Midnight Jewels

wiped water off his forehead with the towel. "I left it open."
    "The vault?"
    "Must have left it open. I was in there when I realized someone had followed me. Closed the door but didn't lock it when I went to see who was in the garden." He stopped and grimaced. "Shit. I think I'm going to throw up after all. Thought the sick feeling was gone."
    "Your stomach is upset? Croft, pay attention to me."
    He took a deep breath. "There. It's gone. Damned nausea."
    Mercy was getting frustrated and scared. She caught hold of the lapels of Croft's wet shirt and tried to shake him. He blinked and looked down at her.
    "Did you find someone out here in the garden?" she demanded softly.
    "Didn't have to," Croft explained. "He found me. It was a man. Must have been Dallas or Lance. Embarrassing. He shouldn't have been able to get that close without me knowing it. Something's wrong with me, Mercy."
    Mercy was suddenly the one feeling nauseous. "Did he throw you in the pool?"
    Croft considered that. "I think he tried to knock me out and throw me in the pool. But I tricked him." He grinned in memory of his own brilliance. "I went into the pool all by myself."
    "Oh, Lord." Mercy yanked on his arm, hurrying along the path once more. "We've got to get out of here."
    Croft abruptly stopped cooperating. He didn't actively fight her grip, he simply came to a halt in the middle of the path. Mercy couldn't budge him.
    "Not without the book," he said. "Got to get the book."
    Mercy was feeling frantic. "If I get the damned book, will you come with me?"
    He nodded happily. His sexy grin returned. "Sure. Always happy to come with you, Mercy. I like to come with you and in you. I like to make you come, too. I like to watch your face when it's about to happen. I like to feel you get all hot and tight and wet around my—"
    "
Shut up
. We are in serious trouble here. If you don't stop talking about sex, I'm going to throw you back in that pool, do you hear me, Croft Falconer?"
    "Geesh, what a grouch. Lucky for you I'm so good-natured, huh?"
    She decided the only thing she could do was ignore most of what he was saying. The book seemed to be the one thing he was really concerned about. If she got it, he might be more amenable to following her orders.
    Mercy came to a decision. It looked as if she was going to have to give a few orders to Croft tonight. He had finally succeeded in convincing her that something was very wrong at the Gladstone estate. The only sane thing to do was leave. It was very obvious he was incapable of organizing the retreat. That left her to manage things.
    "Croft, listen to me. I'm going to get that copy of
Valley
for you if I can get into the vault. Then we're going upstairs. If anyone sees us, we will pretend you're so drunk you have to go to bed. Once upstairs we will pack our things and go down the back way to where the car is parked. Got that?"
    He smiled and nodded his head in pleasant agreement. "Anything you say, sweet Mercy. I am yours to command."
    "Remember that." She guided him off the path and into the depths of the garden. She drew him to a halt under a huge palm. "All right, Croft. Here's the first command. Sit here and don't move until I get back with the book. If anyone conies out on the platform, he won't be able to see you. Just sit perfectly still and don't move. Pretend you're meditating. Think you can do that?"
    "No sweat." He sank down immediately into a neat, cross-legged position and looked up at her for approval. "Slick, huh?"
    "Amazing," she muttered.
    "I don't suppose you want to try making love in this position again?" he asked hopefully. "You know, the way we did in that meadow? You could sort of sit on my lap and wrap your legs around my waist. Then I could—"
    Mercy began to feel desperate. "Hush! I'm going after that book now. Remember, don't move until I get back."
    A flicker of more sober intelligence briefly appeared again in his eyes. "You're going to get the book?"
    "Yes."
    "Good. Hurry."
    "Believe me," she said as she turned and started through the garden, "I will."
    Maybe Croft was wrong. Maybe he hadn't left the vault unlocked. If she couldn't get inside to retrieve
Valley
, she would simply lie to him and tell him she had it hidden in the folds of her skirt. In the shadows of the garden he might not be able to tell, and in his present mood he might not be inclined to demand proof.
    The room in which the vault was housed was dark. Mercy thought about turning on a light and decided that