"Yes." qtazement expanded inside her chest. She couldn't believe the evidence of her senses. Her fingers twisted deeper into the fabric, desperate to hold him there. With , q, " " Is it really you? "

"It's really me."

"How.. ?"

"I came to help you."

She still didn't understand, but she clutched at his words, just as she held tight to his solid form. He had come to help her before. Long ago. . and. . again a wisp of memory fluttered tantalizingly through her brain. Like a child chasing a butterfly, she tried to catch it, but it was gone before she could close her thoughts around more than shimmering gossamer. " " Are you all right? "

Noel blinked and tried to form an answer. "I-yes."

The world had contracted to his tousled dark hair, his achingly familiar features, his ebony eyes boring down into her blue ones.

Suddenly the reality of finding Jason Zachariashere, now, was too much. Her knees buckled and he caught her, holding her tightly against his solid body, his hand coming up to twine in her hair and stroke the back of her neck.

She closed her eyes, wanting to shut out everything but Jason. It felt so good to be in his arms again. The only place where she'd ever been safe. Or perhaps there was no such place. She inhaled his familiar scent, ran her hands over his shoulders and down his arms, feeling the corded muscles flex under her fingers. She raised her head againq her eyes begging him to answer a question she didn't know how to phrase.

"Are you sure you're all right? " he asked again. " " I am now. " As she said the words, she felt a profound sense of well-being settle over her. And a rush of need that went far beyond anything merely physical.

She saw his eyes darken, his expression waver between something soft and something primitive that made her heart turn over.

"Noel. Ah, God, Noel." His mouth touched hers, and he murmured the words indistinctly against her lips, as if coherenoe was less important than maintaining the contact With a little sigh, she opened to him, welcomed him.

"I tried-I can't-" Until that moment, his kiss had been gentle. Suddenly it turned deep and urgent as if all earthly needs had coalesced into this one powerful contact with each other.

He tasted, probed, demanded a response from her that would have been impossible to express in words. Yet she could give it to him with her body, with her very soul. , She kissed him back with the same reckless fervor, her lips moving wildly against his, her fingers winnowing through his thick, ebony hair. "I'q qq, yearning part of her had been crusted over with ioe. But the long, dark winter was over. This man had brought with him the age-old magic of sunshine, pouring down upon the cold earth, stirring life anew.

When he dragged his mouth away from hers, she whimpered. She wanted it to go on. If he simply kept holding her in his arms, kissing her, touching her, she q wouldn't have to think. She would only have to feel.

But as she stared up into the fierce urgency of his eyes, she knew he wasn't going to give her that comfort. "When was the last time you saw me? "

She tried to make sense of the question. "Don't you tnow?"

"Yes. But I want you to tell me."

"In.. . in.. . Mr. Dubinski's shop."

She saw the spark die in his eyes. "You don't rem em "

"Remember what?" Her hands tightened on his arms , she tried to force herself to think. But her mind had stopped functioning in the old, familiar patterns weeks ago.

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter "

"Tell me." "

" I. ater. "

The disappointment on his face tore at her insides. " " What are we to each other? " she whispered.

For just a moment, pain filled his eyes. "You have to find that out for yourself."

" " Help me. " "I can't. Not now: His lips were set in a grim line She studied his features, taking in details she'd missed. With a trembling finger, she touched a faded scar over his left cheekbone.

The last time she'd seen him had been in a room where the light wasn't so bright. VWhere she hadn't been able to get a good look at him. Or maybe her vision had been blurrqd.

The last time? What kind of tricks was her mind playing ? The last timewas. .He stood very still as he gazed down into her eyes."What happened to you?" she whispered, gently tracing the scar.He swallowed. "An explosion.""Were you badly hurt?" "

" I survived: '

She was trembling at the brink of knowledge that was desperately important.

"Tell me-"

"Noel, we can't stay here. We have to clear out before somebody finds the

men in the car."

Fenton and the driver. She'd forgotten all about them-about everything but Jason.

"Noel, we can't stand here talking: '

"We weren't just talking: '

His gaze went to her lips. For a moment ripe with anticipation , she thought

he might take her in his arms again. But it didn't happen; instead, he

tugged gently at her hand. Noel didn't move. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, trying to clear her thoughts. Was it all a dream? A man from her past. Appearing from nowhere and chasing her across the English countryside. Pulling her against the hard length of his body and kissing her. Awakening a longing deep inside her being. She squeezed her fingers around his. Flesh and blood and bone. Yes. He was real. But anchoring herself to warm flesh didn't help. In fact, it made things worse. " " Come on. "

She couldn't cope with her feelings. She couldn't even think coherently.

With a little sigh, she gave in to the longing to let him take charge. Now that he was here, he would make everything come out right. When he slipped an arm over her shoulders, she settled against him and let him lead her back across the field. This time they took a different route to avoid the hill she'd tumbled down.

Yet even as he steered her back to the road, Noel kept glancing at the man beside her, trying to remember. . something. His face was an unreadable mask, as if he'd said too much and was determined not to give anything more. But he'd said nothing. Nothing that she needed to qhear. Somehow, that helped strip off a few of the qamlike layers that wrapped her mind.

"The truck driver. What happened to the truck "I took care of him." She blinked, concentrating her mind and forcing her qrenqs to another level. My God, she was so out of it that she hadn't even asked the most obvious question. " " What are you doing here? " "I'm going to make sure nothing happens to you: ' " "He said that, too. When he tried to get me to go with him ."

Another expression she couldn't read tlickered across Jason's face. She

should be getting used to that, but she didn't like it. " " Are you reallyhere to help me? " she asked. " "You have to trust me.""" I used to: 'He was silent for several moments. "How did you get away? ""From the man? I hit him with my flight bag and ran: ' ""Good girl: 'They had come up within sight of the road. Three vq hicles were lined up, the car with the customs agents inside , the truck, and another smaller

sedan. Jason's.As Noel stareq at them, the most logical question of all tumbled from herlips. "How did you know where to find me? "

"I followed you from the airport: '

"How?"

"There's a transmitter in your purse."

She turned and stared at him. "What are you talking about? "

"It's a little device that broadcasts a signal. It's got a directional finder. The closer you get, the stronger the signal. The receiver is in my car."

It was a strange conversation, because part of her mind had no trouble following his matter-of-fact explanation.

But she felt like Alice in Wonderland listening to the Red Queqn. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" "

" As much as I can: '

"You came to get me away from the man who was qrying to kidnap me from the authorities."

"Tlrat's as good an explanation as any."

As they drew abreast of the first car, Noel glanced inside Fenton and the driver were still slumped in the front seat.

"The longer lead time we have, the better," Jason said as he took her elbow and hurried her toward the truck. When he opened the back door, Noel peered inside, seeing a pair of feet and legs clad in gray overalls.

"Give me a minute." Jason disappeared into the interior , closing the door.

Noel looked from the van to Jason's car. Until now , she'd been under a kind of spell, docilely going along with his plans. With an incredulous shake of her head, q she wondered precisely what was wrong with her. Was it just the head injury making her act this way? Or was it q something more? As she looked nervously up and down the road, a motorist slowed and stared at her. She stifled the impulse to run toward him, waving. What would she qaqsay if he stopped? The moment passed and the car disqqappeared over the crest of a hill-leaving Noel with the notion that Jason was just as dangerous as the man in the : . Iruck. a :. Her heart began to thump as she thought about makqq a run for it again. Then she shook her head, trying to 'd herself of the half-formed idea. She was banged up and exhausted. How far could she get, even if she tried?

More than that, deep inside, she desperately wanted to e that she could trust Jason Zacharias. q The door opened. Jason got out and handed Noel her Then he retrieved her luggage. All of which she'd She was about to issue automatic thanks, when he reached inside to pull out some additional items. He turned back to Noel, and her eyes bugged out as she saw he was holding an ugly-looking machine gun.

"Your friend had more than that toy pistol with him: '

"What are you going to do with them?"

"They might come in handy."

In what kind of situation? she wondered as he slammed the door. Then he wasushering her toward the car.When he opened the door, she stiffened her arm p g, against the frame. Her heart was thum in " " and it was all she could do to stop herself frombolting. Where are we go"A safe place."She turned and looked up, pleading, into his eyes.He swallowed. "Are you afraid of me?"

"I don't want to be."

"Noel, I'd never hurt you: He pulled her to him, brushing his lips against her cheek.

"Oh, Jason. It's all so.. frightening. And unreal." She wished she could tell him how eon fused she felt. Or was that exactly the wrong thing to do?

"Let me take care of everything. For now: 'In her present state, she wanted more than life itself to believe he was onher side. And, really, what choice did she have?

With a tight nod, she climbed into the car.

Jason stowed the weapons in the truck, started the engine and nosed the car onto the blacktop. At first he headed in the direction they'd all been

traveling from the airport. Before he reached East Grinstead, he turned ontoan ever-narrowing track. Noel watched him shift gearsThey were in the middle of the English countryside, but he seemed to know exactly where he was going. He also seemed completely comfortable driving on

the wrong side of the road and shifting with the wrong hand.

The route took them past open fields, farms and villages of stone cottages with carefully tended flower gardens Sometimes there were pubs identified by signs colorfully painted with illustrations and names like The White Swan or The Stag.

Jason hadn't said a word since they'd gotten into the car.

"Tell me why I shouldn't run screaming to the nearest police station," she finally blurted.

Jason took his eyes from the road for a moment and studied her. "That

wouldn't be very smart," he said in a tone that he hadn't used before.

"Because you're a fugitive from the British authorities , and someone else is after you, as well."

This time, Jason didn't glance away from the road. "Whoever the guy with the stun gun is working for "

"Montgomery?"

Jason's brows lifted.

"You know him?" she asked. "