"I think we've got his attention," the man holding Noel remarked.

"No! L.eave her alone."

" Why should we? " the man who was in charge asked."She just came in to help me with the inventory. She doesn't know anything:' " " But you do."

Henry licked dry lips.

The skeleton hauled him to his feet. He stood swaying and panting, his facethe color of dirty putty."Don't do this to him. Can't you see he's sick?" Noel pleaded."Keep your mouth shut," her captor growled, then turned back to Uncle Henry.

"Don't waste any more of our time."

Silent communication passed between the intruders. Then the one who stillheld Noel swept his hand roughly, insinuatingly down the front of her body."No. Please," she choked out as she tried to cringe away from the dirty, invading touch.

He held her back tightly against his front, a little chuckle bubbling fromhis mouth as he continued the exploration. " " Nice. "Noel began to shake as one nightmare was blended with another. She'd been grabbed like this before. Held. Touched. And then it had gotten much worse.

Uncle Henry was looking at her, his face twisted in pain. She shrank away from his misery as much as anything eLse.

For a terrible moment there was only silence and the frantic pounding of

blood in her ears.The hush was broken by the other man. "Where is the shipment?""I'll give you anything you want. Just let her go." Defeat , anguish, fear all mingled in the old man's answer.

"No tricks " "'llirn her loose first: Henry's voice was stronger now. "

"You're not in a position to bargain: ' " 'liirn her loose. "

The skeleton nodded. There was a little sigh of regret as the hands dropped

from Noel's body. She stumbled away and crossed her arms protectively over her chest.

"Stop stalling. Get the stuff."The old man shuffled toward the cash register. Then he was behind thecounter, reaching down and fumbling for something.

"Hurry up."

"Got to unlock the box."

She had to get away, and the only place to hide was inside her own mind.

Noel stood with her eyes glazed, barely paying attention to what was going on around her until she heard the rasp of metal against metal. The sound set her teeth on edge, and her eyes darted to her uncle, croucheq below the level of the counter. All she could see was the bald top of his head.

He was getting something out of the box. It wasn't locked. She'd opened it once by mistake, and she knew what was in it. A gun. The gun she'd beggerl Uncle Henry to get rid of. And now it was all happening again " " No ! " Noel screamed as she surged toward the counter. There was only one thought in her mind. If he pulled out the gun, he was a dead man. And she had to stop him.

The cry and the sudden, urgent movement were a total surprise to the man in back of her, but he recovered quickly. Before Noel reached the display case, a curse exploded from his lips, and he lunged toward her.

Chapter Two.

Jason Zacharias's assignment had been very specific. "Stay inconspicuous. Videotape any activity in the jeVvelry shop. Under no circumstanoes interfere with the course of events: '

He had never disobeyed a direct order from the Sovereign For forty-five seconds after the men who entered the shop had pulled their guns, he stood behind the camera , watching the action as the blood had drained from Henry Marconi's face and the old man had backed up against the counter until there was no more room to maneuver Then one of the men stepped through the curtain and yanked Noel back into the shop.

At that moment, Jason stopped thinking about orders and consequences. Grabbing his gun, he pounded down the stairs, cursing the interval when he couldn't see what was going on in the little shop of horrors.

He saw a flash of movement inside the store as he dashed across the Street Above the construction noise down the block, he heard two shots in rapid succession. His own semiautomatic was in his outstretched hand.

He pulled open the door and stopped dead in his tracks. Marconi lay against the wall in back of the counter. It looked as if he'd gone for a conoealed weapon and fired upward through the display case, hitting both of the intruders. However, one of them had also taken care of Marconi on the way down.

Dead. The crooks and the proprietor were dead. He didn't have to feel for a pulse to know. However, at the moment, the only occupant of the room he cared about was the woman who lay facedown, arms at her sides, several feet in front of the shorter thug.

His heart blocking his windpipe, Jason stared at her. When she groaned and moved one arm, something seemed to break apart in his chest. Three long strides, one of them across the taller thug, brought him to her side.

Kneeling, he touched the bloody lump at the back of her head. As practicedfingers determined the source of the injury, he let out a long sigh ofrelief. As far as he could tell, the wound had been caused by a blow.Probably from the butt of a gun.

His eyes flicked to the man who'd had his obscene hands on Noel. He'd beenbusy trying to crack her skull, which was why he hadn't been ready to returnMarconi's fire. If luck had been with her, she'd gone down a fraction of asecond before the shooting started.

Carefully he rolled Noel to her back and felt for a pulse in her neck, breathing another sigh of relief when he found, it shallow but steady. Next his hands moved quickly and surely over her body as he searched for other damage, remembering to breathe only when he didn't find any bullet wounds.

His fingers drifted upward to her cheek in a touch that was more a caressthan an attempt to get any more medical information. For a moment, he wascaught and held by a fairy-tale memory. Of the two of them together. " "Noel? "

She didn't respond.

"Noel?" He might have shaken her, but he didn't want to take a chance withthe head injury. How hard had the bastard hit her?

He stared at her ashen face. Even in this condition, she was beautiful. Andso damned innocent looking. " " You should have learned to stay out oftrouble, " he grated. " What the hell are you doing here? "

Was it his imagination, or had her lids fluttered? "How much do you knowabout Marconi's dirty little export business? Are you in on the deal? Howmuch is he paying you?"

She didn't answer. Before he could ask another use less question, he heardthe wai1 of a siren. It was a long way off, but it was getting louder.

The sound brought him back to reality and his own precarious situation. Hadsomeone seen him on the street, or heard the shots? His gaze swung from Noelto the scene of destruction. He had it all on tape, because the camera wasstill running.

He cursed. He was on the footage, too. He'd have to take care of that. And think of a damn good reason why the camera had stopped recording at such a crucial moment

As he looked around the shop, he grimaced at the sight-and at its eerieparallel to the past. He'd come in on a scene like this once before. Thenhe'd been a two-bit punk afraid of the cops. Now he was a trainedprofessional with a job to do.

Quickly he checked for evidence that anyone besides the victims had been in

the shop. Then, carefully, he gathered Noel up into his arms and strodetoward the back door.Sq c. qnq sl. owe. Y up, up through layers of deep sleep.

"Noel? Noel?"Jason was calling her name. She smiled. Jason. She knew his voice. He washere again. Last time. .

Last time. . she tried to hold on to the memory, but it slithered away from her.

"Noel? Wake up. Please, sweetheart."Jason. But it couldn't be him. He was long ago and far away. It had to bethe one with the bald head. The one who had shot Mr. Dubinski.

Whimpering, she tried to shrink away.

"Noel. Stay with me, Noel. You've got to wake up."

She wanted to fleq back through the light blue haze behind her closed lids to

the sheltering cobalt and then to the midnight depths where no harm could reach her. The insistent voice and the hand gripping her shoulder wouldn't let her escape.

"Come on, Noel. I know you're in there."Her eyelids fluttered, and she grimaced at the sudden brightness."Does the light hurt?" "" Yes, " she whispered.Magically the glare no longer shone in her eyes.Still it was difficult to make out the face hovering above her. She struggled to bring it into focus. The first thing she saw was a pair of dark, almost black eyes fringed by long lashes. She knew those eyes. She could never forget those eyes.

"Jason.""Yes." "" Why. . did. . you leave? "He didn't answer. The stark look on his face made her want to reach out toward him, but her arms were too heavy to lift.

Head throbbing, she sank back against the pillows, exhausted by the brief

conversation.

She wasn't sure how much time passed before she spoke again. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Ajob."

When he moved away, panic grabbed her. Then he was back, laying a cool cloth

across her pounding forehead. The hand holding the cloth touched her cheek,bringing her more fully awake.She blinked. "Where am I?""My room: '"How?" Talking was a tremendous effort."What happened in the shop?"" " I- " An image skirted at the frayed edge of her brain. It wouldn't take on substance, but a feeling of terrible loss swept over her. Her eyes

searched his, pleading' Help me." His face twisted as if some bitter pain had seeped into his soul. He came down beside her, taking her in his arms, holding her. Keeping her safe. How long ago had it been since he'd held her like this? A vivid memory of his embrace, of his kiss, enveloped her. Was that a dream? Or was this?

He stroked her shoulders and the back of her neck. She buried her face against his chest, needing his comfort, content simply to exist in his arms.

It didn't last.

He growled something she couldn't catch as he lowered her back against the pillows. Sad, confused, hurting , she felt tears leaking from behind her closed lids.

His arm was behind her head, lifting her up. Then a glass touched against her lips, and she took a swallow of orange juice. It helped moisten her dry mouth.

Jason set the glass on the bed stand. "Were you working for Marconi?" "" Sometimes . " "Doing what?" "Things.. .." " " What were you doing there today? "

"He's sick: She paused to gather enough strength to answer. " "He.. . he.. . wants me to have the jewelry. But he can't tell me he loves me." The pain swelled like a balloon in her head, making it impossible to think. She pressed her hand to her temple.

"Noel. What is it? Sweetheart, what's wrong?" He was beside her again, his fingers digging into her shoulders as if he could anchor her to the here and now. But the blue haze wafted toward her, and she reached out toward it.

"Noel-"

She was afraid, and she fled from him as much as from the pain. She had thought he was here to help her. Now she sensed that wasn't true.

Some time later Noel opened her eyes and blinked as she took in her surroundings. A tall, muscular man was standing with his back to her, looking out the window. His hands were wedged into the back pockets of a pair of worn jeans.

She didn't know who he was, and panic clawed at her chest. Her eyes flicked from the rigid shoulders to the unfamiliar room. A bed. A chest. A lamp. Several black cases sitting by the door. Packed luggage. Not hers. At least, she didn't think so.

What was she doing here? What did he want with her? Stealthily she tried to push herself off the bed, tried to get away. She didn't have the strength.

When he heard her flop back against the pillow, he whirled to face her. She found herself staring up into eyes so dark they were nearly black. She knew those eyes. She would never forget those eyes. Jason. But it couldn't be Jason.

She said his name anyway. Just in case.

His fingers gently stroked the hair back from her face. " " How do you feel? "