who you are.”

“If he’s as apprehensive as you claim he is, then you’re just going to have to make sure that his questions are satisfied,” Sarah said as she eyed the other woman. There was something about Victoria Castle that made her uneasy, something that she was holding back and that concerned her.

“You seem to think that I have an awful lot of influence over Cruz Montipinia, Ms. Drake,” Victoria returned as she took several steps toward her.

“Don’t you?” Sarah shot back.

She let out a small burst of air that sufficed as a chuckle as she smiled at the woman’s naivety. “Cruz isn’t influenced by anyone. I’ve seen him walk away from a million dollar deal just because he didn’t like the guys shoes. Then, when the buyer started spouting off, Cruz pulled out a gun and shot him without even blinking an eye.” She shook her head again as she allowed that to sink in for a moment. “He’s ruthless. He doesn’t care about anyone or anything. He uses people like they were toys to play with, then discard.”

“Even one of his favorite toys?” Sarah countered and was a little surprised when Victoria merely chucked, then walked away. Sarah couldn’t even get a rise out of her. She began to wonder if Victoria was as cold as she claimed Cruz to be. Cold and calculating.

“Look Tory,” Joe said. “If you don’t think we will get a second shot at Montipinia, we’re going to have to take him at the party. That means that a lot of people are likely to get caught in the cross fire. We want to avoid that if we can, but we’re not going to let Montipinia out of the city again.”

Victoria stared out at the night once more, then at her reflection. She had to make this work. She wouldn’t live through it if she didn’t and neither would Russell. “I’ll get you that second meeting.”

* * *

One look at Harvey’s face and Rachel knew what had happened. “I’m sorry babe,” he told her. “You were right. Yong Cha is dead. Once in the chest.”

Rachel closed her eyes and shook her head. “What was he thinking?” she ground out between clenched teeth.

His eyebrows shot up. “He was thinking about protecting you the only way he knew how,” Harvey told her. “I probably would have done the same thing if I was in his shoes.”

She gave him a surprised look. “You’re serious,” she stated rather than asked.

“Absolutely,” he told her with conviction. “Yong Cha tried to have you killed, Rach. Once he crossed that line, Hyun knew that there would be no stopping him. He felt like he had to.”

“But it destroys any chance he has of real freedom,” she argued. “In this state, he will be facing the death penalty. What kind of an exchange was that?”

Harvey thought about that for a moment. “I’d say it was an even exchange.” He quickly held up his hands when she looked about to contest again. “Look Rach. The guy hasn’t been able to get out from under his father’s thumb in the past twenty years even though he changed his name and moved to another country. He was constantly living in fear that his father would do something to you or to Samuel. He saw his son slipping away, following in Yong Cha’s footsteps, then the old man turns around and hires an assassin to take you out. I’d say that Hyun was on the edge. He did what he had to do to protect you and possibly saved your son from making the biggest mistake in his life trying to impress an old man looking for an heir. Having the SFPD after him for murder must seem like a vacation after the hell he has been through.”

She shook her head slowly as she tried to picture Hyun’s face. Had it been so long that she couldn’t understand what he had been saying to her? How had she missed that he was still in love with her? Was she so blinded by her feelings for Harvey that Hyun’s no longer mattered? When had that changed?

She closed her eyes when she thought about what she had said to him. She had mocked him for not doing more to stop Yong not realizing that he had already killed him to protect her. “I can’t even imagine what he is going through right now.”

Harvey hesitated for a moment as he looked down at the bed. All of the things that were scattered out earlier were now tucked back in the box at her side except for a photograph. A picture of Hyun and Samuel playing when Samuel was about four. “I have to ask this Rach,” he warned her. “Do you know where Hyun Chon is?”

“I have no knowledge of Hyun Chon’s whereabouts from the moment he left my hospital room,” she answered as one professional to another.

Harvey nodded. That meant that she had an idea of where he was going even though she didn’t have an address. With her specialized search programs, she could find him without much trouble. He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up at her, doing his best to keep all emotion from his face. “He wouldn’t have come here unless he was hoping that he would be taking you with him,” he said softly and saw the surprise in her eyes. “It would have been too much of a risk to take just to say hello to an old girlfriend,” he explained. “Now that Yong Cha is out of the way, you have a chance at that family you wanted.”

She searched his eyes as she folded her arms across her chest. She wasn’t sure if she should be angry or concerned. “What are you trying to say?” she asked suspiciously.

He sighed heavily. He knew that she understood the suggestion. She was wondering why he had made it. “I just don’t want to get blindsided again,” he told her honestly. “We’ve never really discussed where our relationship was heading so I would understand if you felt like there wasn’t a commitment here to hold you. I mean, let’s face it. When the father of your son shows up wanting to take you away from here and give you the life you’ve always wanted, that’s pretty stiff competition. I don’t think it’s too out of line to wonder where we stand.”

“Okay,” she said carefully. “Let me see if I can clear it up for you.”

Harvey didn’t even see her hand coming as she slapped him upside the head. “Hey!”

“What is wrong with you?” she asked rhetorically. She couldn’t remember him being that dense with the other women in his life, but then again, he was telling the truth when he said that he had been blindsided several times by the majority of them.

Her heart went out to him as he sat there with his scared little boy expression. She had never known anyone who could convey so much with just the look on his face. “It doesn’t matter what Hyun and I had in the past because that’s over. It’s gone,” she insisted “There is no future for me and Hyun because I’m not the same person I was back then. I’ve changed, Harvey. While I’ll always love Hyun, he isn’t the one that I dream about at night. He isn’t the one that fills my world with lilacs. He isn’t the one that makes my heart jump every time he speaks. The person that I’ve become wants to be with you and only you.” She could see the expression in his eyes turn from uncertainty to belief. “Harvey, don’t you know that you’re my soul?” she whispered as she reached out to touch his face. “There is no life in me without you.”

He slipped his hand behind her neck and gently pulled her to him for several passionate kisses. After everything they had been through over the past few weeks, she never wavered.

She loved him. He would never doubt that again.

* * *

“How’s it going Cassidy?” Nash asked as he and Joe walked into the luxury home where she was keeping watch with Roger.

Cassidy looked away from the telephoto camera to give him a glance as Nash picked up a set of binoculars. “Your timing is almost as good as Montipinia’s,” she commented, then returned to her surveillance. “He arrived five minutes ago and, if I’m not mistaken, that’s Victoria Castle pulling in now.”

All four of them stood at the windows to see Victoria stepping out of her car and walking into the home with one of Montipinia’s gunmen holding the door open for her. “I’ve heard that Montipinia can plan everything down to the second,” Roger commented idly. Once Victoria was inside, they gathered around the sound equipment to listen in.

“Hello sweetheart,” Cruz said warmly when Victoria was escorted in to him.

“Hello Cruz,” she returned as she leaned in to receive a kiss on her cheek.

“You look beautiful, as always. How have you been the past couple of months?” he asked solicitously as he took her hands and held her arms out so that his eyes could scan her sleek form. “Is everything at the club going well?”

She gave a casual shrug as he turned away to fix himself a drink. “Same as usual. We had a little trouble a couple of days ago with one of the customers, but Greg was able to get him out of there.”

His brow lifted as he looked back at her. “Anything that you need me to take care of?” he asked.

“It wasn’t serious,” she assured him. “Just a guy who had too much to drink.”

He gave her a nod, then held up a bottle of amber liquid. “You still like apple juice, right?”

“Perfect,” she returned.

Roger glanced over at Nash as they listened intently to the conversation. “This sounds like a night out at the country club.”

“Who would have guessed that Montipinia had manners,” Cassidy concurred.

“Did Russell come in with you?” Victoria asked as she knelt down on the settee, leaning her arms on the back as she watched him prepare their drinks.

“I’m afraid that I had to ask him to stay behind to finish up some business, but don’t worry. He’ll be here for the party tomorrow night.” He handed her a wine glass filled with apple juice, then reached out to caress her upturned face. “I haven’t seen you in so long that I wanted to keep you to myself for awhile.”

“You mean Angela hasn’t kept you occupied?” she asked teasingly.

The corners of his lips showed just a hint of a smile, then he shook his finger at her. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”

She shrugged again as she settled down into her seat, cupping her glass in her palm. “No more than usual,” she returned honestly. If the truth were to be known, she was actually relieved to have some of the attention taken off of herself. “It’s been a long time since you’ve had someone steady in your life.”

“I could say the same for you,” he commented lightly as he circled the settee and sat down next to her. “I hear that there’s someone special in your life now too.”

She smiled at him, then took a sip from her glass. “I was wondering if you had heard,” she returned coyly.

His eyebrow shot up again. “Are you trying to make me jealous now?” he asked incredulously.

She gave a throaty laugh as she reached out to take his hand. “How can a man with everything be jealous of anyone?”

“Careful,” he warned her with a squeeze to her fingers. “I’m going to start thinking that you’re trying to play me.”

She gave him a doubtful look as her heart leapt up into her throat. Don’t panic, she told herself. He was only joking. “I don’t think that there is a person alive that can pull one over on you, Cruz, and I know better than to even try.”

He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her fingers. “So tell me about this Teddy Malone,” he suggested. “Is he someone that I should get to know?”

She pretended to think about that for a moment. “It might be worth your time,” she returned cautiously. “He supposedly has some sort of internet scheme going with lots of financial backing, but he’s in need of new sources. From what I understand, he has to use several different dealers just to keep up with the demand. That’s why I introduced him to Tristan. I’ll tell you, it didn’t do much for my reputation when Greco tried to double-cross Teddy and his partner.”

“Malone was the one to take out Tristan?” he asked in surprise.

“You didn’t know?” she returned just as astonished.

“I had heard that Tristan was killed, but the details are sketchy as to what actually happened.” He scanned her features vigilantly. “What did Malone tell you?”

“Not much, actually,” she said as she held his gaze unwaveringly. “Teddy is a lot like you. He doesn’t talk much about his business dealings, but I have a feeling that he was suspicious of Tristan from the beginning. You can’t use things like car bombs without word getting around. Besides, as far as I’m concerned, the world didn’t lose much when Tristan got taken out.”

Cruz chuckled softly. “I would have to agree with you there.”

Roger nodded his approval at the way Victoria was handling herself. “She’s giving him just enough information to keep him interested.”

Joe caught his partner’s eye and wondered if he realized what an accomplished actress Victoria was. For the first time since they began working together twenty-odd years ago, he had doubts about Nash’s instincts concerning Victoria Castle. “She’s good.”

Nash nodded slightly, intent on the conversation over the wire rather than in the room. “Natural talent.”

“Where did you meet this Malone character?” Cruz asked casually as he removed an invisible speck of dust from the knee of his slacks.

Victoria set her glass aside as she gave him a curious look. “I’m beginning to think that your sources aren’t what they use to be,” she teased.

His smile was moderate, controlled. “Humor me,” he ordered softly.

Her eyes dropped from his for a moment with the pretense of shifting her position to a more comfortable one. Stick to the truth, she ordered herself. He’ll know if you don’t. “We met at the club,” she said succinctly as her eyes rose to his once more. “We didn’t have much of a chance to talk that first night, but I knew that there was something special about him. It wasn’t until a couple of days later that I discovered that he was a player.”

“You mean you didn’t know that from the start?” he asked doubtfully. “Somehow I find that hard to believe.”

“She’s losing it,” Cassidy said quickly.

“Give her a chance,” Nash returned, then waited on edge.

Roger smiled. “She’ll pull it off,” he said with certainty.

“That’s what made him so special,” Victoria whispered with confidence. She knew Cruz better than he knew himself and she was well aware of what he wanted to hear. “It’s rare when I come across someone that I can’t read right away and that intrigued me.”

On the outside, she appeared calm, as if she was having a casual conversation with a friend. But, on the inside, she was ready to run screaming from the room. She was certain that Cruz could see right through her game. She was even more concerned when he shook his head.

“This just isn’t like you, Tory,” he stated, voicing his suspicions for the first time. “You don’t go out with drug dealers.”

“Besides you, you mean?” she countered quickly.

The smile returned to his face. “Touché.” He gave her hand a gentle shake, then decided to reveal a little more. “Russell’s concerned about you,” he said as a way of explaining his questions. “He’s afraid that this guy is stringing you along because of your connections.”

She giggled at the implication. “Russell doesn’t think that I can tie my shoes without help. Teddy didn’t even know that I had any connections to you at all until I told him about your party,” she lied before she could stop herself.

“And I suppose that he asked to meet me when you did,” he assumed.

Victoria hesitated for a second, trying to decide what would be the best way to proceed, then she shook her head. “Actually, he didn’t say anything about it. He knows that I don’t want anything to do with the business. He doesn’t tell me anything and I don’t ask any questions.”

“Good girl,” Nash whispered softly. She was protecting herself. The less Montipinia thought she knew, the better.

“Do you love him?” Cruz asked point blank.

Victoria was startled by the question at first, her mind racing for a way to respond, then she smiled at Cruz. She had to maintain the facade, then the thought occurred to her to list his attributes rather than addressing her feelings toward him. “He’s entertaining and spontaneous. Intelligent and gentle. He’s a lot like you, actually,” she said noncommittally. Her smile became genuine as she imagined Nash cringing at the comparison as he listened in. “He’s a man on the edge and I find that attractive.” She gave him a slightly reproachful look. “And he’s not out of the country more than he’s in.”

“Now Tory,” he began, wagging his finger in the air to stop that line of conversation. “You know that you could have come with me any time that you wanted to. You were the one that insisted on opening the club.”

“I know darling,” she purred, sliding her hand over his knee as she leaned a little closer. “It was just as much my fault as it was yours. I guess it takes a special kind of person to live in a non-stop lifestyle. Is Angela that person?” she asked, hoping to turn the steer the conversation away from Nash.

Cruz cocked an eyebrow, then smiled as he thought of his recent paramour. “She definitely likes having my money to throw around,” he commented lightly.

Victoria looked at him from the corner of her eye as a smile inched up on her face. “And you love every minute of it,” she accused him.

He neither admitted or denied it as he stood, taking Victoria’s hand so that she would do the same, then he escorted her toward the patio. “That was why you were such a problem for me, Miss Castle. You never let me buy you anything.”

“Now you know that’s not true,” she teased in return. “I just didn’t feel the need to be lavished with gifts all the time.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it lavishing, but I do have a little bobble that I picked up when I was in Italy last month.”

She stopped once they were outside and looked up at him. “Don’t tell me that you bought that armoire in Naples?”

“I know you said that you didn’t want me to get it, but it will be perfect for your bedroom,” he said in defense of his actions. “You’ll love it when you see it and it’s such a close match for your Edwardian bed that you can barely tell the difference.”

She shook her head as she smiled at him. She knew better than to argue. “Thank you,” she returned simply. “I’m sure that I’ll love it no matter what it looks like.”

“Who is this guy?” Roger asked in a disbelieving voice. “He’ll shoot you for not being GQ and he talks like he’s from the aristocracy. What are drug dealers coming to these days?”

“He’s smooth. I’d date him,” Cassidy said.

“I’ll shoot you first,” Nash returned.

Cruz tucked her hand under his arm as they began a slow stroll around the grounds. “Will you be bringing Mister Malone to the party?”

“Only if you’re comfortable with that,” she said, assuming a passive roll in asking his permission. She knew that Cruz wasn’t a man to be pushed about anything and it was best to leave the option up to him.

He studied her for a long moment, then smiled broadly. “How can I deny you anything?” he asked hypothetically. “If you trust this man, then he’s welcome here.”

There was a collective sigh with the group of officers listening in. She did it.

* * *

Victoria stood on the beach staring out at the ocean waves as the water tickled at her toes. The past two hours had been the most nerve wracking in her entire life. She had been certain that Cruz would catch her in a lie at any moment, but he hadn’t. She wasn’t sure how she had managed to hold herself together for so long. Once she had escaped in her car, her hands were shaking so badly that she could barely drive. She ended up stopping only a few blocks away from where Cruz was staying and taking refuge on the beach.

It had been years since she had been that terrified. Cruz had introduced her to many horrors over time, including having to watch someone die. He had given her memories that would haunt her until the end of time and yet, somehow she had managed to find some peace as he continued to drop in and out of her life. It had come from the knowledge that she would be all right as long as she kept her mouth shut. Now she had forsaken that. She knew that Cruz wouldn’t hesitate to kill her or Russell if he ever found out what they had done.

Now she had to conjure up every ounce of strength, to use every tool that she had learned as a player just to carry on a simple conversation with him. For once, she was grateful for her ability to read a person’s expression. She had been with Cruz long enough to know what to say and what not to. If he were to ever discover how deeply Victoria really cared for Nash, he wouldn’t believe another word out of her mouth. He would assume that she would betray him for the love of another.

She squeezed her eyes closed as she prayed fervently that Russell would be there in time for the party. She did not know what she would do if Cruz commanded her company again. She was doing everything that she could to hold herself together, but she felt like she was losing the battle.

Nash would be there, she reminded herself. Even if Russell didn’t arrive in time, she wouldn’t be alone. She had to hang onto her faith in Nash if not herself. He had real talent, but no one could fool Cruz for long. She prayed that everything would be over quickly.

Drawing in a deep breath, her mind started running through a list of possible scenarios for her next visit with Cruz. She didn’t want to be caught off guard by his questions again. She nearly choked when he asked her if she loved Nash. She knew that Nash was listening in with several members the SIU and vice divisions of the San Francisco Police Department. Though, in hindsight, she would have loved to have seen Nash’s face if she had said yes. She could just imagine all eyes in the room turning to Nash with the revelation, but she knew that she could never do that to him or herself. That was one secret that would have to remain concealed.

Giving her head a little shake, she looked back out over the water again. “Focus, Tory. Focus,” she ordered herself. She hadn’t developed a reputation of always saying the right thing by accident.

Joe looked over at his partner sitting behind the wheel of the Cuda, then at the lone figure on the secluded beach. Joe had pulled in behind them, then sat in his car watching Nash watch her and Victoria watch the surf. It had been very exciting. “We’ve been here for ten minutes,” he informed him through the window of his car. “How long are you going to let her stand out there before you go say something to her?”

Nash shot him a look out of the corner of his eye, then reached for the door handle. “Timing, man. It’s all in the timing.” He smiled, then stepped out of the car and walked over to Victoria. She jumped slightly when his hand grazed her back, then she gave him a cautious smile. “Are you all right?” he asked. “You seemed a little shaken up when you left Montipinia.”

“I’ve been better,” she returned, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear to keep it from blowing in her face. “I guess the reality of my situation finally hit home. Cruz is suspicious of my relationship with you. I wasn’t prepared for some of his questions.”

“Yeah, Cruz sure threw you a couple of curve balls, but you handled it beautifully,” he complimented her. “You even made a fan out of one of the guys from vice. He’s ready to call his boss and tell him to sign you up.”

Her smile broadened. His lighthearted attitude was doing wonders for her confidence. “I come by it honestly. My daddy was a smooth talking con man who could sell a brush to a bald man.” She wanted to be able to laugh, to brush the afternoon aside as easily as Nash seemed to, but she just couldn’t. It was still too real for her. Even the thought of what could happen if Cruz uncovered her duplicity sent shock waves through her body. “How do you handle it, Nash?” she asked. “How do you deal with knowing that one mistake could end everything?”

He sighed heavily. He knew her meeting with Montipinia had upset her, forced her to look at things differently. That was why he had given her time to work through her thoughts herself. “I’m afraid there’s no pat answer for that, sweetheart. You have to find it in yourself. Do whatever it is you need to do to go on.”

“But what do you do?” she persisted. “I was only with Cruz for a couple of hours and I’m a nervous wreck. How can you face that kind of situation every day and remain sane?”

“By ignoring it mostly,” he returned with a shrug. “I know that the danger is there, that it exists and I’m prepared for it, but I don’t think beyond that. I can’t dwell on it. If I get wrapped up in what could happen, I’ll lose what edge I have.”

She shook her head at the path that lay before her. A direction that she had chosen for herself instead of having it thrust upon her. “I wish that I was better prepared. When I was sitting there talking to Cruz, I felt like I was reading a script. I kept thinking back to old conversations and trying to remember how I would react.”

“You learned the hard way how to cope,” he returned. “You know first hand what Cruz is like. Use that to your advantage. You can maintain control of the situation if you know what to expect.”

“I just don’t know how long I can keep it up. There were times when I thought that I was going to lose it any second.”

“But you didn’t,” he offered in comfort.

She looked deep into his hazel eyes, searching for the support that she needed, then she brushed her fingers down his cheek. “Tell me that we’re going to get through this?” she begged him softly. “I just need to hear it one time.”

He reached out to put his hands on her hips and drew her closer. “You’ve thought about this for a long time, Tory. You’re better prepared than you think you are. You simply have to believe in yourself. I’m going to be there for you, but you have to trust your instincts. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Maybe when this is all over, we can take that schooner out again.”

She smiled as she slipped her hands over his shoulders. “I’d like that,” she whispered. She knew that he was only making the offer to soothe her troubled thoughts, but it helped. “Maybe we’ll even catch some fish this time.”

“I don’t know,” he teased. “I was pretty happy with what I caught last time.”

Her heart fluttered erratically at his words. She knew that he was only saying what she wanted to hear, but she didn’t care. For right now, she was going to live in the illusion.

Joe shook his head as he watched Nash and Victoria kiss. “I hope you know what you’re doing, partner,” he whispered to himself, then he backed his car out and drove away.

* * *