Chapter 6
The short trip into the tiny island town of Amethyst was a disturbing confirmation of everything Letty Platt had said about Jared’s power on the island. Even more unnerving for Kate was the realization that even though this was the first time she had left the resort grounds, she was already a well-known figure, and not because of her reputation as an author, she soon discovered to her chagrin.
“Ms Inskip, it is indeed a pleasure to serve you.” The beaming owner of the small grocery brushed aside his young assistant who appeared to be his son and handled the transaction personally. “Allow me to give you the usual resort discount,” he insisted as he bagged Kate’s purchases.
“I think I can handle the regular prices.” Kate reached for her purse.
“No, no, no. Impossible. I will not hear of it. Jared Hawthorne does a great deal of business with my small shop and the discount I give him is my way of thanking him. You understand?”
“Yes, of course, but these are my groceries, not Mr. Hawthorne’s. I’m buying them for personal use, not for the resort.”
“But you are a close personal friend of Jared’s and I must insist you accept the discount.”
“But I really don’t want it or need it.”
Letty stepped close and murmured, “I wouldn’t argue with him if I were you, Kate. Mr. Chan will be hurt, Jared will be annoyed and you’ll lose the battle, anyway. This is Jared’s discount and you’re entitled to it. Let it go at that.” Kate sighed. She knew it wasn’t worth an argument. She summoned up a properly grateful smile. “Thank you, Mr. Chan. You’re very kind.”
“Not at all, not at all.” He rang up the sale on a cash register that looked as though it had been around since before one of the less recent wars. “Please give my best to Jared.”
Kate took the paper sack full of pizza fixings and turned to follow a grinning Letty out of the store. Several people glanced at her with open curiosity and big smiles.
“What, exactly, do you think Mr. Chan meant when he called me a close personal friend of Jared’s?”
Letty shot her a slanting glance. “What do you think he meant?”
“I was afraid of that. Does everyone on the island know that I’m...that Jared and I have been that—” she cleared her throat “—that close?”
“Probably. Does it bother you?”
“It annoys me,” Kate snapped as she dumped the sack of groceries into the back of the small Jeep Letty was driving. “It’s an invasion of personal privacy.”
“If you wanted a lot of personal privacy,” Letty said as she put the Jeep in gear, “you shouldn’t have gotten involved in an affair with the biggest honcho on the island.”
Kate closed her eyes in brief frustration. “You’ve got a point. Getting involved with Jared is probably not the brightest thing I’ve ever done. Maybe the tropical heat has warped my brain. Where are we going now?”
“Thought we’d make a quick stop at a dress shop run by a friend of mine. She carries some nice things, and her prices are a lot better than the ones in the resort’s gift shop.”
Kate perked up. “Sounds like a great idea.”
But twenty minutes later when Kate selected a colorful full-length island dress and asked to have it hemmed, she was confronted with another example of Jared’s inescapable presence. He might as well have been looking over her shoulder, she thought wryly.
“I’ll have my seamstress hem it immediately,” the shop owner promised. “It will be delivered to the resort this afternoon. Will that be soon enough?”
“There’s no great rush,” Kate said quickly. “I can pick it up tomorrow.”
“I wouldn’t hear of it.” The woman waved the idea aside with a graceful movement of her hand. “You’re a personal friend of Jared’s, and I insist. It’s the least I can do. After all, Jared was the one who loaned me the capital I needed to open this shop. I’m delighted to be able to do a favor for a friend of his. Heavens, just about everyone on the island is happy to extend a few favors to Jared. Isn’t that right, Letty?”
“I’m afraid so.” Letty’s eyes brimmed with amusement. “Come on, Kate. Let’s take a peek inside the gallery next door. You might see something you like.”
“And get it at a Hawthorne discount?” Kate asked dryly.
“Probably. Mary Farrell, who runs it, gets most of her business from the resort visitors. She undoubtedly feels she owes Jared a favor, too. Her artists would all be starving if it weren’t for the customers Crystal Cove sends her way.”
Kate threw up her hands. “I give up. Why don’t you all just admit you’re living in a feudal kingdom and buy Jared a crown?”
“Not exactly a feudal kingdom,” Letty said, laughing. “Just a very small town on a very small island that’s tucked away in a very far-off corner of the world. If it weren’t for Jared Hawthorne and his resort, Amethyst would either be completely deserted or look a lot more like Port Ruby, a run-down, sleazy dump. People around here know that.”
“And they’re suitably grateful.”
“You could say that.”
“You know something, Letty? I’ll bet things around here worked very much the same way back when Roger Hawthorne was in charge.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Kate came to a halt on the path, glanced quickly back over her shoulder and then ducked under the heavy chain that guarded the route to the Hawthorne castle.
She felt extremely daring as she slipped past the barrier. She was now on forbidden territory.
There was no real reason to worry about being seen, though she continued to glance back over her shoulder. There was no reason to be nervous, either, she reminded herself. She had been at Crystal Cove long enough to learn the routine. It was barely dawn and no self-respecting guest at the resort arose at this hour. Neither did members of the staff, as far as Kate could discern. Life was definitely more relaxed on a South Seas island.
She would have the castle to herself, and that was exactly what she wanted. Her curiosity had become overwhelming.
Earlier in the week she had dutifully signed on for the official tour of the castle and had been bitterly disappointed. An enthusiastic guide had led the small group of interested guests along the winding path to the picturesque ruins, but no one had been allowed to do any in-depth exploring.
The young man had told everyone the story of Roger Hawthorne, a rather sanitized version compared to the edition Kate was reading in Amelia’s diary.
The Hawthornes had lived on Amethyst Island for many years and had produced several children, despite Amelia’s initial opposition to the marriage. That information had amused the small crowd. The family had eventually moved back to England when Roger’s older brother had died without an heir, leaving the estates and a title to Roger.
The castle had remained empty ever since.
“And in such a dangerous state of disrepair that the resort management allows visitors only as far as the front hall at the present time,” the guide had concluded. “Renovations are planned and someday soon large sections of the castle will be open for viewing.”
But Kate had seen no sign of the renovations, nor any evidence of workmen around the place. She had, however, seen two sets of fresh footprints in the dust on a circular staircase at the back of the shadowy hall. Something told her the prints had been left by Jared and his large friend Max.
Kate had awakened this morning with the sure and certain knowledge that she could no longer contain her anxious curiosity. She had to know what was going on. Her intimate relationship with Jared made it impossible to ignore his mysterious comings and goings any longer.
The castle was supposed to be a crumbling ruin, forbidden to everyone, yet Jared had taken Max Butterfield up to it at midnight on at least two occasions, and the two men had apparently gone well beyond the front hall.
Kate was rapidly becoming convinced that whatever was going on at the castle at night was either illegal or dangerous or both. She had to know the truth.
It was a long hike along the narrow path to the Hawthorne castle. The route wound through the dense tropical growth above Crystal Cove and continued on for some distance through more heavy foliage until, with no warning, it ended abruptly in front of the old stone ruin.
Kate came to a halt and caught her breath while she studied the dark pile of stone in the dawn light.
The Hawthorne castle was more of a well-fortified stone house than a true castle, she decided. It was not a huge place, just a three-story structure pierced with narrow windows. There were no outer walls protecting a courtyard, gatehouses, moats or ramparts. There was, however, a tower that rose above the main building from which Roger Hawthorne had no doubt kept an eagle eye on the sea. From his aerie he could have watched for both opportunities and competitors.
The section of the castle that faced the sea was a solid wall of stone that merged with the dark lava that rose out of the waves. On the sea side, the castle was impregnable. The only approach was from the jungle side of the island.
During the tour, the guide had explained that Hawthorne and his crew had used the beach above Crystal Cove as a wharf. Cargoes had been unloaded, goods had been traded and business had been conducted on the spot where the resort now stood. The wealthy planters and others from nearby islands had been eager to buy whatever Hawthorne managed to get hold of and no one worried too much about the original owners of the goods.
Kate took a deep breath and walked cautiously through the massive stone entryway, following the path the tour guide had used the previous day. A moment later she found herself in the shadowy, high-ceilinged hall.
An eerie sensation rippled through her as she switched on her small flashlight. When she had stood in this room with a crowd full of curious resort guests, everything had seemed quite interesting. But this morning she felt as if she were standing in a room full of ghosts.
“Not exactly an English country house, Amelia,” Kate whispered. “How did you stand it? I’ll bet you were really annoyed when you realized you were supposed to set up housekeeping in this joint.”
Kate walked across the floor to the circular stone staircase at the far end of the hall. The footprints were still there. She had not imagined them. The staircase went down, not up to the next level.
She leaned forward and splashed the light over the steps. They twisted and vanished into a forbidding darkness.
She had known the answers weren’t going to come easily. She took a deep breath and considered her next move. There was no real option. If she wanted to know where the footsteps led, she would have to follow them.
When she started slowly down the narrow steps, she learned firsthand the meaning of having the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Her fingers trembled as she grasped the flashlight. Her every instinct was alive with warning.
But she forced herself down the steps, following the muddled prints in the dust. It crossed her mind that the guide had emphasized several times that the castle was not structurally safe, but she decided that as long as she followed the footprints she wound be reasonably safe. Jared and Max had come this way more than once, she reminded herself. And at midnight, too.
The gloom thickened around her as she descended below the level of the entry hall. Down here there were no slits in the walls to provide air and light. A dank, damp odor swirled around her. When she paused to flash the light around, Kate saw only more stone.
Then, without any warning, the stone steps came to an end in a tiny cell of a room. Perhaps this was a storage cellar, she thought. But when she examined the floor, she found that the footprints continued on, straight into a wall. There must be some sort of concealed doorway in the stone, she decided, but she had no idea of where to begin hunting for the hidden lock.
There were more prints leading off in the opposite direction back under the staircase. Kate followed these to a dark opening that proved to be a doorway. The door itself was long gone. When she flashed her light down the dank hall that was revealed, she saw a barred room that must have been used as a dungeon or secured storage room at one time.
Her uneasiness grew. The more she studied the barred room, the more it looked like a dungeon cell. Kate suddenly wanted very badly to get back upstairs into the light. She started quickly up the steps, stumbling in her haste.
When she was within sight of the last step, Kate switched off the flashlight and quickened her pace. She couldn’t wait to get out into the warm light of the new day. Later, when she was safely back in her room, she would try to figure out what to do next. Perhaps she should confront Jared, after all. But what would she do if he simply denied everything? She could not bear the thought that he might be a real-life pirate.
The questions hammered at her, driving her forward until she practically leaped up the last step.
She was so intent on getting out of the hall that she didn’t even see the man who stood concealed in the shadows at the top of the dark staircase. When his arm closed suddenly around her, snagging her and pulling her back against a solid male body, Kate opened her mouth on a terrified scream.
There was no scream: a large hand clamped over her mouth. Kate reacted in fear and rage, driving her elbow back into what felt like a very solid midsection. The blow brought a muffled curse, and for an instant the man’s grip slackened.
That was all the time Kate needed. She moved, grasping his arm and stepping to one side in an effort to yank her assailant off balance. He went readily in the direction she wanted, too readily—the way Jared had that morning on the beach. Instead of losing his balance, he added so much force to the momentum she had established that Kate was thrown off her feet. In that instant Kate finally realized who she was dealing with.
“Jared.”
He came down on top of her, pinning her to the floor. “Oh, Christ, it’s you. I should have known. Quiet, you little fool. Sound carries. Are all romance writers so damnably curious?”
A new kind of anger surged through Kate. How dared he treat her like this? How dared he sneak around in the dark and grab unsuspecting people who were merely trying to get to the bottom of a few crucial questions?
“Let me go, you bastard. Let me go, dammit. You’re a liar. A liar.”
“Stop it,” he ordered roughly. “Will you just stop struggling, for crying out loud? Listen to me, you little shrew. Settle down or you’ll hurt yourself.”
But Kate was too incensed to stop. She had never been so angry. She felt betrayed.
The battle was short and frantic, and Katie knew she had lost it before it had even begun. Nevertheless, she fought desperately, aware that she was overmatched. All two weeks’ worth of self-defense lessons were discarded in a moment as she realized none of them would work. Instead she fought like a small, terrified creature that has become the prey of a much bigger, more dangerous predator.
She tried to kick out and found her leg anchored to the floor by Jared’s thigh. She tried to punch and got her wrists captured for her troubles. Jared did not hurt her, but he eventually succeeded in immobilizing her.
“That’s enough,” he said through his teeth. “You can’t win, so stop wasting your energy.”
A few minutes later, exhausted by her struggles, Kate followed his advice. She lay still, fighting to catch her breath. Her wrists were pinned on either side of her head in a parody of the way he had held her when he had made love to her. He was sprawled on top of her using his weight to hold her still.
“That’s better,” he said after a minute’s tense silence. He sat up slowly, releasing her carefully. His eyes never left her face. “Are you all right?”
“No.” She sat up, aware that she was trembling with outrage. She brushed the dust from her shirt, concentrating on the small, useless task so that she would not have to meet his eyes. “I am not all right. How dare you manhandle me like this?”
He muttered something short and explicit under his breath as he got lithely to his feet. He reached down to haul her up beside him. His face was taut with anger.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Jared spoke through clenched teeth.
“What do you think I’m doing here? I came to take a closer look at the castle. The guided tour was a joke. We barely got to glance inside this hall. I wanted to see the rest of the place.”
“You’ve been told the rest of the castle is off-limits.”
“Yes, well, as you said, romance writers are a curious bunch.”
Jared regarded her in silence for a few seconds. “Cut it out, Kate. I want the truth. Why are you here?”
“How did you know I was here?” she countered.
“I went by your room to see if you wanted to go for a dawn walk on the beach. It seemed so romantic. Thought it would appeal to you. You weren’t there, so I figured you might have gone down to the cove on your own. You weren’t there either, but the chain across the castle path was still swinging and I knew someone had come this way. When. I walked into the hall. I heard someone coming up the stairs.”
“How very alert of you. I’m lucky you didn’t break my neck.”
“How was I to know it was you, dammit? I’m not in the mood for any of your sass, lady. I want some answers and I’m going to get them, but not here and not now.”
“Why not here and now? I’d like a few answers, too.”
“You’ve pushed your luck far enough today. The first thing we’re going to do is get you back to the resort. I don’t want you hanging around here any longer than necessary.” He took hold of her arm and propelled her out of the hall and into the morning sunshine.
“Now, just one damned minute,” Kate stumbled and tried to pull free of his grip. Jared ignored her efforts. He dragged her swiftly along the path until they reached the chain that barred the way. There he paused long enough to push her underneath the metal links. He followed, ducking quickly beneath the barrier.
“All right,” he said a moment later as they hit the main path back to the resort. “We’re safe now. If anyone sees us here we can say we were down at the beach.”
“Why do we have to make any explanations at all?” Kate cast him a furious glance.
“Because I said so.”
“And whatever you say is law around here, is that it?”
“Now you’re catching on.”
He had hold of her hand now. To anyone else it would look like an affectionate grip, but Kate was thoroughly aware of the force behind it. She was relieved to be away from the castle ruins, but the wariness she felt around Jared was not making her feel much better. She began to think longingly of her cozy little apartment in Seattle.
“Where are we going?” she demanded as Jared walked her swiftly past her room and on toward the main resort building.
“My office. We can talk there without worrying about someone interrupting us.”
She said nothing more as he led her through the empty lobby and down an open hallway to a room that overlooked the cove.
“In here.” He closed the door behind them and pushed her toward a chair. “Sit down and talk.” He went over to a side table and switched on a coffee machine.
“I think you’re the one who should be doing the talking.” Kate absently rubbed her wrist where he had gripped it. “What’s going on at that castle, Jared? What are you and Max involved in?”
“Damn. You know about Max, too? You have been busy, haven’t you?” He seemed totally wrapped up in watching the fresh coffee drip into the glass pot.
“I know you and Max have been paying some midnight visits to the castle.” Kate decided she had nothing to lose at this point by admitting what she had seen.
“You’re in this deeper than I realized. Who are you, Kate?”
The implied accusation infuriated her. “I’m exactly who I told you I am, a stressed-out writer on vacation. Nothing more and nothing less. Unlike you, I’m not living any lies.”
“The weird part is that I believe you. I think I’d know if you were lying to me.”
“I’ve got news for you—you’re not the only one who can tell when someone is lying.”
Jared sighed. “What made you start spying on Max and me? Research?”
“Hardly. I was coming back from the beach late my first night on the island and I decided to take a quick look at the castle. I had to hide in the bushes because you and Max were on the same path. When I spotted both of you going that way again a second time, I got curious.”
“I’ll just bet you did. Lord save all men from curious females.”
Jared poured two cups of coffee and carried one over to her. When she took it without a word, he went around behind a massive carved desk and sat down.
“What’s going on, Jared? What’s the big secret?”
He sipped his coffee, looking very thoughtful. “To put it bluntly, my sweet, it’s none of your damned business.”
“Are you up to something illegal?”
“No.”
“Then what’s going on?” Kate was slightly relieved to hear the denial, but she was still thoroughly exasperated.
“It’s nothing that concerns you, Kate. Furthermore, I’m ordering you to stay out of it.”
“I don’t take orders from you. If it’s nothing illegal, then you won’t care if I call the police.”
“What police? Sam over on Ruby Island? Give me a break. He’d laugh himself silly. Even if you got him to listen to you, what would you tell him? That I made a couple of midnight trips to Hawthorne Castle? I own the place, remember? I’ve got a perfect right to go there any time I want. You’re the one who was illegally trespassing.”
He was right, of course. She had absolutely nothing to report to any official. “Jared, something is going on, I know it.”
“I don’t care what you think you know so long as you keep your mouth shut and don’t give me any trouble. That means staying away from Hawthorne Castle. Understood?”
She jumped to her feet. “No, it is not understood. I want to know what’s going on. I insist you tell me.”
“Just because your curiosity is running wild doesn’t mean I have to satisfy it, Kate.”
“But if it’s something illegal...”
“I’ve told you, it’s not illegal.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“I’ve never lied to you, have I?”
“Yes, you have. Last night is an instance that comes immediately to mind. You told me you had to go home early so David wouldn’t be alone. But you didn’t go home. You went to the castle.”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot.”
“You forgot? Forgot you lied to me? Very convenient.”
Jared sipped his coffee. “I didn’t actually lie to you, you know. I did have to get home early last night. But I allowed myself enough time to make the trip to the castle.”
“I’m supposed to accept that as an explanation?” Kate yelped.
“You’re really worked up about this, aren’t you?”
“Yes, dammit, I am. I’ve got reason to be worked up. I’ve been lied to, misled and physically assaulted by the man with whom I’m having an affair.”
“Let’s not get carried away here. I didn’t actually set out to assault you. It was dark in that hall and I wasn’t sure who was coming up the steps. I just grabbed the first warm body that appeared. The next thing I knew I was forced to defend myself against all two weeks’ worth of your self-defense lessons. Which reminds me, you need a little work in some areas, Kate. I might be able to give you a couple of tips. I studied karate for a few years.”
Kate folded her arms across her chest and stood stiffly in front of the entrance to the veranda. “I don’t believe this. You’re not going to explain any of it, are you?”
“No.”
She whirled around and slammed her fist against the nearest wall. “You can’t do this to me. I’m having an affair with you, dammit. That gives me some rights. I demand an explanation, Jared.”
“Well, you’re not going to get it, so you might as well calm down. The only thing you are going to get is my personal guarantee that what I’m doing is legal. You are also going to get a few strict instructions. From now on, you stay away from the castle.”
“I could try cornering Max Butterfield and asking him what’s going on.” It was a weak threat, but it was all Kate had.
“Max left the island yesterday afternoon.”
That stopped her for a second, but only a second. “I could tell Letty or the colonel what I’ve seen.”
“Go ahead. They’ll come straight to me and I’ll tell them everything’s under control. That will satisfy them. You’ll just wind up making yourself look foolish.”
“Because as long as you’re in charge, everything’s just hunky-dory here on Amethyst Island, is that it? I don’t believe this.”
“Believe it.” Jared set down his cup and leaned back in the leather chair. “It’s the way things work around here.”
“So I’ve been told.” Kate massaged her temples and tried to clear her head. “This is crazy.”
“Can’t you trust me, Kate?” Jared asked gently.
“That’s unfair,” she snapped. “You know if the situation was reversed, you’d jump on me with both feet, demanding explanations.”
“Only because I’d be worried about you getting yourself into trouble.”
“Okay, so I’m worried about you.”
He smiled grimly and put his feet up on the desk. “There’s no need. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”
“Jared, I don’t like this. You’ve been living out here beyond the reach of civilization for so long that you’re starting to think you’re a law unto yourself, the way Roger Hawthorne thought he was.”
“Not quite. I haven’t started locking people up in dungeons yet.”
“That’s not very funny. Roger did that?”
“Sure. He was the only law on the island and the bunch that worked for him was rough, to put it mildly. He occasionally needed a dungeon, so he had one built at the bottom of those stairs you were exploring this morning.”
“That little cell? That’s some sort of dungeon?” Kate’s eves widened. “I knew it. But there’s more down there than just that barred room. I know there is. I saw the way the footprints just disappear near the wall.”
“Did you?” He eyed her speculatively.
“There’s something else down there, Jared.”
“Yeah. There is. But it’s got nothing to do with you. One of these days, I’ll show you the whole place, honey, but not today. Not for a couple more weeks, at least. Until I give you the word, you are not going to set foot on the castle path.”
“You can’t stop me from going wherever I want to go.”
“Yes, I can. Here on Amethyst, I can do just about anything I want.”
She stared at him for a long, measuring moment and knew he was right. “You really mean that, don’t you? You really think you can give me orders and make me obey them.”
“Kate,” he said wearily, “even if you went back to the castle, you wouldn’t see anything more than you did this morning. There’s nothing more to see except a few other empty rooms.”
“Then why can’t I go there and explore to my heart’s content?”
“Because it’s unsafe, that’s why. I’ve told you that.”
“It’s more than just structurally unsafe, isn’t it? Whatever you’re involved in there is dangerous. I know it is.”
Jared swung his feet down from the desk, his eyes narrowing. “Look, I’ve had enough of this. Whether you like it or not, I’m the boss around here. Hawthorne castle belongs to me. That makes it private property. I don’t want you anywhere near it and that’s final.”
“And you really don’t feel you owe me any explanations at all?” she asked in stunned, helpless disbelief.
“Just because I’m sleeping with you? No.”
Kate looked at his implacable face and realized further argument was useless. Furious, she went to the door and yanked it open. “You arrogant, overbearing, dictatorial, son of a...You know something, Jared Hawthorne? You’re no better than your ancestor. You’re just a twentieth-century pirate who thinks he’s lord of all he surveys.”
She slammed the door on her way out. When she was safely back in her room, she cried for the first time since Harry had walked out the door.
On that occasion she had been feeling hurt and humiliated and very much a failure. This time it was much worse. This time she was afraid her heart might break.