The Ties That Bind

certain she could start to change his life. Because it would take no less than a major life-style change for Garth to become the kind of lover and husband Shannon wanted.
    With a new feeling of calm determination, Shannon wheeled around and started back up the beach. She had gone only a few paces when she realized she was not alone. For a moment she could not identify the man who had just descended the cliff at the point where she had earlier. He was too far away for her to see his face. But something about the way he moved toward her was alarming. It was also familiar.
    Shannon halted, seriously considering a scramble up the steeper portion of the cliff wall that was to her right. Frowning, she edged toward it. She had no real cause for panic, she told herself. It must have been the lingering effects of her experience last night. Her hand was braced on a jutting shoulder, and she was searching for a foothold when the approaching man called to her. She recognized the voice at the same moment she got a good look at his features.
    "Wes! What on earth are you doing here?" Astonished at McIntyre's presence, Shannon came away from the cliff and waited. A sudden thought struck her. "Garth didn't send you to keep an eye on me, too, did he?" she asked wryly. "One bodyguard is enough."
    "No, Shannon, I'm not here to protect you." Wes came to a halt a few feet away, his handsome face set in taut lines that changed his whole appearance. He suddenly didn't seem to look at all like the easygoing man Shannon had met in Garth's office. "I'm here to make a deal with you. You're clever. I'll admit that. In the beginning, I made the mistake of totally underestimating you. I know better now, and I'm willing to put this on a businesslike basis. We have to cooperate, you and I. There's no choice."
    "A deal!" And then it hit her. Shannon's eyes narrowed as she absorbed the implications of what he had said. Too late she realized she ought to have made the dash up the cliff. "You're the one," she got out, her voice tight with anger. She was distantly grateful for the raw edge of fury that was lacing her words. It was far more bracing than the whimper of panic. "You tried to change your voice last night but I recognize it now. You're betraying Garth. You were the one who searched my place last night."
    "I'm going to be damn lucky not to get an infection from that knife you used." Wes gingerly touched his arm with the opposite hand. He frowned bitterly. "I'd never have guessed you were the violent type and I'm usually damn good at analyzing people. No wonder you fooled Garth. You're a very talented actress. Shannon. The sweet, unworldly artist routine was the one kind of act he wouldn't have been expecting. I'd like to know how you set it up, though. Just out of curiosity, you understand. How did you know where and when he'd be taking that trip over here to the coast? Your sources must be good, Shannon. Very well placed."
    "Don't be stupid, Wes. I'm not working with anyone. Your own mind must be very twisted to make you think everyone else is just as warped as you are."
    He grimaced. "Don't tell me you're going to carry the act out to the end? It can't last, you know. Sooner or later, Sheridan will figure out who was behind the theft and when that time comes, the only safe place to be is out of his reach. Believe me, I know."
    "Is that where you intended to be?" Shannon asked scornfully. "Out of reach after you'd completed the sale of that bid package?"
    "Very much out of reach," he returned coolly. "Who's your client?"
    "I haven't got a client, you idiot."
    He shrugged. "All right, you don't have to tell me. I just thought the information might be interesting."
    "Who's yours?"
    "Kenyon."
    Shannon sighed. "That figures. You were supposed to make the transfer at the party that night, I assume?"
    "It seemed the best time. You don't know Sheridan. When he slaps a security blanket on Sherilectronics , the way he did while this bid package was being worked out, he's very, very thorough. It would have been risky for me to meet Kenyon at any time during the past couple of weeks. There was too great a possibility that Garth had assigned private investigators to keep tabs on all his top people. He's done it before when he's been nervous about security."
    "But the party was neutral ground," Shannon interposed grimly.
    "Exactly. The party was the safest opportunity I was going to get and I knew it. I took the one copy of the bid package I had managed to