The Adventurer

have come to hate him. All you brought to the partnership was image and flash. Did you really scheme with those smugglers to betray him? What did you think was going to happen if you did get him killed? Savage and Company couldn't have survived very long without him. But maybe your jealousy was too strong at that point for you to see reason. Or maybe there was enough money involved to make it worth the risk of dumping your partner."
    "You little bitch, I'll tell you what happened that day. Gid left me behind while he escaped with a suitcase full of cash, that's what happened. You think Carson, or Trace, or whatever he calls himself now is the nice, honest, up-front type? You think he's some kind of good guy, a hero out of one of your books who's going to help you find those earrings? Wise up, little girl. He's using you. When he does find your treasure for you, he'll also find a way to keep it for himself. That's his real specialty, you see, looking out for himself. And he's real good at it."
    "You're lying."
    "You think so? Just remember what I told you. When Gid goes out on a job, he never comes back empty-handed. And people who get in the way can get killed."
    "You look very much alive to me."
    "I was damned lucky. You better hope you're equally lucky, hadn't you?"
    Jake swung around and vanished into the swirling fog.
    Sarah waited a couple of minutes, but the tingling feeling of awareness did not ease. Frowning, she turned around to head back toward the bluff path.
    And walked full-tilt into a large, solid object that had been shrouded in fog.
    "Gideon."
    His gemlike eyes were the only sparks of color in the swirling world of gray. "Do you believe him?"
    Sarah took a step back. The depressed, moody feeling she had awakened with closed in upon her more heavily than the fog. "Does it matter?"
    "Yes, damn it, it matters."
    "Why?"
    "Don't play games with me, Sarah."
    "I'm not playing games. I have, however, finally come to the conclusion that I don't owe you anything more than what you're willing to give me in exchange. And I haven't gotten much trust from you, have I, Gideon?"
    He caught hold of her arm as she made to step around him. "Where are you going?"
    "Home."
    "Seattle, you mean?"
    "Yes."
    "He got to you, didn't he? Just like he got to Leanna."
    Sarah's eyes stung with tears. She dashed the back of her hand across them. "No, he didn't get to me the way he got to Leanna. You can't even give me credit for having more sense than your ex-wife had, can you? I've told you once and I'll tell you again. Leanna was a brainless little floozy without an ounce of common sense. Any woman should be able to tell at a glance that Jake Savage is a mirage of a man. All image and no substance. Amusing, perhaps, on occasion and definitely a sharp dresser. The kind who might look good escorting a woman to a fancy party. But that's about the end of it." She pulled her arm free of Gideon's grasp.
    "Damn it, Sarah, you can't just walk away like this."
    "Don't worry, I'm not running off with Jake Savage."
    "You're not running off with anyone."
    "Right. I'm going all by myself."
    "Savage will try to use you," Gideon warned roughly. "Especially if he thinks we've split up. Remember what I said about him using the divide-and-conquer technique."
    "I'm not going to lead him to that white rock."
    "He'll find a way to make you." Gideon's voice was raw. "Tell me, Sarah, is it easy to walk away from me?"
    She paused and looked back at him. His face was harsh in the gray mist. He stood there on the beach, a stark, bleak figure—a man who'd learned the trick of withdrawing completely into himself while he told the rest of the world to keep its distance.
    "I was a fool to think you needed rescuing."
    "Rescuing? What the devil do you mean by that?"
    "Never mind. You like being alone, don't you? You like not having to take the risk of trusting anyone. No, Gideon, it's not easy to walk away from you. But I don't have much choice. Maybe you and my friends were right all along. I really shouldn't rely so heavily on my intuition." She smiled faintly. "At least this time I didn't get left at the altar, though, did I? Maybe things are looking up after all. Or else I'm getting smarter."
    He made no move to stop her as she turned and started up the path toward the house.
     
    G IDEON HUNCHED his shoulders against the chilled fog, his hands thrust into his jacket pockets, and listened to the sound of Sarah's car pulling out of his driveway.
    She had done