The Sooner the Better

“Our government is most grateful to you, Ms. Dancy.”



“I’m relieved that I’ve been cleared of all charges.” It was a heavy weight off her shoulders. Whether or not they believed her innocent was no longer a factor. The Mexican government had what it wanted.



“You have nothing to fear. Everything’s been taken care of.”



“Her plane ticket,” Jack prompted.



“Oh, yes, I almost forgot.” Catherina reached for an envelope on her desk. Dr. Molino nodded and smiled.



“I’ve booked you a flight out of Mexico City first thing in the morning. First-class, naturally.”



“Thank you, but that isn’t necessary. I’m more than happy just to know the Kukulcan Star is where it belongs.”



“And?” Jack was looking at Catherina.



Catherina’s eyes met his. “I’ve also made arrangements for you to spend the night at one of the city’s finest hotels. A suite has been reserved in your name.”



“Oh, my.” Lorraine pressed her palm to her heart. “Thank you. But that’s far and above—”



“No, it isn’t,” Jack said. “You returned one of this country’s rarest treasures. You deserve a bit of star treatment. No pun intended.”



“I’ve taken the liberty of ordering a limousine to drive you to the airport tomorrow. The driver will escort you directly to your gate.” She hesitated, then turned to Jack. “Was there anything else?”



“The guard.”



“Ah, yes, the armed guard.”



“I’m going to be guarded?” Lorraine looked from Catherina to Jack and back to Dr. Molino. Once again the older gentleman smiled and nodded.



“There’s no reason to take any unnecessary risks at this point,” Jack told her.



“You’ll have protection for the remainder of your stay in my country,” Catherina assured Lorraine.



“Good,” Jack said approvingly.



Catherina sighed and leaned forward. “Now for a bit of unpleasantness. I’m afraid news about the discovery of the second half of the Kukulcan Star has been leaked to the newspapers. It hasn’t appeared in print yet, but…”



Jack muttered a four-letter word and added in a louder voice, “How did this happen?”



“Such news is of significant interest to the people of my country. I apologize, but I’m afraid that holding back the story for more than twenty-four hours is impossible now.”



“We’re safe,” Lorraine said. “Actually, the sooner it’s published, the better.” It would no longer be worth Jason’s while to come after them, since the artifact had already been handed over to the authorities. And if he hadn’t learned that yet, he would within a day.



Jack caught her gaze and they smiled at each other.



Catherina looked pointedly at Lorraine’s wedding band, then glanced at their faces. She seemed to adequately size up the situation. “So, you two have had quite an adventure.”



Neither commented.



“There’ll be no mention of Lorraine’s name in the news?” Jack asked.



“None,” the other woman promised.



“Thank you.” Jack nodded and relaxed.



“Nor the hotel,” Catherina said as she stood and extended her hand to Lorraine. “Again, my country and my government are most grateful for your assistance. We regret the misunderstanding that occurred earlier and pray that you’ll accept our sincere apologies.”



Dr. Molino stood, too, and they exchanged handshakes all around.



Lorraine was overwhelmed by the Mexican government’s generosity. The first-class air ticket was wonderful, but what she was really going to enjoy was that hotel suite. The first thing she intended to do was take a long hot shower. Then she was ordering a steak from room service, plus a glass of wine and the biggest dessert on the menu.



“I’ll be in touch,” Catherina promised, and Lorraine wasn’t sure if she was talking to her or to Jack. She could only assume Catherina meant Jack.



The three of them left the administrative building together. “I’m glad that’s over with,” Lorraine said, heaving a deep sigh. All night her dreams had been filled with potential disasters. So much had happened already that she couldn’t help thinking something else would go wrong.



Jack didn’t say anything.



Catherina summoned the cab that waited for them outside the building.



Lorraine climbed into the backseat, waving goodbye to Catherina. “Where to now?” she asked, almost giddy with happiness.



Her relief died at Jack’s sudden change of attitude. He sat as far away from her as possible. “I’ll ride with you to the hotel.” The crispness of his tone told her this was the end. Deep in her heart she’d known that. She could guess what Jack would do once they arrived. He’d see her to her room, make sure the guard was in place and then, with a brief farewell, he’d take his leave.



Neither of them said a single word during the entire cab ride.



Jack waited while she filled out the necessary paperwork at the front desk of the luxury hotel.



“I hope you enjoy your stay with us, Ms. Dancy. Oh, and there’s a message for you.” The desk clerk gave her a sheet of paper. She glanced at it and saw her father’s name, then slipped the note in her pocket. She’d deal with this later.



“Thank you,” she said, the words flat and lifeless. All at once she felt incredibly tired. Clutching the key to her room, she rejoined Jack.



“I’ll just go up with you to confirm that the guard’s where he’s supposed to be,” Jack said stiffly.



They were alone in the elevator. Emotion seemed to thicken the air until Lorraine found it difficult to breathe. It really was over. In a few minutes Jack would say goodbye.



Suddenly Lorraine knew she couldn’t let it happen, couldn’t let him walk out of her life. Not without telling him how much she loved him.



“Where will you go?” she asked.



“I have a hotel room.”



“Here?”



“No.” He didn’t elaborate.



The elevator doors glided open on the fifth floor and Jack stepped out in front of her, his stance protective. The hallway was empty. Not until they approached the suite door did the man in uniform reveal himself.



Jack and the guard exchanged a few friendly words in Spanish. Jack hesitated a moment, then took the room key from her hand and unlocked the door. Apparently he preferred to speak to her alone.



Once inside, Lorraine waited. She knew what was coming, knew what he planned to say. They faced each other, but he seemed incapable of saying it. Silently she pleaded with him to kiss her. Just once.



As if reading her thoughts, he lifted one hand and touched her cheek. She closed her eyes and heard the unevenness of his breath—or perhaps it was her own.



“Don’t go,” she whispered. “Stay here with me. Tonight, just tonight.”



“Raine, don’t. This is hard enough.” Even as he spoke he reached for her, hauling her roughly into his arms.



With a glad cry she parted her lips as he fiercely possessed her mouth. He pinned her against the door, the kiss raw and urgent. Lorraine clutched his shirt, needing to anchor herself. But their kiss wasn’t enough to satisfy either of them.



Again and again he kissed her until all reason vanished. Then, abruptly, when she least expected it, he stopped and pulled away. He studied her face—as if to gauge her feelings.



Lorraine boldly met his look and smiled. There was no turning back for them now and she knew it. So did Jack.



Thirteen



“I’m sorry to trouble you again, Mr. Franklin,” Marjorie Ellis mumbled, her expression embarrassed.



Gary stepped into her office and sat down at her desk in front of the computer. He’d explained the basics of this program no fewer than five times and she still didn’t get it.



“I realize I’ve been nothing but a bother to you since I took over this position,” she went on, clenching her hands tensely.



“It’s no problem,” he said, trying not to sound exasperated. Then he smiled. She might be a technophobe and totally disorganized, but she made up for that with a multitude of other talents. Her order numbers were phenomenal. For the past two months she’d helped break the all-time sales records for his division. The truth of the matter was, Gary felt thrilled to have her on his team. She made him and the entire division look good.



“I’d like to repay you for all your help,” she said as she stood behind the chair, watching him correct the problem.



Hitting a couple of keys, he cleared her screen.



“Do that again,” she cried, leaning closer to the computer.



She wore a light rose scent that was actually quite lovely. He wasn’t fond of women’s perfumes, but this fragrance seemed to fit her perfectly, without overpowering the senses.



“Here,” he said, reaching for a notebook. He wrote out the sequence of commands. “If this ever happens again, you’ll know exactly what to do.”



“Great. Thank you so much, Mr. Franklin.”



It seemed silly for her to call him Mr. Franklin. None of the other associates did. “Call me Gary.”



A smile lit up her eyes. “I was serious about wanting to repay you for your patience. I mean, if you’d think it’d be appropriate….”



“No thanks necessary.”



“I knew you’d say that. You’re one of the kindest, most thoughtful men I’ve ever met. LouAnn told me your fiancée’s been out of town and I was thinking maybe you’d be interested in joining my son and me for dinner this evening.”



Gary hated to admit how lonely he’d been with Lorraine gone. It disturbed him that he hadn’t heard from her yet—but he wasn’t phoning and checking up on her. No sir. Not after the way she’d reacted to his earlier concern. Still, he did, all too often, have to set aside niggling worries about her. Where was she? Was she all right? But the rest of the time he was convinced that she was just being stubborn, asserting her independence and her need for privacy.



“Sure,” he said, accepting Marjorie’s invitation before he could change his mind.



“My son’s nine, and I’ll have to warn you, he’s really gung-ho about baseball.”



“I like baseball myself,” Gary told her. That was putting it mildly. He knew every major-league statistic for the past ten seasons.



“At the mere mention of baseball, Brice is likely to talk your ear off.”



“I won’t mind in the least.” Gary had never been particularly interested in babies, but he happened to get along well with kids. Especially ones who liked baseball. “I’d be delighted to join you and your son for dinner.”



“I’m so glad you can come,” Marjorie said happily. “I’m so glad you can come.” She made it sound, somehow, as if he was doing her a favor. Not a bad feeling, he mused. Not bad at all.



His days were full here at the office, and he’d been dating Lorraine for the better part of a year. Generally they spent time together every day. With her in Mexico, a giant hole had opened up in his life. He’d tried to keep busy, but had run out of after-work projects within a week.