aThis is the first time we have had such a problem,' said the older man bleakly as he looked to the young salesman. aMake it the last.'

The young crime lieutenant nodded respectfully.

The old general studied her thoughtfully before glancing once more at the silent Kai. aSo be it,' he said, with a dismissive wave of his hand. aThe contract is void. Happy New Year, Mrs Cooper. May it be a healthy and prosperous one for you and all your family. My a.s.sistant will see to the details.'

aThank you,' said Hallie and bowed her head in acknowledgement because, frankly, it seemed the thing to do. She waited until the older man was gone before straightening and turning towards the salesman who'd sold her the vase in the first place.

aYou're a very fortunate woman, Mrs Cooper,' he said dryly. aHe let you live.'

aMaybe he's turning over a New Year's leaf,' said Hallie.

Kai winced. The young salesman smiled his crooked smile. aI like you,' he said.

aBe grateful you're not married to her,' said Kai.

aTrue.'

Hallie ignored their bonding banter completely. She wasn't done yet. aCan you see to the details today?' she asked the salesman. aCan you see to them now?' She watched as he whipped out his Palm pilot and pulled up his calendar.

aNo problem,' he said. aI will arrange to meet my contacts within the hour.'

Contacts, a.s.sa.s.sins, whatever. As long as he called them off. aThank you,' she said, bestowing a brilliant smile on him, and then as a new thought occurred to her, aI wonder...'

aNo!' said Kai. aNo wondering.'

aNo refunds either,' said the salesman.

aOf course not,' said Hallie. aThat would be tacky. I was just wondering about the vase. The vase in the window. After all, it was part of our arrangement...'

aThey haven't called,' said Nick. aWhat's taking them so long?' He was on his fourth cup of sugar-loaded green tea and the sugar was starting to take effect. Soon. They would call soon. Meanwhile Nick paced. Pacing was good. Pacing and waiting was far better than sitting and waiting and he wished for the hundredth time that he could have gone with her. Dammit, he should have gone with her, regardless. Because if anything happened to her...

The m.u.f.fled ringing of John's cell phone interrupted his latest what if. Nick felt the blood drain from his face, felt an icy calm steal over him as John took the call. It was brusque, it was brief, it was in Cantonese. And then it was over.

John Tey pocketed his cell phone and turned towards him, a broad smile on his face. aThe meeting was a success. The contract has been dissolved.'

Nick felt the breath he'd been holding leave his body, felt the blood in his body start to move again as relief washed through him. Hallie was safe; that was all that mattered. His hands were trembling so he put them on the counter to make them stop; his legs were shaky too-nothing he could do about that other than pray they held him up until the sensation pa.s.sed.

aHere,' said John, pressing a squat gla.s.s of clear liquid into his unresisting hand. aYou love her; you feared for her. It's a perfectly normal reaction.'

Nick drained the contents of the gla.s.s, almost choked on the fire of it. aWhat is this stuff?' he spluttered between gasps.

aCheap Russian vodka,' said John Tey with a chuckle. aVery good for shock. Very good reminder that you are alive.'

aShe did it,' said Jasmine joyfully. aShe's a hero.'

aCrazy, reckless woman,' Nick muttered beneath his breath. aI should never have let her even attempt it.' Just wait until he got his hands on her. Wait till she walked through that door. Hero or not, he was going to lock her up and throw away the key until she swore she'd never put him through anything like that again!

aOf course, you're a hero too,' said Jasmine thoughtfully. aYou may actually be the biggest hero here today.'

aWhat?' Nick blinked. How could he be a hero? He'd done nothing! Nothing but wait and in waiting go slowly insane.

aYou didn't interfere,' said Jasmine. aYou let her go even though it went against your nature to do so and you trusted her to fix the problem herself. I think that was very heroic.'

aYou're a sweetheart,' he said gently as he held out his empty gla.s.s for another hit. aBut I think you're confusing heroism with lunacy.'

Twenty minutes later Hallie and Kai walked through the door and Nick managed to greet them civilly enough, thanks in no small part to John's most excellent cheap Russian vodka.

aAll done,' said Hallie, all smiles. aI told you it would work.'

Nick sighed, reached for her and held her close to his heart and she sagged against him, not quite as nonchalant or as confident as she seemed.

aDon't you ever put me through that again,' he said gruffly. aYou hear me?'

Hallie hugged him hard and pulled back a little self-consciously.

Jasmine, he noted, was playing it far cooler with Kai. She'd waited until he set the large parcel he was carrying down on the sideboard before crossing to greet him, a fragrant cup of tea held carefully in both hands. He watched as Kai took the tea with a wry smile on his face and a gentle meeting of hands and knew Hallie had been right about that too. It was a pretty sight, two dark heads bent over an offering of tea, with whitewashed walls, dark wooden furniture and a hastily wrapped parcel in the background. A hastily wrapped vase- shaped parcel in the background.

No. No way. She wouldn't have dared. Temper licked through him, hot and swift. It couldn't possibly be what he thought it was. Could it? He glared at Hallie and she smiled back at him, the picture of innocence. He didn't trust that smile, not one little bit. aWhat the h.e.l.l,' he said, pointing towards the parcel, ais that?'

Nick accepted John's rather hasty offer to complete their business directly. It was either that or blow a fuse over how and why Hallie came to be in possession of that d.a.m.ned vase, and he suspected the older man knew it. So they were in John's study, the contract papers spread out on the desk, having just been signed by the older man and just about to be signed by him. Trouble was, he couldn't do it.

aIs there a problem?' asked the older man.

aYes,' he said.

aWe have agreed that the terms are fair.' John's voice was cool.

aAnd they are,' Nick was quick to say. aThat's not the problem. The problem is that a contract is based on trust and understanding. Honour. You've always been honourable in your dealings with me. I, on the other hand, have not been completely honourable in my dealings with you.'

John Tey sat back in his chair and regarded him steadily.

Nick took a deep breath and prepared to tell it as it was. aI'm not married. Hallie isn't my wife. She's only pretending to be my wife.'

aI know,' said the older man, and at Nick's open-mouthed astonishment, aI've always known.'

Maybe it was the vodka, maybe it was this latest shock coming so close on the heels of the appearance of the vase, but Nick didn't know what to say. Or do. He wasn't entirely sure he still had the power of speech.

aYou don't really think I'd sign a multimillion-dollar deal with a man and not run a background check on him, do you? It's standard company procedure.' John Tey smiled. aGiven that the company details you provided were accurate to the last cent, I would, however, like to know why you felt it necessary to lie about your marital status.'

Ah. aA misjudgement on my part,' said Nick uncomfortably. He really didn't want to go into the why of it.

aI believe that at one stage my daughter viewed you as a prospective husband,' said the older man shrewdly. aAnd that you invented a wife because you wished to spare her feelings.'

aI invented a wife because I wanted to secure this deal,' corrected Nick, with a self-mocking twist of his lips. If he was going to tell the truth it may as well be the unvarnished truth. aI didn't want to marry your daughter and I couldn't afford to offend either of you. Trust me, there was far more self-preservation involved than chivalry.'

John conceded the point with a shrug. aThen there's Hallie.' He shook his head, smothered a chuckle. aYou may not be married to her yet, Nicholas, but it's clear you've given her your heart.'

aWhat?' spluttered Nick. aYou can't think...I'm not...' Oh, h.e.l.l! He was.

He was foolishly, undeniably in love with Hallie Bennett. She of the t.i.tian hair, golden brown eyes, and G.o.d-given talent for finding trouble.

aI think you're going to have your hands full there, son.'

Nick groaned. He could see it all so clearly. Hallie in his bed, sharing his life, and him never wanting, never even looking at another woman because this one filled him so completely. He could see it now. A house brimful with ancient wonders and rambunctious sons, and a tiny daughter with fly-away black hair and golden eyes and the ability to wrap her daddy, uncles and all of her brothers around her dainty little fingers. He'd be buying shotguns by the dozen. Valium by the caseful. What if-and here was a truly terrifying thought-what if they had two daughters? aShoot me now,' he told John. aIt'll be quicker and far less painful.'

aOh, I don't think so,' countered John. aI think you'll find yourself well satisfied with your choice of life partner. Besides, I can hardly do business with a dead man, now can I?' John picked up the pen and pa.s.sed it to him. aMy signature is already on the papers, Nicholas. Honour has been satisfied. Sign.'

Hallie left Nick and John downstairs finalizing the distribution deal and headed to the suite to start packing for the trip home. The packing could have waited until later in the day, tomorrow even, but she was too wired to rest so she started on it with a vengeance. The plan had worked beautifully, Nick was safe, and there was a quiet satisfaction in knowing that no one had pushed her aside and stepped in to save the day. She could be proud of that. Would be proud of it, dammit, and not apologetic as Nick seemed to think she should be, although, to be fair, it wasn't the successful cancellation of the hit that had sent Nick into orbit; it was the presence of the vase. Nick wasn't real happy about the vase.

Truth be told, Nick wasn't real happy with her. She'd been a lousy corporate wife, distracting him from his work, arranging to have him killed, and bringing his contract negotiations to a standstill. He was probably counting the hours until they touched down in London so he could pay her and be rid of her. Not that she blamed him.

For her part, saying goodbye to Nick and watching him walk away was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever done. One step forward, two steps back. For all her newfound self-confidence she knew instinctively that letting Nick go was going to break her heart.

But she was determined that there would be no tears, no telling him she loved him. No. She wouldn't do that to him. He'd wanted a wife for a week and after that week was over he wanted that wife to leave. That was the deal they'd agreed on; she could at least get that right.

She was still packing ten minutes later when Nick came up to the room and was composed enough to greet him with a tentative smile, a smile that faded when it wasn't returned. She watched him cross to the window and stand there, grim and preoccupied, with his hands in his pocket and his back towards her. Oh, h.e.l.l. Something was wrong. She waited for him to say something, anything, but he remained ominously silent.

Hallie picked up a shirt and attempted to fold it, but her fingers wouldn't co-operate. She had to know. aDid he sign?'

aYeah, he signed.'

Thank goodness for that! Hallie let out the breath she'd been holding. For a moment there she'd thought she'd sabotaged his business deal completely. But if that wasn't it, then why the silent treatment?

Oh, yeah. The vase. aI, ah, packed the vase for you. I thought I'd carry it in my hand luggage. It's very fragile.'

He closed his eyes, muttered a curse.

aAnd very good value as well,' she said in a rush. aI think when you have it valued you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's functional too.'

At this, his eyes opened and fixed on her, thoroughly disbelieving.

aNot that I expect you to, ah, use it in that way. You could use it as a regular vase. You could put flowers in it.'

aFlowers,' he repeated.

aMaybe a dried arrangement of some kind,' she suggested.

aI'll keep that in mind.'

She nodded. aYes, well, I'm really glad the whole funeral-vase shambles didn't ruin it for you. I think, given the circ.u.mstances, that it might be better if I don't take your money. I mean, what with the clothes you provided and the trip itself...'

The contract hit...

aWhat do you mean not take the money? You have to take the money.' Nick pinned her with an angry gaze. aWe had an agreement.'

So they did. Hallie bit her lip and looked away.

aYou need that money to finish your diploma.'

The diploma. Hallie sighed. Right now the diploma didn't seem to be very important at all. Maybe it wasn't. aI'm thinking of putting my studies on hold.'

aWhy?'

aI've had an idea.'

aG.o.d help us all,' he muttered. And then, as if bracing himself for a hurricane, aContinue.'

aI'm going to start my own business.'

aWhat kind of business?'

aI want to start dealing in Asian antiquities, ceramics to be more specific. I have the knowledge. I know what I'm looking for. Not quite tomb raiding, I know, but I think I'd be good at it.' She waited for a great guffaw of mocking laughter, but it didn't come.

aWill you have enough start-up money?' he asked. aWill ten thousand pounds be enough?'

aI'm going to start small. Approach a few collectors and find out what they're buying. Then see if I can find it for them.'

aBecause if you need more, I'd be more than willing to back your business venture.'

aYou'd do that? Even after all the trouble I've caused you?'

aYes. You have what it takes to succeed no matter what you do. I've told you that before.'

Hallie's eyes filled with tears. He was making it hard, so hard, for her to let him go. Not like her brothers at all, this man before her. Freedom, equality, respect; he'd shown her them all. If only he'd fallen in love with her as well...

But he hadn't. And if they became business partners she'd never be able to keep her feelings for him a secret and then where would they be? aThank you,' she said huskily. aYour support means a lot to me but I need to do this on my own.'

Nick nodded. aI can understand that. But if you ever need help you'll call me.'

aSure.' Never. She closed the lid on her bulging suitcase. She was all packed. aI'm going to miss Kai and the Teys. And you.' Her heart was close to breaking with just how much she was going to miss Nick, but she summoned a smile. aI've enjoyed our stay. It's been quite an adventure.'

aVery Lara Croft,' he said.

aI'd rather be Indiana Jones.' And when he lifted a questioning eyebrow. aIt's the hat.'

aI can see you in the hat,' he said, his eyes darkening. aI can see you in nothing but the hat.'

aFirst the necklace, now the hat.' She could do this; get through this. Her brothers always told her she could banter with the best of them. aMaybe you're developing an accessories fetish.'

aThe necklace was spectacular,' he said with a wistful sigh. aThe necklace will haunt me until the day I die. Now, so will the hat. Thank you so very much.'

aDefinitely an accessories fetish,' she said. aI'm thinking shoes now. Stilettos. That might work for you too.'

aIt's not the accessories.'

aIt's not?'

aNo.' He was close, very close. aYou're not wearing your rings.'