Donovans 02 - Jade Island

soon as the museum opens. Or what if I was wrong? What if the suit isn’t Wen’s? Then there would be a whole different can of worms to untangle and I’d be back in jail. You’ve never seen Wen’s suit. I have.”
    One by one, three male heads came up. Lianne had their undivided attention. It wasn’t comforting.
    “You need me,” she said.
    “No,” Kyle said flatly.
    Archer and Jake looked at each other.
    “Why shouldn’t she go?” Honor asked Kyle with wide-eyed interest. “You and Jake have spent the last two hours telling me how safe this little jaunt will be. ‘Just a walk in the park,’ was what you said, Jake. Right?”
    Jake grunted.
    Archer rolled onto his side and faced Kyle, “She has a point.”
    “The hell she does,” he said without looking away from Lianne. “Do you know how to dive?”
    “No, but—”
    “Exactly,” Kyle cut in. “You’re staying here.”
    “—the jade shroud isn’t on the bottom of the ocean, either,” Lianne said, talking over him.
    “We can take the inflatable boat and run it up on theshore here,” Archer said, pointing on the map to the east side of Farmer Island. “With the Zodiac, she won’t even have to get her feet wet. By the time we go ashore, the guards will be tired of watching little lights go off on their consoles.”
    “No,” Kyle snarled.
    “Why?” Archer asked mildly.
    “For God’s sake, she’s a—”
    “GIRL,” Lianne, Faith, and Honor chorused. Then they smiled at one another, pleased by their timing.
    Kyle looked hunted. “If it was Honor,” he said to Jake, “would you let her go?”
    Amused, Jake smiled at his wife. “Would I let you go, honey?”
    “I wouldn’t ask,” Honor retorted. “I’d just go like I did the last time you wanted me to stay ashore.”
    “That answer your question?” Jake asked Kyle.
    “Shit.”
    “You were there when that thug jumped her,” Jake pointed out. “Did she panic?”
    “No. But she was damn near killed anyway!”
    Archer sat up and watched Lianne with steady, silver-green eyes. “Running the Zodiac up on shore increases our risk,” he said to her. “If necessary, could you suit up and swim for a hundred yards in dark water?”
    “Yes.”
    He watched her for a few moments longer, nodded, and returned his attention to the map. “Four will fit in the Zodiac without a problem.”
    “Archer,” Kyle said tightly, “don’t do this to me.”
    “Think with your brain, not your dick,” Archer said in a calm voice. “We need someone who can make a fast, expert appraisal of jade using only a trained eye, a flashlight, and nerve. You’ve got the nerve, I’ll hold the flashlight, but we still won’t be sure of the goods. We can’t afford to fuck this one up. Uncle isn’t in a forgiving mood.”
    “Which brings up another point,” Kyle said. “Can we trust Uncle to stay out of this?”
    “Once we get the jade suit off the island,” Archer said, “it’s open season. Uncle wants that suit. If some eager government boys steal it from us, who do we complain to?”
    “That’s what I thought.” Kyle closed his eyes, thought of a few truly awful oaths, and asked, “Who do we have on the payroll that can fly small planes and keep his mouth shut?”
    “Walker,” Archer said instantly.
    “Where is he?”
    “Seattle. Just back from Australia. He was flying geologists around the outback for Donovan International.”
    “Okay, he can handle a plane,” Kyle said. “What about the rest of it?”
    “Are you talking about Owen Walker?” Jake asked.
    Archer nodded.
    “No worries,” Jake said, turning back to the chart. “Walker used to bodyguard VIPs for Uncle. If it goes from sugar to shit, he’ll know what to do.”
    “Aren’t you going to ask what I want the plane for?” Kyle said to Archer.
    “I’m more worried about getting a wet suit small enough for Lianne. Does that dive shop down on Fifth Street outfit kiddies?”
    Lianne made an outraged sound and dove for Archer’s back, but he had already rolled aside. Kyle caught her and tucked her along his side on the rug. “You’ll get used to him, sweetheart. We have.” He wrote quickly on a piece of paper before he looked up at Honor. “Okay, sis. It was your bright idea. You have three hours to shop for Lianne. Here’s the list.”
     
    Faith, Honor, and Lianne walked into the condo, their arms overflowing with sacks.
    “Took you long enough,” Kyle said. “I was about to send out a search