Midnight Jewels

aware of it. That wasn't the reason the engagement ended."
    "It would take a lot for you to walk out on a man."
    "That may not be saying much about my intelligence."
    "So what happened?"
    "Are you always this rude?"
    "It's my nature. I like to understand what I'm dealing with."
    "The only thing you're dealing with tonight is a free meal. That shouldn't require much understanding."
    "The hell it doesn't. You know as well as I do that there's no such thing as a free lunch. There's always a reckoning."
    She couldn't decide if he was laughing at her or not. Mercy didn't dare turn around to find out. "Feel free to walk out the door before you find yourself in too deep."
    "I'm already in too deep. But don't worry, I think I'm willing to pay the price. What happened in California, Mercy?"
    He was too much. But when she shot him a quick glance over her shoulder, she found her irritation evaporating. Instead of a mocking or prying inquisitiveness she instead saw in his eyes an intense, almost physical awareness. She experienced an overwhelming desire to explain everything to him. She had never talked about this particular part of her past with anyone, but now she wanted Croft to understand what had happened. "Remember what you said earlier about how difficult it was to choose a lover because one never knew for certain if one was choosing a friend or an enemy?"
    "I remember."
    "Well, my fiancé turned out to be an enemy. He used me to try to defraud my aunt and uncle, who happen to be quite comfortably established due to some excellent investments they made several years ago in California real estate. I found out what was happening just in time, broke off the engagement and told my relatives what was going on. It was an extremely unpleasant situation. Unfortunately, there was no way to prove anything. When it was all over, I'm sure Aaron just cut his losses and went on to his next victim. The only satisfaction I got out of it was reporting the whole thing to the authorities. At least they can keep an eye on him now. Maybe if he tries another scheme they'll catch him."
    "Not sufficient revenge for you, though, hmm?"
    She could feel his gaze on her as she turned up the heat under the kettle of water. "No, frankly, it wasn't. I would have liked to have done something a great deal more permanent to Aaron Sanders."
    "Because he tried to defraud your aunt and uncle?"
    "No, because he used me to do it." She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and collected her frazzled emotions. Damned if she would allow this man to spend the rest of the evening unnerving her. It had been a serious mistake to invite him to dinner.
    But, then, she hadn't exactly invited him, Mercy re-minded herself wryly. Somehow she'd been quietly coerced into doing it.
    Croft's eyes met hers. His gaze was disconcertingly serious. "I understand how you feel. But I think in your case it's better things ended where they did. Once you'd taken the next step in revenge, which would have been violence, there would have been no easy way to modify the end result. It might have consumed you as well as him. Once violence has been initiated, forces are set in motion that can't always be controlled. A new Circle is formed and must be completed."
    She stared at him. "A Circle?"
    He nodded. "A subset within the structure of universal reality that must be completed if it isn't to shatter and cause problems in other areas."
    "What on earth are you talking about?" she demanded. "What is this Circle business?"
    "A concept."
    "Your own?"
    He shrugged. "In the same way that my style in the world of martial arts is my own. We're all responsible for shaping the concepts we use to deal with the world."
    Mercy hesitated, trying to understand. "This concept of a Circle is your personal philosophy, then?"
    "You could call it that."
    "Tell me about it," she insisted. She had forgotten her previous irritation, uncomfortableness and even her sexual awareness of her guest. She had lost all self-consciousness and now just wanted to know everything she could about Croft Falconer.
    He paused, as if searching for simple answers to a complex question. When he looked up again his eyes were gleaming. "It has to do with a way of knowing. A way of understanding. A way of riving. You're right. It's my philosophy of life. I've learned that in order to maintain an equilibrium in my world it is first necessary to keep all the Circles of reality closed."
    "I don't think I understand."
    "It's not necessary that